Jarret Keene
Contributing Editor, Music
Contact: Email
For 27 years, nothing happened to him. Finally, he earned a Ph.D. in English from Florida State University and, bored of Chaucer, moved to Las Vegas to chronicle the city’s underground music scene. He has written for every kind of media (Spin, BBC Radio, Godzilla fanzines) and has written and edited every kind of book (A Boy’s Guide to Arson, Las Vegas Noir). His primitive nuclear doom metal band Dead Neon terrorizes local dive bars.
Recent Articles
Hot Chip Doesn’t Blow Circuits when Amping Up its Rock Attack
April 9th, 2013
The tag “electro” doesn’t really encompass or account for the very large rock ’n’ roll components and musical chops of Hot Chip. Once admired for its quirky, even kitschy, approach to indietronica, the British band has been steadily unleashing the guitars during its live show—three of them to be exact.
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Hot Ticket: Badass Erykah Badu
April 2nd, 2013
Erykah Badu is an R&B/neo-soul artist of the highest order. The Grammy-winning singer has lots going on—from starring in black cowboy film They Die by Dawn (2013) to performing her 2008 album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) with the Brooklyn Philharmonic at the Governor’s Ball in New York this summer, to recording her sixth studio album.
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Concert Review: Jesse Cook
Henderson Pavilion, March 29
April 1st, 2013
The Canadian rumba-flamenco guitarist showed off his sultry fret board-shredding style to a sizeable suburban audience of Hendersonians.
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Art (Un)installation
Jennifer Kleven opens up about closing her Downtown gallery
March 26th, 2013
For the past two years and four months, Kleven Contemporary hosted many of the best contemporary art exhibits in Las Vegas. The micro gallery, housed in Emergency Arts, drew emerging artists who worked in a diversity of media and styles, from Andrew Sea James’ photography of quirky Valley landscapes to a paper installation by Andreana Donahue to Kyla Hansen’s appropriately titled sculpture show The End and Shit, a post-apocalyptic reliquary of the Southwest.
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Louisiana Rock, Psyche-Horror, ’50s Pop
March 26th, 2013
Excuse me while I indulge in a college flashback with New Orleans Southern punk trio Dash Rip Rock. The band has gone through numerous lineup changes over the years, but founding frontman Bill Davis remains steadfast.
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Guitarist Jesse Cook Finds Balance Between Discovery and Familiarity
March 26th, 2013
Every artist navigates a tense question: Is it more important to please or challenge an audience? New-flamenco shredder Jesse Cook confronted this issue when creating his latest album, The Blue Guitar Sessions. Expectations from his record label were clear: produce another instrumental album in his signature rumba style. But Cook hoped to achieve something different. Instead of the fiery performances for which he’s known, he sought to assemble a mostly original collection of soft ballads and lush pop.
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Concert Review: Radiation City and Brainstorm
Neon Reverb, Beauty Bar, March 22
March 25th, 2013
This spring’s Neon Reverb promised to be leaner, meaner. The decent-sized audience that gathered in Beauty Bar for some Portland, Oregon, synth-pop initially reflected this by looking malnourished, unfriendly.
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Cool Live Music News Bits? Got ’em Right Here
March 19th, 2013
Commonwealth, the new bar on Fremont Street, recently opened its speakeasy-style doors to live music. On March 24, female-fronted indie-pop band Love Hate Away performs, and on March 31 bluesy rock singer Donacat takes the rooftop stage. Shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. Weather’s finally perfect for outdoor shows.
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