KXSC Fest shines through despite rain

For the past seven years, KXSC Fest has been drawing crowds from the USC and greater L.A. community with the promise of great music, fine food and a collection of interactive art installations, and this year was no exception. In spite of the rain Saturday evening, the event hosted by USC’s independent student radio station, KXSC, was able to move the stage and performances from their location in Founders Park to Bovard Auditorium.

Though there was general disappointment among KXSC staff members and volunteers who had wished the event could be held outside, as originally planned, they were able to create “a sold-out-show vibe” within the provided venue space and a thriving festival environment outside the auditorium.

“It’s been a crazy Thursday and Friday. We’ve been hard at work all day, contacting every organization that we reached out to and changing every part of the logistics basically,” said KXSC Head of Operations Chris Robinson of replanning the festival in less than a day.

In past years, the station has had to navigate challenges with fundraising and cost increases because of reforms in security regulations on campus. Luckily, fundraising and planning, which began this past November, went more smoothly for KXSC staff and volunteers detracting pressure from the sudden shift in plans.

“Last year we weren’t able to get funding from USG, but this year they [gave us the full amount of funding possible at $4,300],” KXSC General Manager Paige Schwimer said during the set up for Saturday night’s event.

The $5,000 raised through the university was accomplished with the use of Ignite USC, the university’s new crowdfunding platform that was unveiled as a kind of “Kickstarter for Trojans” earlier this fall. Additional funding was brought in by Alex Zhang, KXSC’s head of sponsorship, and Kinsey Thompson, KXSC’s sales manager, and with the help of their sponsorships team, they were able to raise roughly $12,000 from sponsorships alone. The money generated for the event went toward a variety of costs, including creating the general ambience surrounding KSXC Fest.

Zhang said one of the station’s main goals was to design a conducive environment where students are welcome to explore and meet new people.

“One of the biggest things, in comparison with other events that typically go on here — Conquest, Springfest — a lot of these other USC board events haven’t been able to capture that festival-like experience, which is really about bringing different people from all different walks of life into one shared space of music, culture and art,” Zhang said.

The “Digital Detox Lounge”, inspired by the device-free “Disconnect to Reconnect” spot at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco was an added space this year where students were encouraged to engage one another without their phones.

“You’re so used to using technology and becoming reliant on it, and the moment they take it away from you, you feel naked at first, but that shared vulnerability kind of helps you meet new people,” Zhang said of the bean bag chair-filled lounge area adorned with DIY CD decorations.

USC organizations such as Corpus Callosum, a group that encourages collaboration between artists and engineers, and the Altar Collective, a small, student-run press based in L.A., also contributed to the festival-like experience with featured art installations and a small stage outside the auditorium for poetry readings and acoustic music.

Another major difference between KXSC Fest and other concerts held on campus is the importance placed on finding an eclectic group of up-and-coming artists.

“We have something for everybody,” Schwimer said. “As opposed to some of the other events on campus where they just have like one artist, one or two artists, and it’s always something really mainstream.  We try to give everybody a chance including student bands and local L.A. talent.”

Previous headliners have included STRFKR and Flying Lotus, who then went on to blow up via social media and music blogs. This year’s performers ranged from headlining electro-house duo DJ Dodger Stadium to dark-pop supporting acts like Muna.

Nationwide, college radio stations are being forced to abandon their cultural integrity, selling out their airwaves to simulcasts or having to shut down all together; KXSC, however, continues to weather the storm, overcoming the obstacles thrown its way and pulling off another great celebration for music, art and culture.