Aaron Thompson

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A walk down punk rock memory lane at Extreme Thing: Wednesday, April 3, 2013; What, did your teen years not include mosh pits and chipped teeth?
Deep Fried Orphanz are a teenage riot: Wednesday, July 27, 2011; They're not old enough to drink yet, but Deep Fried Orphanz already has a pretty accomplished résumé
As Wyatt McKenzie leaves Las Vegas, I'll miss the man as much as his music: Wednesday, July 20, 2011; The scene loses a hero. Aaron Thompson loses a "brother."
A handful of thoughts from EDC Night 2: Sunday, June 26, 2011; Rave-o-holics, Bunny and Sean of the Deckz.
30-second metalhead review: Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010; He’s known as Metal McLovin, and if you’ve ever been to a metal show in Las Vegas you’ve probably seen him.
Monster Zero: Sunday School Singalongs; Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2010; Why has Monster Zero waited almost a decade to release a second full-length album?
Overheard at First Friday: Random comments from the recently downsized cultural event; Thursday, June 11, 2009; Random comments from the recently downsized cultural event.
Booming business: Retooled venue, equipment rental put punk-rock couple on stable footing; Thursday, June 4, 2009; Boomers after hours isn’t a spectacular place. It's your typical dive-drinking establishment—everywhere, there are neon beer signs, televisions older than most teenagers and the acrid scent of ancient cigarette smoke, lingering.
6.66 reasons to get to know Demesic, Vegas’ iconoclastic instrumental death-metal trio: Thursday, May 28, 2009; Demesic’s dedication to brutal music—and the word “brutal”—is so intense, the trio practices weekly at Hill’s Sandy Valley-area compound, with the closest neighbor some three acres away.
Hope is on her way: Slowly but surely, a local singer-songwriter steps into the foreground; Thursday, May 7, 2009; Amongst the bright colors, skimpy clothes and flamboyant environment surrounding Saturday’s gay pride festivities, Tracey Hope, clad in subdued gold and black, seems out of place.
Cruisin’ down the Thai way: Restaurant-housed Skinny Jeans look to build a scene within the scene; Thursday, April 30, 2009; Calling the Skinny Jeans a rock band feels like an understatement. They’re a soccer team. And a promotions and production group.
Third time’s no charm: The Alley calls it a night again, but hints at a fourth go-round; Thursday, April 2, 2009; That’s right, even before the curtain has drawn on the Alley’s final performance, the thrice-opened, thrice-shuttered all-ages music hub is already, essentially, dead.
Sound and furry: Three questions with Mons Wolff; Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009; Traditionally nerdiness hasn’t been known to score points in abrasive subcultures, and the guys in Vegas outfit Mons Wolff know it.
Anarchy on the AM: Double Down Radio does punk radio on the cheap, but for how much longer?; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; Steve Fodor and Zak Farrell look about like anyone else does on a Friday night at the dingy punk haven that is the Double Down Saloon. Farrell is sporting a reddish mohawk and black T-shirt with cut-off sleeves, while the semi-shaven Fodor chills out in a blue hoodie.
To a T: As we finally pack away our T-shirts for a couple of months (see you in late February, shirt-sleeve weather!), a few reflections on our favorite piece of clothing; Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008; The key has something to do with obscurity—flaunting your command of segments of popular culture that only the hyper-clued-in know about or remember. But it’s not as simple as, say, showing off your rare 1970s-era repress of a Dirty Harry shirt.
The Airbag’s response: Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008; Regulars at the notoriously grouchy local-music online gathering place weigh in on last week’s Weekly piece about their favorite forum.
Dealing with his own fate: Former Escape the Fate lead singer Ronnie Radke wants to let the world know he’s not a monster—just a guy with karma issues; Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008; For all that’s been said and written about former Escape the Fate lead singer Ronnie Radke, the 24-year-old has a certain zeal in his voice.
Confessions of an Airbagger: In the trenches of Vegas’ rough-and-tumble, semi-hidden, yet surprisingly relevant music forum; Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008; I’m a junkie. Every morning, before I take my shower or munch down on some oat-laden cereal, I need my fix. I can’t even think about getting on with my day without hitting the Airbag, my personal epicenter for finding out what’s going on in Las Vegas’ cultural underground.
A debate to remember (and forget): Two takes on the first mano a mano between McCain and Obama; Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; n hit the jackpot. Minutes into Friday evening’s presidential debate-viewing party at Sierra Gold at Jones and the I-215, someone won $20. Two center-bar televisions cut away from Barack Obama’s meandering economic prescription for the recession, and up popped glowing graphics and the word jackpot in red uppercase letter
Who are We Are Wolves?: Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; A trio of Montreal-based sonic stewards, We Are Wolves, with their hyper electro-rock, aren’t just your typical indie electro-trash.
