The She's and Hod on The Rising Tide this friday night!

Hey all,

Just wanted to let you know that you can follow us on Twitter right here. I'm not promising a whole lot, but if you do follow us, chances are you'll be the first to hear announcements about our upcoming interviews, the first to see photos of recent performances we've put up on our Picasa page, and the first to hear about all upcoming news and things concerning your favorite local music radio show!

That being said, let me introduce you to our first of two guests for tomorrow night's program, The SHE'S.


Hailing from San Francisco, The SHE'S are proof positive that making great music has no arbitrary age requirement. Much has been made of the group members' relative youth (they're in high school), but one need not delve too far into their music to find out that the band's ability to craft melodies with quality pop sensibilities reaches far beyond what one would expect for a group of musicians their age. Their sound can be described as indebted to the likes of the Shangri-Las, Herman's Hermits and the Beach Boys as far as structure goes, but The SHE'S bring that 50s-60s surf pop style of music into the modern era, having caught the attention of groups like AB & The Sea, Best Coast and Christopher Owens of Girls (who subsequently put the group on the map by having them open their Fillmore show last October).

The SHE'S will be stopping by our studio this friday night to talk about their ascension into bay area indie stardom, the pressures of being in a touted band at their age, and to perform a special acoustic set highlighting some of the songs from their self-titled (I think) EP.

After that, we'll be treated to a very special visit to the station by Hod Hulphers, better known to the people of Santa Cruz as ...And Hod.


A solo artist in his own right, Hod has been active in the music community of Santa Cruz for many years, as you can often spot him playing at the Crepe Place where his take on folk and music has found a home. That being said, the reason for Hod's appearance on the show this week is that he's in the midst of promoting a very special event taking place this weekend.

On Saturday night, Hod and a whole host of other musicians (including Little Wings, Sugar Shack (featuring Keith Thompson from The Groggs) and the Snow Buddies) will be performing at the Crepe Place to help fund raise for the Santa Cruz’s Bachelor Buddies Production Company's upcoming production of the film Johnny and the Golden Bouzouki. A parody of 70s action/adventure films, Johnny is Hod's most recent foray into the art of musicals. Hod will also be bringing the film's star (Johnny Diamonds) up to the station tomorrow night with him to talk about the film, his own experiences in music, and what the future holds for Hod.

These and more when you tune into The Rising Tide tomorrow night at 8:30pm! www.kzsc.org or 88.1fm.

Honeymoon & Birdhouse on The Rising Tide tonight

Hey all,

I know that we we're advertising a pre-recorded interview with Yann Tiersen for this week, but due to a screw-up that was entirely my fault, we weren't able to get the interview done. My apologies.

That being said, we're going to be hosting two class act local bands on the show this evening! The first of which is Honeymoon.


Recalling the likes of Dawn Landes, Alela Diane and Feist, this bay area quartet's multi-harmony take on indie-folk has caught on like wildifre ever since the band began performing together last year. The group's profile has seen itself rise as they have opened for the likes of David Gray, Jackie Green and Ray LaMontagne among others. The group released 2010's After The Flood EP to a rapturous welcoming at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, and have more to come in 2011.

Tune in tonight to hear Honeymoon talk about their meteoric rise in the folk music world, what it feels like to pal around with Phil Lesh, preview some brand new unreleased music and talk about their upcoming tour with the Truth & Salvage Co. which will be kicked off with a performance at the Fernwood Lodge in Big Sur on saturday night.

Also on the show this evening, Birdhouse.


Birdhouse make no bones about their sound: They are devoted acolytes of the Grateful Dead. In fact, the group began as a Dead tribute band back in 2009. However, along the way, the group began writing their own songs and building a grassroots fan base that has followed them loyally as they've gone on to perform at various venues around the city of Santa Cruz, most recently a star-making performance out at the Brookdale Lodge.

Tune in tonight to hear from Birdhouse as they perform a special acoustic set in our studio, answer our questions about what 2011 holds, and tell us about their upcoming performance opening up for Ploughman in the Catalyst Atrium on saturday night.

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

The Growlers, Mylo Jenkins, Tater Famine & More Tonight!

Hey all,

March is here! And as a special treat for all of you, we've lined up an incredible series of guests and live performances that reach across the genre spectrum! Check out our list of upcoming performers for more details, but let's get back to what's happening on tonight's show!

Our first interview comes courtesy of a group that sold out The Crepe Place last weekend, The Growlers.


This multifaceted psychedelic surf rock act rocketed out of Costa Mesa, California in 2006, and haven't looked back since. The band's music shares the same musical shelf space as garage rock luminaries like Ty Segall, JEFF The Brotherhood and The Fresh & Only's but also recall the psychedelic strain of The Entrance Band and The Mantles.

