Bruce Pavitt, author, music historian, and founder of Seattle’s Sub Pop record label, will give the lecture, “Experiencing Nirvana,” as part of the MVCC Cultural Series at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, in Schafer Theater, Francis A. Wilcox Hall, at Mohawk Valley Community College, 1101 Sherman Drive, Utica. Admission is $15 general, $10 for MVCC employees, and free for MVCC students. Tickets are available for purchase online at mvcc.edu/tickets.

Pavitt’s talk, “Experiencing Nirvana” will provide an inside look into the early touring life of Nirvana, the Seattle grunge band whose spirit came to define the ’90s. In this multimedia presentation, Pavitt captures intimate moments of Kurt Cobain and his new band as they travel through Europe in 1989. By the time they reach London for a Sub Pop showcase, the relatively unknown Seattle group is proclaimed “Sub Pop’s answer to the Beatles” by the influential British press. Within two years, Nirvana would become the biggest rock act of its generation. This is the photographic story of the breakthrough that almost never happened. Pavitt will also reflect on independent media and its power to change global culture. Pavitt is the author of “Experiencing Nirvana: Grunge in Europe, 1989,” a photo journal documenting his travel experiences with Sub Pop bands in Europe, and “SUB POP USA: The Subterranean Pop Music Anthology, 1980-1988,” a compilation of his early Sub Pop zines and columns. Learn more about him at brucepavitt.com.

Tickets for all Cultural Series events can be purchased in person at the MVCC Box Office, Francis A. Wilcox Hall room 106, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday, and at the College Stores on the Utica and Rome Campuses; online any time at
www.mvcc.edu/tickets; or over the phone by calling 315-731-5721. Most Cultural Series events are $5 or less to the general public and many are free. Events include concerts, comedians, lectures, film screenings and discussions, workshops, family fun events, and more. The Cultural Series is brought to you by MVCC’s Cultural Events Council, in collaboration with MVCC’s Program Board, with significant support from the Student Activity Fee. The series maintains a major social media presence that can be followed on Facebook at “MVCC Cultural Series.” For the complete series lineup and ticket sales, visit www.mvcc.edu/campus-events.