Wed, Sep 12, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Entertainment

Thu, Sep 6, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Entertainment

It’s been a big week for the Las Vegas-bred pop-rock group Imagine Dragons. The band not only released its first full-length album, Night Visions on Tuesday, but also secured the No. 1 spot on iTunes and kick-started its North American tour with a hometown send-off at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip. And the heirs to the Vegas pop-music throne carried the torch high as they played to a sold-out Wednesday night crowd.

Sonically, Night Visions, which Imagine Dragons performed in its entirety, melds ’80s-inspired nu wave with folk, tribal drumming and chanted gang vocals to create a unique and catchy sound. Though the set had some slight technical difficulties—guitarist Wayne Sermon blew out his amp at one point—the quartet (aided by Ryan Walker, a touring multi-instrumentalist and the band’s tour manager) sounded ready for the big time.

The tightly produced performance boomed louder than the giant bass drums upon which the band frequently pounded. The Dragons still have a long way to go to reach the heights of Las Vegas pioneers The Killers, but they’ve already come far since their days as regular performers at O’Sheas.

The band, now based in LA, dedicated current single “It’s Time” to Las Vegas, and frontman Dan Reynolds looked comfortable among a sea of friendly faces. It felt like an encouraging way to start a new tour, and the next chapter in Imagine Dragons’ exciting, expanding story.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/sep/06/imagine-dragons-hard-rock-cafe-show/

September 5, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly, Entertainment

1. The fans packed inside Las Vegas Country Saloon (now sans mechanical bull) reflect the cross-section of genres Aesop spans: nerd rap, stoner rap and old-school hip-hop, equally represented in the crowd.

2. Disappointed to discover that local favorites HighDro and Ekoh have been cut from the bill last minute and without explanation.

3. One lucky fan wins an audience drawing. Grand prize: getting his head shaved onstage by opening group Dark Time Sunshine during Aesop’s new haircut-themed jam “Racing Stripe.” I’m extremely jealous.

4. Aesop Rock is flanked onstage by Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz. The trio doesn’t look like your stereotypical hip-hop group—they’re unkempt, slightly goofy and all white—but any preconceived notions are dispelled once they start. The three men burn through an almost two-hour set, pulling tracks from 2000’s Float, 2003’s Bazooka Tooth and 2007’s None Shall Pass, plus a few off the freshly released Skelethon.

5. Aesop and Rob’s masterful back-and-forth flow mixes a Ginsberg-esque stream-of-consciousness spit with a throwback Cypress Hill-style cadence. Aesop has long defied conventional hip-hop classification, and cuts off Skelethon continue to carve out his unique place in modern rap.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/sep/05/five-things-i-wrote-my-notebook/

August 22, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly, Noise:

Friday night was bittersweet for fans and members of local band Ministry of Love. On one hand, the coed five-piece rock group took the stage at the House of Blues to celebrate the release of a new EP, A Promise for Forever. But on a far more somber note, the show marked the last for MoL for the foreseeable future, as lead singer Meg Vitale begins treatment for thyroid cancer. On October 9, she’ll undergo surgery dangerously close to her vocal chords and then is expected to begin radiation treatment.

Rather than wallow in self-pity, the band forged on with its pop-friendly, post-hardcore sound, which resonated throughout the spacious venue. A small but loyal crowd turned out, singing along to tunes from 2011 EP Party Animals, a fitting predecessor to the new release.

The band has gone on performing hiatus to prioritize Vitale’s medical treatment. “We are 100 percent focused on getting Meg healthy,” said bassist Patrick “Pulsar” Trout. After the show, however, Vitale didn’t sound like she plans to sit around until October. “It hasn’t affected my voice at all yet, so we’re going to continue to write and demo until my surgery.”

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/22/ministry-love-focuses-getting-its-singer-healthy/

August 17, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise:

You could see a realization flash in Fun. frontman Nate Ruess’ eyes, as he caught a glimpse of himself on Cosmopolitan’s Jumbotron for the first time Thursday night. Ruess proclaimed that “the biggest show we ever played also happened to be the weirdest,” as he and his Fun. mates stormed the packed Boulevard Pool Deck for a memorable outing. It was easy to understand Ruess feeling slightly overwhelmed. The crowd’s response was immense for their first headlining gig in Las Vegas, and the venue was as full as I’ve ever seen it (without the pool drained).

