Michael Stevens the Director/Curator of the Kondos Gallery talks to the family and friends of Russ Solomon, including Russ’ wife Patti Dorsins Solomon at a gathering in the City College Art department to celebrate what would have been the Tower Records founder’s 94 birthday. The event marked the closing of the “Remember Russ” show at the Kondos Gallery. This exhibition raised funds for the newly created Russ Solomon Art Scholarship for students. (Photos by Randy Allen)
October 2, 2019
by Carmela Ramirez| Staff Writer| cramirez.express@gmail.com
Oct. 2, 2019
Gregory Kondos remembers catching a kid stealing a record at Tower Records on Broadway. The kid bolted and Kondos followed in pursuit. He caught the kid at a nearby cemetery and dragged him back to Russ Solomon, the founder and owner of the Tower chain. Kondos said he had caught the kid stealing records. Solomon responded, “Let him go.”
That’s how Kondos, retired art teacher at City College, remembers Solomon. Kondos, along with others, gathered Sept. 22 to celebrate what would have been Russ Solomon’s 94th birthday and view a portion of his art collection. The exhibition, “Remembering Russ Solomon,” ran from Aug. 21–Sept. 22.
The exhibit took place at the Kondos Gallery, named for Gregory Kondos, one of the world’s most prominent California landscape artists, after he retired in 1982.
“The school itself should be applauded because it turned out some great painters and teachers,” says Kondos.
Solomon had taken a couple classes at Sacramento City College in his earlier years. He was survived by his wife Patti Drosins Solomon, who attended the event.
Russ Solomon’s granddaughter Somer Huntley Solomon holds her daughter Mireya while Mireya and her brother Jude (both are Solomon’s great grand children) blow out candles on a birthday cake honoring Russ at a gathering in the Art department of City College to celebrate what would have been the Tower Records founder’s 94 birthday. The event marked the closing of the “Remember Russ” show at the Kondos Gallery. This exhibition raised funds for the newly created Russ Solomon Art Scholarship for students. (Photos by Randy Allen)
“Russ was an avid art collector,” says Patti. “He supported the arts in California, he loved music, he was a photographer himself.”
In 2015 Solomon used City College’s photo studio in the new Student Services building to shoot portraits of his friends, all of them famous Sacramento locals, called “Legends of Sacramento.” He also took photos of regular Sacramentans for a series called “Community.” This inspired Drosins to start the Solomon scholarship fund.
“I started one for him for his 90thbirthday for the photography department because he was having his shows,” says Drosins. “It’s such a hard profession to go into, and then this year I thought you know, we should expand it to the arts because Russ loved art.”
There are now two Russ Solomon scholarship funds at City College—one in photography and one for students who major in art, art history or studio arts. Dan McCarty, director of philanthropy, said he believed that the scholarships will be $1,000 each.
“I wanna keep his name going. I want people to understand what he supported,” says Drosins.
Landline band takes the stage (left to right) Samuel Styrsky, Malakhi Croxford, Kelly Cardosa, Graven Tyler, and (behind) Will Dowden | Shine Cafe | Sacramento, CA | Friday, 10-25-2019 | Niko Panagopoulos | npanagopoulos.express@gmail.com
November 28, 2019
Kelly Cardosa, the female vocalist for Landline, stands on the stage of Shine, a rustic-style, midtown café filled with homey furniture and big windows where people come to study in the morning and lounge in the evening. She makes the crowd laugh while the rest of her bandmates set up their instruments for their Friday night show.
Landline, an indie rock band founded in Sacramento by Samuel Styrsky and Malakhi Croxford, played at Shine for the third time in late October.
Their next local show will be Saturday, Dec. 14, at The Silver Orange.
Styrsky and Croxford, 17, are both seniors in high school who take advanced education courses at City College. The two have taken music composition, psychology and French. Next fall, both high school students plan on returning as City College students.
“Me and Sam had been in bands together since we were in eighth grade,” says Croxford. “We’ve always played music together.”
They started playing together when they were 13.
“It was kind of the first thing that was meaningful beyond regular life at that age,” says Styrsky.
Styrsky and Croxford share duties in Landline as lead guitar and lead vocals.
“We both had musicians in our families, we had the resources, and even now we’re lucky enough to have the resources,” says Styrsky.
Since starting Landline as sophomores, Styrsky and Croxford have found others who share their love for music in the same way.
Cardosa, 18, is the band’s only female vocalist. She loves having an outlet to sing and perform.
“I like being the only girl. I have three older brothers, and I’m used to being with just boys,” says Cardosa. “I met Sam and Malakahi when they were freshmen in high school, and I was a sophomore. I consider them my best friends.”
All the members of Landline say they are influenced by the band Pinegrove, an American indie rock band. In fact, Pinegrove introduced Landline to their newest drummer, Will Dowden, 19.
