The Scripps Voice

Stephanie Steinbrecher ’16
Staff Writer

We love the Motley so much now, so why wouldn’t we want to come back after graduation? Some Scripps alumni return not just to reacquaint themselves with the coffee and cozy atmosphere, but to perform. Returning to her alma mater, Emmeline Miles (SC ’07) graced the Motley Coffeehouse with her original music and lively spirit for a concert on Thursday, Nov. 29.

Traveling from her home in Dallas, Texas, Miles performed original, self-declared “pop music for smart people” as well as some covers and mashups to an audience of studious, sociable, and live music-appreciating Motley-goers. With only her keyboard to accompany her soulful vocals, Miles appeared confident and quite at home on stage. Her love of music as well as her vocal and piano talent led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in general music from Scripps College in 2007. She cites her time at Scripps as not only influential in her musical career, but in all parts of her post-undergrad life as well.

“A Scripps education gave me confidence not only as an intellectual and as a musician, but as a female. Without a doubt, the relationships formed during my years at Scripps gave me the strength to chart an unconventional course into the music industry,” Miles said. Which is not to say that finding her way has been an easy experience. “When I got home [from college], I tried really hard to be a practical person who did practical things. I tried to put music behind me…[but] within a few months, I was dragging my keyboard into a coffee shop that looked almost exactly like the Motley.”

Incidentally, she wrote one of her first songs in the Motley about a relationship that developed in the time she spent at the Motley. It is only fitting that she should return to the place where her career as an independent musician really began.

Miles has worked hard to find her musical niche and is happy to share her talents in order to connect with other people. “There’s no shortcut to success,” she said. “I have this crazy hope, though, that if you trust yourself enough, and you love your work enough, you will eventually do something great. Scripps women are motivated to actually change the world. It’s not just a motto for us—it’s a calling.”

She is motivated by one lesson held very dear at Scripps. “Women have a unique voice, and it’s one that not only deserves to be heard, but needs to be heard. Now, more than ever, we have a responsibility to speak out and advocate for ourselves and others like us,” she said. “As Scripps women, we’re given the education and the opportunity to do that, and that’s not a privilege I take lightly.”

Keeping Scripps friends close, her passions close, and never giving up was the recipe for success to which Miles credits her growing musical success. As for future plans, she hopes to play Cowboys Stadium and perhaps win a Grammy. “My goal is to keep making music that makes people feel like they’re not alone. I want to make records that people put on to feel better about the world. To play a song and hear people singing along is the coolest feeling in the world, so I’d also like to make sure that happens a lot more,” she said.

As she continues to navigate the intricacies of post-college life, Miles promises to never lose sight of her talents, goals, or her past time at Scripps. To Miles, paying a visit to the Motley so she can be surrounded by Scripps women facing the same challenges as she has is inspiring. This is a habit she hopefully will do until she’s on the Grammy stage.

By Elizabeth Lee ’16

Staff Writer

Next weekend marks Pitzer College’s 11th Annual Reggae Music and Arts Festival, a celebration of the reggae music, culture, and artistic community originally developed in 1960s Jamaica.

This year’s festival runs from 1:00 p.m. on Nov. 17 to 1:00 a.m. the next night, giving students and community members ample opportunity to come experience the reggae festivities.

Music performances in the early to late evening will feature Mykal Rose, the Reggae Angels, We the People, Full Wattz, and Cultural Soul. In addition to musical performances the festival will include free interactive workshops during the afternoon.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in capoeira, yoga, and drumming, as well as observe live art showings. And as a particularly enticing incentive for our often-ravenous college students, there will be vendors providing free food from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

“This festival prides itself on being free and open to the public,” says Pitzer junior Miranda Gonzales-Brown. “We hope to reach out to our surrounding community and invite them to be a part of our campus culture.” One of the first juniors to head the committee responsible for bringing Reggae Festival to the Claremont community, Gonzales-Brown adds, “It’s a lot of responsibility, but I’m happy to be able to be a part of the movement to bring reggae to campus…I’m most excited to see how everyone’s contributions come together. The committee has been working tirelessly to make the logistical aspects come together, but it will be the workshops, light structures, vendors, Shakedown food, and amazing artists that will make this a truly spectacular event.”

This year’s festival is sponsored by Pitzer, Pomona, Scripps, and Harvey Mudd Colleges, as well as Claremont Graduate University, the Campus Life Committee, EcoCenter, BSU, and FemCo. More information can be found about this event on its public Facebook page “Pitzer College’s 11th Annual Reggae Music and Arts Festival.”

