One Tough Mudder

SPRING 2013
The Birds
& the Bees
on
Campus
sEx
p. 9
EDM
Scene That’s
All the Rave
p. 25
One Tough Mudder
Ben Holcomb pushes the
p. 22
limits of human survivalism
FEATURE
Let’s Talk About Sex 9
Comm students stimulate
discourse on campus.
TABLE OF
SPRING
2013
Contents
FEATURE
The History of EDM
FEATURE
25
Formerly underground music
genre goes mainstream.
The Breakfast Club
28
Looks can deceive. Five Pep
students defy stereotypes.
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CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 5
EDITORS
FEATURE
Southern and City 44
Uncover a new wardrobe
where romantic southern
belle meets urban chic.
FEATURE
Tying the Knot
12
Students who got engaged
during college years weigh in
on married life.
American Psycho 22
‘Blue-collared Grit’ 37
Ben Holcomb pushes the
limits of human endurance.
There will be blood.
Artist Chuck Arnoldi’s journey from Ohio burbs to SoCal avant-garde.
Enlightened Art 16
Restaurant Reviews
Theatre prof moonlights as
the LA ballet’s lighting
designer.
Serving up locally grown
food in an urban jungle.
Vintage Venues 20
A guide to the best live
music in LA’s historic hubs.
F
Page 6 |
40
Debt Before Designer
Editorial
Assistants Danielle
DiMeglio (left)
and Ashley Rhame
(right) play dress
up on the set of
Southern and City.
48
Recessionistas turn to frugal
fashion finds.
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CURRENTS SPRING 2013
J
“Truth, having nothing to fear from investigation, should
be pursued relentlessly in every discipline.” These words,
excerpted from Pepperdine’s mission statement, have been
the driving force of my journalism education since I landed
in Malibu in 2009. As I reflect on my final weeks as a student
here, I realize that we all hold our own reality in the palms of
our hands. After all, reality is constructed in the definitions we
accept.
In my pursuit of truth, I met a beauty queen who serves God
over the material world, an artist who zips himself in a body
bag to experience rebirth and an agnostic who finds comfort
in chatting with the local homeless. Pepperdine, it has been
an honor to tell your stories for the past four years. I hope this
magazine mirrors the community it serves, a community that
consistently challenges me to expect the unexpected.
EDITOR
Special thanks to: my parents for unconditionally supporting
my creative pursuits. Courtenay Stallings, for believing in me
since I first stumbled upon the newsroom as a freshman. Elizabeth Smith, for your mentorship, advising,
friendship and fashion advice. Danielle, Ashley, Becca, Lauren and everyone who gave Currents their
magical touch.
The story goes like this: Orpheus and Eurydice were
young and in love, but only a few days after their marriage
Eurydice was bitten by a serpent and died. In an act of
grief, Orpheus journeyed to the underworld to beg Hades
to return Eurydice to the world of the living. So Hades
offered Orpheus a deal. If he could walk all the way back
to the surface of the earth with Eurydice behind him and
never look back, she could leave the underworld and
be with him once more. On his way up Orpheus was
overcome with anxiety and could not stop himself from
looking back; at the very moment he laid eyes on her,
Eurydice was lost forever.
R
As you flip through the pages of this magazine, I hope
you are pleasantly surprised by something. I hope you
have your expectations shattered. I hope you find yourself
raising your eyebrows in disbelief, and I hope you learn
something new. Mostly I hope that unlike Orpheus, you will
look to the future and to the unexpected, instead of what has passed.
CO-EDITOR
This year I had the incredible opportunity to work with a myriad of talented
individuals through Pepperdine Graphic Media. At the beginning of the semester,
Jessica and I had many conversations about what this magazine would
encompass and how it would come together. As the publication progressed,
I realized our goal was to embody our experiences, learning to expect the
unexpected. I’ve learned from everyone at PGM, and I know it is because of
them that Currents has gone from being a few loose ideas to a reality far greater
than I could have hoped.
Currents
Jessica Abu-Ghattas
Rebecca Herron
Lauren Herr
Chelsea Gest
Alex Rangel
Danielle DiMeglio
Ashley Rhame
Ruth Book
Elizabeth Smith
Courtenay Stallings
JESSICA ABU-GHATTAS DANIELLE ACCOVELLI LAUREN BALDWIN
DANIELLE DIMEGLIO ALLEGRA HOBBS BEN HOLCOMB BRITT KIDD
RACHEL MILLER GRACE STEARNS
CHELSEA GEST REBECCA
HERRON JEN KIM MEAGAN MCCARTY KELLY O’CONNOR BRANDON
SCHEIRMAN SELIN UZAL
LAUREN HERR REBECCA HERRON
COURTNEY NGUYEN SYDNEY PAPENHAUSEN SELIN UZAL
ALEX RANGEL
Sex
The Talk
WORDS BY JESSICA ABU-GHATTAS
PHOTOS BY CHELSEA GEST
48%
51%
OF PEPPERDINE
STUDENTS REPORT
AT LEAST ONE
SEXUAL PARTNER IN
THE PREVIOUS YEAR
(ORAL, VAGINAL AND ANAL) COMPARED TO 71% OF
COLLEGE STUDENTS NATIONALLY
OF STUDENTS WHO FEEL
JUDGED IF THEY TALK
ABOUT SEX OPENLY ON
PEPPERDINE’S CAMPUS
Let’s Talk About Sex
“And don’t have sex, because you will
get chlamydia. And die.” These words from
iconic high school film, “Mean Girls,” ironically seem to summarize the sexual climate
at Pepperdine. Unlike most universities,
where for many students sex and alcohol
are a part of daily routine, students who
attend Pepperdine elect — as adults — to
adhere to Pepperdine’s sometimes unclear
policies. Pepperdine’s Community Policy on
sexuality dictates that as a student, sexual
activity outside of marriage is considered
misconduct and is subject to disciplinary
action. Yet, While Pepperdine does not permit sex outside of marriage, no one’s having a judicial hearing for hooking up either.
Which is exactly why five interpersonal communication students have decided to make sex communication the
topic of their semester-long research project for Professor Sarah Ballard’s Com-
munication & Conflict class. After a class
discussion in which sex was voted the
most difficult subject to discuss openly on
campus, graduate students Lauren Anderson, Matthew Drummond and Liz Stewart
and undergraduates Kelly O’Connor and
Craig Taylor decided to conduct surveys
gauging the opinions of the student body.
“Our group decided to pursue this
topic to continue the discussion and help
bridge the gap between spirituality and
sexual health,” Drummond said. “We hope
to encourage both students and faculty to
feel as if they have their own platform and
can contribute to the continuous dialogue
on Pepperdine’s campus in the future.”
Of the group’s responses, 90 percent
identified as Christian or Catholic. 56 percent said they were not aware that STI
testing is available in the Student Health
Center. While 83 percent are aware of
Pepperdine’s Community Policy on sex-
uality, 59 percent claim to abide by it.
“Many students that we spoke with,
publicly and privately, expressed that
sexuality at Pepperdine was not talked
about enough in open forums,” Drummond
said. “Everybody has strong opinions on
the issue of Christianity and sexuality.
We respect all views and want to make
sure that all perspectives are heard, especially those that might be typically underrepresented on a Christian campus.”
How We Measure Up
Director of the Student Counseling
Center Connie Horton oversees Pepperdine’s National College Health Assessment data, which surveys students every two years concerning sexual health.
The last survey was conducted in 2011.
“As I predicted, the stats of sexual
activity are much like those of alcohol,”
Horton said. “Pepperdine sexual activ-
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Page 10 |
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
ity is higher than many would predict
but not as high as national averages.”
Approximately 48 percent of Pepperdine students identify at least one sexual
partner in the previous year (including
oral, vaginal and anal intercourse), according to the 2011 data, compared to
71 percent of college students nationally.
