B8
April 7 - May 25, 2014 Volume 57, Issue 7
ARTS
The Southwestern College Sun
> REVIEW
Serina Duarte/ Staff
BLOOD ON THE TRACKS — Crystal Plascencia’s shocking photo “You Wouldn’t Understand” was a conversation starter.
ART: Show is a brilliant display of rich student talent Continued from Page B1
of three works named “Dream Collage” by Francisco Ros, a graphic image, exhibited a person caught in a fiery SunMoon hybrid and falling from an ocean in this dream world’s sky. “Big Brother” is an intriguing sculpture by Vida Mercado. This half face has but one eye, its left one, that is a rounded mirror. A handheld camera directly behind the eye records all it sees. The focus of this work is a small person who sits atop the bridge of the face’s nose, chained by its ankle and attached to the larger piece. “You Wouldn’t Understand,” an eyecatching photo by Crystal Plascencia, shows one woman in two different poses. Dressed in a black bra and shorts, she is covered in blood. In one position, she is crouched down on the ground, cell phone in her right hand, a gun in her other, pointed to her head. In a closer shot, her bloody hand reaches out in a call for help from the viewer. Sometimes some things only make sense to the artist. Sometimes we need time to reflect, like Don McLean’s “Vincent,” his tribute to van Gogh. “Now I think I know what you tried to say to me.”
Tough axe to follow By Mason Masis Online Editor
Two of the college’s best-kept secrets let the world know that the cat is officially out of the bag. Concertgoers were treated to a delightful double bill as the SWC Guitar Ensemble and Latin Jazz Band nearly caved in Mayan Hall with breakout performances. Ushers should have issued hard hats. Dr. Jorge Pastrana conducted a well-strung showcase of his bands and even sat in for a few bars to remind his students why he is called doctor. Pastrana’s Guitar Ensemble melded perfectly, playing with a tone and legato seldom heard from the world’s most misunderstood instrument. A running bass line was full and rich, though heard more than felt, which occasionally upturned the pyramid of sound. Rudy Marquez stole the show with his impressive solos throughout the evening, most notably his wicked jazz guitar solo during “Gentle Rain.” His acoustic sang like lightning with a sound that seemed to move the air through the theater. Pastrana joined in shadowing Marquez to evolve the solo into a memorable duet. “Trio Facil for Trois Guitares” by
Leonhard von Call showcased the bands’ technical guitar skills and attention to direction. It had a tough act to follow by the Latin Jazz Band sang, jammed and burned the house down. “Chega de Saude” featured vocalists Sandra Baker and Alan Luna singing in English and Portuguese, seamlessly blending Caribbean-inflected jazz with Brazilian master. It was as Frank Sinatra meets Desi Arnez. Alto saxophonist Alfredo López, guest tenor saxophonist David Castel de Oro, and trumpeters Mike Garcia and Patrick Moreno were featured soloists who created original art on the spot while respectfully honoring the greats who had come before. “Land of Make Believe” by Chuck Mangione brought some funk and fun to the performance and capped the night with a reminder that jazz, in all its vast forms, is music that belongs to the musicians shared with the audience. Pastrana’s students did the most important thing musicians can do and sent the audience out into the evening air dancing and singing. Moreover, they sent a message to the college’s more well-known ensembles – clear some space at the head table, cats, we’ve arrived.
John Domogma/Staff
HAIL CESAR— Cesar Carrillo rips through a solo over the steady beat of Roberto Melara.
Superstar anthropology professor is the doc who rocks Interested in plays, music, art galleries?
By Aydan Lopez Assistant Online Editor
Dr. Erin Browder rocks. Literally. And rocks hard. Browder is the Clark Kent of college professors, mild-mannered anthropology teacher by day, rock star at night. Her colleagues profess to being in awe, including SWC Anthropology Professor Dr. Maria Jelaca-Tavakoli, her former student and mentee. Browder, she said, is a top-flight anthropologist. “I think she’s amazing,” Jelaca-Tavakoli said. “She’s got excellent training and learned from some of the best in her field. She’s one of the best professors I have ever had.” Browder also has considerable musical chops, said Jelaca-Tavakoli. “She’s great, I have no idea how she does it,” Jelaca-Tavakoli said. “Usually people begin to falter in one singular area, but she hasn’t lagged in either of her jobs. Each job keeps growing and blossoming in quality.” Browder graduated from Bonita Vista High and attended California Polytechnical University at Pomona where she pursued animal science as her major. She said she was not exactly sure what she wanted as a career until she had taken her first anthropology courses. “I knew I wanted to study,” she said. “At the time it was hard to choose. I love animals, so I thought I wanted to be a veterinarian, but careers are sometimes just serendipity.” Browder transferred to UC Berkeley where she earned a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Ph.D. in anthropology. She began working for Southwestern College shortly after and soon landed a professorship. During her time as a college student she started playing the cello for fun. “When I got into music, I perfected my skills with the cello and loved the sound,” she said. Browder said she played classical cello music for personal enjoyment. A chance encounter with high school acquaintance Drew Douglas changed
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FOR SHE’S A JOLLY GOOD CELLO — Cellist Dr. Erin Browder jams with grampadrew at the North Park Festival of the Arts.
that. Douglas, the lead singer of the band Grampadrew, told her about his dream band. “I casually mentioned that my ideal band would have a cellist instead of bass,” Douglas said. “She told me she used to play but was out of practice. I pretty much told her on the spot that she should get in shape to play, because as far as I was concerned she was already in my band.” Douglas said he had many mutual friends who knew Browder since high school but did not get to know her well until she joined the band. “It just seems like she has always been out on the periphery of my life somehow until we finally partnered up to make
music,” he said. Douglas said playing alongside Browder has been a breath of fresh air. He had performed as a solo artist for years, he said, but could not shake the chill of working alone. “That can be a lonely feeling,” he said. “Before that I had left music entirely because having a band is like having four girlfriends. That kind of drama and tension can fuel some bands creatively, but more often than not it is a tiresome distraction from the process of making music.” Grampadrew’s sound is a mixture of country, punk, indie rock and folk. Browder herself did not exactly know what to call the band’s genre, but she said
it was most comparable to Americana. Joining was an adjustment she said. Douglas agreed. “Being classically trained and playing contemporary music are very different beasts,” Douglas said. “I’m stylistically all over the place, but none of it is classical so I keep her on her toes.” Browder continues to dig through history via anthropology and continues to dig the future through her music. She and the band play gigs throughout the county, and she continues to inspire students in her anthropology classes. Grampadrew will play soon at The Tin Can May 30. Browder will hand out diplomas on June 3. Both gigs are music to her ears.
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