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Dear Friends,
On May 21st, 2019, KCRW experienced a first. Our new building on SMC’s campus had just opened, and we hosted our first-ever performance out of the shiny new Annenberg Performance Studio. (So long, KCRW basement!) Thanks to YOU, we moved above ground and welcomed James Blake, performing the very first live session we hosted there. James has been integral to our sound and vision throughout his career, and he was the perfect artist to break the seal.
I share this with you now because we’re smack-dap in the middle of KCRW’s Spring Fundraiser, asking you to Protect What You Trust, and we have a flash sweepstakes (that means it’s TODAY ONLY, y’all) to see KCRW musical anchor, James Blake himself, live at the iconic Greek Theater in the heart of Griffith Park. Donate TODAY to be automatically entered to win a four-pack of VIP tickets, with VIP lounge access and parking, too!
Now, hear me out. Yes, I’m going on about James Blake because we love and respect him and his music, but I’m also going on about giving today because KCRW is independent media. Since being federally defunded last year, thanks to the axing of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, we are now totally dependent on regular listeners — people like you — to garner the funds we need to serve our community. Individual monthly donors (me too!) make up the vast majority of KCRW’s funding.
And there’s a reason to support our fave, fearless, and trustworthy media outlet. We have no distant corporate owner (visualize one of those for a moment — yikes!) or a powerful, string-pulling boardroom of shareholders. There’s no billionaire media empire behind us… just regular folks. That’s why you trust us. And that’s why I trust us. (and that’s why we weren’t invited on the PJ to the summit currently going down in China!)
By donating, you’re ensuring that artists like James Blake, Moby, Gaby Moreno, Wilco, Killer Mike, Arlo Parks, Wet Leg, and all our independent voices have a place in this competitive media landscape.
Federal defunding sucks. But you are the real magic that keeps KCRW going, and honestly, that’s what matters. YOU. I know I’m likely being overly emphatic right now, but the spring fundraiser just started, and I’m fired up! Let’s do this. Together, let’s get busy for listener-powered radio!
Go to kcrw.com/give to donate (and tell them I sent you in the comment field!).
Thank you for supporting us. I may get fired up, but it’s because of you and what we can build together.
Be well always. xx, Anne
Now Spinning On My Turntable Seu Jorge – The Other Side
Photo by B+
It’s been 10 years in the making, and the wait has been completely worth it. Seu Jorge’s new album, The Other Side, is intimate. I feel like Jorge is telling me, and only me, something with gravitas. The great composer and arranger, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, adds the orchestral emotion to his rich voice, and Beck duets with Jorge on “River Man.” Brazilian artist Marisa Monte is devastating on “Quando Chego.” Maria Rita and Zap Mama take vocal turns as well.
First off, A big KCRW hello to two new DJs! Don’t miss Olive Kimoto’s KCRW debut. You can find her on the air at the K on Monday nights from 8–10 PM and all of her sets, 24/7, on the KCRW app.
From Beat Junkies to mixtapes to production to all-star collabs, J.Rocc has finally found his way to KCRW! Listen to his first show and catch him Sunday nights from 6–8 PM on the air and forever on the app!
Happy Birthday, Brian Eno! No one at KCRW was a greater fan of Brian Eno than the legendary Deirdre O'Donoghue. Every year around Eno's birthday, beginning in 1982, Deirdre hosted the Brian Eno Birthday Show: a highly idiosyncratic two-hour survey of his life and works, intermingled with excerpts from their occasional telephone conversations. Last Friday, we re-aired the first of these celebrations as part of our weekly midnight SNAP rebroadcasts. And since Eno's birthday (May 15th) falls on a Friday this year, we're doing it all again this week! Tune in to 89.9FM at midnight Friday (going into Saturday) for the Fourth Annual Brian Eno Birthday Show, which originally aired on Deirdre's show, SNAP, onMay 15, 1985. And if you'd like a deeper dive into Deirdre and Brian's world, you can listen to a complete recording of their first telephone interview in 1982, around the release of his landmark album, Ambient 4: On Land.
We just dropped the video of a session we can’t stop obsessing over.It’s Moby Live From KCRW HQ. It was an acoustic session recorded the night before he blew minds at Coachella Weekend 1. And Gabriels’ Jacob Lusk debuted his stunning Coachella look.
And finally... Ya’ll, check out our newest resident DJs, SOS Music for May 2026! We are spotlighting the Los Angeles-based, female-led label founded by DJ duo Maddy Maia and Tottie. Known for championing gender-expansive voices in electronic music, SOS Music brings a globally minded and community-driven approach to the series, curating four weeks of forward-thinking mixes that reflect their boundary-pushing sound and commitment to elevating underrepresented artists.
For the KCRW DJ Residency, Maddy Maia and Tottie have curated four very distinct journeys. For tonight’s show (midnight–1 AM on the 89.9 airwaves), they head to the Americas — showcasing incredible femme and non-binary electronic artists from Mexico, Brazil, and across South and Central America.
xx, Anne
Upcoming Music Events
This Saturday, head to 6th Street Bridge for a guided tour by Michael Maltzan, the architect behind its second incarnation. You'll explore what designing California's future can look like. The limited-capacity tour will conclude with a back-alley dance party for all in the shadow of the bridge, with beats by KCRW music director Alejandro Cohen and Dublab DJs Xandão and PayRay.
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Photo by B+-May-14-2026-10-36-18-6024-PM.png?upscale=true&width=2400&upscale=true&name=email(600x74)-May-14-2026-10-36-18-6024-PM.png "email(600x74)-May-14-2026-10-36-18-6024-PM")
