This week I had the opportunity to listen to Branford Marsalis' newest release, Four Mfs Playin' Tunes. This album is the first of his to feature 21 year old drummer Justin Faulkner who in the last 5 years has replaced…
I'm embarrassed to say it, but my time with Cult of Luna has been a relatively short one. I only discovered them about a year ago through a friend, and even then their music didn't engage me to the extreme that it…
Oh hi! Didn't see you there. I'd like to talk to you about a wonderful little record by a guy who goes by the name of Mac DeMarco. DeMarco - a Canadian singer-songwriter, formerly of the band Makeout Videotape -…
Hello everyone, Here is this week's edition of the KZSC Jazz Charts. Topping them this week comes an independent/self release from vocalist Lauren Desberg with her EP "Sideways." This album features many up and coming young jazz stars on the…
How does one attempt to define a year that has experienced a continually expanding range of sensations through the means of musical endeavors? Is it even possible to describe the feelings that 2012 has displayed, whether they be sadness, contentment, pain, or exuberance? The…
It's been one helluva year for San Francisco garage rock wonderkid Ty Segall. Ty's been rockin' all over the free world spreading his gospel of scuzzy psychedelic rock 'n' roll. This year Ty recorded and released three records of his…
On October 26 Brother Ali graced Santa Cruz with his presence downtown at The Catalyst. Homeboy Sandman opened, freestylin' up a storm and bringing some serious energy to the room with his conscious lyrics. Brother Ali in my opinion is…
When it comes to going back to school, nothing is better than new music that keeps your walk to class up-beat and motivated. Tilly And The Wall's new album Heavy Mood is filled with stomps and claps, making it the…
When Between the Buried and Me came to San Francisco for Summer Slaughter, I had the great fortune to sit down with Dan Briggs and Dustie Waring. Of course, one of the main things we discussed in detail was their…
Tampa, Florida's Merchandise don't reinvent the wheel on this year's Children of Desire. The wheel they've got is damn fine, though. Combining the synthetic beats of New Wave and krautrock with soaring guitars and vocals, they create something that feels both modern…
photo by Blake Goodmacher; featured image by Yasamine June "Sure, sure...fersherrsure," the boys of North Pacific String Band mumbled enthusiastically when asked to play some more tunes on my show, Pickin on the Porch with Auntie Em, a few weeks…
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…
Through ATO Records, Italian singer-songwriter and rapper Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, has finally issued his first U.S. release after over two decades of being in the business. This compilation album that includes the greatest hits of his career so…
I'm making my way via automobile up to Oregon for a mini-vacation. Nothing too lavish—I'll be gone less than a week and still be in a separate hemisphere than the Bahamas. But it's just enough time to get away from that plague of the…