“I think that does say we cannot have our ‘heads in the sand,’ thinking no one is sexually active,” Horton
said. “On the other hand, it would be a
myth to think, ‘everybody is doing it.’”
The difference between Pepperdine
and the national average points to religious affiliation, but Horton notes that degree of religiosity only nominally influences
decision-making when it comes to sex.
“Most everybody says they
are Christian, but
that doesn’t seem
to really change
their sexual activity,” Horton said.
“As I mentioned,
people vary
in
what
they
mean by identifying as Christian,
from
mostly a
demographic
variable to a very
personal,
‘this
is the worldview
through which I
try to live my life.’”
For those who
say their Christian faith is not
important or only
somewhat
important,
70
percent had at
least one sexual
partner in the
last year, according to the 2011
NCHA. For those
who say their
Christian faith is
very important to
them, the number is 35 percent.
Good Samaritan Policy
One of the concerns surrounding the
difficulty talking about sex on campus is that
it might make it more challenging to have
honest conversations about sexual assault.
Pepperdine’s policy on sexual assault,
according to the Student Counseling Cen-
ter, reads, “One of [Pepperdine’s] values is
the recognition that every person is created
in the image of God, is of infinite value, and
therefore, should be treated with dignity and
respect. Sexual assault, in all forms, violates
the sanctity of the human body and spirit and
will not be tolerated within our community.”
However, the Counseling Center recognizes that students may be discouraged
from reporting a friend’s, or their own, sexual assault for fear of facing consequences
for an alcohol violation. To encourage victims to report their assaults, Pepperdine
offers immunity for both victims and Good
Samaritans who report sexual assault.
“Under California law, sex is considered
nonconsensual, and therefore rape ... if a
person is incapable of giving consent be-
cause she or he is incapacitated from alcohol or other drugs, and this condition was
known, or reasonably should have been
known by the accused,” and, according
to the Counseling Center’s resources on
sexual assault, “‘Incapacitated’ means
intoxicated to the point that the person is
incapable for exercising the judgment re-
quired to decide whether to consent.”
Further, confusion about what constitutes sexual assault may contribute
to fewer reports. “Remember that being ‘under the influence’ is no excuse
for sexual assault. Legally, you are still
responsible for your actions. A partner
is unable to consent to your sexual advances if she is intoxicated,” according to the Counseling Center’s website.
Resources
The Student Health Center promotes
the sexual health services offered on
campus by having an annual STI testing day for the first 50 students as well
as convocations. Senior Michael Arevalo serves on the Student Health Advisory Board, which
helps
advocate
for students by
raising awareness
of the Student
Health
Center
and its capabilities and lobbying
for health policies on campus.
“Our outreach
consists of tabling
in the Caf, digital
signage and convocation
slides
to promote STI
awareness,” Arevalo said. “The
one thing we cannot promote is
condoms. A couple of years back
the
administration got upset
with the Health
Center for providing condoms
and since then
they had to stop.”
Birth control and
sexually
transmitted
infection
(STI) testing are
available at the
Student
Health
Center. Counseling and consultation services are free
for all students at the Counseling Center.
If you or someone you know has
been sexually assaulted, visit the Santa
Monica Treatment Center for medical services and forensics to counseling and psychotherapy. Call them at (310) 319-4000
or visit their website at www.911rape.org.
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 11
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BY C
PHOTO
UNCOVERING THE TRUTH BEHIND THE PEPPERDINE MYTH
Most Pepperdine freshmen hear
the phrase “ring by spring” casually
mentioned in passing during their
first few weeks on campus among
a host of other uniquely Pepperdine
terminology, such as “DTR-ing” and
“so blessed.” As students approach
their junior and senior years,
however, it seems that more and
more of their peers are seriously
dating or engaged — and ring by
spring starts to become a reality.
This phenomenon of ring by
spring is not mutually exclusive
to Pepperdine. Many other small,
Christian colleges experience the
same spike in seriously dating and
engaged couples during students’
last two years of attendance. With
this very real phenomenon occurring
on campus, Relationship IQ is a
program at Pepperdine’s Boone
Center for the Family that aims to
provide students with the skills,
attitudes and character to foster
healthy and successful relationships,
as stated on their website.
Hannah Parmelee, Relationship
IQ’s program director, remarks on
the rate of Pepperdine students
getting married before or right
after graduation. “I actually think
it is less common than at some
other places,” Parmelee said. “It’s
a lot less common at Pepperdine
than some other smaller liberal arts
Christian schools. It is also a lot less
common today than it previously was
in Pepperdine’s history.”
The rate of early engagement or
marriage at Pepperdine does seem
to be higher than at secular or state
universities, according to Parmelee.
“I think compared to state schools,
there is a higher rate of students who
meet, date and marry their spouse
while at Pepperdine, or meet and
get married while at Pepperdine,”
Parmelee said. Pepperdine’s
religious affiliation is seen as a factor
in the ring by spring trend. According
to experts such as Parmalee, the
strong Christian community and
the values associated with it, to an
extent, influence the students who
tend to get engaged or married
while at Pepperdine or right after
graduation.
David Christy (MMFT), a licensed
marriage and family therapist at the
Pepperdine Student Counseling
Center, expressed that the correlation
might not be direct, but that religion
is definitely a factor. “Of course not
all students here are religiously
affiliated, and not all the religiously
affiliated students need to get
married before they graduate,”
Christy said. “But I do notice that
there is a pretty strong correlation in
many private schools [with a] degree
of religiosity and earlier age of getting
married.”
The Pepperdine community
include “values, education level,
family background, ambitions in life
[and] intelligence level, which make
up a lot of compatibility factors that
match up well with fellow students at
Pepperdine,” Parmelee said.
Whether or not the ring by spring
myth has validity at Pepperdine, few
contest that it raises a degree of
controversy among undergraduates
and sheds lights on the spectrum of
views on marriage in the community.
The ring-by-spring phenomenon is
not explicitly encouraged throughout
the Pepperdine community as a
whole, but rather among individuals
and small groups.
“I think that there are the students
who are very relationship-focused
and feel that that is kind of a natural
course of events to date exclusively
and get engaged and get married,”
Christy said. “And then, on the
other hand, there are students
who are more open-ended in their
relationships who may date for a
long time or may live together with
no intention of getting married or
may just kind of put that off for a lot
longer.”
Click to view more “Ring by Spring” Pictures
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 13
EMILY SCHAD
JUNIOR | ENGAGED
JASON HONG
JUNIOR | ENGAGED
MAHLA HOFFBECK
SENIOR | MARRIED
Why did you decide to get
married/engaged during college?
E: Reuben and I wanted to start a new
chapter of our lives as a unified team.
We are looking forward to seeing how
God wants to use us in this unique
position in this community.
J: I met someone who I really loved
and didn’t want to wait to get married. I
also felt like I was mature enough and
financially stable enough to get married even though I was in college.
M: We just knew we were right for
each other. As cliche as that may
sound, we “just knew.” We had no
reason to wait, so for us we decided
we would rather get started with life as
husband and wife and begin doing life.
Do you believe you were encouraged to get engaged by
Pepperdine’s faith community?
E: There were several people in our
church family who were very encouraging of our relationship and hoped
we would get married, but they didn’t
have a time frame in mind.
J: It had nothing to do with my decision because I live off campus and do
not feel the pressure of Pepperdine’s
faith community. Also, I am a transfer
student, so I never had the on-campus
presence.
Q&
A
PHOTOS BY BRANDON SCHEIRMAN
“ LOVE BEING MARRIED,
AND I AM SO GLAD WE
MADE THE DECISION
TOGETHER TO JUST GO
FOR IT.”
Do you believe Pepperdine has a
ring by spring presence, and what
does it mean to you?
E: No, I don’t really think that Pepperdine has a “ring by spring” culture.
Most of my friends are not in this stage
of life right now.
Page 14 |
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
-MAHLA HOFFBECK
ing. Sometimes it was difficult for my
friends to understand why I would
want to get married so young, and it
was often hard for them to relate to
me, especially if they were single and
far from where I was at in my life.
