The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 70

KEXP shakes up music scene locally and around the world Tt Jl fro Sinn li the from Since might go down as the year South Sound emerged the radio dark ages last spring had a refreshing alternative to beiiu tortured mth Jet Beyonce and (insert obnoxiously overexposed artist) every hour on the hour And not to mention those mind-numb on KEXPT Cope said That happens a lot in little cities more so in some than I got my first glimpse at just how broad audience is last wring when I hung out in the booth with morning show host John Richards who took e-mail requests from as far away as China and Japan while I watched There was also a world map nearby with scores of tittle yellow pins stack in it to represent all the cities listeners had e-mail or sent pledges from (Die station is run by nonprofit Friends of KEXP) The thickest clusters were on the West Coast with similar concentration in the Northeast (KEXP increasingly homogenized programming other markets After all what market have that same classic rock conservative talk or urban contemporary station? not like stations like that are gonna get a huge online he said They just listen to stations in their own markets" Given all the attention KEXP has received (itgets its share of mentions in The New York Times) I asked Richards also the assistant program director if reps at the major labels tried to put their stamp on what his station plays (I bring up the word leave that to New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer) "I think they gave up They know they influence our playlist You call us and convince us we like he said "What we hope to do is influence Lefs hope they do Then maybe we nave to hear that next limp Biritit record Eras fen: NHltTIM nwitJsiaSiiDlbswuiiUEinsuii something right because got the pulse of a lot of people up there now" But not just Puget Sound listeners that are catdiing on The station has put a lot of care into its Web site since Paul Experience Music Project teamed up with the University of Washington to form die joint project the successor to UWs KCMU-FM in 2000 Since then die station has added uncompressed streaming audio real-time playlists and two-week show archives among other cool features 1 So while the station has only a niche audience among terrestrial listeners-just 100000 listeners a week according to marketing director Courtney Miller a fraction of (933 FM) audience -ifs carving out a niche online The station also had about 25000 online listeners who tuned in for eight hours or more per week in March the only time Arbitral measured Wd presence more than any terrestrial radio station in the country were in Tbronto and the first person in line was saying they were fans because they heard me ing 15-minute commercial breaks most corporate stations make you sit through thanks to Seattle public radio station KEXP (903 FM) the station that took over 917 FM formerly Bates Technical spot on the dial and began simulcasting on KXOT back in March I consider it one of the south major music happenings in 2004 The station which is scheduled to jump from 750 watts to 3300 watts on Wednesday plays the 6 most eclectic mixes of local and national acts hear on the 2 dial hip-hop rode techno reg-gae blues modem global And it's a throwback to the days when DJs played tunes because they liked them not because they were on 2 some bland playlist that's calcu- 3 lated not to scare off advertisers 09 New York a city that representsa growing number of pledges Miller said) Abroad Europe has the most yellow dots But most striking were the lone listeners in Mongolia Borneo and even Antarctica truly heard on all seven program director Don Yeats boasted He attributed his growing online presence to unique programming that contrasts the Narrows Glen Hosts ERNEST A JASMIN POP MUSIC Wuhington DC-based singer-songwriter CJarence Greenwood aka Citizen Cope is among the artists who can testify to foe growing influence They've been a he said when he called me from New York City where he opened for Robert Randolph a few weeks ago think a lot of people knew how powerful that station Greenwood found out after twice on KEXP be-: RCA issued The Clarence recordings in September (The June 16 and Aug 13 performances are archived at wwwkeimorg) "Even some people at label were like They have their he recalled the first week (the album) came out we were selling a lot of records we were No 11 in that market really doing about half an hour and just tried to make one he said Tfsldnd of like being cm a blind date you know You can tell if something is going to dick or potentially click right away So later that evening without one song under our belt we were talking about band names The sound definitely took its time to he said our first EP to the album to the album taken giant progressive steps musically If taken time to get where However it developed sound is catching on The band has become a regular on MTVs "Hepdbaner's and many a critic has pimped on the bandwagon Revolver magazine even picked as album of the year all good news for four guys who stiU work restaurant and retail jobs when not on the road work really hard for five yean and to get this amazing tour and amazing honor ifs super to Sanders said "And also like wow maybe this work is starting to pay off abit and go in the right limit jand BH1M1H snmtjMieieUlnmHitifcuMni Holiday Grand Carved Prime Ffib with Roasted Shallot Jus Grilled Duck Breast with Sour Cheny Demi Glace Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes ScaJoped Potatoes Cancfied Sweet Potatoes Peas and Pearl Onions Roasted Butternut Squash Spinach Salad with Candied Pecans Cranberry Ambrosia Apple Pie Rhubarb Cobbler Fresh Rolls Antipasta Display Beverages cc V) Id CO MM 06 (A ce BO Saturday December 25 RSVP 564-4770 MASTODON CONTINUED FROM 5 Bear's Matt Bayles manning the boards They arrived just after Dave Matthews saw his coffee mug and his lyrics laying Sanders said) and just before the national media swooped down on the studio to report stories on the 10th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death (Nirvana recorded its last singles there) Additional work was done at Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gos-sard's Litho Studios And the end result is metal masterpiece that successfully melds the melodic aggression of golden age Metal lick with the prog-rock complexity of Rush Whirling chord progressions play off of epic melodies and brutal thrash onslaughts Raspy rhythmic vocals DaUorripef drum fills like lethal bursts of Uzi fire And even a fun mo ment from where a twangy Allman Brothers-style guitar lick springs out of left field to mark a jarring tempo shift that must send the moshers into overdrive during live shows Sanders was at a loss when asked how the aesthetic developed The first time we got together we just made noise for Buffet JJ i i 3 3 A 3 No BH-1517 A A A Seating Times Are 12:00 1:00 or 2:00 Enjoy beautiful music by Narrows Glen's Own Roberta Ralhf (253) 564-4770 8201 Sixth Avenue Tacoma Located near Titlow Beach NAISSANCE NARROWS GLEN PREMIER SENIOR LIVING Ugriirr 6.