NewsPacblog

  “One thing about being a musician that I've really come to appreciate and own is that it really is an adventure and no two days are the same. Like bouncing from place to place or having these little epiphany moments here and there,” says musician Chris Rorrer of the band Macrofocus.  “I've just learned to really enjoy the process,” he adds. “There was an inkling that I might be moving back to Oregon, after really cutting my teeth down in LA.”    To which the band’s drummer, Kevin Van Walk, responds with the classic quote: “We’re gettin’ the band back together” to describe the Macrofocus reunion. “One of my absolute favorite musicians to work with,” Rorrer smiles at his bandmate’s exuberance.  The duo have varied musical resumes. Rorrer, along with being the singer, songwriter and guitarist of Macrofocus, has played cello at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Symphony. A favorite performance involved an EDM orchestra – a DJ along with live string...

  Old World, New Talent A punk bass solo about the geologic spectacle of an ancient glacial flood, followed by a primal mash inspired somehow by both Motorhead and Peter, Paul, and Mary. I’m surrounded by sandwiches. Flying fingers belied the bassist’s claim that this was the first time he had played the instrument in five years.  The Old World Deli’s mic is open. The sign-up sheet has been swarmed.  Fairly high profile this was for a warm-up refresher. How fleet would Mr. Bassman's finger fretting be with regular practice? Obtuse backstory perhaps, but swift skill. Another debut performer, Rachel, threatened to lecture the crowd. But only because her previous experience in front of an audience has so far only been professional and educational. I don’t know how she is with a TED Talk, but next speaking engagement she can now threaten the opposite. Should a lecture falter, she can now safely spice it up with her sweet and easy vocal stylings of Nora Jones light jazz. ...

 Vlad Standcescu viewed “LBCC’s Got Talent,” a public performance in front of more than a hundred of his peers, as warm-up practice for his real, most important audience of one – his mom.  Still, Standcescu  got third place in a fierce competition, featuring over a dozen student performers at the Russell Tripp Performance Center on Feb. 19. Running is his sport. Standcescu could maybe use a physical therapist himself, which he plans to be after graduation, as he currently has an injury. Music is a salve during his recovery. Check out Vlad’s music: Vladz_guitar  on Instagram After the talent show Standcescu sat down with The Commuter and explained how and why he wanted to show LBCC that he had talent. “I was in the bathroom and I saw this flyer saying ‘LBCC’s Got Talent.’ That gave me an idea, Oh, I should try that out. It just gave me the mindset, Hey, if I don’t try it, I feel like I’m going to regret it. If I do try it, I tried, you know, even if I do bad, I still ...

 My mom went back to college, and she’s like, hey, you should come do this. It’s really great. And I was like, you know what? I think I could go into animal technology. That seems achievable. We actually started around the same time. And we’re both nontraditional students. It was actually kind of nice having my mom be here because she already got to figure out all of the ins and outs of what you do at college, and I didn’t have to go through that transitional period. But I am seeing those students that are going through that transitional period and the struggling that it takes to do that. I’m grateful, but how can I bring that to these other students as well? Because it’s hard coming back as an older student.  You hear so much negativity about college. It’s gonna be so hard. The professors are gonna be so rough. And that’s actually what stopped me from going when I was younger was the stigma, look at all these barriers.  If you don’t do this, then you’re not gonna succeed...

 I chose to come to LBCC because it’s more flexible. Especially with the two-year system. I also came to LBCC because of the ease of transferring to OSU. I think it’s pretty good with civil engineering, which I’m going for. Plan A would be something to do with urban planning, municipal engineering. Plan B would be material science, if I don’t get into that.  It’s actually better than expected. Because a lot of people have been saying, oh, community college is not how people expect college to be like. But because I’m putting myself (out there) and getting involved in many things like SLC, it has not been boring at all, and I really enjoy it right now. But college, you know, ups and downs. I am starting to feel a bit nervous about homework and all that. I expect everything will get harder. I would like the challenge, but I do feel tired sometimes. For my next term, I already checked out the course schedules. I have to wake up around probably 6 to commute to Albany from Corvallis...

 I came to LB because I’m a nontraditional student. I was in the workforce for a long time, specifically in geriatric care. I wanted to advance my career prospects, whether it be through direct care in nursing or policymaking in public health. That’s why I chose LB because it’s really good for working students. It’s a much different, a much better experience. I went directly into a university the first time around. I was younger. I didn’t truly know what I wanted, and so I jumped around a lot. I also didn’t have the focus and the drive that I do now. I find that I’m a much better student now, than I was back then. I’ve had really good experiences with the teachers here. They’re very helpful. They’re very accommodating, which is really nice, especially if I’m, like, away for a leadership conference with the Student Leadership Council. (SLC) has been fantastic for me and for my development. Because I have tried to lead teams before, and I tend to be a bit of a doormat. I don’t like t...