Local modern rock singer-songwriter Judah Kim makes music that’s full of hooks and full of heart. If you’re a fan of Bends-era Radiohead, the artists that fueled it — think Bowie and The Beatles — or the bands that followed in its wake — I hear so much Remy Zero in his music, if that 90s deep cut rings a bell — you’ll pick up what Kim is putting down.
His songs deal with communication and interpersonal connection, and are jam-packed with empathy. He also uses his music to uplift AAPI artists in modern rock and beyond, and this spring, teamed up with John Faye for the second year to organize Asian American Pie, a concert celebrating Asian American / Pacific Islander month by spotlighting artists with AAPI roots from the local music scene and raising money for the nonprofit Flash Drives For Freedom. This year, the show happens at MilkBoy on Saturday, May 17th, and the lineup features Kim, Faye’s early-00s band Ike, and the captivating Kikashima.
Faye and Kikashima join Kim and his band as backing vocalists for this week’s Key Studio Sessions performance, and for another example of the heart in Kim’s music, check out the opening track: “It’s Less Dangerous,” a driving anthem that contrasts the alternative rock revolution in America with what was going on across the world in North Korea at the same time, and a story of two people finding love amid rolling blackouts caused by an authoritarian government.
Kim’s band features guitarist Dan Hanrahan, bassist Jude Alvarez, and drummer Scott Berry, and you can watch them live in WXPN Studios in the player above; the session also showcases two songs from Kim’s upcoming album Everyday Mania, “Weltanschauung” — which makes a pop earworm out of the German word for “worldview” — and the impeccable “Backdoor,” a song about navigating emotional distance. For more on the record, and on Asian American Pie II, check out Kim’s Linktree.