Why do you think so many
couples get engaged during
their time at
Pepperdine?
E: I think that Pepperdine students
get engaged because they love each
other and want to begin their lives
together.
What has been challenging
about being an engaged/married student?
How did your faith play a role in
your decision to get engaged?
E: We prayed about getting married
and when to get married A LOT. We
felt that we were ready for this next
step and are excited to see what God
has in store for us.
J: My faith did not really play a role
in my decision because my choice
was based on my wanting to be with
my fiance forever and not really on
religious pressure.
M: We knew we were going to marry
each other, but we also wanted to
honor God by entering into a marriage
covenant together.
Emily Schad
Is there anything you wish you
had done differently?
E: No.
M: In regards to getting engaged and
married in college, not at all. Does
that mean it’s been easy? Not at all.
It’s actually been very hard at times,
but I know I am stronger and have
grown tremendously.
How did your family react to
your engagement/marriage?
E: They were really excited for us.
They kind of knew it was coming, especially since Reuben called my dad
to ask permission before he proposed.
J: My family was very supportive.
They threw us a big engagement dinner with friends and family. They also
helped us with our wedding monetarily.
M: Both of our families were and
have been very supportive — in and
through our engagement as well as
our marriage.
Is there anything you wish you
had done differently?
Jason Hong
How did your friends react?
E: Our friends were also excited and
happy for us. Half the people replied
to our good news with “you’re getting
married this summer, right?” and the
other half with “so you’re waiting to get
married until you graduate, right?”
J: My friends were surprised. They
thought I would never get married.
They were also very supportive.
M: Mostly my friends were very supportive, excited for me and encourag-
E: Trying to plan a wedding amidst
school and work.
M: One of the most difficult things for
me is and has been finding balance
between school, work and home. It’s
the daily wear and tear of busyness
and working to find balance between
everything that I have found most difficult.
Mahla Hoffbeck
E: We were ready to begin our lives
together as a team that would be fulfilling for us while honoring God.
J: Marriage was the right choice for
me, because I feel like I found the right
person who I wanted to spend the rest
of my life with and didn’t want to wait.
It also was a sign of commitment to
my fiance, and she knows that I will
always be here for her. I also feel the
same way about her.
M: I love being married, and I am so
glad we made the decision together
to just go for it. I am confident that
marriage was the right decision for
Lane and I because I’ve seen beautiful
and amazing parts of our lives bloom
that would have never blossomed for
years, if ever, had we not gotten married. It was the right decision because
I felt it in my heart, a confidence that
can only come from God and the
direction of the Holy Spirit.
“I CAN USE LIGHTING TO
INDICATE THE PASSAGE OF
SEASONS, CHANGING
FROM NIGHT TO DAY.”
Upon entering the theater for your
first-ever live experience, you pull open
two heavy, double-wide wooden doors
before staring excitedly at your ticket —
hopefully obtained in the center theater
section, but we’ll get back to that later.
After locating your destination, you plop
down, flip through the program and sit,
anticipating the wonders that lie ahead.
You begin to look around, noticing the
colors of the stage, vibrancy of the people, and, finally, turn your glance upward
to the array of lights artfully crafted and
strategically placed above your head.
These lights are not, as one might
assume, left show after show and turned
on when their use becomes necessary.
Instead, they are creatively planned,
minutely placed and ready to carry your
eyes through the production, manipulating the experience along the way. Ben
Pilat (pronounced like “pilot”), LA Ballet resident lighting designer and Pepperdine assistant professor of theatre,
knows this process all too well.
“I can use lighting to make you
think that time is slowing down or
speeding up — to indicate the passing of seasons, changing from night to
day,” Pilat said. “All of those things that
aren’t really happening, but we create
the illusion of them happening in the
theatrical world.”
What has become an ingrained
process to Pilat began as a backstage
job in high school. It wasn’t until his first
college lighting experience that he recognized the art behind lighting design
and the power that light has to affect
an audience.
“My goal as the lighting designer
is sitting in the audience and being the
ideal audience member. I’m looking at
this through the eyes of the audience
and I’m crafting and adjusting what I
want them to experience.”
As a former magician, Pilat admits
the two professions of magic and lighting have many elements in common,
such as controlling and manipulating
audience perception. In the same way
a magician creates wonder and awe,
a lighting designer too utilizes the art
of illusion — to make things appear,
disappear and even float. In the past,
his favorite magic tricks involved nongimmicky household items, where Pilat
could display surprising results out of
common objects.
Before coming to Pepperdine in
2012, Pilat worked assisting on and off
Broadway for five years in New York before beginning his job with the LA Bal-
Light Show
Words by Rachel Miller
Photos by Jen Kim
be very high contrast images: the darks
are dark and the lights are light — night
skies with the Santa Monica Ferris
Wheel silhouetted against that night sky,
pools of street light on a snowy evening
— things that have contrast, texture, a
little grittiness.”
Now back to the important discussion about seating. Listen closely, for
I’m about to reveal the best seat in the
house according to a lighting designer.
If you guessed the front row, I am sorry to inform you, but you have chosen
incorrectly. According to Pilat, the best
vantage point to experience the full effect of a production is center, about 8 to
15 rows back from the stage, as that is
where one can see the entire composition.
When configuring a light arrangement, it’s crucial to keep in mind numerous components such as the beginning,
ending and transitions of the show,
genre and big picture flow. Coordinator
of Pepperdine’s Theatre Program Bradley Griffin is amazed by Pilat’s precision
in his designs.
“The thing that most people in the
audience can’t appreciate about Ben’s
work as a lighting designer is his attention to detail,” Griffin said. “If you could
stand onstage and look up into the grid,
you’d notice that every cable, every connection, has been tied off neatly. There’s
an artistry not only to his lighting design,
but also to the way he hangs the lights.”
As he begins his time at Pepperdine, Pilat seeks not only to train bright
students, but to foster an appreciation
for the realm of theater.
“There is something very unique
and special about being in the same
Light Show
PEPPERDINE PROFESSOR
CREATES A WORLD OF LIGHTS
AS THE RESIDENT LIGHTING
DESIGNER AT THE LA BALLET
let in 2009. During his time as resident
lighting designer, he has created approximately a dozen lighting designs.
He also won the United States Institute
for Theatre Technology’s 2010 Rising Star Award for his excellence and
achievement in the field of lighting.
Part of Pilat’s charm is his fascination with the world. From restaurants to
bars, theaters and natural sunlight, he
is always aware of the lighting around
him. “I can’t turn that off,” he said.
“The images I’m drawn to tend to
room and sharing the same energy with
a group of other audience members and
also the connection that you get — the
energy and the electricity you get by being in the same room as performers,”
said Pilat. “You are witnessing a live
event that will never happen this way
again. This is a unique, one-time event,
and I want people to appreciate that. I
think it’s a very powerful thing that theatre can do.”
When all is said and done, the curtains have closed and the hard work is
put to rest, Pilat hopes his audience will
walk away with an impression.
“Typically, I want people to leave
feeling energized and inspired and
wanting to have a discussion of what
they saw. Regardless of what the play
is, if a couple who sees a play spends
part of their drive home talking about
it, I’m happy. I want to inspire people to
think about what they’ve seen.”
“IF A COUPLE WHO
SEES A PLAY SPENDS
PART OF THEIR DRIVE
HOME TALKING ABOUT
IT, I’M HAPPY.”
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page19
1THEHOLLYWOODPALLADIUM
3THETROUBADOUR
Having opened in 1940 with a performance from a young up-and-comer named Frank Sinatra, the Palladium has an Old Hollywood past that makes it a rarity. Of course, it went on to become an infamous rock staple in the 70s and has since become firmly entrenched in the trendy hipsterdom of the
present day, but the place still has its magic. The room is surprisingly large and roomy with plenty of standing room, so if you like small venues but don’t like the feeling of being crushed between the
bodies of sweaty strangers, this is the place for you. See — that’s the magic I was talking about.
