Story Archive

Three hours with Leonard Cohen at the Colosseum

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Few convergences along this city’s strange, 65-year musical odyssey have been quite as peculiar as last Thursday’s pairing of reclusive folk-rock legend and center-Strip casino venue.

What is Surfer Blood?

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009

Kooky kids who recorded their debut album in a university dorm room? Five non-surfing Floridians? Something else?

The man comes around

An interview with Beauty Bar owner Paul Devitt

Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

An interview with Beauty Bar owner (and new manager) Paul Devitt.

Loving Leonard: The Cohen songs we’ll never get enough of

Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009

Weekly editors weigh in on the Leonard Cohen selections we'd gladly keep on repeat.

Death don’t have no mercy for musicians

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2009

Consider taking out life insurance before listening to these songs recorded just before their creators’ deaths.

Count on Dusty to reel ’em in

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

Less than a week after the first Las Vegas Rumble barely drew 30 bodies to the Aruba Showroom, a crowd of some 120 has flocked to the same room.

Built to Spill

There Is No Enemy

Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009

Doug Martsch sounds tired.

Mission of Burma

The Sound the Speed the Light

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009

It’s time someone said it: Mission of Burma’s reunion phase has eclipsed the band’s original era.

Vegas' own Willy Wonka

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

Growing up in France, Lionel Clement created elaborate desserts with his mother, and dreamt of doing so on a larger stage. This weekend, the Wynn Hotel’s chief chocolatier will do just that at the prestigious World Chocolate Masters competition.

Rumble, young bands, rumble!

A "mobile monthly party" is rolling on Vegas, and it's free

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

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. And here's the best part, it's free!

The Lazystars

Light of Day EP

Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009

The Lazystars must get laid a lot. Now, they have new bait that will likely net them female and male fans.

Van Morrison at the Joint: A few dry observations

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009

Alcohol was not served during Van Morrison's concert. Really.

The Twilight Sad

Forget the Night Ahead

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009

Not all U.K. bands suck.

Save this concert! (redux)

Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009

We still don't expect to see Leonard Cohen here, but we're praying!

Hey, No Age, stop following me around!

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009

Why is an LA noise-pop duo stalking a Weekly editor?

A night with Karen O seven years in the making

Yeah Yeah Yeahs at The Pearl, September 19

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009

Seven years after an intoxicating first experience with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Spencer Patterson finds a band that's not truly there.

Neon Reverb beefs up the bottom line

Third edition of the music festival succeeds in drawing crowds, spotlighting local scene

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009

After losing some $5,000 in the spring, Neon Reverb came out almost even this time, in spite of our weak-ass economy.

Circulatory System

Signal Morning

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

Okay, let’s get it out of the way: Jeff Mangum plays on this record, "plays" being the operative word here.

The Weekly playlist: Say Yeah!

Get psyched for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ first Vegas show in seven years with these tunes

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

Get psyched for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ first Vegas show in seven years with these tunes.

What to see at Neon Reverb?

Breaking down the lineup, one night at a time

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

A night-by-night festival study guide, so you can catch the best the lineup has to offer.

Further Reverberations

Downtown-based music fest looks to expand its sphere of influence

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

The fall version of Neon Reverb was designed to be far smaller than its spring counterpart, but there are more than 100 acts listed for this weekend's festival. Hmmmm.

Polvo

In Prism

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

For the past decade, Polvo has chiefly existed as one of those quintessential indie bands most regular folks have never actually heard.

B.B., meet The Beatles

Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

The Beatles Revolution Lounge won't be the only club at the Mirage dedicated to a musical legend for much longer. Soon to open: B.B. King’s Blues Club.

Vivian Girls

Everything Goes Wrong

Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009

Virtually every Vivian Girls song unfolds the same way. And you know what? It’s a fun freaking formula. No matter how many times I hear it, I want to hear it again. And again. And again.

Sleepy scene

Sleep Sun rocks for almost no one at the Bunkhouse

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

Seriously, Sleepy Sun sounded so righteous, it could have eaten Wolfmother for breakfast and left room for a few more Blue Cheer riffs at lunchtime.

Depeche Mode

The Pearl, August 22

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009

Depeche Mode ended up opening for itself, playing three songs off their flat new disc before unleashing a string of grade-A catalog cuts that showed why it can charge $200 a head 15 years after most of America stopped paying attention.

Three questions with Sleepy Sun

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009

Guitarist Matt Holliman chats about how moving from Santa Cruz to San Francisco, psychedelic rock, and the interesting roster of acts on the ATP record label.

