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If you put on music by The Sonics, chances are you almost immediately wonder if your speakers are going to blow out. The famed northwest band, credited by many for starting – or at least dramatically popularizing – the garage rock sound in the 60s, rose to prominence after their hit song, “The Witch,” and hit record, Here Are The Sonics, hit stands in 1964. With it came the booming instrumentation and distorted vocals of soon-to-be icons. An influence for countless groups, including Nirvana, The Sonics have remained an important touchstone when considering the Seattle-area music scene ever since. And now, nearly 55 years since the album dropped, we thought we should catch up with one of the band’s original main members, bassist Andy Parypa, brother of guitarist Larry, who founded the group in the early 60s, to talk with him about those early years creating the music, who the band’s contemporaries were and what bonded the group as they cut their first single.

Dave Simonett, lead singer and principle songwriter behind the raucous Duluth, Minnesota-based bluegrass band, Trampled by Turtles, has come full circle. After a year-plus hiatus away from the boot-stomping group to record and tour solo, Simonett has returned to the band and, together, they’ve created a joyous, thoughtful new album, Life is Good on the Open Road, which you can stream here. When listening to Trampled, you immediately pick up the richness and fullness of the music, born from the group’s thick-as-thieves comradery. From the bumping, “Blood in the Water” to the melancholy, “I’m Not There Anymore,” the group continues to be at its best. And we wanted to catch up with Simonett to talk about the album, reconnecting with the Trampled vibe and how living on the road has impacted his life.

Washington-born singer, Allen Stone, has a voice touched by god — or is magic, or whatever other special metaphor you want to use. His singing voice leaps from his tonsils, serenading — as if sonically sunlit — whoever is around to hear him. It’s almost like the Grand Canyon — you can prepare yourself for the grandeur, but you can never imagine it quite the way it is when experienced in real life. And Stone has a new record, slated for release this fall. He dropped the first single, performed live, mid-April. Following the album release, Stone will hit the road for a lengthy U.S. tour. But before all that, we thought we’d catch up with the golden-voiced musician and ask him about the new project, how his life has changed over the years, and when he realized he could really sing.

Famed bassist Krist Novoselić loves music. Whether it’s an accordion strapped to his shoulders or the bass he’s become world famous for playing, he loves finding new melodies and playing in front of dancing audiences. The man who rose to the top of the pop culture pinnacle with his band, Nirvana, is now grinding and building with a new project, one born out of the rural Southwest Washington Wahkiakum County. Novoselić’s new group, Giants in the Trees, has been turning heads and working its way up to the Pacific Northwest ladder, first selling out their Seattle album release show at Ballard’s Sunset Tavern and, later this summer, the four-piece will play coveted sets at both Sasquatch! and the Upstream Music Festival. We wanted to catch up with the great northwest musician and ask him about how his new band started, what its goals are for next year, and what Novoselić has learned about the music business over the past year.

There are few groups who have had as momentous a past 12 months as ODESZA. The band, which formed in 2012 at Western Washington University, recently released a much-anticipated LP, played late night talk shows, enjoyed Grammy nominations, and is set to embark on a big new tour, which begins this weekend at the WaMu Theater here in Seattle with a three-day series of shows. We wanted to catch up with the duo behind the intricate electronic group, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, and talk about their latest album, A Moment Apart, their sanity while making it, their bond as friends, and how they came to collaborate with some of their favorite artists.

Courtney Marie Andrews is a rising superstar in the world of Americana music. She has one foot rooted deeply in the traditions of American folk and she has the other placed firmly in modernity. For Andrews, whose band mates hail from Seattle, her journey is one through classic songwriting and personal responsibility - all while navigating the dark, difficult world of rollercoasting mental health (more on this below). But on her latest record, May Your Kindness Remain, Andrews portrays strength and honesty in a way that captivates. And so, we wanted to chat with the singer about the origins of her music and to find out what might be next on the creative horizon.