Seattle radio station KEXP has found another way to increase its influence nationwide with the launch of Under the Needle: the KEXP Sessions, a weekly syndicated series of the best in-studio live sessions from among the 400-plus touring and local artists who play there annually. The series began September 14 with a set by Courtney Barnett, followed by performances from Mac DeMarco and FKA twigs. On the horizon are sessions by Young Fathers, Algiers, Purity Ring, Parquet Courts, Built to Spill, and the War on Drugs. So far 29 stations—including Loyala University's WLUW, University of San Francisco's KUSF, and KZRadio in Tel Aviv, Israel—have agreed to broadcast Under the Needle.

KEXP’s Senior Director of Content Kevin Cole and his staff select the performances and the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, allowing community and college stations to air it for free. In a press release, Cole said, "We are very excited to be able to connect some of the incredible artists that come through KEXP to a wider audience and to be able to provide great content to our partner stations. As an affiliate of the University of Washington, we also see this as a way to start building stronger two-way relationships with our sister stations across the country and beyond.”

You can access past Under the Needle shows here.