MUSICVENUES
a guide to the city’s historic haunts
All too often, something that has taken on a legendary status falls short of its rumored awesomeness and is revealed
to be little more than an average thing irrevocably fixed with the label of “cool.” The Troubadour, however, is not one
of those things. It has acquired its reputation because it truly is that awesome. It is the most intimate venue I have
ever been to — beyond simply being small, its design makes it practically impossible to have a bad view of the stage.
For hardcore music enthusiasts, the West Hollywood nightclub’s rich history of notable performers and attendants
will make it doubly attractive. You can even stand upon the pavement on which John Lennon and Harry Nilsson
were unceremoniously tossed after a night of excess. If that’s not real rock ‘n’ roll history, I don’t know what is.
INLOSANGELES
Words by Allegra Hobbs
Photos by Kelly O’Connor
2THEGREEK
How an amphitheater capable of seating 5,700 could ever be described as “intimate” was a mystery to me,
at least until I saw Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes at the Greek. The colosseum-style outdoor
structure is inexplicably free of that feeling of remoteness that prevents me from enjoying most concert venues of this size. So don’t think of it as a stadium show — think of it as a small show that just happened
to draw a weirdly large crowd. Also, it is literally deposited in the midst of Griffith Park, so the live music experience is framed by pine trees and fresh air, and the stars are so bright you’ll forget you’re in LA.
Page 20 |
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
4THEECHO
The decaying interior design of this place says “90s grunge.” The disco balls say “70s dance party” — in Kurt Cobain’s basement. The bands I saw there seemed to say, “I really, really want to be the Smiths.” Fortunately, if you
turn your undoubtedly confused expression to your fellow concert-goers, you’ll find no shortage of flannel-clad
kids jerking around arhythmically to the music — that’s right, you’re still in the here-and-now. An important thing to
remember when venturing to the Echo is that you’re not there for the venue — you’re there for the music. This place
has gained a word-of-mouth reputation among music fans for booking talent before they make it big. Beck has performed here, as have The Decemberists. So get into that densely packed room and take in what just might be unrealized greatness — or, if all else fails, just step outside and listen to the homeless man who sings Paula Abdul tunes.
A
Words by Ben Holcomb
Photo Illustrations by by Alex Rangel
I
was somewhere in the hills of
Temecula when the lactic acid began
to take hold. The bones in my legs
smashed against each other like
unhinged pistons inside of a failing Ford. The terrain was tough and
the obstacles tougher. It wasn’t long
before I came to the realization that,
in retrospect, I should have trained
beforehand.
A Tough Mudder event is a 12-mile
obstacle course designed to test the
limits of the human condition. I saw
it, up close chest-deep in a soup of
mud, as a capable litmus test for human psychosis. As I crawled through
a field of mud, my hair grazing lines
of low-lying barbed wire, I began to
wonder what was driving me forward;
why in the hell were we volunteering to
cake ourselves in the filth of the earth?
The Tough Mudder staff has a
tendency of operating in the theatrical.
There were signs along the course
with “words of encouragement” that
read “Remember you signed a death
waiver” and “Don’t be a p----.” Pudgy
men in jeans stood at the onset of
every impediment, shaming us onward
as if we were all back in high school
gym class. Here I was, pushing myself
to the limits, and, at every exhaustive
moment, some overzealous intern with
a megaphone was screaming in my
face
One of the more treacherous
moments in a long series of treacherous moments was an event named
“Arctic Enema.” Participants jumped
into a dumpster full of ice water, which
was festering at a chilling 34 degrees.
They have to go under a wooden embankment in the middle, just because,
you know, it’s important your life be
as terrible as possible while you’re in
their company. I left that obstacle with
frostbitten digits and a passionate hatred for modern American distractions.
A coarse mud exoskeleton had
coagulated over my previously inferior human skin by the race’s final
obstacle. All signs of my own skin
were gone, a skin that protected what
was, just three hours earlier, a weakminded and pathetic wimp. The ultimate obstacle, and most existentially
corrupt, is “Electroshock Therapy,” a
30-yard patch of mud enveloped in
hundreds of electrical wires pumping
out 10,000 volts of shock. I may have
urinated my shorts when my eyes
came upon this demonic episode, I’m
not sure because every part of my
soul was dirty and crusty and heavy
by that point anyway.
Before I could even fathom the
stupidity of my life choices, I was
experiencing violent, painful pulsations in my shoulder, back, arms and
legs. I pushed forward and prayed for
a merciful end. A shorted electrical
wire connected square with my neck
and, in an act of self-preservation, my
brain shut my body down. I blacked
out and woke up a few seconds later,
facedown in the mud, with electric
shocks popping off over my head like
the world’s worst fireworks show. I
should’ve worded my prayer better.
Thoreau once said, “Most men
lead lives of quiet desperation.” The
desperation at a Tough Mudder event
is deafening. There is a certain machismo that hangs over the course like
a cloud of smog. A quick walk around
beforehand illuminates the plethora of
Mohawks, neon hair and well-planned
shows of skin typical in any given participant. Two collegiate pals head-butted each other before the race began.
One had to be treated for a laceration
to the skull.
What became increasingly obvious
was the thin veil of courage cloaking
each participant like a cheap plastic
trash bag. We were all terrified of the
obstacles; that’s what they were designed to do. And yet each participant
ran through the course as if they were
invincible and feared nothing.
I was horrified of the entire experience, and actually and literally traumatized by the obstacles. First-time
runners have an invaluable amount of
naivete that propels them forward. Re-
MERICAN
psycho
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 23
Photos courtesy of Toughmudder.com
peat contestants should be institutionalized. A thought popped into my head
somewhere either before or after my
right foot fractured on the unforgiving
hills: What about modern life makes a
Tough Mudder attractive?
The world in 2013 is a scary place,
full of its own daily obstacles and challenges. These are called purpose,
happiness, stress. They afflict us all, and
our only control of this is how we choose
to handle the notion, that we are human
beings, one of 7 billion. We will live, and
we will die.
Sometimes the burden can be too
great to bear. And so we numb ourselves to the idea. We live as if it weren’t
true, among a million distractions,
keeping us from stopping to look off into
the distance. The obstacles themselves
were distractions from our normal, boring lives. It took spurts of electricity, and
freezing water, vats of mud and confined
spaces for us to prove to ourselves that
F
Page 24 |
we were alive that we could feel and that
we mattered.
Soon we will all go to work, inhabit
desks and conquer obstacles with
names like “small talk, support your
girlfriend, feign interest in a meeting or
don’t let traffic bother you.” Many of us
will fail at these obstacles.
What compels someone to run
through a field of electric wires? Is
normal life so boring that we must
go to extremes to liven things up? Is
the idea of intimate relationships and
the search for meaning too much to
handle? Or do we just need to be
reminded, every year or so, that fear
is just an amalgamation of synapses
trying to protect its fellow organs?
Sometimes it takes a vat of numbing water for you to come to the pressing, submerged and panicked recognition that the act of living is the bravest
thing of all. To get up every morning
and attempt to do your best, to search
“Is the idea of intimate
relationships and the
search for meaning too
much to handle? Or do
we just need to be reminded, every year or
so, that fear is just an
amalgamation of synapses trying to protect
its fellow organs?”
for meaning and personal improvement and to work toward making
your life worth something to someone
that’s an act few can say they have
conquered.
Many of us completed the Tough
Mudder on date. It’s unknown how
many of us will make the finish line
tomorrow and beyond.
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CURRENTS SPRING 2013
THE HISTORY
EDM
of
ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC HITS THE MAINSTREAM
Words by Britt Kidd
Photos by Brandon Scheirman
EDM
“... IT IS ALMOST LIKE
A DRUG­— PEOPLE GET
CAPTIVATED BY THE SOUNDS
THAT ARE INTERtwined.”
