Fall 2018 - Vol. 4 Issue 1

LOGOS

ISSUE

1

VOL . 4 FALL 2018

FIGHT TO BE A SPORT

CITRUS CHEER CLUB REFUSE TO SIT and watch from THE STANDS PAGE 18

TRAVELING TROUBADOUR

Joe Beck traveled across the Globe with Music on his Mind PAGE 30

TRAVEL

ADVENTURES FROM MEXICO, IRELAND AND NEW YORK STATE PAGE 41

NEW SOLIDARITY

FEMINISM REDEFINES ITSELF PAGE 36

+ MORE

contents CULTURE 12 Yours and Mine Cafe: Generous Portions of the Bagel Variety 22 Metamodernism: The New Youth Philosophy 41 Travel: Adventures from Mexico, Ireland and New York State 58 Rathskellar: Pasadena’s Hidden Themed Bar 61 Contribution Maze

PROFILES 14 Over the Rainbow: Andrew Penarubia, the Boy who Lived 26 Almost Famous: A Weekend with Sola Luna 30 Traveling Troubadour: Joe Beck Traveled Across the Globe with Music on His Mind 54 Sensing Rhythm: Johnny Muñoz, Visually Impaired with an Ear for Music

NEWS 07 Student or Parent? Lack of Funding Towards Parent Programs Thwart Students’ Futures 18 Fight to be a Sport: Citrus Cheer Refuse to Watch from the Stands 38 Last Life: Suicide Challenges Gain Traction on the Internet

OPINION 10 Top Favorite Albums of the Year 36 New Solidarity: Feminism Redefines Itself 58 Geeks Play Dress Up

Volume 4 Issue 1

ISSUE

1

letter from the editor

FALL 2018 VOLUME 4 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Xela Quintana MANAGING EDITOR Alana Daly O’Brien PHOTO EDITOR Liandra Thibodeaux SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Matthew Smith WEB EDITOR Charity Wang ART DIRECTOR Michael Quintero STAFF WRITERS Malcolm Castelli Adriana Martinez Amy Payne Giselle Vargas CONTRIBUTORS Sayedah Mosavi Erik Adams ADVISER Amber Durfield Logos is produced by communications students and is distributed once a semester. Views expressed herein do not represent those of the adviser, faculty, administration, Associated Students of Citrus College or the Citrus College Board of Trustees. © 2018 Logos Magazine.

All rights reserved.

contact:

Tel 626.914.8586

Logos Magazine 1000 W. Foothill Blvd TC123 Glendora, CA 91741 Printed By American Foothill Publishing 1111 Address Way Sunland, CA 91111 Cover Image Joe Beck by Priscilla Medina

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ello, all. My name is Xela Quintana. This is my second semester with the Logos staff but my first serving as editorin-chief. The experience has taught me so much about myself and journalism.

Logos is a creative platform, and I was honored to be chosen for this lucrative position. It is an experience like no other. We pitch our own ideas. We research, write and ultimately design all layouts. We will never have that level of creative freedom and opportunity with any other newspaper or magazine.

For so long, my personal goal was to create beautiful and thought provoking content. I believe with this issue of Logos, I have reached that goal. I wanted to explore our Citrus community and open our doors to feature its members and their content.

Logos was blessed with a large staff this semester, which filled the magazine with wondrous stories that developed over months of research. Four separate feature profiles fit our “Face the Music” theme, and we have three in-depth news stories as well.

A coincidental run-in with a maze making enthusiast provided for a last page puzzle.

As editor I changed the structure of our deadlines, foregoing an online edition to focus on the end of semester best-of issue. Weekly postings of online stories ensured that we would have many to choose from once deadline was upon us.

Johnny Muñoz is a visually impaired DJ. Andrew Penarubia is a proficient musician who survived a life-altering crisis. Joe Beck is a guitar riffing, beat producing talent. Sola Luna spent a weekend in Fresno and allowed us to peer into their on-the-road lifestyle.

They are all part our Citrus community, and we would never have learned from the wisdom that life has provided them had student journalists not taken it upon themselves to tell their stories. More importantly, we benefit because these musicians were willing to share in the first place.

The Logos staff was truly inspiring this semester, and I leaned heavily on their dedication. We learned by trial and error, understanding that clear communication was required for a steady pace to move forward.

This semester was filled with challenges, but has been the smoothest

ever. Filling the new position of a photo editor, Liandra Thibodeaux created a bridge between the staff and photojournalist students. Our social media manager Matthew Smith was diligent with student outreach, and we watched our follower count steadily grow.

My managing editor, Alana Daly O’Brien, is the most proficient copy editor student publications has ever seen. Lastly web editor, Charity Wang completely updated and redesigned the layout of the Logos site, making it both user-friendly and fun.

The work of this magazine is largely independent and values the selfdisciplined and self-motivated. I have seen students blossom into journalists, some never having written anything other than assigned essays. As I have grown, the most humbling part of this experience has been bearing witness to the growth of my team. Thank you for your hard work.

Sincerely,

Xela Quintana Editor-in-Chief xquintana@logosmagazine.com

fall 2018 logos staff

reader meet author

alana daly o’Brien Alana Daly O’Brien is the Managing Editor for Logos. Former Copy Editor of the spring issue, she has worked with the magazine for a year and enjoys helping writers reach their potential. When not reading or editing, she can be found in an apron tending her herb garden and cooking new dishes.

Daly O’Brien enjoys creating her own recipes and is working on a book of essays and recipes inspired by her life and exploration of new ingredients.

She quietly married in June and visited Ireland for her honeymoon this summer, detailing her and her husband’s travels in this issue.

liandra thibodeaux Liandra Thibodeaux is a photography and psychology major at Citrus College. This is her first time as a staff member for Logos. When not running around campus or working, you can find her hanging out with friends or immersed in one of her many hobbies such as belly dancing, watching movies, volunteering at the local animal shelter and hiking.

In the future, she hopes to open up a studio and art gallery of her own.

Thibodeaux is very passionate about the things she does and is very grateful for all of the opportunities that have come her way through Citrus College.

Charity Wang Charity Wang is the Web Editor for Logos Magazine and its sister publication, The Citrus College Clarion. This is her first semester in Logos.

She was a psychology major, but changed it to communications and journalism after she realized that she failed to remember what “cognitive dissonance” was.

She occasionally draws editorial cartoons for the Clarion. In her free time, she plays video games on PC such as World of Warcraft, Maplestory 2 and Elder Scrolls Online. In the future she plans to work for either Blizzard Entertainment or Riot Games as a concept artist while working as a freelance streamer reviewing video games.

Matthew Smith Matthew Smith is a sophomore staff writer and Social Media Manager for Logos Magazine. His passion for music and love of people has driven him to contribute to the creative history of Citrus College. In the future, he hopes to own and operate his own jazz bar.

One of his proudest accomplishments is becoming the Southern California Representative for the Journalism Association of Community Colleges.

As a studio musician and veteran performer, Matthew is grateful for and appreciates writing about the artistic community at Citrus College.

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fall 2018 logos staff

Malcolm castelli Malcolm Castelli is a student journalist at Citrus and a first time staff member for Logos Magazine. A writer since a young age, his goal is to eventually become a Pulitzer Prize-winning author while serving the community.

As a Logos writer, Malcolm hopes to bring the campus thoughtful and relevant content that makes them proud to be a student at Citrus. Outside of his work, the student journalist likes to listen to hip-hop and metal music, play role-playing video games and travel the world.

adriana martinez Adriana Martinez is a freshman at Citrus College studying music and journalism. She is a first-time writer for Logos Magazine. She attended the Cosmetology program at Citrus College right after high school before taking general classes.

Her dream is to work for Alternative Press and pursue her music career.

Outside of class, you can find her editing playlists on Spotify, going to concerts, painting, hanging out with friends and family, playing guitar, recording covers and songwriting.

Michael Quintero Michael Quintero is the Managing Editor for Citrus College Clarion this semester. He is a journalism and communication major who will be transferring to Cal State Fullerton in the spring as a journalism major.

His dream is to run his own magazine about whatever comes to mind.

Outside of school, he enjoys attending concerts, surfing and playing video games.

giselle vargas Giselle Vargas is a first-time staff writer at Logos. A journalism and communications major, she is excited to share her stories with the Citrus community.

Vargas plans to transfer to a four-year university to pursue her dream of becoming a storyteller. Vargas has dreamt of becoming a journalist since elementary school. Vargas is also a former runner from the Citrus Cross Country team.

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Student or

News

Student mothers of Citrus face the choice between their education, their children and personal well-being.

Parent?

TEXT BY: GISELLE VARGAS ILLUSTRATIONS BY: XELA QUINTANA

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ublic two-year colleges are reported by The Institute For Women’s Policy Research to enroll the largest share of student-parents totaling 30 percent of the total community college body, yet healthy lactation accommodations for new mothers is not always available.

Citrus College does not provide a lactation room to accommodate students, professors and staff members that are new mothers.

Breast pumping and breastfeeding in public is not a convenient option, due to the social stigma society expresses.

Breast pumping is a women’s health matter. When a woman’s breasts are full, it can be painful and cause engorgement. Breastfeeding USA states that pumping can relieve the pain.

“You can’t even concentrate, ‘cause the pain is really hard to deal with,” said Marilou Martinez, 28, an administration of justice and correctional science major.

Being unable to breastfeed or pump routinely can produce engorments that could lead to mastitis.

Mastitis is a bacterial infection with symptoms including fever, breast swelling, skin redness and pain or a continuous burning sensation while breastfeeding, states the continued >> Mayo Clinic.

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News

It can also affect the amount of milk a woman produces, disrupting the baby’s feeding cycle.

“So that’s another issue, too. Your body is not going to make as much, just ‘cause you are not constantly feeding your baby or pumping it out,” Martinez said.

California Assembly Bill 2785 states that California Community Colleges and California State Universities are required to give access to a private and secure room for lactation. The accommodations must be implemented no later than Jan 1, 2020.

“I’m sure we comply with all federal and state laws … When you build a facility like (the Health Center), it has to meet specific requirements before you can get the permit to build it,” said Dean of Students Dr. Maryann Tolano-Leveque.

Citrus no longer has designated lactation accommodations.

Vice President of Student Services Dr. Martha McDonald did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.

“A student who is just out of high school and still choosing to pay to go to this college should get a little support. [My] counselor also said that if I couldn’t manage it, then the program or Citrus isn’t for me,” said Samantha Lopez, 18, a nursing major.

Lactating students must be provided a reasonable amount of time to breastfeed or pump. Private, sanitary and convenient lactation accommodations should be available whenever a student is on campus.

“At the end of it all, feeding my daughter is what is more important to me than how someone feels about me pumping,” said Lopez.

Others struggle to adapt without any designated area meant for feeding and pumping.

“Wake up a bit earlier, do it before you come to school, then you have to limit your classes,” Martinez said. “‘Cause I don’t really see where you can do that on campus, unless you go to the restroom. That is very unsanitary.”

Faculty try to aid student mothers individually in order to accommodate their needs while the administration finds a formal solution. “(A student) almost dropped out of college because of it,” said Shelley Hanh of the Child Development, Social and Behavioral Sciences department. “When (Sam Lee, Dean of Language Arts, pulled) through finding a location for her pumping, it actually encouraged her to be able to stay in school.”

CalWORKS is the only program on campus that specifically provides student-parent support with a support group available exclusively for those eligible.

The county program provides advice, information and tips on a variety of topics related to parenting over the semester.

They even provide their offices for feeding or pumping student mothers.

“It’s a safe place if they want to come in to breastfeed their child,” Lelaine Arredondo, a CalWORKS counselor said. “We can create that space for them.”

These CalWORKS installations are available for CalWORKS students alone. To be part of the program, you must be a parent referred by the county receiving services such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Mother of a 7-year-old and business major Rita Ramirez, 31, said that the program’s eligibility requirements do not allow all student-parents to have access to the information it freely provides.

“I have never seen any other way of getting that

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News

information to students,” said Ramirez.

Those ineligible for the program are left with few resources.

“Everybody here is young, and you don’t want to be sitting and just start pumping out your milk,” said Marilou Martinez, 28, an administration of justice and correctional science major.

“People are going to be like, what is this person doing?”

The only private places mothers on campus have to pump or anything related are their cars, campus medical rooms or athletic locker rooms.

“If you think about it, some moms don’t drive themself to school, so they have no choice (and) have to pump wherever they are,” said Lopez.

The Health Center in the Student Services building provides medical rooms that can be used for breastfeeding and pumping.

“If there isn’t anyone using any of the rooms ... they can allow a nursing mother in to breastfeed,” TolanoLeveque said.

Breastfeeding or breast pumping needs to be in a safe and sanitary area that works with the mother’s schedule.

“They will only let you use them if the room is unoccupied. What are the chances of you even getting a chance to sit there and pump your milk?” said Martinez. “‘Cause what if you have a class or something, and you have to be late to your class.”

