Thom came to Santa Cruz in the 1970s to attend U.C. Santa Cruz, where he majored in (but did not graduate in) Aesthetic Studies (he was one of the last majors); John moved to Santa Cruz in the 1980s, and he now teaches at Cabrillo College (our local community college), digital design, web design; there are 3 iterations of the Comic News: the Santa Cruz Comic News, delivered locally with partial ad support, the Comic News, mailed to subscribers and subscription supported, and TheComicNews.com, subscription supported; Thom was interested in editorial cartoons and tried to sell his own one at a time; he learned about synidcates which, to an editorial cartoonist, are like a record label to a musician; after being inspired by a book of editorial cartoons at Kepler's bookstore in Menlo Park, on April Fool's Day 1984 he put out his first bi-weekly paper including stringing together editorial cartoons; helped introduce Nina Paley, who John says was first published in Santa Cruz in the Monthly Planet, a monthly newspaper of the Nuclear Freeze Movement (but Nina might not have been paid); changes in circulation and office space and the internet; Comic News makes money, but not much - both Thom and John have other means of support; the Santa Cruz Comic News was the first, with 7 direct spin offs and dozens of other close followers, including the nationally distributed Funny Times, whose founders came to Santa Cruz in 1985 to check out our Comic News before going back to Cleveland and starting their monthly humor periodical; print is not a growing medium - the future is digital (but AI image generation threatens human artist and cartoonists).


KZSC_Bushwhacker's_Editorial Cartoon Monthly_Comic News_Thom Zajac and John Govsky_20241213

Manorlady's Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on February 24, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

Manorlady Live on Local Brew

Kadence Keys' Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on March 3rd, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

Kadence Keys Live on Local Brew

Resonance's Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on March 10th, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

Resonance Live on Local Brew

The Sleeps's Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on April 21, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

The Sleeps Live on Local Brew

The Rudians' Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on March 31st, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

The Rudians Live on Local Brew

Vida's Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on April 14, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

Vida Live on Local Brew

Baby Buddha's Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on April 14, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

Baby Buddha Live on Local Brew

Shoobies' Local Brew session aired on 88.1fm KZSC Santa Cruz on April 28, 2019. Recorded LIVE at 365 Producer, LCC. in Santa Cruz.

Shoobies Live on Local Brew

The Attic Band played Live on Local Brew on June 2nd 2019 down at 365 Producer. The five-piece rocked some classic covers and funky originals under some very red lights. Not a session you want to miss.

The Attic Band LIVE on Local Brew

kzsc_Bushwhacker's_Editorial Cartoon Monthly_Comic News_Thom Zajac and John Govsky_20241213

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!!)         &nbsp;

Gail Pellerin_California State Assemblymember_2025-03-21 on KZSC's "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!!!)            &nbsp;

Jackson Emmer_Musician & singer-songwriter_2025-01-31_KZSC_Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club

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!)

CA_State_Senator_John Laird_2025-04-04_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 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 next 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 that being a singer / songwriter would look more stable financially?!?!!?!; 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!)


Kray Van Kirk_singer, songwriter_2025-03-28_KZSC_Bushwhacker's

Deep dive into California's Cap &amp; Trade system (Senator Laird is on the Senate's Working Group on Cap &amp; Trade, which met last week to disuss how far we want to extend it, and whether to move up the current sunset ); How Cap &amp; 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 &amp;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!)

John Laird_California State_Senator_2025-04-04_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, &amp; 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!)

Kray Van Kirk_Singer, Songwriter_2025-03-28_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!)

Poi Rogers, 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) &amp; "DJ Wrangle" (Chris Jong) on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)

Poi Cowboy_singers, songwriters Carolyn Sills & Gerard Egan_2025-04-18_KZSC_Bushwhacker's

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!)

California State Assemblymember_Gail Pellerin_2025-04-18_KZSC_Bushwhacker's

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) &amp; "DJ Wrangle" (Chris Jong) on KZSC's "Bushwhacker's Breakfast Club. 2025 is Bushwhacker's 36th year on the air! Thanks for listening!)    &nbsp;    &nbsp;    &nbsp;    &nbsp;

Albums by KZSC Santa Cruz