Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2015)
T H E C L A C K A M A S P R IN T | F E B . 18, 2015 | V O L . 48 IS S U E 13 3 College alumni makes sweet music with local recording artist story and photos by Nathan Woosely When was the last time an artist surprised you? Like really surprised you? Think for a moment how many artists that manage to mix and mingle seemingly odd bedfellow genres successfully. Now consider how many of those artists are local, there are only a few. Pink Martini comes to mind. As it turns out, one such artist records right here at Clackamas Community College with alumni and music tech Sacha Muller. Coco Columbia (a.k.a. Dana Elizabeth) and Muller teamed up recently to record an EP at CCC’s “state o f the art” recording studio, ac cording to Muller. When asked why she chose to record at CCC with Muller, Columbia said: “After working with Muller, I must continue to record at CCC,” said Columbia. “He’s a beast ... It’s amazing that CCC can have such a great recording studio and a wizard of an engineer driving it. I ’m launching another kickstarter in a few months and plan to record my second album at CCC. Super stoked!” The recording studio at CCC isn’t just impres sive for a community college either. Even Port land State University lacks the quality of equip ment that CCC has to offer. “From what I know and have heard [PSU] doesn’t have this kind of facility ... some PSU students actually come here for our facilities/’ Muller said. Columbia’s music seems to pluck from so many musical gardens, one has to wonder where all those influences come from. “I listened to rock/punk/metal early on, jazz in high school and soul, R&B and hip-hop in college,” Columbia said. “The vocals are pop/soul inspired, the ar rangements, harmonies, and improvisations jazz inspired, and the electronic aspects come from hip- hop.” Basically, she is influenced by everything. And it shows in her both her live and studio per formances. Recently I was lucky enough to catch up with Columbia and her band at a recent concert at Laughing Tree studios in Portland. Following Johanna Warren and Leo (two other excellent lo cal acts), Columbia and her band came out like a well-orchestrated riot. Her drummer, Brandon Braun (who looks remarkably like Clark Kent) plays with the enthusiasm and energy of Dave Grohl and the precision of a surgeon. Her guitar ist, Grant Sayler, plays guitar like Eddie Van Ha len would play if he were raised in a jazz club. Then there is Columbia herself, whose vocals ‘ B jjjj 1m ^*7 keep the whole thing together like a silk wrap ping around a hip-hop/jazz/pop/soul sandwich. This is probably an overstatement, but it was a very impressive show, and I ’m not the only one who is impressed by her music. Recently Brian Rose, music tech and teach er at CCC said, “She’s making some really cool stuff ... it’s like nothing you’ve ever heard be fore.” With the technology of CCC’s recording stu dio, and the talent of its alumni, expect more great things to come out of the music program. You never know what you might hear. 1 If I'd $ jflg /»J i JB ' Coco Columbia performs a t Laughing Tree Studios in Portland. W hen not at a live show, she records with CCC alumni and music tech Sacha Muller.
