Las Vegas Weekly

March 12, 2010 · 6 PM

Strategic Rooks

By April Corbin

The Rooks at Bunkhouse during Neon Reverb.

Photo: April Corbin

The Rooks are mid-set, singing a poppy tune about that groovy little thing called love, and, for the first time tonight, the modest crowd at Bunkhouse is on its feet and moving.

"Every time we kiss it's like the Fourth of July," intones lead Zach Ryan, "Fireworks streaking across the midnight sky." It's bubbly mentally and audibly, and that's not a bad thing. The Rooks are building energy, setting the tone for the rest of this Thursday-night Neon Reverb show.

Soon enough, LA-outfit Kid Theodore will take stage for a high-energy performance that involves harmonized meowing and guitarist Brandon McBride standing on an amp in order to use the Bunkhouse ceiling as a makeshift drum. Chasing Kings, also of LA, and Brooklyn-based Wild Yaks follow suit with solid performances of their own, the latter of which unfortunately is witnessed by only the few dedicated folk hanging tough at 2:30 am on a weeknight.

Luckily, Chasing Kings and Kid Theodore will be back at Bunkhouse on March 22 for another performance. As for punk-influenced Wild Yaks, they're off for bigger and better things, as their MySpace tour list describes, "some place that has tequila in the name of it" in El Paso.

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