Many mothers do not know about the breastfeeding and pumping services the Health Center provides, or feel it is not sanitary enough to breastfeed.

“I’ve never heard of the medical room being an option,” Lopez said. “When I originally talked to the counselors at Citrus, I asked about childcare and where I could pump and they said they don’t provide either.”

Ramirez feels the Health Center would be a “terrible” to feed or pump because it is a medical room where sick students are treated.

“There was no help here. There was no daycare. There was nothing here, so I had to drop out,” Martinez said.

Citrus College used to have a child care program available for students, faculty, staff and even community members.

It provided parenting education, covering “how to discipline their kids, child learning style or nutrition cooking,” said Hanh.

The old service had a variety of programs for children of different ages with the purpose of taking

“At the end of it all, feeding my daughter is what is more important to me than how someone feels about me pumping.” care of children in the Citrus College community, also providing a space where mothers could breastfeed and breast pump in peace in the nap room.

“If Citrus has a childcare program, it would be a little easier to go to school and breast feed, since that’s what I want to do,” said Lopez.

The program was closed due to a lack of funds from the state and federal government during the 2008 recession.

“It was a tough decision because it meant so much to many people, but it was using so much of our reserve,” Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Arvid Spor said.

Maintaining the program required around $600,000 a year from the general funding reserve.

“The infant center was a model program. There was only six or seven, I think, through the state of California that got the privilege to be called (a) demonstrated program,” said Lakisha Simpson from the Faculty, Child Development and Behavioral Sciences department. “(People came) from all over– different countries, different states– all over, to see how they implemented the response of care approach,” she continued.

Cynthia Cross, a professor of English as a second language, said it was convenient and worth it. Students were able to receive discounted rates while faculty paid full price for the the child care program.

“Just a sanitary, private place will be a great thing. I know that’s a big issue; why moms end up having to dropout of school, because they have to breastfeed their kids,” Martinez said.

“You are always going to choose your kid.” L

SAMANTHA LOPEZ Nursing major

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opinion

Favorite Album TEXT BY: ERIK ADAMS AND MICHAEL QUINTERO

“I Loved You At Your Darkest” Behemoth Black Metal “You Think You’re Comic” Gus Dapperton Indie Pop The New York native first blew up on the scene in 2017 when releasing “Yellow and Such.” In February, he did not disappoint with his latest EP titled “You Think You’re a Comic!”

The EP is only four songs, but the diversity and songwriting of Dapperton makes it one of the best albums of the year.

Since Dapperton exploded on the scene, his take on new indie rock mixed with synth-pop has been a breath of fresh air.

“You Think You’re a Comic!” has an ‘80s feel, with a distinct, raspy vocal range coming from a skinny 21-year-old artist. As for song arrangements, the keys on each track sell the sound and creativity, bringing the electronic-pop with a vocal arrangement similar to King Krule.

“You Think You’re a Comic!” brings a jazzy upbeat tempo with the hit song “Prune, You Talk Funny” but also brings a dramatic depression feel with other tracks on such as “I Have Lost My Pearls.” This EP brings out emotion with each track, coming from Dapperton’s distinct rasp and erie vocals that scream originality.

“You Think You’re a Comic!” leaves a hole in the heart wanting more, but with his songwriting ability Dapperton will become a household name in no time.

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With punishing intensity, “I Loved You At Your Darkest” leaves its lasting impression upon its audience by demanding an emotional response.

Stoic guitar melodies are interwoven effortlessly amid bouts of bludgeoning fury and snarled vocal performances.

Chanted male choir passages on tracks like “Bartzabel” and “Ecclesia Diabolica Catholica,” further declare the call for that aforementioned visceral cooperation between listener and music.

The sporadic, recurring sound of children chanting anti-Christian phrases throughout the album is undoubtedly unconventional, but in the opening track “Solve” the children enthusiastic chant, “Living God! I shall not forgive! Jesus Christ! I forgive thee not!” and it makes sense.

The intense, dark embrace of this record is something difficult to achieve in the way Behemoth has, which, when paired with the band’s striking visual factor, will leave an indelible mark on metal music.

“Sweetener” Ariana Grande Pop There is something about “Sweetener” that doesn’t quite sit right– in the best way, of course. A slight dissonance is present in many scenes of the album.

Examples of this dissonance can be found in “Borderline,” “The Light Is Coming,” and most notably the title track “Sweetener.” Pharrell Williams makes his mark as one of the album’s more prolific producers in these songs.

The production of this album is much of what gives the songs their creative flare. Ariana Grande’s soaring vocal performance and soulfully flirtatious attitude paired with the disjointed synth melodies of songs like the title track form a strange, precarious bond.

In the best way possible, “Sweetener” sounds like a very interesting mess at times but otherwise is beautiful and lush throughout.

The tracks produced by Ilya and Max Martin (e.g. “Breathin,” “Everytime,” and “No Tears Left to Cry”) act as more traditionally structured, grandiose pop songs.

This is not to say that Ilya or Martin’s parts of the album are in any way trite or overstated. Rather they are graciously textured, catchy nuggets of sonic stability among Pharrell’s wonderfully off-kilter tracks.

One of the best aspects of this album is the lack of filler. For a pop album, this is outstanding. Almost every song seems purposeful with consistent levels of creativity.

opinion

ms of the Year “Livingsucks” Bones Rap In 2013, the underground rapper Bones blew up on the scene when he released “Scumbag” and “Paidprogramming.”

The young Michigan-raised rapper has a different feel compared to most the underground rappers, with his unordinary beats and jumping form a fast-paced rap to his monotone voice.

“Livingsucks,” released in August, is just another well-written album from Bones. He undoubtedly has some of the best producers in the scene producing for him time and time again.

This is the second album released by Bones this year, and under the name he has released 35 albums since 2012.

Bones continues to release new material every year, but sticks to his roots with the depressive monotone sound he puts out. The diversity of his writing creatively tells stories about his lifestyle, along with talking smack about other mainstream rappers for selling out.

Bones continues this in “Livingsucks,” and without question his sound is like no other rapper with his dark sound. The 16-song album “Livingsucks” shows off his talents and distinct beats yet again in another album added to his discography.

“Collapse” Aphex Twin Electronic

“Soy Pablo” Boy Pablo Indie Rock This is the second album by Boy Pablo, and “Soy Pablo” takes a huge step in the right direction for the young Norwegian. “Soy Pablo” is a poppy, catchy album filled with guitar riffs similar to a Mac Demarco.

The whole album has a recurring theme of falling in love, referencing relationships of his own. Beyond the lyrics, the music is written in a way that no one can really tell a lot of these songs are sad love songs, with the exception of “Sick Feeling” and “Limitado.”

Boy Pablo shows off his vocal range especially well in the chorus section and bridges of songs like “Feeling Lonely” and “T-shirt.”

“Soy Pablo” is overall a well-composed album that will take the young songwriter far in the scene he is in competing with the surf rock and surf pop genre that has blown up in the last couple years.

“Collapse” delivers the twisted, glitchy signature electronic music that has been missing from Richard D. James’ recent catalog.

James, the man behind the moniker Aphex Twin, delves into a synthesis of his haunting synthesizer sequences and spastic drum patterns.

The EP’s rigidly chaotic opener “T69 collapse” offers a reminiscence of his earlier works, which were often filled with pummeling splices of sound sometimes reaching the point of cacophony.

Low, ominous synth passages throughout “Collapse” exist entirely synced to James’ wide array of drum samples, firing off with little regard for direction. Tracks like “1st 44” and “abundance10edit[2R8’s, FZ20m & a 909]” exhibit James’ flirtation with Chicago-style footwork music.

The song “pthex” is an dark, synthy ender that wraps up the release, leaving listeners wanting to circle back to “T69 collapse.” His subtle openness as an artist on “Collapse” is a gentle reminder that Aphex Twin’s level of pioneering experimentation is still expansive and unmatched by others in his genre.

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Culture Breakfast is displayed on October 26, 2018 at Yours and Mine Cafe and Bakery. The cafe also serves brunch and lunch.

The Bagel and Lox sandwich is presented on the table on Oct. 26 at Yours and Mine Cafe and Bakery.

It is a great mix of salty and creamy.

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Culture

Yours and Mine Cafe Classic bagel eatery in Covina provides rustic environment and filling food. i idden down College Street in Downtown Covina exists an adorable little cafe with wooden tables, artsy decor and a cozy welcoming environment.

Yours & Mine Cafe and Bakery is a wonderful place to go for breakfast, brunch and lunch.

They have variety of foods to suit most people's dietary needs, such as vegetarian and pescatarian options, paired with affordable prices.

The location can be easy to miss due to being tucked away between a tanning salon and a parking structure.

Among the many items on the menu were a few things that really stood out to me.

The Ultimate Bagel breakfast sandwich consists of an egg cooked to the customer’s liking, smooth cream cheese, juicy tomato, sweet and crunchy onion and earthy avocado.

The crispy bacon and jalapeños add just the right amount of spice and saltiness, bringing all of the flavors together on a toasted bagel.

This sandwich costs only $6.99 and is my favorite item on the menu thus far. It was the first thing I tried, and I find myself ordering this when I decide against trying something new.

The Ultimate Bagel is not only flavorful, it is also enough food for me to eat half and be able to enjoy the other half later on in the day, depending on my appetite.

The Bagel and Lox is a fishy breakfast option. The bitterness of the capers provides a balance to the creaminess of the smoky salmon and cream cheese, presented on a toasted bagel with salty tomato and crunchy onion.

This is the most expensive item on the menu at $10.99, but they are not stingy with the amount of salmon served.

A great after-workout meal is the Protein sandwich. Although a bit plain, the sliced boiled egg, ham, turkey and avocado on toasted wheat bread

H

The strawberry lemonade is homemade on October 26,2018 at Yours and Mine Cafe and Bakery.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: LIANDRA THIBODEAUX

provides the right amount of postworkout protein and carbs to help repair, maintain and grow muscle.

Though it may come off as dull since it lacks condiments and vegetables, it is not tasteless. The meats provide a savory flavor to the wheat bread.

Yours & Mine offers a variety of drinks, but the one that calls out to me is the in-house prepared strawberry lemonade.

This beverage makes me to return to the quiet little cafe. It is the right balance between bitter, sweet and sour and its presentation in a mason jar with strawberries is very homey. adding to its appeal.

A complete meal should cost you anywhere from $7 to $14. This is definitely a good factor when trying to eat out healthier and on a budget.

The affordable prices come with one unfortunate problem. The Address: servers are kind 132 E College St, and welcoming, Covina, CA 91723 but service can Hours: be a bit slow, Monday- Saturday: especially on 8am-2pm busier weekend Sunday: 9am- 1pm days.

I have waited anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes to receive even the breakfast bagel, which can be discouraging. The food is well worth the wait.

There are a few places nearby to visit after eating or while waiting for your order. Many hobby, vintage and book shops are on the Citrus cross street.

These include the Antique Emporium, Rare Books, Covina Hobby, Fashion Upholstery and a few pawn shops.

There is a nice park down the way called Heritage Plaza to relax. On Friday evenings, there is a farmer’s market held here for everyone to enjoy.

The good food, affordable prices and location makes Yours & Mine a great place to start a day out before going to explore the rest of Downtown Covina. L FALL 2018 | LOGOS | 13

Profile

Over the Rainbow With an unwavering smile, Andrew Penarubia meets every day with optimism and ukelele in tow.

TEXT BY: MATTHEW SMITH PHOTOS BY: LIANDRA THIBODEAUX

Communications major Andrew Penarubia overcomes adversity with a smile.

The distance from the Owl Cafe to the Performing Arts Building is less than one mile. Within that brief walk, Andrew Penarubia, 22, stops to greet 36 other students whom he has met during his time at Citrus.

Penarubia was born with an Arteriovenous Malformation, an abnormal tangling of blood vessels in the brain.

AVMs are a hereditary genetic condition.

Other members of the Penarubia family, including his grand-uncle and great-aunt, have also had AVMs and did not survive.

At age 7 the AVM ruptured, causing a stroke. He was rushed to the hospital after collapsing during a family gathering at his cousin’s house.

The American Stroke Association reports that “brain AVMs occur in less than one percent of the general population. It is estimated that about one in 2,000–5,000 people may have an AVM.” While the risk of death from a hemorrhage is fairly low, patients are more likely to sustain permanent brain damage from a ruptured AVM. His family knew his chances of survival were slim.

Penarubia explained that the doctors “basically gave up on me. My blood pressure was over 200…I was vomiting, and I couldn’t see through my left eye.”

The situation was looking grim, but his family was not ready to give up. The only potential solution was for him to receive a craniotomy to relieve the immense pressure from the buildup of blood in his head.

“If in 72 hours the blood returned, I wouldn’t be here now,” Penarubia says

with a reflective grin on his face.

His mother Annabelle Penarubia, 57, was by his side the whole time.

