2012 recap

As with any year, 2012 had it's share of good & bad, ending with the terrible news of my next older sister, Mary, passing, along with local friend Greg Verdusco succumbing to cancer. This made it hard to be celebratory for the holidays, and Melanie's nasty cold leaving her bed-ridden for days only added to us wishing for 2012 to come to a close!

But, on the other hand, Melanie finished her Masters Degree with Distinction and I became a Certified Bookkeeper, so we both accomplished goals for personal improvement (hers taking much longer and being far more intense than mine, of course!)

The Swamp Gospel played with lots of cool bands such as the Psyatics, Shandaleers, Tinglerz, Lucky Cheats, Bogtrotters Union, Beau and the Outfit, Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, the Dirt Daubers, Thee Pigasus, and our one year anniversary show with Thee Swank Bastards. We also played the wedding reception for congregation members Aaron Siemsen (first to receive a certificate of salvation from the SG!) and Erin Stellman - a fine party for a great couple!

We also recorded 4 songs in an actual recording studio - one of the last projects that was done at Chrome Werewolf (thanks Brian!). CDs of these demos available by request or at our shows. Melanie designed other fine merch for the band, as well, so see us to see what we have up our sleeves next!

Also on a musical note, I joined Atomic Cossack, led by ex-Steppes John Fallon along with his son Cromm Fallon (Acton Town/Astairs) and Chris Glasser (Ronald Rayguns) to create a psych/pop/mod Vegas band!

I added another guitar to my arsenal - a new Epiphone Wilshire that I hope to use live soon.

Melanie and I started making the rounds of more classic Vegas steak houses such as Pamplemousse, Bob Taylor’s Ranch House, Binion’s Steak House, and the Golden Steer and hope to hit more in 2013.

Fave records of the year (not necessarily released this year and in no particular order) - Shillaly Brothers - Too Drunk To Fight, Sick Rose - No Need For Speed, Johnny Winter - Progressive Blues Experiment, Betty Davis' debut, The Jackets - Way Out, The Love Me Nots - Detroit, Paul Butterfield Blues Band's debut, The Shits - Dingleberry Fields Forever, Yeller Bellies - Here to Suffer and Boys Will Be Boys, Lucky Cheats - Sugar in the Tank, Charlie Musselwhite - Stand Back!, Little Walter - The Blues World of Little Walter, and the Black Widows - Revenge of the Black Widows.

Fave Books of the year (ditto) - Alice Bag - Violence Girl, Raisin’ Cane - Johnny Winter, and Can’t Be Satisfied - the Life and Times of Muddy Waters by Robert Gordon (seems like there should be more - might have to look into that some more).

Asst RIPs - Davy Jones (Monkees), Michael Davis (MC5), Dick Clark, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Jon Lord (Deep Purple/Artwoods), Ray Collins and Jim Sherwood of the Mothers of Invention, Lee Dorman (Iron Butterfly/Captain Beyond), Ravi Shankar, Ed Cassidy (Spirit) and too many others.

Some fave shows - Darkness/Foxy Shazam - HOB Feb 17, Avengers - LV Country Saloon May 27, Foxy Shazam - Aruba June 25, Bloody Villains/Psyatics/Cold Blue Rebels - Cheyenne Saloon July 21, The Heavy at the Cosmopolitan Book and Stage June 30, Tinglerz - Double Down Nov 15, Lucky Cheats - Saddles’n’Spurs Nov 4 - again, probably more that I'm forgetting about and I'm not counting SG gigs!

Oh yeah - Obama won! Thank the fates!

Hoping for less negativity in 2013 and lots more fun and even more music!

Mott the Hoople - Live, Fillmore West, San Francisco

It seems that I have probably written about MTH more than just about any other band and, as much as I love them, that is probably due to the proliferation of comps and live CDs that have come out recently. Here we have another stellar release.

