KCBX’s second annual benefit concert Central Coast Sessions takes place on Saturday, November 7th, and Katelyn Schiavone, Director of Community Engagement & Events at KCBX, explains the event is “a full day of listening to music and connecting with friends, featuring 10 great local bands, tasty food and beverages, and plenty of comfortable places to hang out.” She notes, “It would be easy to spend the whole day at The Rock, but everyone also has the flexibility to come and go from the venue as needed.”
The series of performances runs from noon to 10 pm, and Marisa Waddell, KCBX Director of Programming and Content, sees it as “a fun gathering of people who love music, love to dance – or just listen, and enjoy hanging out with other music lovers, friends and neighbors.” However one chooses to enjoy it, the event is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the Central Coast’s rich music scene.
Katelyn is excited that the 2026 lineup includes more bands in the “funk and soul genres, who will get the crowd moving and grooving” and looks forward to watching the musical energy build throughout the day. She is looking forward to presenting Sol Arc, a five-piece reggae rock band, at this year's concert: “They are a newer band in the local music scene whose members are students at Cal Poly and have amassed quite a following.”
Central Coast Sessions is a fundraising event that supports KCBX as a vital pillar of this community, as well as “a gift of music and good times to our local music community, a way to connect musicians, fans, and public radio listeners with one another and lift them all up,” says Marisa.
The event is marked by the losses of Frank Lanzone, the former KCBX President and General Manager, as well as Hank Hadley, former Operations Manager. Katelyn observes that “Hank and Frank's presence at the station is certainly missed by our staff, and I know that our community feels their absence, too.” Sessions’ attendees will have the opportunity to share their memories and stories about Hank and Frank. Katelyn says, “They'll have the option to submit them privately so they are only passed along to Hank and Frank's family and loved ones, or they can elect to have our emcees read their reflections aloud from the stage between each set break.”
Katelyn hopes to see the entire music- and public radio-loving community come out to enjoy the day and sees the event growing into a well-loved annual event in the years to come.
Hope you enjoy this year’s Central Coast Sessions – get your tickets today at KCBX.org!