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…
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,…
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…
Odd Time Signatures Between the Vinyl Bins: Vetch @ Streetlight Records 5/18
Written by Claudia Aguilera Claudia Aguilera, with the assistance of Nina Carrillo, interview Vetch at Streetlight Records - Santa Cruz. From stalking a drummer at the climbing gym to crafting intricate riffs, the trio reflects on their evolution and…
The Sound of Nubya Garcia: Live at The Chapel
On the evening of April 17th, Nubya Garcia performed at The Chapel in San Francisco. After making tour stops in Japan, Australia, and the UK, she was bubbly while sharing her excitement for her first show in San Francisco…
KZSC Interviews Noeline Hofmann at Felton Music Hall
By: Alex Lund Alex Lund interviews "Country's Wild Rose" Noeline Hofmann in this KZSC Exclusive Interview. On Saturday, May 3rd, I had the opportunity to interview Noeline Hofmann after her show at The Felton Music Hall. Just one weekend…
Kitty Craft at The Catalyst 3/31 :)
Written by: Serafina Holzer and Fawn Zech Pamela Valfer, the ‘Queen Kitty’ of Kitty Craft, finished off the month of March with a wonderful show at the Catalyst’s Atrium, with lor2mg as her opener. Kitty Craft's Visit to KZSC Before…
SPY record release show 2/21 @ Neck of the Woods, SF
By Amahli Vivian SPY has become one of my favorite hardcore punk bands since seeing them support Gel nearly two years ago. I was lucky to see SPY as the headliner at their SF show at Neck of the Woods…
The Garden’s “Nine Desperate Dates” @ sold out Catalyst
By Amahli Vivian March 7, 2025, was not the first time The Garden had come to Santa Cruz. They had played at the Catalyst back in 2022, although I was unable to attend. Their most recent “Nine Desperate Dates” tour…
Positive Hardcore in Socal: A Night at the Moroccan Lounge with Fall Through, Silenced, Stand Tall, Start Today, and Kiowa
By Peyton K. A Youth Crew revival is on the horizon, and it's coming to a town near you. After hearing raving reviews of Start Today after they opened for Knumears' 2 Year Anniversary show on the 22nd, I knew…
A Rainy Evening at the Rio with Haley Heynderickx and The Westerlies
By: DJ Alla The sound of folk music is alive and well today in Haley Heynderickx. This past Friday the 31st I was lucky enough to see Haley at the Rio Theatre here in Santa Cruz. Haley is a Portland-based…
Bryson Tiller, 05/12/2024, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
This was a highly anticipated concert for me personally, I had wanted to go for a while but was holding off on buying tickets because I couldn’t afford it. I was able to find people selling their last minute tickets…
Gunna and Flo Milli, 05/18/24, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco
There was a lot of excitement in the air at this event, it was a cool clear Saturday evening and you could almost feel the high energy waiting to enter the venue. The crowd overall was pretty diverse, some were…
Scowl @ the Catalyst 11/30 – Concert Review
By Amahli Vivian Hometown shows tend to be more lively compared to other shows. Scowl, a local hardcore punk band took over the Santa Cruz Catalyst stage on November 30 for their "Annual Dance Party 2024." I was lucky enough…
Julie @ UC Theatre Berkeley 11/07/24
The second to last city on the My Anti-Aircraft Friend tour. Berkeley, my first concert in the Bay Area. What better concert to be at than at a Julie concert? A Los Angeles trio consisting of Alexandria Elizabeth on vocals/bass,…
AJJ @ the Chapel SF 11.18.24
By warlock On Monday, November 18th, I had the pleasure of seeing AJJ in concert at San Francisco’s The Chapel. The venue certainly lived up to it’s name, as this show was an experience that could be described as religious…
Cigarettes After Sex- Oakland Arena
Dreamy Melancholy: A Night with Cigarettes After Sex Photograph taken by dj stutter Attending a Cigarettes After Sex concert feels less like a show and more like stepping into a movie. Their recent performance was no exception, they demonstrated exceptional…
Mk.Gee @ Fox Theater Oakland 09.06.24
Thanks to KZSC’s lovely rock director, I scored two tickets to see Mk.Gee during his Two Star and The Dream Police World Tour at the Fox Theater in Oakland — though not without some trials and tribulations. Initially, I thought…
Suki Waterhouse Sparklemuffin Tour at the Catalyst
On Saturday October 26th at the Catalyst, Suki Waterhouse played a show that I now consider one of my favorite live performances. After the opener, Bully, who set the stage with her high energy grunge rock sound, Waterhouse emerged from…