Compiled from two shows at the Fillmore - one in 1970, on their first US tour, and one a year later. The song selection is based on their first couple of albums, of course, which works for me, as those are terrific! Ballads such as "Angel of Eighth Avenue" and "At the Crossroads" go up against stompers like "Walkin' With a Mountain", "Rock'n'Roll Queen" (with more of an organ solo than the studio version), "Keep-a-Knockin'" and "You Really Got Me". Some tunes mix both sides, such as the wonderful cover of "Darkness Darkness" and the Mick Ralphs original "Thunderbuck Ram". Other fine covers include "It'll Be Me" and "Laugh At Me". Ian rants at and berates the audience at times, which doesn't seem to be too professional, but I guess it did help get a reaction. I think they must have won over the crowd almost every time with performances like these!

There's even a bonus unreleased, unfinished (no vocals) studio track called "The Wreck of the LIberty Belle", which sounds like it could have been a dynamic tour-de-force had they completed it.

Again, this has been overseen by Overend Watts and includes a booklet jammed with otherwise unseen photos. Another great buy for MTH fans!

recommended gigs

Friday Dec 28 - Bogtrotters Union at the Bunkhouse
Friday Dec 28 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Dec 29 - Psyatics at the Double Down

Friday January 4 - The Lucky Cheats with the Delta Bombers - Favorites
Friday January 4 - The Tinglerz at the Bunkhouse
Friday January 4 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 5 - The Astaires (formerly Acton Town) at the Beauty Bar w/Pet Tigers

Wednesday January 9 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Griffin

Thursday Jan 17 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday Jan 23 - Psyactics/Tinglerz at the Griffin

Friday January 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Jan 26 - The Psyatics at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Feb 2 - The Astaires at Choices Pub w/Wreck Chords and New World Martyr

Monday Feb 4 - Nashville Pussy at Las Vegas Country Saloon

Friday February 8 - The Tinglerz at the Double Down with the Swamp Gospel!

Wednesday February 20 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Griffin

Saturday March 2 - Atomic Cossack at the Beauty Bar

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

I'm getting really tired of obituaries - RIP Ray Collins

Mothers of Invention vocalist Ray Collins dies, age 76

Singer Ray Collins, one of Frank Zappa‘s original Mothers of Invention, passed away on December 24, after being in a medically induced coma for several days.

Ray Collins started his musical career singing falsetto backup vocals for various doo-wop groups in the Los Angeles area in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including Little Julian Herrera and the Tigers. In 1964, Collins, drummer Jimmy Carl Black and bassist Roy Estrada joined with Frank Zappa to form The Soul Giants, which, under Zappa’s leadership, turned into the Mothers of Invention.

Ray was the lead vocalist on the Mothers’ early albums, including Freak Out!, Absolutely Free and Cruising with Ruben & the Jets. He contributed to other Zappa projects through the mid-1970s.

Ray Collins was 76 years old.

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 Early Mothers of Invention was a big part of my youth. So sorry to hear of his death....

And another one, goddamit:

Jim Sherwood, Original Mother of Invention, Dies at 69Experimental saxophonist and Zappa collaborator passed away on Christmas
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Muddy Waters at Newport 1960

C'mon, this is Muddy Waters live in 1960 - of course you should own it! Muddy was asked to participate in the fledgling Newport Jazz Festival (the first outdoor festival in the United States) on the basis of his fantastic early recordings and the power of his then-current band, who blew away Atlantic Records VP Nesuhi Ertegun at Chicago club Smitty's and insisted that they be added.

Muddy is backed by none other than James Cotton (harp), Pat Hare (guitar), Otis Spann (piano), Andrew Stephenson (bass) and Francey Clay on drums. This is the band that also recorded the studio tracks added here - the legendary "Tiger in Your Tank", "Soon Forgotten", "I Got My Brand on You" (all included in the live set) as well as "Meanest Woman". Waters used the festival to promote these recent recordings, as well as highlighting his hits "Hootchie Cootchie Man", "Baby Please Don't Go", "I Feel So Good" and "I Got My Mojo Working", which worked up the crowd so much that the band was brought back to play it again!

