Last Saturday, Scripps Live Arts hosted the music festival, “Sounds from Venus” at Bowling Green, featuring local and uprising artists from Southern California. The event welcomed the talents of local student band I Feel Strange, Lealani, a high school student from Bonita High in La Verne, L.A based artists Arima Ederram and Linafornia, and the GEWZER, a DJ from Fresno.
Scripps Live Arts, which hosted the Athena Festival in the past, is co-run by Scripps students Iman Salty SC ‘17 and Nina Posner SC ‘17.
“We wanted to bring the music and vibe we care so much about right to our classmates’ doorstep. It’s hard, though, because we don’t receive that much funding and we want to compensate the artists fairly, so we had to save most of our yearly budget to plan a big event like this,” Poster wrote in an email to TSL.
Both Posner and Salty work for KSPC, the radio station of the Claremont Colleges, which is how they have become familiar with many local artists.
“Lealani and Linafornia both played an Art After Hours event put on by KSPC in the fall, and Lealani is also a KSPC DJ. I knew Olivia from I Feel Strange because she also volunteers at KSPC,” Posner said.
Lealani, who performed an electronic set at “Sounds from Venus,” commented on her enthusiasm to participate in the event.
“Both Iman and Nina invited me and I really enjoyed myself. It’s great that the Claremont colleges can throw events like this,” Lealani said.
Arima Ederra, an L.A.-based singer-songwriter who performed selected songs from her acoustic soul album, was very pleased with how the event turned out.
“What I like about this space is that it is all girls and very wide open. The audience were really attentive and eager to participate and that’s always so rewarding,” Ederra said.
Both Posner and Salty were slightly disappointed with the event’s turnout, however.
“We had the event in a very central space on Scripps’ campus, publicized the event thoroughly in advance, and booked incredible acts, so I’m not really sure why a lot of people didn’t come,” Posner wrote. “Maybe it’s because we’re a dry campus, or because most people had never heard of these artists…we want to spotlight underrepresented artists and put people on to our favorites, and provide safer and alternative spaces to students who feel marginalized or excluded by the wider campus culture.”
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