Like actual ghosts, the UK’s Black Ghosts have an uncanny aura of the familiar.  A shape that resembles something once known, but that is also completely different and evidence of the fact that life is a layered thing.
The Black Ghosts are Theo Keating (formerly of The Wiseguys) and Simon William Lord (formerly of Simian.) Keating and Lord also perform, DJ, and remix individually as Fake Blood and Lord Skywave, respectively. Consequently, even if you think you’ve never heard them, you get the sense you have because in actuality chances are …

We ended the week with a bang, a live performance from TV on the Radio right here in our studios. I could barely get in the front door this morning with all the gear being loaded in.  Check out one of our favorites, “Caffeinated Consciousness” and find the full session in the archives here.
RR

From KCRW DJ Chuck P:
Talk Talk were one of the many hotly tipped New Romantic bands of the early 80s, along with Duran Duran (who they opened for on their ’82 tour), A Flock Of Seagulls, OMD and so many more. They had a knack for writing keyboard infused pop nuggets with denser lyrics than most of
their contemporaries.
I was a huge fan when the songs “Talk Talk” and “It’s My Life” came to the US, but my focus shifted elsewhere by the time their 4th album, “Spirit Of Eden“, came …

KCRW ran a sweepstakes where we gave away tickets to see Radiohead at Roseland Ballroom and one of the winners, Sanjeev Sirpal, flew across the country from LA to be there.  Read his incredible story. A music lover’s dream come true!

From Sanjeev Sirpal:
On Monday, I was sitting on my friend’s couch in Denver, getting ready to head back to Los Angeles after a week of avoiding stepping on animal dropings and having to hear about the Broncos when I got a call from my good friend Jeff Seltzer.
In an oddly …

Tinariwen aren’t exactly the type of band that stops by radio stations to promote their latest project. In fact, they don’t do a lot of sessions or interviews. This collective of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara Desert, some of which have been playing together since the late 70’s, have a really special bond with each other and you feel as if they are letting you in when they play for you. It’s a really intimate experience. It captures your attention so completely, it’s hard to focus on anything else. And …

 
Apparat’s Sascha Ring has had a number of phases in his development as a producer. In the mid 2000s, he was part of a wave of glitchy techno producers working (& playing) out of Berlin. He forged collaborations and released a number of heady dance music albums with Ellen Allien and Modeselektor (under the name Moderat.) While working on his new material, he traveled the world as a DJ, mixing dubstep with elements of more pastoral, psychedelic electronic music from artists like Four Tet and Telefon Tel Aviv. Last year he released a …

Right out of the gate, Jason Bentley had to ask Zach Rogue why he chose to do a project outside of Rogue Wave, which has been together since 2002. His answer was simple, he wanted to make something stripped down, bare bones, that focused on  singing.
Rogue Wave takes time assembling songs and he wanted to track it quickly, with as few overdubs as possible, to capture the emotion of the songs rather than specific sound.
He also wanted to make a record with a female counterpart voice, and he had Caitlin …

You know what’s great? (Hint: It starts with an IN and ends with a NET.) That’s right! THE INTERNET!
You can find all these amazing things that you would otherwise never have been aware of, or had maybe forgotten about, or better yet wouldn’t have even imagined existed in the infinite stretches of data in the first place!
Take for example…this grainy (probably VHS) video of Stevie Nicks getting her make-up done and getting into character for either a concert or a Rolling Stone photo shoot in 1981, details are sketchy.
However, what is …

Feist chose KCRW as one of the first places to debut songs from her new album “Metals” in a live setting, bringing a talented band along for the ride, including three back up vocalists.
Here is a preview with “The Circle Married the Line”. The full session will air on Morning Becomes Eclectic on October 26 on air at 89.9FM at 11:15am and at KCRW.com
And the full album, which will be out October 4, is now available streaming. Check it out on her website.
RR

I’ve worked at KCRW for Jason Bentley’s entire tenure as Music Director and when he really loves a record, I can just tell. As is the case with Honey Honey’s forthcoming release “Billy Jack” on Lost Highway Records (out October 24).  It’s clear the Americana sounds of LA-based duo of Suzanne Santo and Ben Jaffe have captured his attention.
Jason had thrown the CD into his player knowing nothing about the band (it was an advance copy that didn’t even have album art!) and was immediately taken aback by the lyrics …