Sometimes it’s good to get outside of your music comfort zone. Last week, I had the pleasure of going to a show that, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t super stoked about since I wasn’t really familiar with the bands. To my surprise, I had so much fun! I even joked after that I was their new number one fan. Which show was it? The Darkness, and openers The Dead Deads. Admittedly, I know nothing about The Darkness other than that when I was in junior high, all my skater friends were obsessed with them, and that I used to see the music video on VH-1 and MTV all the time. Besides my initial impressions, I assumed they were a gimmicky, silly hair metal band something akin to Steel Panther. However, I was proven very wrong. Filling out their opening spot was Nashville’s The Dead Deads, whom I had never ...
Read More →
Images: Austin Meade, Kody West, Go Bold January 22, 2022 Backstage Bar & Billiards
This co-headlining Austin Meade/Kody West tour was not what I was expecting when asked on Saturday night if I wanted to go to a “country show” at Backstage Bar and Billiards. It’s definitely not my usual scene, and I’ve never been to Texas, so forgive me if I get this all wrong. Vegas local Brock Frabbiele, frontman for Go Bold opened with an acoustic set that surpasses all genre labels. Frabbiele quickly won over the crowd full of sparkly cowboy boots and trucker hats with songs like “What Doesn’t Kill Us,” “Happy Songs Suck,” and “All Grown Ups Are Pirates”. The set was an equal mix of songs that made you laugh and songs that made you want to cry, which was a fitting intro for the bands that followed, who I’m still having a hard time trying to describe. There’s a good chance that it’s just my bias for ...
Read More →
Hard Pipe Hitters return with new single “Third World America”
Vegas locals Hard Pipe Hitters are back with a new Single “Third World America” and album coming later this year. Checkout the new jam on your favorite streaming service at https://www.hardpipehitters.com/ Via Press Release: HARD PIPE HITTERS AWAKEN WITH FIRST NEW SINGLE IN FIVE YEARS Hard Pipe Hitters embodies what it means to be true D.I.Y. punk collective. Leaving their presence on the Vegas music scene with a history of political activism, local charity work, and over a decade’s experience touring the West Coast. Sharing the stage with legends like Dead Kennedys, GBH, Subhumans, The Flatliners, and countless others. Never discriminating between a proper venue and an all-ages D.I.Y. space. Upon the release of 2017’s well received album “This Is Rock Bottom” HPH went through personal growth, sparking a brief hiatus. After five years of radio silence, “Third World America” is the band’s first new single gracing the world, partnering with ...
Read More →
Images: The Social Set Happy EP Release with Eclipse, Desert Island Boys, The Cheeks, Napalm Star October 2, 2021 The Space
I was surprised, to say the least. Rolling up Polaris to the newish all-ages venue ‘The Space,’ I expected a warehouse. What I was greeted by was a kind young man offering to valet my car so I wouldn’t have to walk so far, and a mf marquee letting me know I was at the right place. To ensure easy access to the few trunk beers I brought, I self-parked and passed several other tailgaters on my way in. I messed up y’all, I missed the opening band; Napalm Star. I was told they did really well. A group of young guys playing 90s era shoegaze influenced indie rock with an endearing lead singer. Is that a good description? I don’t know. Go to their Spotify or better yet, catch their next gig. What I got served as I entered ‘The Space’ was a well-groomed lobby with a proper box ...
Read More →
Images: Bad Religion, Alkaline Trio, War on Women October 16, 2021 Brooklyn Bowl
Bad Religion is celebrating their 40th anniversary tour with Alkaline Trio and War on Women, after having to postpone last year because… well you know. The second night of their 30 date tour brought them out to Vegas Saturday night at the Brooklyn Bowl. Just getting to Brooklyn Bowl on a Saturday proved to be its own feat. While parking on the strip remains a nightmare, I counted 14 Bad Religion t-shirts as I walked to the venue from my secret parking spot, and saw several people sporting new Rancid and Dropkick Murphy shirts from the show the night before. Staff were diligently checking vax cards (and negative covid tests), which hopefully makes everyone feel safer because once inside, fans were shoulder to shoulder. It’s been awhile since I’ve been at a show that packed, but I suppose being around for four decades warrants the attention. You know that Bad ...
Read More →