The Port of Seattle has partnered with famed Seattle radio station KEXP, one of the original champions of Northwest rock, to create a bespoke playlist highlighting Seattle’s rich musical heritage.
With a multitude of unique experiences on offer and a longstanding alternative arts scene, Seattle is an ideal destination for your next cultural adventure and the perfect complement to exploring the great outdoors of Washington State or experiencing the wilds of Alaska on a cruise.
Seattle’s Musical Heritage
Seattle is known as the home of countless artists across multiple genres, including Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Macklemore. A musical incubator, the city’s iconic venues make it an excellent destination for live music, though it is perhaps best known for the creation of The Seattle Sound during the Grunge Rock movement.
Monuments to two of the city’s most famous sons, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain, can be found at Greenwood Cemetery and Viretta Park. Recording studios Sub Pop and London Bridge Studios, which produced albums for Nirvana, Mud Honey and Soundgarden and Alice and Chains and Pearl Jam respectively, are still headquartered in Seattle and offer tours.
The Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) is an interactive museum about all things music. It boasts exhibitions exploring the city’s musical history, including Nirvana: Taking Punk to the Masses; Hendrix: Wild Blue Angel; a famous guitar gallery and the Interactive Sound Lab.
Historic hotels such as The Edgewater have hosted a plethora of famous musicians including The Beatles on their first tour of the USA, Led Zeppelin, Rod Stewart and Willie Nelson. The city’s historic record stores transport visitors to a different time – check out Silver Platters, Holy Cow Records, Easy Street Records or Jive Time.
Seattle Radio
In addition to developing internationally renowned musicians, the city is home to several pioneering radio stations, including KEXP, which traces its roots to the University of Washington’s student-run station, founded in 1972.
The University station’s heavy focus on local music in the 1980s led to the station playing a significant role in the rise of The Seattle Sound. In the 1990s, the station received support from Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen, becoming KEXP in 2001 and moving into the new state-of-the- art quarters on the Seattle Center campus.
KEXP
KEXP is an independent nonprofit arts organisation still proudly affiliated with the University of Washington, serving music lovers through in-person, broadcast and online programming. KEXP operates one of the most influential listener-supported radio stations in the world, 90.3 KEXP-FM Seattle, with its online and on-air service reaching over 240,000 global listeners each week. KEXP’s YouTube channel is internationally recognised for its unique Live on KEXP performance sessions, which have recently surpassed one billion views. The station hosts community events and produces hundreds of live performances each year, many of which are open to the public at no charge.
Artists championed by KEXP are not typically supported by traditional non-profit arts organisations or commercial media outlets. They are inventive, contemporary musicians creating new work in popular genres that include rock, hip hop, reggae, country, Latin, modern global and more. For a full list of programmes, visit the Schedule section at KEXP.ORG. KEXP DJ and Associate Director of Programming, On-air, Morgan Chosnyk, is available for interviews about Seattle’s music scene, the inspiration for the playlist, and KEXP’s role in championing local artists.
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