what the...?

AP Source: Tyler says he'll be an 'Idol' judge

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Wow! That's a big change for this show! An actual rock'n'roller as a judge?! I wonder if this means that he will be a guest judge or a full time one. Very strange!

33 year anniversary - RIP Marc Bolan

Marc's untimely demise was even sadder because it was overshadowed by Elvis passing on the same day. As a glam fanatic who just turned 20, Bolan was far more relate-able and relevant than Presley, who was past his prime before I was even socially conscious. I listen to T. Rex regularly to this day and am still impressed by his talent and am still saddened by this loss.

Las Vegas Shakedown, Sunday the 15th, August 2010, The Beauty Bar and the Country Saloon

By the last night of the Shakedown, we were pretty beat, but still determined to check out several acts for the finale.

We got to the Beauty Bar in time to see the Wooly Bandits, another garage band that we've seen once or twice, but it had been a few years and they have improved considerably over that time. As I discovered from their website today, the bassist (Rik Collins) and guitarist (Mark Bellgraph) got together to back up Sky Saxon before striking out on their own and recording for Dionysus as a three piece. They then added former Disney child star (no fooling!) Christa Collins (formerly Larson - check out her Disney video - she talks about it on their site, so apparently is not trying to hide it) on keys and vocals but kept her kinda in the background for a while. Obviously someone realized the promo possibilities of an attractive and charismatic female frontperson (as opposed to - no offense - the rather forgettable guys) and she is now the star and is confident and sassy front and center. They now have a keyboardist that doubles on guitar and yet another attractive female (Rikki Styxx) who is a terrific drummer filling out the line up. The tunes are strong and, showing their versatility, they covered Alice Cooper's "Is It My Body" - an extended version from a bootleg video that the Tommyknockers used to do, as well - along with the Motorhead/Girlschool version of Johnny Kidd and the Pirates "Please Don't Touch".

Pat Todd and the Rank Outsiders came next, with their country-tinged punk rock, quality songs and Todd's stellar showmanship. Still reminiscent of the Lazy Cowgirls, but with a bit more variety and even the occasional acoustic guitar, they put on a great show and the fact that Pat is still rockin' after all of this time is a testament to his commitment to r'n'r! Added attraction is ex-Cowgirls bassist Keith back with Pat!

After the Outsiders we moved over to the Country Saloon to catch the Morlocks, who I haven't seen in decades. Things were running a bit later over there and we saw most of Spindrift, a psychedelic outfit that reminded me a bit of an 80's European psyche outfit, the Yellow Sunshine Explosion. A little bizarre in a live setting, with their autoharps, flutes, double neck bass and other odd instruments, but cool and trippy.

There was yet another unexplained long delay before the Morlocks finally appeared. They came out strong but soon it was obvious that the drummer was not at his best. He played fine but in between songs he seemed to lose concentration, start walking around and almost wonder where he was. They managed to get through about 5 tunes, including a garage version of "Sittin' on Top of the World", a Howlin' Wolf song I didn't recognize, the Flamin' Groovies "Teenage Head" and another couple of covers. Frontman Leighton said that the soundman told them to stop, though it didn't seem as if they were going to make it through much more anyway. Hopefully, this night was just a fluke and not the norm for the group, as they are currently on tour and when they are on, they are a top-notch garage outfit.

We had hoped to see the Bellrays and Prima Donna back at the Beauty Bar, but even after the long delays at the Country Saloon, there was still the Oi punk of the Lower Class Brats before the Bellrays and we just couldn't ,make it any longer.

So, again, sorry to all that we missed - I'm sure there was a lot of good music that we didn't see - but it was a good r'n'r weekend.

Las Vegas Shakedown, Saturday the 14th, August 2010, The Beauty Bar

For the second night of the Shakedown, we situated ourselves at the Beauty Bar, as the Country Saloon was hosting what appeared to be a night of psychobilly, which didn't appeal to us too terribly much. The BB is a fun little dive bar, and is much less professional than the Country Saloon, with barely functioning restrooms, no lighting system, an ok PA and an outdoor stage which means that you freeze in the winter, or broil in the summer, as people - especially the non-Vegas residents - did this night.

Again, due to home responsibilities and the need to catch up on our sleep, we didn't get downtown until almost 9:00, intending to get there for the Dragons. We made it in time to see most of the set of the Zodiac Killers, a Rip-Offs spin off who used their same insult-the-audience-while-barely-playing-simple-punk-rock-songs schtick.

