As the second iteration of a KXSU and Fashion Club collaboration event, students listened to great music and viewed displays from different artists and designers. Held Friday, May 11, Radio Fest had something for every student who stopped by. 

Held on the Sinegal patio, the setup provided a location for students passing by to stop and listen or see what different items were in the market. Yet the overall ambiance was a more somber feeling for some of the graduating seniors in KXSU, as this was their last major event.

Megan Okuma, a fourth-year communication and media major and the graphic designer for KXSU, provided some of the challenges of an outdoor setup.

“Usually when we’re in these rooms, there’s so many outlets that it doesn’t really matter but it’s definitely one of those things that always sneaks up on us like ‘Oh, yeah, we definitely need to figure out how to get every power to everything,’” Okuma said.

Though KXSU is responsible for the bulk of the set-up, bands typically offer an extra hand if help is needed, making the assembly process more efficient. 

“The bands that come are really helpful, even though we don’t know them, they offer a lot of support and just knowledge about their own equipment as well. So we really appreciate them working with us really easily like that,” Okuma said.

The lineup for the night included a range of genres like pop punk with 90s themes, noise punk,  2000s post-hardcore and a heavy grunge influence. With the range of sounds came an environment everyone could enjoy. 

The bands included College Radio, Atrocity Girl, Lowe Cellar and Pink Steam, each bringing their own style. Fashion provided another feeling of what the event was all about through the student market portion run by Fashion Club. 

Fox Robinson is a third-year photography and gender, women & sexuality double major and the co-president of the Fashion Club. They spoke about the blending of the club with the student market and music at the same time. 

“We love the way that fashion and music kind of come together. And we’ve been wanting to do a market for a long time. So we thought why not have someone who would be able to listen to music and then pop over to a booth,” Robinson said. “We also want to support local artists and artists on campus so we invited a bunch of people and it was a big success last time, so we’re doing like a little mini version of that for the end of the year. It’s been really fun.” 

Robinson had a booth set up with some of their personal photography along with the Fashion Club’s ‘Shudder’ zine which was released at the last student market. They also noted that the market is an opportunity for attendees to support the artists. 

“All the proceeds that the other vendors get from selling stuff goes to them. So we don’t get anything from the other vendors. It’s truly just to support students who are here and they make great art,” Robinson said.

While the vendors chatted with passersby asking about their work, the different artists throughout the night provided a different outlet that also drew in the crowd.

Another person integral to making the show happen was Kate Watanabe, a fourth-year philosophy major and the music and promotion director for the station. She has been able to grow a large network within the alternative, punk rock communities which has aided with her inviting bands and groups onto campus to play in these events.

“I try to keep up with the local scene and go to as many shows as I can, just talk to as many people as possible because most of them are nice. I always try to catch them after the show if they’re doing their own merch and just saying hi, tell them what I do, usually, and ask them if they’d ever be interested in playing a show,” Watanabe said.

She also made sure to mention that the station doesn’t pay the artists performing but just wants to be able to give them a platform to share their music with the KXSU audience and others who might’ve just been passing by.

“We don’t charge for the shows, we can’t pay the artists. It’s a bit hard with that. We don’t really get much funding. So I’m understanding, I get if people can’t make it. I’m just happy to share the music I love that’s local,” Watanabe said. 

KXSU hopes that the community that’s been built over the last few years will only lead to more collaboration events between the radio and other organizations on campus.