KZSC Santa Cruz
On-demand news, interviews, and live performances from KZSC 88.1 FM Santa Cruz - Non-commercial, educational, community radio for the Monterey Bay, California
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Susie O'Hara_Santa Cruz City Councilmember_2025-10-31_interview on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
10/31/2025
Susie O'Hara_Santa Cruz City Councilmember_2025-10-31_interview on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Elected in March, 2024, installed in December, 2024 - City Council Member for District 5, which includes most of U.C. Santa Cruz; background is Civil Engineering - Water Resources - on Water Supply Advisory Committee, and Public Safety Task Force; if you divide the salary ($20k) by the # of hours per week put in to the job, do you make at least the Santa Cruz County Minimum Wage ($16.50/hour)? "Not a chance!!"; review of Councilmember O'Hara's week, from Housing Matters (elimination of day services) to Public Safety to Radius Gallery to FLOC cameras! She arrived in Santa Cruz in 2006 (her husband is an academic), and has worked for the City Manager and the Water Resources Department; deep dive into "Affordable Housing", and what "local preference" is; Pure Water Soquel project, transfering tertiary treated water from the Regional Wastewater Treatment plan to Soquel Ave Treatment plant for injection into an aquifer to combat salt water intrusion (we're all "One Water"); Murray Street Bridge challenges, and reaching out to businesses; Councilmember O'Hara called "Super Freshman" by Mayor Fred Keeley because she knows how the city runs, what you should step in, and what you shouldn't step in! An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", "DJ Spark Plug" & "DJ Wrangle", airing Friday mornings on KZSC 88.1 FM Santa Cruz, California.
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The Fintztones_singer-songwriters, musicians_2025-10-24_on KZSC's Bushwhackers Breakfast Club "The Fintztones" - Golden Voice Gene, Alia & Wade-O interviewed by Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
10/31/2025
The Fintztones_singer-songwriters, musicians_2025-10-24_on KZSC's Bushwhackers Breakfast Club "The Fintztones" - Golden Voice Gene, Alia & Wade-O interviewed by Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
Golden Voice Gene started out with solo shows...later, Alia joined in harmonies, then bass & sax, and Wade showed up with electric guitar and also vocals; "The Fintztones" formed in 2010; Golden Voice Gene put out a CD, and later the "Fintztones" put one out, "Make It Right"; The Money Question? Golden Voice Gene: "day job" with the DMV (which meant all of his friends could end up wtih a drivers license photo they didn't cringe at everytime they saw it) gave him the means to pursue music on his time; Alia has a remote day job that is totally supportive, and she has several musical outlets (shout out to "Lady Kiah", trumpet / flugelhorn player in last night's show, who is making a go of it as a full time musician); Wade-O no longer has a day job, and enjoys playing music & performing; the 3 of them are scatterred, but bring it together for gigs; songwriting discussion, with both Alia & Gene writing tunes; friendly ribbing over ratio of originals to covers at gigs; Golden Voice Gene never makes a set list; does he know the first song for tonight's gig? "I'm not telling!" An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC 88.1 FM Santa Cruz, California.
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Karen with a K_A Musical Temper Tantrum_2025-09-12_Live! on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club Karen with a K ensemble, interviewed by "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
10/31/2025
Karen with a K_A Musical Temper Tantrum_2025-09-12_Live! on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club Karen with a K ensemble, interviewed by "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
Live in the Studio interview with members of Karen with a K. The interview covered thier beginnings as band, how they write their music, and some live performances! Laura February Strange, who lives in Corralitos (South Santa Cruz County), wrote the "Musical Temper Tantrum" exploring, & poking fun at, the "Karen"-meme. As they describe themselves, it's a "A garage-rock musical, social satire. Titular character Karen (with a K) is a woman stumbling through a very bad day. Wearing her self-serving flaws like a gaudy, costume tiara, her current ordeals are conceived in a dozen or so songs written by Laura February Strange and performed by Strange Bedfellows. Strange Bedfellows are group made up of veteran musicians Laura February Strange, Scott Kail, Jojo Fox, Jack Hanson and Orbrad Darbro plus vocalists Stephanie Madrigal, Bonny June and Judy Appleby." (source: , accessed 10/31/2025) An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC 88.1 FM Santa Cruz, California.
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Jimmy Dillon_Guitar player, singer, songwriter_interviewed 2025-10-10 on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
10/31/2025
Jimmy Dillon_Guitar player, singer, songwriter_interviewed 2025-10-10 on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
Jimmy's been a pro since he was 12, grew up in LA, then Chicago, the Sausalito since 1970; Jimmy saw Jimi Hendrix & B.B. King in the same week! Impacted him! Jimmy was Clarence Clemmons' musical director for 10 years; writes songs, but more instrumentals these days; the "Money Question" - Jimmy has managed to support himself with music through a diverse set of revenue streams: teaching, recording, touring, jingles, stage shows; he ran "Blue Star", a non-profit kids program, for 15 years; his National Steel guitar is named "Stacy", & was signed by John Lee Hooker; the song "Diamond Girl" is for his wife, Kelly; lead Clarence Clemons' band for years (which is how he got to play the White House!); lived in Maui for 6 years, but moved back into his wife's grandfather's house in mid-town Santa Cruz; Jimmy played with Lauren Rowan in the 1970's, in a band called "The Edge" - they are getting together for a reunion show later this year, and have Keith Greeninger & Dayan Kai opening up to expose his north Bay audience to these Santa Cruz known musicians; he has benefitted from a partnership with Jason Moffett, who has helped Jimmy with digital marketing. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC 88.1FM Santa Cruz, California.