By Kehau Jai ‘16
Staff Writer

Pandora and Spotify are great ways to listen to your favorite music free online (if you can get past the advertising), but there’s nothing quite like being at a live concert. But if you don’t have a car—or even if you do—it can be difficult and expensive to get to Los Angeles to attend live music events. Fortunately, we have organizations like Scripps Live Arts.

Co-leaders Anna Petkovich (‘14) and Caitlin Sweeney (‘13) aim to bring live performances and concerts to Scripps and the 5C community free of charge. Scripps Live Arts offers a range of events, from live musical performances to poetry readings. Petkovich views this focus on drawing artistic talent to Scripps College as their “contribution to the Scripps community,” since before “students had to go off campus to go to live shows.”

Scripps Live Arts focuses on organizing live events. Anyone interested can get involved. The club provides “resources for students to bring those people they’re excited about,” says Sweeney.

Live Arts also works to give members experience in the entertainment industry through involvement in event planning. This includes learning how to book artists, obtain financing, use sound and monitoring equipment, and advertise shows.

Live Arts will have different focus each semester. This semester “we’re exclusively doing music,” says Sweeney. Petkovich noted that “folky” singer-songwriter Katie Colver will peform at the Motley Coffeehouse on Nov. 8 at 8:00 p.m.

“Post-punk surf rock” band Jaawwzz (try saying that out loud) will perform at the Student Union at 7:00 p.m. on Nov. 16.

On Dec. 8, Grass Widow, an all-female punk band will come to campus.
Besides bringing in outside artists, Scripps Live Arts also promote 5C artists:  singer-songwriter Olivia Buntaine (SCR ’15) will open for the Colver concert.

Scripps Live Arts looks and sounds as good as the events they organize. They welcome anyone who wants to foster art and performance in the community. Petkovich said, “This club is really what students make it. We’re open to anything and we hope that interested students will come to us with their ideas.”
To learn more about becoming involved with Scripps Live Arts or to learn about their events, contact scrippslivearts@gmail.com, like their page on Facebook, or attend their club meetings on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. in the Student Union.

By Dagny Lu ’15 and Stephanie Steinbrecher ’16

Staff Writers

Find out what makes each of Claremont’s eight* a cappella groups  unique just in time for their performances at the 17th annual Southern California A Cappella Music Festival (SCAMFEST) on Friday, Nov. 9th at Bridges Auditorium!

The Women’s Blue and White

Photo courtesy of Women’s Blue and White

Year Formed: early 1980s
Number of current members: 17
Signature songs/performances: “Wasted On the Way” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash

The Women’s Blue and White was founded at Pomona and were named after the school colors. “We are the only all-female a cappella group on the 5Cs. So basically, if you’ve seen Pitch Perfect, that’s us—only without the projectile puking,” said Stephanie Parks (SC ‘13).
The group gets together to practice three times each week. “WBW is like its own little family. We’re serious, but at the same time we’re a pretty goofy group of individuals, and we like to have fun,” said Parks.

Parks shared with us her most memorable experience as a member of the group. “Last year, we took an impromptu trip to Baldy for one of our rehearsals. Singing up in the mountains and being able to look up and see the stars was incredible. It’s the little things like that that makes WBW so fun.”

The group performs at events throughout the year such as Pomona’s Founder’s Day, The Shakedown Café Birthday Party, and Alumni weekend. “We usually hold at least one snack concert and one end-of-semester concert every semester,” said Parks.

The Claremont Shades

Photo courtesy of the Claremont Shades

Year Formed: 1995
Number of current members: 16
Signature songs/performances: “Fuck You” by Cee Lo Green
“God Bless the Broken Road”
“The Winter Song”

The Claremont Shades is the first co-ed a cappella group at the Claremont Colleges. Founded in 1995 as the Claremont Shades Of Harmony, the group currently includes sixteen members from all five colleges.

“We are like a big family. Everyone in the group is really close. We are all very supportive of one another and members usually stay in touch after graduation, ” said Priya Srivats, a senior at Scripps College and the event coordinator of the group this year.
Priya joined The Claremont Shades in her spring semester of freshmen year. “I love to sing, and being a member of Shades has been a great way for me to keep music in my life throughout college. It has also helped me develop my leadership skills.”

It is one of the group’s traditions that at their end-of-the-year party each year, the seniors will “re-audition” in front of the rest of the group by performing the songs they sang for their auditions back when they first became a member of the group.

The Claremont Shades practices three times each week and sometimes more before big events. “We love to make music and have fun. Music is really important to every member of the group, and we choose songs that we think the audience will enjoy,” said Srivats.
The group performs at different schools events throughout the year such as the new student orientation and snack concerts. “We also do two tours each year, one in spring and one in fall, for which we travel to sing at schools, hospitals, farmer’s markets, etc. For our last fall tour we went to Berkley and performed at the local farmer’s market,” says Srivats.