Will Dowden, on stage with Landline band | Shine Cafe | Sacramento, CA | Friday, 10-25-2019 | Niko Panagopoulos | npanagopoulos.express@gmail.com
While at a Pinegrove show in San Francisco, Styrsky, Cardosa, Croxford and Dowden were some of the earliest fans to arrive.
“We were waiting outside the venue super early before the show, and we could see inside. We saw Evan, the lead singer, walk onstage,” says Cardosa. “We were all starstruck, and that was how we first kinda talked to each other.”
They got to talking about where they were from and realized they didn’t live far from each other. They admit that it took a while to finally get together, but when they did get a chance to play together, it was a match.
Graven Tyler, 15, Landline’s bass player, is the youngest member of the band. Tyler enjoys being a part of the band because he says Landline has traits that are similar to some of his musical influences.
“Growing up, I listened to a lot of different types of music, but one artist that always stuck with me was Colin Meloy, the frontman of a band called The Decemberists,” says Tyler. “It’s kinda similar to Pinegrove in a lot of ways. It’s very theatrical songwriting at times and has lots of layers to the music, which is something I’ve always admired.”
“Katherine” is one of the band’s most popular singles, with over a thousand listens on Spotify. When Croxford wrote “Katherine,” he recalls being in a “folky mood.”
“It’s a typical longing-love-song,” says Croxford, who wrote it about a girl who’s not named Katherine but who did inspire the song.
Croxford and Styrsky are the main songwriters for Landline, together the two have completed around twenty songs, but when it comes to the entire writing process, it’s more of a team effort.
“When we write things, it’s kind of like a canvas for other people to fill in, and it becomes like a group project almost—it’s like writing a proposal,” says Styrsky.
Although the band members write their own music, they also perform covers like the song “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers.
“We want to work on rehearsing covers soon and ideally play something like that at every show,” says Skrysky. “We want to hop around genres and expand our musical repertoire as a group beyond just our music.”
Landline’s next local show will be Saturday, Dec. 14, at The Silver Orange. Landline can be found on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Vocal and choral music students will host two free holiday musical events in the City College Performing Arts Center Thursday, Dec. 12, and Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.
The Artist’s Voice Recital takes place tonight in City College’s Little Theater, PAC 106, and will showcase vocal mentor students and advanced music students.
Every year in December the City College choirs invite local high schools to perform in an event called “Community Sing!” This months performance will be held on Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center main theater, PAC 150. Admission is free, however, canned food donations are encouraged.
Franklin and Foothill high schools will join City College’s Choir groups this year to put on a festive performance that will include a chance for patrons to sing along to some carols.
City College choir students use collaborative techniques that not only involve students within the program but the community as well, according to Mayling Lopez, the music department outreach coordinator.
“When we talk about Vocal and Choral Music, it’s music that is created from a collection of voices harmonizing with one another and at the same time inviting others to sing and unite as one,” said Lopez. “In choral music, every singer is codependent on one another to create the ideal sound that we want for each piece of music.”
The vocal and choral program at City College offers a unique coaching program, which gives beginning to intermediate voice students one-on-one mentorship from more advanced choir students.
“What I find most rewarding about working here in the music department is that I have the opportunity to work in cooperation with other students,” said Lopez. “It’s amazing how kind people can be when you get involved in a group like this, the people here are like a second family. We are always taking care of each other and being supportive of one another.”
Danielle McKinney during welcome day in the quad Thursday, Sept. 5, 2019. Photo by Saul Ocaña | Staff Photographer | zocana.express@gmail.com
by Carmela Ramirez| Staff Writer| cramirez.express@gmail.com
Danielle McKinney, the fall 2019 co-editor-in-chief of the Express knew she was meant for journalism when she signed up for her first-ever journalism class spring 2018. She had always had an interest in journalism, but it wasn’t something that she pursued right away.
“I tried all of these things and wasn’t really feeling a passion there,” says McKinney. “You know when you get that feeling of ‘This is where I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to be doing,’ that was totally the feeling I got and continue to have every day that I’m in class.”
McKinney started at the Express as a staff writer and in her second semester, she became the news editor. In her new role as co-editor-in-chief, she hopes to inspire and encourage newcomers to the Express.
“I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned so far with others,” says McKinney. “The journalism department at City College has really helped me grow my skill set and I know there will be lots more learning this semester.”
As she pursues her career in journalism, she hopes to explore every avenue. McKinney has always been fascinated by radio broadcasting and her dream job is a career with Capital Public Radio where she would be able to share the news and spread awareness of what’s going on in the world.
CARMELA RAMIREZ cramirez.express@gmail.com Sacramento, CA
EXPIERENCE Express Staff Writer- Sacramento City College 2019
EDUCATION Coursework at Sacramento City College 2019 JOUR 300- Newswriting and Reporting (Completed) JOUR 310- Mass Media and Society (Completed) JOUR 320- Race and Gender in the Media (In progress) JOUR 410- College Media Production (In progress)
Carmela Ramirez 