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Gail Pellerin_CA_Assemblymember_2025-10-24_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhackers Breakfast Club "Dangerous Dan" Orange, "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez) & "Golden Voice Gene" Fintz
10/30/2025
Gail Pellerin_CA_Assemblymember_2025-10-24_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhackers Breakfast Club "Dangerous Dan" Orange, "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez) & "Golden Voice Gene" Fintz
Gail Pellerin is California's 28th District Assemblymember. AB 679 re: Sempervirens finally passed, & signed by the Governor! Assemblymember Pellerin introduced this bill in 2023 as one of her first bills as a Freshman Assemblymember, which, given the fires & VIP visits, meant it got a lot of visibility; at its first stop in the Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee they wanted to know why wasn't it state side, so Gail amended it but it failed because the cost was too high; in 2024 the concern was still about cost; Gail got public input, and this year put in a pair of bills, one limited to Sempervirens, and a companion bill for statewide; this year Assemblymember Pellerin sent 10 bills to the Governor & all of them were signed, including one authorizing nurse practitioners to sign off on death certificates (avoiding lengthy delays if the doctor is unavailable); ACR (= "Assembly Concurrent Resolution" on Suicide Prevention & Awareness; deep dive into upcoming special election and Proposition 50, an ACA (= "Assembly Constitutional Amendment") for a mid-decade redistricting; voters should be engaged!; ballot box drop-off for casting ballot; select committee on wine no longer exists! we are nearing the end of the first year of a 2 year legislative calendar, with "held over" bills = "2-year bills" still in play. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", "DJ Spark Plug" & "Golden Voice Gene", airing Friday mornings on KZSC 88.1 FM Santa Cruz, California.
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John Laird_California State Senator_2025-10-10_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
10/30/2025
John Laird_California State Senator_2025-10-10_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
California Senator Laird's district extends from San Luis Obispo county to Santa Cruz to southern Silicon Valley; last week staff retreat (n = 26!) - Laird has 3 offices: SLO, Monterey (with a satellite office in Salinas) & Santa Cruz - one of Senator Laird's staff is the longest serving staff member in the legislature: Tim Shelly; there's little going on in Sacramento now other than the Governor signing or vetoing bills - the legislative session ended a month ago....it was supposed to end at midnight, but went until 3am, at which point they put it on hold and came back Saturday - that day was Senator Laird's anniversary, & as the speeches went on & on, Senator Laird put his head down on his desk, which went completely viral; Measures B & C are Santa Cruz City, and are competing measures to provide money for affordable housing; we need this because affordable housing "does not pencil out"; the governor has until Sunday or Monday to sign or veto bills - for a bill to go into effect without a signature paperwork has to be filed by that deadline; anti-semitism in schools bill; Governor historically vetoes ~11% of the bills - the legislature has not overridden a veto since Jerry Brown was governor!...there are 700-800 bills on the Governor's desk..the governor issues a "legislative update" with 80-100 bills signed, and 20 vetoes; many bills are waiting until the last day, including a whole host on AI; Senator Laird has 1 that hasn't been acted upon, and it's a bill to override the state's limit on Sales Tax % for a city (or cities) in SLO county for a transportation tax - the governor has signaled opposition, not by smoke signals, but via his legislative staff - deep dive into working with staff, pre-submitting bills to avoid "veto bait". An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC 88.1FM Santa Cruz, California.