“We spent a week at the Huntington Medical Center in Pasadena. Then we transferred to Kaiser and he was there to recover and then we spent six weeks in the Rehab Center of Children’s Hospital in [Los Angeles],” says Annabelle Penarubia.

His family created a network of prayer between friends, relatives and those who knew his story. Having family from the Philippines, Europe and the Americas, Penarubia jokes that his story “went global.”

After two months in the hospital, Penarubia was able to go home.

Today, he is partially paralyzed in the left side of his body. He currently undergoes physical and occupational therapy and regularly receives botox injections to relax the muscles in his arm and fingers.

Penarubia jokes that “I came out alright because I couldn’t be all left.”

Throughout the years, he has become a proficient musician who can play piano, harmonica, ukulele, guitar and trumpet using only his right arm and hand.

Inspired and taught by his father, Penarubia developed his own unique techniques for maneuvering these twohanded instruments with his right side only.

When playing the ukulele, Penarubia lays the instrument down across his lap and strums with his thumb while his fingers hold the chords. This is quite the feat for any musician, but he manages to make this practice seem effortless.

Musicians like Stevie Wonder and Bruno Mars inspire Penarubia to be who he is today.

continued >>

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Profile Penarubia on Sept. 25 in the practice room of the Recording Technology building. He frequents this building and has many friends here.

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Profile Penarubia plays his ukulele with one hand on Sept. 25 in the practice room of the Recording Technology building.

He often carries his instrument with him around campus.

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Profile

“I want everyone to have a nice day, even if they block me out.”

Their passion and charisma despite adversity in life resonates with him and give him a more positive outlook on his circumstance.

Johnny Muñoz, 22, is a close friend of Penarubia’s. The two met in the Campus Center, and Muñoz was immediately impressed by the sound of Penarubia playing ukulele but was initially unaware that the ukulele was being played with only one hand.

As a visually impaired student, Muñoz can relate to the experience of living with disabilities.

“He inspires me. His disability doesn’t stop him from doing what he wants to do,” says Muñoz.

Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s “Over the Rainbow” is one of Penarubia’s favorite songs to perform, featuring a single vocalist and ukulele. The nature of the song is triumphant and hopeful, much like himself.

In a practice room of the Performing Arts building, Penarubia broke into song by playing Phil Collins’ “You’ll Be In My Heart.”

His voice echoed through the music room with all the color of his vibrant personality.

Through nervous energy he sang, “Come stop your crying, it’ll be alright, Just take my hand and hold it tight.”

Penarubia plans to use his communications degree to become a motivational speaker.

“Andrew is a very resilient kid, and lives his life with gratitude knowing that God has given him a second chance at life,” says his mother Annabelle Penarubia.

He thoroughly enjoys making people smile, and this is apparent as he walks around campus greeting nearly everyone within his vicinity.

Penarubia jokes that it often takes him hours to walk across campus because he has to greet everyone he sees.

He has invested in his own philosophy that “the people that surround you affect how you think” and he aims to surround everyone he can with his cheerful energy, hoping that it will affect them for the better.

Not everyone he encounters has the same enthusiasm that he has shown to them. Often his warm greetings are met with a cold shoulder.

“I want everyone to have a nice day, even if they block me out,” Penarubia said.

He maintains his theory that positivity put into the community and those around you will always be returned, even if it is not directly. L

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News TEXT BY: CHARITY WANG AND MATTHEW SMITH PHOTOS BY: SAMMANTHA REYES

Citrus Cheer team continues to push for accreditation for club to become sport.

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This is Citrus Cheer, and their smiles belie a long struggle to be regarded as a sport under campus restrictions. They are considered a club instead.

Every Tuesday, they practice their routines. Every football game, they are ready to boost the morale of the players and the crowd. Every basketball game, they are distinguished from the crowd by their uniformity in white apparel.

With bow ties pinned to their ponytails, they firmly grip their orange

and blue pompoms and always show a smile.

Cheer was a registered sport at Citrus in the past, and the current members have gone to great lengths to get cheer instated in the athletics department.

Cheer Club captain and psychology major Fatima Sanchez, 20, and co-captain and communications major Naomi Gonzales, 19, are the successors to the movement of making cheer a sport.

Both women have been in Citrus Cheer for two years. Sanchez has been cheerleading since she was 4 years old, while Gonzales participated in dance during high school.

Citrus Cheer club members look toward the stadium’s field during the Men’s soccer game vs Victor Valley on Oct. 12. Photograph by Charity Wang

Because cheer is not considered a sport within Citrus College, everything they do is self-funded.

Uniforms can cost anywhere from $150 to $200, a bill falling entirely on members to pay.

This only covers the basics of the outfit: a shell top, skirt and underliners.

Other accessories like pompoms and bows are an additional cost, ranging from $5 to $10.

Cheer club member and psychology major Mckaylen Raines, 19, said “(Sanchez and Gonzales) have to basically break off their arm to give it to pay for stuff, which none of us should be having to deal with in order to be a part of this.”

There has also been discussion among the cheer team about not continuing, due to the high fees and delays in receiving their uniforms.

Uniforms are not the only expense.

Traveling to away games is done using personal vehicles and the girls’ own funds, going as far as San Diego and Santa Barbara.

“I forgot where the other one is at, but it was a three hour drive,” Sanchez said of the Santa Barbara event. Only four women attended. “(Other teams) have a lot of things that we don’t have. Like for away games, we don’t have a bus or whatever they get to get them from point A to point B, there and back,” Raines said.

They travel via carpool, and whoever is available goes by themselves to represent the Citrus Owls. They are responsible for their own gas expenses and are not reimbursed for it.

Other sports, such as football and softball, travel via buses or vans to their away games.

“The boys get free transportation, and we get left with the short end of the stick,” Gonzales said.

Despite the trials of existing as a team functioning as a club, the women still hold their excitement about being a part of the squad.

As a club, the cheer team must follow the rules and restrictions of the Inter Club Council. Article IV, section 5 of the Associated Students of Citrus College/ICC Club Constitution states that a representative of a club must attend every ICC meeting.

Last semester, the Citrus Cheer team was deactivated for not attending any ICC meetings.

“We were just members, so we didn’t

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know what it took to put the club together. Our captain at the time didn’t attend three ICC meetings, and our club was deactivated,” Gonzales said.

If the cheer advisor is not present, the cheer team is not allowed to be on the field to cheer.

“I would have to go instead of being at practice and so I couldn’t be there for the girls, and I got behind on the cheers because I had to be at the ICC meetings,” Gonzales continued.

Confined to the flimsy metal stands at home games, simple routines can be dangerous.

Each member of the club must fill out liability paperwork to practice on the field and have it approved by the ICC board.

Required to attend every meeting and every game, club advisor Nathan Rodriguez has had an active role in the success of Citrus Cheer. “I can make it to most of them, and I enjoy them. But if I can’t go, they either need to find another advisor or it’s just a hassle,” he said. “Usually if I can’t make it, they just don’t cheer.”

The restrictions on cheer also affect how they can practice. They are not allowed to perform stunts, which are considered to be anything from an athlete being airborne to simple cartwheels.

“We’re not allowed to even tumble,” Sanchez said.

This limits the performances to being similar to a dance routine.

On the California Community College Athletic Association website, Cheer/Pep Squad is not labeled as a sport.

Title IX states that for an activity to become a sport, there must be an alternative sport that caters to students of the opposite gender.

In a September 17, 2008 U.S. Office for Civil Rights Dear Colleague Letter titled Athletic Activities Counted for Title IX Compliance, any activity that has a governing organization, coaches and practices with competitions during a certain season can be considered a sport, as long as competition is the primary goal of the activity — and not just for support of other sport teams.

However, cheerleading is not considered a sport under Title IX because of the 2009 court case Biediger v. Quinnipiac University.

In 2010, eight universities and colleges formed the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association with the primary goal of making competitive cheer an official NCAA sport.

Those eight universities/colleges were Oregon, Maryland, Baylor, Ohio State, Fairmont State, Fort Valley State, Quinnipiac and Azusa Pacific University.

With a neighboring university being a champion of the movement, victory is so close yet so far.

Mount San Antonio College, another neighboring institution, labels their pep squad as a sport on their official athletics website. Their team is allowed to take part in competitions.

Citrus College’s athletic department heads are all aware of the cheer team’s presence at games, but most were unable to give more information about the reasons why cheer can no longer function as a sport team on campus or what it would take for them to reclaim their title.

Assistant Athletic Director Jackie Boxley said, “Cheer is not considered a sport at the NCAA level and in California Community College Athletics we, for the most part, mirror what the NCAA does.”

Boxley admits that even though it was not a great answer, it is the actual reason why cheer is not considered a sport at Citrus College.

“In my 15 years here, I have never been asked about changing a club to a sport, so I cannot give you an answer about that because I just don’t know,” Boxley said.

Although he is a relatively new faculty member, Citrus Sports Information Coordinator Chris Peterson said he has seen great strides by the cheer squad to become more organized.

“It’s not impossible,” Rodriguez said of becoming a registered sport.

“The biggest thing, aside from the money, is the authenticity of being a sport. We’re not looked as a sport. We can’t go to competitions. We can’t cheer, basically, because we can’t do stunts,” Gonzales said. “We’re just on the sidelines.” L

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Fatima Sanchez, 20, Jayri Salgado, 19, and Cayla Fujita-Haffner, 19, practice their kickline for the Citrus College cheerleaders on Oct. 30.

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metamodernism

Culture

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In an era where disillusionment runs rampant, Metamodernism defines a generation’s apathy.

TEXT AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY: XELA QUINTANA

Large swings of violent social, political and economic shifts awaken the cultural analysis of Metamodernism. It is a reactive movement of oscillation.

Extreme wealth disparities, systematic social inequalities and economic drops followed by high boons from which only the elite benefit are constant struggles in our society.

This coupled with hyper-partisanship, the new debatability of factual truths, all topped off with a lovely glob of climate change shows we have surpassed our ability to reverse the havoc on the earth’s ecology.

A term first coined by academic philosopher Mas’ud Zavarzadeh in 1975, Metamodernism is not set to an ideological or philosophical rule but rather a “feeling” or “attitude” of this moment, explained Robin Van den Akker and Timotheus Vermeulen in an interview for Stedelijk Museum of Amsterdam. They explored Metamodernism in 2009 and have been writing on the changes in media and culture since.

Others disagree with Metamodernism’s validity. “It’s not meta and it’s not modern. It’s been around,” said Jamie Love, a philosophy, social and behavioral science professor at Citrus College.

Metamodernism is supreme self-awareness, ignorant to the experiences of others not because of a lack of compassion but rather self indulgence.

It is the acceptance that we have a limited control over our fate, loved ones or career but does not lead to despondence. It guides to liberation.

Metamodernism is

the embodiment of our moment’s energy.

Although not yet recognized for its presence in current media, it encapsulates the swingshift of democracy, entertainment and society.

The late ‘90s and early 2000s embraced irony, cynicism and desperation in the music of Nirvana, Radiohead and Fiona Apple. It was replaced by a sentiment that was still ironic, cynical and aware of the expectations of society but now desperate for change instead of just desperate.

Metamodernism’s earliest evaluation on film may have been “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006 with its deliberate modesty and bare honesty.

It challenged the Americana competitiveness of celebrating self-motivated “winners” for being authentically oneself as a “loser.”

It can also be exampled in Childish Gambino’s music videos critical of U.S. politics, and in harsh self-evaluating shows like “Rick and Morty” or “Bojack Horseman.”

It inspires the new sincerity introduced by the movies of Wes Anderson.

Another supreme example of Metamodernism: Memes, which often take personal experiences or evaluations that reveal to be relatable through a high concentration of retweets, reblogs and likes.

KC Green created the “This is fine” dog meme rapidly shared among social media consumers. After the results of the 2016 election, Green crafted a response to his earlier work, concerned it celebrated apathetic dejection in a time desperate for action.

The dog character in the reaction comic scrambles for a solution and scurries to put out the flames as he exclaims, “There was no reason to let it last this long and get this bad.”

This is Metamodernism. We are no longer O.K. with “fine.”

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Culture Culture

The try-hard character Leslie Knope from “Parks and Recreation” best exemplifies what Van den Akker and Vermeulen consider the “informed naiveté” and complete sincerity of Metamodernism.

Citizen after citizen of Pawnee yells and berates Knope at a town meeting, but she considers the event to be “people caring loudly at (her).”

We are not the first generation to be dissatisfied with the mistakes and catastrophes inherited from those before us. We are not the first to be angered and disaffected by the powers that be and how they conduct themselves.

We are not the first to question the status quo, and because of this we realize within Metamodernism that being rebellious is actually not all that rebellious, but rather incredibly predictable.

The civil rights movement, thirdwave feminism and gay rights movement are examples of those before us that fought the good fight.

That will not stop us, but we are of the first generation to be aware of our pattern of ignoring the screams of the people.

