From KCRW Volunteer Taryn Olsen
I first heard about Jessica Lea Mayfield in an interview on NPR.  At the tender age of 21, Jessica completely enchanted me in her interview and conducted herself with maturity beyond her years as she spoke of growing older and being “less susceptible to heartache” even though she admitted to being a magnet for bad dudes.
For weeks afterward I fielded calls here at the station from people wanting to know about the singer that was featured during “that show this weekend” on NPR. It seemed she …

From KCRW Volunteer Taryn Olsen

This morning on Morning Becomes Eclectic, Jason Bentley complimented The Royal Bangs on the nice live sound captured on their new album “Flux Outside,” noting that he liked the way it didn’t sound overly produced. The band graciously accepted the compliment and deferred to the warm, homey space in their home-town of Knoxville, Tennessee where they were able to record.

While it’s true that recording spaces greatly influence the overall sound that ends up on an album, the great …

From KCRW Intern Monika Scott
This morning, the delicate, folksy guitar playing of Richard Thompson filled the halls of KCRW.  He has been named by Rolling Stone as one of the 20 best guitar players of all time and that was very clear in his live set with Jason Bentley this morning.  I couldn’t help but feel myself moving my shoulders to the songs, ultimately causing me to tear myself away from my computer poke my head into the (packed) control room to get a first-hand peek.  The warmth of his …

Jason Bentley kicked off his post-Coachella Morning Becomes Eclectic set with a song that has been haunting me ever since he started playing it a few weeks ago. It’s called “Mars” and it’s by an artist named Natalie Walker.
This hypnotic electro-pop gem has me really excited to hear other songs from her forthcoming album “Spark”. Fans of Frou Frou and Telepopmusik should like it a lot.
Jason has been a big supporter of hers for years, playing tracks off her solo albums following her departure from the group Daughter Darling.
Enjoy a …

Even before Daft Punk’s original soundtrack for Tron: Legacy was officially released, there were fake leaked tracks and remixes posted by fans of the band. Now an official remix CD, TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED, brings the music full circle, assembling a wide range of electronic music producers to take on and pay homage to Daft Punk’s creation — from Moby and Paul Oakenfold to The Crystal Method and M83.
KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley was the music supervisor on Tron: Legacy and co-produced the 15-track remix disc, which will be out on …

Detroit band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. released one of our favorite EPs of last year — as well as an excellent remix EP — and we finally have some brand new music to offer in advance of their Morning Becomes Eclectic debut on Monday, March 14! Here’s their new track “Morning Thought” for your listening pleasure.
Stream “Morning Thought”
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
Jason debuted the track on air this morning and it will be featured on their full-length debut called “It’s A Corporate World,” out June 7 on Quite …

With exceptional new music from Fleet Foxes, James Vincent McMorrow, Sean Rowe and others, it’s clear that folk is making a comeback – especially with artists like these that give it a new spin. The only thing that is consistent among them is that they tug at your heartstrings (and sometimes bring a tear to your eye).
Motopony is the perfect example of that – the song “Wait for Me” is not only gorgeous but it somehow manages to trigger ALL my emotions instantaneously. It doesn’t make me sad, even though …

Three seemingly different artists came together on Saturday night to talk about what it means to have a career in music in 2011. But they have more in common than most people think –so much so that Raphael Saadiq, Moby and Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio/Maximum Balloon) were exchanging contact info after the event! It would be incredible if KCRW’s keynote at the Pop Conference inspired some collaborations but I’d be happy with just what we heard tonight – insightful knowledge and a great sense of humor about the …

New music from indie rock favorites TV on the Radio is always something to get excited about. This week they unveiled “Will Do,” a track off their forthcoming full-length “Nine Types of Light” (out April 12 on Interscope).
TV On The Radio – “Will Do” by Interscope Records
Since TVOTR’s last release, 2008’s “Dear Science”, founding member Dave Sitek has been busy with a bunch of side projects – from his very danceable release as Maximum Balloon (including my fave, “Groove Me” with Theophilus London) to his work as a producer …

**Update: Read a write up of the event here!**
KCRW Music Director Jason Bentley will be hosting the keynote discussion for the 2011 EMP Pop Conference, a gathering of music writers, scholars and fans, that comes to LA for the first time this year.
The panel will feature core KCRW artists Moby, Raphael Saadiq, and Dave Sitek (TV on the Radio/Maximum Balloon) talking about “How Musicians Make Do and Keep their Souls Alive in a Changing Pop World.”

It takes place on Saturday, February 26 from 8-9:30 pm at Lenart …