Mr. Bruce Johnston, lecturer in music, and the guitar principle majors of the Ouachita music department will be performing their second biannual “Guitarmageddon” on Wednesday, December 7, at 8 p.m., in Dr. Jack’s. The show will have a classic rock theme and feature several of the talented musicians on campus.
“Students should come see Guitarmageddon because it will be something very different,” Johnston said. “It will be a lot of fun. There were be a lot of guys wailing away on a guitar, having more fun than they should.”
The concert will consist of seven musicians playing guitars and basses: Houston Clifton, Winston Gentry, Beaux Schmidt, Robert Pilcher, Caleb Smith, Garrett Hudson and Brady Hibbs – alongside Johnston playing the drums. There will also be someone singing each song.
This will be the second performance of Guitarmageddon, with the first hosted last spring. The Ouachita guitar program is fairly new, so a guitar ensemble was first formed last year. The students practiced all semester to perform at Dr. Jack’s. The performance was a success, so Dr. Johnston decided to do it again this semester.
Students have been practicing all semester for this event. They meet once a week in class and periodically outside of class. They have been putting together many different classic rock tunes from a variety of artists. They will be playing some serious songs, such as “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas, and some songs which are not-so-serious, such as “Stonehenge” by Spinal Tap.
“Spinal Tap is a parody of classic rock bands from the 70s and 80s which made fun of the lifestyle of the time period,” Johnston said. “Caleb Smith will do narration for the song, and we are trying to get someone to sing it. It is just a very silly song.”
The guitar students are looking forward to sharing their hard work with their peers.
“We’ve been practicing for months now, and we’re all super excited about it,” said Robert Pilcher, a freshman worship arts major. “Be prepared to get your face shredded.”
The event is free, and students are encouraged to attend and enjoy some classic rock.
By Caleb Byrd, Staff Writer
