Music
Soundscraper
Rockabilly stilettos, Pentagrams, and L.A. Dragons
August 11th, 2011
I was sad and then I was happy when I learned my favorite Vegas synth-rock band Imagine Dragons had lost members and then gained some others. Yep, married couple Brittany and Andrew Tolman played their final show with band July 29 at South Point. But frontman Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and bassist Ben McKee are still together as the core unit to welcome incoming members Daniel Platzman on drums and Theresa Flaminio on keys. Read more »
Music
Bittersweet Symphony
August 11th, 2011
When Michael Beckner’s wife, Sue, succumbed to breast cancer in 2009 after a nine-year battle, he sought the perfect way to honor her memory. She had been a dancer in her youth, good enough to be accepted into the prestigious Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York, and remained a supporter of the arts throughout her life. Read more »
Soundscraper
Quitters, Cajun blues, chiptune DJs
July 28th, 2011
“Human Experience,” the open-mic poetry series that takes place at 7 p.m. every Monday at The Beat (520 E. Fremont St.) turns 3 years old this month. The event’s organizers, which include local slam bard Jeff Grindley, are celebrating with a special shindig at 8 p.m. on July 31 at Artifice (1025 S. First St.) that brings together poets, artists and DJs. Just added to the bill: chiptune DJ extraordinaire De Le Decay. Read more »
Music
Last Boy on Earth
Toxic Holocaust mastermind Joel Grind feels comfortable in his dark fantasy setting
July 28th, 2011
It’s one thing to write blackened thrash punk songs about being stalked by mutants and zombies in an irradiated Mad Max-like wasteland. It’s quite another to conduct a phone interview in front of your Portland, Ore., apartment while being pursued by an insensitive landscaper armed with a loud-as-hell trimmer. “What an asshole,” laughs Toxic Holocaust head Joel Grind, 29. “I’m standing here, clearly talking on the phone, and dude fires up a weed wacker inches behind me.” Read more »
Music Preview
Urban Legends Resung
July 28th, 2011
You ever notice how the club’s energy gets kicked up a notch when the DJ drops Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison”? How about the nostalgic rush you get when hearing K-Ci & JoJo’s “All My Life,” which leads to brutal off-key singing? Now imagine K-Ci & JoJo and Bell Biv DeVoe together in concert with After 7, Dru Hill and Tony! Toni! Toné! Read more »
Music
‘Write’ This Time Around
Marion Write turns dashed hopes of child stardom into MC success
July 28th, 2011
At 9, Marion Esguerra seemed to have already “made it.” The Filipino American was living in Virginia Beach, Va., and was part of esteemed record producer Leon Sylvers III’s R&B child band, the EK System. He quickly fell in love with music. But in 1999, his family moved to Las Vegas, and dreams of being the next New Edition evaporated. That’s when he discovered hip-hop. “I found one album that my uncle had, Nas’ I Am. My mom wouldn’t let me buy hip-hop records because of the cursing, so I just played that over and over again.” Read more »
Music
CD Reviews
From the West Side, With Love II, Section 80 and Way of a Wayfarer EP
July 21st, 2011
Dom Kennedy From the West Side, With Love II (Self-Released) Kendrick Lamar Section 80 (TopDog Entertainment) Jesse Boykins III Way of a Wayfarer EP (Soul Culture/Street Ediquette) Read more »
Working on a Full House
Nashville Songwriters hope to build a local community for country creatives
July 14th, 2011
She doesn’t fit the stereotype of a country music singer, really—she’s Asian, for starters, and is not rocking cowboy boots. But Gina Saylor sits on a folding chair flanked by walls covered in acoustic guitars, talking about the finer attributes of country music. Read more »
Soundscraper
Robot Nixons, power violence and cave shows in the desert
July 14th, 2011
Been an unusual week for the lowly Soundscraper. At the very last second, I caught wind of a downtown performance by Denmark’s Thisted Church Choir of Men and Boys on July 1. Read more »
Music
Tour Buzz
July 14th, 2011
THE POOL GUYS: Ben Folds and Chris IsaakDEAL OF THE WEEK: Cee Lo GreenHOLA, EIGHTIES: Mœnia Read more »