The Claremont Shades will be hosting SCAMfest on Nov. 9 in the Big Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College.

The After School Special

Year Formed:    2002

Number of current members: 13
Signature songs/performances: “The Heart Medley,” a mashup of three different sappy boyband songs. A Lady Gaga medley they started performing right after “Bad Romance” came out.

Photo by Tianna Sheih ’16

The After School Special probably has one of the sexiest acronyms on campus, and they certainly know it.

“Our green trucker hats that we all wear for every show have ASS printed on the front, and it is tradition of ours that after every performance we always bow backwards to give the audience a good look at our ASSes!” said Bryn Morgan, a senior at Scripps and the group’s event coordinator this year.

At ASS, members proudly refer to themselves as ASSlings. “New members are called ASS babies and our fans are our ASSets!” said Morgan.

Bryn Morgan joined The After School Special during her first semester at Scripps College. “I was instantly part of a hilarious, musical, and loving family. We spend a lot of time together both in and out of rehearsals. We are all close friends and provide support for one another no matter what. It’s a special connection,” said Morgan. “If there’s one thing that has made my college experience fantastic, it’s been being a part of ASS!”

The 5-C a cappella group performs at various school snacks and campus events through out the year. “We’re getting into touring more also—we were down in San Diego a few weeks ago for an a cappella invitational concert and have been talking about doing a tour of a number of schools in California,” said Morgan.

Bryn also shared with us the group’s creative process. “We like to cycle through music—singing the songs for too long is not only boring for audiences but it’s boring for us!” said Morgan. “We are really collaborative and we love to have fun while making music. Sometimes if we want to arrange a song, rather than having one or two people sit down and arrange it, we’ll just stand in a circle and improvise until it starts sounding good, each person making up a part. We like to change things as we go to improve, for example I’m writing a rap verse right now to replace one that none of us liked on one of our songs.”

The Mood Swing

Photo by Tianna Sheih ‘16

Year Formed: 2004
Number of current member: 18
Signature songs/performances: “A Change In My Life”

The Mood Swing likes to keep that sense of whimsy in their song choices. “We like to challenge ourselves with different styles of music and we are always open to learning new things. There isn’t any song, artist, or type of music that we won’t rendition. Mood Swing sings it all!” Stephanie Kim, the music director of Mood Swing this year and a sophomore at Scripps College, shares with us the essence behind the name of the group.

Stephanie Kim has been a member of the group since her first semester at Scripps College. “I had done a cappella in high school and wanted to keep doing it when I came to Scripps. I think it is a great way to meet people while doing music.”

The group practices three times each week. Members spend a lot of times together outside of practices as well. “The time we spend together outside of concerts and practices has been one of the most memorable experience for me as a member of the group. We go to parties together, hang out at Fruizen, and have movie marathons. It’s like having a new family. We always have a great time!” said Kim.

What qualities do you look for in new member? “We look for people with fun personalities and who are open to new things,” said Kim.
The Mood Swing performs at different school events through out the year.

Midnight Echo

Year Formed: late 1990s
Number of current members: 13
Signature songs/performances: “Baby” by Justin Bieber
Songs by MIKA

Photo by Tianna Sheih ‘16

“You know you’ve spotted a Midnight Echo member when they are wearing crazy pants,” said Charlotte Leasia (SC ’13) about what sets her fun-loving a cappella group apart. “Crazy pants are the signature item of our a cappella group. Their wackiness and quirky details help make the performance interesting. They nicely complement our singing and dance moves.”

Currently with 13 members (not counting the members who are studying abroad), Midnight Echo has members from all 5Cs. Midnight Echo performs frequently at the Snack Concerts on the Frary steps and enjoys singing for donuts at Mudd.

Midnight Echo have found inspiration in and have derived their identity from “Baby” by Justin Bieber and gutsy and sassy songs by MIKA. “We are in the process of considering bringing Britney back,” said Leasia, shedding some light perhaps on upcoming projects by the a cappella group.
The group practices three days a week. Leasia admits that there is not a common characteristic about the group’s musical choices, but this only serves to add to Midnight Echo’s unique personality: “our songs change all the time, like the colors of our crazy pants!”

