Victims Family, Dan Potthast and Bam! Bam! on The Rising Tide tonight

Hey there,

With the new quarter fast approaching, expect to hear from some fresh new faces as our Rising Tide family grows to include even more DJs.

That being said, we've got a wonderful trio of guests for tonight's program. It's going to be one of the most musically diverse shows we've ever had!

We'll first welcome into our studio a band from Oakland by the name of Bam! Bam!


This Oakland based two-piece have been kicking around thrashy, lo-fi garage pop jams for the better part of the last year. Though the group has yet to officially release any of their recordings, they have been steadily building a fan-base, taking their no-frills sound with them up and down the coast of California and taking no prisoners along the way. Fans of Black Tambourine, Beat Happening and fellow s.f. lo-fi artist Grass Widow ought to take note of this band, for once they get around to putting out non-demo recordings into the world, their star is bound to take off.

Tune in at 8:30 to catch the ladies of Bam! Bam! as they come to our studio to perform some songs live in the studio and talk about what the future holds for the band.

Then we'll welcome Dan Potthast to our studio.


Once hailing from St. Louis, Missouri, this ska-punk legend has firmly planted himself in Santa Cruz. As a founding member of MU330, as well as the leader of Dan P. and the Bricks (among other projects), Dan has been making music for over twenty years. He's opened for acts like Streetlight Manifesto, continues to make music that appeals to fans of Buck-O-Nine, and is active to this day.

Dan P. will be joining us live in the studio tonight to talk about making music in his adopted home town and the upcoming show with his band The Stitch Up this Saturday night, March 26th at the Crepe Place, where they will be performing alongside The New Trust and The Smoking Popes.

Last but not least, we have for you a very special interview that was taped last night with Victims Family.


This legendary Santa Rosa punk band is world-reknown for their unique fusion of hardcore punk, jazz and experimental noise. As a Nor Cal institution that has existed for over 25 years, Victims Family have performed with the likes of The Dead Kennedys, Nirvana, Green Day, Faith No More, and hundreds of other incredible bands. Though the group has sporadically broken up over the years, they've come back together in 2010 to perform and re-release their first three records on vinyl, starting with 1990's White Bread Blues.

I chatted up the group's guitarist, Ralph Spight, last night via Skype on a breadth of subjects, and if you tune in to the show tonight, you can hear our conversation in full. One of the things we did talk about is Victims Family's show this Saturday night, March 26th at the Catalyst with Catacomb Creeps and (Rising Tide alum) Noise Clinic, which is bound to be a hellraiser of a concert.

These and more when you tune into the show tonight starting at 8:30pm! Listen live at www.kzsc.org or tune in to 88.1 fm.

The Mystery Lights, Blackbird Blackbird, Old Arc and more on The Rising Tide!

Hey everybody,

As you may have noticed, we now have a widget displaying 5 songs from previously recorded episodes of The Rising Tide. As the year progresses, we'll be swapping in and out tunes from recent and past episodes to enrich your blog-viewing experience and, hopefully, entice you even more to listen in to the show live this friday night!

Speaking of friday night, allow me to introduce the first of friday night's guests: Blackbird Blackbird and Old Arc.

Blackbird Blackbird

Blackbird Blackbird is the monicker of Mikey S., a San Francisco-based electronic artist whose work has attracted the attention of the press (The Bay Bridged, The Hype Machine and The Fader, among others) in recent months. Though firmly in the hypnotic and hazey world of chillwave at surface level, Blackbird Blackbird forgoes the vocally-focused approach of the genre for a more glitch-and-dreampop sound that fits nicely between Gold Panda and Baths. Remixes and covers of the likes of Beach House and Modest Mouse demonstrate that Blackbird Blackbird is an artist who refuses to rest on his laurels and not challenge himself.

Tune in on friday night to hear Blackbird Blackbird talk about the upcoming CD release of his debut record, Summer Heart, his forthcoming performance at the SF Weekly's All Shook Down event, and what ever else he has in store for us this year!

Blackbird Blackbird will be joined on air by the local group who will be backing him up at the SF Weekly event mentioned above, Old Arc.

Old Arc

This local two-piece has been burning up lately, amping up their psychedelic synth pop sound with a live show that's equal parts MGMT-inspired tribalism and utter youthful exuberance. Similarly ambitious in scope as Blackbird Blackbird, Old Arc have remixed the likes of Toro Y Moi and Local Natives, and their collection of demo recordings, EPs and remixes have been on rotation on The Rising Tide for the last few weeks.

Old Arc will come into the studio on friday to talk about their live collaboration with Blackbird Blackbird, their forthcoming recordings, and what they have planned for the year as well.

And to wrap things up, we'll be joined live in the studio by our third guests that evening: The Mystery Lights.

The Mystery Lights

Hailing from Salinas, CA, The Mystery Lights relentless garage rock assault has terrorized this part of the state for several years. Sounding like something of a fever dream straight out of a 60s psych festival, The Mystery Lights are poised to deliver the goods in 2011, including the follow up to 2009's Teenage Catgirls and The Mystery Lightshow. The band has been laying low for the past few months, but they are returning to help support the one-night-only reunion of The Spurts at the Crepe Place on Thursday, February 3rd (also playing are Sugar Shack).

Tune in Friday to hear from The Mystery Lights and more!

- DJ PassiveTheory

A Friday of G's: The Groggs and Getaway Girl live on The Rising Tide!