The previous night, young concert goers got a bit over zealous in the town of Newport and riot police were called in - I'm sure that was a first for this small town - and so this Sunday afternoon blues segment was that end of the festival and it wouldn't be repeated for another two years. MC & poet Langston Hughes spontaneously wrote "Goodbye Newport Blues", handed it to Spann at the end of the set and Otis sang this as a farewell to the festival.

This is Muddy doing what he does best - ok, it's not the all-star band with Willie Dixon, Little Water, etc., but pretty damn great none-the-less - and this helped propel his new career in front of white audiences that lasted the rest of his life. Fine stuff!

The Black Widows - Revenge of the Black Widows

The Black Widows are an LA-area instrumental "spider-rock" band (don't call them surf!) that mixes surf, jazz, punk and whatever else they damn well feel like into a cohesive - and incredible - rock'n'roll outfit. They wear black hoods to protects their severe identities, they are all-original, all-instrumental, all-evil. They are cool & they do not like you.

That said, they have deigned to give us another batch of mind-bogglingly amazing music! Unlike all too many instrumental surf combos who just find one riff, throw it in a I/IV/V progression, add a solo and call it a day, these cats give you memorable melodies (these songs will stick in your head - guaranteed!), cool changes and phenomenal playing.

Here they actually add some extra instruments to the mix now & again, with some hep horn sections, string-like keys ("Orange Squeezer is a heavier Issac Hayes - wow!) and even a swinging Tijuana Brass styled trumpet solo in "Burned Comanche". All of the tunes reference past, present and future - and all in a good way! You will not want the record to end and you will find yourself playing it over and over!

Members have changed on each of their albums, but now the band consists of the constant Dr. Vibe on guitar, no vocals, The Executioner on drums, no vocals, Pharoah Malo - bass, no vocals, and Count Funkula - guitar, no vocals. All of the records are highly recommended - the debut, Death by Guitar, sophomore effect Arocknaphobia, Live at KXLU and this current slab. Available through their website - go there and spend money now!

ZZ Top - La Futura

When "La Grange" first came smokin' out of the car radio in 1973, with it's Slim Harpo rhythms and hard-edged guitars, every teenager in the country cranked the dial in exhilaration to hear some rock'n'roll instead of the regular 70's radio drek. ZZ Top staked a name for themselves in the boogie-rock arena and has remained there to this day.

This latest album is a much acclaimed "return to form" with production by Rick Rubin and songs that are basically just the band, done in their traditional blues-rock format (without the horrible 80's synthesizer crap). The sound is strong and while everything is pretty good, nothing really reaches their heights, which I suppose, shouldn't be expected. There are a couple of ballads that I could live without, but overall, a good, though not exceptional, outing. Obviously, start with their amazing early work, but this is worth hearing, as well.

Unfortunately, we missed these cats when they just played Vegas, but glad to know that they are continuing to rock and it is ultra-cool that Billy is doing a Moving Sidewalks reunion! Hope he tours with them!

enough death already!

Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman dies at age 70
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recommended gigs

Friday Dec 21 - Thee Mapes - Motor City Cafe
Friday Dec 21 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Friday Dec 28 - Bogtrotters Union at the Bunkhouse
Friday Dec 28 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday January 4 - The Lucky Cheats with the Delta Bombers - Favorites
Friday January 4 - The Tinglerz at the Bunkhouse
Friday January 4 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Wednesday January 9 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Griffin

Wednesday Jan 23 - Psyactics/Tinglerz at the Griffin

Friday January 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Jan 26 - The Psyatics at the Bunkhouse

Monday Feb 4 - Nashville Pussy at Las Vegas Country Saloon

Friday February 8 - The Tinglerz at the Double Down with the Swamp Gospel!

