Las Vegas Weekly

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Spencer Patterson

Wed, Oct 7, 2009 (3:50 p.m.)

Paging Mr. Buffer, Mr. Michael Buffer.

Okay, so the famous-voiced ring announcer almost certainly won’t be at the Aruba Hotel Sunday night. But the Rumble will, so let’s get ready to. A self-described “mobile, monthly party” traveling from Seattle and Portland down through San Francisco to Los Angeles and San Diego, the Rumble makes its first Vegas visit on October 11. The free show—yes, no cover, no drink minimum, plain old free—will bring Rumble-hopping LA retro-soul act Fitz & The Tantrums, along with locals A Crowd of Small Adventures and The Mad Caps, to the Aruba Showroom for the first installment in what SoCal-based organizer Future Sounds hopes will be a long-running series.

“When you pool talent and the bill flows, everyone has a good time,” says Future Sounds rep Evan Volk. “And the bands network without even realizing they are.” Yes, networking—a key element for the Rumble, odd as that might seem for a rock show. According to Volk, Future Sounds, which houses a record label, promotion and consulting wings and indie web station Woxy.com, envisions the Rumble as a way for up-and-comers to break through in other markets. You listening, Vegas bands?

“We see a lot of ways West Coast cities can start feeding off each other more,” Volk says. “If a Vegas band plays the Rumble, and we develop a relationship, we could hook them up with the Rumble in other cities, or use our contacts to find other shows for them in those cities.” Those scenarios—not to mention the Rumble’s freeness—enticed promoter James Woodbridge to climb aboard as Vegas liaison. He helped secure the Aruba and will select the local bands for the bills, scheduled for the Sunday after the first Monday of every month.