Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.11.2018, Side 35

All About
The Music
KEXP’s 10 years of Airwaves
sessions have over 85m views
Words: John Rogers Photo: Charina Pitzel
Amidst the noise and chaos of
Iceland Airwaves, KEXP’s off-ven-
ue—which the Seattle radio station
has hosted for the last ten years,
mostly at Kex Hostel—has been a
staple. Each year the station broad-
casts live video sessions by estab-
lished stars and up-and-coming
prospects from Kex’s packed bar,
transmitting the atmosphere and
artistry of Airwaves to a global au-
dience.
Good start
KEXP’s Chief Content Officer, and
the host of the station’s afternoon
show, is the affable Kevin Cole,
who is instantly recognisable for
his distinctive mane of silver hair.
An easygoing presence with a clear
reverence for music, Kevin is a long
time Icelandophile who first visit-
ed Iceland on holiday in 2005, sow-
ing the seeds for the partnership.
“I wanted to experience the
midnight sun and the solstice,” he
says. “I was a fan of Icelandic music
of the 80s and 90s—Sugarcubes,
GusGus and múm—but when I
heard Sigur Rós’ second album in
1999, that sealed the deal. I just had
to come visit and see where this
music was created.”
Bringing the ‘P’
Kevin drove the Ring Road, “met
a lot of people, and bought a lot of
records.” Back in Seattle, he started
playing them out, and kept tabs on
the scene. Then, in 2007, he met
Hlynur Guðjónsson, Iceland’s U.S.
Trade Commissioner, at a music
event in New York where KEXP was
broadcasting live. “Band of Horses
were playing, and there was a lot
of excitement, and he turned to
me and said ‘we have to do this in
Iceland.’ Of course,
I said ‘Let’s do it.’”
T h e p a r t n er-
ship started with
a small team film-
ing sessions with
handheld camer-
as at RÚV. They’d
send the content
to Kevin in Seattle,
seven hours behind,
who would air it the
next day.
The next step
was to broadcast
live. “I came out to
scout locations in the summer of
2011,” says Kevin. “Kex was just be-
ing finished. And it just felt like a
good vibe for us right away. And it
was KEX… we could bring the ‘P.’ It
was just fortuitous and cool.”
Taking it home
Seven years later, KEXP has made
around 1,200 videos from 250 ses-
sions, which have, astoundingly,
garnered over 85,000,000 views.
“It’s been remarkable,” says Kevin.
“We look at these trips as an op-
portunity for discovery. We get
recommendations, try and listen
to everything, see what we think
our listeners would like, and think
about artists that might not make
it out to Seattle in the near future.
We thought it would be cool to work
alongside bands and help make it
viable for them to come and play
in Seattle.”
Kevin has a clear fondness—
and demonstrable geekiness—for
the catalogue of sessions. He looks
through the list of artists, rapid-
ly reeling off the names of artists
like Sudden Weather Change, FM
Belfast, Pascal Pinon, sóley, múm,
ADHD and Daníel Bjarnason. “If
you look at years one and two, it’s
incredible,” says Kevin. “MAM-
MÚT were a baby
band, as were Pas-
cal Pinon. It’s been
super cool to build
relationships with
musicians over the
years, witness their
growth, and play a
bit of a role in their
evolution.”
When we talk,
the KEXP sched-
ule for 2018 is still
coming together,
but Kev i n r u n s
through a couple of
the confirmed names—from huge
stars to bands playing the festival
for the first time—with an equal
amount of glee. “There’s just a lot
of incredible music being made in
Iceland,” he smiles. “We just feel
humbled to be involved, to con-
nect music lovers and bands, and
to bring their music to the global
audience of music lovers that is
KEXP.”
Share this: gpv.is/music
KEXP, live and on the air
35The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 19— 2018
“It’s been super
cool to build
relationships
with musicians
over the years,
witness their
growth and play
a bit of a role in
their evolution.”
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