Colors that run early: The UNLV/UNR rivalry may still be alive, but fan loyalty seems to be diminishing; Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; For those of you who have only a vague idea what UNR is about, note one thing—it hates UNLV.
Folsom: Neon Light Nights; Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; The fourth release from Folsom—the pillar of Las Vegas’ fading, macho hardcore scene—is a pack of consistently balls-out, hate-filled testosterone abuse.
Riding the wave (again): Vegas psycho-surfers Monster Zero are back to scare the living crap out of you; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; Kevin and Scott Leonard seem like pretty normal guys on the surface—family men, brothers, bandmates for most of their lives. But as they sit inside a hot mini-trailer applying removal wipes to garish-looking makeup, they admit something took their lives in an unexpectedly bizarre direction.
Duel citizens: Arts and crafts vs. contemporary: the battle for the soul of Henderson art; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; It’s 5 p.m. inside the Water Street Gallery on a Third Thursday in August, and Henderson artist Chris Waters is making final preparations on one of his paintings. For Waters, it’s a strange and lonely homecoming. The 30-something artist hasn’t shown his work in downtown Henderson since his own city-subsidized gallery, the acclaimed contemporary-art haunt A6 Gallery, closed 14 months ago—a victim of high-rise condo economics.
Bad frogs: Not to mention eels, jellyfish (in Lake Mead!) mussels and a few more of our favorite invasive species; Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008; Clawed frogs—they may be the world’s only interesting-sounding amphibian. But they’re also illegal in Nevada—they jack up the ecosystem—and last week state game wardens fined a Florida company $3,600 for distributing them, this after seizing 68 clawed frogs from across Nevada.
Four questions with The Dwarves lead singer Blag Dahlia: Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008; "You know, we enjoy it, and we do it really well because we’re older and we come from a period where punk rock was a lot more aggressive, fun and wild. The present form of punk has some nice things about it, but mostly it’s pretty fucking tepid and weak." --Blag Dahlia, lead singer of The Dwarves
Rabbit hunting: I'm the Rabbit is not The Clydesdale; Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008; As the ridiculously tall and lanky Andrew Karasa sits behind his drum kit, something seems out of place.
Howlin' Rain: Magnificent Fiend; Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008; This S.F. neo-soul outfit sounds so ’70s, you can almost smell the incense and pot wafting through the air when this CD comes on.
To Wiki or not, that is the question: In the election season, Wikipedia can be politically useful—but for some it poses a mean temptation; Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008; State Senator Bob Beers loves Wikipedia. The conservative politician and former computer consultant—like pretty much everyone else—uses the user-edited and maintained encyclopedia to do everything from look up TV shows to analyze Nevada history.
Selling platters: A passion for vinyl grows into a budding business; Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008; Bobby Franks is a self-professed vinyl dork. With a collection numbering in the hundreds, he knows a cool-looking platter can mean the difference between a record selling at a show and ending up in a dollar bin—a major factor behind the 28-year-old Las Vegan’s recent decision to found Running in Place Records, a vinyl-only label.
Mr. Lewis and the Funeral 5: Murder and the Art of Dance; Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008; This Austin, Texas, quintet’s morose, minor-key vaudevillian tunes aren’t the best we’ve ever heard, but its occasionally catchy, morbid riffs—not to mention Mr. Lewis’ unique, if somewhat irritating vocals—are interesting enough. If you’re looking to bury a corpse in the dead of night somewhere near Laughlin, there are far worse soundtracks.
Hawnay Troof: Islands of Ayle; Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008; The newest album from Oakland-based psycho-popster Vice Cooler (better known as the frontman of XBXRX) is a blitzkrieg of groovy rhythms, clumsy-yet-cool rhymes and total synth-slamming abuse.
Ron's report: Former KTNV sports reporter Ron Futrell talks about his recent arrest, his firing and the media’s role; Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008; For nearly 25 years, Ron Futrell was the face of KTNV Channel 13. His laid-back, friendly demeanor, coupled with solid sports reporting and an instantly recognizable voice, made the 51-year-old father of four welcome into thousands of homes each night. But it’s been a rough summer for Futrell. After finding out his contract with the station would expire in December, and after a late-night car accident and his subsequent arrest July 25, which ended with his firing from the station for “serious misconduct,” Futrell’s nice-guy image has taken a shellacking.
Vegas calling: Local punk didn't die, it went underground - to house gigs, desert shows, and the streets - where it's been embraced by a new generation; Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008; It's close to dusk, and the roar of an Air Force F-15 screams through the air. East Side Joe covers his ears slightly. His place, which everyone calls East Side Joe’s, looks like the sort of place that might be the last spot you’re seen alive. Two decrepit houses sit on the eight-acre property; rotted-out refrigerators, shattered concrete foundations and destroyed air-conditioning units litter the ground. Signs warning that “Trespassers will be Shot” discourage the homeless and meth-using squatters from coming too close.
