Students left their afternoon classes to the sound of the weekend coming from the Sacramento State quad. They gathered to dance, sing and connect with each other, enjoying performances from local artists.

At the end of the night it was clear the music marathon wasn’t just a line up, but a chance for local artists to connect with the community. Organized by KSSU, the students saw performances from Tastes Like TV Static, Youthanasia, Rated R, Stallithescientist, Joe Lakota, Noah Genesis, Westcliffholt and The New Era from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m on Friday, March 13 during the Musical Madness Marathon.

As bands played in the library quad, the beat vibrated through the stone pavement surrounding the KSSU stage. Unique vocals, the sounds of electric guitars and large drums filled the fresh air on campus.

Music director and senior psychology student Daniela Torres Melendrez said that as a part of KSSU and The Hearth, she is passionate about local music and encourages students to be a part of it. Students can join KSSU, attend shows or even apply to perform.

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“Everything starts at college radio,” Torres Melendrez said. “We want to platform students; join KSSU, send us your music, come out to events. It helps us and helps us help students.”

What started as friends making playful tracks in a garage slowly turned into Rated R, a Sacramento duo featuring Treshon Bishop and Amias Bazemore. The group blends alternative Hip-Hop, trap and punk-adjacent energy into their performances. The band started producing music in October of 2025. Their most popular single “BUMP” was released December of 2025 and has 3,607 streams on Spotify.

“We’re still discovering our style,” Bishop said. “We just like to jump around, have fun and interact with our community.”

Throughout their set, the band pushed the crowd to join in, screaming lyrics back at them, jumping around the stage and matching the intensity. Rated R’s level of stage presence sets them apart from other local artists.

“If they weren’t sweaty by the end, they weren’t listening right,” Bazemore said.

Halfway through the performance, a dance battle broke out, where a student attempted a flip and took home a Rated R T-shirt.

Youthanasia, a local Sacramento band featuring Roderick Prince “James Johnson,” Sal Stinson “Stinnie” and Kyle Braswell “Phoebe,” also played for the KSSU Music Marathon. Their music style blends alt-rock, noise, DIY-punk energy and nostalgic American realism.

Prince explained how their band stands for the youth. From their music style to high energy performances, Youthanasia lives up to their words.

The group was formed by accident when a recruiter in Los Angeles asked them to play for a show, and they brainstormed songs on the spot.

“We straight up made eight songs in the matter of a week before our first show,” Prince said.

During their performance, the band leaned into raw, noisy energy, with Prince’s vocals cutting through the quad while Stinson and Braswell maintained the beat.

Students at the KSSU Musical Madness Marathon sing along with Youthanasia in the Sac State quad Friday, March 11, 2026. Their band blends rock and DIY punk, bringing high energy to the stage. (Photo by Kate Sanders)

Zackary Zenner, a senior computer science major at UC Davis talked about his experience as an audience member at KSSU’s Music Madness Marathon.

“The event is awesome. It’s a cool tradition you guys have here in Sacramento,” Zenner said.

Sac State freshman communications major Terrilyn Thiel, or better known as Stallithescientist, took the stage with unshakeable confidence. She applied to perform with the help of her DJ Matt Ortega, who is a part of KSSU.

Terrilyn Thiel, a freshman communications major also known as Stallithescientist, takes the stage Friday, March 11, 2026. She performed songs, like “juice!,” where the audience sang alongside her. (Photo by Chiara Karagianes)

“I write and record experimental rap, pop, hyper pop, R&B and a little bit of rock,” Thiel said. “My first official song, “heartbreak!,” came into play because of two of my friends. They told me I should start making music for real after a freestyle I did.”

As a performing music artist for about four years, a singer and dancer for as long as she can remember, Thiel has never been afraid to take a risk and take the stage.

“Do it. With music you only get better with each track, beat and vocal you do,” Thiel said. “Believe in you.”