“We all really basically have a lot of magic. It’s only those of us that choose to accept it that really understand it.” - Stevie Nicks
LIFE
October 1, 2020
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From lectures to love songs Former RCC student releases new single on streaming platforms ALYSSA ALDRETE STAFF REPORTER
Like most young adults, 21-year-old Lucy Eaton enrolled in college to forge a new path for herself. Through a series of chances taken and opportunities met, she has now found her voice – both literally and figuratively – on the airwaves of worldwide music streaming platforms. Australian-born turned Bay Area transplant Eaton was born to two songwriting parents, so music was always a part of her life growing up. But when she enrolled at Riverside City College in 2015, music was not necessarily the path she was on. Initially experimenting with filmmaking, Eaton worked with fellow students to produce several films for the Student Film Festival, while taking some music classes for fun. “As time went on, I realized what I really liked about that was writing,” Eaton said. “I was already working on some music on the side, but I didn’t really get serious about it until I realized that writing was what was really calling me to the arts.” With the help of her mother, Eaton quickly added to her artistic repertoire, fine-tuning her songwriting processes and learning to play various instruments such as
PHOTO COURTESY OF PIERRE CARRILLO
Former Riverside City College student Lucy Eaton, 21, performs at a songwriting retreat in Berkeley, California in October 2019. Eaton is a UC Berkeley graduate who has found her voice in music. piano and ukulele. Eaton took her bag of skills along with her when she transferred to UC Berkeley, where she joined a student club called Songwriting at Berkeley and really came into her own. “They had opportunities for you to play original music and get feedback on it,” Eaton said. “That really started everything for me in
terms of being able to play live for the first time.” After becoming vice president of the club and performing numerous original songs to her fellow students on campus, Eaton graduated with a newfound confidence in playing her original music live. After college, she linked up with Eric Lee, co-
founder of the Songwriting club, who began helping her record her music professionally. The experience of this process went so well that Eaton and Lee decided to take the dive and produce and release a full-length song, in which “Rotten Love” was born. This endearing, bright folk tune is a showcase of Eaton’s
sharp and clever pen meeting perfectly with her soft, yet strong vocal range. A unique take on your average love song, the lyrics tell the story of what comes naturally in a relationship filled with unwavering love; that feeling of simply wanting to give that person everything they could want or need. Between the rhythmic sounds of the tambourine intertwined with the calming strums of ukulele, you can almost hear the smile on Eaton’s face. This song paints a perfect picture of two people happy and in love under a bright sun or a twinkling moon, and combines the light and soulful sounds of artists like Regina Spektor and Feist with the nuanced harmonic hymns found in Of Monsters and Men’s music. “Rotten Love” will be a welcome addition to playlists containing all the best indie-folk rock artists of today’s generation, with more from Eaton soon to follow. It is available now on all major music streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
IMAGE COURTESY OF SPOTIFY
Scan this Spotify QR code with your cell phone camera to be linked directly to Lucy Eaton’s “Rotten Love.”
Kung Fu Tea hits the Riverside boba scene Hip new spot offers friendly service, awesome Asian drinks STEPHANIE ARENAS STAFF REPORTER
What started off as a small business in the heart of Queens, New York has transformed into a large brand with over 200 locations. Kung Fu Tea is the hip new spot for people of all ages to get an assortment of teas, espressos and milk-based boba drinks. Riverside had a severe lack of boba places in certain areas. Most importantly, the Riverside Plaza. That was until this year, when Kung Fu Tea finally opened a store in Riverside. They opened in May, but I decided to wait it out a bit to allow the business to find its groove. Now that it’s September, I figured it was the perfect time to give them a shot. When I entered the store for the first time, I was blown away by the hot air that was building up inside. I thought that since Kung Fu Tea mainly specialized in cold drinks, the store would be better
ventilated. But this was not the case. While there were two portable air conditioners plugged into the walls, that did not stop the store from feeling stuffy inside. I did not let that stop me, however, and continued on. Fortunately, the store seemed to be following social distancing orders. All the employees were wearing masks, sanitized their stations and had hand sanitizer within reach for customers. M o s t i m p o r t a n t l y, t h e y enforced the six feet apart requirement for customers. Then came the next step of the experience — What to order? They have a wide assortment of items from milk teas to punch to yogurts and so much more. It was a tough decision. I eventually ended up settling for a large honey oolong milk tea with boba. A nice employee named La offered me a free sample of their mango jelly while I waited for my drink. “People always come in here and order the boba,” La said. “I give them free samples sometimes
to let them try other things.” The mango jelly was sweet and fruity. It is basically what you expect a mango flavored Jell-O to taste like. My drink was finally ready, it took no more than five minutes. I picked it up and headed outside to the dining area. I was blown away by the variety of flavors when I took my first sip. It started out sweet from the honey, then became a bit earthy because of the oolong tea. Finally, it ran down smoothly because of the milk. The boba had a nice chewy consistency. Most places have boba that are hard or disintegrate in your mouth. Kung Fu Tea’s was perfect. Overall, I was satisfied with my experience. Kung Fu Tea followed social distancing orders, had nice customer service and most importantly — had amazing drinks! This will now be my go to spot for boba drinks. Kung Fu Tea is located at 3678 Central Ave. Suite B and is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
ERIK GALICIA | VIEWPOINTS
Angelli Ong, Riverside City College student and Kung Fu Tea barista, makes an iced boba tea at the store’s Riverside location Sept. 29.