Modernism put faith in collective founded truths, which lead to Postmodernism valuing the individual’s ability to reason through those truths.

Unlike its predecessors,

Metamodernism is evasive and fleetingly defined by what it is not rather than what it is.

To understand the philosophical and social nuances of this change, history lessons are in order.

The end of World War I inspired peak Modernism because of rapid industrialization in combination with the brutality of war. This led to a widespread feeling of disillusionment and alienation. It was a time of “rapid social change and advances in science and the social sciences,” records Encyclopædia Britannica.

People in that time were swayed away from previously imposed Victorian morality and convention.

Society anticipated that truth of fact would quell anxieties and guide humanity to a prosperous future.

The Postmodernism movement peaked in the late 20th century.

Encyclopædia Britannica describes it as an era of “general suspicion of reason.”

The main takeaway for a Postmodernist is “there is an objective natural reality” and “there is no such thing as truth” unless “justified ultimately on the basis of evidence or principles that are, or can be, known immediately, intuitively, or otherwise with certainty.”

This social change gapes.

Modernists were throwing out social

norms and replacing them with new knowledge while still reeling from the isolation of World War I and the industrialization it brought.

Postmodernists had all that knowledge, fast progressing while insisting that individual reason was the only tool for observing reality.

However, “art practices cannot any longer be described in terms of what the generation before us called Postmodernism,” said Van den Akker in 2016 in a masterclass given at ArtEZ University of the Arts in the Netherlands.

Most consider us still under Postmodernism, but the art and culture of the last decade proves that the Postmodern definition is stifling.

Metamodernism has grown past the naiveté of Modernism and the skepticism of Postmodernism, allowing itself to be aware of its existence and oscillate between opposing themes.

Earnestness exists alongside apathy, irony in cohabitation with sincerity, neither losing power or imperative by simply presenting themselves as equals.

Van den Akker and Vermeulen shy away from manifestos and labels because that would be a contradiction to what Metamodernism can be or is being.

“We can’t hold a claim to be both

m o d e r n i s m (1870-1970) World War I begins July 28, 1914

World War I

World War I ends Nov. 11, 1918

World War II Sep 1, 1939 – Sep 2, 1945

Brown v. Board of Education 1954

Constructivism 1920

Pop 1950

Fountain, Marcel Duchamp 1917

Black Circle, Kazimir Malevich and Nikolai Suetin 1923

Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing?, Richard Hamilton 1956

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Civil Rights Act of 1964

Vietnam War 1955 - 1975

Great Depression

Dadaism 1915

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NASA moon landing Sept.

13, 1959

Minimalism mid-1950s

Blue Horizon, Frank Stella 1958

Conceptual 1960

One and Three Chairs, Joseph Cosut 1965

th

Culture Culture

truth and false. That’s logically untenable,” counters Love.

His main critique of this newfound thought is its inexplicable relationship with logic. He accuses Van den Akker and Vermeulen of sophistry, the act of making a weak argument look strong for the sake of deceit.

“Are they trying to be logical, or are they trying to be poetic?” Professor Love asked.

They are not trying to be anything yet also somehow claim to be everything, which will always unease the average 54 to 72-yearold baby boomer or 38 to 53-year-old Gen-Xer. The young person’s commitment to definability has been tossed out with Reaganism and VCRs, replaced with the faux-authenticity of reality television and the celebration of identity with selfies.

Metamodernism is a reaction reacting to itself over and over again, circling the toilet bowl for meaning before the final flushing from an apathetic universe.

Hypocrisy is now labeled as a multiplicity of identity.

Personality of character is just self-branding, and all 22 to 37-year-old millennials and 0 to 21-year-old GenZers have the opportunity to put in the work previous generations wasted or dismissed.

All that is left is individuality. As soon as there are labels and axioms of self-evident truths, the negation of

those labels or axioms follows.

We can be this or that. And if we are neither, we can try to be both. We are in the age of “¿Porque no los dos?”

Metamodernism is a tool to evaluate itself as a subculture and also evaluate the mainstream. It realizes that this is from which it was born, and that is where the relationship ends.

Huffington Post states, “Metamodernism helps us understand our emotional reactions to things that are happening now—both our reaction as individuals, and the reactions of whole communities and even nations— at which point we can see metamodernism as a ‘structure of feeling.’”

Apathy is dead. Only conviction will save us, and Metamodernism’s ability to swing from seemingly opposing values means that it is in constant discovery of itself.

It is indecisive, and its favor of disillusionment inspires willful defeat over active hope while maintaining authenticity because it can reflect on itself while remaining earnest.

This is a moment of high stakes. Nothing is fake deep.

Everything is real and important.

It is fitting for an era of thought adapting from within its confines.

This is the flag of our evolving society. We are ready for change, and through Metamodernism we can meme while saving the world. L

Metamodernism is a reaction reacting to itself over and over again, circling the toilet bowl for meaning before the final flushing from an apathetic universe.

P o s t m o d e r n i s m (1970) Arab Oil Embargo Energy Crisis 1974

20,000 reported cases of AIDs 1985

President Obama frist AfricanAmerican to hold office 2009

Rodney King riots 1992

Iraq War 2003-2011

Performative 1970

Imponderabilia, Marina Abramović and Ulay 1977

Neo-Expressionism 1980

Neo-Conceptual 1990

Sustainable 2010

Bad Boy, Eric Fischl 1981 Untitled, John LeKay 1991

Artefact, Edith Meusnier 1991

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Profile

Almost Famous Staff reporter follows a band 245 miles from home to a Sola Luna concert in Fresno, and discovers a different take on the band’s creative process.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: MICHAEL QUINTERO

Sola Luna from left to right bassist Ethan Rizo, rhythm guitar Zack Southers, drummer James Alston and guitarist George Gomez perform at concert on Oct. 26 in Fresno. The concert was held in a warehouse turned venue.

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our hours driving past cattle farms left me in the dry desert valley of Fresno. This is a neighboring city to the alternative band Sola Luna.

Based out of Clovis, the band is composed of front man Zack Southers, 20, guitarist George Gomez, 21, bassist Ethan Rizo, 20, and drummer James Alston, 21.

They bring a sound similar to Modest Mouse and Interpol of the ‘90s indie rock era.

Since the band formed around a year ago, the majority of them do not live in Fresno. Gomez and Alston attend Azusa Pacific University in Glendora, Rizo attends Citrus College and Southers stays in Fresno.

I wait in a empty Wendy’s parking lot for Southers and Alston to show me where their concert would take place on Oct. 26. This part of town looks like a wasteland with nothing but homeless people walking around, a few in electric wheelchairs.

One approached me as I wait. He politely asks if I had any change so he could buy a can of beans since Wendy’s was too expensive for him. I told him I only had my debit card on me, he said okay and quietly rolls away.

Southers and Alston arrive in a white Mercedes Benz. This is our first time meeting each other, but right off the bat Southers exudes positive energy. He asks if he could bum a cigarette, and the conversation flowed as though we had known each other for years.

Oddly enough, Sola Luna continues to write new material despite the four hour distance between them.

“We’re pretty good at managing it,” Southers said. “I think we understand one of us is going to have to drive that way, or we’re going to have to drive that way, and it’s okay because it’s just how it is.”

The cigarette burns out and we proceed to the venue, where we will meet up with Rizo and Gomez.

The outside of the warehouse-turned-music venue looks like

an old abandoned airplane hangar, surrounded by old muscle cars in the process of being rebuilt and guard dogs at the gates.

Walking inside is a surprise. There is a full PA system and a stage built better than most venues in Los Angeles.

“This is where it all started,” Southers said. “This is where I recorded the first EP.” Southers started Sola Luna while in a rock band in high school, but said the band was not for him since it was none of his music.

“Then, all of the sudden I was like, you what? I’m gonna be a fucking front man. Fuck it, you know,” Southers said. “I started taking voice lessons, and a year later is when I really got started.”

Southers recorded all the instruments on the first EP in the warehouse except for the drums. From there, he met Gomez through a mutual friend while attending one of his shows.

“I showed him “IDEK” when I first got the rough mix of it, and I fucking hated it,” Southers said. “I didn’t like it at all.”

Southers remembers Gomez liking the recording and saying, “‘Bro, that’s a good song it sounds really good.’”

From then on, Southers said he and Gomez became close and the music flowed from then on.

“Eventually it just clicked, and I was like, ‘bro, do you want to be my bandmate?’” Southers said. “And I couldn’t have made a better choice.”

Rizo and Gomez arrive at 6 p.m. with two hours until the start of the show.

Alston and Rizo joined Sola Luna when Gomez moved down to attend APU, while Southers stayed in Fresno.

Gomez said this is when he met Alston, who played drums in the chapel band.

“He goes up to me and goes, ‘Hey, me and my band have a show in LA ... and we don’t have a drummer. Could you fill in?’”

Alston said.

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Sola Luna drummer James Alston plays drums during their set on Oct. 26 in Fresno.

The concert had a Halloween theme.

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Guitarists Zack Southers, left, and George Gomez harmonize during their set on Oct. 26 in Fresno. This concert was held in the same warehouse Southers and Gomez recorded their self titles EP.

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“I played a couple shows, and they were like, ‘you wanna stay on?’ and I was like, yeah let’s do this.’”

A similar scenario was thrust upon Rizo. Rizo said he is “technically” the newest member to Sola Luna, but in context this is not entirely true.

The group knew Rizo for a while, as he would sub in for them at bass from time to time. Gomez first met him through chapel choir, while he sang and Rizo played bass.

Rizo was in a different band at the time, The Charisma. He played a show with Sola Luna and Rizo said though he “did have a connection with the guys in The Charisma,” he saw something more creative in Sola Luna.

“I wasn’t really a big part of the creative process in The Charisma,” Rizo said. “Sola Luna was different. I feel much more creative and inspired when we (Sola Luna) work on music.”

Southers said Rizo “went from subbing to ‘am I, like, your bass player?’”

Soon after, Rizo became a full-time member after being invited onto a Los Angeles and San Francisco mini tour in 2018.

8 p.m. rolls by and Sola Luna takes the stage.

They start the set with “IDEK.” After the song finishes, Southers tells the crowd to move closer to the stage, bringing a more intimate vibe for the rest of the set.

“When we play, it’s really cool to see the first few rows not on their phone,” Gomez said. “And because they probably haven’t heard us before, or (they’re) really listening to us for the first time, they’re a really into it, you know; like, really interested.

“Seeing that engagement is something special.”

The lighting and fog machine works to the band’s advantage, evoking a post-punk feel. Their genre is hard to describe since each song sounds different, but each song still sounds like a Sola Luna track.

Halfway through the set, Southers hits a riff. The force of his in body motion snaps his leather guitar strap.

“Anybody have a guitar strap they could lend me?” Southers said.

Sola Luna finishes their scheduled set, playing every bit of material they have.

“I guess we have time for one more song, so we’ll play IDEK again,” Southers said.

One of their friends goes on stage before they play and whispers something in Southers’ ear.

“Actually, scratch that,” Southers said. They end the set with “Summer Colours.”

The group exits the stage with two more bands set to play.

On and off stage, the group sticks together by cracking jokes and flat-out enjoying the environment around them.

This was not just any show; it was a hometown show for Southers.

“Everyone was wasted. Girls were making out; what more could you ask for in a show?” Southers said.

As for playing live in a warehouse next to a freeway overpass, they use their school’s resources to their advantages.

Some of the material was recorded in a do-it-yourself environment while the rest was recorded at APU. The APU recordings may have not been possible if Gomez did not end up taking a music class where he would meet an important person in Sola Luna’s growth.

Audio engineer and post-film production major Daniel Crane became friends with Gomez when they shared a music theory class at APU. Crane said he produced music, and Gomez saw an opportunity.

Gomez said people around school had told him he needed to meet and work with Crane for about a year and a half.

“So, we took that class together, and that is when our friendship began,” Gomez said.

Crane and Gomez started to collaborate and got down to business with the band’s new material.

“We actually didn’t have a studio to record in, so the first time we recorded we actually recorded in my apartment,” Crane said.

“Lavender” and “Woman” were recorded in Crane’s apartment. “Woman” has not been released yet.

Crane and Sola Luna left the apartment to use the resources they had in APU’s studio not long after.

“We actually added some new claps, background vocals and some new harmonies,” Crane said. “So they were kind of writing a little, but while we were recording.”

The distance may not be as manageable for other bands as it is for Sola Luna.

Gomez said that even if they did live close to each other, they still would not practice every day or every week because of their busy schedules.

But when they do meet up, the sessions are “incredible productive” for them, Gomez said.

“They’re usually five-hour or seven-hour sessions all day, just writing and playing,” Rizo said.

Aside from writing, the band has had a busy year playing shows and branding their name from Northern to Southern California.

From performing on 95.5 KLOS to being invited to play a living room session for YouTuber The Last Magna (Julian Gutierrez), the young band has established a following.

