Author: Jarret Keene
Of wallabies, rodents and the triumphant return of glam metal
When I think of intriguing live music encounters of the ’80s kind, I don’t usually consider The Monte Carlo. My opinion changes with this week’s lineup of former new waver/Men at Work frontman Colin Hay (July 30) and L.A. glam-metal act Ratt (Aug. 5).
Read More »CD Reviews
- Stornoway Beachcomber’s Windowsill (4AD)
- Los Lobos Tin Can Trust (Shout! Factory)
- Liz Phair Funstyle (Self-released)
- The Innocence Mission My Room in the Trees (Badman)
- Klaus Schulze Volumes III and IV (Revisisted/SPV)
- Arcade Fire The Suburbs (Merge)
Aesthetic Whore
Post-Pop artist John Bell is an indiscriminate genre-blender
John Bell’s The Burden of Ambition, which runs through Aug. 3 in the elegant downtown Brett Wesley Gallery, is a visual treat that grows sweeter the longer you examine it. Superficially, the vivid colors and Andy Warholian Pop Art-influenced images are immediately pleasing. However, as you look closely, you notice layers of paint, pencils, pens, silkscreen smudges and marks. Suddenly, a picture develops in the viewer’s mind of an artist toiling on the floor, applying brushes, rollers, nails, screening, pastel sticks, rubber mallets, putty knives and anything else he can find. Evidence of the physical creative process resonates in every brushstroke.
Read More »Punk from the pages of Blue Vegas
Portland punkers Attack Ships on Fire have performed at Double Down Saloon in Las Vegas more than a few times in recent years. The band loves the bar so much they included a terrific tribute song called, well, “Double Down”—in honor of the world-famous watering hole—on the 2009 album Punches Are Free. (My favorite lyrical couplet: “The Ass Juice is tempting/Insurance I’m taking.”) Actually, there’s been several Double Down songs written and recorded over the years by punk bands, but even the bar’s owner and published author P Moss recognizes that the one composed by Attack Ships on Fire is “definitely the best.”
Read More »Death metal and dirt-digging bandmates
I love it when an obscure, kickass band attempts to sneak in and out of Vegas, only to be caught in the white-hot spotlight of yours truly, the Soundscraper. So trust me when I say the first of four bands (which include Thrice, Kevin Devine and Bad Veins) playing House of Blues on July 18 (all-ages, 6 p.m., $17-$21) should not be missed. They’re called The Dig, and their 25-minute set of dark, brooding, synth-punched rock will be tighter than a gnat’s chuff. Here’s why:
Read More »CD Reviews
- Perfume Genius Learning (Matador)
- Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse Dark Night of the Soul (EMI)
- Kylie Minogue Aphrodite (Parlophone)
Country (Saloon) Girl
Best thing about local music promoter/Pigasus bassist Roxie Amoroso? She’s never hung up on the past and keeps a positive outlook about the future of live music in Vegas.
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CD Reviews
- Blue Giant Blue Giant
- Sun Kil Moon Admiral Fell Promises
- Alejandro Escovedo Street Songs of Love
Korean Girls and projectile produce
It’s weird and kind of cool: Whenever I sit down to work on this column, I always worry there’ll be nothing to write about, that the Vegas music scene will suddenly reveal itself to be a stale puff of machine-generated fog. As soon as I examine the calendar, however, intriguing shows abound. Here are a few.
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