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Gail Pellerin_CA_Assemblymember_interviewed 2025-09-19 on KZSC's "Bushwhackers Breakfast Club" by "DJ Spark Plug"
09/27/2025
Gail Pellerin_CA_Assemblymember_interviewed 2025-09-19 on KZSC's "Bushwhackers Breakfast Club" by "DJ Spark Plug"
Call in interview with California State Assembly District 28 Assemblymember Gail Pellerin reguarding the legislative session formally ended on September 12, but it ended up going over onto Saturday, September 13th. Assemblymember Pellerin provided a report on the session's final days, including what passed, what didn’t, the reasons for the extension, and what we are now waiting for the governor to sign or veto. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on 88.1 FM KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Grant Wilson_local activist, art therapist, puppeteer_intervivewed 2024-11-22 on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club by "Dangerous Dan" Orange
09/27/2025
Grant Wilson_local activist, art therapist, puppeteer_intervivewed 2024-11-22 on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club by "Dangerous Dan" Orange
arrived in Santa Cruz in 1976 for undergrad, after growing up as a foreign kid (Scotland) in New York...who didn't wear jeans; psychology & art therapy major; later, used art to help found and run the Gorilla Drive-In, with free outdoor movies...screened 178 movies over 12 years; how to maintain activism / optimisim without getting exhausted: use creative approach, allowing vision, and find other creative types; deep dive into large puppets and the "Art & Revolution" group in Santa Cruz; discussion of taking art and activism to digital channels. Pronounces his first name as "GRRRRRrrrrant!!" An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on 88.1FM KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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John Laird_California State Senator_2025-09-05_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
09/09/2025
John Laird_California State Senator_2025-09-05_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
Overturned gasoline tanker truck yesterday on Highway 17, & discussion of things we'll have to explain to our grandchildren; One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) & Watsonville Community Hospital - do we need to worry? Yes! OBBBA guts federal support for rural health care; 70-80% of Watsonville's patients have their care paid for: if you cut federal support, cuts the federal $$ that would've supported the hospital; ironic, as 2025 is the first year in 6 years that they've broken even; "Gut & Amend", with OBBBA, most changes start on Jan. 1, but the cuts to Planned Parenthood kick in immediately; how to increase state support in the next few weeks? A special session? Gut & Amend (possible, as "there's a ton of budget bills that are empty shells"; Sept. 19 is the last day of the legislative session - the Senate dealt with 180 bills this week, with 300-400 remaining; the "Suspense File" is for all bills with a > $50,000 fiscal impact...300 bills...30% cut (weed them out); Suspense File cleared last Friday; John Laird's Pain & Sufferring bill to not end with death, but settle with heirs, has a sunset approaching; it's being held hostage until hard negotiations with the former speaker Fabian Nunez (& current speaker, Robert Rivas?), who said, "You thought this was the ransom call!?" (...& it was). An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Dmitri Gascon, Accordianist, & Matthew Stein, fiddler, with Baymele_Eastern European Folk Music & Klezmer_2025-08-29_interview on KZSC's Bushwhacker's by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
09/09/2025
Dmitri Gascon, Accordianist, & Matthew Stein, fiddler, with Baymele_Eastern European Folk Music & Klezmer_2025-08-29_interview on KZSC's Bushwhacker's by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
Dmitri (accorion) & Matthew (fiddle) are part of a 5-piece Klezmer band, Baymele, that also includes 2 more fiddle powerhouses, Zoe & Rebecca, and Misha on cello - they met & started playing together 10 years ago; all live in the Bay Area, so the band name is both Yiddish (for sapling) and a play on the Bay Area; all have backgrounds in classical music, + a passion for Eastern European music, espeically Klezmer (Jewish) music; klezmer didn't always have titles, and the song we played they dug up in the Kiev, Ukraine, archives; "The Money Question" Not good, but there's interest, and they can make it work. "Most of us make most of our money through music.", with 3 of the 5 full time, most of the band members having their own CDs, & most involved in other music projects; they play a mix of originals & covers (including hidden gems); violins are essential to klezmer music: "You can tell how many people live ina house by the # of fiddles hanging on the wall!"; plug for KlezCalifornia festival coming up in Berkeley (CA) Sept. 12-14, 2025. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Fred Keeley_Santa Cruz Mayor_HIZZONNAH_2025-08-01 & 29_KZSC's 'Bushwhacker's' interview with "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
09/08/2025
Fred Keeley_Santa Cruz Mayor_HIZZONNAH_2025-08-01 & 29_KZSC's 'Bushwhacker's' interview with "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
This podcast includes 2 Bushwhacker's interviews with Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley in August, 2025 - On August 1st, with "Dangerous Dan", and on August 29th with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug". August 1, 2025 description: Fred is the first directly elected Santa Cruz mayor - before him, the top vote-getter in a City Council election would be in line to be mayor, with the 2nd-most votes in line after that; with the City moving to district elections 2 years ago, the district system is working out for constituents (wiht one city council member for approximately every 10,000 residents); the mayor is stronger, serving for a 4 year term. Impact of chaos in Washington on Santa Cruz? disaster relief from FEMA (West Cliff, Wharf) going fairly well, but not sure if it will be problematic going forward; more problematic is that Santa Cruz declared itself a Sanctuary City, renewing this earlier this year; being careful: the federal government cannot dictacte what local police do - Santa Cruz won't obstruct, but wonn't assist; out of a $500M city budget, $95M = federal funds. Is ICE acdtive in Santa Cruz? Yes - they advise when they are coming in; the city has a good representative in Congress with Jimmy Panetta; Fed mpact via the state? It's complicated - with Governor Newsom and President Trump both strong personalities, where neither one will back off. August 29, 2025 description: Recent Federal District Court ruling that the federal government cannot withhold funding from 30 Sanctuary Cities, including Santa Cruz; Santa Cruz is committed to being a Sanctuary City, where the federal government cannot federalize our police; building & construction downtown; background: California had not built enough housing over decades, so a new state law was passed where cities & counties were given a # of units to build, and it's not debatable (if not, "builder's mandate" would remove city from being able to deny permits; smart cities grow their downtowns, & grow up, up, up; but 15-17 stories was too tall for populace, 12 stories too tall, so settled on 8 stories, the height of the Palomar; 20% of the units will be "affordable" (shorthand for designation defined by the state / fed with r estimated income levels given local cost of living); cannot grow to affordability; Downtown Expansion plan completed 3 months ago; South of Laurel will take 3 more years; Murray St. bridge project? "It's a mess. Not the planning department's finest hour." - tthe city has responded to business complaints with the largest package ever of aid to local business, but it will take 2 1/2 years...replacing a bridge over a yacht harbor over the ocean is hard (& we're not at war, so the SeaBees can't knock it out in a week); UCSC admitting 2,000 more students this fall than ever - the University of California is (one of) the greatest public institutions of higher education in the country / world but, as Keeley learned when he was Speaker Pro Tem in the Assembly, whenever U.C. would arrive, they would announce, "We are constitutionally independent!" UC: "Some day we'll get there in terms of housing", but never happens; Mayor met with the Board of Regents, sued UC, won, and they've appealed - U.C. does have money to build the needed housing. Interviews on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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John Leopold - Executive Producer of "A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier"_2025-08-22_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
09/08/2025
John Leopold - Executive Producer of "A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier"_2025-08-22_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez)
This year celebrates 100 years of Clifton Chenier, "The King of Zydeco"! Clifton Chenier's start in the 1950s as part of Rhythm & Blues Road Shows, with early albums on Elko, Celebrity & Chess Records; in the 1960s, with no recording congract, Clifton was playing dive bars; Chris Stracgwutz (of Arhoolie Records) was in Houston with LIghtning Hopkins when Lightning said, "Let's go see my cousin", and took Chris to a seriously dive bar where Clifton was playing as a duo, and Chris was struck by his blues; they agreed that night to record, with a single the next day (?) and an album the following week (?) at God Star Studios; Arhoolie relieased 13 albums of Clifton; in 2022 John realized that, had he lived, Clifton's 100th birthday was approaching; a zydeco DJ at KRVS suggested a tribute album, and John Leopold (former Santa Cruz County Supervisor & Former Managing Director, Arhoolie Foundation) reached out to Folkways, and Arhoolie, but no one bit; at a New Year's Eve (2022-2023) show in Santa Cruz, John was talking about the project backstage wtih Los Lobos, and Steve Berlin, the sax and keyboard player in the band, said "We love Clifton! We're IN!!!"; John reached out to Joel ('Joe-El") Savoy at Valcour Recrods and the project was on! John is Executive Producer, lining up money and helping pick tunes; Clifton invented the modern washboard (over-the-shoulders single piece of metal) instrument after drawing it in the sand for a machnest - Clifton's brother, Cleveland, would play it with church key bottle openers; Valcour has released a record on vinyl & CD, wtth all proceeds going to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Roots Music program, specifically Zydeco accordion. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Robert Witmeyer - "Djangatos" (Gypsy Jazz Band)_2025-08-15_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
08/26/2025
Robert Witmeyer - "Djangatos" (Gypsy Jazz Band)_2025-08-15_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Djangatos is a Gypsy jazz trio honoring the style of Django Reinhart; Djangatos is a combination of Django and Los Gatos, where all three work in music store; Robert had an earlier band, Martini Max & the Swing Cats, and the trio came together during Covid, when they played for neighbors & friends on the driveway; new CD = Roulette will be released digitally after the album release party a week from Saturday, with the physical CD available now; the Money Question: are you able to make a living in music and, if so, how? Yes! Robert performs, manages the music store, & gives guitar lessons; bassist Sadie Hallinan just graduated San Jose State, and rhythm guitarist Ron La France was retired, but came out of retirement to "take one for the team" as a luthier at the music store; all the songs are originals written by Robert; a video of "In the Kitchen" is in the plans; dare to dress to impress at the record release party! An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37955630
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Burnin Vernon Davis_blues guitarist & vocalist_2025-08-22_interview on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
08/22/2025
Burnin Vernon Davis_blues guitarist & vocalist_2025-08-22_interview on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
