Ripley Johnson on the Jazz Magic of The MerKaBa Brotherhood

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with DJ Kevin Sur, host of KEXP’s Sounds of Survivance. This time, he brings in a new track from the L.A. duo (plus their dad) War Pigs. The band is fronted by two kids, a third-grader and a seventh-grader. Evie and Kevin dig into how much the duo rips, their coolness at such a young age, and finding hope for the future in the next generation. War Pigs’ debut album, Breakfast Music, is out now.  Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima Healy Listen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube. Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down with DJ Kevin Sur, host of KEXP’s Sounds of Survivance. Kevin brings in a new song from the UK Band Modern Woman and shares how the song's unpredictability and tension stopped him in his tracks. “Dashboard Mary” comes from Modern Woman’s latest album, Johnny’s Dream World, out now on One Little Independent Records.  Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima Healy Listen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube. Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Ripley Johnson of Wooden Shjips, The Rose City Band, and Moon Duo. This time he brings some new music from his hometown of Portland with the psychedelic jazz of The MerKaBa Brotherhood. Evie and Ripley talk about their love of jazz, listening to music on the road, and what inspires him about music he couldn’t imagine playing himself. “Obelisks (Sun Clocks)” comes from The MerKaBa Brotherhood’s latest self-titled album, out now on Mississippi Records.  Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima Healy Listen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube. Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down with Ripley Johnson, the musician and songwriter known for his work in Wooden Shjips, The Rose City Band, and Moon Duo. He brings in a song from Chicago duo BCMC and talks about the intricacies of the band’s process and their analog recording methods. “Kaleidosmoke” is from the band’s forthcoming album, Stash, out June 26 via Drag City. Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima Healy Listen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube. Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with Bree McKenna and Robin Edwards of Seattle duo Faerie Born, a band themed around Sarah J. Maas’ popular A Court of Throne and Roses romantasy series. This time the group shares a new track from Detroit’s Deadbeat Beat which, it turns out, is about the soda Sprite and not magical sprites. The song comes from the band’s recent album From Here to Ohio, out now on We Are Time Records.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima HealyListen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube.Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected]. Photo Credit: Josh BerrySupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down with Bree and Robin of Seattle duo Faerie Born. The group takes inspiration from Sarah J. Maas’ wildly popular romantasy book series A Court of Thorns and Roses. The three chat about their mutual love of the books, playing fantasy conventions, and their debut album Morally Grey. They also share a song from Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore, the stunning “The Four Sleeping Princesses.” The song comes from the Barwick and Lattimore’s latest album Tragic Magic, out now on InFiné Records.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima HealyListen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube.Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down again with KEXP DJ Greg Vandy, host of our Sunday morning roots radio show The Roadhouse. The two talk about a new track from Los Angeles-based songwriter Mia Wilson. The two talk about the magic of finding music without any context and the wondrous beauty of Wilson’s 70s California sound. Wilson’s self-titled debut is out now on Royal Oakie Records.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima HealyListen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube.Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] Photo Credit: Skyler LustegSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Evie Stokes sits down with KEXP DJ Greg Vandy, host of our Sunday morning roots radio show The Roadhouse. Greg talk about his earliest days getting into KEXP with a cassette demo and his love for Bay Area group Sonny & The Sunsets. He talks about the band’s adventurous spirit, including writing whole albums for fictional bands and their most recent album recorded in Senegal with Senegalese musicians. “Something To Hold On To” comes from the group’s 2025 album, The Diving Kind, out now on Rocks In Your Head Records.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima HealyListen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube.Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected]. Photo Credit: Sarah SmithSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DJ Larry Mizell Jr. fills in for Evie Stokes this week to sit down with Seattle band Black Whales. The duo talk about their love of dreamy music, raiding their dad’s record collections, and how it led them to falling in love with music like London group Deary. Deary’s “Seabird” comes from their 2026 album, Birding, out now via Bella Union.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima HealyListen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube.Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected] Photo Credit: Josh HightSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DJ Larry Mizell Jr. fills in for Evie Stokes this week to sit down with Seattle band Black Whales. The group recently put out their first album in 11 years, A Guide To Photographing The Sun. Singer Alex Robert details coming back from a serious health episode and finding solace in music. They also share a song from Luke Temple and gush about his songwriting prowess. Temple’s “Echo Park Donut” comes from his 2026 album, Hungry Animal, out now Western Vinyl.Produced by Dusty HenryMastered by: William MyersProduction support: Serafima HealyListen to the full songs on KEXP's "In Our Headphones" playlist on Spotify or the “What's In Our Headphones” playlist on YouTube.Support the podcast: kexp.org/headphonesContact us at [email protected]. Photo credit: Glenn LovrichSupport the show: https://www.kexp.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.