Las Vegas Weekly

As Dusty Rhodes checks out, Coastwest Unrest steps in

Noah Dickie of Coastwest Unrest

Photo: Laura Davis

One door closes, another one opens. As Vegas bade farewell to one of its favorite nonlocal local bands when Dusty Rhodes and the River Band headlined Beauty Bar last Sunday night, fans got to experience a relatively new outfit, folksy Vegas punks Coastwest Unrest. Formed in 2009, the full-sounding trio has managed to stay off the radar of many concert-goers, only recently breaking onto the Downtown music scene after touring around the country.

Singer Noah Dickie; his brother, drummer Josh Dickie; and violinist Alex Barne recorded Coastwest's first album, the 11-song Songs from the Desert, last year, and it caught the attention of College Music Journal, a music events/publishing company. "We just sent it to them, and we ranked really high on their stations," Noah Dickie explains from under his newsboy cap after his band's set. "[Then] we were invited to play some of their festivals for a big chunk of change."

Out-of-towners aren't the only ones willing to shell out bucks for the unassuming trio's rootsy rock. Halfway through the outdoor set, an audience member shuffles forward, picks up a copy of Songs from the onstage stack, and drops a few bills in return. "Thanks," says Barnes, even as he continues drawing a bow across his strings. Perhaps we should thank them, for giving us a hello to go with Dusty's goodbye.