By Dylan Jewett
College radio has always been a unique branch of the broadcast world and the radio programs here at Cal Poly Humboldt have been no small feat. Every Thursday at 8 PM, a new band from the community or other places in California gets hosted in a studio on campus called the LIXX Lounge, located in Gist Hall. LIXX broadcasts live to listeners online at krfh.net and over the radio waves on 105.1 FM.
Pickpocket, a local indie and surf rock band made up of university students Colby Palmer on drums, Luke Shanafelt on guitar and vocals, Andy Garvin on bass and vocals, and Jesse Sammel on guitar, was hosted on Feb. 20 in the LIXX Lounge. They played an hour-long set of originals and covers and got the crowd moving. The turnout of students who showed up to support the band in person was impressive and heartwarming to see.
They have been a band for two months and are looking forward to the future with the local music scene. The LIXX show was Pickpocket’s first time performing as a band, and the energy they brought to the table was incredible. As students, they said it can be hard to find time to practice.
“Finding time to all practice and get together is hard enough, not to mention finding new music and learning it all together,” Palmer said. “We try our hardest, though, and I think it shows.”
In the near future, the band hopes to record and share their music online to expand their reach. With the band members still in school, they plan to keep playing in the local scene and record their music. “We do want to record and post our music online and reach people as far as possible,” Palmer said.
The energy of the show was truly electric. For their final song, they performed Rock and Roll Night Club by Mac DeMarco and a dance party in the middle of the room erupted. Everyone was grooving to the music and creating a wonderful environment full of love and support for local music.
Having a space on our campus that’s able to put a spotlight on local talent is truly incredible. Every week, a different band is highlighted on KRFH for everyone to tune in to. A range of genres is highlighted, and no band is too much like the other. With new shows every week, there is no shortage of new music to discover in the local community. If you have a local band and want to play on air, you can reach out to the LIXX team through the KRFH website. The future looks bright for the LIXX program as bands continue to play and students continue to help put on these shows. The Next LIXX performance is on Thursday, March 13 with Spitbug.
“Our first show together was a blast! We all had a ton of fun, and of course with a first show we all noodled a bit, but that’s part of being new musicians in a new scene,” Palmer said. “Overall, a really awesome and inspiring performance for all of us.”
Dylan Jewett is a junior journalism major at Cal Poly Humboldt. They are an avid photographer and loves to crochet, hang out with their cat, and go to concerts in their free time.