Moved to Santa Cruz to escape the Santa Clara Valley; met Brad Hecht with the band "Cool Jerks", who were an R&B corporate band = members of the Chamber of Commerce, and band members got insurance (!); Burnin Vernon played with them for 9 years as lead vocalist, and was able to make a living; went to school with Chris Cain, but decided he would venture beyond the blues; turned down a chance to audition with Brick as their guitarist, and landed a job as house guitarist at Fantasy Records in Berkeley, where a producer, Harvey Fuqua, was Etta James' boyfriend & introduced him; Burnin' Vernon's ultimate guitar hero is Joe Walsh; when Vernon went to a music store in the Bay Area to buy a 1952 Gibson Les Paul, he met Freddy King, who was at the store with a pair of Gibson corporate types; Burnin Vernon plays songs from "A to Z", from Al Green to Led Zeppelin, & he has a vocal range that allows him to hit some of Prince's notes on "Kiss"; Santa Cruzan Ken Brady saw Burnin Vernon at Abbott Square, and introduced Dan to his music, thus the interview ahead of a show at The Crow's Nest; "Stormy Monday", played live, in the studio, with Dangerous Dan shouting out to the longtime KZSC Monday night blues collective; Burnin' Vernon has been able to make a living as a musician, but it's been a struggle. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37927175
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Gail Pellerin_CA_Assemblymember_2025-08-15_on KZSC's Bushwhackers Breakfast Club, interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" & "SassyCassie" Orange
08/20/2025
Gail Pellerin_CA_Assemblymember_2025-08-15_on KZSC's Bushwhackers Breakfast Club, interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" & "SassyCassie" Orange
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin Represents the 28th California Assembly District. Overview of district highlights from state budget: 5 Branches, with acupuncture still covered under MediCal, library infrastructure, the 415 project, healthy school pathway program, 2nd harvest food bank and continued support for the food & diaper bank, IHSS (ImHome Support Services), MediCal asset cap remains as previous, without draconian cut; regrets? It's a pretty dire picture give HR1, the "Big Brutal Bill"; The Care Fare will be Sept. 20 at the County Government Center, and will honor 12 Mental Health Heroes; recess is not a month off! Assemblymember Pellerin has been in the district, and attended the National Commission of State Legislatures (NCSL) meeting in Boston, where re-districting between census updates is under discussion; ACES (Adverse Child Experiences Initiative) was able to get funding; deep dive into Semper Virens (SB 679) & why this time "thir time is (hopefully) the charm!" - the bill is in the Senate Appropriations Committee, and would expedite land tansfer from entities such as Semper Virens (Redwoods) non-profit to State Parks, avoiding a lengthy and onerous public works board process...with a pair of bills, Gail's that is District Specific, and Senator Allen's that is statewide; deadline for legislation is Sept. 12, likely midnight. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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John Laird, CA_State Senator_2025-08-08_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
08/20/2025
John Laird, CA_State Senator_2025-08-08_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
John Laird is California State Senator - 17th District Senator Laird's Q for "Sassy Cassy": "What's the biggest challenge ou're facing that Policy might be able to address?" A: Literacy & (mis)information; Senator Laird: "Your father & I grew up with fact checkers and trusted sources. Now it's so crazy" ...with everything available everywhere all the time with few (if any) fact checkers or trusted sources; deep dive into Pain & Suffering bill which, when introduced, resulted in Senator Laird being "ambushed" with disinformation-fueled backlash; Senator Laird spoke with every member of the committee and got it passed, & then spoke with every Democrat in the Senate (30) to get it passed out of its House of Origin; recent British Colombia recycling information-gathering trip, learning about "extended producer responsibility", including carpets and lithium recovery; Senator Laird's interest in recycling is, in part, related to his postion on the Natural Resources Committee, but also historic as, when he was on the Santa Cruz City Council with Mayor Jane Weed, they got the city's first curbside recycling program approved (the Santa Cruz landfill, Dimeo Lane, had a projected 20 year life back then, and now has a 30 year projected life; California's Redemption Value (bottle bill) is a mess (after Dangerous Dan's pitch for bottle redemption wherever you pay a deposit); legislature back in session a week from Monday, with California Redistricting on the table due to an existential threat - possible initiative for a November special election for a re-districting out of the commission's hands that would be in effect to 2030 only. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "Sassie Cassie", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Bill Burman - Dangerous Neighbors theater troupe re 'Deflating Fascism'_2025-08-08_on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
08/20/2025
Bill Burman - Dangerous Neighbors theater troupe re 'Deflating Fascism'_2025-08-08_on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
The "Dangerous Neighbors" theater troupe have been performing in Santa Cruz & the Bay Area since the early 1990s; this show was put on in June as a fundraiser for Santa Cruz Indivisible; political satire, and did it die (as Tom Lehrer famously said) when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize? The "Deflating Fascism" show is 1/2 political satire, and 1/2 random sketch comedy; the cast includes Gail Rich winner Suzanne Shrag, and Bob Vickers, who also leads the band; all of the pieces were written by Bob; in past Dangerous Neighbors shows they've skewered American Gun Culture; Bob monologue from the point of view of a convicted January 6 criminal; digital availability includes short films on location, available on the Dangerous Neighbors website. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "Sassie Cassie", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Handmade Moments_singers, songwriters Anna Moss & Joel Ludford_2025-08-08_KZSC's Bushwhacker's interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "Sassy Cassie" Orange
08/20/2025
Handmade Moments_singers, songwriters Anna Moss & Joel Ludford_2025-08-08_KZSC's Bushwhacker's interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "Sassy Cassie" Orange
