The buzzing spilled onto the downtown sidewalk as KCSC members transformed the Naked Lounge into a hub of energy. They diligently prepped for a fun night of laughter, socializing and good music.

Chico State’s student-run radio, KCSC, is putting on its annual Valentine’s show, “Heartbeats & Heartbreak.” The show was held in the Naked Lounge coffee shop, a popular venue for local bands, on Thursday.

The free, all-ages event included a lineup of mostly local bands that were selected by KCSC and available for anyone who wanted to listen.

After a brief introduction to the event, the first performer, Aidan Markus Lucian Van De Vrugt, stage name Markus Lucian, eased the crowd into the show with his solo performance.

His performance included an original song “Ceramics” as well as a cover of “Say Yes” by Elliott Smith, who Van De Vrugt said inspired his own playing style.

The second performance of the night was by Repair Unknown, a Sacramento-based alternative rock band that came to Chico to perform at this event. The band consisted of four members, Rickey Gardenour, Ian Brown, Sailaab Khalidee and Jonathan Garry. 

Their energetic performance and upbeat music encouraged the audience to sing along and dance. Providing an inviting mood to the event and giving a good impression of what shows at the Naked Lounge are like.

One attendee, Aubrie Avilla, said this was her first Naked Lounge show and her first time hearing any of the performers that night. 

“The band (Repair Unknown) is really cool, they have a great sound and a great stage presence too, and the location is really cool,” Avilla said.

One member of Repair Unknown, vocalist and rhythm guitarist Rickey Gardenour, left the stage after their performance feeling accomplished in their goal of performing at the event.

“We just had fun, and that’s the most important part,” Gardenour said. “I think everybody else came out and they had a good time. We’re here to win hearts.”

The last performance of the night, given by a local emo band that regularly performs at the Naked Lounge, Salem St., had the loudest music of the night.

The four members of the band, Simon Burgess, Alyssa Fogle, Joe Valdivia and Aaron Cantu, shared their passion with the crowd and closed the event.

“It always just feels good to step off a stage knowing that we made everybody have a good time,” Fogle said.

Not only did the show provide an opportunity for performers to hone their skills, and create a fun experience. It is also a good way for community members to experience Chico’s music scene with local bands.

A Naked Lounge regular, Gary Lytle, and a member of two other emo bands in Chico, Reverse Cambered and Phantom Falls, expressed his gratitude to the events that KCSC puts on. He also expresses the importance of the shows being free, making them accessible to everyone.

“It’s refreshing to be around people who have never gone to any of this,” Lytle said. “Like some people, this might be their first show in general, so it’s really cool to see them look around a bit and maybe feel out of place, but then eventually start to get into the groove, enjoy the music, move around however they want.”

The promotions director of KCSC, Marley James, and the promotions team are responsible for a large portion of setting up the event. They handle KCSC’s social media, tabling, creating posters and more.

KCSC provides opportunities to performers in the community and surrounding areas to highlight their talents. They do this by releasing applications for their upcoming events on their social media that anyone can apply for.

They strive to foster the growth of the music scene in Chico, not only through helping bands but by introducing people to new venues and music they may not have known before.

“I always love when a lot of people show up to these events because I think a lot of people coming to a local show is so much fun.” James said,  “People don’t realize how many local bands we have, so it’s cool to give them exposure and be like ‘look at how cool they are, they’re really good’ that’s always the best part.”

The KCSC promotions team intends to keep having events for the community to enjoy and participate in with their next event, Chicochella. Which will be taking place on Trinity Lawn on April 16th and will be “similar to Battle of the Bands.”

Ky Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected]