Soundscraper
Soundscraper
Zombies, doom metal and Deadheads
June 2nd, 2011
The headline for this week’s Soundscraper only seems downbeat and mortality-fraught on the surface. It’s actually a very lively, buoyant week in live music, with everything you can possibly ask for—a benefit concert for special-needs kids, heavy-as-sludge stoner metal and a Grateful Dead tribute band from Cali. I will be at two of the three shows, so look for me. I just bought a whole new wardrobe of loud polyester dress shirts from Savers, so I should be pretty easy to spot. My editor laughed when I suggested this event last year, but I’m telling you this is the coolest (and slowest) aggressive music event of the year—the second Doom in June at Cheyenne Saloon, June 4 from noon to dawn. Read more »
Soundscraper
Stenchcore, Zeppelins and Wolves
May 26th, 2011
Lucky for us Zep fanatics, late Zep drummer John Bonham had a son. This month, that son, a celebrated drummer in his own right, pays tribute to his father and the greatest hard-rock band of all time with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, which concludes its summer tour 8 p.m. May 28 in the Access Showroom at Aliante Station. Read more »
Soundscraper
Saints, Helmets and wizards
May 19th, 2011
Speaking of howling noises, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The strangest, most intriguing band in Vegas right now is post-apocalyptic Americana act Scrap Iron Saints. I’m not sure how to describe these guys better than this: Imagine the Pogues trapped on the set of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior with an acoustic guitar, accordion, washboard, cello, viola, mandolin and drum kit at their irradiated disposal. Read more »
Soundscraper
Imagine Dragons, imaginary band names and food-truck karaoke
May 12th, 2011
It’s my birthday on May 13, and I honestly don’t know what to do with my aging rock-critic self. I should probably see too-smart Elvis Costello run his veritable chainsaw through a musical dictionary at the Palms. But I’m leaning toward catching my favorite Las Vegas band, Imagine Dragons, celebrate the release of their new EP. Read more »
Soundscraper
Lovers, imbeciles, anarcho-punks
May 5th, 2011
As a music critic, I get a ton of review CDs in my mailbox. Ninety percent of it ranges from bad to pretty good, but every now and then a beautiful jewel of an album arrives, transfixing me so much that I want to learn more about and champion the band in question. My current dark-horse release is Lovers’ Dark Light. Read more »
Soundscraper
Amplified violins, flamenco, Foreigner
April 28th, 2011
Still nursing your Coachella hangover? Alas, I’m not—deadlines and an allergy attack kept me home. Thanks to Benadryl, I’m now upright and, despite cottonmouth, in search of new and inspiring live music. I don’t have to look far. Read more »
Soundscraper
Brains, Cowboys and Reverberation
April 21st, 2011
Sometimes I feel this column tends to look backward more often than forward. But can you really blame me when so many musical legends continue to arrive in Vegas? This weekend is yet another star-jammed, guitar amplifiers-cranked affair. Read more »
Soundscraper
Record stores, rock zines and punk radishes
April 14th, 2011
April 16 is internationally recognized Record Store Day, which doesn’t mean much to all the young dudes connected to iTunes, Amazon Cloud Players and other music platforms. But those of us whose lives once centered on spinning black circles on turntables, mall record stores (Camelot) and indie outposts (Vinyl Fever) were our destination when the afternoon school bell rang. Read more »
Soundscraper
An open letter to Vince Neil
April 7th, 2011
First, I’m writing this as a fan though, honestly, I only cherish Crüe’s Too Fast for Love (1981) and Shout at the Devil (1983) because they’re perfect Frankensteins of punk, glam rock, heavy metal, faux Satanism and genuine sleaze. I’m not alone in thinking these are your all-time best efforts, but I don’t feel your best music is behind you. I read your recent autobiography, and there are a lot of good times and heartbreaking tragedies in there that you have left unexplored. I realize you’re someone who looks to the future, but you need to slow down and take stock. Read more »
Soundscraper
Monoliths, ukuleles, drum fests
March 31st, 2011
It’s a wonderfully strange week in live music this week, from eardrum-shattering guitars to lute-plucking soloists to a drum fest to end all drum fests. Read more »