Saturday March 2 - Atomic Cossack at the Beauty Bar

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

RIP Greg Verdusco

It is with a very heavy heart that I have to report that Vegas stalwart Greg Verdusco has passed away this weekend. The frontman for the might Bloody Villains, one of the best punk'n'roll bands to come out of Las Vegas, lost his fight with cancer, though he battled til the end. I honestly felt that he would be able to beat this because of his attitude and fire, but sometimes the fates conspire against all of us. This is a loss for everyone who cared for r'n'r. Greg has played in many bands for many years - I first saw him live in San Diego a couple of decades ago (he must have been a baby) and was impressed enough to buy his single. Once I saw the Villains in LV, I was knocked out and became a huge fan. I wish that I could have seen them more.

Greg & I only met a few times, but I enjoyed his company immensely and felt a kindred r'n'r spirit - and we had many a common friend. We had many similar views and I felt we could have become closer friends if only we had more time. I can only hope that we are wrong and that he has found peace in a heaven somewhere where he can be rejoined by his soul mate, Allison, some day.

The Passing Show - the Life and Music of Ronnie Lane

This documentary tracks the life and times of Ronnie Lane in an all-too-brief hour or so, from his time in the Small Faces (featuring some footage that I'd never seen before, as well as some classic cuts), to the Faces to his solo career in Slim Chance, who I was never very familiar with but sounded great here.

Of course, he has friends in high places, from the Stones to Clapton to Townshend and he has done concerts, albums and assorted projects with these cats and all were happy to be interviewed here and, again, there is some great video footage.

Lane's fight with MS is well known, and here is talks about the toil it took on him as well as the work he tried to do to help combat the disease, but was taken in by bad management. Still, he did what he could and continued to make music as long as his body would allow him to.

A very talented man who is often overlooked in the stories of bands and front men who he has helped to create. This makes me miss him more than ever and makes me want to look into more of his solo career. See it if you can!

Recommended gigs

I want to start posting about upcoming gigs every Thursday, so lemme know what's going on!


Saturday Dec 15 - The Swamp Gospel at the Double Down Saloon

Sunday December 16 - The Lucky Cheats and the Blasters at Vinyl

Wednesday Dec 19 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Griffin

Friday Dec 21 - Thee Mapes - Motor City Cafe
Friday Dec 21 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Friday Dec 28 - Bogtrotters Union at the Bunkhouse

Friday January 4 - The Lucky Cheats with the Delta Bombers - Favorites
Friday January 4 - The Tinglerz at the Bunkhouse

Friday January 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Jan 26 - The Psyatics at the Bunkhouse

Monday Feb 4 - Nashville Pussy at Las Vegas Country Saloon

Friday February 8 - The Tinglerz at the Double Down with the Swamp Gospel!

Saturday March 2 - Atomic Cossack at the Beauty Bar

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

The Heavy - Great Vengeance & Furious Fire and The House That Dirt Built

Great Vengeance and Furious Fire

I’ve raved about this new-soul cats before, but never got around to talking about their first two albums. This, their debut, starts out with a smoldering, slow groove on the oddly-titled “Brukpocket’s Lament” featuring just bass, minimal drums and vocals and a touch of guitar until a reverb-explosion introduces a cool solo. “Coleen” showcases the band’s real strengths though – Curtis Mayfield soul vocals, pounding drums (interesting production work here to make these stand out), nice horn lines and sweet female backup singing. The fuzz guitar on the ending is damn fierce, as well.

The group uses hip-hop influenced sampling here & there – sometimes just a brief snippet, sometimes as the basis for a song. Just a touch of a 50’s tune before “Set Me Free”, a smooth, danceable soul number that moves into “That Kind of Man”, reminiscent of an upbeat “Freddy’s Dead” (in fact, I’m wondering if that’s a sample there or simply the band emulating it). More laid back is “Doing Fine”, a slow, quiet, soul ballad that moves into a bit of between-song noise before the Spenser Davis/”I’m a Man” steal that makes up the rockin’ “Dignity”, which also, bizarrely, reminds me a bit of the Eagles of Death Metal – guess it uses a rhythm similar to something they would do.

