words by Emma Hacker & photos by Avery Morgan In midtown Ventura, a modest concrete building stands. Formerly the site of a bowling alley, it is now one of my favorite places to attend a concert. Ventura Music Hall, with its intimate setting and excellent acoustics, has only been open [...]

words and photos by Kelly Darroch In the heart of San Luis Obispo at everyone’s favorite kitschy, pink hotel, Danish post-punk band Iceage graced the Madonna Inn’s Expo Hall. Although the hall doesn’t share the same floral-lined carpets and cherub decor as the rest of the buildings, the charmi [...]

KCSB's Digital Media Coordinator, Avery, visited San Luis Obispo to check out the annual Shabang Festival! As 2026 tickets begin to go on pre-sale, we hope our review of this year's festival gives you something to look forward to next spring. words and photos by Avery Morgan Those who love con [...]

Just Like Heaven, a single day festival at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, is the place to be if you love the 2000s and 2010s era of indie music. Every May, Goldenvoice delivers a stacked lineup of acts that every millennial gasps at, with this year as their sixth (!) iteration. It’s the time of year to [...]

words by Liam Hogan Last summer, I became completely obsessed with two major works of art: SMiLE by The Beach Boys and the book-length poem “In Sara, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Men and Women” by John Barton Wolgamot. The latter is discussed pretty significantly less than the former, [...]

words by Lily Raesler & photos by Michelle Evans (@_saltygoat) On Saturday night, I embark to Ventura, 20 minutes in one direction from the very homeland of Nardcore and another 20 from the birthplace of RKL, for a night of thrashy guitar-forward metal-inspired(?) punk rock with a side of ska [...]

words & photos by Derek D-Tragic Duncan (Word on the Streets Radio) The Ventura Music Hall was on fire, hosting a packed house for an unforgettable lineup featuring Mr. Dibbs, Sage Francis, and Atmosphere. From the opening DJ set to the final encore, the super diverse crowd was treate [...]

words by Evan Chanksy & photos by Avery Morgan Christian Lee Hutson might well be your favorite singer-songwriter’s favorite singer-songwriter. He’s written and produced songs for the likes of Phoebe Bridgers, Boygenius, Katy Kirby, Charlie Hickey, Samia, and Maya Hawke. Don’t [...]

words and photos by Logan Martin On September 17th, KCSB's Isabelle Prittie and I set out for LA to see Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, a Japanese post-hardcore and alt-rock trio hailing from Kobe City, Japan play at the Vermont Hollywood venue. The band has seen tough times since its conception in [...]

words and photos by Avery Morgan Playing a run of sold out acoustic shows on the West Coast, Karly Hartzman of Wednesday & Jake of MJ Lenderman visited Ojai’s Deer Lodge last December. Only a 40 minute drive up from UCSB, I arrived early to check out the venue. I spent a while walking around [...]