January 18, 2012 Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

“Alright, after this is over I’ll take any y’all on in Pac-Man.” At any other bar in Las Vegas, that statement might raise eyebrows. But when Posdnuos of veteran hip-hop trio De La Soul challenged the full house at Insert Coin(s) last Wednesday, attendees cheered the proposition.

De La Soul’s throwback performance was the first of several promising shows scheduled at the Downtown geekster hot spot. Future acts might have to compete with Mario Kart and Street Fighter for their fans’ attention, but all such activity came to a halt when De La’s Pos, Dave and Maseo tooka the DJ booth-turned-stage.

The night turned out to be more guest appearance than full concert, but Insert Coin(s) partygoers didn’t seem to be complaining. De La Soul set up alongside DJ 88, who spun a slamming set of old-school anthems that lasted into the early morning hours. It was an enjoyable formula: rap a few De La Soul favorites, spin a handful of hits, rap a few more, etc.

And it proved to be a huge success. Sure, the venue could use an upgraded sound system and a dedicated performance stage to take its shows to the next level, but that won’t stop me from heading Downtown for more. If De La Soul comes back I’ll probably bring a date, though, because there’s just no cool way to sway solo to “Me Myself & I.”

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/jan/18/de-la-soul-brings-music—-and-video-game-throwdow/

December 9, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

1. Beauty Bar’s back patio is packed with a mix of Downtown scenesters, a handful of aging indie-rock fans … and two rodeo cowboys in boots, flannel and ten-gallon hats, who apparently wandered off the Fremont Street Experience’s safe path.

2. Three fantastic songs in before the ex-Pedro the Lion leader even takes a breath to thank the crowd. Luckily, he doesn’t have to say much—this set speaks for itself. It’s surprising that Bazan’s brand of faith-based rock is so well received by the seemingly heathen audience.

3. Bazan draws a name for a free ticket to David Bazan headlining shows for life. Hands-down, best concert giveaway of 2011.

4. Maybe it’s just as well Bazan hasn’t been speaking much. “The last time I was here [in Vegas] I realized I didn’t like it here, and we didn’t mean to come back.” Looks like that lifetime fan will have to travel to redeem his prize.

5. Bazan seems happier with our hometown—and apparently skeptical of the host venue’s calculator abilities, when he Tweets about the experience later in the night. “To the 80 … er … I mean 140 wonderful people who came out to our Vegas show tonite: U WERE AWESOME!! We’ll be back! (but F*CK the Beauty Bar!)” Testify, David.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/dec/09/five-thoughts-david-bazan-beauty-bar/

October 26, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Congratulations to Book & Stage’s first graduates, Foster the People. The indie-popsters have progressed from moderately attended free shows in the Cosmo’s lounge to the next stage of their careers, performing for a sold-out crowd at the hotel’s larger Boulevard Pool venue.

A sea of rolled skinny jeans, plunging V-necks and “pumped up kicks” packed the pool deck for Foster the People’s final North American tour stop. Now with a huge radio hit (“Pumped Up Kicks”) and a more established fanbase, nothing about FTP’s performance felt reminiscent of this past spring’s mild four-day Vegas residency. The trio seemed far more confident, showing off a tighter sound and a noticeable increase in overall production.

Credit for the improvement shouldn’t fall solely on the band. As frontman Mark Foster, bassist Cubbie Fink and percussionist Mark Pontius played through most of freshman album Torches, the crowd showed off its lyrical knowledge and enthusiasm for deeper cuts such as “Helena Beat” and “Call It What You Want,” singing along word-for-word and adding to the mood.

Foster, who took ownership of the stage with his unique and versatile pipes, also took a few moments out to fill fans in on FTP’s mission. “To us music is cool, but helping people is cooler,” he said. The band toured from coast to coast in its “Do Good Bus,” lending a hand in each city along the route. In Las Vegas last week, the trio helped out at Tonopah Community Garden and the Las Vegas Rescue Mission homeless shelter.