A bit less intense, but still with an insistent beat, “Our Special Place” is a sweet love song that is balanced out by the extended pick-up line that is “Girl” – basically spoken word on top of a repeating bass & drum line. The whole group comes bashing back in for “In the Morning”, one of the best rock’n’soul numbers – super groove, great melody, and all-around good time! The record closes with a moody, piano ballad, “Who Needs the Sunshine?” featuring tremelo’d guitar and heartfelt vocals. Another short sample of  the doo-wop number “Forever My Darling” and they’re gone!

The House that Dirt Built

Beginning with a trailer from a horror movie this album blasts out from the gate with a stupendous garage-rocker, “Oh No! Not You Again!!” – organ-fueled with pumpin’, poundin’ drums, it’s over before ya know it and you’re sorry it is! Their hit from this record is the Curtis Mayfield/James Brown-ish soul/funk of “How You Like Me Now?”, which has appeared on commercials and TV shows and raised their profile considerably.

One of their more obvious samples is an abbreviated line from Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “Alligator Wine” that is used as the basis for “Sixteen”, a tribute to jail bait - salacious and groovy and damn infectious. “Short Change Hero” is a modern spaghetti western with a beat and a truly catchy chorus. A bit heavier is “No Time” with another memorable chorus of quickly repeated lines, another stompin’ rhythm and a cool, grungey guitar line. Built around a neat, descending riff, “Long Way From Home” is a well-crafted tune with plenty of melody  and neat changes. The lads take a swing at reggae in “Cause For Alarm”, a bit in like Althea & Donna to these ears – nice.

“Love Like That” sounds like a low-fi lark – kinda goofy, but still kinda cool. Then, in a major turnabout, like a dinosaur pacing the room, we get “What You Want Me To Do?”, a vicious and fuzz-drenched monster. There is a bit of a hip-hop feel here, as well, but not so much as to be obnoxious – still plenty of rock’n’roll attitude!

As with the debut, they close with a ballad, though “Stuck” is one of their softer moments, complete with strings added. Good pop, but not as hot as their upbeat numbers – a quiet ending to a fairly raucous album.

Totally dig these cats’ new soul sounds and highly recommend any & all of their offerings. They’re plenty of fun live, as well!

RIP Ravi Shankar

Indian sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar dies at 92 
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This man brought Indian music & the sitar to the Western masses and helped to bring about a major change in popular music. A major loss...

The Cramps – How to Make a Monster

I’m surprised that I never managed to get this 2004 compilation of unreleased rehearsals/demos/live takes before, but be that as it may, I’m glad I finally did! Of course, I love this band and they have been highly influential in my musical leanings for decades and this is a terrific snapshot of the early years of the group and how they progressed.

Included here is the first song they ever played as a group – the bubblegum tune “Quick Joey Small” – and the one & only time Lux played guitar with the group – “Lux’s Blues”. Demos with Bryan Gregory & his sister Pam Balam (their first drummer) that Lux later quietly overdubbed lyrics show how some of the songs morphed from inception to the versions that we all know & love, including some that wouldn’t appear until their second album.

There are takes with Miriam Linna, Kid Congo, Nick Knox (natch), and the various other 80’s members of the group. Cool, seminal versions of “Five Years Ahead of My Time”, “Call of the Wighat” (studio) and a great “Hanky Panky”! “Journey to the Center of a Girl” is quite different here, “Everything Goes” would later evolve into “Bikini Girls with Machine Guns” and “All Women Are Bad” was recorded in Lux & Ivy’s apartment in Hollywood! Also, uncredited, there is a psychotic happy birthday song that L&I recorded for Nick, a radio jingle and another “Hanky Panky”!

CD 2 consists of two live sets – one at Max’s Kansas City with Miriam on drums and later at CBGB’s with Nick. Miriam has a classic, primitive style (check out her solo sections in “I’m Cramped”) but when Knox arrived, the band really gelled. I loved this line-up, though I only got to see them once, at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go in ‘79/’80. They’re obviously a lot more comfortable on stage by this point and are becoming known around town, rather than being the obscure opening act. Pretty damn great here!

