By Ariana Morgenstern Listen 22 min Mark Oliver Everett. Photo by Gus Black.
One of the million reasons that Mark Oliver Everett aka eels, aka e has been on Morning Becomes Eclectic so many times is because you can count on him for two things. He always brings his A-game, armed with brand new songs and he offers wit and humor that so dryly surfaces when we talk with him. Underneath his smart, funny curmudgeonly exterior is a big mushy heart. And just to prove it, we came up with some kooky questions for him to answer for this latest session of In Residence.
Written by Amy Ta and Danielle Chiriguayo, produced by Rosalie Atkinson Listen 13 min MORE Anthony Valadez and Novena Carmel are MBE’s new co-hosts. “We want to make sure that our magic translates through KCRW because this is a new adventure for us. We want to make sure that our humor comes across well, and also the magic behind the turntables in what we do,” says Valadez. Photo by Larry Hirshowitz/KCRW.
KCRW’s flagship morning music program, Morning Becomes Eclectic, is about to get two new hosts: Novena Carmel and Anthony Valadez. It’s a first for MBE, which has been around for more than 40 years and has become an integral part of LA’s music scene.
Arlo Parks
British R&B singer and songwriter Arlo Parks creates songs filled with warmth, empathy and attention to literary detail. It s easy to hear why Parks was shortlisted as a breakthrough act for the BBC s Sound of 2020. Her star will continue to rise on the strength of her magical debut album,
Collapsed in Sunbeams, set to be released later this year. Parks songs welcome you into a charming world of beauty. She has a stunning musical maturity for someone so young, not to mention a singular voice.
Bruce Warren,
Bakar
Do a quick google search of Bakar and you ll see his music labeled as everything from experimental indie rock to hip-hop to soul. Give his music a listen and you ll realize that all of these descriptions are equally accurate. Genre aside, his music (especially the vocals) is sonically raw, which is not to say he doesn t sound polished. Bakar sounds like a real human performing well-crafted songs that haven t been over-produced using studio tricks and tru
Bakar
Do a quick google search of Bakar and you ll see his music labeled as everything from experimental indie rock to hip-hop to soul. Give his music a listen and you ll realize that all of these descriptions are equally accurate. Genre aside, his music (especially the vocals) is sonically raw, which is not to say he doesn t sound polished. Bakar sounds like a real human performing well-crafted songs that haven t been over-produced using studio tricks and trust me, these songs don t need any extra touches to stand out. The British artist had a No. 1 radio hit in 2020 with the song Hell N Back; the song surpassed Kings Of Leon s record for longest climb to the top, confirming radio s adoration of and commitment to the longevity of an artist with only a handful of songs. The new single 1st Time contains one of his most memorable hooks yet, further establishing Bakar as one of the most exciting artists to watch this year.
In December of 1980, the jazz musician and activist Hugh Masekela was set to return to South Africa for the first time in twenty years. His friend Vic Moloi got him on the phone and told him it was time. It was time for him to return to the country his global liberation work had gotten him banned from.
Hugh Masekela performing at SOBs NYC, July 9th, 1998. Photo by David Corio.
Masekela left South Africa 20 years earlier. Shortly after the Sharpeville Massacre.
It happened on March 21st, 1960, in the South African township of Sharpeville, when a day of demonstrations against pass laws wore on. The pass laws were created to – among other things – segregate the population and allocate the labor of migrants. The laws most adversely impacted Black African citizens, who would have to carry passbooks when venturing beyond the borders of their homeland. Pass Laws were one of the defining features of South African Apartheid.