Old Man Syndrome: Get Bent EP; Thursday, Aug. 21, 2008; Despite what the band’s name might suggest, this four-song EP actually sounds kinda fresh.
(S)Miley face: Dark Knight-inspired campaign-sign vandalism may actually be helping one candidate; Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008; Candidates vying for office will try anything to get attention—sleazy campaign ads, political fliers slamming other candidates, ubiquitous roadway signs. But odds are many voters will remember District Court Department 23 candidate Stephanie Miley more as the victim of “Batmania.”
What's in a name?: What we expected a few of Amplify!!'s acts to sound like, versus what they actually did; Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008; Narayan: Name suggests: Skinhead oi! punk (playing off the word “Aryan,” of course). Actual sound: Maroon 5-y soul-pop, fronted by an Asian singer. That must hurt: The lead singer sat on his guitar stand during the last two songs of the set—on purpose.
The Love Me Nots: Detroit; Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008; A sexy drenching of groovy bass licks and retro Farfisa organ whines combined with smoky girl-on-girl vocals and perfectly grindy surf-rock guitars.
Close call: Rejavanate still brewing up music; Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008; It’s been a quiet week over at Rejavanate. Following a large brawl during a July 26 show featuring LA punk band Naked Aggression, the indie coffee haunt was rumored to have stopped booking concerts altogether. Fortunately for the Vegas all-ages scene, the music plays on … at least for now. “We didn’t want to take a risk,” Rejavanate co-owner Hercules Cummings says. “So we had to stop doing shows for the week.”
Jabba the shirt: Wear him today: Thursday, Aug. 7, 2008; They called him Jabba the Huntridge, the foul-mouthed, ill-tempered and morbidly obese security guard at the historic Huntridge Theatre who patted down thousands of kids on their way into the former concert venue. Though it’s rumored the man passed away some years ago, his legacy lives on … in the form of a T-shirt.
12 reasons to not hate the bus: Because the C.A.T. system needs some love; Thursday, July 31, 2008; It’s been a month of bad PR for the C.A.T. bus system. Whether it’s a crazy guy hijacking a bus or an alleged perpetual drunk crashing into a bus stop, finding reasons to like public transportation is harder than ever. Here are a few.
Run, don’t walk: Taking a stroll through Las Vegas’ ‘most walkable’ neighborhood; Thursday, July 24, 2008; When walking-enthusiast website walkscore.com rated Las Vegas the No. 18 most walkable city in the country, we all scoffed, of course. When being a pedestrian is seen more as a liability than an advantage, you know there’s a problem with the way walking is seen around town.
"One great big family": Alt-rock scene bands together to help ailing bassist Watkins; Thursday, July 24, 2008; As Mike Watkins, 26-year-old bassist for Vegas band Nous, smashes into best friend Dave McCraw while moshing his brains out to local metal act Parannoyd during a benefit show in his honor July 16 at the Cheyenne Saloon, you’d never guess he’s sick.
Aggress me!: Thursday, July 24, 2008; Wisconsin’s Naked Aggression aren’t your normal ’90s Midwest punk-rockers.
Onara: Out of Print; Thursday, July 17, 2008; A sort of treatise on the state of industrial rock, Onara’s Out of Print might be one of the most manic CDs ever recorded.
Blades of steel: Thursday, July 10, 2008; Jack Dagger, otherwise known as the “King of Fling,” has tossed knives at everyone from potential Louisiana politicians looking for notoriety to targets (or possibly people) on one of those crazy super-surreal Japanese game shows.
Identity Crisis?: Nearly a year after its debut, Fremont East is hanging on, even if it means trying to forget its skanky past; Thursday, July 10, 2008; Sometimes finding—and shedding—an identity is tough, especially when that identity is a gateway to drugs, sex and debauchery only yards away from nearly a dozen successful locals joints.
Th' seven signs: Thursday, July 3, 2008; Everyone in the lunatic fringe of America’s Southern-tinged swamp-rock scene knows Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers vocalist and all-around madman, Col. J.D. Wilkes.
Femmes fatales: Call The Broads a girl band and they’ll grind your friggin’ head in!; Thursday, June 26, 2008; Vocalists Deneva Viera and Malley Rosen are a study in contrasts … sort of. Viera is a short Latina who looks like a gust of wind could knock her down, while Rosen is a tall white girl who could probably tear off your head if she so pleased.
No Escape: Drugs, jail and tragedy: Escape the Fate co-founder and bassist Max Green speaks out; Thursday, June 26, 2008; It’s been kind of crazy for Escape the Fate co-founder and former vocalist Max Green lately. The 24-year-old bassist has only been back in town for a couple of days and he’s already been swept up by the storm that is Ronnie Radke, his onetime best friend. But the storm isn’t something new to Green; he’s been dealing with it since he and Radke were involved in a May 2006 fight that left one dead. Since then, legal issues, drug abuse and fights with the other members of the group forced Green to kick his best friend out of the group in January.

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