Of course, Foster the People capped the night with “Pumped Up Kicks,” a perfect way to close out the summer concert series at one of Las Vegas’ best outdoor music venues.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/oct/26/concert-review-foster-people/

October 21, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Full review of the band’s Thursday night Cosmo concert to come in this week’s print edition of Las Vegas Weekly, but for now …

1. October 2011 sold-out Cosmopolitan Boulevard Pool deck show > March 2011 moderately attended Book & Stage gigs.

2. With all the hipsters here, who’s Occupying Urban Outfitters?

3. Proud to report concert attendees sang along to more than just “Pumped Up Kicks.” Freshman album = success.

4. Bandmates volunteering free time at Vegas homeless shelter and community gardens, or fostering the people, if you will. I thought meaningful band monikers died with Hoobastank.

5. Foster’s set time totaled one hour, same as the wait time after the opening act. Here’s hoping for continued quality content on their next record—and thus, lengthier future performances.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/oct/21/five-things-i-wrote-my-notebook-foster-people/

September 12, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Off the Record

I walked into Downtown’s Gypsy Den at 9 p.m., just as veteran Vegas punk band, Holding Onto Sound began slamming into its Neon Reverb set. Nestled in the heart of the Arts District, the Den mimics an old-world caravan, converting train cars into a stage and a desert lot into a sand-filled carnie party. Any excuse to spend a night amid beer vendors who look like snake-oil salesmen is fine by me, but I was especially exciting to hit up the venue for a punk rock show.

I was curious to see how a punk opener would grease up an audience primed for a headlining hip-hop performance, but HOTS had the formula down right. The crowd, a mixture of too-cool-to-let-loose hipsters, I-came-to-get-rowdy collegians, a few eager-for-acceptance high schoolers (yes, it was all-ages) and the occasional passing homeless person, supported to the trio’s dynamic lineup. A crew of HOTS supporters even tried to get a moshpit going, the sincerest form of punk flattery.

As HOTS wrapped its set with a crash of distortion and feedback, I made my way to the venue’s entrance to check out the smartly parked Sin City Wings ’n Things food truck. One of the newest additions to Vegas’ ever-expanding mobile food family, Sin City Wings did not disappoint. Chef Bobby even took a break from slathering “Goodman Sauce” on perfectly portioned tenders to let me in on the food truck’s secret tipping policy: A buck or two in the jar will get you a hearty “Thundercats Ho!” staff holler, and you might just find an extra wing or two in your order.

With buffalo sauce still on my face and a cheap beer in hand, I followed my ears to the tune of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” back to the stage. There I found a sea of fist-pumpers, as headliner OLI began its official release performance for new record, Fake the Love. OLI, short for Outside Looking In, featured flawless delivery, though most of its set was spent spitting obscene lyrics, directing chants of “Wu Tang” and yelling over one-another. No matter, the rap trio had the masses entranced, crowd-surfing over fans and even “making it rain” as they played raunchy jams like “F*ck Retards” and “Your Beauty’s So Disgusting.” For me, the climax was seeing a guest spot from local hip-hopper Hassan.

After playing the entirety of the new record, OLI got called back for an encore performance and was joined by a self-proclaimed “hype man” … the elementary-aged daughter of one of the crew’s members. All in all, it might not been my scene, but there’s no doubting the overflowing energy shared by Saturday night’s assortment of performers and attending vagrants.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/off-the-record/2011/sep/11/neon-reverb-chris-saturday-journal/

September 11, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Off The Record

Before Friday night, everything I knew about Downtown club Azul Tequila came from peering over its open-air venue while walking down the stairs of the El Cortez parking garage as it played host to over-the-top fiestas. I’d heard traditional Latin and even Mariachi music pouring over the walls as women with flowers in their hair and men in cowboy hats made their way inside the blue-hued nightclub. So I was excited to experience the Latin hotspot while checking out Neon Reverb’s Hip-Hop Roots and Reggae Roots showcase.

Entering Azul, I was greeted with an enormous outdoor stage, spacious bar and the beats of Oregon’s DJ Nykon pumping through the crisp sound-system. Neon Reverb ambassador and hip-hop artist S5 played host, introducing the seven acts and keeping energy levels high during downtime. Attendees trickled in as the evening progressed, but it seemed as if they all belonged to at least one performer’s entourage. I was quick to learn the Las Vegas hip-hop crowd travels in a herd with a sincere sense of community.

The show was kicked off by Portland native Iame, who admits his name, pronounced “I am e,” is often mistaken for “Lame.” The night continued to pick up momentum from there, with the Roots Showcase maintaining a positive vibe emanating from artists and attendees.