ELECTRONIC
dance
music
For most people, the word “rave” paints
a mental picture of bright neon lights, scantily clad girls wearing tutus with furry boots,
wrists full of plastic beads, people rolling
on ecstasy and ear-piercing music. On the
other hand, people struggle to describe the
music genre behind it all. From its humble
beginnings to its current club-culture reputation, EDM (electronic dance music) has always led the way with its avant-garde style.
The genre encompasses house,
trance, dubstep, electro and other club
dance music. In the past decade, the
genre has evolved dramatically into an international movement that is paramount
in the rave culture. With new advances in
technology, EDM is easier and faster to
produce, as many DJs are able to make
music at home on their laptops. Some DJs
have become overnight, global successes just by creating their music at home,
putting it online and spinning at clubs.
Although EDM is often mistaken as
distasteful “druggy music,” it has morphed
into a mainstream international genre worth
an estimated $4 billion dollars a year, according to visual.ly.com. Its songs are
played on the radio and are even enjoyed
by individuals who probably never have or
never will go to a rave. In either case, the
new wave of EDM popularity has made the
rave culture seem more socially acceptable
and less of an underground taboo scene.
The components that make up the
genre have made their way into mainstream music, with pop musicians from
Taylor Swift to Will. I. Am incorporating
EDM elements in their music. Meanwhile,
EDM favorites the likes of Swedish House
Mafia and Avicii have permeated the Top
the 1990s in Germany and is distinguished
by a variety of synthesized sounds, but it
is typically more melodic or progressive
in comparison to house. The beat also
remains static the entire song. According to the DJ Magazine poll, the top-five
trance DJs in the world are: No. 1 Armin
Van Buuren, No. 2 Tiesto, No. 3 Paul Van
Dyk, No. 4 Above and Beyond No. 5 ATB.
Dubstep also emerged in the late
1990s in the United Kingdom. It is known
to have a darker vibe due to its typical
minor key, overwhelming bass lines and
no vocals. According to Spin.com, it began as an underground club movement
as a reaction to U.K. grunge music. Spin.
com also claims that the genre didn’t start
to emerge in the American market until
around 2006 when artists such as Caspa
and Rusko captured the attention of American teens. Since then, dubstep artists
have partnered up with American pop artists such as Britney Spears, and the genre
has blown up across the country. In a Sept.
12, 2011 interview with Spin.com, dubstep
artist Bassnectar claimed that the American market is the place to be for the genre.
“Right now, in America, the work
has been done, the road is paved. If
someone offered me Tokyo or Paris
on a Saturday or Kentucky or Mississippi on a Tuesday, I’d take Kentucky”.
Dubstep artist Skrillex places EDM
on the map as he continues to top the
charts and garner international attention.
In 2012, his album “Scary Monsters and
Nice Sprites” won Best Dance/Electronica Album at the Grammy Awards and he
was nominated for Best New Artist. He
also earned the spot as No. 10 ranked
to EDM, it is almost like a drug: People get
captivated by the sounds that are intertwined to make catchy and upending beats”.
Today, raves are socially acceptable
musical festivals commonly held in fields,
warehouses, sports arenas and basically
any place that can fit a monster sound system and tons of people. They are publically
advertised on Facebook and other social
media, capturing the interest of college students and even underage kids to attend.
“Sure drugs are taken at raves, but
drugs are taken at all types of concerts,”
said Pepperdine senior and seven-year
EDM listener Zach Palsson. “You like country music? So you’re a Republican right?
Reggae? How much weed did you smoke
today? It’s all about opinion.”
MAINSTREAMING EDM
Pop artists such as Flo Rida, Britney
Spears and even Ne-Yo have jumped on
the EDM bandwagon by infusing popular
house or trance songs into their poppy radio
songs. The genre that was once considered
“druggy music” or “raver music” today, sits
competitively on Top 40 hit lists. Senior Jeremy Hill sees the positives and the negatives
of EDM’s evolution over the past few years.
“I think that EDM has lost some of
its novelty because of its popularity, but
at the same time if only offers the opportunity for it to diversity and evolve,”
Hill said. “In the past three to four years,
more sub-genres of EDM have emerged
and also the merging of EDM and other
genres allows for more interesting songs.”
Many EDM artists have smaller concerts and shows that are not raves. The high
energy, the fast beat and the avant-garde
1 ) Armin Van Buuren 2 ) Tiesto 3 ) Paul Van Dyk 4 ) Above and Beyond 5) ATB
40 and are played alongside Demi Lovato — a far cry from the EDM of the 1990s.
HOUSE, TRANCE AND DUBSTEP:
THE BIG DIFFERENCE
Everyone knows the words “dubstep,”
“trance” and “house,” which comprise the
three most popular sub-genres of EDM.
House music developed in the 1980s in
Chicago and it morphed from disco. It is
characterized by repetitive 4/4 beats, synthesized baselines and a kick drum on every beat. House music is diverse and varies in style and in influence. Popular house
DJs and musicians include David Guetta,
Swedish House Mafia, Deadmau5, Avicii
and Kaskade. Popular house songs on
the radio include “Don’t You Worry Child”
by Swedish House Mafia and “Fade Into
Darkness” by Avicii. Trance developed in
Page 26 |
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
DJ in the world on the Dj Magazine poll.
“I personally feel the main reason why
EDM is huge now is because of dubstep and
more specifically because of Skrillex,” Pepperdine senior and six-year EDM fan Jeremy Hill said. “Dubstep offers more variability and shocking beat changes with the use
of dropbeats that attract a larger audience.”
THE RAVE CULTURE
The word “rave” garnered its negative stereotype because of its bizarre culture that often focused on drug abuse,
which lead to many deaths. But even for
fans who defy the druggie stereotype,
the addictive music acts as a drug itself.
“The rave culture has grown because
of the atmosphere it creates,” said Pepperdine freshman and five-year EDM fan,
Rachel Siegman. “Once a person listens
sounds create a dynamic and exciting environment. It isn’t necessarily for everyone, but neither is country or heavy metal.
“EDM has some of the sweetest beats
of any type of music and it is so exhilarating,” said Siegman. “It does not require
technicality or choreography; you can just
feel the beat and have an awesome time.”
“Pop songs get lost in the need
to make a catchy chorus,” Hill said.
“EDM offers so much more.… You can
lose yourself in the pure musicality.”
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 27
THE
BREAK
FAST
CLUB
Photos by Meagan McCarty
Words by Jessica Abu-Ghattas
& Danielle DiMeglio
“You see us as you want to see us…
In the simplest terms, in the most
convenient definitions...”
B
THE RAIN
A
THE
“PEOPLE MAY THINK OF
ME AS JUST ANOTHER
ATHLETE, BUT THERE’S A
LOT MORE THAN MEETS
THE EYE.”
THLETE
maurice torres
Stepping into Firestone Fieldhouse
on a Friday night, one might hear
the announcer shouting, “Maurice Torres” as he gains another point for the
Waves. But outside the volleyball court,
his passions surpass his athleticism.
Raised in a household with deaf parents, Maurice has developed a balance
between the deaf and hearing worlds.
“Learning ASL as my first language
was a necessity to communicate and
has shaped my whole life,” Torres said.
Additionally, Maurice is fluent in English, Spanish and is in the process of
learning Italian. Since leaving home,
Torres said he is proud to represent
the deaf community. He volunteers as
a freelance interpreter and has served
as the referee in a deaf volleyball tournament. He said his parents both competed in the deaf Olympics and have
always encouraged him to be the best
in his sport through faith and hard work.
“Even with the challenges of balancing
schoolwork with practice, my family has
always given me the support and love
to accomplish anything.” While establishing a successful volleyball career,
Maurice also is able to balance school
and a job. He hopes to represent the
national team and plans to play professionally.
Amber scholl
“PEOPLE OFTEN
UNDERESTIMATE ME,
BUT I PACK A LOT MORE
PUNCH THAN YOU
WOULD THINK FOR A
SMALL GIRL.”
