Last Tuesday, as the rain clouds rolled back in over San Francisco, I was joined by the lovely and talented Lola Kirke, before her show at the Swedish American Hall on the tail end of The TMI tour. The actress,…
by Ryan McLean Davis / DJ Bugs A Paloma-induced account of Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage at Felton Music Hall: February 20, 2026. 7:45 p.m. Jeffrey Lewis stands silently over there, behind the merch table. Boyfriend buys me…
Written by Claudia Aguilera On the first night of tour, and the eve of their debut album’s 19-year anniversary, LSD and the Search for God reflect on how a nearly-missed beginning became a lasting body of work. Since the release…
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…
By Mariela Fritz I love post-hardcore. Bands like At The Drive-In, Title Fight, and The Mars Volta rule every single one of my Spotify playlists. The genre itself originated in the mid-1980s after hardcore punk’s explosion in popularity a decade…
By Maddox Conrady The nineties gave birth to a whole lot of things, from aggressive and angsty nu metal to big beat electronic music sweeping through the UK. As time has passed, we have seen certain influences, sounds, and aesthetics…
By Peyton K. When people describe their musical project as "the worst thing [they've] ever done in [their] life", it doesn't allow much hope that their music will be worthwhile to listen to. The Hellp, however, is a special case,…
By Maddox Conrady The nineties gave birth to a whole lot of things, from aggressive and angsty nu metal to big beat electronic music sweeping through the UK. As time has passed, we have seen certain influences, sounds, and aesthetics…
By Parker Rice Danny Brown's newest album Stardust came from a period of pivotal change for the Detroit rapper. As he went into rehab in 2023, Danny Brown was considering quitting music altogether. But what brought him a newfound love for music…
By Annelise Schouten “Cool” Chris Veltri, owner of 687 Haight’s Groove Merchant in San Francisco, a historical site for crate diggers, samplers, and music lovers alike, has been at the store since the mid-nineties. Being a hub for music…
By: Alex Lund Alex Lund interviews “Folk-Country Critter Music” pioneer, Meels, in this KZSC Exclusive Interview. This past Saturday, Meels, an up-and-coming Marin County country-folk artist, opened for bluegrass legend Molly Tuttle at her sold-out show at the historic Fillmore…
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…
By Serafina Holzer and Amelia Foster PRE SHOW On October 28th, DJ Foz and DJ Key were killed by the power of rock. The up and coming Brooklyn-based band Geese performed to a sold-out crowd at The Fillmore this past…
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…
Interview Transcription Yvette Young of Covet interviewed by Zane Bird Smith Zane: You are listening to KZSC Santa Cruz. This interview with Yvette Young of Covet was recorded on October 14th, 2025. And I’m here with Yvette Young of Covet…
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…
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…
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,…
by Bugs "I Love My Boyfriend" by Princess Chelsea. Closing my eyes, thinking of her. Uneven walks on cobblestone. Coming out of a parallel park. A long time with a straight face. "Child Psychology" by Black Box Recorder. Leaves…
By Peyton K. Every so often, a subgenre will seem to be revived out of nowhere, with new bands creating music that brings you right back to tunes from the genre’s conception. Over the past few years, I’ve seen…
By Amahli Vivian Back in June this year, I interviewed Abbeys Garden, an alternative emo band based in Las Vegas. As they prepare for an upcoming record release, we talked about preparing for live shows, skateboarding, music influences and more! Abbeys…