As bands played in the library quad, the beat vibrated through the stone pavement surrounding the KSSU<\/a> stage. Unique vocals, the sounds of electric guitars and large drums filled the fresh air on campus.<\/p>\n Music director and senior psychology student Daniela Torres Melendrez said that as a part of KSSU and The Hearth<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n RELATED: Get ready to fall in love with Bruno Mars\u2019 \u2018The Romantic\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEverything starts at college radio,\u201d Torres Melendrez said. \u201cWe want to platform students; join KSSU, send us your music, come out to events. It helps us and helps us help students.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201cBUMP<\/a>\u201d was released December of 2025 and has 3,607 streams on Spotify.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still discovering our style,\u201d Bishop said. \u201cWe just like to jump around, have fun and interact with our community.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019s level of stage presence sets them apart from other local artists.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they weren\u2019t sweaty by the end, they weren\u2019t listening right,\u201d Bazemore said.<\/p>\n Halfway through the performance, a dance battle broke out, where a student attempted a flip and took home a Rated R T-shirt.<\/p>\n Youthanasia, a local Sacramento band featuring Roderick Prince \u201cJames Johnson,\u201d Sal Stinson \u201cStinnie\u201d and Kyle Braswell \u201cPhoebe,\u201d also played for the KSSU Music Marathon. Their music style blends alt-rock, noise, DIY-punk energy and nostalgic American realism.<\/p>\n Prince explained how their band stands for the youth. From their music style to high energy performances, Youthanasia lives up to their words.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWe straight up made eight songs in the matter of a week before our first show,\u201d Prince said.<\/p>\n During their performance, the band leaned into raw, noisy energy, with Prince\u2019s vocals cutting through the quad while Stinson and Braswell maintained the beat.<\/p>\n Zackary Zenner, a senior computer science major at UC Davis talked about his experience as an audience member at KSSU\u2019s Music Madness Marathon.<\/p>\n \u201cThe event is awesome. It\u2019s a cool tradition you guys have here in Sacramento,\u201d Zenner said.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI write and record experimental rap, pop, hyper pop, R&B and a little bit of rock,\u201d Thiel said. \u201cMy first official song, \u201cheartbreak!,<\/a>\u201d came into play because of two of my friends. They told me I should start making music for real after a freestyle I did.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cDo it. With music you only get better with each track, beat and vocal you do,\u201d Thiel said. \u201cBelieve in you.\u201d<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Screenshot-2026-03-18-at-5.09.51-PM-600x400.png\")
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<\/a>)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/EMBED-1-2-1-600x400.jpg\")
Terrilyn Thiel, a freshman communications major also known as Stallithescientist, takes the stage Friday, March 11, 2026. She performed songs, like \u201cjuice!,\u201d where the audience sang alongside her. (Photo by Chiara Karagianes<\/a>)<\/p>\n