Rapper Tyler XP Andrews had a big hand in the latest Macklemore & Ryan Lewis record, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, including writing credits on the songs "Brad Pitt's Cousin" and "Let's Eat." As such, the hip-hop duo asked Andrews to join them on their latest European tour, where we caught up with the lyricist during some down time in Newcastle upon Tyne in the U.K. We asked Andrews about his recent experience on tour, how he joined forces with Macklemore and what has been the hardest thing for him to cope with while traveling the world.
Read MoreWhen Andrew Bird, the warm-voiced singer and musician (famous for his whistling and violin playing), picked up the phone after I dialed the 14-digit number to reach him in Ireland where he was to play at the U.S. Embassy, he told me he’d been up for two days straight. “I left my house yesterday at noon,” Bird says, “and got to Dublin a couple of hours ago. I’m here in a very strange place. I’m technically on U.S. soil in the middle of a massive park surrounded by green fields.”
Read MoreJolie Holland, the lovely, fluttery-voiced singer famous for the songs “Littlest Bird” and “Old Fashioned Morphine,” is embarking on something brand new this month, but something that's also rooted deeply in her past: a tour with songwriter Samantha Parton along the West Coast and Canada.
Read MoreThe chance to interview Seahawks’ star cornerback Richard Sherman is an exciting proposition. With it, though, brings its share of questions, especially for a writer who has been at least a little critical of the man this season. Nevertheless, I was set to interview Sherman during the American Express Blue Friday event at the brand new Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room on Capitol Hill.
Read MoreOn January 30, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready teamed up with the Seattle Symphony and an all-star cast of rock musicians – from bassist Duff McKagan to singers Chris Cornell and Kim Virant – at Benaroya Hall to perform original compositions as well as songs from the band, Mad Season. The night of music, part of SSO’s fifth annual Sonic Evolution Series, where well-known musicians write original works tailored specifically for the symphony, was laid to tape and will be released August 28 on vinyl. And there is only one man McCready would trust to master this project: Seattle’s Ed Brooks.
Read MoreIf you’ve ever seen the HBO comedy Silicon Valley–specifically the episode featuring the Tech Crunch Disrupt competition where start-up company Pied Piper wins for its data compression software–you might have an idea of what Microsoft’s Imagine Cup is like. Last Friday, thousands of bright developers and future Microsoft hopefuls came together to examine what’s next on the software horizon.
Read MoreIf you find yourself approaching the Washington State Convention Center later this month and Thor, Wonder Woman or Geordi La Forge hold the door open for you, just smile, nod a “thank you” and step right in like you belong. You’ve arrived at Emerald City Comicon (ECCC)—ground zero for Seattle’s superhero fandom.
Read MoreEveryone in Seattle has heard about the Mariners, the Sounders and, of course, the Seahawks. There are people who still wear Seattle SuperSonics t-shirts and jerseys, clinging to the NBA team we lost. But there's another team in town worth paying attention to that is practicing hard, inspiring youth and bringing home trophies and championships.
Read MoreWhat’s your favorite current Seattle band? If you have trouble answering (or if you draw a blank after Macklemore), we’re not going to judge. But we are going to suggest it’s time to check in with the city’s thriving indie music scene. New local bands are exploring sounds, blurring genre boundaries (though we’ve wrestled them into categories here) and playing vibrant live shows all over town (see our Live Music Venue guide). Even with this sampler of 50 bands, we haven’t scratched the surface of Seattle music. Listen right here—where you can stream songs from all 50 bands—and also try tuning in to KEXP (the city’s unsurpassed discovery engine for local music) for a whole week. Soon enough, you’ll have an answer to the above question—and you might just go on and on.
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