DON’T LET THE LIPSTICK AND THE POLISHED
NAILS FOOL YOU. This former pageant girl may be
perceived as delicate and girly, but she is undoubtedly
a fierce competitor on the ice. “People stereotype me as
the girly girl, but I know how to work hard, and it gives
me the upper hand in competition,” Scholl said. From
the age of 6, she spent her mornings and evenings
around school figure skating in the rink and training for
competitions. Though the intense lifestyle caused Amber
to leave the sport after eight years, she said that it taught
her the value of hard work and discipline. “Being in the
public eye and learning how to work hard influenced my
love for performing on stage,” she said. With ambitions of
becoming a future reporter, Amber said her experience
in the public eye will work to her advantage on camera.
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 31
B
THE ASKETCASE
“IF GOD EXISTS, I THINK
HE WOULD APPRECIATE
THOSE WHO MADE
MISTAKES, LEARNED
FROM THEM AND
BECAME BETTER FOR IT.”
P
THE
RINCESS
“I THINK BEING
A MODERN–DAY
PRINCESS MEANS
KNOWING YOU ARE
A DAUGHTER OF A
KING.”
Jacey Sisneros
STEPHEN VIDOVICH
“RESILIENCE IS WHAT UNITES PEOPLE,” Vidorich said. “You can still decide to turn a new leaf,” Vidovich said. A
free spirit, Vidovich says he likes meeting and talking to all types of people. Yet, when he lost his sister in January,
Vidovich found consolation from people far more disadvantaged than he is. Vidovich volunteered with Standing
on Stone, a community outreach program aimed at serving the poor, needy and lonely in Malibu. “After it happened,
I started going to SOS,” Vidovich said. “I felt most comfortable sharing what happened with the people there
because they relate [to hardship].” A business administration major and Spanish minor, he hopes that succeeding in
the business world will enable him to create jobs for people. After graduating, Vidovich plans to move to Madrid.
THE TERM ‘PRINCESS’ OFTEN
ELICITS THOUGHTS OF A PERFECTIONIST who gets whatever
she wants. But for Jacey, the word is
redefined to signify something more
meaningful that would inspire many
to reconsider the common stereotype. She believes that a modern–
day princess “doesn’t care about a
crown. She cares about serving and
loving God and people.” After experiencing the sudden loss of her father, her mother’s battle with cancer
and watching over her developmentally disabled brother, Jacey has embraced God’s love and found strength.
“I could hop back into life, or I could
sit and mope about how sad my life
was and how rough I had it. I chose
the first one,” Jacey said. The composure, confidence, class and strength
through trials, according to Jacey,
are what make her a true princess.
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 33
C
THE RIMINAL
“MY MOM IS A TV NEWS
REPORTER, AND MY DAD
IS A NEWS ANCHOR. MY
WORK HAS ALWAYS
CENTERED ON WHAT
WOULD MAKE A GOOD
STORY.”
Mark Allen Alford
“I WAS AUSTIN FOR A FULL 24 HOURS,” Alford said. “But I looked so much like my father that my name was changed to
Mark Allen: Mark Allen Alford Jr., but I’ve been called MA since I was a baby.” Thus, it follows that identity would be one of
the major issues Alford confronts in his art. Alford gained notoriety for creating “designer” body bags, some of which bear the
logos of haute couture labels like Chanel and Prada. More recent works are branded with the logo of Alford’s alter ego, Mark
Allen. The artist describes his infamous body bags as “memento mori,” or art intended to incite contemplation about death. He
remarks that the purpose of the work is performance and participation. Alford even encourages viewers to get inside a body
bag, if they dare. A stunt in which Alford posed inside a body bag in an art gallery in Miami resulted in his detention by police.
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Page 34 |
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
...but what we found out
is that each one of us is
a brain,and an athlete,
and a
basketcase, a
princess, and a
criminal ... does that
answer your question?
Sincerely Yours
The Breakfast Club
Chuck Arnoldi
An Extraordinary Artist in
our own backyard
Words by Lauren Baldwin
Photos by Selin Uzal
“The thing about inspiration is, in a funny way,
you are trying to find something that makes
you feel good about yourself.”
Chuck Arnoldi welcomed me to his
Venice studio wearing paint-splattered
jeans and a white tee and drinking a cup
of coffee. He apologized for not having any
for me, and we joked about our mutual caffeine addiction. We made our way through
his space; there were multiple rooms with
storage, hanging pieces from past series
he’d created and even a space he was
lending to his son, founder of the wrapping
paper company Wrapped. After that he
took me to his main studio space, which
housed his current projects, including a
slew of surfboards to be donated to charity.
Throughout the interview, he remarked proudly on his family’s accomplishments, including a daughter studying
marine biology in Stanford’s graduate
school and his son’s successful Kickstarter
campaign. He even gave me a copy of his
wife Katie’s newest book, “Point Dume.”
As an art history major, I arrived
equipped with the idea that most — famous or not — artists can be egocentric.
Arnoldi joked later that he was, but our
time felt like a conversation between a
mentor and struck home for this soon-tobe graduate. His advice on the real world,
hard work, inspiration and making it in the
art world can apply to any person in any
field.
Arnoldi was born and raised in
what he describes as a very blue-collar
background in Dayton, Ohio. He had no
aspirations of becoming an artist when he
graduated from high school. As a result of
some “fluke” circumstances, he landed in
Thousand Oaks for a bit.
“Once I saw California, I wanted to
get the hell out of Ohio,” Arnoldi says. He
made some artist friends who encouraged
him to take art courses at Ventura County Junior College. He immediately felt a
sense of vocation and self-fulfillment.
“When I make art, I think I’m good at
it and other people acknowledge it, and
it makes me feel good. The thing about
inspiration is, in a funny way, you are trying
to find something that makes you feel good
about yourself.”
However, he was arriving on the art
scene at the “end of art history,” when his
professors taught that painting and sculpture were dead — their reign was over.
All that remained were performance and
conceptual art and mixed media pieces.
“For me, I just really liked painting, so
I tried to find an alternative way of going
about making a painting that was valid,”
Arnoldi says. This idea led to the creation
of works such as his Chainsaw and Stick
painting series, which were an innovative
aesthetic reversal that rocked the California art scene. The Frederick R. Weisman
Museum of Art at Pepperdine featured an
exclusive exhibit of his wood paintings in
2008.
Arnoldi told me of the moment he
realized he had succeeded in this fight for
validity. He remembered a conversation
he had with a persistent guest while at the
opening of the show at the Weisman.
“She told me she wanted to ask me
a question about that piece I made 40
years ago,” Arnoldi says. “We went over,
and hanging on the wall was a piece with
a label, and it was the first time I really
realized I’d been working for over 40 years.
For me, it was successful or valid because,
if 40 years later, you can take an inanimate object that you’ve made and put it in
a space for people to look at, if that thing
has a life of its own — enough energy for
people to relate to it — then, in a sense,
you’ve succeeded.”
According to him, though, there is no
ironclad method for evaluating or producing “good art.” Part of this validity comes
from the work standing the test of time.
“Evaluating what separates art from
shit is impossible. The truth is no one can
really tell you what’s good and bad. Showmanship and one-upsmanship is not art.
I don’t know what the hell art is, but when
you see it, you can spot it,” Arnoldi says.
When he was a young, naive artist,
he had the chance to meet three giants of
20th century modern art: Jasper Johns,
Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg.
Arnoldi recounted how open and welcoming they were, and rather than being intimidated, he sought to learn as much as he
could from them on that trip to New York.
“What it made me realize is that
anything that’s been done has been done
by a person.… You have the same basic
information and facility that everyone else
does. The deal is, is that we all have a
commonality — a very short life span. And
you can do whatever you want in that time.
Granted, it’s hard, it’s difficult… What you
need to do is pick a goal and pursue it with
honesty and integrity and hard work.”