They recorded another living room session in November. Living room sessions were an idea when the band came into contact with Gutierrez, and ended up becoming new job for the YouTuber.

“It was weird, because I was like, ‘have you ever recorded a band?’ And he was like, ‘no’ and I’m like, ‘well do you wanna try and do it with us?’” Gomez said. “We went for it, and then now he’s getting paid for it and a bunch of bands are hitting him up from all over like SD and Norcal.”

Sola Luna has only been a band for a little over a year. The group has come a long way from recording in a warehouse under a freeway overpass to getting invited to play on living room sessions and college radio stations.

Sola Luna is currently recording new music and plans on releasing a new EP “Don’t Forget Your Friends” next spring.

“I think we got a really good thing going here, and I can’t wait to see where it goes, honestly,” Southerns said. “And besides the interview, I’m being dead truthful and really can’t wait to see where it goes.”

Sola Luna can be found on Apple music and Spotify.

Merchandise can be purchased through their Instagram at Solaxluna. L FALL 2018 | LOGOS | 29

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Traveling Troubadour Hailing from Illinois, Joe Beck has been making music all his life and all across the map.

TEXT BY: MALCOLM CASTELLI PHOTOS BY: PRISCILLA MEDINA

Joseph Beck, 31, also known by his producer name Stitch Jones, takes his guitar all over the map with the sound of music following his footsteps.

From his hometown of Bloomington, Illinois to Japan and eventually California, the recording tech major has always had an ear for music and he often brings his guitar out on campus to play a few chords.

His true calling pertains to composing music in a never-ending quest to master and hone his craft.

When he is not coming to class, Beck is playing music or working with aspiring musicians who reach out to him to record during studio sessions.

There is excitement in his voice when Beck talks about producing and how he incorporates what he has learned throughout his life into his beats.

Beck always had his sights set on breaking into the recording industry.

The producer recently celebrated the release of an EP with rapper Kwestion entitled “N.I.K.E.” that can be found on major streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.

The release of the “N.I.K.E.” EP is another stone on his road. The two artists met in Arkansas when Kwestion was in need of a guitar player for another project he was working on.

“He helped bring the idea to life,” Kwestion said about Beck’s work on N.I.K.E. “I think Joe helped me tap into that next level of where I’m trying to go as an artist.”

Beck is inspired by producers like Quincy Jones that have a personal Recording tech major Joe Beck 31, strums his guitar on October 4, 2018 near the Performing Arts building. Beck often plays his guitar while trying to pass the time.

sound to their music, even when working with different artists.

“It wasn’t Tupac that I was the fan of,” said Beck. “It was Dr. Dre and Tupac.”

While Beck can hold a conversation about every genre of music, he normally focuses on hip-hop and beat production, boasting a specialty in live instrumentation.

He is also extremely passionate about the metal genre, and knows a lot about video games. A Metal Gear Solid sticker is planted firmly on his acoustic guitar.

Beck grew up surrounded by the artform of music, and as a child an appreciation of music quickly took hold.

His father Joe Beck Senior, 59, is a wellknown drummer and DJ in Illinois.

Beck started on the drums just like his old man Beck Sr., surrounded by folks making music because of his father’s work in the industry.

“Once I gave him the drumsticks and let him tap on the drums, he was interested. You could see it on his face,” Beck Sr. said.

The producer remembers that the band Guns N’ Roses inspired him to want to learn how to play instruments.

A double sided cassette tape was the source.

“This tape is the story of my life!

One side is Guns N’ Roses, and the other side is Warren G. It went from like Regulators to Appetite for Destruction,” Beck said.

Beck credits this nascent duality as the foundation of his music awareness, which can be found today in the production of his beats.

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“He’s not stopping at good enough in his own songs, he wants to love them.” nMarco Carriero, Musician

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Recording tech major Joe Beck 31, focuses on the music he produces with his music mixer on October 4, 2018 in the Veterans Center. Beck produces hip hop beats and live instrumentation.

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Profile

While drums were the first instrument Beck learned, they to the Air Force, this time deploying to Iraq. Beck could not were only the start to a life of producing and creating music. abandon the beat and still found a way to engage with music In high school, Beck began experimenting with producing half a world away. and recording hip-hop beats using some of his father’s drum “(The military) almost treated my guitar like an emotional machines. This experience came in handy later on while he support animal while I was on deployment,” said Beck, traveled. hinting that he had to pull some strings to get his guitar He helped form J.B. Stud and the Pimptastics, a band he overseas. and one of his best friends Marco Carriero played with in Even active duty could not stop Beck from yearning to high school. hone his skills. The producer found ways to stay up to date Carriero, the bassist of the Pimptastics and a musician with what was going on in the music scene even while on to this day, remembers meeting Beck when he was 15 at deployment.

Bloomington High School. They have been friends ever “I would finish work and I would just, like, pick up and since. learn a playlist of what was hot at the time ‘cause I realized “We would play video games with a bigger group,” said it was, like, helping people y’know?” Beck said. “There’s not Carriero, “and then we would just either watch movies, or talk really entertainment. It’s just hot.” about music — or better yet play instruments.”

Beck produced beats for his brother Zach Beck, known as The Pimptastics’ goal was to play the “craziest set list rapper Futuristic, in his early mixtapes while on deployment ever” ranging from the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and asked his dad for music recommendations to help keep theme song to hair-metal and funk, performing at school him busy. homecomings and battle of the bands.

“I always loved his beats because they mixed rock with hip Eventually they won the local Heyworth Battle of the Bands hop and integrated a lot of live instrumentation,” Futuristic in 2005, a memory of which Beck and Carriero are intimately said. fond.

He says his brother helped Carriero remembers his push him out of his comfort zone friend wielding a love for all in the studio by having him test music since he has known his voice in different ways. him. He said that even as a Keeping up with his craft teen Beck had developed an and education was not easy on interest in tinkering with drum deployment, but nevertheless machines and composing.

Beck persevered.

As the friends have grown The computers he was able older, Carriero has a great to use never had the correct sense of pride in Beck and music software for the versatile the producer’s method of producer. making music. In Beck’s Unable to bring his own productions, Carriero said, computer, Beck could not everything has purpose and continue his Berkeley Music industry-level polish.

Online classes for a music Beck’s longtime friend production certificate. said this love of music is why “All that stuff was like brick he is such a decisive and walls; how much do you really interesting producer. “He’s want to do this?” said Beck. not stopping at good enough After transfering to Kuwait, the in his own songs. He wants to ever-evolving producer would The N.I.K.E. EP, was released on Oct. 3, 2018 and features love them,” Carriero said. face those same obstacles. He Stitch jones’ industry-level productions. The EP can be found on major streaming services.

Arranging and creating the would later be stationed in Korea foundation of a song is what and Japan, unable to break into draws Beck to this craft, and the local scenes because of the he often brings up metal bands like Metallica to illustrate how cultural and language barriers. a band’s trademark sound is often the work of producing.

“I actually auditioned for a Japanese metal band while I As the producer side of Beck began taking shape and he was out there. But I just realized that this is really hard,” Beck decided to pursue a life of music, Beck chose to join the Air said. His time in Japan was actually his favorite because of Force to help pay for college. his history with video games and anime.

Joining the Air Force started Beck on a journey of personal Beck said that coming back home after his service was investment and gave him a sense of discipline that Carriero odd, much like his commanding officers had foreshadowed. said stays firmly established in his work as a producer.

The producer felt he had attained a great sense of “It’s probably the best, worst thing I ever did,” Beck said of responsibility during his service, but had to start life over being stationed in Arkansas for 3 years after bootcamp and from scratch while coming back home to people living the tech school. same lives as when he had left.

Beck connected with rappers there and began making California was his new start. Beck overcame challenges in his first splashes in the local scene while continuing to southern California before settling here at Citrus, including experiment with producing. having to live out of his car around Monrovia.

Beck’s girlfriend of four years, Erica Reel, 22, met the He later played at live venues in Arkansas and opened for producer after a Monrovia street fair where she had seen him shows, giving him a taste of what it meant to be in the music playing guitar. industry.

“He was playing a Thrice song when I first saw him, and I However Beck had to move again because of his duty

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Profile Beck talks with the MC Kwestion before a live instrument recording session of N.I.K.E. at XLNT Studios in Hollywood, CA on Oct. 12, 2018. Photo by Malcolm Castelli.

was like, ‘nobody f****** plays Thrice!’” Reel said.

Eventually Beck got back on his feet, and the two moved in together alongside Carriero in Los Angeles above Union Station while holding down a tree-trimming job.

It was here that Beck would once again decide to further his passion of producing, and he started attending Citrus for its renowned recording arts program.

During a studio session for a live instrument recording of “N.I.K.E” at XLNT Studios in Hollywood Oct. 12, Beck

displayed a familiarity behind the board that only a lifelong pursuit of this craft could produce.

Talking to him at XLNT Studios, Beck reminisces about his past couple years in California, sounding sure he is on the right path.

“It was a super come up, dude. I was playing guitar at a freaking park that year in 2014, right? And freaking here we are in 2018 on Hollywood and Vine and studying at Citrus,” Beck said, proud of the long way he has come. L FALL 2018 | LOGOS | 35

Opinion

New Solidarity Minority groups broaden goals to encourage inclusivity that brings about the evolving face of feminism.

TEXT AND PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY: SAYEDAH MOSAVI

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Opinion

While the women’s rights and the LQBTQ+ movements continue to gain traction against President Donald Trump’s policies, I have observed that “feminism” is forging a new face.

The idea is broadening to become more integrationist as American society tackles the problems and prevalence of misogyny, the ingrained prejudice against women.

Now, being a feminist includes advocating for the equal treatment of LGBTQ+ people.

While undoing the effects of misogyny, we are beginning to see how our society is hyper-gendered and how this reflects the tendencies of a toxic masculine hierarchy.

Aspects that should simply be human are arbitrarily assigned a gender, then associated with a biological sex.

Intelligence is gendered; emotions are gendered, clothes are gendered and even abilities are gendered.

There is neither an inherent gender nor an inherent biological sex to any of those traits or objects.

Gender is a social construct that depends on subjective attribution. It is beholden to the changes and whims of the people who construct society.

There is no actual reason to accept the ideas that men are more rational, that being vulnerable is feminine, that dancing is “girly,” that cooking is a woman’s job or that sports and cars are a “man’s thing.”

Rationality, emotions and personal tastes are reflections of the general human being. They neither reflect gender nor biological sex, but they do reflect the flexibility of a complex human mind.

In reality, that flexibility explains why women like Sheryl Sandberg have advanced in the business and technology industries, and why some fathers like Ben Affleck are choosing to become stay-at-home dads.

Misogyny does not accept the fluidity of a-gendered human commonalities.

Generally, it does not accept that rationality and emotions are common traits among human beings.

Specifically, it cannot stand the fact that men wear makeup and that women serve in the military.

Misogyny is an egotistical parasite that seeks to perpetuate itself.

To survive, misogyny depends on the arbitrariness of gender binaries. It also depends on society’s acceptance of those binaries in order to establish a value hierarchy.

In our society — as in many other societies — seemingly “masculine” traits are valued more than the supposed feminine.

Masculinity is assigned to traits like bravery, logic, toughness and assertiveness.

These traits are sought and valued, especially in fields such as business, law, science and technology. These fields are also dominated by men.

Women were not thought to command those traits but their exact opposites like submissiveness, passivity, emotionality and weakness.

If a man is absent of the masculine qualities or displays a supposed feminine one, like emotion, he is derided as effeminate or “gay.”

In the context of misogyny and the gender binary, women and LGBTQ+ people share in each other’s pain.

Both are oppressed because of misogyny.

Women experience misogyny simply for being women.

Society assumes that women exhibit feminine traits, which are less appreciated.

Gay men experience misogyny, too. Homophobia is misdirected misogyny.

When homophobes use slurs to describe gay men, they regurgitate derogatory terms that are used to describe women.

For example, the term “faggot” has its roots in misogyny. The Oxford English Dictionary explains that a faggot, which is literally a bundle of sticks to be carried, was thought to symbolize a burden to be carried by heretics.

The term was used against women before it was used against gay men.

Transgender people share in similar pain as women.

Transgender men suffer under misogyny’s oppression because society once treated them as women, and sometimes still does.

Transgender women experience transmisogyny, meaning their oppression and mistreatment is a cocktail of hate related to their womanhood and trans-identity.

Their identities also cloud society’s conventional gender binary, a fluidity that is unacceptable to a misogynistic system.

Because of this shared pain, the character of feminism is evolving. Each group of individuals suffers under the caprice of the conventional gender binary.

The shared suffering is more poignant especially since misogyny uses the gender binary to establish its own value and prominence.

Today’s feminist movement understands the intersectionality of this shared pain and requires that those supporting women’s rights also support LGBTQ+ rights.

