Monday, February 24, 1986
Page 8
Daily Nebraskan
Calvert Street Trio H Pp$A
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The Calvert Street Trio, UNL's resi
dent faculty jazz trio, will present a
mixture of jazz styles and arrange
ments that combine elements of jazz
and classical music in a free concert
today at 8 p.m. in Kimball Recital Hall.
The trio consists of Albert Rometo,
percussionist; Rusty White, double bass;
and Brian Mann, piano.
Rometo, professor of percussion and
music theory, is a traditional percus
sionist and jazz-show drummer who has
been a drummer-percussionist for
entertainers like Tom Jones, Bob Hope
and the Four Lads. He is principal per
cussionist for the Lincoln Symphony
and is noted for the theatrical element
he brings to his student percussion
concerts at UNL's School of Music.
White has performed with such jazz
greats as Buddy Rich, Cal Collins and
Album howls hostility
with emotion, conviction
By Chris McCubbin
Staff Reporter
Power Of The Soken Word,
"The Language Of a Dying
Breed," Sacrificial Records.
I've only seen Power Of The Soken
Word perform live once, as the first
warm-up band for the Dead Kennedys'
concert in Omaha last fall.
The audience was trying to boo them
off the stage. I could tell this was an
audience that knew what it liked. They
didn't want greasy, angry, long-haired
hoods shouting obscenities at them.
No, they wanted, greasy, angry, short
haired hoods shouting obscenities at
them. And they weren't afraid to say so.
Record Review
I was kind of impressed by PSW that
night. Under an unvarying hellish red
light, PSW seemed eager to feed on the
crowd's hostility and spew it back in
the form of howling power chords and
virulent, venomous vocals. Everything
screamed hostility. PSW was a text
book example of the power of a unified
effect.
This is a scary, scary band ugly,
dirty, mean and nasty. Maybe they're
not really hostile, dangerous, sociopa
thic punks. Maybe it's all just an act,
but they've got me convinced.
PSW is the first local band to fully
realize something that should have
been obvious for years: Hardcore and
heavy metal sound alike. Their music is
loud and brutal, chiefly characterized
by a series of improbable and discon
certing tempo changes that would be
hard to set down in musical notation.
They also seem to have finally solved
the problem of the punk guitar solo.
The guitarists solo any time they please.
The singer just keeps singing over the
solo, thus keeping the song short and
economical while letting the guitar
players have their fun. This is brilliant.
Someone should have thought of it
years ago.
Believe it or not, PSW is a band with
a message. Summarized, that message
A survival
Just about everyone has had Profes
sor Joe Monotone for a class. You know
this alleged teacher. Every department
has one. He brings new meaning to the
phrase "duller than dishwater." He
drones on for the whole hour, making
Channel 10-1 1 news anchor Mel Mains
seem as interesting as Martin Luther
King, Jr.
As you sit in class, you have to
wonder why you're there. You don't
have to pay attention, even though that
would be impossible with Professor
Monotone's boring material. Everything
he discusses is in the textbook, the
thing he's been reading out of for the
past 50 minutes.
Unfortunately, Professor Monotone
has been tenured Why this Is, no one
Gene Bertoncini. He directs UNL's Jazz k i
Ensemble I and teaches jazz improvisa- M -roT Tyir
tions' iffe r
Mann is Larson Professor of Musi- ,
cology at UN Land has played jazz piano wSr.--vS-ty
for 20 years. He teaches jazz history at w'-'fo &
UNL and is gaining on international , WL- Hv 1 1
reputation for his research into the W MIL i Ik- Cf" fypEEE:-2
works of Renaissance composer Phi- ff -lVd x MX e
lippode Monte. Mann spent last summer ri' C- t.'ff -
in Poland researching de Monte's orig- ;i -S t,)?1
inal manuscripts. 'jfepgil
Some of the works to be presented at
Monday's concert include "Praca de
Algeria" and "Nocturnal Magic," both
by Omaha native Mike Freeman, a
musician now living and performing in
New York. Two tunes popularized by
Bill Evans, "Gloria's Step" and "Very
Early," also will be performed.
is something: "We have secret powers,
and someday soon, when we get just a
little better at using these powers,
we're going to use them to get you."
This may not sound like much, phi
losophically speaking, but PSW puts it
across with such conviction that by the
time the record is over, you've probably
looked over your shoulder and checked
under the chair more than once.
The lyrics are vulgar, sacreligious,
conceited, pompous, and border-line
illiterate. They're probably what I like
most about this album. Normally I'm
not in favor of any of these things, but I
have to admire a band with this much
emotion and conviction, even if the
emotion conveyed does happen to be
violent contempt for me and the rest of
the world.
Technically the music is pretty good.
The guitars are dramatic but not intru
sive, the rhythms are startling and uni
que, and vocalist Jake Ikky sings like
Ozzy Osborne's possessed, mutant,
bastard-child.
OK, I liked it, but I'm not sure why,
and I'm not sure who else would. If
you're any kind of prude, haircut, or
top-40 musical wimp, stay away. This
album probably would bite you if you
tried to pick it up.
I know who I wish would buy this
record. If you think you're a punker,
but your idea of punk is the Clash's last
album or some paisley-covered REM
clones, or if you call yourself a head
banger because you want to dress like
Motley Crue, then buy "The Language
Of A Dying Breed." I guarantee that
Power Of The Spoken Word can teach
you a thing or two about the rock 'n' roll
rebellion.
