La Marzocco / KEXP

OUR ARTICLE

Bold coffee and innovative music. Not particularly in that order either — they could just as easily be described as bold music and innovative coffee. Either way, the two go hand in hand when it comes to the culture of Seattle, and that will never change. From a piping hot mug for the disc jockey shift at 3am to a shot of espresso for the soundboard manager pushing levers during a late show, coffee has helped fuel the music scene in Seattle for decades. No atmosphere commemorates them together so tunefully than the duo of La Marzocco and listener-supported radio powerhouse KEXP.

Consider it an endless coffee music festival with a lineup that continues through the seasons.

Adorned in the shadow of the space needle is La Marzocco Café and Showroom, concocting everything coffee while the epicenter of KEXP blasts its broadcast across the sonic airwaves. It’s clear that this merging idea has never quite been formed before, and what better place to manufacture this concept than in the beating heart of Seattle Center?

Post up on a leather cushion to synchronize your sip to the music of KEXP, whose live on-air persona can been seen behind a glass plane at the controls sitting like the stoic captain of a musical starship. With more than 200,000 listeners on-air and online weekly, KEXP is perhaps the most influential independent radio station in the nation. If you’re a music junkie like us, we guarantee you’ve seen footage of one of their 500 annual live in-studio performances. It just doesn’t get more intimate.

Like different genres of music, La Marzocco knows that there are several preferred tastes to coffee. The 90-year-old espresso-machine-making company caters to this theory by changing the café each month to host a new roaster that will train and even reconfigure equipment to reflect their vision. G&B, Campos Coffee, Coffee Supreme, and Panther Coffee are just a few that have moved in to make an appearance. Consider it an endless coffee music festival with a lineup that continues through the seasons.

Now that coffee and music have collided in one metallic-ceilinged warehouse community, what naturally occurs next seems like a no-brainer: Touring bands and artists have begun stopping by the space for exclusive live performances before a headline show. Artists like The XX and Father John Misty have their sights set to make an appearance, so keep a caffeinated eye or sharp ear open to catch an opportunity to see who could be stopping by soon. From the rotating roasters to daily broadcasts and live shows, coffee and music’s tandem relationship in this wide-open café has never been so bold and innovative.