WSU’s Student Entertainment Board is going out with a bang in its last event of the semester with Zzutopia, a music festival alongside KZUU, starting at 2 p.m. Friday at various venues.
Zzutopia is a collaboration with two other WSU-affiliated organizations: Cable 8, WSU’s student-run media station, and KUGR, WSU’s student radio station. Each collaborator has its own venue, making for a total of four on- and off-campus locations.
Headliners range from WSU students to well-known artists from Seattle and Spokane, Wash., with the biggest names being Oblé Reed, IAMTOPP, Jang the Goon and THEM.
Each venue will feature a different vibe and collection of genres, ensuring anyone can find their niche, whether that be hip-hop, country, rock or chill acoustics. SEB concert director Jeffrey Myers said there will be some variation between start and end times at each location, but they will generally begin at 2 p.m. and go until closing.
“The idea behind it is that you get to pick the style of music, the location you want to go to and when, and then you get the freedom to choose,” Myers said.
Starting with Studio A, Cable 8’s venue, this indoor location will have an indie rock and grunge focus, with headliners IAMTOPP and Jang the Goon. The duo, who call themselves Blxckpunks when performing together, opened for the Mike Dimes concert SEB hosted last October. They return this spring as headliners and some of the biggest names performing.
Other artists at this venue include the recent winner of SEB’s Battle of the Bands, Sunbather Die, as well as Ideomotor, Aquaveleva and Snacks at Midnight. According to Cable 8’s Instagram, there will also be a used clothing drive held alongside the performances.
At the only off-campus venue, the Emporium will feature a punk and hip-hop scene, with two big-name headliners—Oblé Reed and THEM—accompanied by JUSTMITCH, DJ Butters and Kung Fu Vinyl. This location will start an hour later than the others, at 3 p.m., and go until late. Anyone under 18 is welcome until 8 p.m., when the bar becomes restricted to those 21 and over.
The third venue, located on the Chinook steps, will be home to rock and country, bringing music outdoors and reaching the ears of people coming to and from classes. Performers include Blaine Andrew Ross and others.
Finally, bringing chill vibes to the festival, The Couch, hosted by KUGR, will wind the day down with sunny acoustic music. Three student performers—Lillian May, Ally Fraser and Sarah Margaret Horn—will play from 2—5 p.m. on the grass across from the Todd Addition.
Antonia Price, KUGR’s human resources director, said attendees are encouraged to bring blankets and sit outside with friends, enjoy some provided food and listen to the three students play relaxing guitar music.
“I never realized there were so many people that were making actually really good music on campus,” Price said. “If you want to get involved with the community, I’d find these people—they’re out there.”
SEB and KZUU have been planning the event since the beginning of spring semester. KZUU hosted a similar event last fall with little to no funding, which sparked SEB’s idea.
“It was pretty successful, so we took inspiration and wanted to do something similar. We have the money, we have the resources, so we reached out to KZUU and brought them on board,” Myers said.
As the planning continued, Cable 8 and KUGR joined the collaboration, providing volunteers, venues and marketing for the festival. If all goes well, Myers said the team hopes this becomes a legacy event that happens each year. Price echoed that sentiment and said it’s important to get students involved on campus.
“We’re trying to smack them in the face and, you know, give students on campus the opportunity to do something,” Price said.
That’s what Zzutopia is striving to do—foster student connection through music and create unforgettable campus memories outside of typical student activities.
Any updates on Zzutopia’s venues or artists can be found on SEB’s website or Instagram.