Anna & Joel joined Steve Poltz onstage at the recent Redwood Ramble for his song "Can of Pop", and then, on his urging, joined him in the mosh pit for his encore, "Ripple", with Joel on Tuba and Anna on vocals (& holding Steve's mic); Anna & Joel met at a band party in college (in Arkansas)...people had told Anna about Joel, and he walked in, guitar in hand - Anna introduced herself but Joel said, "Sing something!", and Anna began to scat; as Joel says, "Let autism be your super power!!"; they were touring in a bus 8 years ago, with a solar powered PA, when they got into a serious accident on Highway 49 in the Sierras; Joel ended up in a hospital in Nevada City (Grass Valley) for months while he recovered, so, now completely healed, Nevada City has a soft spot in their hearts; they played a sold out gig there last night; Joel got a song out of the accident, and it's now his "pity song", which he rolls out when he needs to reel the audience back in (see thier website for the Bus-king Documentary); Origin of the band name? They were in a 7 piece rock and roll band in college, "Don't Stop, Please" when they arrived at a gig and none of the rest of the band showed up; Anna & Joel played a stripped down, tender set, and called it "Handmade Moments" music; Anna plays guitar, uke, octave mandolin, upright & electric bass, sax, & bass clarinet (her favorite? Clarinet!); Joel plays tuba (his 1st instrument), guitar, bass, and mandolin; deep dive into incredible Mexican ballads Joel sang at Dan's camp at the Redwood Ramble - Joel loves Mexico and Mexican music (especially folk & traditional), and they were exposed to incredible songs by a flutist, Francisco, in Colombia, where Joel 1st heard "Sabor a mi"; Joel did a deep dive into who wrote it, and found Alvaro Carillo who, metaphorically, taught Joel (Alvaro has passed away); for shows, Handmade Moments just "goes with it", playing what they feel in the moment; song "Gravy" is about falling in love. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "Sassie Cassie", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Joe Weed - producer, composer, musician and filmmaker_KZSC Bushwhacker's_2025-07-25_interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange
07/31/2025
Joe Weed - producer, composer, musician and filmmaker_KZSC Bushwhacker's_2025-07-25_interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange
oe Weed is a musician, composer, fiddler, and documentary filmmaker; playing music since 7 years old; as a fiddler, remembers and passes along who you learned a song from, and who it's by..."Mystery of the Ookpit" is a film about a fiddle tune that was mistakenly assumed to be derived from Native American music, but instead was written in 1965 by a Canadian; it gained prominence when someone played it at the Weiser, Idaho, National Oldtime Fiddlers' Contest, where it was declared the winner - at this festival, at the next year, everyone plays the previous year's winner; Joe had made a previous documentary (2011) on the Westphalia Waltz, which turned out to be a massive project; with the Ookpit Waltz, he set out to make a short film, but it grew & grew; Vals Buena Vista is a song about an intersection he found when bicylcing in south Santa Cruz County; Joe also plays fiddle for Contra Dances; how Joe came to California (post-WWII baby boomer migration), where the schools had extensive music programs; met his wife, Marty, in the mid-70's, and she was already living off Summit in the Santa Cruz Mountains; The Money Question? Yes, in all its forms (performing, producing, composing, filmmaking), but in part because his wife, a professor, had health care & retirement - he couldn't have done it without her. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Mary Schley_Reporter, Journalist at The Carmel Pine Cone_2025-06-27_interviewed on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
07/26/2025
Mary Schley_Reporter, Journalist at The Carmel Pine Cone_2025-06-27_interviewed on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
UCSC undergrad in the early 90's majoring in psychology with a minor in journalism (there was not an option to major in journalism), where she was a reporter, and then the editor, of the campus City On A Hill newspaper; she wanted a career in journalism, but first worked in finance, and accounts receivable at a law firm; her break, and her first paying journalism gig, was writing for a monthly motorcycle magazine (she rode for 27 years); she moved back to Santa Cruz, eventually working for a PR firm for a great boss; she interviewed at The Carmel Pine Cone and they made a note that she "will write anything", and started out with the local police logs (hand written, and faxed in); when their sportswriter quit and she got laid off, she asked the owner / publisher if they had a full time slot, which she started in March, 1999; The Money Question: is she able to make a living as a report / journalist, and if so, how? YES! Even though she lives in an expensive town (Carmel), she has a small house, a landlord who keeps rent reasonable, and a publisher who pays well & covers a significant portion of her benefits! For story ideas she keeps an eye on meeting agendas, and people come up to her pass ideas along - her beats are Carmel law enforcement, meetings, local issues (& motor sports!); there are 3 other reporters! Plus 3 on the sales team, office staff, and 5 on the production team; the owner (also editor & publilsher) bought the paper in 1997, and brought ideas on how to make it work; The Carmel Pine Cone has been around since 1915, one year older than Carmel itself, is a free weekly, and now has a circulation of 20,000 (delivered in Pacific Grove, else picked up), and an email subscription list of 23,000; local journalism can not only survive, but thrive! Huzzah!! An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Megan McLaughlin,singer-songwriter with the Musers_2025-07-11_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
07/26/2025
