1990_11 The Daily Collegian November 1990

              Classical guitar great graces Fresno
Pepe Romero to host music seminar, perform at Saroyan Theater
•JoFih • Weigh*
Sandwiched between two concerts
this weekend with the Fresno
Philharmonic Orchestra, classical
guitarist I'epe Romero will be hosting
a seminar with the top guitarists of
CSU Fresno and Fresno Gty College.
Romero, considered to be one of the
few true masters of the classical
guitar, is scheduled for an 8>p.m.
Friday concert and a 230 pm shew
Sunday at the William Saroyan
theater.
On Saturday, Romero will hosta
masterclass session atFresno Gty
College. FpUowingCSUFandFCC.
student perfomances, Romero will
provide the musicians with critiques.
The session is sponsored by the Fresno
Philharmonic Orchestra and Fresno
Gty College music department.
CSUF student Vang Pao Lee, 20, is
extremely excited about his chance to
perform in front of one of his idols.
'Tm very happy to get an
opportunity to perform in front of
Pepe Romero," said Lee, who goes by
the. first name of Alain.
"1 never thought I'd get a chance to
play for him," added Lee, a music •
performance major. "Pepe Romero is
one of the best. You cannot just
compare him with any guitarist.
Pepe Romero is like a guitar god."
Lee, a Govis High graduate, has
been playing the classical guitar for
three years and has five years
experience with the electric guitar.
CSUF sophomore Ray Charles, 20,
has had the opportunity to perform
for Pepe Romero in the past.
"Dealing with a man of his caliber
was impressive in itself," said
Charles, who admitted nervousness
the first time he played in front of
one of classical guitarist's top guns.
"When he first walked in, I was
definitely nervous," said Charles,
who performed before Romero at a
masterclass session in February.-
"Once Pepe sat down, though, and
after he critiqued a couple of the
other guitarists, 1 felt very
comfortable. He's a great man.
'Pepe is a very humble man," said
Charles, who will be pei forming in a
quartet along with CSU Fresno
student Nick Schuller Saturday. "He
just sits there and watches.
Whatever is goihg on in his mind I
don't know but he-sees everything.
It's amazing what ideas be comes up
with."
One of Romero's leading idr-as is
instructing young guitarists such as
Charles to transform the audience to
another place through the use of the
instrument. j
Tepe instructed me last time he
critiqued me to grab the audience
bring them along withme,': said
Charles, a graduate of Reedley
High. "I was playing some music
from Venezuela. He told me to take
them to Venezuela with me, almost
like a short vacation."
Along with these musical journey
instructions, Romeroalso helps out
the young guitarist with pointers in
see PEPE next page
■
J>
Slayers thrasl* not really trash-y
.•TodcuHethT
Upside down crosses, skeletons and
a parental advisory sticker greet the
buyer of the new Slayer album "Sea¬
sons in the Abyss."
However, as the old saying goes (and
the Bo Diddley song) you can't judge a
book by its cover, or in this case a
record.
Slayer has enjoyed the limelight of
controversy because of their lyrics and
style of music they play.
They are the likeliest leaders in a
style of music that has come to be
known as thrash metal, a combination
of speed metal and hardcore music.
Their last album, "South of Heaven,"
s   frightened a lot of people because of its
name and popularity, making the
band one of the top candidates for a
parental advisory sticker.
Musically "Seasons in the Abyss" is a
.brilliant example of what thrash music '
.   can be—fast, energetic, intricately
.- woven and powerful.
Thrash metal won't appeal to all
peoric but for those itaoe^, the di
' r.«.;£ nnro- cnorck, grurigih s'nouttu
vocals anc a:onai rnvrnmic guitar r;::-.
are well done.
Although previous albums by Slayer
have bordered on blasphemy and have
criticized television preachers,
"Seasons in the Abyss" doesn't show
any evidence of those qualities.
Themes, of killing, death and war do
permeate the album, but the lyrics
leave a question of what point Slayer is
trying to make with their songs.
Each song can be interpreted in a
couole of ways.
ne first song on the album, "War
Ensemble," could be about the glory in
winning war or or how stupid it is.
With the line "Campaign of elimina¬
tion, twisted psychology" it seems'like
the latter is true.
"Blood Red" might be interpreted as
glorifying death or these lines "Siezing
all liberties, oppression ruled by blood
shed" might point to the "Barbaric
cortfcol" of a dictatorship. - 7.
The disjunct lyrical phrases are often
confusing, which is the reason most
aides'have labelled Slayer as nothing
more than a "satanic" band.
But it would be an egregious error to
dismiss the banaso iigh d (
i.  ged
tanic."
Underneath the titles there is a mean¬
ing, but that meaning is not always
overt. _
"Expendable Youth" is one of the
songs with a dear theme and meaning.
It is about gang warfare and territorial
obsession. "Drug induced gang war¬
fare. Rivalry and retribution, death the
only solution."
Other songs talk about people that
become insane because of the power
they find in having a gun.
Most of the songs are quick tempo,
typical thrash numbers, but a few like
"Dead Skin Mask" and "Expendable
Youth" are moderately paced.
The title track is the only song on the
album has potential for popularity
because of its catchy chorus and
lighter feel than the rest of the album's
songs.
Image may indicate that Slayer is a
negative, "satanic" band, but a serious
look at the album "Seasons in the
Abyss" reveals depth regardless of the
fact that it is primarily centered
around negative subjects'.
-f-