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
info_outline
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
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37885750
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37885555
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37885265
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37885125
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37626725
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37552745
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37552645
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37552590
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37171450
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37171335
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37171135
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37171025
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/37170855
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36763140
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36763010
info_outline
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.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36762910
info_outline
Painted Mandolin_"AiryLarry" Graff_singer-songwriter, musician_2025-01-17_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
05/28/2025
Painted Mandolin_"AiryLarry" Graff_singer-songwriter, musician_2025-01-17_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
Celebrating 10 years of "Painted Mandolin"...and Monday is the 36th Anniversary of "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"...and this year marks 40 years for "The Banana Slug String Band"; "Painted Mandolin" begins when Larry had an idea to put together an acoustic band celebrating Jerry Garcia for a show at Don Quixote's in Felton (now the Felton Music Hall)...practices for a gig that would be a "one-off"; Larry knew Matt Hartle from playing around town, and Joe Craven from the Strawberry Music Festival, where Joe had sat in with 'The Banana Slug String Band"; 10 years ago they added Dan Robbins, a "monster" on stand-up bass; Larry wrote some originals that Matt loved, and Joe produced their CD; the money question: these days, live music is how musicians make money...as for Larry, yes! He's been fortunate enough becuase of 'The Banana Slug String Band" to make a living in Santa Cruz as a musician! An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36740520
info_outline
Banana Slug String Band - 40 years!_Solar Steve_singer-songwriter, musician_2025-03-21_KZSC_Bushwhacker's_interview
05/28/2025
Banana Slug String Band - 40 years!_Solar Steve_singer-songwriter, musician_2025-03-21_KZSC_Bushwhacker's_interview
All 4 founding members of the band are still together: Sun (Solar Steve), Soil (Doug Dirt), Water (Marine Mark) and Air (Airy Larry); all educators, who formed around the Pescadero Valley outdoor education program 40 years ago, and decided to take it further; now, 40 years, and 12 albums later, they have managed to make music a part of their living / life, with environmental education music for all ages; Steve is the primary songwriter; 1st song? "I'm a Tree"; "Dirt Made my Lunch" was the first album (on vinyl & casette); they now have 4 generations of fans!; songwriter process? For Steve, the lyrics & music come at the same time (every genre)...plus, they are multi-modal, writing songs with participation / dancing in mind; Banana Slug String Band book has been translated into Chinese; 40th anniverary show coming up. An interview on "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" with "Dangerous Dan", airing Friday mornings on KZSC Santa Cruz, California.
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36740380
info_outline
Poi Rogers_singers, songwriters Carolyn Sills & Gerard Egan_2025-04-18_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
04/23/2025
Poi Rogers_singers, songwriters Carolyn Sills & Gerard Egan_2025-04-18_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
During Covid Gerard banged his head, and got the idea for "Poi Rogers", a mash-up of old fashioned country western meets Hawai'ian; public radio stations are crucial to up-and-coming artists, providing a way for them to reach audiences without being curated by an algorithm; the money question? Survive through a diversity of money sources, including their guitar repair shop in Soquel; been in Santa Cruz 15 years, and found the perfect place to live that allows dogs; new CD release a week from Saturday, "Twilight Blues", which will also be released on 10" vinyl; 8 week tour this summer...when they tour, it's either Poi Rogers or Carolyn Sills Combo - they don't take both out on the road at the same time. (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange, "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez) & "DJ Wrangle" (Chris Jong) on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36268640
info_outline
California State Assemblymember_Gail Pellerin_interview 2025-04-18 on KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
04/22/2025