Feminism is no longer just about a single kind of woman, the kind defined by the gender binary. Feminism is broadening to defend anyone who has suffered under misogyny.

With feminism becoming more encompassing, we are beginning to realize that being a feminist is the key to addressing the hatred ingrained in society. L

Feminism is no longer just about a single kind of woman, the kind defined by the gender binary.

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News

Final Life

From cinnamon to Tide PODS, new challenges introduce a sinister risk to trending internet phenomena.

TEXT BY: ADRIANA MARTINEZ PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY: XELA QUINTANA

Editor’s Note: This feature may be upsetting to some readers.

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News

There have been a wide variety of challenges throughout social media that are dangerous to play but many children, teens and adults participate anyway. The novelty of engaging in a challenge can influence bad decisions and some go too far. Some participate in these challenges to gain viewers.

However the Blue Whale Challenge and the Momo Challenge can cost a life.

The Tide Pod Challenge involved biting into laundry detergent packets and chewing them. Laundry detergent is highly toxic and can cause harm if eaten or swallowed.

The Cinnamon Challenge was an impossible goal involving eating a tablespoon of cinnamon powder in 60 seconds without liquids, which if inhaled can cause damage to the lungs.

The Salt and Ice Challenge involved children and adults pouring salt on their arms and running an ice cube along their skin, resulting in serious burns.

Anyone can post anything on the web, but the internet is not a safe place. Some sites are darker than others.

The Blue Whale Challenge is named after the phenomenon of beak nosed and pilot whales deliberately beaching themselves. There are many theories as to why the whales do this.

Whales in shallow water send distress calls via sonar, causing some dominant whales to lead an entire pod, a group of whales, to shore.

In 2013, Philipp Budeikin, 21, of Moscow created the Blue Whale Challenge at the age of 16. The challenge involves brainwashing vulnerable teenagers by breaking down their spirit.

Their mindset is changed with a different view, set of behaviors and actions over a period of 50 days by urging them to complete harmful tasks.

Daily Mail News reported on Sept. 30 that Budeikin was arrested for murdering 16 girls. He was also responsible for organizing a group that promoted suicide on the Russian social media site Vkontakte.

In English, Vkontakte means “in contact with.” The group was called F57 and attracted many teens who were struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts.

“For a while, I would laugh along as I watched while everyone tried to understand what ‘F57’ meant. It’s simple: F is for Philipp, my name, and 57 were the last digits of my telephone number at the time,” Budeikin said.

He reached out to depressed teenage girls over social media and acted as a support system for those who felt they did not have anyone to talk to about their feelings.

Budeikin then personally convinced teens to consider suicide.

After his arrest, Budeikin said he was “cleansing the society” by killing depressed teens.

VICE News reports, “I thought the entire project up, the different levels and the different steps. It was necessary to separate the normal people from the scum.”

Victims are chosen by the curators. The victims’ ages range from 13 to 19. They were residents of Russia and were contacted through private messaging on social

media.

The tasks are moderately simple on day one and increase in violence over a 50 day period. The simpler tasks range from watching horror movies, listening to music or strange noises sent by the curator and sketching a whale on paper.

The much darker and destructive tasks consist of self harm or killing animals. Another task was to prepare the victims for suicide by having them find a railroad or stand on the edge of a building without jumping, mentally preparing them for how they might end their lives.

VICE News reported that “Wake me up at 4:20” was a secondary name for the Blue Whale Challenge.

Participants are required to send selfies and videos providing proof that the tasks are completed.

The challenge was also played in Egypt, killing an 18-year-old. The death sparked up fear and panic which led to banning the challenge. So far, the challenge is only banned in Egypt.

Vkontakte is ranked second globally in social networks and is geared toward Eastern European users. The site is available in many languages, including English.

Some minors engage with curators in attempts to outsmart them, or are curious to see if the challenge is legitimate. Those who struggle with suicidal thoughts and depression see the challenge as a way to end their lives.

The images found by searching these hashtags may be graphic and triggering.

The “#bluewhalechallenge” and “#ImAWhale” can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter along with another suicide challenge known as The Momo Challenge.

The Momo Challenge is similar to the Blue Whale Challenge, except there is no time frame. It encourages minors to perform acts of self harm that end with suicide.

This challenge also pushes people who participate to follow orders after communicating with Momo. If refused, participants are threatened with violent, graphic and triggering images.

The WhatsApp profile picture of “Momo” is of a bird woman. She has bulging eyes, black straggly hair, bird legs and lips pulled from ear to ear.

The image was taken from a Japanese special effects company sculpture created by Link Factory titled “Mother Bird.” Link Factory is not associated with the challenge.

The challenge can be played via Facebook, but is most popular on a messaging app allowing texting unknown numbers and out of the country with no charge called WhatsApp. Many Momo accounts on WhatsApp are copycat accounts, and it is believed they are used as bait to gain access to personal information. Colorado 9 News states users are hacked, and their private information is posted online.

Some users that message the Momo accounts do not get a reply back. It is unclear who is behind the accounts or challenge. The Washington Post states Momo accounts appear to be connected to different numbers in Japan, Columbia and Mexico.

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News

Depression is common during teenage years. The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health states, “Depression is one of the most common emotional health problems among youth, with an estimated 11 percent of U.S. adolescents diagnosed with depression by age.�

Whether through social media, magazines, music and television, there is a high standard in how society portrays itself.

Teens feel the need to live up to certain standards in order to feel accepted, which ultimately can make things worse. Family issues, financial problems, bullies, and personal struggles can also affect the way teens think about themselves.

On August 23, the New York Times reported Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign legislation requiring public schools to print the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number on the identification cards for students in grades 7 through 12 by July 2019.

Though California will further promote this information, people need to recognize depression and suicidal thoughts instead of feeding them by engaging in dangerous social media challenges. Discussing mental health with trusted friends and family is the first step towards a better tomorrow. L

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 Citrus College Counseling and Advisement Center: (626) 914-8530

The Blue Whale challenge and the Momo challenge create dangerous access throughout online communities.

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Culture

t ra v e l

Mexico

Ireland

New York State FALL 2018 | LOGOS | 41

Culture

With Frida Staff Writer Giselle Vargas traveled to Coayacán, Mexico and visited La Casa Azul, the home of artist Frida Kahlo.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: GISELLE VARGAS

Frida Kahlo’s desk with materials and tools she used to paint on Sept. 8.

In Coyoacán, a borough in Mexico City, lies a corner blue house known as La Casa Azul. La Casa Azul translates as “the blue house” and was Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s birthplace, childhood home and place of death on July 13, 1954.

Four years following her death, the house was converted into a historic house and art museum for Kahlo’s home and life’s work to be appreciated.

When I arrived at the museum, I saw a bright blue house that looked like any other rustic Mexican home. But it was not just any house, it was the home of my favorite artist and I crossed its threshold with excitement.

I could not believe I was finally going to be inside of Kahlo’s home. I was thrilled with just the idea of knowing I was going to walk on the same floors she did.

Thankfully I only waited in line for 10 minutes because I purchased my tickets online. I highly recommend this option, because visitors arriving without tickets had a long wait to purchase them and were not guaranteed entry.

Kahlo’s 1904 home is a traditional Mexican house distinguished by its bright cobalt blue color. The house has 10 rooms and is about 8,611 square feet and the courtyard is an additional 4,305.

Kahlo was proud of her Mexican heritage. Her house was a reflection of that, filled with bright and vibrant colors on every wall and decorated with indigenous ceramics. The interior was

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left intact when it was converted into a museum in 1958 by Kahlo’s friend, Mexican poet Carlos Pellicer.

Walking through her home felt like I was walking inside one of her paintings, and I immediately recognized her influence.

Everything was infused with the essence of Kahlo that I had grown to love.

My favorite spaces in La Casa Azul are Kahlo’s studio and the courtyard. In her studio, I saw all her paints, brushes, tools next to the wheelchair she required. I was in the studio of a magnificent artist, and her presence was extremely strong in this particular room compared to the others.

At 18, Kahlo was a passenger in a trolley car crash that lodged a metal handrail into her abdomen. The trauma left her with several fractures in her spine and pelvis. Kahlo had to undergo 32 surgeries. These injuries put a stop to her pre-med career, leading her to painting.

Even though Kahlo had physical limitations, they never stopped her. The walls of the museum quote her saying, “who needs feet when I’ve got wings to fly.” Her oeuvre is a reflection of this sentiment.

Kahlo’s studio with easel, painting utensils and wheelchair at 9:31 a.m. on Sept. 8 in second floor of La Casa Azul, Mexico.

The walls in her studio were built with local volcanic stones.

In 1946, Kahlo’s husband Diego Rivera asked Mexican artist and architect Juan O’Gorman to build his wife’s studio. Rivera

Culture

proposed the use of volcanic rock from the area to represent the Aztecs that used the material for their pyramids and ceremonies.

Kahlo and her husband lived in this home from 1929 to 1954.

I saw the view of her garden that inspired so many of her paintings from Kahlo’s studio.

In the botanical gardens of the courtyard, I completely forgot I was in Mexico City.

Surrounded by all the nature and fresh air, I couldn’t believe Kahlo and Rivera created this peaceful paradise.

I see the pride in Kahlo and Rivera’s Mexican heritage. They built a culturally inspired Aztec pyramid in their garden and had many preColumbian statues above and around the courtyard to express the indigenous culture of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus.

The house originally had European elements, but the couple rid the property of any Western influence.

Kahlo has many pieces featuring animals as subjects or her face superimposed on their heads. It was clear that the wildlife in her garden were not just animals to her, but her pets. Monkeys, dogs, birds and deer were known to pass through. She had a personal jungle right behind her home.

Viva la vida (1954) is my favorite painting of Kahlo’s. I cannot say why I find it so captivating. There is just something about those watermelons painted at odd, differing angles and cuts. It might be because it was Kahlo’s last painting. Eight days before she died, her final touch would the carved phrase “viva la vida” into one of the slices.

Kahlo’s bedroom and place of death. The

Kahlo’s wheelchair and easel at 9:30 a.m. on Sept.

8 in the second floor of La Casa Azul in Coayacán, Mexico.

death mask rests atop the bed at 9:35 a.m. on Sept. 8 in the second floor of La Casa Azul, Coyoacán, Mexico.

By the end of my journey in the museum, there was an exhibition titled “Appearance Can be Deceiving: The Dresses of Frida Kahlo.” This contained her dresses, corsets, jewelry and some orthopedic devices discovered in her bathroom in 2004.

I saw her unique style in the garments she wore and the colors she favored. It was not all fashion, and one reason why Kahlo dressed so particularly was to hide her body and orthopedic devices with long skirts. It was so vivid and personal. I understood another part of her identity.

Kahlo’s works featured in the museum are Portrait Of My Father (1954), Self portrait in a Velvet Dress (1926), Marxism Will Give Health to the III (1954), Still life (1942) and Frida And The Cesarean Operation (1932).

The works of Diego Rivera are also featured. These include Seated Woman (1915), Landscape (1911), Urban Landscape (1916) and The Alarm Clock (1914). Also La Quebrada, his 1956 painting dedicated to Kahlo two years after her death.

I look at all her paintings with her life on display and see the physical pain she suffered. La Casa Azul is more than just a museum. It explored the world of a great artist and highlighted her most significant work. The whole house was a piece of art. There are far more than just paintings to be admired. L

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Culture

Up and Down the Empire State From high-rise to haybales, New York offers a traveler different sights on the road.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: MALCOLM CASTELLI

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Culture

T

he first time I remember traveling to New York was in a visit to my great-grandmother that lived frustratingly far from all the exciting high-rises and streets of the Big Apple.

Climbing up hay bales and sleeping in a farmhouse built in the 1800s is definitely a far cry from the literal walls of people that represent New York City as their home.

However as I grew up, I would also come to visit N.Y.C. and its legendary boroughs every couple of years.

I have been up and down the Empire State, and though its flaws become more apparent as I get older, New York still holds a special place in my heart.

Upstate

After my great-grandmother died in 2015 at the age of 101, my family came into ownership of her 28-acre farmland located in Swan Lake. In the years since, we have made it our annual reunion spot.

Making this a new tradition was natural because of the tranquility surrounding our second home.

In October, the Catskills Mountains our land sits in inspire a person’s heart with calm as the leaves of the foliage turn their autumn shades.

In these woods, I cannot avoid engaging with nature, and it becomes a dialogue with the listener about all the wilds have seen.

New Yorkers call it upstate.

Around twenty minutes away from our house is the town

Bethel Woods, where the legendary Woodstock concert took place in 1969.

A small but dedicated museum and music pavilion stand overlooking the hillside where thousands once jived before the stage as the artists played live.

Spruced up homes and dilapidated shacks scatter the more rural parts of the Catskills. The rustic residents carve out a life for themselves in a place that used to be heavily trafficked just a few decades ago.

