For the campus radio station KCSC Radio, another semester at Chico State means a fresh group of DJs will be streaming shows online daily, eager to discuss, share and most importantly, entertain.
KCSC, which only plays underground, non-mainstream music, isn’t for everyone, but it’s absolutely for anyone with even the slightest genuine interest in discovering and sharing music.
“It’s more of stepping (out) and seeing, you know, that there are different programs and organizations that want to connect with you here on campus, rather than being isolated and tapping into the mainstream ideal of Pandora and Spotify,” said Sugar Vasquez, a sophomore music industry major and assistant promotions director of KCSC.
The majority of shows this semester strictly play music, but a few have incorporated talking elements, such as a video game talk show and another hosted by the Gender & Sexuality Equity Center.
More than 90 shows are streamed online every week. Here are six new shows to check out this semester in order of stream date:
Monday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Stockholm Syndrome is a Swedish blessing in the form of four music industry “seniors, but not seniors:” Magnus Bengtsson, Carolina Gustavsson, Elin Holm and Tobias Eklof.
“We play everything Swedish that isn’t deep house,” said Holm. “We do not play house.”
“We will also never play Avicii,” added Gustavsson. “Even if we were allowed to, we still wouldn’t.”
The main purpose of the show is to expose Chico to Swedish music, even if it’s not always what the DJs themselves would listen to on their own time.
Bengtsson said students should definitely listen if they are into new music.
“Especially since it’s Swedish new music,” he said. “I don’t know why you would’ve listened to that already.”
Even though the DJs only play Swedish music, Eklof doesn’t think they are limiting their show because they have so much music to choose from, he said.
“It’s one of Sweden’s biggest exports actually,” he said. “Well, maybe after lumber.”
Tuesday, 4-5 p.m.
Stevo Becker, a senior recording arts major, has a show that features local artists only. He goes to as many local shows as possible to collect demos to play on the air.
“I try to play any genre and I try to go to all of the venues to get different vibes from different singer-songwriters,” he said. “If you want to get into the local music scene and find new artists, you’ll definitely find something you’ll like on my show.”
Taylor Rogers: “Free To Play”
Friday, 1-2 p.m.
Taylor Rogers, a freshman pre-business administration major, hosts a talk show based on the idea of free-to-play video games.
“We do a game of the week as well as a weekly topic, which is the main topic in the industry that week, and then we cover game news as well,” said Rogers.
Each week, a new game is picked and guests are brought on to just hang out and discuss. Anyone with knowledge of or interest in games is welcome on the show.
“I think my show is most attractive to the hardcore group of people that are really into gaming,” Rogers said. “Now, I also want people who just want to learn about games. This is a really good stepping stone for people that are casual.”
Madeleine Mathews
Saturday, 9-11 a.m.
Madeleine Mathews, a junior music industry major, and her co-host play new indie-folk music on their show. Fans of well-known indie bands will want to tune in to learn about smaller, lesser-known groups that just might be the next big thing.
“Yes, we’re like a Spotify or a Pandora, but I like to think that we’re doing the work for you,” Mathews said. “There’s definitely some good stuff I’m reviewing right now.”
MTNV: “Incidental“
Saturday, 3-4 p.m.
Max Besterman, or MTNV, a junior recording arts major, plays incidental music, which is music played behind media like movies, video games and TV rather than listened to on its own.
He’s here to bring people music they are not supposed to pay attention to, he said.
“It’s not created purely for the purpose of listening, but to accompany some sort of visual art, and I think that’s the point of the show,” Besterman said. “Some of the music that’s meant to accompany stuff really works on its own and stands alone as being a work of art, but people don’t notice it because visuals tend to take precedence over audio.”
DJ $hizzle: “Straight Outta Portland”
Sunday, 3-4 p.m.
Jonathan Shorr, a freshman mass communication major also known as DJ $hizzle, plays new underground music ranging from hip-hop and music “with a lot of bass” to classic rock. He plans to cover everything except country music.
“I try to play music that’s relaxing,” he said. “So basically anything slow, bass-y and calming for a Sunday afternoon.”
The best way to catch KCSC shows is by checking the program schedule on the website and streaming through the app. The website is still being updated and will soon be able to archive shows on the KCSC Spotify.
In the meantime, listeners can follow the station on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay updated.
Trevor Whitney can be reached at [email protected] or @nicegrandmas on Twitter.
