In a Daze: LSD and the Search for God at the Catalyst
By DJ Ratz There are moments of bliss, brief flashes when I am consumed by the sound of music. My sense of my body dissolves and the pain in my heels dissipates and nothing is on my mind; it is…
Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence: A 25-Year Retrospective
By Mariela Fritz I love post-hardcore. Bands like At The Drive-In, Title Fight, and The Mars Volta rule every single one of my Spotify playlists. The genre itself originated in the mid-1980s after hardcore punk’s explosion in popularity a decade…
Revereberations from the 90s: Built To Spill at The Rio Theater
By Maddox Conrady The nineties gave birth to a whole lot of things, from aggressive and angsty nu metal to big beat electronic music sweeping through the UK. As time has passed, we have seen certain influences, sounds, and aesthetics…
“The Only Band That Matters”: The Hellp & Riviera Album Review
By Peyton K. When people describe their musical project as "the worst thing [they've] ever done in [their] life", it doesn't allow much hope that their music will be worthwhile to listen to. The Hellp, however, is a special case,…
Reverberations From the 90s: Built to Spill at The Rio Theatre
By Maddox Conrady The nineties gave birth to a whole lot of things, from aggressive and angsty nu metal to big beat electronic music sweeping through the UK. As time has passed, we have seen certain influences, sounds, and aesthetics…
Danny Brown in a Big Cube at The Regency Ballroom
By Parker Rice Danny Brown's newest album Stardust came from a period of pivotal change for the Detroit rapper. As he went into rehab in 2023, Danny Brown was considering quitting music altogether. But what brought him a newfound love for music…
Conversations With Groove Merchants’ “Cool” Chris
By Annelise Schouten “Cool” Chris Veltri, owner of 687 Haight’s Groove Merchant in San Francisco, a historical site for crate diggers, samplers, and music lovers alike, has been at the store since the mid-nineties. Being a hub for music…
Folk-Country Critter Music: a Conversation with Meels at The Fillmore
By: Alex Lund Alex Lund interviews “Folk-Country Critter Music” pioneer, Meels, in this KZSC Exclusive Interview. This past Saturday, Meels, an up-and-coming Marin County country-folk artist, opened for bluegrass legend Molly Tuttle at her sold-out show at the historic Fillmore…
Inside the Ultrasound: Lorde at the Moda Center
By DJ Ratz An icy blue laser hits center stage as smoke machines cloud the air. Lorde, in all her holiness, appears as “Hammer”, the first track off her latest album, Virgin, blasts through the speakers. The reverbed vocal…
Geese Shreds to a Sold-Out Crowd at The Fillmore
By Serafina Holzer and Amelia Foster PRE SHOW On October 28th, DJ Foz and DJ Key were killed by the power of rock. The up and coming Brooklyn-based band Geese performed to a sold-out crowd at The Fillmore this past…
The Song is Over: A Farewell to The Who
By: Ashley Watrin On Wednesday, October 1, at Acrisure Arena in Thousand Palms, California, iconic English band, The Who, bid a final farewell to their North American audience on the last stop of “The…
Interview with Yvette Young of Covet
Interview Transcription Yvette Young of Covet interviewed by Zane Bird Smith Zane: You are listening to KZSC Santa Cruz. This interview with Yvette Young of Covet was recorded on October 14th, 2025. And I’m here with Yvette Young of Covet…
First Day Back Sells Out Hometown Show @ The Catalyst Atrium 9/24
Since their debut album in June 2025, First Day Back has shot into emo stardom. Pulling from 1990s second-wave emo influences (think of Braid, Algernon Caldawalder, Jejune, and Cap’n Jazz) reveals First Day Back’s revival of—and listeners’ interest in—this specific…
An Evening with Mariel Buckley and John Moreland at Felton Music Hall
On October 3, I had the pleasure of attending the John Moreland and Mariel Buckley concert at Felton Music Hall, one of the various stops on their tour. Before the show, I got to sit down with Mariel Buckley for…
Rain-Soaked Flyers and Backyard Goodbyes: An Interview with First Day Back
Written by Claudia Aguilera Santa Cruz band First Day Back released their debut album Forward on June 1, 2025, earning support from listeners drawn to their distinct sound, which nods to the 90s emo bands that shape their influences. With raw,…
A Playlist for Autumn
by Bugs "I Love My Boyfriend" by Princess Chelsea. Closing my eyes, thinking of her. Uneven walks on cobblestone. Coming out of a parallel park. A long time with a straight face. "Child Psychology" by Black Box Recorder. Leaves…
A Deep Dive Into the 2025 2nd Wave Emo Revival, Ft. Talks with Stitching and Milkcrate Merch
By Peyton K. Every so often, a subgenre will seem to be revived out of nowhere, with new bands creating music that brings you right back to tunes from the genre’s conception. Over the past few years, I’ve seen…
Straying From The Expected: An Interview With Abbeys Garden
By Amahli Vivian Back in June this year, I interviewed Abbeys Garden, an alternative emo band based in Las Vegas. As they prepare for an upcoming record release, we talked about preparing for live shows, skateboarding, music influences and more! Abbeys…
The Beauty of So Long Little Miss Sunshine by Molly Tuttle
By Kyler Salameda With the release of Molly Tuttle's lastest album on August 15, 2025, she begins an exciting new musical journey. The genre of the songs in "So Long Little Miss Sunshine" is labeled as Singer-Songwriter, and when listening…
Chico Tunecrafters: An interview with Caught in a Flood
By Amahli Vivian and Peyton K. On June 5th, Caught in a Flood played at Subrosa in Santa Cruz during their mini-West Coast tour with Dahlia Cross. During their brief time in town Peyton K. and Amahli Vivian were lucky…
An Evening in Seattle with Kaitlin Butts and Sierra Ferrell: Interview and Review
By: Alex Lund On Sunday, July 20th, I attended the magical opening show of Tacoma/Seattle's newest outdoor music venue, Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park. Headlining was the always whimsical Sierra Ferrell with the support of alt-country singer-songwriter Kaitlin Butts…