November 21, 2025
| HEY, NEIGHBOR! What’s going on? In the week preceding Thanksgiving break, I wanted to deliver a sort of KUPS Newsletter-Lite to keep you all up to date on the goings on. No funny business! Just the #truth. Your best friend, Hillary |
| Upcoming KUPS Events ★ Summer Of Soul: Documentary Screening and Craft Night Wednesday, December 3 at 5:00 PM Upper Marshall Hall KUPS music-doc nights are BACK, once again highlighting music journalism at it finest. Join us on Wednesday, December third in Upper Marshall Hall at 5 PM for a screening of Summer of Soul (… Or When the Revolution Could Not be Televised) directed by the legendary Ahmir Thompson, AKA Questlove. This film echoes the unrecognized legacy of the Harlem Cultural Festival, a six-week long celebration of Black musicians at the height of soul and R&B’s popularity in the 1960s (including performances from Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly and the Family Stone and many others). Collage supplies will be provided for those who want to prefer to keep their hands busy 🙂 bring a friend, or simply your sub dinner, and reconnect with your fellow DJs while enjoying incredible performances and behind-the-scenes footage from the Harlem Cultural Festival. |
| ★ Fall 2025 KUPSFEST Wednesday, December 9 at 8:00 PM (doors at 7) Spanish Ballroom at McMenamins Elk Temple (565 Broadway, Tacoma, WA 98402) Drumroll please… THE event of the semester is on the horizon! KUPS’ student-centered music festival is back, blessing you with a night of music, featuring five acts from Tacoma, four of which are from our very school. Tickets go live TODAY, Friday November 21st: get them now or pay five dollars extra the day of. Keep an eye on our Instagram prices and the ticket portal. Worried about transportation? Don’t be! KUPS has got your back — van transportation to and from the venue will be offered periodically throughout the night, departing from the sub parking lot. More information is to follow regarding departure times and van quantities. |
October 31, 2025
| HAPPY HALLOWEEN, GATORS! Is that a king-sized Snickers bar in your pocket, or are you excited to read to me? Either answer is acceptable 🙂 take a look at recent KUPS adventures, and future events to grace your calendar this November! Ghouls, goblins, and other freaks of nature (computer science majors) can find enjoyment in our little newsletter, so keep your eyes peeled! Stay safe out there, and have a spectacular night. Peace and Love, Hillary (AKA “The Killer Wendy Williams Warned You About”) |
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| Upcoming KUPS Events Are you looking for a sonic getaway? Did the pressure of midterms get to you? Did you go too hard during Halloweekend and now you need to cleanse your soul with some wicked KUPS events? You’re in luck. We’ve got some fun things happening in November and you’re invited. On November 7, local band The Broken Numbers will be playing in the Den from 3:30-4:30pm. Show up if you like garage rock and punk fusion! Catch your crafty friends at the bi-annual KUPS Art Market on November 13 located in the rotunda from 6-8. Take a gander around the vendors and support your fellow students selling their handmade art! On November 14 from 12-2pm, Les Ailes will be performing at Divs, be sure to stop by for a lunchtime refresh and catch their set. Finally, on November 20 from 7-8pm SH!TTOMATO will be performing live on air. Tune in at 90.1 FM or the online livestream to hear it! |
| Introducing… #MADDYBRENNAN #DJOFTHEWEEK Tell us About Your Show! ‘Up For Interpretation’ is a show where each week, I take different art pieces that I like and research them, before coming up with some sort of ‘interpretation’ for them. Sometimes the interpretations come from the research I have done, but more often they are my own ideas/feelings about the piece, and I then choose songs based off of that interpretation! Sunday, 9 AM “You should listen to my show if…” you love art! And art history, and learning about and thinking about different artists and art pieces. Dream co-DJ or guest: Any of the artists that I talk about, I would love to ask them if they listened to anything when making the piece I’m discussing, or what songs they would associate with a piece if they made the show with me Involvement outside of KUPS Captain of the Women’s Swim Team! Avid Member of Pancake Club Art History Major (surprise, surprise) and English Minor Featured Setlist This was for a show based off of the painting ‘Le Lit’ by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. These songs were chosen based on the interpretation of what I think would be played in a scene like this, or what I would personally like to listen to in such a position 🙂 “What Are You Thinking About” by Leith Ross “Especially Me” by Medium Build “I’m So Down” by Flyte “Come Around” by Logan Bowden “Idaho” by Gregory Alan Isakov “Bedtime Reminder” by Flyte “Ragstock” by DeYarmond Edison “The Big One” by Ken Yates, Kathleen Edwards “I Was Born to Love You” by Ray LaMontagne, Sierra Ferrell “Heart Will Remain” by Arts Fishing Club “Hope We Have Fun” by Mt. Joy “Head Swim” by Fionn Regan “Song for Zula” by Phosphorescent “Smoke Alarm” by LOKI |
| KUPS CommotionThis week alone (10/27-10/31) was jam-packed with fun for staff and DJs. In case you’ve been living under an intellectually superior rock, a handful of KUPS staff members welcomed the one and only Skweezy Jibbs to our campus! A legendary interview with Mr. Jibbs is on the way, but until then please give your praise to Graham, Fran, Isaac, Mireia, Bennett, and Noah for their efforts in planning this epic collab. While you’re at it, consider looking into “Skweezy Jibbs Makes a Movie” — all the details can be found on Instagram: @SKWEEZY4REAL |