But then came the mighty Dragons, absolutely the highlight of the weekend for me! I truly think these cats were one of the, if not the, best American r'n'r band of the 90's (Thee Hypnotics being the best British band and the Hellacopters being the best Swedish band) and it still amazes me that they were never snatched up by a major label. Just shows the failings of the record company system in this country. They had it all - charismatic stage presence, superb playing and incredible songs. All of these were highlighted again this night, with some of their best tunes (minus my fave, "High", which was a little disappointing, but with their vast repertoire, it's difficult to please everyone), tons of high energy and tight interaction. Lead guitarist Kenny flies all over the fingerboard of his Flying V, while Mario leads the way and Steve and Jarrod hold down one of the best rhythm sections on the planet! Can't say enough good about this band - see them if they do any more reunions!

After that breath-taking set came Throw Rag. Neither of us have seen the group in ages - possibly decades - and they were more punk and less swampy-blues than we remembered and not bad, just nothing that really stood out.

Melanie's raison d'etre for the weekend was the Humpers, one of her fave bands ever. They came on and everything immediately reverted to chaotic anarchy as lead singer Scott Drake lept into the audience within seconds and retained his microphone for maybe half of the set after that. Fun-filled madness ensued as they tore through their most well-known tunes and had the crowd jumping and singing and catching Scott throughout the night. Far from the tightest set of the weekend (lead guitarist Billy in particular seemed to have succumbed to some Vegas temptations before the set) but certainly one of the more enjoyable.

We didn't make it to the Mau-Maus closing set - we're just getting too old for these long nights! We'll see what we make it through tonight!

Las Vegas Shakedown, Friday the 13th, August 2010, Las Vegas Country Saloon

Living in the suburbs of Las Vegas makes the participation in these Vegas r'n'r weekenders much more difficult than it is when you simply come to town for the show and stay at a hotel in the vicinity. Having to still take care of your errands, your dog, your house, etc, means that you are less likely to make the 1/2 hour drive downtown to see a band or two and then go back home until the next band that you want to see goes on. It's much simpler when your hotel is feet away!

So, that said, we have already missed several bands that we would have liked to have seen and we haven't even gone out for the second night! So, sorry to anyone we know who we have missed!

Friday night we just went to the Las Vegas Country Saloon and did not venture over to the nearby Beauty Bar to see the acts playing there. The Country Saloon is a decent sized, professional venue with great stage, sound and lighting, so a fine place to see a band. We got there as the Omens were playing. These cats (and cute female keyboardist) are another semi-trashy garage act - not bad, just not doing anything new with the genre. Since I was involved in the revival in the early 80's, hearing bands do similar things 30 years later doesn't do a whole lot for me any more. But, those who are still into the genre are sure to dig this band.

Muck and the Mires won the Little Steven garage band talent search and are a cleaned up garage/pop act that probably take as much from the Knack as from the original 60's garage bands (that the Knack was borrowing from, as well). Talented and tight, they got to be a little samey after awhile, though their closing number (and their current video), the rockin' "Doreen", is a terrific r'n'r tune and really stood out from the rest of the set. Oh, they did a fab take on the Knickerbockers' "Lies", with the vocals to pull it off, as well!

For some reason there was an extraordinarily long wait until the Superbees went on that was never explained, as the band was obviously ready long before they started. This pushed the rest of the night back a good hour or more, which was a bit of a drag. But, the 'Bees - who, as far as I know have not played for years - put on their usual high-energy, Detroit-styled r'n'r show, fronted by the talented Dave James, who has played in numerous LA r'n'r combos. Truly one of the highlights of the night and a group that we haven't see in forever. They also had a guest appearance by Thunderbolt Patterson, the drummer of the Dictators, on vocals for a version of the Dics' "Minnesota Strip".

This was followed by the 60's biker-rock frenzy of the Lords of Altamont. Led by organist Jake Cavaliere, the group has has one of the strongest images in existence today, has fans around the world and puts on an amazing live show. The group is flanked by sexy go-go girls (a blond, a brunette and a redhead, so that all of the bases are covered) and Jake spends as much time on top of his organ and he does playing it. He sets fire to it for the show's climax and tries not to immolate himself in the process (as he has done a time or two in the past)!