California State Assemblymember_Gail Pellerin_interview 2025-04-18 on KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Attending Grand Opening of Beach Ranch today, a 247 acre parcel along the Pajaro River that the Land Trust is preserving, including wetlands; Land Trust is a local non-profit; Assembly currently in Spring Recess; Assembly working on the budget, and going through it line by line; next week is Holocaust Remembrance Day, and on April 28th, Asssemblymember Pellerin will host a floor ceremony honoring a constituent, Ruth Liberman, that is one of 5000 babies born in the Bergen Belsen concentration camp; Assemblymember Pellerin hosted a webinar with California Insurance Commissioner Lara to discuss the aftermath of the CZU fire over 4 years ago in the Santa Cruz Mountain; Lara has submitted a 10 bill legislative pacakge that includes consumer protection for insurance, maintaining the strength of the insurance market, and resiliency; United Policyholders is a non-profit that participated in the webinar; UCSC library closing community borrowing? Assemblymember Pellerin continues to fight for funding, but will bring this up as well; "Hands Off" mass mobilization, and seeing it on way back from Girls Inc. lunch; April is Child Abuse Prevention month; working on AB679, Semper Virens, and how to transfer parcels to state parks. (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange, "DJ Spark Plug" (Dylan Estevez) & "DJ Wrangle" (Chris Jong) on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36268785
info_outline
Kray Van Kirk_Singer, Songwriter_2025-03-28_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
04/14/2025
Kray Van Kirk_Singer, Songwriter_2025-03-28_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
Arcata, California (Humboldt) based; start in music? Kray quit grad school (was at the Graduate Theological School at U.C. Berkeley) and started touring, playing quite a bit in Alaska; when he became a single parent he realized he needed something more dependable, and so got a Ph.D. in Fisheries Modeling before working for the government in Arcata; when his daughter left the nest he quit and went back on the road (2017); who would've thought 3 months ago that in the face of Federal Funding Chaos and Science Funding Uncertainty that being a singer / songwriter would look more stable financially than being a fisheries modeler?!?!!?!; Kray lives by Woody Guthrie's saying, that a folk singer should "Comfort the Disturbed, & Disturb the Comfortable!"; kicking off tour in Santa Cruz before heading to Ojai, L.A., and....Iowa! (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36137465
info_outline
John Laird_California State_Senator_2025-04-04_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
04/14/2025
John Laird_California State_Senator_2025-04-04_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
Deep dive into California's Cap & Trade system (Senator Laird is on the Senate's Working Group on Cap & Trade, which met last week to disuss how far we want to extend it, and whether to move up the current sunset ); How Cap & Trade works: measure emissions, and if over a cap, company has to pay a fee for the amount of emissions over the cap - alert listener Eric in Santa Cruz texts in that they can buy emissions from other companies, which is how Tesla was able to survive before they had cars to sell - Senator Laird adds that Tesla also takes advantage of emission-free car subsidies; funds paid to the state to to a fund that is ostensibly used to pay for actions to reduce emissions, but in the past the Governor has raided that fund to pay for other things; over time, the cap remains the same, but the price of credits over the cap goes up; there's pressure to renew the current system, which came out of 2006 law AB32 under Governor Schwarzenegger to encode the Kyoto Protocol agreement; Cap &Trade has 2 arms: Regulatory (where oil companies got some allowanes in what some view as a "sweetheart deal", and Where Does the Money Go?; discussion of bill sunsets; Tamara texts re: Highway 1, and Senator Laird discusses his monthly call with the head of CalTrans, and will add this tohis list (his most recent call was yesterday); tariffs and Federal chaos? California is not remaining quiet! California Ag exports will get hit hard - trying to negotiate directly with Canada; Senator Laird is nervous because of the impact of tariffs, economic downturn on California state budget; Senate Study Group on the aging of LGBTQ Californians - new report out from state office, and will address with hearings soon (June? July?). (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/36137245
info_outline
Jackson Emmer_Musician & singer-songwriter_2025-01-31_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
03/28/2025
Jackson Emmer_Musician & singer-songwriter_2025-01-31_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Jackson relocated to Santa Cruz a year ago, from Carbondale, Colorado, because he's addicted to surfing!; "You're never a prophet in your hometown!"; Songwriter Round format...Jackson experienced this at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, where the performers were in the middle, the audience surrounding them, and each takes a turn; it was intimate, and Jackson wanted to try it in Santa Cruz; Abigayle Kempst is a young prolific singer/songwriter who lives in Nashville, and Jackson is flying her out to produce his next album - they thought, hey! Let's put together a show!; Jackson alwasy brings a handful of songs (in case you're clueless), but usually the singer / songwriters react to each other's songs, follow themes, and so the overall show can be unpredictable, but fun for both the performers and the audience. (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club". In 2025, celebrating 36+ years on the air! Thanks for listening!!!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35912705
