“Cuba Libre Rising” Storms the Airwaves on Legendary KNAC and 128DB Pure Rock
All-star freedom anthem featuring Rudy Sarzo, Robert Sarzo, Jizzy Pearl and Robin Diaz, produced by Danny Saber, airs on the station that helped break Metallica and Guns N’ Roses
EDONA, Ariz. — October 24, 2026 — Zanna Records is proud to announce that “Cuba Libre Rising,” the rock anthem for freedom written by Gianluca “Luca” Zanna and recorded with a lineup of rock legends, has reached hard rock radio. The song aired on KNAC Pure Rock on Sunday, October 18 at 3:30 PM and on 128DB Pure Rock on Monday, October 19 at 9:30 AM during The AJ & RJ Show.
For a song born from the struggle of the Cuban people, landing on KNAC carries special meaning. Few call letters in American radio history stand for rock with more conviction, and few stations have done more to give a voice to artists the mainstream was not ready to hear.
KNAC: A Pure Rock Legend
KNAC’s story begins on 105.5 FM in Long Beach, California, where the station carried progressive rock as early as the late 1960s and later championed new wave, punk and roots rock in the early 1980s, helping fuel the thriving alternative scene in Long Beach and Orange County.
Its defining moment came on January 8, 1986. Iron Maiden had sold out four shows at the Long Beach Arena on the Powerslave tour with almost no radio support, proof that a huge audience was being ignored. KNAC answered by flipping to its now-legendary “Pure Rock” format, becoming the first major-market commercial station in the United States devoted entirely to hard rock and heavy metal.
Over the next nine years, KNAC gave airtime to unsigned and emerging bands alongside established heavyweights, and is credited with helping break Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Megadeth, Pantera, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden before they reached the mainstream. Its bumper stickers became a badge of honor across Southern California during the same hard rock era in which Rudy Sarzo was touring the world with Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot and Whitesnake.
KNAC left the FM dial on February 15, 1995, signing off with Metallica’s “Fade to Black.” But the Pure Rock spirit refused to die. In 1998, KNAC was reborn online at KNAC.COM, one of the first internet-only rock stations. Its legacy has been honored with induction into the Rock Radio Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Metal Hall of Fame in 2025, and in October 2025 the KNAC call letters returned to FM as Pure Rock KNAC, serving California’s High Desert along the Interstate 15 and 40 corridors to Las Vegas and Laughlin.
Four decades after it first gave hard rock a home, KNAC remains a byword for independence, attitude and loyalty to the music.
128DB Pure Rock and The AJ & RJ Show
The following morning, “Cuba Libre Rising” reached listeners on 128DB Pure Rock during The AJ & RJ Show, extending the song’s run on hard rock radio and introducing its message to a new audience of rock fans.
A Song for Freedom
“Cuba Libre Rising” is a new recording of “Cuba Libre / Exilio,” a song Zanna wrote in 2005 after it came to him in a dream of Cuban streets, protests and hungry children. Nearly two decades later, the original recording resurfaced organically on TikTok among Cuban activists, inspiring this new all-star version.
The track is dedicated to the Cuban people seeking freedom and to actor Tomas Milian. It carries a deeply personal story for bassist Rudy Sarzo and guitarist Robert Sarzo, brothers born in Havana who fled Castro’s Cuba as children in 1961. Rudy Sarzo is donating his entire performance fee to a non-profit organization.
“KNAC is the station that proved rock fans will always find the music that speaks the truth,” said Gianluca “Luca” Zanna, founder and CEO of Zanna Records. “Hearing ‘Cuba Libre Rising’ on those legendary call letters, and on 128DB Pure Rock the next morning, means this message of freedom is reaching exactly the people who understand what it means to fight for your voice. Thank you to every DJ who is spinning it.”
The radio support adds to a growing global footprint for Zanna Records, whose catalog has now been verified on 532 radio stations across 99 countries and territories.
Credits
Rudy Sarzo — Bass (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio)
Robert Sarzo — Guitar (Hurricane)
Jizzy Pearl — Lead Vocals
Robin Diaz — Drums
Ruben Martinez — Vocals (original 2005 singer)
Claudette Lyons — Background Vocals
Danny Saber — Producer
Gianluca “Luca” Zanna — Songwriter and Executive Producer
Eric Milos — Audio Engineer
Recorded July 27, 2026 at Clear Lake Recording Studio. Released worldwide August 20, 2026 on all digital platforms, in a Radio Edit and an Official Version.
Listen and Learn More
Stream “Cuba Libre Rising” on all major digital platforms. Photos, session videos and the full story behind the song: www.CubaLibreSong.com
About Zanna Records
Zanna Records is an independent record label founded in December 2022 by songwriter, producer and performer Gianluca “Luca” Zanna, who previously founded Contatto Discografico, Italy’s leading music trade magazine. The label’s catalog spans more than 200 original compositions across EDM, rock, classical and operatic styles, including the music of the EDM duo Luca and Claudette.
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