Music
Music
Tour Buzz: Prince, Iamdynamite and Kendrick Lamar
April 22nd, 2013
THE MAN FROM MINNESOTA: What can one possibly say about Prince at this point in time? The artist formerly known as The Artist—scheduled to play four shows over a two-day stand at The Joint, April 26-27 ($55-$95)—has reportedly been pouring himself into his live performances of late, reportedly playing two-hour sets loaded with classics and covers. (Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Prince played both Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” and, puzzlingly, Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” during a September concert.) Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Danzig
House of Blues, April 17
April 22nd, 2013
It could be said that old hardcore punk rockers don’t die, they just start metal bands. In the case of Glenn Danzig, after forming the legendary horror punk band The Misfits and following that with the death metal band Samhain, he established the eponymous Danzig with a debut album and tour in 1998. Twenty-five years later, the performer nicknamed “Evil Elvis” fittingly kicked off the band’s 25th anniversary tour in Las Vegas. Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Joe Bonamassa
The Pearl at the Palms, April 20
April 22nd, 2013
Just before the show, an excited fan asked the porter in the men’s restroom if he was familiar with Bonamassa’s guitar prowess, exclaiming, “He’s like a combination of Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Stevie Ray Vaughan!” After the fan walked out, another guy who overheard the exchange, said, “I don’t know where he gets the Jimmy Page part.” Read more »
Music
Concert Review: Alex Clare
Hard Rock Café on the Strip, April 18
April 22nd, 2013
This cat’s got soul. Taking the stage in front of a packed house, U.K. singer-songwriter Alex Clare launched into “Relax My Beloved,” that stirring voice with just the amount of grit shining bright (though the sound in the venue could have been a bit louder). Read more »
Music
Vinyl Recommendations for Record Store Day
April 16th, 2013
Dust off those record players and get the 45-rpm adapters ready, here comes Record Store Day 2013! Read more »
Music
Re-evaluating David Bowie as Critics’ Impact Fades
April 16th, 2013
On October 19, 1995, at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas concertgoers offered what, at the time, was a fairly accurate representation of the mid-’90s critical consensus on David Bowie. Bowie shared the bill with Nine Inch Nails, whose frontman Trent Reznor he fiercely admired; he even went so far as to record an album, the grisly and morose Outside, that Reznor himself could have made if someone had only given him a kitten or something. Read more »
Soundscraper
High on Rock ’n’ Roll
April 16th, 2013
My favorite local nonprofit Push Forward is throwing a cool benefit party with live music. All proceeds benefit Push Forward’s mission: giving at-risk Vegas youth a sense of direction, empowerment and mentorship via skateboarding. Three of my favorite ramp-worthy bands—The Swamp Gospel, Crazy Chief, American Buckshot—play at 9 p.m. April 18 at Beauty Bar. I look forward to seeing three other groups on the bill for the first time: Fuzz Solow, Unfair Fight and Mersa. Admission is $5, and it’s for a great cause—teaching kids to stay out of trouble by embracing skate culture. Get stoked! Read more »
Music
Alex Clare Goes from TV Commercial to Commercial Success
April 16th, 2013
If you’ve listened to the entire The Lateness of the Hour album from the U.K.’s Alex Clare, you’d know he’s far more than just that guy whose song “Too Close” became popular thanks to an Internet Explorer commercial. There’s a mixture of everything from down-tempo/trip-hop and dubstep to bold choral elements and even peaceful acoustic piano. But it’s that soulful voice that shines through—no matter the accompanying music—that makes him a standout songwriter. We caught up with Clare before his April 18 performance at the Hard Rock Café on the Strip. Read more »