Fans screamed along to every song, and though the floor was too tightly packed to enjoy a full-on dance party, Fun. grabbed the audience immediately with “One Foot” and did not let go until finishing an encore that included a cover of the Rolling Stone’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” The makeup of their set was an almost equal mix of songs off both Aim and Ignite and their breakout album Some Nights, including “Walking the Dog,” “At Least I’m Not As Sad,” “It Gets Better” and, of course, “We Are Young,” among others.

One recurring theme throughout the Some Nights record seems to deal with the band, specifically Nate’s, fatigue with their inability to break through to mainstream appeal. Lyrics like “So this is it? I sold my soul for this? Washed my hands of that for this? I miss my mom and dad for this?” and “I am over 25 and I can’t make a name for myself. Some nights I break down and cry” are now just a cathartic release with the band’s newfound pop stardom. Having seen Fun. less than two years earlier in a venue about the size of last night’s stage, it’s amazing to see what they’ve been able to accomplish so quickly. Ruess and company should get used to Jumbotron glances and big shows fast, because with performances like last night’s, they won’t be playing small shows again anytime soon.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/17/fun/

August 13, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly

9:20 p.m.: Seemingly endless line of fans waiting out a weather delay are allowed onto the Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool Deck for the Santigold and Bloc Party show Saturday night. Santigold’s new start time is set for 9:45 p.m., but my highly acute sense of rain delays from years of little league baseball tells me to expect her much later.

10:10 p.m.: Announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, due to weather conditions Santigold will not be performing tonight. Stay tuned for Bloc Party.”

10:12 p.m.: Announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, Bloc Party is still scheduled to perform.” The crowd slightly thins after these announcements.

11:18 p.m.: After a brief false start and what sounded like the speakers blowing out during their intro, Bloc Party takes the stage. It takes BP about two songs to re-energize the fatigued crowd. Once engaged, the audience dances away their weather frustrations in as high of spirits as I’ve seen at a Boulevard Pool show.

12:08 a.m.: Bloc Party wraps their set having performed a mixture of favorites such as “Hunting for Witches,” “Ares,” “Flux” and “Helicopter,” as well as some new just-as-danceable rock songs off their soon-to-be-released record Four. Bloc Party lead singer Kele celebrates having survived their performance “without getting electrocuted.”

12:10 a.m.: Announcement: “Stick around for Santigold!” Teaching a lesson to those who left early trying to beat the inevitable parking garage traffic jam.

12:40 a.m.: With just enough time to fuel up at the hotdog stand, Santigold reignites the dance party. She invites fans on stage to join her during “Creator” and successfully keeps the party going some three hours after we were expecting to hear her.

Sometime early Sunday morning: The inevitable parking garage traffic jam.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/aug/13/rainy-bloc-party-santigold/

July 25, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

1. The benefit of an outdoor amphitheater is typically space, but these seats are so close together I might actually be sitting on top of my neighbor. Good news is, our late-July heat is being held off by a nice breeze, though it seems to have de-tuned Willie’s guitar for the first four songs.

2. Now that he’s in tune, its easier to appreciate Willie’s unique style. His playing seems to flow separate from the rest of his band, who methodically keep the beat behind him as he loosely strums often-imperfect lead lines that somehow always find their way back to the count.

3. Along with his greatest hits (“Whiskey River,” “Always on My Mind,” “On the Road Again”), Willie’s show is an homage to the best of outlaw country, with shout-outs to Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline.

4. Willie might be 79, but his self-deprecating wit hasn’t gone anywhere (see: new number “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”).

5. Willie & Co. could be playing in a punk band the way they burn through song after song almost without stopping, fitting as many under-three-minute classics as possible in the 90-minute set. No need for an encore when you’ve played more songs than most bands do over two nights.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/jul/25/five-things-i-wrote-my-notebook-during-willie-nels/

May 30, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

In its second year Downtown, the 14th annual Punk Rock Bowling Music Festival successfully raised the bar again. The main festival grounds were packed with punks of all ages from the moment the gates opened until each night’s headliner finished. With the outdoor fest, pool parties and aftershows roaring, fans experienced music from Friday night until Monday morning. And the festival offered an opportunity for newer groups like Holding Onto Sound and American Heist to interact with veterans like Rancid, NOFX and G.B.H.

