1989_12 The Daily Collegian December 1989

              Have a Heavy Metal Christmas
By Todd He tit
Staff Writer
For some Fresno music fanatics
it might seem like there have been
quite a few bands coming to town
lately, especially If you happen to
like heavy metal.
On the 15th of December.
Fresno will once again be
bombarded, this time by a couple
of heavy metal acts that are both
fresh out of the studio and out on
the road to promote their debut
releases.
The headlining band. Pretty
Boy Floyd, hails from Los
Angeles, not too uncommon for
heavy metal bands. But these
boys got out of L.A. to record their
debut In Philadelphia because
they said too much was going on
in Hollywood.
Well, they didn't stray too far
from the sound of their home city:
in fact they almost run the gamut
of cliched heavy metal musical
ideas on their-album, "Leather
Boys Wilh EleclricToys."
They did however, manage to
come back wilh amazingly good
quality and a great overall
instrumental mix.
These rambunctious rockers in
black leather grind out some
antherhaUc tunes that could
make for serious fan-oriented
concerts.
The title track sets the pace for
an album that is consistent in Its
style and often dwells on a "party-
hardy" attitude and a tough, gritty
guitar sound.
Although the guitar work of
Kristy Majors is not Impeccable,
the catchy grooves of most of the
songs allow him to keep from
having to prove he's the most
frenetic fingered guitarist alive.
which in Ihis case is a plus.
CHRISTMAS
Continued from page 6
him."
The Meux Home Museum has been
transformed in to ihe world of Charles
Dickens' 'AChristmas Carol.'
Hudelson said that efltldrencan
look for Father Christmas instead of
Santa Claus at the Meux Home.
She described Father Christmas as
"tall and slender, and is the figure
Santa Claus was developed from." She
added that children will be able to
talk to himas they would to Santa
Claus.
The Kearney Mansion offers a
Christmas celebration with the main
attraction beirrg an antique qmlt-
show featuring 16 an llque quills.
Kathy Rehart. education and
- informalioncoordtnatoroflhe
Fresno Historical Society, said that
(his was the 25th Victorian
celebration at Kearney Mansion.
"We are featuring the traditions of
the early pioneers and the
Victorians," she said.
Also at the Mansion are two
Christmas trees decorated wilh
Victorian and pioneer decorations
and a gift shop that sells Victorian
ornaments; reproductions of
Victorian wrapping paper and gift
tags: tea, bath herbs and home-made
jams and some stocking sluffers.
Rehart said that every Saturday
and Sunday there are quilling
demonstrations and performances by
vocal groups singing Christmas
carols and spirituals.
The Kearney Mansion and the
Meux Home are on the Nalional
Register of Historic Places, and the
founders of these Museums had strong
agricultural interests tn Fresno
county.
Martin T. Kearney, is credited wit h
attracting many settlers toFresno
county and giving them a chance to
become farmers, while Thomas R.
Meux and his broiher owned
vineyards in the county and
maintained an interest tn county
agricultural affairs.
For more information about the
Christmas celebrations al these
museums, call441 -0862 [Kearney
Mansion) and 233-8007 or 227-
2573|MeuxHome|.
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The token love .song on this
album, "Wild Angels." does not
sound like a contrived ballad,
written for the purpose of selling
the record when it comes out as a .
single - a routfe many heavy metal
bands have chosen on their
album.
Instead, it Is tasteful in its mix
of acoustic and electric guitar,
and is actually reminiscent of the
Byrds" style in the beginning.
"Only the Young" emphatically
states the youthful exuberance of
the band and the attitude they
towards people. To them only the
young understand their lifestyle,
which is understandable since all
they want to do is have fun, as is
espoused In some of their other
tunes.
However, the "let's-have-fun"
attitude of Pretty Boy Floyd might
be one of their attractive
qualities. It's that attitude that
allows fans to just have a good
time, something they are
probably looking for in ther
music anyway.
Also on the ticket next Friday
night is Shotgun Messiah, a
Swedish band that moved to the
United States to pursue their
hopeful career in the music
industry.
Their self-titled debut combines
an impressive arsenal of
musicians. Each member of the
band plays their instrument well
technically, and they manage to
blend well. However, their
songwriting lacks the pizazz
needed to complete the album.
The opening track, "Bop City,"
is a bluesy hard rock song a la
Aerosmith:     a few biting blues
riffs and whining guitar sound.
Shotgun Messiah formed in the
snowdrifts   of   Sweden   in   1986
under the name Kingpin.    They
were later forced to change since a
San Francisco band had already
established themselves with»the
same name.
In this case it was probably to
their advantage since their music
is played in a shotgun fashion -
fast and piercing.
Some* songs on their album
sound too close to AC/DC songs
for comfort, such as "Shout It
Out."   f
One highlight of the album is
the instrumental. "The Explorer,"
which features guitarist Harry
Cody. He is quite an impressive
guitarist, and his style lends to
comparisons with Steve Vai.
The combination of bands next
Friday at the Wilson Theater
should please those looking to,
hear some fresh hard rock
without much of a message. Just a
little "let's-have-fun" rock.
Shotgun Messiah will make an
in-store appearance at Danny's
Records ihe day of the show at 3
p.m. The show begins at 8 p.m.;
tickets are $9 in advance and $12
the day of the show.
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