Who are the Black Pumas?
Photo by Atwood Magazine Black Pumas Written by Angelo Claure For those wondering where the groove & soul of our age has been hiding all along, look no further. If you haven’t heard them by now, may I introduce…
mssv – Live at Winter’s Tavern in Pacifica, CA
Pastel pink skies of a Highway 1 sunset were settling into the horizon as I pulled off into the small coastal town of Pacifica at the prospect of seeing Mike Watt slap bass live on tour as mssv (Main Steam…
Drake Might Give You Amnesia: The Power of Character in Rap
Drake for the "Views" (2016) Album Rollout By Jules Champion In the Rap industry the story serves the character rather than the character serving the story. The character, the persona, the aesthetic, is arguably more…
Album Review: Unlimited Love by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Photo courtesy of Red Hot Chili Peppers Facebook page By Brooke Bernard Earlier this month, Red Hot Chili Peppers released their first album in 5 years titled Unlimited Love- and yes, they’re still singing about California. If you…
Sophomore Albums From Artists That 2018-Indie-You Forgot
By Jules Champion 2018 was an insane year for music. With the rise of Bedroom Pop and the peak of SoundCloud rap there was a new song every minute and a new artist every week, but just as quickly as…
Pt.2: Favorite 2021 Albums from the Hip-Hop Department
Members from KZSC's Hip Hop Department decided to write about hip-hop albums we loved from last year. From finding obscure samples to dissecting layers in instrumentation, we hope you enjoy our analysis of albums from artists we love. The following…
Best Songs for When You’re Stressed
Photo by Rawpixel/Unsplash By Heidi Bitsoli Music has been part of human culture since time immemorial. The oldest surviving music notation, known as the Hurrian Hymn, is an enchanting and relaxing lyre melody that is over 3,400 years old and…
A Glimpse into UCSC’s Student Housing Coalition
Interview by Alyce Thornhill Alyce Thornhill 5:03 I am here with Laz Meiman of the Student Housing Coalition. I was hoping that you could introduce yourself with your name, your pronouns, and then your position in your organization…
Pt.1: Favorite 2021 Hip-Hop Albums
Members from KZSC's Hip Hop Department decided to write about hip-hop albums we loved from last year. From finding obscure samples to dissecting layers in instrumentation, we hope you enjoy our analysis of albums from artists we love. The following…
Without that Stupid Hat, Pharrell Williams would be your Favorite Artist
By Jules Champion When discussing Pharrell as a music artist most people roll their eyes; they think of “Happy” and the “Despicable Me” soundtrack with Pharrell in his silly little Vivienne Westwood Buffalo Hat. Outside of that song, and its…
Big Thief’s New Album is Out… and I’m Enamored
by Grady Clark Earlier this month, indie rock/folk band Big Thief released their fifth full-length album titled, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You. While in their past albums…
Alice Phoebe Lou – Live at the Chapel in San Francisco
By Anna Tarasova After discovering Alice Phoebe Lou, I immediately fell in love with her sound and lyrics. It felt like she took the little thoughts in my brain about yearning for love and put them behind some of…
MAKE A BEAUTIFUL ECHO: Diane Patterson on New Album “Satchel of Songs”
By John Malkin Diane Patterson’s new album - Satchel of Songs – was released on March 8, 2022, International Women’s Day. It’s her 6th studio album and continues her celebration of life and respect for indigenous cultures and includes guest…
Unearthing Hardcore Compost Santa Cruz
By Alyce Thornhill, Talk Director Special thanks to Kumi Maxson of Hardcore Compost Santa Cruz . Alyce Thornhill 0:01 I was hoping that you could introduce yourself, what's…
Phoebe Bridgers at the Greek in Berkeley
By Brooke Bernard It’s rare to find music you immediately connect to. I seriously disliked most of my favorite artists today the first time I heard them. Phoebe Bridgers was the exception. The first song I ever heard of…
An Introduction To City Pop
By Evan Jones For those uninitiated with the city pop genre, it is a loose label describing Japanese music from the late 70s & 80s featuring heavy western influences from rock and funk to jazz-fusion and disco. In an effort…
Circle Jerks and The Adolescents Live at The Catalyst
By Syd Abad 2/23/2022 The Circle Jerks, The Adolescents, and Negative Approach put on a rowdy show at the Catalyst on February 23, 2022. The venue was packed with people of all ages, some diehard fans from the band’s glory days to…
Black Artist Spotlight: Kemistry
By Carlos Cervantes Almost late for Black history month, but here it is. Kemistry: one of the seminal figures in the drum and bass scene, a legend and pioneer in a field dominated by men. Kemistry emerged as a…
5 Black EDM Artist’s to Listen to this Month
By Gracia Hmelar From 1950s Blues to 2000s R&B, Black artists’ influence in the music world has defined and innovated music genres for decades, but their credit comes omitted at the hands of white gentrification that dismantles Black culture and…
5 Classic Albums to Listen to this Black History Month + 2 More to Try
"Fire It Up" Album cover featuring Rick James By Jules Champion In honor of Black History Month, I'll be reminding you of 5 classic albums to re-add to your rotation, and introducing you to 2 that should be there…
Beat Banter: Erik Ratensperger
Photo Credit: Jonathan Velazquez Erik Ratensperger has lived two lives as a drummer. In Jeromes Dream, he played unhinged hardcore, surrounded by a ring of raging punks who didn’t give a shit about anything but the energy, the catharsis…