‘Battle of the Bands’ to Return to San Clemente High

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

After nearly 20 years, San Clemente High students will once again get the chance to showcase their musical talents and compete for studio time as part of the school’s upcoming “Battle of the Bands,” which will kick off in late March.

Starting on March 27, a different band will play their original songs at lunch to an audience of their peers, teachers, and music industry personnel. The bands— comprising sophomores, juniors and seniors—include The Bad Kissers, Roswell, Current Location, Apollo Weekend, and The Wool Club.

The winning band at the end of the week—March 31—will earn the opportunity to work with Biff Cooper of the San Clemente-based Power Plant Records to record a demo tape of three songs.

Cooper told San Clemente Times he got involved with the competition after hearing about it from an SCHS student he works with as part of Power Plant’s afterschool program. He then got connected with teacher Jonathan Bisch, who is leading the event and was looking for a partner to record songs and find judges.

“I’m looking forward (to the winners) recording in a professional studio and help them develop the content necessary to get them noticed by potential fans,” said Cooper.

The weeklong battle was initially scheduled to start on Monday, Feb. 27; however, because of the upcoming storm

(Cont. from page 7) he spoke with Amy Behrens, the center’s executive director, about organizing a display that would center on older paintings of the state’s landscape.

She was receptive, especially as Casa Romantica was looking to plan its next historical exhibition.

Behrens told San Clemente Times that she was “very interested” in showing some of the Boseker family’s collection that includes works from the California Impressionist period. Those works, dating back to the 20th century, were painted outdoors, or “en plein air,” and focused on displaying the emotions invoked by the depicted landscapes.

Yvonne Boseker, the head of the Boseker Family Art Collection and a collector of Delanty’s, was happy to share the pieces.

Delanty’s previous experiences in seeing the collection proved to be helpful as the exhibition planning developed.

“I was familiar enough with it that when we started talking about which pieces to select, that I had some ideas in mind, governed by what excited me about the paintings and also about the space of the galleries in the Casa,” he said. “That’s how we selected the final 22 that are part of the show.”

The first work Delanty completed was at Mission San Juan Capistrano, where Arthur Grover Rider painted a specific archway on the property.

Delanty went to the spot shown in Rider’s piece, walked 10 feet away and tried to find another aspect of the Mission that inspired him. He then went to work, and “tried to give the Mission that beauty and solitary peacefulness” that he had experienced from the painting of the arch.

For another painting, Delanty and his wife traveled to the San Francisco area, where Thomas Ross painted the Bay in 1865. More than 100 years later and with the addition of the Golden Gate Bridge, Delanty went just southeast of the bridge to Crissy Field and painted.

“What was exciting for me was to be in that place that Thomas Ross had visited, and paint a whole new introduction into that environment,” he said.

Another one of the paintings in the exhibit, Opulent Spring by William Wendt, depicts a field of poppies. Delanty said he wasn’t interested in copying Wendt’s work, but rather working in the spirit of what Wendt would do if the two were together, painting in the same spot.

“All of these 22 paintings have something in common with mine that I thought was most significant about them,” he said, whether that aspect is color, subject matter, or location.

He went to the places specifically painted in a work that Boseker shared on a few occasions, but he avoided mimicking exactly what was already done and done well.

Behrens said it was “fantastic” to have both historical and contemporary visions of California present at the Casa, as it presents a richer version of reality than photographs.

“Painting the history of Southern California makes it into a narrative, and automatically a comment on the landscape and environment,” she said.

She also called the display an “in- heading to Southern California, the organizers have postponed it to the next month. credible opportunity” to see a group of amazing works right next to each other, which does not occur often in modern museums and galleries.

Regarding why Delanty thinks viewers will enjoy the exhibition, he said that he hopes seeing historical art will connect people to the past through the emotions in the same way that society appreciates ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.

When people walk in, Delanty said, he hopes that they’ll be able to see how the artists were moved by California’s landscape, how he was moved, and that they will be moved as well.

He also referenced a quote from Carl Jung that stated how history remains in people’s blood to this very day, which will be shown in the display.

“That’s the whole purpose of the exhibition, to show how art is real,” said Delanty. “It’s not just colors and shapes, but it’s actually the portrayal of emotions and life and how actual people view the world. It’s something with which I hope every gallery-goer will be able to connect.”

OBITUARY Nipper Larson

December 25, 1945 - December 31, 2022

On December 31, 2022, Harry Francis Larson II, aka “Nipper”, left this earthly plane after his heart stopped suddenly while skiing down a falling snow-covered mountain in Idaho with his son-in-law Mike Russell. Nipper and Lori traveled on Christmas day to spend his 77th birthday and first Christmas with their grand-daughter, Cadence Avery Russell.

Nipper & Lori Larson arrived in San Clemente 30 years ago, leaving Mammoth Lakes with two beautiful daughters, Madison 4, Lynnea 1½. San Clemente provided everything they were looking for: work and volunteer opportunities, sunshine and our San Clemente addition to our family, our son, Torrey Spencer Larson.

Nipper is survived by his wife of San Clemente, Lori Corkhill Larson, married 36 years and 44 years together; their daughter Madison Russell, son-in-law Mike Russell, and grand-daughter, Cadence Avery who reside in Meridian, Idaho; daughter Lynnea Nicolette Larson-Ponte and daughter-in-law Francelia Ponte, who now reside in Alexandria, Virginia; Nipper’s only sur- viving Larson family member, his younger brother, Ken Larson and wife Suzy Larson of San Bernardino, CA.

No one will ever tell us how/why Nipper died that day, (he was an expert skier), but we know he died of a broken heart over losing our only son, Torrey, on June 25, 2022. It was a grief too heavy to bear. We believe that Nipper and Torrey are together, there is no more pain, both physically and emotionally. Nipper waited 50 years to have a son. Without Torrey, Nipper was lost. Now they are both safe and home and right next to a God that has a Master Plan for his grieving family.

After losing both Torrey & Nipper within six months of each other has left the Larson family both emotionally and financially devastated. Our hope is that your support will help this family minimize the insurmountable debt that looms large at a time when they need to grieve and recover from their devastating sorrow. *GiveSendGo : The Larson Family Needs Your Help.

A Celebration of Life will be March 31st, 2023, at the San Clemente Community Center, 100 N. Calle Seville. All who knew Nipper and our family are welcome. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. and service begins at 10 a.m.