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Black poster with white text promoting “Moving Units Presents the Songs of Joy Division.” Central graphic features Joy Division’s iconic pulsar image. Additional text announces new album selections and special guest Viktor Fiction.

Dance to the Radio: Moving Units play the songs of Joy Division

This past Tuesday night at the Catalyst here in Santa Cruz was one filled with dimmed stage lights and dark clothing as seasoned LA-based post punk band Moving Units payed their tribute to the Joy Division. The band have not been shy talking about the tour on social media and the hype was building since the tour date pop-up on the Catalyst’s concert calendar. Needless to say the crowd that night was dancing and singing along to every Joy Division and Moving Units song played.

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Entrance to a brick building with double glass doors and a blue sign above reading "WRPS STATION ENTRANCE." A person is faintly reflected in the glass door on the left.

Radio from a parallel universe.

Sometimes a hole in your memory banks can really mess with you. It can be an unsettling feeling. Such was the case for yours truly on a long-overdue trip back East to see family. Turns out that, my hometown high…

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Hard Summer Music Festival 2016 poster with event dates July 30–31 at Auto Club Speedway, Southern California. Headliners include Ice Cube and Major Lazer. Full artist lineup listed in colorful blocks.

This summer in SoCal, HARD Summer is near

Ice Cube, Flosstradamus, Porter Robinson, Anderson .Paak, Major Lazer, Dillon Francis, Zeds Dead, Boys Noize and more this July 30th and 31st HARD Summer in the Auto Club Speedway in Southern California will feature Ice Cube and Major Lazer this July 30th and…

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A musician with long hair wearing a pink t-shirt plays a banjo and sings into a microphone on an outdoor stage, with amplifiers and drums in the background.

Wakin on a Pretty Day with Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile is almost a little too "hip" to be extremely outgoing during a performance, but that's why we love him, right? To quote one of my new friends from Alabama whom I met at Bonnaroo Music Festival, "Kurt seemed…

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Looking Forward to Enchanted Forested in NorCal

Shpongle, PANTyRAiD, The Polish Ambassador, Ayla Nereo and Hamsa Lila Among Headliners for Enchanted Forest Gathering 2016 KZSC, Santa Cruz is excited to be part of the sixth annual installment of Enchanted Forest Gathering. The Gathering celebrates music, yoga, flow-arts and…

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Bonaroo Arch by flickr user Shannon McGee

Ready for the Heat at Bonnaroo Music Festival?

I'm getting ready to take on the beating sun in Tennessee. The Bonnaroo Music Festival is held annually at the Great Stage Park in Manchester, at the historic location of "The Farm", about an hour South East of Nashville. I am excited to represent KZSC at a large-scale event such as this one, and I hope you can follow my check-ins during the weekend! Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem, J.Cole, The Internet, and many others.

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Two DJs perform onstage at a lively concert, one standing at a DJ booth with equipment, the other holding a microphone and gesturing toward the crowd, with an enthusiastic audience and colorful lighting in the background.

Minnesota Interview

This Memorial Day weekend marked Lightning in a Bottle's third year at the San Antonio Recreation Area. Closing off LIB's Thunder Stage Saturday night were locally based producers Minnesota and G Jones. We got a chance to catch the Santa…

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Large crowd at an outdoor music festival at night, facing a brightly lit stage with musicians performing. Colorful lights and decorative structures surround the stage, creating a vibrant, energetic atmosphere.

Lightning in a Bottle 2016 My Experience

Words cannot describe how magical this year’s Lightning in a Bottle experience was, you truly had to be there, but I will try my best in the words that follow… We drove down from our perch at the radio station…

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A person holds a shrimp-topped pink gelatin mold on a plate, surrounded by fake shrimp, limes, and a bright pink background. Event details are overlaid in bold yellow and green text.