Hey all,

It's just about the end of the scholastic quarter at UCSC, and as the leaves turn to brown and eventually hit the ground, most of our collective members are hard at work catching up on the academic travail that they happened to neglect up to this point. Oh well, everybody loves a procrastinator!

That being said, we here at the Rising Tide, as always, are working to provide you the best in local music programming, as well as the focal point of spotlighting a different independent artist live in the studio each and every week. This week we have two such artists.

First off, let me introduce you to The Groggs.


This local garage rock three-piece is slowly becoming an institution in the city of Santa Cruz. If you want to listen to a band whose music feels like a five o'clock shadow repeatedly punching you in the face until you keel ovel, and then makes out with your girl while standing over you... Then this is your band. Echoing recent garage rock revivalists like The Black Lips and Mark Sultan, The Groggs are a band that have made a name for themselves amid a scene as vast and colorful as Santa Cruz's by playing loud and playing fast. They'll join us on The Rising Tide tonight to talk about their recently released EP 3D, to talk about their upcoming shows this month, and play some previously unheard new songs!

Our second guest tonight is a local artist by the name of Getaway Girl.


As Getaway Girl, local singer-songwriter Courtney Jones displays her virtuosity with the piano, crafting gorgeous and captivating songs in the vein of fellow piano-based singer-songwriters like Regina Spektor. Getaway Girl imbues a familiar style of music with a fresh new perspective, using her experiences in the world to break away from the pack and set herself apart from everyone else. Tune in Friday night at 8:30 to hear Getaway Girl perform songs from her new EP, Say It Through The Flowers, and to hear about her upcoming performance next Friday night at the Asana Tea House in downtown Santa Cruz.

These and more if you tune in to 88.1fm or go online to www.kzsc.org tonight around 8:30 and listen to The Rising Tide on KZSC Santa Cruz!

The Rising Tide 11/19/10: sea birds + more!

Hey all,

This has been an insanely busy week, but we here at the Rising Tide are working to provide you the best in local music programming, as well as the focal point of spotlighting a different independent artist live in the studio each and every week.

For tonight's Artist Spotlight, we'll be hosting SLO's very own Morgan Enos, a solo artist who performs under the monicker sea birds.


Morgan's take on slow-burning electric folk music exemplifies his talents as a promising singer-songwriter, one whose songs have a depth to them that is impossible to write off as deliberately minimalist or simplistic. We're very fortunate to have sea birds grace our studio, and you should tune in this Friday night to hear from the SLO native, as well as hear him play a couple of tune on-air.

Also, there will be plenty more in store on tonight's episode of The Rising Tide! 8:30 to 1030pm tonight on KZSC, 88.1fm or www.kzsc.org!

New Quarter!!! New Stuff!!!

Hey all,

It's been a while since we've updated this here blog. To be honest... We've neglected it. Neglected it like a redheaded stepchild.

Some things SHOULD be neglected...

But we're back and better than ever! We've regained our ability to host live musical guests on the show and have also configured the show's format away from it's new indie rock/lo-fi rock theme towards one that is more keyed in on playing local music and bay area music on top of playing music of artists who are passing through town.

That's right folks, the likes of Matador, Mountain Animal Hospital and Sleepy Sun played alongside The Fresh & Onlys, Beulah, Deerhoof and whatever else under the sun happens to fit in with that week's vibe.

Last week, we did not have a live local guest (something we'll rectify this week, hopefully), but we did air a pair of interviews conducted with touring artsts as they passed through Santa Cruz. The first was with Baths, an upcoming electronic dance artist from the LA area who is playing the Crepe Place TONIGHT with El Ten Eleven and Sister Crayon. The second interview was with Tokyo Police Club, who played at the Rio Theatre this past Thursday and whose keyboardist, Graham Wright, graciously gave us a bit of his time before taking the stage. We should have both interviews up sometime soon for your own listening pleasure!

We also have a pair of new DJs who have joined the collective: Juan and Aaron! They'll be posting on the blog sometime soon (hopefully) and, until then, keep an eye out on the blog for further updates concerning The Rising Tide on KZSC (every Friday night from 8:30pm until 10:30pm on 88.1fm or www.kzsc.org)!!!

The Terrible on The Rising Tide

Hey all,

I'd just like to say that I saw Wavves at the Crepe Place last night, with local Sonic Youth-disciples GRIZZLE TOE who opened the show. It was a great show, with a moshpit that lasted all night, so if you missed out make sure to catch Wavves with Rising Tide-approved bay area artists YOUNG PRISMS and THE TET HOLIDAY tonight at 7:30pm at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco.

This shit is MUUUUUUCH better than that dick bag Nathan Williams ever will be.

But onto the main course!

I'd like to introduce you all to this week's guest on The Rising Tide, THE TERRIBLE.

This local space-rock instrumental outfit has kept a low profile over the year, only emerging to play a couple of shows around town each year. However, with a brand new vinyl single (seen above) to promote, The Terrible have returned to lay waste to the city of Santa Cruz, and the first stop on their destructive path will be KZSC Santa Cruz this Friday night when the Terrible will be our guests on The Rising Tide. We'll be talking about their newest recording, what their views on Santa Cruz are, and whatever else happens under the sun.

ALSO, we have some FYF Fest-related news that I'm REALLY excited about! Yours truly, and my co-host DJ Rigmarole, will be taking the week of Sept. 3rd off in order to go and cover FYF Fest for KZSC Santa Cruz! It's going to be awesome, and we hope to see you all there!

- DJ PassiveTheory