A traveler can still find great rest stops though towns are sparse. My favorite spot is the local pizzeria Sal’s Pizza in Jeffersonville, whose owners make some of the best pizza New York has to offer.

Though it becomes easy to feel isolated on my family’s land, the small towns and communities gathered around these parts are close-knit.

The long journey from the city is worth the drive to experience the slow pace of life up here compared to urban life.

In fact, it seems like a miracle to fall asleep without the sound of cars driving by in the background. This resounding silence is a welcome reprieve from the sprawl that is Southern California.

A natural vibe takes hold around the woods after dark. It is eerie yet peaceful, and only chirping insects and birds can be heard in this night.

However N.Y.C is ever-pervasive, and even two hours away from the city-that-never-sleeps the light pollution blocks out the shining stars in the sky.

continued >>

In the rural parts of upstate New York, farms cover the countryside and distinguish the state from the city, taken on Oct. 6, 2018 in Swan Lake, NY.

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Culture

THe big apple

Skyscrapers are a novelty coming from the Inland Empire, and a city with so many high-rises and windowed buildings seems as unique as the wilds themselves.

I first visited the city after getting acquainted with the rural upstate, and the only thing on my mind as an 8-year-old in 2002 was to visit the old Pokemon Center store, now a general Nintendo Store, to play with every related toy in sight.

Since then, I have journeyed to the city a handful of times and my love of the city has yet to dwindle.

Except in the summer when it is hot and humid, feel free to book flights elsewhere.

There was a surrealness to New York City at first, but as an adult it has become a puzzle I get to solve a little bit more every trip.

Dense and almost alien, a sense of adventure takes hold that I cannot quite explain. Though I can confirm the city smells awful in many places.

There is no constant other than the traffic, construction and smells.

There is always something going on in the streets, like musicians playing instruments in the parks, hustlers trying to sell their merchandise and bike riders weaving in and out of traffic like professional stuntmen.

It was not until I was older that I came to appreciate the true scope of this city, and that distinction can be seen in every square corner of the bustling, honking– and don’t forget smelly– metropolis.

Even if somebody hates to participate in the tourist traps, there is one thing every traveler must see: the 9/11 memorial and underground museum sitting where the Twin Towers once stood.

At the old base of the towers lies a somber memorial where the names of those who died are engraved into its edifice. Below the stone, water flows into twin pits at the bottom of these bases.

Underground, the foundations of the World Trade Center can still be found made into a comprehensive museum of that fateful day.

The museum includes mementos such as a recovered firetruck still in its broken condition and a breathtaking room that holds the pictures of most of the people who died in the attacks.

Though I was only in second grade at the time, I remember the constant loop on the news of the first plane hitting the tower and my Brooklyn-born grandmother looking on in shock.

My new Pakistani friend confided in me his fear of being Middle Eastern and how others would view him, though at that age he could not exactly explain why.

My journey to this memorial was a somber form of closure.

Anyone interested should make sure to book tickets several months in

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advance.

While I have been in the crown of the Statue of Liberty, walked through Central Park, been to numerous museums and have had the displeasure of being in Times Square, I still have much more to experience.

The history and culture of New York cannot be taken in with one visit, even after visiting it four times. My experience so far is decidedly touristy, and next time I would like to break this mold.

Every time that skyline comes into view and my plane touches down, I cannot wait to see more of the Empire State.

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Part of a duo, the marble lion Fortitude watches over the steps of the New York Public Library on Oct. 9, 2018.

Culture

An American flag is placed on the names of first responders who lost their lives in 9/11 on Sept.

7 at the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan New York.

Photo by Michael Quintero.

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Culture The view from the back gardens features the castle and Unshin, one of two resident Irish Greyhounds, at the Markree Castle in Sligo on June 20.

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Culture

Managing Editor shares her first experience traveling abroad to Ireland with her husband.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: ALANA DALY O’BRIEN

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Culture

My husband Russell O’Brien and I wandered the streets of downtown Dublin, enjoying the drizzling rain and the secret of our new marriage and adventure together. After 15 hours flying, we arrived in Dublin for our two week honeymoon the morning of June 16.

We rented a car to drive around the small country, having arranged to stay in bed and breakfasts, castles and hotels.

Immediately upon our arrival we were bombarded with one question: “Why did you choose Ireland?”

My husband is an avid traveler, but this was my first time leaving the continent and I wanted to go somewhere meaningful. Russell has shared stories of his three trips to Ireland investigating his O’Brien heritage with his father since we were in high school together, and the small verdant country seemed perfect.

He carefully curated our trip.

Dublin was the biggest city we visited, but Galway was by far our favorite destination and we extended our stay there for two extra days.

NIGHTLIFE

Galway is a cobblestoned port city with close trading ties to the Spanish. We stayed a total of four nights.

A friend of a friend, Orlaith Duffy, 22, became our lovely tour guide. She directed us through the labyrinth of streets to all the best bars and clubs while explaining the histories of the oldest pubs along the way.

At public houses, or pubs, I saw people from the ages 18 to their 50s and 60s mingling and dancing next to one another. The legal drinking age is 18.

There were smoking rooms available, and vending machines with cigarettes. I saw one pub handing out to-go cups at the end of the night.

Since the buildings are so old, extensive renovations and vertical expansion create different atmospheres within one location. Nearly all the pubs have separate rooms or spots set aside for performances by live bands, comedians and room for dancing.

Many clubs are multi-leveled with each level playing different music. One played 2000s tunes that everyone sang along to. Other levels played electronic or slower music.

The older pubs have a vibrant history, and switch off modernday hits with traditional “trad” music. Traditional Irish fare can either be fast

dancing music made up of a flute, fiddle, recorder, violins, harp and whatever instrument the locals have handy, or a lamenting ballad sung to share the story of an Irish revolutionary.

The locals loved joining in to sing, happily creating an unintelligible cacophony.

I was surprised to find some people more interested in a good conversation than simply hooking up. A John Mulaney-looking man approached me as I wrote alone in my journal one night at a pub in Galway. Instead of taking “I’m married,” as a rebuke, Cathal Owens, 18, of County Mayo excitedly began a lively discussion on the differences in Irish and American politics upon hearing my accent.

Owens shared that Ireland loves America, and many homes prominently display three frames of people who famously visited: John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama next to Pope John Paul II, of course. One local even reminisced about seeing Kennedy at his 1963 parade through town months before he died.

The general sentiment was that our latest election proved the incapability the American electoral system, we should be ashamed and I would be better off starting my family in Ireland.

To my astonishment, this conversation not only continued but expanded once

Two of the journal entries I was busy working on at a bar in Galway on June 25.

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Sheep greet visitors entering the grounds at the Markree Castle in Sligo on June 21.

Culture The famous Temple Bar sits nestled in Downtown Dublin on June 17.

my husband joined, to the dismay of Owens’ three brothers. They had brought their youngest brother visiting from the country to their local pub, and were too preoccupied looking for more available women to engage in political discourse.

Men across the country teased Russell and I mercilessly for our public displays of affection, yet they gave us great bear hugs and kissed my cheeks after learning we were newlyweds. Women found my husband holding me from behind at the bar endearing yet unattainable since it seemed so uncommon.

MARKREE CASTLE IN SLIGO

Driving onto the grounds of the Markree Castle in Sligo felt like walking onto the set of Downton Abbey. My husband’s gift of the gab got us the entire castle to ourselves for two nights for the price of one room, and I felt like royalty. The whole venue typically goes for 10,000 Euro per night, or $11,420.74.

More interesting than its manicured gardens, grounds and Irish wolfhounds was the building itself. Upon our late night arrival, Russell and I went exploring.

I raced through hallways and was overwhelmed with its tactile history and stained glass. Touching everything, I ran further and further upstairs until I got lost and somehow ended up exiting the back of the castle to return into the lavender, twilight nightscape.

Because of how far north it is, Ireland was bright from dawn until around 9:30 p.m. when the sun set during the solstice. The sky remained purple until the next morning.

Expecting rain, I had not packed appropriately. It got so hot that after three days I needed to buy short sleeved shirts, shorts and sunglasses. At its peak during our trip, Ireland reached a humid 90 degrees.

CLIFFS OF MOHER

We next visited the Cliffs of Moher and O’Brien tower.

Entering from the parking lot, we found meditation rooms with relaxing music. Six large souvenir shops and an exhibition sit in the rolling hills.

If there is bad weather, the exhibition is available as an indoor and disability-friendly experience with interactive displays, a birds-eye view theater and café.

The 702-foot expansive rock face of the Cliffs of Moher themselves were a short hike with many stairs, but made for an overwhelmingly beautiful experience.

Puffins and other local wildlife are reported to be visible on the small islands offshore, but we saw no animals beyond seagulls.

DROMBEG STONE CIRCLE

The destination I was most excited to visit was hidden in the West Cork countryside: Drombeg stone circle. Also known as The Druid’s Altar, the circle consists of 17 freestanding stones that symmetrically sit opposite each other. On the winter solstice, the sun sets at a point on the horizon to align perfectly opposite a pair of tall stones that form an entrance into the circle.

Encyclopaedia Britannica states the earliest records of Druids

continued >> date back to the 3rd century B.C., and the history and magic here felt palpable. There was a constant stream of visitors leaving offerings at the altar in the center of the circle.

Acting as priests, teachers and judges, the Druids performed ritual sacrifices and ceremonies here until they were suppressed by the Romans and lost their priestly functions as Christianity spread rapidly in the first century. Legends of their ancient magic have impacted Irish history and Celtic folklore ever since.

FOOD

The food in Ireland required a big adjustment. An Irish breakfast is similar to the English breakfast with the driest scones I have ever tasted in my life served alongside tea, sausages, eggs and jam on toast. My husband enjoyed the occasional black pudding, or blood sausages, though I did not.

As a woman who appreciates a good hamburger, I was eager to try one made with fresh, locally-sourced meat and toppings. What I received was a well-done, flavorless meal with floppy “chips” or french fries. I was disappointed to learn that Ireland mirrors the UK’s standard requirement that any ground meat must be cooked well-done, charcoal style.

We found the best food at Italian restaurants.

Because the service industry in Europe does not rely on tips, service was often incredibly slow. We once waited for up to 20 minutes at the front of a restaurant before we were approached by a host.

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B ER M E M E R TO - S L A NG LLUTED, O P : K N U DR OOBAS, L L A B , D E LANGER LOCKED YOUR H T I W G FIGHTIN AVING A H “ : R E N T PAR C” DOMESTI OON TUNE: TCH

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Plan accordingly, since all the restaurant kitchens close at 8 p.m. and the only places open late serve either pizza, curry or fish and chips.

For a country known for its appreciation of spirits, I was surprised to find out that there are strict regulations on the sale of alcohol at liquor stores, known as off-licenses. Sales stop at 10 p.m., encouraging drinking at pubs or restaurants instead of in the privacy of your own home.

CULTURE

A serene view from a window at the Markree Castle features the River Unshin running through the grounds on June 21.

There is a strong sense of community here. Everyone is incredibly welcoming and kind to travelers and strangers alike.

I found people quite spirited for living in an often gray landscape known primarily for its rain. Stoicism and a teasing “take the piss” attitude disguise refreshingly candid, creative and caring people.

Locals joked that they are familiar with our accent because their Irish children grow up with “Youtube accents” from watching Americans online, an unsettling product of globalism.

The acceptance of immigrants is evident as newcomers integrate into previously established communities.

Ireland’s census states that even rural Drumlish, my ancestral home, went from 275 residents in 1991 to 931 in 2016.

The Irish Times reports that while immigration from countries all over the world has risen to its highest since 2008, it has not matched the number of citizens leaving. Emigration reached its peak in 2011, but the 2016 census states it has dropped over 15 percent in people in their 20s.

Younger generations began emigrating due to acute housing shortages and the rising cost of living. But while some born on the island are eager to leave, many travelers choose to stay.

At a pub in Cork, French immigrant Florent Eon laughed when I shared that we had extended our stay in Galway two days. He said he started out a Galway tourist as well. Now working in customer service at Amazon, he chose to relocate to Ireland and has lived there for the past 12 years.

If they cooked a better burger, I would be there already. L

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DJ Bin Dope hears the audience’s request in music on Oct. 29 at the photography studio in the Visual Arts building.

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DJ Bin Dope inspires by setting an example for his community and visually impaired peers.

acing the audience, Johnny Muñoz, 22, is bright with joy as the host of a kickback for his friends in the visually impaired community.

He sits on his chair with his legs under him, one hand on the turntable and the other holding a headphone speaker to his ear as he rocks back and forth to the music behind his DJ booth in his sister’s backyard in Glendora.

Muñoz is a psychology major at Citrus by day and DJ Bin Dope by night. Well known for his buoyant personality on campus, he is even more renown within the blind community for his outgoing nature and parties.

“If you tell me I can’t wrestle or throw parties, if you tell me that blind people can’t turn up, I’m gonna throw a party and invite you and prove you wrong,” he said.