Ninth Street Hooligans

Name: Ninth Street Hooligans

Photo courtesy of Ninth Street Hooligans

Year Formed: 2009

Number of current members: 19

Signature songs/performances: “Ridin’ Dirty” by Chamillionaire

“Whip My Hair” by Willow Smith

It all started for the black and lavender-clad Ninth Street Hooligans in the fall of 2009, making the group the youngest a cappella group at the Claremont Colleges. “We’ve had to find our own unique style and audience, and I think we’ve done just that. Our performance of Chamillionaire’s ‘Ridin’ Dirty’ and Willow Smith’s ‘Whip My Hair’ at last year’s SCAMfest helped establish us as one of the more comedic groups,” said president Mark Irwin (PZ ’14).

Currently at 19 members with 7 graduating this year, members come from six of the seven Claremont Colleges and hail from all over the world—Singapore, China, Korea, Botswana, Egypt, and India. This diversity only adds to the group’s uniqueness.

When auditioning new members, or “Nooligans,” the group looks for a mix of personality and vocal blending, skills, tonality, pitch, and range. When asked what the most important quality in a potential Nooligan is, though, Irwin cited what Hooligans call THE X FACTOR. “This is a combination of hatred and latent sexual tension buried deep within a person’s soul. When harnessed, THE X FACTOR is an almost unstoppable force.”

Comedic geniuses, incredible vocalists, and possessors of this special trait, Ninth Street Hooligans look to Dionysus, their in-house deity, as well as the pigeon, their spirit animal, to fuel their inspiration to rendition songs such as Kelis’ “Milkshake” (another crowd favorite).

If one thing is certain, it is that this group is serious about their music. The Hooligans have performed at many special events at the Claremont Colleges including SCAMfest as well as casual Snack Concerts on the Frary steps at Pomona.

The Kosher Chords pride themselves on being the Jewish a cappella group (although not all members are Jewish) at the 5Cs.
“We sing chords. These chords are kosher. I wish this were a longer story,” said member Sarah Loebner (SC ’14) about the source of her group’s name.

Kosher Chords

Photo by Tianna Sheih ’16

Year Formed: 2009
Number of current members: 13
Signature songs/performances: “Shalom Ray”
“Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid”

Practicing three times a week, the group “can’t get enough of each other,” said Loebner. “We’re pretty much up for anything. We try to include songs related, however distantly, vaguely, or tenuously, to Judaism, but even that we don’t always adhere to,” she said, citing a Hebrew song entitled “Shalom Rav” as their favorite as well as their rendition of “Kiss the Girl” from “The Little Mermaid.”

The group loves to have a good time, as demonstrated by a particularly unique tradition: “If someone says the word “everybody” during rehearsal, we spontaneously jump into a lively rendition of ‘Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).’”

Kosher Chords members are an incredibly close and humorous group of people, with representation from all but one Claremont school.
When asked about what she has gained from being a member of this a cappella group, Loebner said, “I think Kosher Chords has given me invaluable experience as being one part of a whole.  Teamwork is something we can all utilize when we take that big step into the ‘real world’ after we graduate … I know that the time we spend together is dedicated to reaching that goal of creating harmonious music together, but it’s amazing to unwind and just sing away the stress, pressure, and anxiety of college life.”

See them perform at Human Symphony, Hillel functions, Wednesday Nighters at Harvey Mudd College, and Pomona performances like Snack Concerts.

*Men’s Blue & White could not be reached for comment.

By Pambana Bassett ‘13
Staff Writer

On Oct. 27 the up-and-coming white hip hop artist Macklemore, paired with the producer Ryan Lewis, will be performing in the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles. The Seattle-based rap artist has a loyal fan base from his north-western home state, but in recent months, with a nod from XXL Magazine who named him one of the “Freshman Class Artists to Watch,” multiple tour dates, an album out in stores, and a celebration from the equal marriage front, his audience has become national, if not world-wide.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Lewis Productions

Of course, it is the equal marriage front that has sparked special interest in Macklemore, specifically because of the song “Same Love” with beats made by Ryan Lewis, hooks sung by Mary Lambert and the accompanied video produced with Tricia Davis.

In the song Macklemore smoothly explores his experiences with socialization about gender and sexuality as a young boy (“I thought that I was gay/’Cause I could draw, and my uncle was/And I kept my room straight/ I told my mom, tears running down my face/…A bunch of stereotypes all in my head”) and raps out his current political stance on gay marriage rights. It is personal because people in his family are gay, and because he understands homophobia and gender norms as having affected him as an individual, although he identifies as heterosexual. It is personal and global. He challenges political forces: “right wing conservatives think its a decision/And you can be cured with some treatment and religion,” and mainstream nationalism: “America the brave still fears what we don’t know/And God loves all His children /is somehow forgotten/but we paraphrase a book written 3,500 hundred years ago” a calculated jab at homophobia in the Catholic church with which he grew up. It is a call to question institutions and to respect and love one another.