Megan McLaughlin,singer-songwriter with the Musers_2025-07-11_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Megan, and the other members of "The Musers", hails from Sonoma County; "The Musers" was an acoustic band project started by Megan and Anita Sandwina about 8 years ago...Anita is on vocal rest for another month, so the trio will play The Ugly Mug tomorrow night, with Tom Kuhn on upright bass, and Leslie Jackson on mandolin (plus fiddle, banjo, reso guitar, and harmonica) - all 3 sing; Anita & Megan and the songwriters, but they also do some covers, including some John Reischman tunes, plus Led Zeppelin; Megan had a career as a teacher, which allowed her to tour in the summers - but songwriting all the time; when she was a teacher, she put out 3 solo CDs; Megan leads a songwriters group in Oakland (and recommends this approach for aspiring songwriters); Tom plays his bass sometimes "Arco"-style, a German style of playing the bass with a bow; "The Musers", like many bands these days, relies on shows for income, with most of their music sold from the stage. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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John Laird_CA_State_Senator_2025-07-11_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
07/25/2025
John Laird_CA_State_Senator_2025-07-11_interviewed on KZSC's Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
1 week from today is the deadline for bills to pass out of the policy committee in the other house (not the house of origin); this last Monday broke the record for the # of emails Senator Laird received in a day, which blew up over a bill on anti-semitism - an interesting & emotional twisting & turning, with an elevated # of instances across the state, especially in schools; the original bill, SB715, was bare bones, and was amended in the Senate to specify the boundaries on discussing the topic in schools, and whether this should be included in the ethnic studies curriculum; usually, bills need to be visible for 30 days for "sunshine" before there are hearings, with this amended bill, there would only be 4 days, and "all hell broke loose", and it was painful beyond belief (Senator Laird's new staffer in charge of email had his first day Monday, the day that broke the record for # of emails received, John to new staffer, "please come back Tuesday" {he did}); there is a move to hold the bill, with a commitment to address it before the last day of September; but isn't the deadline a week from today? Yes, but that deadline can be put on hold with a waiver from the Rules Committee,or a 2/3 vote of the members; Senator Laird is on the rules committee, and will support a waiver if there is a negotiated bill that all parties can coalesce around; who leads this effort? the leadership of both houses; after next week's deadline, Senate will be on receses, and back in August for a 5 week sprint; over recess, Senator Laird is going to British Colombia to learn about how they handle recycling. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Chris Berry,Watershed Compliance Manager, City of Santa Cruz & Dana Stolzman, ED - Salmonid Restoration Federation_2025-04-11_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
06/27/2025
Chris Berry,Watershed Compliance Manager, City of Santa Cruz & Dana Stolzman, ED - Salmonid Restoration Federation_2025-04-11_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
The Salmonid Restoration Foundation's (SRF) 42nd Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference will be in Santa Cruz at the end of April; Dana has been Executive Director for 20 years; the conference is the largest Salmonid / watershed conference in the northwest; 550 people are registered, but it's a challenging time: starting last year, there was a freeze on state employees traveling, and now Federal; Santa Cruz will host the conference at a number of venues; the Klamath Dam removal is the largest dam removal in history - it took decades! The secret? You have to have a big team, and find common ground; after the dam's removal, it took days (!!) for salmon to start to return, and in months, more than 10,000 returned; what does Santa Cruz get out of hosting the conference? Economic impact, plus networking, learning, and history; lessons learned? Regional issues, and urban creek restoration and homelessness; definition of "anadromous" fish; SRF was created to hold the conference, but has expanded to do more. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Gail Pellerin_California State Assemblymember_2025-06-20_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
06/27/2025
Gail Pellerin_California State Assemblymember_2025-06-20_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Gail Pellerin is California's 28th Distict Assemblymember. The legislature met their constitutional obligation to pass a budget by June 15, and they sent it to the governor - it's *very* different from what he sent over; there is significant uncertainty due to the federal government budget cuts and next year's budget, compounded by uncertainty over state tax income with LA having an extension; the legislature pushed back on the governor's budget - an example is the asset cap required to qualify for Medi-Cal: the governor wanted to revert to $2,000 (so if you own a car, you don't qualify), but the legislature stuck with current $130,000 for individual, $190,000 for couples; also pushed back on funding ($500 million) for women's health and family planning; also advocated to preserve ACEs Aware (Adverse Childhood Experiences Awareness Initiative); Governor has come around & is now working with legislature to address the PBM (Pharmacy Benefit Manager) "fox guarding the henhouse" problem; bills out of House of Origin include Semper Virens AB679 ("Third time's the charm?!!?"); Mike Rotkin passed away - a pillar of our community, former mayor, longtime city councilmember, Community Studies teacher; Alzheimer's webinar next Friday; deep dive into Gut & Amend, and need to get concurrence from all parties to utilize. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Bonny June and Bonfire_singers, songwriters, storytellers Bonny June, Ken Kraft & Craig Owens_2025-06-06_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
06/27/2025
