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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
“We’re repurposing it for our own sake”: An Interview with Sex Ed
By Amahli Vivian About a week before their show at SubRosa Community Space on June 5, I interviewed Sex Ed, an electroskramz band based in the North Bay Area. Sex Ed creates a sound entirely their own, pulling influences from…
The Sound of San Francisco Emocore: An Interview with Junipero
By Amahli Vivian Last week, I interviewed the San Francisco based emocore band Junipero. We chatted about music influences, band name origins, upcoming music plans, the live music scene in the Bay Area + San Francisco, and what defines emo…
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…
Berlin’s IT girl and DBBD at 1015 Folsom
By Cindy Becerra Berlin’s IT girl finally made her way to the States for her grand US tour with DBBD. Miss Bashful was born in Mexico City and is proud of her Mexican and German roots. Living in Berlin, Mexico…
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…
Songs That Itch My Brain: “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” by Wilco
By Roktima Godhuli I Am Trying to Break Your Heart by Wilco is the perfect opener to their 10/10 rock album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot(2001). Don’t play this at the function, though; it might be a bit of a party pooper…
Eruptive Noise: An Interview with Twine
By Amahli Vivian On December 4th, I was lucky enough to interview Tom Katsaras, the frontman and vocalist of Twine. Initially a solo project formed in 2021 by Katsaras, Twine later solidified into a full band. The South Australian band’s…
Spiraling Out, Not Down: An Interview With Machine Girl
Photo by Colleen Barrett By Cadence Baker On Saturday, November 23rd, KZSC Santa Cruz journeyed to San Francisco to attend Brooklyn-based digital hardcore band Machine Girl’s first of two sold-out shows at the Regency Ballroom. We sat…
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…
Artist Showcase – Geordie Greep
by Jack Rudy Photo by Yis Kid The Greep In the midst of a larger prog-rock (Progressive-Rock) wave that's hitting the States, no other emergent artists stand out as much as Geordie Greep does. Hailing from Walthamstow, England, Greep found…