info_outline
Gail Pellerin_California State Assemblymember_2025-03-21 on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
03/28/2025
Gail Pellerin_California State Assemblymember_2025-03-21 on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
March is Women's History Month; recently announced the winners of the Assembly Distict 28 Women of the Year, with a deeep dive into each of them and why they were nominated / awarded; Assemblymember Pellerin's staff who helped pull this off; every woman in the California legislature is given a number - Gail is #187 - and they are now up to 206...almost 50% of the California legislature (Assembly and Senate) are women (59 of 120)!!! ; chaos in Washington, uncertain times, and how California is coping / girding itself, and how the agriculture industry in the district is girding itself. (Interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club". In 2025 celebrating 36 years on the air! Thanks for listening!!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35911335
info_outline
Gail Pellerin, California 28th District Assemblymember, Feb. 21, 2025, on KZSC's "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
03/27/2025
Gail Pellerin, California 28th District Assemblymember, Feb. 21, 2025, on KZSC's "The Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club"
...heading to San Jose today; the deadline for submitting bills for this year's regular legislative session is today; lawmakers can submit up to 35 bills per 2 year session; staff member Lisette suggested a bill on renters getting their deposits back via Venmo if they paid their deposit via Venmo; re-introducing bill for transferring Semper Virens parcels to State Park system (=AB679); also a bill that would prohibit one jurisdiction from transporting a person experiencing homelessness from their jurisdiction to another jurisdiction; a bill on how to correct a ballot if you've made a mistake; discussion of the recent trial of the under-aged boy who murdered an 8 year old where the trial was whether he could be released into society now that he's 25, and whether the family will have to go through this every 2 years (the judge ruled that he should be held); CZU fires (4 1/2 years ago) and the 63% that have not been re-built or in process of re-building: "whatever LA gets, we should get, too!"; CA insurance commissioner Robert Lara on Sustainable Insurance Strategy - LA fires will not stop progress...10 bill package submitted; deep dive into what happens now that bills submitted (Rules Committee directs to 1 or more policy committees, that hold hearings to vet, testify, amend - with next committee taking it up after previous committee completes - then suspense file if $$ > threshold, then to the floor where, after passed, bill goes to other house; Governor submitted 1st budget in January, and already obsolete...now being reviewed in budget sub-committees (60 hearings in total!)...headed for a "May revise", but LA residents have been told they can postpone their tax submittals. (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange and "Dylan-the-Mentee" Estevez on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Blub". 2025 marks our 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35894125
info_outline
singer-songwriter_Rachel Sumner_2025-02-28_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
03/26/2025
singer-songwriter_Rachel Sumner_2025-02-28_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Named after James Taylor (middle name), so destined for a life in music. Started on classical flute, and got into Berklee School of Music in Boston, where she came across Bluegrass (Molly Tuttle was in her class). Put together a bluegrass band (Twisted Pine). Put out a CD of songs ("Heartless Things", and later formed "Traveling Light" with Cat Wallace on fiddle and Mike Segal on bass. They put out a CD of the same songs as Heartless Things, but this time with traditional bluegrass arrangements, and 3 part harmonies sharing a microphone. The song "Radium Girls" is about the women who were tasked to paint Radium on watch dials, even though their bosses knew it would make them sick. Boston's "Sumner Tunnel"? Named after Charles Sumner, a pre-Civil War abolitionist (and possible distant relative). The Money Question? None of the members of the band make a living playing music - all have day jobs (Rachel runs sound and runs a school of music) - but their day jobs are sympathetic to their music and touring (but when people buy merch, it helps!). Does she always write happy songs? Rachel leans toward female empowerment, and is a big believer in hope. "3000 miles" is autobiographic, opposite to Bob Dylan's myth making. (interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange and "Golden Voice Gene" Fintz on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35874565