Although I think hip hop is about as sexist and homophobic as any other pop genre, it is always refreshing to listen to counter-narrative lyrics confidently sung by any artist. We have all heard the arguments against rap music whose critics silence the anti-capitalist, anti-racist, anti-police brutality, pro-community rhetoric integral to the Black American working class art form. And, let us not forget, there are rap artists- and not just this particular white one- who have and are (not always perfectly) challenging normative gender roles, sexuality, and patriarchy. I am reminded of Tupac’s pro-reproductive rights “Keep Ya Head Up” (1993), Mur’s “Animal Style,” and currently listen to the Black queer hip hop artists Meshell Ndegeocello, Le1f, Azealia Banks and Angel Haze.

With his song, Macklemore challenges right-wing conservative politics, the institution of the Catholic Church, and the homophobia in YouTube comments by hip hop-lovers (a community of which he considers himself a part). Macklemore stands by gay marriage not as the final answer to rights for same-sex couples: “a certificate on a paper/ isn’t gonna solve it all/ but it’s a damn good place to start.” This type of language can be risky, perhaps erasing queer histories and movements that started eons ago. But the message is good: support marriage equality, and recognize it as connected to “the same fight that lead people to walk-outs and sit-ins,” not simply about institutional policy change, “no law’s gonna change us/we have to change us,” but the broader movement for peace and justice for all.

The music video, too, has a calm feel and a jubilant ending. I would argue that it is not perfect but a damn good place for his team to start. We follow the growing-up of a young Black man who deals with all of the awkwardness and social-exclusion of high school plus arguments with guardians, compounded by heteronormativity and anti-gay spaces. Later on he gets what looks like a well-paying office job and falls in love with a gay white man.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Lewis Productions

The homophobia they experience is alluded to— walking hand in hand on the street a group of young men make nasty comments, and the meeting-the-parents dinner is tense and uncomfortable. But mostly the montage depicts their happy “normal” moments: this is not the more-visible sad story of being gay in a society that rejects us. And, in the end, amidst confetti, smiles and dancing, the two get married (and not by a cis-gender male priest), a loving and political act that, unlike firing people for being queer and/or transgender, remains illegal in most states.

Of course, in this moment we are reminded that inter-racial marriage was illegal until the Virginia v. Loving case in 1967 (for 17 years my black grandfather and white grandmother could have been imprisoned, or worse, in multiple states for their union). And we know that until 1865 most Black people were enslaved and could not legally marry; and, along with all people of color they were legally assured that their individual rights and livelihoods were not to be respected. In the “Same Love” video we see clips of marches for civil rights and an impassioned Martin Luther King Jr. speaking to largely black crowds. So, with a video montage of a good-looking, monied, monogamous and otherwise ‘normal’ same-sex couple, it seems a pity that Macklemore does not address how state economic support of certain types of relationships and the exclusion of others has historically impacted hip-hop lovers of color in particular ways. So he misses the mark a bit when he depicts Civil Rights marches while announcing that he doesn’t “think that homophobia has been really addressed in the hip-hop community.” It comes across as preaching to black people to support gay marriage because we were oppressed. Of course, some of us are queer and black, and most of us realize that the civil rights laws did not give us access to many civil rights because of our race, class, gender, and sexuality. Also, most consumers of mainstream rap and even his cohort’s independent music, are mostly white.

So, my criticisms of the video are actually also criticisms of the mainstream movement for marriage equality which are shared by many queer folk who don’t necessarily see state involvement in our romantic lives and recognition of what relationships are valid as a locus for the dismantling of white-capitalist-hetero-cis-patriarchy. But we know that while demanding marriage rights we are also demanding human rights such as health and life insurance, right to visit loved ones, adoption, inheritance and our visibility in popular culture, which are all meaningful and can be necessary for our survival. And so we support these movements. We can be critical of the capitalism, and we can also enjoy the music and watch the sweet, heart-warming love story. And as Macklemore raps, “We press play/Don’t press pause/Progress, march on!” looking forward to how Macklemore will use his music for social change on stage and off.

And it seems that Macklemore will keep making more music his fans love, rapping for social justice and having lots of fun. In an interview with Music Mix he says of his artistic process, “I never hit the studio thinking in the back of my mind, ‘Okay, I need to write a song about drug addiction, I need Irish Celebration,’ when Ryan makes the beat, then I’ll write it. It’s more just what the beats immediately bring out with me.” Natural and unplanned, there is a mix of serious and care-free, with topics ranging from musings on drug addiction, consumerism, and looking good in the club while rocking thrift store clothing. And he will also continue to sit down and intentionally write songs like “Same Love” discussed above, deliberate in their support social justice. Fans who click onto the Macklemore homepage, will find front and center, the video, which has garnered almost 3 million YouTube views accompanied by the tagline “We support civil rights, and hope WA State voters will APPROVE REF 74 and legalize marriage equality.” His music is obviously political, and he encourages people to challenge the system, capitalist consumerism, vote, dance, and bob our heads to the sweet beats.