Muñoz’s mother went into preterm labor at 21 weeks. He and his twin sister Jeanney were born with retinopathy of prematurity, an eye condition affecting premature infants.

“I only weighed a pound and I died twice… I was in an incubator for six months. They told my mom, ‘he’s not gonna live … (if they do survive) give them up for adoption. You already have six kids,’” Muñoz said.

ROP occurs in 16% of all premature births.

“The last 12 weeks of a normal 40 week gestation are crucial in the development of fetal eyes,” Laura and Richard Windsor, O.D., explained in an article for Vision Enhancement Magazine.

Scar tissue created by abnormal vessel growth can contract, causing retinal detachment and blindness.

“They told my mom, ‘he’s not gonna be normal. He’s going to be disabled. You need to treat him like that.’ But the aides told her ‘don’t treat him like he’s disabled, throw him on your back and tell him what you’re going to do,’” Muñoz said.

Muñoz’s mother Maria Rodriguez, 61, chose to listen to the aides and nurses and refused

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TEXT BY: ALANA DALY O’BRIEN PHOTOS BY: ALEJANDRA HARO

to give her twins up for adoption. “I knew it in my heart that they would be OK,” she said, instructing the whole family to pray from the U.S. to Mexico.

After four months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Muñoz and his sister stabilized. They both lost their vision, though she was able to recover hers last year through laser surgery.

“What made me fearless as a kid was my mom,” Muñoz admits.

Rodriguez was born in the U.S. but was raised in Agua Caliente, Mexico. She attended school through 3rd grade, left and returned as a freshman to Blair High School where she met her husband and married at 16. Rodriguez had her first child at 17, raising her family in Pasadena and Azusa.

“When I had (the twins), my whole world changed for the better,” Rodriguez said.

Of her eight children, Muñoz and his “partner in crime” are the first to graduate middle school and high school.

“Me and my twin are the only ones to come and get our degrees,” Muñoz said.

Muñoz says there is a false perception that blind people are unable to live life to the fullest.

He considers it his mission to reach out and bridge the gap between his visually impaired and sighted friends.

Muñoz’s parties are no easy feat. He and his family schedule the arrivals and pick ups of 20 visually impaired people through Access paratransit buses. He arranges for sighted friends to help guide others around the dancefloor, pool, house and buffet.

Like any other summer pool party, everyone is on their phones. Muñoz invited everyone through Vorail, a social media app for those with vision loss.

In it, people socialize by speaking and listening to each other. Party-goers have their phones an inch from their face or ear, glowing faces smiling in response to the well wishes of friends across the state.

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In the pool, Muñoz does not hold back playing Marco Polo with a beach ball, which they use instead of tagging because the game can become heated.

After diving into the deep end, Muñoz hits his friend Christina Johnson, 52, of Los Angeles square in the face with his first shot a millisecond after she says “polo.”

She returns to the surface sputtering and laughing, “Who got me?”

Muñoz created this tradition to “build a support system for each of us” allowing his friends to meet and socialize with people they exclusively knew online.

Socializing and dating has proven difficult. Once his date’s mother told her, “Stay away from the blind kid’s family.

(You) can’t be hanging out with him,’” said Muñoz.

“You just think because I’m blind, I can’t do anything,” he continued.

In addition to expanding his social yAnnounce your presence, they cannot circle, Muñoz wants to be a mental health see you and hearing a sneaky arrival counselor. can be startling; ex. “Hi, my name “A lot of blind people post on Facebook is ________. Do you need help getting that they want to commit suicide. The somewhere?” thing I do, I’ll talk to them. I say, ‘give me yAlways ask their preference for your number, let’s talk.’ … A lot of visually guiding: right or left arm? Hand on impaired people don’t have a life. I say the shoulder or on the elbow? come back to school, get a degree.” yMany visually impaired people Muñoz, dubbed DJ Bin Dope by his wear sunglasses because they are cousin DJ Prospect, taught himself how photosensitive, or sensitive to the to DJ at 15 by listening to Big Boy’s light, and need the UV protection.

Neighborhood on Power 106. ySome also have a collapsible cane “I started listening to their DJ mixes and they take everywhere and may ask thought I’d like to copy their style, how you to locate; the term “cane” is I do it. So I started copying them when preferred over “walking stick.”

I’m scratching. Big Boy, if you get the ySome practice using clicking noises message, I love you!” he said. as echolocation, using the sound and Muñoz originally called himself DJ Be its path of travel to gauge the empty Spinnin’, but his cousin corrected him space in a location or car. one day in high school. He said that while yNever pet a guide dog without Muñoz may be spinnin’ now, he has always explicit permission from the handler, been dope. and do not allow children to approach “Since he started hearing music… He any service animal. Explain they are was in love with Tupac. He would sing busy working. every song of his,” Rodriguez said. “Out yAt restaurants, someone will read of all my kids, he’s the only one who loves the menu aloud or they will ask music.” for a menu in Braille. Some prefer DJ Bin Dope plays a variety of hip-hop to search online for menus to have and rap, enticing the crowd to bob their their phone read them aloud. heads in unison. After getting the audience active and dancing, he scratches on the turntable before introducing a couple of visually impaired friends to perform.

Ronnie Chism, 37, also known as Talksho “The Visionary,” of San Bernardino paces in thought as his friend Sylvia sings next to him. By the end of her ballad, Chism looks more self-assured and begins to rap about his cane and the struggles of becoming visually impaired later in life.

“Johnny’s never turned in. That’s a good energy to have for music,” Chism says of working with Muñoz. “He’s definitely talented, and he’s not shy to show it either.”

When he is not working towards his psychology degree or DJing private events, Muñoz practices playing beep baseball with the San Gabriel Valley Panthers before they attend the 2019 World Series in Tulsa, Okla.

“I’m inspired by everybody. I’m inspired by people that tell me I can’t do anything,” he said. “If you tell me I can’t do it, I’m gonna try to find a way to. That’s the way I am.” L

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“A lot of visually impaired people don’t have a life. I say come back to school, get a degree.”

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22-year-old Johnny Muñoz shows his potential to DJ on September 29, 2018 at the Citrus College’s photography studio.

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Culture

Geeks love it, hate it, live it and breathe it. Cosplay is a subculture surrounded by community and controversy.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY: LIANDRA THIBODEAUX

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here are no restrictions in the cosplay community. All are welcome no matter the age, shape, gender, sex or ethnicity. Everyone can freely and comfortably express themselves through their cosplay.

Costuming or masquerading is thought to have begun in the late 1930s. Initially it was not required to portray a specific character but rather emulate a genre, such as science fiction or superheros.

With its recent growth in popularity, cosplay has evolved into much more than just throwing on a costume to attend a convention. It became its own subculture in North America.

Cosplay is a core part of conventions. It is no longer specific to science fiction, but instead a multitude of genres across various mediums and platforms. These include video games, historical figures, anime, comics, cartoons, television, movies and originally designed characters.

I found a strong sense of unity diving into this world, a place for people to find themselves. Through this community I have been able to move past much of my social anxiety by creating and sharing my costumes with like-minded and welcoming individuals.

I have always loved to dress up. The feeling I had as a child putting on a costume for Halloween or playing in my room has always given me a sense of comfort. I could be anything I wanted to be, and once I put a costume on no one could convince me otherwise. I was inspired to make most of my Halloween costumes myself at a very young age.

I first decided to cosplay at a convention in 2013. I had been to conventions before, but didn’t think I would feel comfortable dressing up. I was

so nervous. I worked extremely hard on making my cosplay: a maid costume.

The costume consisted of a simple black and white dress with cuffs, a headpiece, white stockings, black shoes and was topped off with a long white wig. It took me about a month to gather all the pieces and sew them together, primarily by hand since my sewing machine decided to be a jerk and give me trouble.

Con-goer dressed as Disney evil Queen Maleficent poses for photo on July 3, 2016 at Anime Expo.

As I arrived at Anime Expo with a group of friends, I felt very insecure. I felt I wasn’t going to fit in and thoughts of being ridiculed and judged by other goers crossed my mind. It made my skin crawl, and for a short time that seemed to stretch on my anxiety got the best of me.

It took a stranger also dressed as a maid running up to me in complete excitement at the fact that we were both maids in a sea of princesses, woodland characters and comic book characters to snap me back to reality. She caught me way off guard.

She asked to take a few photos together, I reluctantly agreed and once we were done she gave me the warmest hug and disappeared into the crowd of people. Thanks to this amazing stranger, I was able to enjoy the rest of the convention the way it was intended to be enjoyed.

One of my recent cosplays was a character from a video game series called “Blazblue.” The character Taokaka was a unique take on the catgirl archetype with brown skin, long blond hair tied up into two braids and a black cat tail with a faded white tip. She has happy-go-lucky personality and only wishes the best for her friends and family.

Through this character, I was able to find the confidence to interact with other con-goers despite my introverted personality. I was able to my share stories of past conventions with newly made friends and build lasting friendships by keeping in contact through social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram.

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Welcome to

Der Rat

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thskeller Step into this Germanic bar and peek into the jazz speakeasy underneath.

TEXT BY: MATTHEW SMITH PHOTOS BY: MICHAEL QUINTERO

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er Wolf or Der Wolfskopf, which translates to The Wolf’s Head, is an old-world German bar in Pasadena. The interior resembles a scaled down German beer hall with a few tables to sit, a bar top and minimal decorations.

Aside from the traditional German food like sausage plates, pretzels and a surplus of strong ales, what makes this bar unique is that at 8 p.m. patrons gain access to the basement bar underneath Der Wolf known as Der Rathskeller.

German rathskellers are hidden meeting rooms beneath bars where committees could assemble in secret, but this is more than just a council room.

Der Rathskeller is not for the timid or the faint of heart. This underground speakeasy is covered wall-to-wall in murals depicting morbid scenes and hellish monstrosities from an apparitional Napoleon Bonaparte to Sailor Jerry tatting the Devil himself.

The combination of dim lighting and gruesome imagery in Der Rathskeller creates an atmosphere fit for any fan of horror, beer and folklore.

The frightening images and dim lighting are evocative of the secret history behind this macabre bar.

Der Rathskeller has only been open for 3 years, but its history begins in the formative years of Old Town Pasadena.

The building was built in 1903, and The Container Store next door was previously the Pasadena Town Hall while Der Rathskeller’s basement was its jail.

This basement exudes a deep and dark secrecy that is both enticing and

terrifying. Pianist and music coordinator Bobby Woods of Philonious Music, the venue’s go-to entertainment agency, recalled seeing a shadowy figure wandering the halls.

“I don’t know dude, it’s just weird.

There is a shadow of a guy just walking around. Nobody hangs out down here when the lights are off,” Woods explained, visibly shaken at the thought of being there alone.

Adding to the pernicious aura of Der Rathskeller, the Pasadena Police Department discovered the body of a middle-aged man hanging in the courtyard behind the bar on Jan. 23.

Although there was some suspicions of foul play, Pasadena Now reports that “once detectives were able to obtain and view security videos, they concluded the man had killed himself.”

The haunting notion of death still hangs heavy in the air.

Unnerving stories of ghosts and specters in the dark pair with a sinisterly inviting music, adding to the allure of this underground bar.

Every Thursday at 9 p.m., with the exception of the first Thursday of the month, Der Rathskeller hosts the jazz/ funk ensemble The Fair Oaks Five.

The band consists of a saxophonist Brian Perske, trumpeter Max Dearth, bassist David Isaac, pianist Bobby Woods and drummer Caylon Travis playing a combination of classic jazz standards and jazzed up pop songs that allow each band member a section of improvisation.

The combination of funk and jazz offers music for more than just jazz enthusiasts. Their rhythmic grooves and twist on popular songs go beyond

Der Wolf 72 N Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103 21 and over

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“Nobody hangs out down here when the lights are off.”

Bobby Woods of Philonious Music the standard ensemble.

A band is only as good as their rhythm section, and The Fair Oaks Five exemplify that.

Having known each other for over 5 years, Isaac, Travis and Woods create unorthodox rhythms and timing beneath the brass leads. Woods hails The Fair Oaks Five as being “jazz with an accent.” Dearth and Perske combine soulfully sweet melodies with complex solos to complete the bands distinctive sound.

Jazz is a deeply mysterious culture rooted in the darkest recesses of American culture, and the Fair Oaks Five’s dynamic interpretation is a fitting main attraction at Der Rathskeller.

The eerie ambiance entices passersby to step back in time to when jazz could only be found underground by the few souls who dared to venture where the lights are low and the drinks flow. L

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 5 p.m.-12 a.m.

Friday: 5 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Saturday: 1p.m. - 2 a.m.

Sunday: 10 a.m. - 12 a.m.

MAZE CRAZE

contribution

Logos had the opportunity to feature a proficient maze maker.

Alexander Samay is a business technology major.

Follow him on Twitter: @AlexanderSamay CREATOR’S NOTE: Starting from the end is cheating.

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