This set comes with an amazing booklet written by Lux & Ivy and jam-packed with photos (did you know that Ivy worked as a dominatrix in NYC to support the band?) including one of my old ’57 Dodge Coronet in front of their Hollywood rehearsal studio – my claim to fame – hah! Anyway, every fan will want this though obviously not a place for novices to begin. They certainly are missed!

It Might Get Loud - DVD

I love music & I love guitars. I love listening to music, playing music, learning about music, playing guitars, learning about guitars and learning about people who make music & play guitars. So, this DVD is definitely up my alley.

An interesting concept for a film - get together guitarists from three different generations and have them talk about what they've done, what got them started, and find out what they have in common. Not sure who choose the three, but there's Jimmy Page (Led Zep, natch), Jack White (White Stripes, of course) and, odd man out, "The Edge" (goofy name, which, according to this movie was some kind of dig at his haircut). I have never cared for U2 in the least - and I have tried since several friends have been fanatics - so his segments meant nothing to me, which is too bad as he probably has more air time than the other two (or maybe it just seems like it cuz I couldn't wait until he was off screen!).

Jimmy Page comes off as a true music lover to this day, who is still blown away as he listens to Link Wray's "Rumble" (grinning ear to ear as he does) and who loves sharing his music, whether it is on mandolin or acoustic guitar or whether it is blasting away at "Kashmir" and showing the other two the riffs. There are some wonderful early clips of Page - even him playing in his high school skiffle band! - and he walks through the estate where Led Zep 4 was recorded and explains a bit of the process.

Jack White is his own created character, but I can appreciate that as someone who thinks that musicians should have style as well as talent. His love for old sounds is obvious in his playing and also in his appreciation of the blues men who created the foundation of rock'n'roll. It is well known that Son House is one of hig biggest inspirations and he sits in rapt attention as he plays his vinyl album of House singing accapella. He even builds his own modern diddley-bow guitar in minutes for the camera and then plays it, making a wonderful cacophony through his fuzz and vintage gear.

The pairing of the three shows the contrasts in the styles - "The Edge" almost totally relies on effects, as he is a pretty mediocre guitarist, White plays in a very minimal and bluesy style, using old instruments and amps and pretty much just a Big Muff Pi fuzz box, and Page as the elder statesman who tried many different ways of getting new and exciting sounds while being an incredibly gifted player.

I'm not sure how this movie would translate for a non-musician, but I think that Page & White's enthusiasm is enthralling and would be enticing to anyone. I'm sure that U2 fans would appreciate seeing where the band first met & rehearsed and viewing some early clips, but it's White & Page that make it for me and who obviously have a chemistry together, since they have the same influences. When Page plays "Kashmir", White picks up on it almost immediately (even though Page has a different guitar tuning) and "The Edge" just seems lost. I understand wanting a contrast, but I think someone else would've been a better third party.

In any case, this is a fun overview of these cats and the interaction is cool and it is well worth the current discounted price.

RIP Ed Cassidy of Spirit

SPIRIT DRUMMER ED CASSIDY DEAD AT 89

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At least he lived a full life and gave this world lots of great music!

recommended gigs

I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna go about doing this or how often I will post things, but I think I want to list what I consider to be worthwhile upcoming gigs, whether or not I get to them myself (I'm old - I can't get to every show I'd like to see). So, for the couple of people who actually look at this blog, I'm going to periodically post gigs for good Vegas bands and touring bands playing in Vegas.

Sunday Dec 2 - Lost Bayiu Ramblers at Vinyl

Wednesday Dec 5 & Friday Dec 7 - ZZ Top - House of Blues

Friday Dec 7 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Bunkhouse with Burning Agrestic & La Vice.
Friday Dec 7 - Crazy Chief at Cowntown Guitars - starting at 6:00pm
Friday Dec 7 - Bogtrotters Union - Double Down Saloon

Saturday Dec 15 - The Swamp Gospel at the Double Down Saloon

Sunday December 16 - The Lucky Cheats and the Blasters at Vinyl

Friday Dec 21 - Thee Mapes - Motor City Cafe

Friday January 4 - The Lucky Cheats with the Delta Bombers - Favorites
Friday January 4 - The Tinglerz at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Jan 26 - The Psyatics at the Bunkhouse

Monday Feb 4 - Nashville Pussy at Las Vegas Country Saloon

Friday February 8 - The Tinglerz at the Double Down with the Swamp Gospel!

