Born Xavier Patton, Xslapz is a 19-year-old DJ residing from Vallejo, CA but lived in every part of Vallejo. After his father realized that he is a social and popular kid in high school, his mother bought him a DJ…
UPDATE 12 April 2018, 11:20 am: This article was substantially updated with new reporting and additional analysis. When Pussy Riot, Russia’s premiere feminist art collective known for its rotating and balaclava-clad cast of political performers, announced a gig in Santa Cruz, I bought a ticket and readied myself for something historic. Surrounding the evening was a hailstorm of misinformation regarding scheduled times for doors and music, and some late-comers, perhaps expecting an opening act, arrived at the venue as Pussy Riot left the stage, missing the performance completely. Pussy Riot failed to meet our expectations, varied as they were, but as I peeled back the layers of my disappointment, what I found was not a laundry list of injustices committed by an artist I did not know well, but Santa Cruz, my city and my home.
Lightning in a Bottle is right around the corner, and YOU have a chance to not only go, but perform live as well! Do LaB have announced that, in partnership with the Grand Artique, they will be offering one musician…
Recovering from his latest battle with cancer last year, Rusko has come back in 2018 with a plan to take over the world. His awaited return began in February where he immediately picked up where he left off with a…
Written by Sarah Woolley, a.k.a DJ Fizzi Pop From March 10-11, 2018, Downtown Santa Cruz experienced the whirlwind that is Santa Cruz Music Festival, featuring 200+ artists of musical and visual talent. A unique part about this festival is that…
I wanted to share some love to these artists who have been on repeat for me this past month. I encourage you to keep these artists on your radar, if they aren’t already on there. Ruby Ibarra - Us I…
As we approach a late-Rome, end-of-civilization scenario in the United States, hope for the future evades us. It seems that our final bastion of good in a world that seems exclusively evil is the sweet escapism of pop music divas…
Shoreline Mafia consists of four main rappers: Ohgeesy, Fenix, Rob Vicious, & Master Kato. This upcoming group based out of Los Angeles, CA, is a group you cannot miss performing live! They just recently inked a deal with Atlantic Records & are currently on…
Written by: Maddie Kringel Burger Records, known by some as an independent record label based in Fullerton, CA, who really like cassette tapes. This February, Burger put on a collective West-Coast tour Called Burger-A-Go-Go, which stopped for two nights in each…
Foreword and Interview by: Ryan Cormack “When I hear the word extremo… I think of me.” I had the pleasure of chatting with Shannon Taylor, singer/songwriter of the extremo punk band awakebutstillinbed, right here at the KZSC station! Based…
Interview and Review by: Julissa Garcia Caleb Parker, once a young boy from Sacramento, blossomed into an artist who makes music to inspire change. Now greatly known as Caleborate, his persistence and humility has moved him towards doing what he loves…
Interview by: Sarah Woolley Over pesto pizza and motown soul playing in the background, I got to sit down with Brooklyn-based electro-funk trio Exmag at our very own Pizza my Heart. DJ Fizzi Pop Interviews Exmag! Over pesto pizza,…
Review by: Lily Nauta With their first album debuting in 2013 and their second and most recent in 2016, indie-rock band The Frights are a quickly growing group. The band picked up traction quick with lead singer Mikey Carnevale’s captivating…
Another successful year for Vital Event's Wobbleland! Last weekend I attended Wobbleland at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, a music festival that highlights bass music. They produced an outstanding lineup with artists like Rezz, Bauuer, Feed Me, Troyboi, Rusko and so many more.
This Wednesday, February 28th, KZSC is participating in UCSCs annual giving day! Giving Day is a 24 hour online donation drive including many on campus clubs, organizations, and programs. Each participant promotes their own projects, collecting donations throughout the 24…
Written by: Dustin Lennin Choto Hot off the release of “POST-” early last month, pop-punk veteran Jeff Rosenstock concluded their tour with a banging interactive experience at the Catalyst Atrium in Santa Cruz on February 25, 2018. With a hefty…
Written by: Dustin Lennin Choto Departing from their established dancehall electro-pop sound, Kero Kero Bonito returns with TOTEP: a noise pop-rock EP on February 20, 2018. Whereas 2016’s Bonito Generation aimed to promote positivity through its slick production, infectiously peppy…
With hip-hops rise into the dominant culture over the last decade, we are approaching an era of hip-hop reminiscent of the late 20th century with rock and roll. An overwhelming number of rappers are appearing and disappearing before our eyes…
"It's pretty cool there's a designated day promoting people to be overly loving toward a special someone. I mean, ideally, people would act like that every day but that's difficult; we can only spend so much time in our daily…
Calling all musicians & performers! West Fest 2018 will be held on Friday, February 23rd from 4-6:30pm. The application for prospective performers is now open to the public. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, February 14th. We hope you take…
“Wonder if you want to stay // or if it’s easier that way,” Aaron Maine cries out over some of the punchiest drums such a line has ever been sang over. His band, Porches, released their third studio album, The…