Photo Credit: Chris Bitonti

March 24, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Strolling into the Bunkhouse Saloon for Thursday night’s Neon Reverb Rockabilly/Alt-Country Showcase was a full immersion into two opposing time warps. The bar decor and local performers The Clydesdale produced an air of Wild West days, while the pin-up dos and greasers repped the ’50s era in support of headliners Three Bad Jacks. The Downtown dive, with antlers on the walls and sepia-toned spaghetti Western art, was crowded with every variation of the pompadour imaginable.

Local band, The People’s Whiskey opened the night with a sound more rock than billy. Distorted guitars, heavily echoed vocals and lyrics like, “I like the inside of the bar more than the outside of my cell” set the tone for the raucous night to come.

Photo: Chris Bitonti

The Bunkhouse played host to a wild alt-country/rockabilly show Thursday night compete with trumpet, swing-dancing and fiery performances.

The musical road was paved for Downtown darlings The Clydesdale to hit the stage led by multi-talented frontwoman Paige Overton. Filling the alt-country quota for the showcase, Overton impressed the crowd with not only her pipes but infectious trumpet leads and funny quips. The cowboy-punk sound was complete with two-note bass lines and slide guitar, proving their unique and sometimes quirky sound can adjust to fit any bill. The Clydesdale has galloped to the top tier of my list of favorite Las Vegas bands.

The Lucky Cheats had a tough act to follow, but their blues-rock set garnished with impressive harmonica skills was a suitable transition into the night’s headlining act. California’s Three Bad Jacks began their set by waxing nostalgic about Las Vegas watering hole the Dive Bar, offering a tribute to the now-defunct venue with their song “Gone, Gone, Goodbye”. TBJ, who have toured relentlessly since the late ’90s, have garnered a clone-like following. Fans swing-danced and sang along happily to TBJ’s throwback-rock tunes until a cover of Motorhead’s “Ace of Spades” abruptly ignited an intense mosh pit. To be fair, Lemmy’s growl can alter the dynamic of any crowd. I learned this lesson as a child at a neighborhood ice cream social. Mint chocolate chip everywhere.

TBJ continued their wild performance, burning through a set of fan favorites, including “Thrill Me,” Remember the Nights” and “Falling Down”. The showcase climaxed as frontman Elvis Suissa set fire to the drum-set mid-percussion solo. After my flashes of the Great White nightclub fire subsided, I basked in the diversity of the night’s line-up and the exposure Neon Reverb creates for our city’s music scene … and I immediately regretted not bringing marshmallows.

March 25, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Maybe it was the ticket price, $39-$99 for the opening night of an inaugural festival. Maybe it was a failure to communicate, not so much as a stage schedule posted at the event. Maybe it was a calendar issue, booking the festival the same weekend as established twice-annual musical celebration Neon Reverb. And maybe the kicker was the $10 parking in a town where it’s free to valet. All these hypotheses ran through my mind as I stood at Royal House Friday night, a ghost town, as headliners The Whigs took the stage for an audience of 30 max.

While the Pastel Project didn’t garner a crowd—hardly enough bodies to merit a dinner party—it did bring good intentions to the table. Even with Le Butcherettes dropping out on Thursday (due to a family emergency), the festival delivered a diverse lineup Friday night. Mini Mansions, Classixx, The Album Leaf, Tennis and The Whigs performed on the outdoor stage while American Royalty, Zach Ryan and the Renegades, White Arrows and more held down the fort inside. Credit is also due for attempting a full-blown arts celebration in the lot behind The Royal House, as the festival offered food trucks, local art vendors, beer stands, a 90-foot ferris wheel, even fire-breathers. On-site lodging for non-local attendees was also a perk, no Coachella-esque showering at hand washing stations necessary. The visual centerpiece of the art displays was a school-bus-turned-preying-mantis, strategically shooting fire out of its antennae to comically alarm passersby.

The lack of patrons didn’t stop the bands from putting on entertaining shows. The Album Leaf’s ambient, often-instrumental tunes flowed outside, as Zach Ryan and the Renegades’ outlaw-rock stirred up the indoor stage. Husband and wife duo Tennis didn’t let an early technical mishap ruin their set as singer Alaina Moore “almost literally went deaf” after an ear-piercing feedback flair nearly knocked her over. But they recovered quickly and continued playing soulful favorites, including “Barefoot” and “Petition”.

The highlight and headliners of the night, The Whigs, brought a new sense of enthusiasm to the event, praising Las Vegas for its hospitality and joking about intentions to gamble away their per diem. The natives of Athens, Georgia, blasted through their set as if the venue was packed to the brim. In reality, the handful present were enjoying our own private concert. Between songs, fans were able to engage in friendly banter with the band, enthusiastically letting the Whigs know they justified the entry fee.

While the potential of the 2012 Pastel Project was squandered, The Whigs left a good taste in my mouth and hopes of a return for the festival in September. There are kinks to work out, but more than anything Las Vegas just needs to show up.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/mar/25/pastel-project-friday-bands-no-fans/