Someone once told 24-year-old Corina Teran that she had set out on her educational path backwards. After high school, Teran followed a fairly traditional route, attending California State University, Stanislaus, to pursue a major in criminal justice. She started her new life, moving up to Modesto and setting the wheels in motion to follow her plan of becoming a probation ... Read More »
Following the fateful acquisition of a ukulele, Alison Rush sort of fell into songwriting. Now, two years later, the newly settled Merced resident finds herself wrapping her first album, titled “Rarest Bird,” with a release scheduled at Coffee Bandits on April 27 to celebrate the whole experience. Rush’s songwriting efforts began in 2010, when she inherited a ukulele. Despite being ... Read More »
If you haven’t heard her name by now, you’ve certainly seen her work. As the Art Hop’s artist of the month, UC Merced student, Eulalia Gamez’s painting has been emblazoned on Art Hop flyers all over downtown Merced. Hailing from South Central Los Angeles, Gamez has been an artist all her life. Whether it was dancing, singing, writing or drawing, ... Read More »
Sometimes, the only way to succeed is to take your future into your own hands. This much is clear to hip-hop ensemble UnKoolKiddz, local representatives of the growing scene of independent, do-it-yourself rappers who’ve utilized the Internet to make music on their terms. Despite having known each other for quite sometime, it wasn’t until 2010 that the crew officially formed. ... Read More »
Through the power of spoken word, local poet Marcy Martinez has quickly carved a niche for herself in Merced’s artistic community. From a young age, Martinez sensed she was creatively inclined, and it didn’t take long for those around her to notice. “I was a sensitive soul.” She notes, “I think that’s what made me stand out from my family, ... Read More »
NEXT is a a collection of stories about Merced’s future leaders, artists, musicians and pop stars. It’s a glimpse at the potential growing in our community and their stories serve as inspiration for the next generations of Merced leaders. Words and photo by Montse Reyes Boys just want to have fun. This appears to be the motto of up-and-coming, Atwater-based ... Read More »
It appears Merced may be a hotbed for do-it-yourself authors looking to share their work with the world. A trio of female writers from the Merced area recently had their works published through No Boundaries Press — an eBook publisher that handles submissions from across the globe and allows books to be purchased on the internet at Amazon and Barnes ... Read More »
So you’re a kid. You have all these big dreams of being a superhero, or a firefighter, or say, a falconer. I mean, you’re like six years old and you literally eat, sleep and breathe this stuff. But you grow up. You go to different schools, make different friends, and endure your fair share of awkward phases and instances of ... Read More »
“I’m sort of a get-about. I don’t like to stay home much,” chuckles artist and Merced College professor Susanne French. It’s her traveling nature that has led the German native to trek across the world, all for the sake of her art. French has been a potter for 35 years. While studying industrial design at the Offenbach University of Art ... Read More »
“Garland Daniel is the Andy Warhol of hair,” says stylist Kat Vrabec over the roar of a passing motorcycle outside of Vin One Hair Studio. Daniel pauses for a second, doubting the comparison, but Vrabec assures its accuracy with such conviction he seems to have no other choice but to accept it. Daniel, 30, began doing hair for his friends ... Read More »
Sometimes we have to be reminded not to take ourselves too seriously. Fortunately, the young men in Just People have four other people who won’t let them forget it. The Merced based rock group formed last September and is comprised of Carlos Escobar, Logan Locke, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, Tyler Peterson and Cody Vaughn. Peterson and Vaughn started playing together their freshman ... Read More »
Cristal Flores always had a knack for the arts, but the Merced native’s interest in painting didn’t begin to take off until she was in high school. It was then that Flores began to consider art as a career. Initially, she began painting in high school when she realized that other people liked her art and thought she had talent. ... Read More »
The DLM Downtown Life Magazine