May 29 KZSC Presents: Sugar Candy Mountain w/ Luke Sweeney and Jackie Zealous

Sunday May 29: KZSC Presents tropical psychedelic pop band, Sugar Candy Mountain from Joshua Tree, California. Playing with Santa Cruz's surf garage rock band, Jackie Zealous and San Francisco's psychedelic soul pop band, Luke Sweeney. "If Brian Wilson had dropped acid on the beach in Brazil and decided to record an album with Os Mutantes and The Flaming Lips, it would sound like this— featuring space-age sounds and far-out frequencies from the tripped out tropics," then you would have Sugar Candy Mountain. Hope to see you there!

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A black woman wearing a coat and scarf plays an electric guitar and sings into a microphone. The scene appears vintage and monochrome, with barrels and a chair in the background.

Jazzy and Bluesy News

Hello KZSC listeners, Here are some fun videos to get your week started off on a bluesy note... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyIquE0izAg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2gR6SZC2M Check back tomorrow for some jazz and blues charts. Keep it bluesy y'all.

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Aerial view of rooftops with large pink letters painted across several buildings spelling "TIRED OF TOMORROW." Trees and parked cars line the street below.

Nick Bassett of Nothing – KZSC Interviews

Here at KZSC, we were fortunate enough to interview Nick Bassett. Nick plays the bass for the band Nothing, which has their second album, “Tired of Tomorrow”, out today on Relapse Records. In this interview between Nick Bassett and KZSC DJ Brand X, they talk about the band’s latest album, the band’s sound and their upcoming US tour with Wrong and Culture Abuse.

Brand X: So I’m here with Nick Bassett from Nothing and they have a new album out now called “Tired of Tomorrow” and I’m really excited for this album. I’ve been a big fan since “Downward Years to Come” and saw them live twice in two different states. I’m really excited to see them again play Slim’s SF and pick up a copy of this album. Welcome, Nick, to KZSC!

Nick Bassett: Thanks for having me.

BX: So one thing I’m noticing with “Tired of Tomorrow” right off the bat is that there’s a lot more room for the music to breathe. It’s not as dense as your previous album, “Guilty of Everything” and I’m wondering if that was a conscious decision while recording this record?

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Support KZSC and get some great tickets!

KZSC has all kinds of great tickets still available during this Spring's Pledge Drive.  You can get these tickets for less then you would pay at the door. We don't charge service fees! Check out these hot tickets, and click on the ones you want!

May 27: Steven “Ragga” Marley at the Catalyst

May 28: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis in SF

June 3: Bad Religion at the Catalyst

June 4: The Budos Band at The Catalyst

June 21: Cherry Glazerr at The Catalyst

July 9: Island Reggae Festival in San Jose

Sept 3: Tame Impala in Berkeley

All you have to do is click on the show you like.  You know you want to! Even more tickets are available during the Spring Pledge Drive are in Pledge Drive Shop.

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A person with curly blonde hair, glasses, and a tattoo on their arm flips their hair against a bright yellow background, wearing a white shirt.

WATCH: Kiran Gandhi Keynote at UCRN

Hosting the UC Radio Network Conference at the beginning of April was an honor. We were very grateful to have Kiran Gandhi speak at the event. Check out her keynote discussion with IYNV and dj même:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuCl3TIv5G0

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Close-up of vibrant orange California poppies in a sunlit field, with green foliage below and sunlight streaming through the petals against a blue sky.

May 3-12: KZSC Spring 2016 Pledge Drive

Spring is in the air and with all those new flowers in bloom, it's time for the KZSC Spring Pledge Drive! Between May 3rd through the 12th, we'll be reminding everyone that KZSC can't exist without the support of our listeners--that's you! Help us continue our nearly 50-year run and make a secure pledge by clicking here. It only takes a minute. Between May 3rd and 12th, you can call us at 831-459-4036 or 831-459-2811. Help us spread the word with #KZSCPledgeDrive!

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Jazz and Blues Update

Hello all you jazzy and bluesy people. Check out the top 10 of jazz and blues for this week.   1 ALLISON MILLER'S BOOM TIC BOOM Otis Was A Polar Bear 2 FROYO MA * Pants - EP 3 GRACE…

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