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 […]
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 charming grounds […]
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 […]
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 (!) […]
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 skate […]
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 treated […]
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 believe me? Check out this written by […]
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 […]
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 […]
With the summer sun in the sky and a verve for live music, KCSB was on the scene to witness a wonderful weekend of live music at Union Park in Chicago. Here were our 10 favorite sets of Pitchfork Chicago 2024. words by: Will Bacaj Rosali Situated on the […]
In honor of Pitchfork’s infamous 0.0-10.0 ratings scale for albums, KCSB’s Will Bacaj scores his most anticipated sets of the upcoming festival weekend. words by: Will Bacaj After Conde Nast fired several of Pitchfork’s editors and placed the website under the umbrella of GQ Magazine in January, outside observers […]
words by: Malakai Peterson photos by: Avery Morgan The legendary shoegaze band Slowdive began a new leg of their current tour on April 25th at the Majestic Ventura Theater, only 45 minutes away from UCSB. I arrived shortly before doors opened with my girlfriend Avery, one of KCSB’s DJs, and […]
KCSB programmer Marley Jay takes to Monterey to give you an inside look into the 2024 Cali Roots Festival. Read on for the inside scoop into a weekend of love, reggae, and community. Words and Photos by Marley Jay I sat amongst like-minded individuals of the California Roots Sol Tribe, […]
Production Coordinator Will and Publications Coordinator Galilea took on Huntington Beach’s Cruel World Festival this past month, ready to report back to KCSB’s audience with all the scintillating details. Check it out. words by: Will Bacaj and Galilea Trujillo photos by: Will Bacaj Mark Almond of Soft Cell Duran Duran, […]
If you’re longing and looking to tap into your indie-centered nostalgia, Just Like Heaven is the place to be. Every May, Goldenvoice puts on their annual Just Like Heaven festival, and this year marks 5 years since the first edition. It’s the time of year where you can bring back […]
Words by: Angel Lopez Photos courtesy El Vive Latino El Vivo Latino music festival happens once a year, usually on the 3rd weekend of March in Mexico City. This year had 5 stages, 1 surprise stage, a comedy stage and a Lucha Libre ring. 88 bands performed in the span […]
KCSB’s program director, Naila, visited San Louis Obispo last year to get our audience the scoop on Shabang! As the 2024 lineup begins to make its rounds, we hope this review of last year’s festival gives you an idea of what to expect and look forward to. words and photos […]
words by Will Bacaj photos courtesy Life Is Beautiful KCSB’s Promotions Director Will Bacaj attended the Life is Beautiful festival in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada Sept 22-24, 2023. Here’s his report from the scene. Having never been anywhere in Las Vegas beyond the Strip, going to Las Vegas for a […]
words by Yasmeen Tsipena Photo courtesy of Portola Music Festival Six months ago I let my roommate convince me to buy a 300 dollar ticket to a music festival I had never heard of. The 21+ electronic music festival took place the weekend of September 30th on the vast lot […]
KCSB is headed to Rolling Loud! Every year Rolling Loud brings some of rap music’s hottest talent all over the world, and they’re finally landing back in California! From March 3rd-5th, we’re going to be seeing some of our favorites perform on the big stage! Fans will also be able […]
Yousef Srour, the former Internal Music Director, went to Portola Music Festival to watch the best artists in electronic music perform. He just so happened to bring his camera and a flip phone. Here’s a photo essay of San Francisco’s First Annual Portola Music Festival. DJ Holographic Ross […]
Words by Yousef Srour, Internal Music Director 21-22′ Welcome to Way Out West. For those of you who aren’t enlightened and haven’t been to the premier festival in Gothenburg, Sweden, this is a three-day festival with five stages, four theaters, and seven independent music venues spread out throughout the city. […]
Words by Chloe Kimmel Digital Media Coordinator 21-22′ It’s a Tuesday in Koreatown two hours before the venue doors are scheduled to open and the line for general admission already wraps around the block in a complete loop. Wiltern staff are perplexed at how to manage such an […]
Words by Ryan Miller, Promotions Director 2021-2022 Pitchfork Music Festival is a 3-day festival held in Union Park, Chicago, and organized by the curators behind Pitchfork Media. Whether you love them or not, the website has long been an important platform to highlight left-field, alternative, and independent artists, and the […]
Words by: Marión Suchowiecky The Teragram Ballroom sits between a convenience store called Rosa Mini’s Market and a dry cleaners. Tall buildings with intricate scaffolding designs tower over this modest venue, which is just a 10 minute drive away from the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. It’s Thursday, July […]
Words by: Yousef Srour, Internal Music Director Composed of Ela Melo, Darrick “Bozzy” Keller, Ethan Goodpaster, Jess Haney, and Charlie Holt, the five members together make up Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Everyone in Santa Barbara knew their names and chanted for them when they came on stage. It’s May 27, 2022, […]
The crowd roared. The Aussie group needed no introduction as the crowd rippled with mosh pits opening up. The crowd bristled with excitement as their favorite band finally came to their home after two years of being unable to tour due to COVID. The magic of Skegss could […]
KCSB INVITES YOU TO ATTEND THE FIRST IN-PERSON SHOW WE’VE HOSTED IN OVER TWO YEARS ☆♬○♩●♪✧♩✧♪●♩○♬☆ KCSB is inviting all on-campus music lovers to our first live concert since Winter 2020, featuring Atlanta pop-rap duo Coco & Clair Clair. Channeling retro-futuristic Y2K aesthetics mixed with dreamy bedroom production, […]
KCSB’s Promotions Director Ryan Miller sat down with electronic artist Galen Tipton (aka recovery girl) to discuss her artistic vision, newest projects, and viral success on TikTok. Watch, listen, or read to learn more! Ryan: Welcome everyone to 91.9 KCSB-FM in Santa Barbara! My name is Ryan Miller, I’m the […]
Photos and words by Kiyomi Morrison Known for her time playing synth in L.A. rock band Cherry Glazer, and opening for acts like Mitski, Soccer Mommy, Blondie, Snail Mail, and more — Sasami has earned her place in the industry long before her recent foray as a solo artist. Her […]
On Monday, May 13 at The Fonda in Los Angeles, Goldenvoice and UCLA radio presented The Japanese House with an opening set by Art School Girlfriend. The sold out concert had a long line even as Art School Girlfriend, the opener, started her set. Both The Japanese House and Art […]
On May 2nd, four-piece indie-rock band Big Thief headlined The Fonda theater the night before the release of U.F.O.F., their third full-length album. Singer-songwriter Victoria Williams opened the show with a performance that was unarguably quirky, charming, and wholesome. As her band left the stage for her last song – […]
Ever-evolving sonically, Scottish band Mogwai have scored three films in addition to releasing eight studio albums. Beginning as a rock-centered band with an atmospheric and enveloping sound, their evolution into soundtrack work is a natural progression for the band. On January 18th, they performed their most recent film collaboration live […]
As the saying goes, girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, right? Now, we all know that women are creatures far exceeding these basic ingredients, but add some cherry-red lipstick, high-tops, an oversized t-shirt, and a cigarette or two, and we might just have something that resembles the […]
Award-winning Scottish composer and musician Anna Meredith performed her first ever gig in the United States at an unconventional space in downtown Los Angeles, CA. Meredith and her four bandmates were flanked on the bill by acclaimed experimental artists Steve Hauschildt (also performing in Los Angeles for the first time), […]