If you are looking to do so, tickets to the Santa Ana performance on Oct. 26  and the Los Angeles performance on Oct. 27.

Photo courtesy of Glassnote Records

By Rosemary McClure ’13
Editor-in-Chief

The rapper, comedian, actor, and writer also known by his given name Donald Glover wrote for “30 Rock” and plays Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom “Community.”

Glover has made the actor-to-rapper transition more successfully than anyone but Drake. Glover explores similar topics to Drake on his full-length studio album “Camp,” but with a different twist. Drake’s persona is that of an adolescent with more power than he knows what to do with, seeking fulfillment through the dark haze of codeine. Like Drake, Glover has been accused of being gay. But Glover portrays himself instead as a painfully self-aware nerd seeking validation from the implacable Powers That Be. His moniker itself was chosen by a tongue-in-cheek Wu-Tang name generator online.

This image has been difficult to digest for the public and completely rejected by some. Said Glover of “Community” co-star Chevy Chase’s accusations of homosexuality: “That’s the only way a guy like Chevy Chase has of processing a black guy who looks like me, talks like me, dresses like me. That’s how alien I am to him.” In the song “All the Shine,” Glover takes a jab at hipster music review website Pitchfork—“Pitchfork only likes rappers who crazy or hood”—which proceeded to award “Camp” an insulting 1.6 rating out of 10. Black actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key described Glover as a comedian with “a white sensibility despite [his] brown skin, the whole Wayne Brady thing.” Others, such as performer Lucas Zachary Hazlett, attribute his popularity to his time spent in the improv group Upright Citizens Brigade: “Donald Glover is funny, and his funny is universal, but he got grown in the Upright Citizens Brigade, which is almost all white people—white comedians, white audiences—and so it’s, like, focus-grouped, pre-approved.”

Glover’s “black nerd” reputation is no doubt influenced by his “Community” character Troy Barnes, who had accumulated a substantial cult following by the time Glover released the mixtape “EP” in 2011. Barnes has a magnetic sense of humor and a heart of gold, and his character arc is that of a prom king, football quarterback steadily distancing himself from that personality while embracing a burgeoning geekiness. Glover embraced this persona, creating the Twitter hashtag “#donald4spiderman” in hopes that Sony would cast him to play Peter Parker in then-upcoming film “The Amazing Spider-Man.” But his race has been problematic for some people. Glover describes receiving a letter from a fan: “‘I really like you, Donald, I like all the stuff you did…but we know there’s no black kids like Peter Parker.’ And that bothered me so much. I was, like, you don’t think there’s any black kid who lives in Queens, who is poor, who likes science?…That’s me! I am Peter Parker!”

Glover’s comedic talent is palpable in his music. He produces much of it by himself and virtually every line is a double or triple entendre–“made the beat then murdered it/Casey Anthony.” He has earned a reputations as a great performer as well, famously shooting the music video for “Freaks and Geeks” in one take. Much of his music, including the very recent “Royalty,” is legally available for free online.

Those interested in seeing Childish Gambino live should make their way to Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College on Nov. 10. Tickets are available at the Bridges Auditorium box office to 5C students for $25 and to faculty, staff, and alumni for $35.*

*Correction 11/6: This article previously stated incorrectly that tickets are available to the public for $35.

By Rachel Hennessey ‘13
Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF EMMELINE MILES. Emmeline Miles performs her original music live.

Most Scripps undergraduates will agree that our school is especially good at encouraging us to seek and chase our individual interests. This unique educational environment and heterogeneous—but oddly harmonious—student body urge us to grow into more open-minded, confident young women. We are grateful for and proud of our education, and the accomplishments that our peers and alumni achieve. Folk/ rock singer-songwriter Emmeline Miles (‘07) is a quintessential Scripps success story.” This incredibly genial woman makes use of her experience at Scripps in various aspects of her musical career.

Miles is hardly passive in her approach to music: she makes it, and often. A tenacity which reflects the Scripps woman inside of her. As an unsigned artist, Miles has exclusive authority over her music. Although this can be challenging at times, Miles sees it as worth the extra work. “Without the backing of a label, an independent artist is forced to learn a lot by trial and error. And while progress is sometimes harder to come by, success is much, much sweeter for the work involved therein,” she said. Instead of signing with a distinguished record label, she collaborates with a small group of people, whose biographies are available on her website.

