Soundscraper
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 »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 »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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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.
Read More »Proud to be American doom
My editors gave me a ribbing for an earlier column in which I urged readers to get their “doom metal” on with the exhausting Doom in June festival at Cheyenne Saloon a few weeks ago. Well, they’re going love this edition of Soundscraper, because nothing less than the pioneers of American doom, Saint Vitus, arrive in Vegas on July 1 to crush the eardrums of anyone inside Wasted Space in the Hard Rock.
Read More »Valentine finds his heart
The solitary man, dark myth and Las Vegas legend known as Rod Pardey, a.k.a. Michael Valentine, has undergone many changes in the last few years. Immortalized in song by no less than The Killers (“The Ballad of Michael Valentine”) during the high-flying aughts, Pardey pushed his poker-playing profession aside, moving to Austin, Texas, with his band Romance Fantasy.
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Doom (in June) town
If your idea of a music festival involves a leisurely picnic amid a sonic background of smooth jazz, then you may be put off by Doom in June (myspace.com/doominjune). But if you consider Nevada’s more aggressive contexts—the mob, Nevada Test Site, the carnal dens of Pahrump—then this festival seems apt.
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Heavy metal tears
Been a rough few weeks for your friendly neighborhood Soundscraper. The passing of metal legend Ronnie James Dio (b. 1942, RIP) weighed heavy, causing me to spin nothing but Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell albums for hours on end. If I keep this up much longer, my wife will divorce me and my job will be outsourced to someone who doesn’t repeatedly bombard his fellow cubicle dwellers with, say, Lock Up the Wolves.
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Pizza rock in a taco shop
Plenty of very cool, beneath-the-neon shows happening in Vegas this week, fellow Soundscrapers. Here’s one you should definitely check out: Yayo Taco (4632 S. Maryland Parkway) is a quiet, unassuming taco joint in the university district by day; by night, though, it’s an eardrum-smashing live music venue with an emphasis on punk and metal. Of course, Yayo doesn’t always compete with McCarran International Airport. Occasionally a milder but no less passionate indie-rock outfit slips in, as is the case May 21 with Austin, Texas-based (and appropriately named) Look Mexico, who will be making their first trip to Vegas.
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