An excited buzz lingered in the air as a large and bustling crowd waited for Oakland native Jay Som, aka Melina Duterte, and Los Angeles based musician Justus Proffit to take the stage for a sold out show at the Starline Social Club in Oakland on November 30th, 2018. This was the first stop on Duterte and Proffit’s tour together to promote their new collaborative five-track EP titled Nothing’s Changed.
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KALX volunteer Elie Katzenson had the opportunity to interview East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest (EBABZ) organizers Maira McDermott and June Hong on Method to the Madness before the event took place. Get the scoop on their discussion of the importance of zines and zine-making, inclusive art events, and the ins and outs of organizing the festival.
Forget the overdone DIY lo-fi and surf punk grunge scene because neo soul band Hablot Brown is about to take over.
Everyone’s Family at The Internet

On the weekend of October 25th/26th, L.A.-based garage/surf rock band The Gooms came up to the Bay Area, playing back-to-back shows at the Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco and at The Yard in Berkeley. I had a chance to catch up with them on a sunny Sunday morning after they were riding high from two incredible shows.
New York’s Overcoats blanket the Warfield with soothing harmonies and billowing beats.
Lo-fi pop dream world

Through a collaboration with A24 at UC Berkeley and KALX, I had the great privilege to interview the incredible cast of Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco on October 16th.

Earlier this October, Oakland’s Middle Harbor Shoreline Park lay witness to an eclectic explosion of rap, EDM, funk, and indie artists in the unique package of the Treasure Island Music Festival.

On August 15th, The Pencil Sharpener interviewed Thor and Goat of Thor and Friends at the Independent. On the way to the venue, the Pencil Sharpener found a lamp in mint condition that Thor and Friends kindly stored in the dressing room for the duration of the show.