Thee Swank Bastards - Motor City Cafe, Saturday, September 22, 2012

Thee Swank Bastards have been Las Vegas' premier instrumental band (also one of the only instrumental bands, but that's beside the point) for over a decade now. Dressed in matching black suits and often accompanied by a topless hula-hooping go-go girl, their mission has been to bring their own unique brand of surf music to the deserts of Vegas.

Unlike many surf bands, the Bastards actually have real songs (putting them in the same league as LA's Boardwalkers or the Black Widows, in my mind) and all three - Jesse del Quadro on guitar, Shaun Coleman on bass and John Holod on drums - are stellar musicians and showmen. Jesse spits out riffs and runs maniacally while interacting with the audience and joining people on the dance floor. Shaun, with a ZZ Top-worthy beard, holds down the bass and tells tasteless jokes while John propels it all with perfectly punctuated percussion.

These cats literally will play just about anywhere, any time, for any occasion - they have played all over the country and for all sorts of events - so there is no excuse for not seeing them. They will come near you before you know, so check 'em out and be sure to pick up their records, as well! Check 'em out on Facebook here.