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Surreal pop art of a woman's face with four eyes and two mouths, set against a purple sky, a bridge, and water. Two black circles show couples embracing, and a distant house stands atop a hill in the background.

Outside Lands Fest

It's easy to forget how good we have it here in Santa Cruz. There's the obvious: beaches, redwoods, meadows, radio (duh)... but there's also our prime location. Santa Cruz is exactly 73.4 miles from San Francisco, home to the 2012 Outside Lands Music…

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A stylized, reddish animal skeleton with exaggerated features stands on all fours against a pale, cloudy background. The text "AESOP ROCK: SKELETHON" appears at the bottom of the image.

Aesop Rock’s New One

Any Aesop Rock fans will be happy to hear that he has recently dropped a new album, Skelethon. This is the San Francisco-based rapper and producer's sixth studio album and first self-produced project. Skelethon contains a multitude of playful and…

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Album cover for "Second World" by The Foreshadowing, depicting silhouetted people walking on a desolate, fiery landscape under a darkened sky with a solar eclipse.

Loud Rock Charts: 8/6

Can you believe its August already? I can't. I still feel like it's June. Pretty soon, us UCSC students have to go back to the grind that is school. I am not looking forward to upper division math homework. It's…

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A person wearing a black shirt with an image of a football inside a red prohibition symbol, indicating "no football.

Ban College Football?

I recently heard a podcast on NPR's Intelligence Squared regarding a ban on college football. I often overhear new students of UCSC talking about how they wish the university had a football team. I found it strange to hear it so…

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Album cover for Testament’s "Dark Roots of Earth" shows a mystical, bearded face with horns and tree branches, looming over a forest and a group of small human figures. The scene is dark and surreal.

Loud Rock Charts: 7/31

Apologies to the one or two people looking forward to the charts every week. I was out of town, and just got back. I arrive, however, with an interview with The Contortionist's lead singer Jonathan Carpenter. Look forward to it…

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Silhouettes of two people under a tree at sunset, one sitting and one on a swing, with birds flying and bright orange, yellow, and red rays in the sky. Two large rings and birds are seen near the sun.

KZSC Jazz Charts

What a summer for jazz, non stop incoming new music! It's a good thing. Thanks to volunteer and future DJ Jamfrazi for helping the jazz department while your humble director is away. We will hit the ground running in September…

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Loud Rock Charts: 7/17

Ever been immensely excited for an album but when it finally comes out, you're disappointed by how it turned out? I know the feeling, trust me. This summer however I have not been disappointed by a single record, not even…

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The image shows the flag of Israel, featuring a blue Star of David in the center with two horizontal blue stripes near the top and bottom on a white background.

Weezer…in Hebrew!

It is very common for contemporary World Music artists to remake popular American songs while still staying true to their culture. With YouTube, it's been easier than ever to find up-and-coming artists sharing their cultural talents in a more mainstream…

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A glowing sphere with intersecting pink lines contains three hexagons at its center, each displaying icons of a DNA strand, wavy lines, and a brain, all illuminated by a bright central light.

Loud Rock Charts: July 10th

If any of you out there are fans of metal (which, if you're reading this, is a safe assumption), you better check out Baroness' new album, Yellow and Green. They're currently streaming it over http://www.npr.org/2012/07/08/156292608/first-listen-baroness-yellow-and-green. Also, here's a relevant opportunity to…

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Five women with floral crowns and halos are surrounded by black swans. They appear to interact with the birds and flowers against a yellow, patterned background in a detailed, stylized illustration.

Interview with Baroness’ Peter Adams

Sometimes I wonder how I've gotten so lucky to be able to interview some of the greatest musicians in the metal scene. Peter Adams of Baroness is no exception. They're arguably the most successful group to have combined progressive elements…

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A young man wearing a brown jacket plays an electric guitar, smiling and looking down at the instrument. The background is softly blurred in warm tones.

Santa Cruz Summer Jazz

As summer continues to roll forward, and you may find yourself bored of going to the beachevery day, why not check out some live jazz in town at the historic Kuumbwa Jazz venue? Shows you shouldn't miss in the coming…

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Album cover for Vintersorg's "Orkan" featuring a dramatic, swirling ocean wave in dark blue tones. The band's logo appears at the top, with the album title "Orkan" at the bottom.

Loud Rock Charts: July 3rd

Anyone excited for the upcoming Olympics? I sure as hell am. I can't wait to see if Michael Phelps can repeat his phenomenal performance in Beijing. What I'm most excited for, though, is to watch Usain Bolt compete. Call me…

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Abstract illustration of a saxophone, drawn with swirling black lines and splashes on a vibrant yellow and orange background, creating a lively, artistic, and musical impression.

Weekly Jazz Charts

As your skin tans and/or burns in the lovely summer sun, don't forget that there are some pretty burnin' tracks coming into the station too! Jazz Charts/Top 10 1    NICK WATERHOUSE    Time's All Gone    Innovative Leisure 2    SUNNIE PAXSON    Bohemian…

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A man in a white suit with black polka dots stands among artificial clouds, operating a quirky machine with colorful tubes and buttons labeled “Cloud Buddy.” He has a serious expression and wears a red shirt.

Exposure is Contagious

Life at a college radio station reveals the following truth.  Regardless of which genres you prefer, you will happen upon music that you never knew about, but now love.  Case in point, QUINTRON!!!  Some months ago, I came across his…

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Two men are standing together indoors, both smiling at the camera. One is holding a small saxophone and wearing a dark blazer over a striped shirt. The other man, also in a blazer and striped shirt, is wearing sunglasses.

Change is in the Air!

Hi Everyone, As the school year comes to a close, it's time for the next generation of genre directors to take the reigns. My name is Nicholas (Nikki) Mokover, and I am currently interning with Jacqueline Culas for the Jazz…

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Two children in a forest look up in surprise at a red snake emerging from a hanging piñata. The girl points while the boy stands behind her. The scene is illustrated with the "Diablo Swing Orchestra - Pandora's Piñata" album title.

Loud Rock Charts: June 26th

Summer tours are beginning to roll around. Just last week I was at the Death to All Tour, this week I'll be seeing Russian Circles, and the following month I've got The Contortionist (hopefully) and shortly after Summer Slaughter (insert…

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A grayscale image of the moon's surface with the words "GRASS WIDOW" curved across it. At the bottom left, the text "INTERNAL LOGIC" appears in smaller letters.

Rock Charts – Summer

Here's some hot New albums that'll rule your next beach day. The ladies of Grass Widow hit #1 this week with their unique brand of harmony-driven post-punk. Beach House's Bloom has been hanging out near the top for the past…

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A man in a suit and striped tie leans down to gently kiss the neck of an electric guitar outdoors, with grass and trees in the background.

Jazz Charts/Adds

Hey everyone, hope you've enjoyed your first official week of summer. While things cool down for you, we keep pushing forward here at KZSC; here's the Top 10 Jazz albums for this week along with the newest additions to our…

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Album cover for Gojira's "L'Enfant Sauvage," featuring a silhouette of a human head filled with tree branches against a brown, textured background with the band and album name at the top.

Loud Rock Charts: June 19th

Congratulations to all graduates of UCSC 2012! I personally went to my college's (Crown) gradutation ceremony to see some of my closest friends move on to bigger and better things. It'll be sad seeing some of them go, but I…

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