Cartoonist Fell
to lecture tonight
Lincoln Journal art director and edi
torial cartoonist Paul Fell will present
a lecture on political cartooning today
at 7 am. in Woods Hall 9.
Fen, originally from Massachusetts,
will speak as part of the Art League
lecture series.
guide for all those
knows.
To add insult to injury, he takes roll.
You have to be there. You're stuck in a
class which is nothing short of living
heck for 50 minutes or more on Tues
days and Thursdays.
Stew
Magnuson
Here's how to waste some time.
1. The traditional methods:
Doodling in your notebook, writing a
letter to Mom, studying for a test in
your next class and drawing graffiti on
flograpEf shows
m mmrmirmmme caireeir
By Chris McCubbin
Staff Reporter .
Bob Dylan, "Biograph," Co
lumbia. Young America: This is your life.
Bob Dylan's first recording ses
sion was in 1961 Just a few years or
months before most of us, today's
college students, made our respec
tive debuts.
Record Review
For more than 20 years Dylan has
been Witching America. Fcr mere
than 20 years he has told stories and
suitg songs about life the way it's
lived.
cl
years I sans "Mr. Tambourine Mn-
and "Dowin in The Wind." In ny
case familiarity bred contempt If I
thought at all about Dylan as a chili
.. wrote son. for hbsiss. Even whr.n.
just a couple of years ao, I Kr.:u!v
matured enough to appreciate
Dylan, I naively irnc'lr.ed thct vizi
tie was doing right then was his test
work ever
the desk. This is also a good way to find
out if you're in Professor Monotone's
class. Look around, and if 95 percent of
your classmates are doing one of the
above, you're in trouble.
2. Sleeping: If you choose this
route, please be considerate. Don't
snore! One person snoring in a dull
class can give everyone else the gig
gles. Hiding behind the person in front
of you is no fun when you have tears of
laughter running down your face.
3. Finish writing that novel
youVe been putting off: Just think.
If you worked for 50 minutes writing
your great American novel during every
dull class since your freshman year, you
would have finished by now.
You would be on the best-sellers list
Dylan
Now that I own "Biograph" I
know better.
Biograph is a five-record set com
memorating Dylan's first 20 years as
a recording artist. The tracks range
from Dylan's first recording session
in 1961 to 1981's "Shot Of Love"
album.
"Biograph" shows us Dylan in all
his many incarnations; the acoustic
folk singer, the electric protest sin
ger, the American poet, the Chris
tian. Listening to the album, one real
izes that the most amazing thing
about Dylan is his consistency. The
53 tracks cn "Eicraph" range over
::;lnora
utilize virtually every' American
musical style cf this century. Yet
not single cut is wsak cr over
itl'hesci
Side one, for instance, is all love
mood. The compilation h made up
ly cfhits,rritic3ndccrcfo!!y selected!'
'iid&m. tracks;!
One of the nest excitir thirds
boring classes
The advantage of this method, like
writing a letter to Mom, is that the prof
thinks you're taking excellent notes.
4. Daydreaming: This is by far my
favorite. Even in the most fascinating
classes, I have to start daydreaming for
a little while. Daydreaming is fun.
Imagine you're a rock star. Imagine
you're on the planet Zontar fighting
Yog creatures. Or, the best and most
popular daydream, pick out the most
physically stimulating member of the
opposite sex in the classroom and
think up some imaginative "romantic
interludes." You know what I'm talking
about. And don't be ashamed. Dr. Ruth
says it's perfectly normal.
5. Read the Daily Nebraskan:
This, like all these suggestions, requires
KurtEberhartltDaily Nebraskan
Oylmi
Dylan often talks about this or that
song with shocking candor and in
telligence. Since Dylan has become
almost legendary for his reluctance
to discuss or interpret his own work,
these notes are ajewel beyond price
for any Dylan fan.
A biographical booklet by Cameron
Crowe ("Fast Times At Ridgemont
High") is interesting, attractive and
informative. Crowe concentrates ex
clusively on Dylan the musician,
touching on his personal life only
rarely and in the most cursor
manner, which is just fins as far as
I'm concerned. I do wish that Crows
would have captioned the photo
graphs in the booklet. It becor.es
rapidly tiresome trying to guess
where Dylan was, and doing what,
and with whom in each picture.
!i!!$log
pensive for such art extensive arid
rdgh-qyalitypackase at least ones!
local discount record store lists it at
$25, little mere than twice whet
you'd pay for a single albun sens
This is an alfcun that everyone
should own. Even if you de&iy have
all of Dylan's albums, "CiczphV1
IS previously unrdecssd cuts and
the ravaSu&iliS liner notes mice this i
a $mist-!to$, . -J
some tact. Yes, even Professor Mono
tone has feelings, so you just can't start
thumbing through the pages in front of
his face.
You're pretty much restricted to the
first and last pages. Why do you think
they put the crossword puzzle on the
last page? So you can work the puzzle
without turning those noisy pages.
But if you're very quiet, and you're
sitting in the last row, you could even
be reading this column right now dur
ing Professor Monotone's class. So
close your eyes and start daydreaming.
Imagine you're the head of the depart
ment and Professor Monotone is sitting
in a chair in your plush office.
"I'm sorry Joe, but with the recent
cuts in our budget. . ."