ORIGINAL SOUND SHINES THROUGH RAGGED SHOW

BY DAN POWELL
Editor

City College student and Out Damned Spot lead singer Trinity Rose (center) gestures theatrically as her compatriots, guitarist Anthony Barrie and bassist Justin La, focus on their instruments. NATHAN WEYLAND / GUARDSMAN

Out Damned Spot’s music is similar to the Shakespearean language they lifted their name from: simultaneously compelling and confusing.

Their sound unexpectedly merges lead singer and City College student Trinity Rose’s yearning, insistent vocals with a band that plays a mixture of angst-ridden emo and funky, danceable bass lines. It’s ambitious and original, but the songs are at times too fragile for a group intent on kicking out the jams.

The band played on Nov. 17 at Jelly’s Dance Cafe to celebrate Rose’s birthday with a group of dedicated fans. After performances by three local bands handpicked by Rose, the crowd sang the vocalist an impromptu, off-key “Happy Birthday” before she took the stage with her band mates.

Rose proved herself to be a talented torch singer on the very first song of OTS’s set, “Mothers and Sisters.” Immediately bringing to mind Siouxsie Sioux’s post-punk yowls, Rose’s sensuous, assertive vocals were right up front. But a bass-heavy mix and ragged backing by the instrumentalists sank her voice in a muddled sonic stew. If not for the mix, Andrew Tavis’ drumming would have been a highlight of the show. Unfortunately, he was almost inaudible for the whole night.

Nevertheless, the band tightened up considerably on “Sing to Me,” the fifth song of their 14-song set. Rose’s vocal trills and embellishments hit almost operatic heights as Anthony Barrie’s hypnotic guitar lines snaked underneath.

The band locked in completely on the next song, “Follow Me Down.” Barrie’s rousing guitar was met perfectly by bassist Justin La’s low, driving bass and Tavis’ tom-based drumbeat, allowing Rose to float her delicate vocals over the perfect setting.

That sense of a band finding its feet was apparent throughout the rest of the set, with La’s funky bass beats surprisingly gelling with Barrie’s icy guitar playing.

Opener and City College student Zach Vieria took a night off from his political alt-rock band mates in local band The Frequency to serenade a handful of early show goers. His solo, acoustic set highlighted his impressive vocal range and included covers of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

Slow Motion Cowboy, a ramshackle, stripped-down acoustic guitar and drum combo played a charmingly unpretentious country set following Vieria.

The third band, Wilson Gil and the Willful Sinners, were the loudest and most raucous. Led by Wilson Gil, a gas station attendant version of Johnny Thunders, the band delivered a tight, barreling set of country-tinged bar rock that nevertheless did little to advance the art form.

In the end, Out Damned Spot rocked in a head-scratching manner. Rose proved handily that she is not just another pretty face, with lyrics that were almost confrontationally intimate. The instrumentalists showed considerable talent and an original sound that, if properly married with Rose’s vocals, could make the band a force to reckon with rather than a curiosity.

e-mail: citynewseditor@theguardsman.com

THE 'HISTORIAN LAUREATE OF CITY COLLEGE' CHRONICLES THE STRANGE AND EVERYDAY

BY ALEX MULLANEY
Contributing Writer

In his office in Batmale Hall, Austin White holds the pamphlet he wrote that details the 70-year history of City College. LUBOMIRA RAYKOVA / GUARDSMAN

For the 70th anniversary of City College, Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. asked history professor Austin White to write a pamphlet about the history of the school.

White, whom the chancellor called the historian laureate of City College in a speech, now plans to continue his journey into the college’s past and complete a full-length book.

“As a historian, I was looking for something original,” White said. “There’s been no real history of City College, and certainly no one has ever written a book about it.”

White’s curiosity with City College’s past began six years ago when students asked him about the college.

Now, his first book will answer those questions.

“I came out of City College,” said White, a City College alumnus who returned as a teacher almost 40 years ago. “I’ve seen it from the administrative side. I know about what’s happened here, since, well, I’ve been here.”

