KUSF’s Not Dead

Last Thursday, KUSF hosted a very successful Late Nights @ Crossroads event with the anti-establishment pizzazz that one can expect from our late and great USF radio station. Rest in peace, dear sweet KUSF FM 90.3, but the USF music scene isnít going down without a fight.

The event was a showcase of USF musical talent, featuring Sir Taco and the Shells, Conor Oberst reincarnate Nik Pilgrim, the superhot girls-with-guitars of Bad Asteroid, and the punk rock shenanigans of Dead Set.

The show boasted a large turnout of USF students. Armed with KUSF t-shirts and many a Manic Panic dyed hair-do’s, patrons of all ages and music tastes danced the night away to USF’s homegrown music.

“We were trying to show KUSF as an entity at USF, not just a radio station,” said KUSF’s Michelle Rizzio, who was in charge of putting on the event.

Since KUSF was abruptly sold by the USF administration last year, KUSF has faced a shaky presence as an exclusively online radio station.

As for the future of KUSF, even Rizzio seemed unsure: “We are planning to release a zine as a creative outlet for people to say whatever they want to say. It may be unaffiliated with KUSF, but it will be run by the same people,” said Rizzio.

As the show went on, the last act of the night, Dead Set, stirred up some controversy with the administration. As the crowd got riled up, mosh pits began to break out, causing safety concerns.

Lead singer Conor Crockford performed pointed, politically charged lyrics that seemed to offend some members of the Student Leadership Engagement. SLE shut down the event 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, upsetting many of the students.
“To the administration, I say ‘Shame on you.’” Said Crockford shortly after his set was cut short. “For the future of KUSF I hope we can get back on the air to serve the underground rock bands.”

Despite some altercations, KUSF efficiently controlled the crowd and wrapped up the event early. The event was handled successfully as a tamed-down, Jesuit-friendly version of a real punk show.

Dylan Tonti, director of Late Nights @ Crossroads, stated, “It was great to have KUSF’s presence on campus again. I feel the school seems out of touch with what kids are really doing with their time. This was one of the more successful events that struck a chord with the student body.”

Really, I couldn’t agree more. In my two years at USF, I felt that this was the first school event I have ever attended that truly created a sense of community within our university.

It brought me back to my high school days of donning Doc Marten’s, dyed red hair, and too much eyeliner and moshing to my friends’ death metal bands in the high school gym.

Honest local music brings people together, and KUSF gave us a chance to experience that here at our very own Crossroads at USF.

To get involved with Late Nights @ USF and the USF music scene, swing by Crossroads Café in the 1st floor of the UC Building every 1st and 3rd Thursday nights of every month.