The next group to take the stage, JLC, actually featured the night’s jack-of-all-trades organizer HighDro, who split time between managing the event, performing as half of JLC and guesting with reggae troupe Tierra Buena. JLC, short for Jagged Leaf Clover, also featured rapper Shamrock. Their give-and-go old-school flow was easily one of the evening’s highlights.

Dallas artist and anticipated act Anonymous Culture followed, joined by his personal DJ for a clubby and energetic performance. Using narrative stylings, Anonymous’ lyrics included tales of his most shining moments, “Ya’ll wanna hear a story about a time I got drunk?” The snazzy, suit-wearing out-of-towner certainly put his own spin on the rap scene.

Local band Tierra Buena brought the show’s reggae component. The group’s chilled-out style, with definite Sublime and Marley influences and running guitar solos, fit the evening’s mix nicely. TB closed its first of two sets with the crowd-pleasing carefree jam, “Free Your Mind.”

As Southern California’s Literates took the stage, they quickly broke down the positive energy the previous artists had worked to build. With a style similar to Eminem’s pill-influenced albums, their harsh delivery was an obvious clash with the night’s mood.

But not even that buzzkill could hold down the headliners, local favorites Phil A. and Hassan, who were front and center for every performer before taking the stage themselves. Their laid-back style, full of pop-culture references and self-deprecating lyrics, was a fitting cap to the night’s hip-hop, followed by one last reggae jam session with Tierra Buena.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/blogs/off-the-record/2011/sep/11/neon-reverb-chris-friday-journal/

September 8, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Last weekend’s Maryland Parkway Music Festival presented a variety of performers—local bands, poets, upcoming national acts—at three locations along one of Las Vegas’ historic roadways. But with stages barely large enough to house the entertainers, inadequate sound equipment and rocky show flow, the festival has some major kinks to work out before attempting a second such event.

A few white plastic chairs, surrounded by a hodgepodge of local vendors, set the scene for festival attendees—who appeared largely to be veteran art and entertainment scene supporters, rather than the targeted college-aged demographic. Organizers repeatedly showcased the bands, restaurants and vendors during unorganized transitional announcements.

The three-day street festival wrapped up Sunday, nestled amongst strip malls and vacant storefronts on a blocked-off Harmon Avenue across from UNLV. One bright spot: Michigan-based bluegrass troupe Frontier Ruckus. Giving that band an outlet to perform in Las Vegas is almost reason enough to forgive the event’s many inadequacies.

The idea behind the festival—giving talented artists a platform for awareness while feeding new entertainment to culture-starved residents of the University District—is fantastic in concept. If organizers hope for increased traffic to the Parkway, they’ll need to step up their overall execution significantly.

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/sep/08/maryland-parkway-music-fest-gets-points-trying/

July 21, 2011, Las Vegas Weekly, Noise

Ronnie Vannucci’s grandma Betty held down the front row Wednesday night at the Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip. Sure, her grandson has been on stages for years, many of them in rooms much larger than this one. But this night marked a first for Vannucci—the first time the Killers drummer would move out from behind his familiar drum kit, grip a microphone, strum a guitar and sing his songs.

As the lights dropped, there was a shared sense of excitement among the slew of longtime Las Vegans who showed up. Vannucci did not disappoint. His new band, Big Talk, wowed the packed crowd of familiar faces with its debut performance.

The five-piece group played its just-released self-titled album in its entirety. If you closed your eyes, you might have mistaken them for Damn the Torpedoes-era Heartbreakers, in all the right ways. Catchy guitar melodies sliced through a brightly distorted wall of sound while the slightly awkward frontman belted out witty lyrics about all things love and alcohol.

Vannucci didn’t carry the typical bravado of a seasoned frontman, that practiced persona—two parts mysterious, one part potentially dangerous—so many lead singers cling to. His was a down-to-earth stage presence. He joked with his guitar tech, smiled, celebrated the moon landing’s anniversary and laughed when he screwed up his lyrics. That kind of authenticity works well for Big Talk.

The band might just turn out to be just a downtime, side project among friends and between Killers albums. But if Wednesday’s first outing is any indication, it’s a lot of fun to experience

Web Link: http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/jul/21/ronnie-vannucci-and-big-talks-first-outing/