On Monday June 19, 2018, I attended a local show at the Humanist Hall in Oakland near Broadway to kick off the summer. Before entering Humanist Hall, they told us that partial proceeds would be going to survivors of the…
by DJ Fizzi Pop You may have heard their other-wordly remix of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”, or their iconic collaboration with Daft Punk. You also may have heard their brand new album, “See Without Eyes” that breaks the…
Tuesday, May 22 marked World Goth Day, and although that was over two weeks ago, it's all I could listen to for over two weeks. To many people "goth" may mean dark clothes and the Hot Topic at your local…
By: Nicolas Amerkahnian *Parts of this article heavily blur the lines of satire and actual opinion Just murdered another yerba mate so it’s time for a blog post. The Garden performed at the Catalyst on May 23rd. The show went…
BY: DJ Fizzi Pop The sun was setting, the floats were floating, and the musical vibrations from the loud stages were pumping through our bodies. Not a single face in sight had a frown on their face, and pure bliss…
NIKI has just recently entered the music scene, a 19-year-old R&B artist from Indonesia. I first discovered her with her singles, “See U Never” and “I LIKE YOU”. In 2018 she has finally released her debut project ZEPHYR under 88rising, which…
“Black Snow” is the lead single from Oneohtrix Point Never’s (Electronic experimentalist Daniel Lopatin’s most famous moniker) new LP. Lopatin is known for the electronic soundscapes in creates on his records. His previous record Garden of Delete, had an album…
On May 20th, 2018, 18-year-old rappers, YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay from the YBN crew performed at the Catalyst in Downtown Santa Cruz. The performers showed out to a hyped up audience who had been anxiously awaiting the two…
On May 19th, 2018 American alternative R&B and soul singer-songwriter and producer, JMSN, along with his drummer and bassist, appeared onstage at the Atrium in the Catalyst in Downtown Santa Cruz. Opening up to a smaller audience, the crowd was…
Roger Schami better known as Hoodboi is a producer and DJ based in LA. He has been working since he broke out in 2014 gaining popularity with his club/jersey twist on many hits of the 90s. He has toured and…
Written by: Sierra Grindstaff On their 2018 Tourage, the Descendents proved that after nearly 40 years of touring they still know how to put on a killer show. Opening up for the Descendents at the UC Theater in downtown Berkeley,…
On May 9th, 2018, DJs RIZ AKA RSD / DJ DSPLN / DJ AWKCUARD / DJ FIZZI POP / DJ N$TY K attended the sold out Joey Bada$$ show at The Catalyst in Downtown Santa Cruz. Each DJ gives their…
After his final tour as Trippy Turtle, moving away from his high-tempo/high-energy jersey club music, Peder Losnegård has shifted his music focus to his other stage name Lido. As Lido, his music is more focused on Hip-Hop and R&B with…
Review by: Killian Fay Ghastly played at the Catalyst last Friday, the 20th of April. The show can be aptly described as intense. I got there in time to see one of the openers who performed before Ghastly, who was…
If you like Shadow the Hedgehog and getting wild to sleazy electro-punk music, do I have the album for you. The Garden is the name under which twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears dress up as jesters and sleaze around…
Review by: Killian Fay Electronic music producer and DJ Buku performed in the Catalyst Atrium earlier this month, on Friday April 6th. Originally slated to play in March, he got sick and was unable to perform, so apologized to fans…
On April 25th, 2018, underground legend Hip Hop legend Locksmith walks onstage at The Catalyst, Atrium, in Downtown Santa Cruz before an excited audience. Locksmith gripped the audience and delivered an outstanding performance that was exciting and unexpected, it served…
Spring has sprung and we're two weeks into our new schedule with fresh faces (or voices) on KZSC. Here's a guide to some new DJs on air this season. DJ Mood Ring on Moody Classics There are many artists considered…
I remember the car rides to my grandmother's house every Sunday. At 11 am, my father would always turn the radio on, turning the dial until it reached 89.3, KPCC, one of the NPR affiliates in Los Angeles. A low…
Last Friday, I got the chance to sit down with former Santa Cruzian Christian Bauhofer, aka Minnesota. His hits such as “HiLow” and “Stardust Redux” highlight Christian’s unique sound of mixing heavy bass rhythms with musical elements of melodic synths…
UPDATE 12 April 2018, 11:20 am: This article was substantially updated with new reporting and additional analysis. When Pussy Riot, Russia’s premiere feminist art collective known for its rotating and balaclava-clad cast of political performers, announced a gig in Santa Cruz, I bought a ticket and readied myself for something historic. Surrounding the evening was a hailstorm of misinformation regarding scheduled times for doors and music, and some late-comers, perhaps expecting an opening act, arrived at the venue as Pussy Riot left the stage, missing the performance completely. Pussy Riot failed to meet our expectations, varied as they were, but as I peeled back the layers of my disappointment, what I found was not a laundry list of injustices committed by an artist I did not know well, but Santa Cruz, my city and my home.