It’s striking how punk rock has held onto its fans over the years, while bringing in new generations of young ruffians looking to rebel. At times, PRB 2012 felt like the Bay Area of the mid-’90s: tons of great punk bands packed into a small area, sharing bills, band members and stages—a fertile breeding ground for memorable spontaneous moments.

A few of my favorite specifics:

1. Laura Jane Grace, formerly Tom Gabel, at Against Me!’s unannounced solo performance at the Beauty Bar Saturday night—one of her first shows since announcing she would live as a woman. Just over a month into hormone replacement therapy, Grace proved she can still rock as hard as ever.

2. Average lifespan of bands who played the main stage: 17 years. Punk’s not dead. Hell, it can’t even vote yet. Bonus fun fact: Eleven bands on the bill had been together over 20 years.

3. A few of the most outrageous punk band patches I spotted on fan’s jackets: The Slob Dylans, Gimp Wrist, Leftover Crack, Donkey Schlong and my personal favorite, Fart Barf.

4. No one eating at the raw/vegan food tent. So punk rock.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/may/30/how-punk-rock-bowling-filled-fremont-east-spirit-u/

May 29, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Punks celebrated Memorial Day Downtown, at the last round of the Punk Rock Bowling music festival. Although crowds thinned a bit on Monday, the fest was still well attended—punk fans unable (or unwilling) to purchase tickets even gathered in the open lot next to the grounds, to rock from beyond the fences.

The final day featured another stacked bill, with 7 Seconds, Hot Water Music, G.B.H and Pennywise closing out the bill. Recently formed supergroup Dead Ending kicked it off, featuring members of Alkaline Trio, Rise Against and Articles of Faith.

Shortly after 6 p.m., Florida’s Hot Water Music took the stage for Chuck Ragan’s second Las Vegas performance in 24 hours. (Ragan rocked a solo, acoustic set Sunday at Beauty Bar.) HWM plays a style of punk with jazz-influenced drumming and complex harmonies, setting it apart from standard three-chord rock outfits. Ragan and Chris Wollard split vocal duties and had an unintentional “who can talk with a raspier voice” contest between songs. Their set featured a few tracks off new record Exister, along with fan favorites like “Trusty Chords” and “Rooftops.”

Braving the pit for British punk kings G.B.H. was a peak PRB experience for many. The crowd was in a frenzy from the second Colin Abrahall and crew took the stage. The ever-expanding ring filled with punks cycling frantically as G.B.H. raged through a loud and fast set of seminal street-punk songs, which undoubtedly had influenced many of the weekend’s other performers. The English outfit reached deep into its 34-year catalog, playing timeless favorites like “Timebomb,” “Maniac” and ”Kids Get Down.”

Monday night’s final performance came from Pennywise—surprisingly, the band’s first Punk Rock Bowling gig. The Californians recently released their 10th studio album, All or Nothing, and their anti-establishment, pro-riot songs offered an ironic close to a memorable weekend. Pennywise band complimented the crowd for its good behavior, and named Punk Rock Bowling “Coachella for f*cked-up people with bad tattoos and bad haircuts.”

Time to rest up for PRB 2013.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/may/29/punk-rock-bowling-monday/

May 28, 2012, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Punk Rock Bowling’s second day started strong with an early main-stage performance by Old Man Markley. The LA-based thrash-grass outfit, which tuned banjos and mandolins as it set up, might seem out of place at a punk show … until it starts burning up the stage like speed-punkers who pawned their electric instruments for rent money.

Another Sunday mold-breaker was first-wave-Reggae-inspired ska group Hepcat, whose chilled-out sound offered a much-needed recovery period for anticipated performances before Cockney Rejects and Rancid. I took the time to enjoy the tunes and head over to the Lone Coyote Smokehouse & Grill tent to devour an amazing smoked-brisket sandwich.