Propelled by the success of 2010's Hot Tropics, The Growlers have been tearing it up all over the country and even around the world. Performances at the FYF Fest in LA (which we covered back in September) and this year's Noise Pop festival in SF indicate that the group is on the rise.

Tune in on Friday night to hear our interview with the group, what it's like to be an up and coming indie rock act, and what expectations they have of themselves for 2011 and beyond.

After that, we'll be playing host to one of Santa Cruz's most promising acts, Tater Famine.

A folk-punk trio from right here in Santa Cruz, Tater Famine have emerged as one of the perennial folk punk bands of our local scene, joining the ranks of similarly thrashy folk such as Blackbird Raum and Matador. The group has steadily climbed the ranks of the music scene in town, having played all over the city, and are quickly becoming a fixture in the city of Santa Cruz.

Not content to perform only within the confines of our town, Tater Famine have taken their act on the road to promote 2009's An Untimely Fashion, and have performed all over the coast and even in Europe.

The Tater Famine boys will be bringing their eclectic sound to our studio up in the forest tonight around 8:30 to play a few songs, talk about their upcoming show at The Crepe Place on March 17th, and tell us a few stories about being a band out on the road.

After that, make sure to stay tuned for our third guest of the night, Mylo Jenkins.

Mylo Jenkins is a seven-piece folk and americana act from Santa Cruz. Lead by Dan Kocher and featuring a roster of Santa Cruz musicians (some of whom perform in the local folk group Tether Horse), they band was on hiatus for a few years, but recently came to play a series of shows at The Crepe Place.

We'll be welcoming a number of the Mylo Jenkins crew to talk about their upcoming show supporting Jared Mees and the Grown Children at the Crepe Place this sunday, as well as what 2011 holds for the group.

These and more when you tune into The Rising Tide tonight at 8:30pm! Listen in at 88.1fm or http://www.kzsc.org/

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!

A double dose of local goodness

Hey there,

The Rising Tide usually features one local artist interview-and-performance-smorgasbord-type-thing each and every week, and with the exception of a few off weeks (due to illness, time mismanagement, etc.) we've stuck to that script.

Last week we decided to tamper with the show format a little bit and air an off-site interview with a group in Spirits of the Red City who visited our town and played a lovely show at SubRosa just over a week ago. In my opinion, it was a great success, so if I were you, I'd count on hearing more off-site interviews with artists playing Santa Cruz in the future!

Which brings me to this upcoming Friday night, where the show will play host to two special live studio interviews.

First off, Folk Yeah!'s Britt Govea has, in recent years, established his organization as a linchpin in Nor Cal's indie rock, psychedelic rock and (naturally) folk circles.
In addition to bringing artists as far-reaching and diverse as Animal Collective, Beach House, The Black Angels, The XX, Earth and Bert Jansch to our neck of the woods, Britt has also featured local artists such as Mountain Animal Hospital and Sleepy Sun, and helped make the Brookdale Lodge a local music hotspot.

A DJ in his own right (with a penchant for digging deep into his music library for psychedelia-tinged records from the 60s and 70s), Britt Govea will be coming on the show to talk about upcoming FolkYeah! shows, his own perspective and experiences on being a concert promoter, and to help give away tickets to the upcoming Akron/Family show at the Brookdale Lodge on Saturday, August 14th!

Our second guests this upcoming Friday night will be a band playing at The Crepe Place the following night, opening for Cannons & Clouds and Summer Darling; their name is Monsters Are Not Myths.


This local quartet has existed in different incarnations since 2004, and they are in the midst of riding the praise of their 2nd and most recent LP (2009's Corporate Growth).

At times recalling Son Volt, Spoon and Ryan Adams, Monsters Are Not Myths are going to take their lighthearted-at-times tunes and strip them down for this Friday's show. Tune in to catch them play live in the KZSC studio and answer some questions about their project!

See ya later,
- Lee B.

Spirits of the Red City

Hello all, Rigamarole here. I guess this is my first blog post. Cool.

Anyways, you're in for a treat tonight. At the Rising Tide, we're working on not only bringing you the best new music from Santa Cruz, but also great music that passes through our lovely little city.


Last weekend I caught a great performance by Minneapolis folk band, Spirits of the Red City, at Subrosa, with local acts, Pet Dander, which is our live guest tonight, as well as Madrona and Hermit Convention. They managed to pack 8 members, a cello, mandolin, guitars, drum set, viola, banjo, accordion, upright bass and a bunch of fans, or soon-to-be fans into the room, and made it seem like a huge, echoing space.

I caught up with the band the next night, before a fantastic show at Sunny Cove Beach, where they played right on the sand, along with another great band from Austin, Some Say Leland. You can hear the interview on the Rising Tide tonight, at 9 p.m.! Check out their Myspace, and if you can, see them tomorrow at Anno Domini art gallery in San Jose.