The extreme trash-rock of the Rip Offs came next and they put on their usual act of insulting their audience in a Don-Rickles-on-crack kinda way while decimating 3 chord punk rock songs that tend to fall apart due to trash being thrown at them by adoring fans and their own flailing around. The audience loved them and were more-than-willing participants in the madness that went on and on.

Finally, the act that everyone had come to see, but not everyone make it til the end to experience - the fantastic Zeros! These cats started as young teenagers in the mid-70's and still manage to put out a rockin' set of some of the best and coolest punk rock (with a poppy edge) ever put together. Javier Escovedo is as stylish as he was in 1977 and is joined by original members and all around good guys Baba Chenelle on drums and Hector Penalosa on bass (and vocals - everyone wrote for the group, which makes their utterly cohesive sound all that much more amazing). For some reason Robert Lopez (now El Vez) couldn't make it to the gig so Javier's supremely talented brother (and front man for the Dragons), Mario, sat in and fit in perfectly. A truly excellent set of excellent tunes and everyone went home tired but happy to have seen these legends!

See Las Vegas Lass' photo stream for some cool pix of the night!

Las Vegas Shakedown this weekend!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 13TH

LAS VEGAS COUNTRY SALOON

THE ZEROS – 12:20 a.m.
THE RIP-OFFS – 11 p.m.
LORDS OF ALTAMONT – 10 p.m.
THE SUPERBEES (featuring Thunderbolt Patterson of The Dictators) – 9 p.m.
MUCK & THE MIRES – 8 p.m.
THE OMENS – 7 p.m.
THEE FINE LINES – 6 p.m.
SLIPPERY SLOPES – 5 p.m.

BEAUTY BAR

DEADBOLT – 1:15 a.m.
THREE BAD JACKS – 12:10 a.m.
ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN – 11 p.m.
THE HANGMEN – 10 p.m.
THREE BLUE TEARDROPS – 9 p.m.
THE TURBO A.C.’S – 8 p.m.
THE FARAWAY BOYS – 7 p.m.
VOODOO SWING – 6 p.m.
IGOR SPECTRE – 5 p.m.


SATURDAY, AUGUST 14TH

LAS VEGAS COUNTRY SALOON

THE NEKROMANTIX – 12:20 a.m.
THE GUANA BATZ – 11:10 p.m.
VICTORIA VENGEANCE BURLESQUE PERFORMANCE – 11:00 p.m.
THE CHOP TOPS – 10:00 p.m.
MAD MARGE AND THE F-BOMBS – 9:00 p.m.
THE HENCHMEN – 8:00 p.m.
THE MEMPHIS MORTICIANS – 7:00 p.m.
LOS CREEPERS – 6:00 p.m.
THE RIFF RAFFS – 5:00 p.m.

BEAUTY BAR

THE MAU MAUS – 12:20 a.m.
THE HUMPERS – 11:00 p.m.
THROW RAG – 10:00 p.m.
THE DRAGONS – 9:00 p.m.
THE ZODIAC KILLERS 8:00 p.m.
THE CLOROX GIRLS – 7:00 p.m.
FLEXX BRONCO – 6:00 p.m.
THE BOURBON SAINTS – 5:00 p.m.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 15TH

LAS VEGAS COUNTRY SALOON

ANDRE WILLIAMS – 1:00 a.m.
JAIL WEDDINGS – 12:20 a.m.
THE WARLOCKS – 11:00 p.m.
GENTLEMAN JESSE & HIS BAND – 10:00 p.m.
THE MORLOCKS – 9:00 p.m.
SPINDRIFT – 8:00 p.m.
THE BARRERACUDAS – 7:00 p.m.
GESTAPO KHAZI – 6:00 p.m.
JOHN CARPENTER – 5:00 p.m.

BEAUTY BAR

PRIMA DONNA – 1 a.m.
THE BELLRAYS – 12 a.m.
LOWER CLASS BRATS – 11:00 p.m.
THE STITCHES – 10:00 p.m.
THE FLASH EXPRESS – 9:00 p.m.
PAT TODD & THE RANK OUTSIDERS – 8:00 p.m.
THE WOOLY BANDITS – 7:00 p.m.
THE VERMIN – 6:00 p.m.
THE HITCHHIKERS – 5:00 p.m.

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It'll be just like hanging out in LA in the "old days" again!