I, of course, internalized his inspirational advice and applied it to my life — but
also to my life experience at my age and
place and time. Being in your 20s is sometimes terrifying, but motivation and determination help to navigate through even the
most confusing territory. I asked Arnoldi
what advice he would give to young people
who aspire to be artists, but it really rings
true for anyone.
“I tell young people: ‘don’t do it.’ The
ones who get pissed off at you for saying
that are the ones who are gonna stick with
it and succeed. If you’re gonna do it, don’t
expect to be rich and famous; do it ’cause
you have to do it,” Arnoldi said.
The recipe for success seems peppered with blue-collared grit and hardwork, with no regard for fame and fortune,
according to Arnoldi. And that golden
nugget of “vocation” that Pepperdine loves
to hammer into our brains is the ever-elusive source of inspiration and motivation
for artists — and any person, alike.
Click to view our Photo Gallery
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 39
Eat Your Way
Across LA
TAKE YOUR PALATE ON A TOUR OF THE CITY’S FINEST
BREAKFAST
at
Huckleberry
N
W
Ph
or
ds
ot
os
I
by
D
by
estled within Santa Monica’s
shops and eateries, Huckleberry
stands out among the rest with an
array of sweet homemade pastries
and light savory dishes. Owned and
run by a husband and wife, the bakery and cafe is a small, cozy spot
for the perfect breakfast that will
start your day off right. Dive into a
fresh batch of cinnamon rolls, salted
caramel treats, lemon bars or mini
chocolate cupcakes. Pair that with a
cappuccino made from Verve coffee
roasters or hot tea made with loose
leaves from Art of Tea. If you’re interested in a more substantial meal,
order the iconic green eggs & ham.
House-made English muffins are
drizzled with pesto and topped with
fresh arugula and two sunny-side-
aniel
le
Mon
up eggs. Or try the fried egg sandwich,
filled with strips of bacon, sunny-side-up
eggs, Gruyere cheese, arugula and aioli
sauce. The organic ingredients and flavorful combinations will keep you energized and satisfied throughout the day.
Huckleberry creates the ultimate
brunch atmosphere with light wooden
tables, menu items written on large
chalkboards across the walls and a
prominent, enticing deli case filled with
all of the delicious pastries. The owners
know just how to keep the vibe fresh
and exciting by creating new brunch
specials each weekend. And if you’re
looking for something different on a
Thursday evening, stop by Huckleberry for the famous Family Dinner Night
from 6 to 9 p.m. The chefs create a set
meal with an appetizer, entree and des-
sert, all for $30. Because this place is
a local favorite, you must be prepared
for a large crowd on the weekends.
My recommendation? Try going for
brunch Monday through Thursday, and
you’ll be more likely to experience a
calm, tantalizing meal with no wait that
will keep you coming back for more.
1014 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, 90401
www.huckleberrycafe.com
Left Page: Huck Cappuccino; Right
Page: Breakfast Sandwich (top), Huck
Pastry (bottom)
Dimeglio
ique B
atac
magine a place that uses only
fresh fruits and vegetables from the
local farmer’s market to create each
dish or a place that bakes warm bread
in house each day with homemade
flour. Envision a hole-in-the-wall, ca-
sual place that uses unique blends to
produce the perfect cup of coffee. Everyone needs a break from the usual
glam and glitz that characterizes most
brunch and dinner spots in LA. Amid
the on-the-go atmosphere of a bustling
city is an inherent need for a homey
spot to keep the balance. Shockingly,
you don’t need to imagine such a place
any longer — the organic and quality
ingredients of a rural town actually exist in this trio of nearby LA restaurants.
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 41
M
elding together an industrial
atmosphere with natural house-made
ingredients, Sycamore Kitchen creates
the ideal spot for a mouthwatering meal
in a trendy, casual cafe. With Stumptown
coffee drinks and freshly baked bread,
customers are drawn to the organic appeal of the menu amid an urban vibe.
As you approach the counter, you
are instantly drawn to the elaborate
display of pastries that will capture your
darkest desires for something sweet
and comforting. Though it may not be a
pleasant experience for your wallet, your
stomach, heart and soul will be singing
in sweet harmony as you happily consume more sweets than you planned to
purchase — like the chocolate banana
strudel or the salted caramel pecan
babka roll. Each menu item is made
with fresh produce to create unique,
savory dishes for customers to enjoy.
Sycamore Kitchen transforms traditional sandwiches, toasts and salads
into something more creative and intriguing. The various toast options are
thin, crispy open-faced sandwiches
that are accompanied with gardenfresh mixed greens. Try the chicken
salad toast mixed with walnuts, grapes,
tarragon and Greek yogurt aioli.
And if that doesn’t satisfy your cravings, try the house-made ricotta toast
topped with stewed citrus, fennel, mint
and hazelnut. But if you’re in the mood
for something more light and refreshing, order the chinoix salad, which consists of shredded chicken, cabbage,
apple, almond, puffed rice and drizzled
with a muddled ginger vinaigrette. Sycamore Kitchen also offers their more
adventurous dish, pork belly hash.
Though considered more of a breakfast option, the pork belly hash is a dish
that you must eventually try to gain the
full Sycamore experience. With roasted
peppers and onions, russet potatoes,
spinach and two fried eggs, the hash
is unlike anything you’ve tried before.
The amiable staff, sweet aromas and cool ambiance create one
of LA’s finest organic lunch spots.
143 S La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, 90036
www.thesycamorekitchen.com
LUNCH at
Sycamore Kitchen
DINNER at Taste
J
ust 15 minutes down the coast
brings you to an elegant urban restaurant that utilizes farmer’s market ingredients and transforms them into rich
gourmet flavors. The fireplace, wooden
floors and cascading light fixtures establish an intimate and relaxed atmosphere for a casual night out. Known
for their incredible happy hour menu,
Taste offers sophisticated and flavorful tastings at great college prices.
Start off your meal with the popular white truffle mac & cheese or grilled
artichoke with white truffle balsamic
glaze. For a lighter appetizer, order the
ahi tuna tartare mixed with avocado,
mint, dill, jicama, sweet soy reduction, spicy aioli and served on a crispy
crostini. However, their most popular
savory treat is the Kobe beef meatballs, which is made with Wagyu beef,
caramelized onions, pine nuts, golden
raisins, pomodoro sauce, parmigiano-reggianno and pecorino cheese.
If you’re not salivating already, just
wait until you try these dishes yourself!
The bold flavors are amplified by the fresh fruits and vegetables used in each dish. Though
many presume that organic meals
are generally bland and unexciting,
Taste restaurant proves that healthy
foods can be just as decadent as the
juicy burger from your favorite dive.
For a satisfying and succulent entree, order the grilled salmon served
in a roasted tomato sauce with sauteed spaghetti squash, pickled Persian cucumbers, shaved red onions
and drizzled with a balsamic reduction.
As if the savory dishes didn’t convince you enough, the desserts are just
as endearing. Gelatos and sorbets are
made from fresh fruit juice, creating a
refreshing end to a delightful meal. But
if you’re craving something more rich in
flavor — and since you’ve been eating
healthy all day — treat yourself to the
dangerously delicious chocolate brioche bread pudding served with creme
anglaise and a scoop of vanilla gelato.
True to its name, this restaurant will rejuvenate your taste
buds and satiate your appetite.
538 Palisades Drive
Pacific Palisades, 90272
www.ilovetaste.com
Left Page: Chinois Salad (top), Market
Salad (bottom); Right Page: Taste
Table (top), Kobe Meatballs (bottom
left), Ahi Tuna Tartare (bottom right)
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 43
&
SOUTHERN
CITY
Story by Danielle Accovelli
Photos by Rebecca Herron
Junior Jordynn Wynn wears Southern & City’s dove’s wing
rockee jacket paired with the daisy back stage bandeau. All
photos shot at Casa Oceana Malibu.
