Music
Concerts
Concert Review: Molly Ringwald
Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center, May 10
May 16th, 2013
The Rat Pack met the Brat Pack as ’80s film star and Concord Jazz recording artist Molly Ringwald took her audience to some less-visited selections from the Great American Songbook. It was apparent right off the bat that the still-smoking-hot 45-year-old knew how to deliver the evening’s fare. She got to the bottom of a lyric’s meaning and context. Read more »
Tour Buzz
Tour Buzz: Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Yellowcard and Black Sabbath
May 15th, 2013
I wish I could muster more enthusiasm for the 15th annual Tiger Jam at Mandalay Bay, this one featuring Kid Rock and Uncle Kracker, on May 18 ($61-$134). Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Great White
Boulder Station, May 10
May 15th, 2013
These guys are the archetypal ’80s second-string rock act: big crunchy chords, addiction, public bickering, pyrotechnic tragedy and a long string of convoluted lineup shifts that has seen the band run through more than 25 musicians in its 30-year history. It’s actually pretty amazing they are a) alive, and b) now touring with three of 1982’s original founding members. Terry Ilous did just fine on vocals, earning some grudging respect from a fan who said, “he’s pretty good, even though he’s no Jack Russell.” Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: Os Mutantes
Hard Rock Live, May 11
May 15th, 2013
It was a small but curious crowd that turned out to see the Brazilian psych-rock pioneers, who re-formed in 2006 following a hiatus of more than 30 years. With such a long stretch of inactivity, there was no sense of nostalgia as most fans were seeing Os Mutantes live for the first time, and some were probably only familiar with the band’s noted influence on artists such as Kurt Cobain, Beck and David Byrne. Read more »
Concerts
Concert Review: The Rolling Stones
MGM Grand Garden Arena, May 11
May 15th, 2013
Twenty years from now, some guy will brag to his twenty-something peers that he saw the Rolling Stones play at their 50 & Counting tour stop in Las Vegas. Or so his parents hoped when they bought a ticket for their small child, decked him out in protective earmuffs and lifted him into the air along to the beat. Read more »
Soundscraper
Venerable Music Mag Honors Local Student Musicians
May 15th, 2013
Students in the UNLV Music Department’s Jazz Studies program are keeping Las Vegas’s musical legacy intact. Pick up the June 2013 issue of longtime jazz publication DownBeat and you’ll notice the UNLV kids earned a few Outstanding Performance recognitions from the magazine’s 36th annual Student Music Awards. UNLV Jazz Ensemble I was honored in the Large Ensemble category, UNLV Latin Jazz Ensemble earned distinction in the Latin Group class, and John Summers received a Best Arrangement nod for his take on Michael Brecker’s “African Skies.” Read more »
Soundscraper
BAR 702 Gets Rescued, Loses Old Name
May 7th, 2013
Mark your TV-watching calendar: On July 7, BAR 702 (3355 Spring Mountain Rd.)—the local live-music venue formerly known as the Sand Dollar Lounge—will appear on Spike reality series Bar Rescue. The show involves industry experts observing a struggling bar in action, then offering strategies and overhauls. Read more »
Music
The Sunshine Also Rises
All-woman Vegas band is generating some heat on the music scene. Can it propel them all the way to Canada?
May 7th, 2013
Heidi Guinn, a guitarist for Vegas-based indie band Dusty Sunshine, arranges this gang of colorful, handmade clay fridge magnets on the coffee table. A bowl of spaghetti with a fork, a bright sunflower with leaves, a green cowboy boot with a tiny spur, and most with the band’s name in little rolled clay letters. Far from truck-stop trinkets, these were unique works of art. “It takes me about five hours to make each one of these and I’ve never seen any other band do anything like them,” she says, beaming. “They go for $5 each, and they always sell out.” Add in the cost of materials and Guinn is at it for less than a buck an hour. Read more »
Concert Review
Concert Review: Kottonmouth Kings
Hard Rock Café on the Strip, May 3
May 6th, 2013
“Psychedelic hip-hop punk rock” is how Orange County, California-based Kottonmouth Kings like to describe their music. As the veteran band brought the Fight to Unite tour to Sin City, T-shirts and tattoos were prominent among the multi-generational fans at the Hard Rock Café. Read more »