| On Wednesday, UPS students and KUPS DJs absolutely crushed it at KUPS’ beloved annual Halloween bowling event! For the past two years, KUPS has requested donations for the mutual aid organization Serve The People Tacoma as admission, and the community exceeded expectations, yet again! If you are interested in further supporting the Hilltop community in Tacoma, you can sign up to volunteer or donate to the cause here: Serve The People Tacoma |
October 10, 2025
| “Hello!” From KUPS Journalism Happy Friday, gators! Welcome to the inaugural KUPS newsletter, presented by the journalism department. You can expect station updates, DJ highlights, and other silly things that we’d love to share with you. Stick around for an introduction on behalf of this hardworking, often unseen, rag-tag crew! Peace and love, Hillary DJ Highlight Interest Form Upcoming Local Concerts and Events If you’ve been itching to get out and experience everything a PNW Halloween has to offer, look no further! Every year, Real Art Tacoma hosts a costume cover band show, and this year’s lineup includes [here]. While you’re in South Tacoma, you can also check out the Haunted Farmer’s Market for all your spooky needs! The market runs from 11 AM to 4 PM every Sunday through November 2nd. For the 21 and up crowd, the Spanish Ballroom is throwing a new wave Halloween dance party on October 24th. Baby bats or full blown goth you can enjoy Nite Wave performing The Cure, New Order, Prince, Depeche Mode and more!Maybe you’re willing to drive to Seattle but the gas money is the most you’re willing to spend. If this sounds like you, here’s a quick run down of some fun, fabulous, and free fall events in the Emerald City this month. On October 18th the Neptune Theater is offering a free backstage tour, on October 24th you can attend an artwalk at 4th and Union in the heart of downtown, and on October 31st you can celebrate the Freemont Troll and stop by the waterfront park for their Halloween Festival. Inside Tacoma’s Hottest New Venue: The Safeway Parking Lot Have you made the rounds of every music venue that the Tacoma area has to offer? Are you tired of Real Art and the Spanish Ballroom, and are looking for a new space to discover real music? Well, look no further, because the Safeway on 72nd Street has exactly what your desperate heart desires. Behind the grimy, sand colored walls of the building will you find an innovative, blooming music scene like none other–it may just look like a few guys wearing crust pants and brandishing septum piercings (which seem to increase in size every time you see them), but this truly is the future of Tacoma’s musical catalogue. “I didn’t even know that Post-Industrial Math Grunge was a real genre before I came to the Safeway parking lot,” One such attendee stated when asked about his involvement with the growing scene. “But I know now. The Safeway parking lot has, like, educated me, you know? I’m not some poser who just goes to the Airport Tavern or something. This stuff is real.” There’s something for everyone at the Safeway parking lot, but only if you’re okay with getting unwittingly pulled into a mosh pit or listening to someone’s slam poetry set for an hour and a half. While it may be divisive, it’s something you won’t find anywhere else…until another Safeway parking lot someplace else starts to do the same thing. |
| Introducing… KUPS Journalism! We know you’re all wondering: Who are the gators behind this awesome and interesting KUPS newsletter? Look no further…it’s the Journalism team! Some of our responsibilities as a part of KUPS staff include, attending concerts and reporting on them (write-ups, reviews, concert photography), interviewing bands, covering on-campus KUPS events, creating content for our various social media accounts, and spreading the music journalism word by hosting events such as music documentary screenings. We thought we’d take a second to introduce ourselves so in the future, you know who’s sending you mysterious messages. Hillary (She/Her) Journalism Director Portland, OR Studying: SoAn Hobbies: RDG, Dragon Vale (level 78 btw), classic soul & post-punk music Music Recommendation: Hazel’s 1995 album “Are You Going to Eat That” or Richard Swift’s “The Hex” Frannie (She/Her) Journalism Intern Minneapolis, MN Hobbies: Taking walks around the neighborhood & asking people if she can pet their dogs Music Recommendation: Something Difficult by Helvetia or And I Wait by Mila Moon Katherine (She/Her) Journalism Intern Tacoma, WA Studying: Art History and German Hobbies: Thrifting on Antique Row, making nichely curated Spotify playlists, watching films directed by Wim Wenders and Alex Cox Music Recommendations: anything by The Jam, Public Image Ltd., or X Dom (They/Them) Journalism Intern San Diego, CA Studying: Molecular and Cellular Biology & Neuro Philosophy Hobbies: Cooking & baking, trying new coffee shops, and doing research on little critters Music/Book Recommendation: Diamond Eyes by The Deftones and Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang Lindy (She/Her) Journalism Intern Salem, OR Studying: Communication Studies and English Hobbies: Going to the Grand Cinema & writing Letterboxd reviews, journaling dramatically in an open field, and playing tennis Music Recommendation: Outstanding 12” Original Mix by The Gap Band |
KUPS "The Sound" 