Bonny June and Bonfire_singers, songwriters, storytellers Bonny June, Ken Kraft & Craig Owens_2025-06-06_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Bonny June & Bonfire (Ken Kraft & Craig Owens) are singers / songwriters / storytellers based in Santa Cruz, California. Topics covered in the interview include: songwriting as story telling: every song tells a story! Sometimes they come to Bonny fully formed in a dream; birthday bash coming up will feature 2 new covers; The Money Question? Craig: no. Club owners like paying what they paid in the 80s. Ken: yes. Has been able to support himself through production, music lessons, and performing; Bonny June: not entirely, as she's a care giver by day; Bonny June & Bonfire have their 4th album in the works, and are releasing songs 1 at a time as they are completed. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Justin Cummings_Santa Cruz County Supervisor_2025-06-13_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
06/27/2025
Justin Cummings_Santa Cruz County Supervisor_2025-06-13_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Justin Cummings is Santa Cruz County 3rd District Supervisor Local impact of chaos in Washington? If the proposed cuts to Medicaid go through, this will impact California, and then us, with 40,000 people (out of a total county population of 250,000) losing health coverage; Justin, formerly a soft money scientist at UCSC, is now an adjunct in the Coastal Science & Policy Program; Trust: slow to build, quick to destroy; RTC = Regional Transportation Commission, which recently received the summary of the Rail-Trail feasability study, which indicates that the project will ultimate cost ~$4.2 Billion; CZU fire aftermath, 5 years later, where state restrictions / code / requirements changed since the destroyed houses were built, such that replacement cost might not be enough to bring the rebuilt house up to code; what can be done?; Measure Q, land, water & wildlife; dealing with budget, with possible cuts to radiology & phlebotomy. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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John Laird_CA_State_Senator_2025-06-06_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
06/26/2025
John Laird_CA_State_Senator_2025-06-06_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
In Santa Cruz a bit unexpectedly, because the California Senate started the week with 300-400 bills that had to be voted on to be passed over to the Assembly ahead of today's deadline for bills to move out of their "House of Origin" - and the Senate finished a day early! Bills will now be assigned to committee(s) in the other house - if they include fiscal implications (more than $50,000) they also go to the Appropriations Committee and placed on the "suspense calendar"; Senator Laird had 17 bills on the floor, and the hardest (SB 29) extends the sunset date on the ability to get pain & sufferring - managed it by "shear force of will"; procedurally, need a floor manager in the other house, either in name only, or one who will do the effort; Is high speed rail in California dead? No, but it is mired down due to increasing costs and delays; deep dive into California Public Utilities Commission and solar metering (thanks to Eric in Santa Cruz): deep dive into Lompico egress thanks to Tim in PG: there's one way in and out; the legislature had a constitutionally mandated deadline to get a budget out by June 15, and not clear where the Governor is in this; although the legislature has the "power of the purse", the Governor can use a line item vetoe to remove items, unlike the federal government. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Spark Plug", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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G-Ma's Place, a young jazz band interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Char-Zard"
05/28/2025
G-Ma's Place, a young jazz band interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange & "DJ Char-Zard"
G-Ma's Place is a young Santa Cruz jazz band comprised of Otis Ragen-Andrews, bass; Ryu Cirillo, Keyboards & Trombone; Rowan Thompson, Guitar; Xander Shulman, Drums. Got together 2nd semester, 8th grade, in 2022 to form a band to compete in a talent show - now all high school juniors; inspired by local Kuumbwa Jazz Center; Ryu has perfect pitch, which he discovered in 8th grade - it's more of a blessing than a curse; they practice at one of their grandma's garages, thus "G-ma's Place", where they occasionally butt heads, with Otis usually the last to arrive; perform covers as well as originals, with everyone contributing to the charts. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan" & "DJ Char-Zard", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Rupert Wates - singers, songwriter, guitar virtuoso_20240809_KZSC_The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
05/28/2025
Rupert Wates - singers, songwriter, guitar virtuoso_20240809_KZSC_The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Britain to New York & Colorado via Paris, where French encouragement helped him make the leap to being a professional musician; "Guitar-based story telling", and has been called a virtuoso; "California 1" song is a love song to our iconic highway; if he sings, it's an original, but he will play some classical guitar covers; as a songwriter, antennae always up...looking for patterns; he makes a living playing music, with almost all income from plyaing live (120 shows / year - 50,000 miles / year)...CD sales cover their cost...; uses jazz form for songs; deep dive into New York City living, then most impactful folk festivals. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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Stephen Benson - singer, songwriter, guitar virtuoso - 20240712_LIVE in the studio_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
05/28/2025
Stephen Benson - singer, songwriter, guitar virtuoso - 20240712_LIVE in the studio_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
Born in Montana, raised in Oregon, high school in Ohio, then Connecticut; New York since 1983, starting with Manhattan School of Music; busking (playing on street)...made enough to (almost) cover rent, busing with bands, duos, trios, no one place - but musicians competed for street corners, and even sent one member early to claim space; own arrangements of other's music, with few originals; subbed on "The Lion King" on broadway, and has now been playing Broadway for decades, including own chair in the pit...55 shows in total! Union? Absolutely! "Broadway is always there"...the regular (DC) pay, vs. the feast & famine (AC) of gigs - sandwich freelance between Broadway gigs. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
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