by The Grand Opening of KEXP’s New Home at Seattle Center on Saturday, April 16 kicks off with an emphasis on local music. Beginning at noon, a series of short, solo performances will showcase Seattle artists including Grace Love, Sera Cahoone, Mark Pickerel, and DoNormaal. In addition, Seattle band Car Seat Headrest will join the previously announced lineup of Bob Mould, Strand of Oaks, Hey Marseilles, Deep Sea Diver, and Samaris.
Many of KEXP’s new neighbors are also represented in the Grand Opening festivities:
- Ukrainian contortionist and hula-hoop artist Vita Radionova, star of Teatro Zinzanni, promises to defy the laws of physics with feats of beauty and skill.
- Pacific Science Center hosts a live laser show featuring music by KEXP DJ Riz at 8:00 p.m.
- All-ages venue the Vera Project partners with KEXP’sAudioasis for free daytime shows by Beverly Crusher and Charms.
- Vera and KEXP’s Wo’Popwill also present a ticketed show by Algerian desert rock sextet Imarhan and special guests in the evening.
- SIFF Film Center will host a free showing of its Seattle music video collection, from the best clips by local bands to highlights from beloved movie musicals set in the Emerald City.
- In addition, SIFF welcomes music lovers to a screening of Storefront Hitchcock (featuring an in-person appearance by Robyn Hitchcock) onThursday, April 14, and the SYNC Music Video festival on Friday, April 15, both at SIFF Uptown Cinema.
La Marzocco, the world leader in espresso machine innovation with US headquarters in Seattle, will be adding to the KEXP Community experience with the opening of a fully-operating café & showroom in the Gathering Space to share the best coffees in the world with the Seattle community. The La Marzocco Roasters in Residence program, which invites leading coffee roasters and professionals from around the world to curate the coffee menu and integrate educational programming within the space during one-month residencies, launches with Stumptown Coffee Roasters.
Additional Grand Opening food and beverage options include Athena’s Food Truck andMolly Moon’s handmade ice cream, who will be selling a limited-edition “Cheryl Waters’ Middae Sundae” (vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, candied hazelnuts, whipped cream, and a cherry). Grand Opening Beer Garden presented in collaboration with Redhook, with proceeds to benefit KEXP.
A number of special souvenir items will be available for sale at Grand Opening:
- The KEXP Sound Bar, a 70-percent dark chocolate with locally-sourced sea salt, crafted just for this occasion by Seattle’s Theo Chocolate;
- Two limited-edition KEXP/Record Store Day vinyl-only albums (more details to follow the week of April 11);
- Limited-edition screen-printed posters, created in partnership with the Vera Project by local artists, showcasing artists performing at Grand Opening and participating in Inside the Music of KEXP. (Shown above: Strand of Oaks poster art by Barry Blankenship.)
In addition to the previously announced live performances and Inside the Music of KEXPinteractive installation powered by Microsoft, guided tours of KEXP’s New Home will be offered every fifteen minutes. Grand Opening guests are encouraged to use the hashtag #KEXPNewHome on social media.
For complete details and updated information, please visit KEXP.ORG. For set times and more, click here.
