Music
ENHYPEN’s Jay Has K-Pop Stardom and a Seattle Heart
The Federal Way-raised singer talks hometown memories, Ivar’s clam chowder, and how it feels to perform in the place he grew up.
Long before he was performing in sold-out arenas around the world and representing brands like Prada, ENHYPEN’s Jay called the Puget Sound region home. Born Jay Park (not to be confused with the other famous K-pop star of the same name, who is also from Seattle) in Seattle and raised in nearby Federal Way before…
The Concert Hall Has Left the Building
Pianist Hunter Noack’s IN A LANDSCAPE brings classical music outside, where the piano, the audience, and the scenery all get to move a little.
Find a tree to lean against or look at. Put your feet in the water. Sit down and make a flower crown out of dandelions. Spread a blanket over the grass and close your eyes. “You can experience this show in really whatever way you want to,” says pianist Hunter Noack. “The people next to…
A Historic Quilcene Farm Finds Its Rhythm
The former dairy property hosts Tarboo—now in its third year—a family-run music festival built around Northwest artists.
Like a speakeasy, The Quilcene Lantern is hidden in plain sight. To get there one must traverse some of our state’s most iconic majesties: the Olympic Mountains, the Washington State ferries, (and the tater tots onboard), the Hood Canal Bridge, to name a few. However, instead of venturing further toward the charm of Port Townsend…
The Clouded Surf: Warren Dunes Makes Beach Music for Seattle
The local band is the unlikely mascot we need.
Contrary to what you might think, the best mascots are born, not manufactured. Yes, a lovable socialist monster like Gritty might emerge to provide a face for the soul of a city, but sometimes, there are artists who rise up to define the character of that city. One of the enduring memories I have of…
Macy Gray Joins New Seattle Pride Gala
Lifelong’s first formal Pride fundraiser brings music, art, and big-name honorees together to support LGBTQ+ services and youth programs.
Seattle’s Pride calendar is getting a glamorous new addition this year. On June 13, Lifelong will debut the Pride Gala: An Evening for Equality, a new black-tie fundraising event blending entertainment, art, and advocacy at The Sanctuary at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seattle. Billed as Seattle’s only formal Pride dinner, the inaugural gala aims…
KEXP DJ Kevin Cole Broadcasts From the Heart
A new documentary follows the Seattle tastemaker through a remarkable life spent championing music.
For those of a certain generation, there may be no more trusted a voice when it comes to music than Kevin Cole. From navigating his way from the clubs of Minneapolis to DJing Prince’s birthday parties, to starting his own radio station, to revolutionizing how radio can function in the 21st century via KEXP, Cole…
Grapes of Wrath
Blood of Gods brings heavy metal and wine back to Walla Walla for its fifth annual Merrymaking.
The fervent cross-pollination of culture continues to bear fruit, with new subgenres and micro-niches popping up every day. Every time you see a collision between two seemingly disparate worlds and ask yourself, “There’s an audience for that?”—the answer is a resounding, “Yep!” Here, we have Blood of Gods, a biannual zine based in Walla Walla…
Beyond the Notes: Xian Zhang Expands Seattle Symphony’s Reach
The music director talks representation in classical music and the work of bringing new audiences into the concert hall.
As Xian Zhang prepares to lead the Seattle Symphony into its 2026/2027 season, the acclaimed conductor returns to one of the city’s most storied cultural institutions. A Grammy and Emmy-winning maestro with an international résumé spanning the New Jersey Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic and major opera houses across Europe, Zhang’s relationship with…
Staying in the Pocket with True Loves
The Seattle funk powerhouse heads to Jazz Alley for five soulful nights.
If you were to pull aside any casual music fan and ask them to cite quintessential Seattle music, you’d get a lot of grunge, the indie-rock explosion and folk revival of the ‘00s and ‘10s, and maybe some of the hip-hop that came bursting from the underground in the last 15 years. Your average person…
Henry Mansfield Wins a Spot at Northwest Tune-Up
A new contest for Washington musicians wrapped earlier this month in Bellingham. Nearly 200 artists entered, and it came down to five finalists.
Earlier this month, Seattle-based queer indie artist Henry Mansfield won the final round of Doc Swinson’s Opening Act Contest at Wild Buffalo House of Music, earning a slot on the Northwest Tune-Up Festival main stage this July. Mansfield makes loud, anthemic pop rooted in storytelling, with songs that move between grief and joy and pull…
Curmudgeonly Hope
The UK punk heroes Mclusky have returned, loud and pointed as ever.
When you listen to the sardonic, whip-smart, and perennially ornery UK band Mclusky, you get a certain impression of the type of person that must be behind it all. Frontman and founder Andrew Falkous was just home from having seen his daughter perform at a choir recital when he got on the phone, and he…
Earthen Art-Rock
Seattle trio Mt Fog’s music is, at turns, dreamy and feral.
There’s a concept in psychology called “nominative determinism,” where people may be drawn to pursue a career in a field suggested by their name—a substitute teacher named Mr. Fillin, or a polar explorer named Daniel Snowman, for example. It’s a condition that seems to mostly affect Batman villains (you can’t just name your child E….
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