Miles strives to publicize every aspect of her music, eliminating any “behind the scenes” secretive vibes that many artists emanate. Instead, she embraces direct communication with fans, and exposes the stories behind her songs on her website. According to Miles, her willingness to share the thoughts behind her music is a direct benefit of her Scripps education. “I gained a lot of confidence at Scripps. I learned to be unapologetic. Writing songs is kind of like reading one’s diary out loud. Some of the topics I was interested in addressing—heartbreak, domestic violence, addiction and war—weren’t necessarily dinner-friendly discussion topics.  But at Scripps, they were,” she said.

Honesty, motivated by a genuine zeal for her art, is Miles’s main driving force. Music has been an integral part of her life since age four, but at Scripps her penchant for this hobby grew into a full-fledged love affair. Spending time in the Dorsey Piano Room, participating in the school choir and learning from life-changing professors made her time at Scripps quite inspirational. Said Miles, “Professor Huang’s boundless enthusiasm was (and still is) amazing—he never speaks about music in a way that doesn’t animate his whole body, and I was so touched by that love.”  She explains that the support she found at Scripps from friends and professors enabled her to pursue music with self-assurance.  The sincerity in Miles’s music and her utter accessibility are results of steadfast confidence. This confidence is her most powerful ally, and an outcome of her Scripps education. As Miles said, “The worst mistake you can make is to underestimate yourself.  If Lady Gaga can wear a dress made of meat and walk in six-inch platform shoes that have no heels, then anything is possible.”

Miles has recently released a professional EP, “Early Morning Hours,” which is available on her website (http://www.emmemusic.tripod.com/).

Tune into KSPC!

Tune into the radio shows of your fellow Scripps students Nora Bright (‘11), Lilly Estenson (‘12), and Edie Adams (‘14) on KSPC 88.7 FM! No radio? Listen to KSPC  via iTunes, your iPhone or livestreaming on www.kspc.org.

Gachan Gachan with Nora Bright (‘11)
When: Tuesdays 6-8 p.m.
Genre:  A smattering of underground music new and old… from afrobeat to garage rock to riot grrrrl.
Playlist Sampling:

• Women – “Locust Valley”
• My Bloody Valentine – “Feed Me With Your Kiss”
• Bruce Haack – “Motorcycle Ride”
• Olivia Tremor Control – “No Growing (Exgesis)”
• Black Angels – “Haunting at 1300 McKinley”

Flowerhours with Lilly Estensnon (‘12)
When: Tuesdays 4-6 p.m.
Genre: Underground, mostly a mix of americana, folk, garage rock and punk.
Playlist Sampling:

• Mika Miko – “Business Cats”
• Grass Widow – “Shadow”
• Glasser – “Apply”
• Tune-Yards – “Fiya”
• Polka Dot Dot Dot – “You’re on the Phone”

The Best Show Ever with Edie Adams (‘14)
When: Fridays 12-2 a.m.
Genre: A smorgasbord of different types of underground music, including more electronic-y tunes, indie pop beats and Americana music.
Playlist Sampling:

• Ferraby Lionheart – “Dear Corinne”
• Freelance Whales – “Location”
• The Tallest Man on Earth – “King of Spain”
• Maps and Atlases – “Living Decorations”
• Owen Pallett – “A Man With No Ankles”

By Anna Petkovich ’14
Features Editor

There’s nothing quite like Christmas music to get you in the holiday spirit. Sure, there are holiday movies on TV and adorable Christmas trees in dorm living rooms, but little compares to the warm fuzzy feelings that envelop you hearing your favorite song. That being said, consider some of these tunes, guaranteed to bring happiness and holiday cheer as you prepare for Christmas (or finals). This playlist has a little something for everyone – the Rat Pack classics, holiday movie favorites, alternative takes and, of course, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi. Also included, some alternative to the alternatives!

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”- Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes definitely brings tidings of comfort and joy.

“Silver Bells”- Dean Martin

“Happy Christmas”- John Lennon

“Peace”- Norah Jones

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”- Death Cab for Cutie
(Also see: “Baby Please Come Home” Jon Bon Jovi Sentimental and rockin’ versions).

“Last Christmas”- Jimmy Eat World
(Also see: “Last Christmas” Taylor Swift Versions for everyone! In addition, consider “Last Christmas” by Wham! to add some 80s flavor to your holidays).

“Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”- Ella Fitzgerald
Entirely appropriate for 70 degree Claremont weather.