White, a U.S. history specialist, is a fount of anecdotes about the school’s past, spinning yarns about the championship basketball team of 1935, artist Dudley Carter’s donated ram carving and the 1950s mascot and pet, Sammy the Ram.

“Because of mating season, he began baaing insistently and then started butting students and faculty,” he said.

White used a number of different sources for his work. The Guardsman became his primary treasure trove due to its documentation of the daily happenings on campus since its establishment in the mid-1930s.

Other sources included oral interviews, meeting minutes, interviews with alumni from the 1938 and 1939 classes, oral histories and various administrators. White has also just about taken up residence in the City College archives located in Rosenberg Library.

“Most of my time is spent going through things. I do find gems,” he said with a smile.

“All sorts of photos are around,” he added. “I’ve found a lot. We’re putting them into digital, although the pixelation isn’t great.”

The book may very well be the capstone on White’s long and varied career at City College. After earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from San Francisco State University and University of California, Berkeley, respectively, White started teaching at City College in 1968. He worked as the social sciences department chair from 1974 to 1990 and founded the Department Chairperson Council. He also served as vice chancellor for Planning, Research and Institutional Development from 1990 to 1991 and as executive vice chancellor from 1991 to 1992.

“Only a person of such first-hand knowledge and experience like Professor White could tell the story, and he will make a remarkable contribution to the college family and to the larger community with this work,” Chancellor Day said.

White estimated the book will be published in a year and a half with over 250 to 300 pages of content. He has not decided on a publication method but is considering the Internet.

FASHION SHOW INVADES CAFETERIA AND ENTERTAINS HUNGRY AUDIENCE

BY JEROLD CHINN
Editor

Tiffany La Brie poses on a dais during an informal fashion show, “2nd Time Around,” put on by students in the fashion department. LEILANI WEBB / GUARDSMAN

An eye-catching, green sequined dress left viewers breathless at a City College fashion show.

Tiffany La Brie, who wore the dress, acted every bit the top model in grace and style for “2nd Time Around,” the third of a series of five informal fashion shows put on by the students of the City College Fashion Coordination class. The event took place on Nov. 22 at noon in front of about 50 people eating their meals in the Smith Hall cafeteria.

“Students learn the process of how to put on an informal show in the Fashion Coordination class,” said Diane Green, fashion department chair and the class’s teacher. “Students work all semester in groups. They choose the clothing, the models and their own theme.”

Indeed, the students put aside their individual aesthetic ideals to formulate “2nd Time Around.”

“Even though everyone had their own opinions of styles, we still came together and put on a great show,” said Lauri Molino, one of the student fashion coordinators.

The coordinators even managed to overcome last-minute problems.

“We had one of the group members, who was supposed to look for models, drop the class the day before the show,” said Leslie Myers, another student fashion coordinator. “So we had to scramble. Some of us are actually modeling the clothes.”

All of the clothes were borrowed from Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo & Marin Counties, proving that all of today’s fashions may be found in used clothing stores with a smaller price tag.

“The theme is about how one can buy used clothes and still stay current with the style,” Myers said.

Before the show started, models stood in line chatting, waiting for their make-up as student coordinators put the final touches on their outfits.

The clothing worn was sleek and sexy. Nothing was too provocative or too conservative.

The models walked comfortably and showcased the clothes with confidence as they sashayed down a makeshift catwalk
with three platforms acting as brief display points. Only one stumbled while climbing a platform, but she continued her walk with grace.

Most of the models wore well-fitting attire in dark blacks, browns and grays.

The show opened with a model wearing a black top hat, a blood-red fur coat, and a black, long-sleeve top.

Scarves in brilliant whites or dark hues set off the next set of clothing, including a leather jacket with a waist strap and a long, gray parka.

Then a breath of fresh air floated into the cafeteria when La Brie appeared in a white tank top revealing her midriff. She then came back in a white dress with one spot of gold on its middle and, of course, the stunning green.

The show ended when Nadiya Diarra modeled a wedding dress, which is the traditional ending for couture shows in Paris, Green said.

“I really liked the show, and I would actually wear some of the stuff they put together,” said Rebecca Chan, a student who attended the show.

e-mail: editorial@theguardsman.com