Kings of Leon

The Joint, August 19

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009

Alternating between somewhat gritty Southern garage-rock and more M.O.R. arena cuts, Kings of Leon did nothing to embarrass (unless you count those distracting and unnecessary video screens), but did little to stand out, either.

Green for a Day

Thursday, Aug. 20, 2009

Dreamt of being the fourth member of Green Day? (And really, who hasn’t?) You could actually get your chance on Friday.

Worth getting there early

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

A quality support act can make for a cool surprise, but it’s even better showing up for a show knowing the opener will start the night off right. On August 19—a Wednesday, of all things—you can do just that, times two.

Our own private (Under)World

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

In case we needed confirmation, we got it last Thursday: Las Vegans are officially lame. So Underworld crossed the Atlantic to open its first U.S. tour in who-knows-how-long at the Joint, and a few hundred people bothered to check it out.

Numbers Like Pi

Conversations as Currency EP

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

Who knew the studio could be such a band-killer? Already this year, Vegas rockers Cherry Hill and Skorchamenza released new discs and called it quits, and now local group Numbers Like Pi has done likewise.

Japandroids

Post-Nothing

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009

More than anything, Post-Nothing makes one yearn to witness Japandroids’ electricity live, preferably in a small, dark space with stuff falling off the walls.

And who said you could nick our name?

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2009

If Glasvegas expects to be taken the least bit seriously, the band needs to recruit a real drummer. Or, perhaps, encourage current drummer Caroline McKay to get a real drum kit.

Save This Concert!

Thursday, July 30, 2009

We never expected to see Leonard Cohen here, and we’re afraid we still might not.

Magnolia Electric Co.

Josephine

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Josephine is Magnolia Electric Co.’s darkest hour yet—a collection of sparse, down-tempo material that pays tribute to the group’s fallen comrade, in spirit if not in exact substance.

The warehouse, revisited

Vegas’ underground music scene comes full storage, er, cycle

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Vegas’ underground music scene comes full cycle as Kid Meets Cougar, Pan de Sal and Ex Dinosaur pack fans into a storage unit.

Happy birthday, Kid Meets Cougar

Thursday, July 16, 2009

A chat with the local indie couple/band on the occasion of this week’s debut CD release show.

The Dead Weather

Horehound

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Quick survey: who wants to hear Chuck Berry shake maracas? Or Tom Morello blow a trombone? How about Eddie Van Halen at the xylophone? Great guitarists are best left … how best to say it … PLAYING THE FREAKING GUITAR!

Man vs. live sushi

Lunch, still twitching

Thursday, July 16, 2009

"The thought of biting into “live” sushi as it thrashed about thrilled me far more than it terrified" A reporter takes on the freshest of the fresh at Wazuzu and chef Jet Tila shares his recipe for garlic crusted lobster.

The Soviet & The Onset

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Two of three members are brothers to Caravels bassist Cory Van Cleef, and Caravels guitarist Dillon Shines co-produced this debut disc, but don’t go thinking the two bands sound alike.

Caravels

Thursday, July 9, 2009

The full-on gut-wallop comes with live proximity, but these six home recordings summon up a healthy kinetic blast all the same.

Sunset Rubdown

Thursday, July 9, 2009

As the project for which Krug composes almost single-handedly, Sunset Rubdown offers the truest barometer of his powers.

Hoop dreaming

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Las Vegas might never be home to an NBA team, but how many cities can say they’ve got their own NBA league—even if it is for just 10 days in July?

Interview Issue: James Woodbridge

Thursday, July 2, 2009

The music promoter/philosophy professor theorizes about the local scene, venues and Neon Reverb.

The Lurks

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Rough as the low-bit-rate, MySpace-ripped, live version of “Dinner for a Dog” I’ve had on my iPod for the past year sounds, it was with some trepidation that I cued up the studio version that leads off The Lurks’ new debut disc.

The Mars Volta

Octahedron

Thursday, July 2, 2009

The first time i placed Octahedron into my computer, it was met with a metal-on-metal grinding sound. I barely looked up from my reading. I mean, we are talking about The Mars Volta.

Tortoise

Beacon of Ancestorship

Thursday, June 25, 2009

At a Will Oldham show years ago, I met a music fan with the e-mail address tortoisesucks@somesuchdomain.com.

60-second video critic

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Move over Toni Basil and Ryan Pardey’s murderous Santa Claus; there’s a new contender for Vegas’ best-ever music video.

Box Elders

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Mother’s Little Helpers would have been a more fitting band name, as this 14-track/30-minute fuzzy-pop barrage worships at the feet of the early Stones and Kinks.