“Blue Christmas”- Bright Eyes

“All I Want for Christmas is You”- Mariah Carey

“Santa Baby”- Eartha Kitt
(Also see: “Santa Baby” Kylie Minogue Kylie gives Eartha a run for her money (literally and figuratively?), but no one can replace Ms. Kitt as “Santa Baby”’s sensual, gold-digging chanteuse).

“Winter Wonderland”- Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin

“Christmas is All Around”- Billy Mack Love Actually!

“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”- Sixpence None the Richer

“Christmastime”- The Smashing Pumpkins

“Frosty the Snowman”- Fiona Apple

“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo”- Trans-Siberian Orchestra

“Baby, it’s Cold Outside”- Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel Elf!

“Step Into Christmas”- Elton John

“Jingle Bell Rock”- The Beatles

“Christmas Tree”- Lady Gaga
Trust Gaga to take a wildly inappropriate approach to a holiday favorite.

“The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Lena Horne

“Oi to the World”- No Doubt
Nothing beats Christmas music about post-gang fight reconciliation, gotta spread that holiday cheer.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”- Judy Garland
Meet me in St. Louis!

By Tiffany Yau ‘12
Arts & Entertainment Editor

PHOTO BY TIFFANY YAU. Students and the panel watch Lady Gaga's music video for "Alejandro."

Lady Gaga is (in)famous for her controversial persona that encompasses an em phasis on merging life and art, turning the fashion world on its head, controversial statements regarding culture and politics, as well as a couple of incidental dance hits. Gaga appears to be completely in control of her image, one which provides a running commentary on gender, sexuality and beauty. However, her criticism of our society’s constructed notions of beauty and gender seem to contradict her revealing outfits and hyper-sexual persona.

Is Lady Gaga’s expression of sexuality an empowering one? Or is it self-objectification? A panel of Pomona professors addressed these questions and more at “Bad Romance: Lady Gaga, Sexuality and Power,” hosted by the Pomona Student Union. Pomona professors, including Kevin Dettmar, Professor of English, Susan McWilliams, Professor of Politics and Kyla Tompkins, Professor of English and Gender and Women’s Studies, came to discuss whether Lady Gaga’s sexual expression is one of power or self-objectification.

Dettmar began the panel by providing an overview of Lady Gaga’s career, emphasizing her body of work as an amalgamation of parodic homages to pop culture. Following a showing of Lady Gaga’s music video for “Bad Romance,” Dettmar noted the multitude of references embedded in the video. From the opening figures that rise from coffins, conjuring Michael Jackson’s zombies from “Thriller,” to the white, patent leather tributes to Max from Where the Wild Things Are and the rendering of Lady Gaga as Snow White in front of her magic mirror, these homages to pop culture along with Lady Gaga’s performances are warped by an element of irony. Lady Gaga’s expression of sexuality, Dettmar argues, is a performance of femininity. Her hyper-sexualized female persona has been likened to that of a drag-queen, and accusations of hermaphroditism. Lady Gaga’s sexuality, then, is an ironic criticism of modern society’s construction of femininity.

Tompkins furthered the conversation and posed the question “Is Lady Gaga’s ex- pression of sexuality and femininity positive or negative for women?” Her conclusion: it does not matter. What does matter is that Lady Gaga is circulating alternative forms of gender and expression. We can throw away the Speeding-Bullet Theory and recognize that the masses are not zombies consuming media mindlessly and with abandon. In Gaga’s music videos, her performances of leather-clad S&M fanatics and ambiguous queer relationships, regardless of whether they’re positive, are a necessary alternative in contemporary media. What is important, Tompkins argues, is Lady Gaga’s role in deconstructing gender binaries.

McWilliams concluded the panel with her discussion of Lady Gaga’s role in what she regards as our “post-traumatic society.” She emphasized the resulting “sadist-masochist” tendencies of our culture, in which women are engrained with the idea of “dominate or be dominated.” In a society where Paris Hilton had been “the blonde” not even a decade ago, McWilliams acknowledged the refreshing change in power dynamics that Lady Gaga provides. In most of Lady Gaga’s music videos, her “boy-toys” can’t ever seem to escape a brutal death by her hands. McWilliams argued that these depictions of Lady Gaga’s reclaiming of power are empowering and an optimistic look at changing dynamics in terms of gender.

Overall, the panelists discussed a positive critique of Lady Gaga’s representation of gender and sexuality. By and large, their discussion establishes Lady Gaga as a refreshing alternative to the normative representation of gender and sexuality in media. Their comments suggest a confidence toward Lady Gaga’s role as a feminist icon, regardless of her own protestations.