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

The Bogtrotter's Union - the Bunkhouse, Friday November 30, 2012

This was an oddly slow night for a Friday at the Bunkhouse, as my band, the Swamp Gospel, opened to a quite sparse, but enthusiastic, audience. A few fans showed up for second band, Gorillahead, a group of damn nice and talented guys doing what I tend to describe as alternative rock (for lack of a better description) - quite good at what they do and with a singer who can really sing, I wouldn't be surprised if they make a name for themselves in the local scene.

The highlight of the night for me was the Irish-stylings of Bogtrotters Union, a rather large conglomeration consisting of electric guitar, bass, drums, acoustic guitar, mandolin and banjo! Boisterous, in a proper Irish-drinking way, the lads each have their own identities, but join together for a mix of traditional sounds with punk energy. I totally dig the combination of acoustic instruments (though some were buried in the mix a bit this night) with pounding drums (Jeremy Tunender is a smasher!) and Steven Viveros' electric guitar blends with the whole rather than overpowering it. Marshall Lytle is a charismatic frontman & banjoist, Nick Boswell is a talented bassist/vocalist, Kevin Linsley adds nice mandolin and banjo riffs and Steven Sabo kinda holds together the mayhem with his acoustic rhythm guitar. Friendly guys who obviously have a great time on stage and really try to get the audience to have as much fun as they are having! These cats would be great on a bill with my pals, the Shillaly Brothers. Hope to see more of them soon.

Another night showing the diversity of the Vegas music scene and some of the good-hearted & talented people here.

The Lucky Cheats, the Sand Dollar Lounge, Wednesday November 28, 2012

The Sand Dollar has returned from its relatively short-lived career as the Bikini Bar and it looks as though it plans to return to its status as the Las Vegas blues club. It is a stand alone dive bar in the Chinatown district, so the location is a bit odd, but, being right off of the 15 Freeway, it is easy to get to from most of Vegas.

This night, the Cheats were opening for touring act Nikki Hill and with an incredibly reasonable scheduled starting time of 8:00pm, I thought that I'd be able to see some great music and still be home in bed at a sensible time, for a weeknight. Of course, things rarely turn out as planned, especially in Las Vegas!

The LC's did go on shortly after 8:00, but it turns out that they - to their own surprise, apparently - were scheduled to do two opening sets before Ms. Hill took the stage. So, they did a comparatively laid back, short initial set before taking a break and returning for a longer second round. As usual, these cats explored many variations on the blues, turning traditional numbers inside out with their own ideas ("King Bee" is almost unrecognizable musically, but in a good way - it becomes a dynamic stomper in their hands) as well as playing original tunes from their great CD, Sugar in the Tank.

I dig this band more every time I see them - the rhythm section consists of monster drummer Larry Raha and fluid bassist Luke Metz, accompanied by one of the best harp players around, Jeffrey Koenig and string-strangler Wade Braggs. As a guitarist myself, Wade constantly entertains and amazes with his talents - he truly has a great style and can infuse his solos with smooth sounds, biting edge and even a fun sense of humor. Once again, they brought up the lovely & talented Shanda (of the Shandaleers) for a few numbers, including a version of B.B.King's "3:00 Blues".

By the time the Cheats finished their second set it was almost 11:00 and I had hoped for the entire show to be over by that time, so I had to split before checking out Nikki Hill, who I have heard good things about and will be looking into further. Hopefully, when she returns, it will be on a weekend! Still, the Sand Dollar was packed when this old man left, so I'm sure she had a great audience. Kudos for DJ Lucky LaRue for setting up the gig and hopefully there will be many more!

(Sorry for the crappy photos - my phone does not like dark stages!)