info_outline
Dave Holodiloff_ singer, songwriter, mandolin player_2025-03-07_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
03/26/2025
Dave Holodiloff_ singer, songwriter, mandolin player_2025-03-07_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
Been a musician all of his adult life - 20 years; the Money Question? Yes! Able to make a living as a musician mostly through shows, also teaching, production, some private events; not putting out CDs any more - it's "a thing of the past", because many people (including Dave) no longer have CD players; Dave Holodiloff Bluegrass covers of the Grateful Dead? Been a fan since high school, learned to play Dead songs; have performed a Grateful Dead / Jerry Garcia show every year on Jerry's birthday - this year will be the 17th annual, at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur; other Rock n' Roll covers? Listened to Led Zeppelin as a teenager and learned to plan on guitar, later mandolin, but in high school his primary instrument was drums; path from Rock n' Roll to Balkan music? Balkan music uses exotic rhythms (which appeals to a drummer), harmonies, and minor keys; theme shows, and Balkan trio shows. (Interviewed on KZSC' "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club" by "Dangerous Dan" Orange. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listeniing!!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35863620
info_outline
CA_State_Senator_John Laird_2025-03-07_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
03/26/2025
CA_State_Senator_John Laird_2025-03-07_KZSC_Bushwhacker's
Legislative deadline for bill submittal passed (2/21); Laird submitted 19 bills - the legislature previously had limits of 40 bills per 2 year session in the Senate, 50 in the Assembly - now, both houses have a limit of 35 for each Assemblymember and Senator; Senator Laird has a few bills in "spot form", which has the focus of the bill, but it needs to be fleshed out - cannot amend within 30 days of being introduced, and spot bills must be finalized by March 26; one spot bill on battery storage (applying lessons learned from Moss Landing battery storage fire); spot bills removing sunset expiration from previously passed bills; Dylan's Q: any actions / bills to replace Moss Landing type battery storage? Senator Laird considering: what do we do with the 25% of batteries in California that are that generation? Phase out? What's the criteria? Timing? Spot bills are different from "gut and amend", which can be done any time; "moveable spot" bills are different, and include something substantive (not just intent), and have the same deadline as regular bills (2/21); discussion of Cap and Trade; Standing Committees vs. Select Committees: Select Committees have a clean slate at the start of every legislative session - Laird is on 1, aging in the LGBTQ community; Laird is on 2 working groups: cap and trade; and fire insurance. (Senator Laird interviewed by "Dangerous Dan" Orange and "Dylan-the-Mentee" Estevez on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club". 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th Year! Thanks for listening!)
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35863085
info_outline
California State Senator (ret) Bill Monning_2/28/2025_KZSC Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
02/28/2025
California State Senator (ret) Bill Monning_2/28/2025_KZSC Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club
When we spoke in November (on Santa Cruz Voice) Bill said that the Country was in bad shape? Now? "It's gotten worse!"; in Compton, the school buses are all electric, helping combate greenhouse gas and climate change - incremental gains are happenning...but this administration, with "Drill, baby! Drill!"; what question would a retired state senator have for a current college student? "What a great opportunity! What are students doing today to help make the world better?" Dylan's answer: protests and demonstrations, passion; U.C. Santa Cruz was built during the administration of Governor Ronald Reagan, and was designed to *not* have a central plaza that could be the focus of protests like U.C. Berkeley...but they didn't realize that by building the campus inside the city limits, lowering the voting age to 18, and allowing students to vote where they went to school, they would create "The People's Republic of Santa Cruz"!; deep dive into meaningful change ahead of the mid-term elections: resistance taking shape! Economic boycots! Courts ruling! We need to humanize the impact of the administration's actions; the unparalleled and unprecedented actions of Elon Musk; A. Phillip Randolph quote: "Justice is never given. It is exacted and the struggle must be continuous for freedom is never a final fact, but a continuing evolving process to higher and higher levels of human, social, economic, political and religious relationship."; Measure Z and the victory of local struggle over Big Soda; if all politics local, how can we apply this to the national chaos? "Draw on your relationships, and continue the struggle!"
/episode/index/show/kzscfm/id/35486835