The Odd Couple: City Chic Meets Southern Beauty
“I wanted to
create a
brand that
encompassed ...
the edgy style of
Europe and the
laid–back
romantic flare of
the South.”
“I saw a vision of a brand that brought
the edgy city fashion of Europe and used
it with a Southern laid-back manner,”
22 year-old fashion designer Samantha Abrahart said. Abrahart said her desire to fuse those styles together was the
impetus of the fashion brand Southern
and City, which she co-founded alongside longtime friend Virginia Claussen.
The fusion of two different identities and lifestyles — Claussen’s life as
a Southern belle and Abrahart’s experience living in London — is the heart of
the vision behind Southern and City. This
concept resonates throughout the Spring
2013 line — from their sheer floral crop
tops to their electric blue “Ringo” pants.
Since Abrahart and Claussen founded the line in Georgia in 2010, it has
blossomed into a truly unique clothing
brand and expanded across the country.
Their biggest move is coming this May,
as the line goes into production in LA.
Southern and City is a chic, bohemian-meets-city inspired line that combines
the fun, flowy styles of the South with
the more edgy styles of European cities. Bright colored tops with elegant floral
patterns provide the perfect contrast to
their more rock-inspired bell bottoms and
ripped shorts, which emphasizes the designers’ goal to promote individual style.
The line’s southern flair has reached
across the country to Pepperdine’s campus, where several students have become
involved in marketing and modeling the
brand. Pepperdine senior Jamie McAleney
serves as Southern and City’s social media
coordinator for the spring 2013 semester.
“Southern and City as a brand is a
very laid-back, bohemian sort of everyday feel, but with a bit of flare that you
could dress up as well,” McAleney said.
McAleney said the designing duo
stays on top of current fashion trends,
but gives their line a unique edge by
fusing the radically different styles of
the rural South and European city life.
“I’ve had the idea for a long time,
since I grew up in London and moved to
Atlanta, Georgia,” Abrahart said. “I wanted
to create a brand that encompassed the
two identities with the edgy style of Europe and the laid–back romantic flare of
the South, so when I met Virginia we just
really connected as far as our creativity.”
“It’s all about incorporating two lifestyles and expressing individuality,” Abrahart said, speaking of her inspiration for
the line as founder and creative director.
Abrahart also emphasized that individuality and versatility are a major aspect
in the vision behind Southern and City.
“All of our pieces are extremely versatile,” Abrahart said. “We thrive off of versatility, so we try to make styles that can
be worn in multiple and different ways so
its all about taking a piece of our clothing and making it you, whatever that is.”
The vision resonates with McAleney, who agrees the line is meant to inspire all girls to find expression through
clothing and create their own individual
style from what they see around them.
“Essentially the idea of Southern and
City is meshing two worlds,” McAleney said.
“They know that girls aren’t just one thing,
there is a little bit of everything in each of
us so they’re trying to play up with that.”
In short, it’s all about personal style
and any girl can be a Southern and
City girl — especially a Pepperdine girl.
“Southern and City could cater very
well to the Malibu market,” Houston Costa,
Pepperdine Class of 2012 alumnus and
photographer for the brand’s upcoming
spring line said. “I feel that in the summer
and spring a lot of Pepperdine girls would
wear Southern and City-type clothes.”
“[The brand] would be perfect for
Pepperdine girls, because we live by
the beach, so its good for our weather,”
Southern and City model and current
Pepperdine junior Jordynn Wynn said.
This is especially true for Southern
and City’s Spring 2013 collection, “Concert in the Woods,” which Claussen describes as the perfect Coachella wear
with a lot of bright colors and floral prints.
It incorporates the edgy, rock concert aspect with the romantic Southern woods
aspect of the collection, said Claussen.
Claussen shared that the fall
2013 line will show a return to the
European influences of the label.
“The theme of our fall collection is
Gypsy Travels, which will have a large
Parisian influence,” Claussen said. “There
will be a lot of velvet and jewel tones.”
As for the future of the brand, Abrahart and Claussen will continue to use
their distinct style and unique vision for
Southern and City to inspire girls around
the world to express their individuality through clothing and individual style.
Click to view our “Southern and
City” photo gallery
“It’s all about
taking a piece of
our clothing and
making it you,
whatever
that is.”
Senior Lindsey Jeu De Vine
wears a lace crop top and floral
headband, styled by Samantha
Abrahart and Virginia Claussen.
Designers Virginia Claussen (left) and Samantha Abrahart (right) launch
their new line in Fall 2013
Junior Tamyshia Curry models cobalt strawberry field
shorts and a floral festival fringe jacket.
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
|Page 47
Thrift
Shop
WORDS BY GRACE STEARNS
PHOTOS BY CHELSEA GEST
While we can’t all roll out of bed and
into breezy, styled perfection as put forth
on the preceding pages, many (myself
included) try in vain to keep up with the
trendy touchstone that characterizes
SoCal culture and permeates the Malibu
mindset. Try as we might, conjuring up
runway-ready ensembles in the blink of
an eye is something that simply does not
come naturally for everyone, especially
those of us with limited disposable income.
Thankfully, dominant trends of the
moment are typified by a tendency to
include and encompass varied imaginative
mediums and a vast array of historic
inspiration. The result is a fashion pastiche
of pieces that combine 80s glam rock,
romantic, unstructured bohemian and
quintessentially feminine pastel prep.
When glancing over such adjectival
phrases as those just listed, window
displays at stores like Free People,
Planet Blue, Top Shop, Madewell and
Brandy Melville might come to mind,
bringing with them stress inducing
visions of flashing, bright red dollar signs.
Take heart, for in actuality each one
of these styles lends itself to those rare
Pepperdine budgets that may in fact not be
linked to a primary cardholder of the parental
variety. That is, despite the abundant flow
of beautiful and easily accessed pieces
produced and promoted by pricey retailers
on Third Street, authentic and unique
fashion resources of the secondhand variety
wait to be discovered just a few streets over.
Despite my tendency to remain
skeptical toward any activity primarily
associated with hipsters and Macklemore,
thrifting is an ancient cultural phenomenon
that must not be too easily disregarded as
POPPING TAGS LIKE A
PRO ON THE WESTSIDE
a 21st century statement craze. Put aside
any aversion you may hold toward hipsters
(only temporarily), and stop cringing at the
thought of sifting through soiled garments
from the late 90s at Goodwill Santa Monica.
These inaccurate preconceptions
of thrift shopping will only hinder you
from
achieving
an
envy-inducing,
inimitable style aesthetic. Anyone can
walk into Free People and buy fierce.
It takes a keen eye, confidence and
determination to select one-of-a-kind,
secondhand statement pieces that will
render your look impossible to replicate.
Of course there’s room for error,
but when approached with the proper
attitude,
thrifting
might
potentially
transport
any
moderately
on-trend
individual to a total, bona fide style icon.
Can’t handle wearing a sweater
with unknown and potentially unhygienic
origins?
Focus
on
belts,
skirts,
sunglasses
and
costume
jewelry.
The following stores are great starting
points for sanitary and current shopping:
$ Wasteland on 4th $
$ The Closet
on Main and Hill $
$ Crossroads Exchange on 4th
and Broadway $
$ Give and Take Swap
Boutique on Ocean Park Blvd. $
Grab your game face, swallow your
bourgeoisie inclinations and dive into
the limitless vogue bounty that West LA
thrifting offers.
DOWNLOAD THE INTERACTIVE, TABLET|MOBILE VERSION OF THIS ISSUE FOR EXCLUSIVE
BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTOS & VIDEOS @ CURRENTS.PEPPERDINE-GRAPHIC.COM.
Page 48|
CURRENTS SPRING 2013
All pictures were taken at the Artifac Tree in Malibu, CA
“Despite my tendency to
remain skeptical toward
any activity primarily
associated with hipsters
and Macklemore, thrifting
is an ancient cultural
phenomenon that must not be
too easily disregarded as a
21st century statement craze.”