Small town girl with a huge voice

Share: A small town Louisiana girl can feel out of place within the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles’s many suburbs, like Pasadena. When Alicia Batice needs some time to settle, she’s unwinding in front of the Veteran’s Memorial Wall where the pine trees and the distant voices remind her of Franklinton, a small town she once called home. “Louisiana’s quieter, but California’s so busy,” the communications major said. “Everyone’s on the go. Nobody has time to just take it in. I’m like, ‘Everything’s so …

Music instructor’s talents recognized on Grammy winning album

Share: Last month’s Grammy ceremony was a particularly special event for one PCC instructor since she contributed to a now award-winning album. Alison Bjorkedal, who teaches music appreciation, played an ancient Greek instrument called a kithara on the album “Plectra and Percussion Dances” for the ensemble Partch, named after American composer Harry Partch. Partch, the composer, was known for writing microtonal music and the development of a 43 note-per-octave scale. “Plectra and Percussion Dances” itself is an homage to Partch, as all the music performed …

Frankenstein’s monster walks again

Share: Inspector Kemp wrenched his arm and it made a ratchet cranking sound to match. It was plain to see that his arm had been replaced by a mechanical one. “It cost me an arm and a leg,” he said. “Which cost more? The arm or the leg?” asked a villager. “We need a new village idiot!” Kemp said in response. Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein” opened on the Sexson Auditorium stage at Pasadena City College on Friday, Feb. 27 with great success. Follow:

New artist in residence speaks Slanguage

Share: “Stepping into an art fair for the first time was like a cow visiting a butcher shop.” This is how Mario Ybarra Jr. described his experience as an artist attending a large international art fair to his friends back home in Wilmington. “It was a little like the Slauson Indoor Swapmeet,” Ybarra said. “I was just shocked to see so much art in one place.” Ybarra is Pasadena City College’s annual artist in residence for 2015. The residency includes two gallery exhibitions and the …

Lessons Learned in Wild Africa

Share: Justin Chapman, alumni of Pasadena City College and University of California, Berkeley, has many accomplishments under his belt. At age 19, he began writing for the Pasadena Weekly, and from there, went on to publish newsbreaking stories for over 20 leading publications, including LA Weekly, Berkeley Political Review, and Patch. At 19 years old, he was also the youngest elected member to serve on the Altadena Town Council, beating out 57-year-old Vice Chairman of the council by earning 63% of the vote. Now with …