Nurse NIkki's Neon Nightcrawl - Saturday August 17, 2019

Evel Pie and Dive Bar- Saturday August 17th 

Whiskey Breath, The Unwieldies, Wayne Hancock, The Sheiks of Neptune and The Mapes  by Nikki Ruffling

Tonight found me doing double venue duty to catch a full night of music.

First, I headed to Evel Pie in downtown Las Vegas to see Brandon Madejeck and Ian Clark as Whiskey Breath, The Unwieldies, and Wayne “the train” Hancock. It was Brandon’s birthday, so it was great to see people out supporting him and Ian since they were playing early. Whiskey Breath is Brandon and maybe a guest player or not, doing hard-nosed outlaw country. Brandon has a great mix of originals and covers, and plays in a way that makes you appreciate the “outlaw” essence of country. Ian Clark is an accomplished fiddler who has played with local bluegrass bands such as Out of the Desert, The All-Togethers, Whiskey Breath and solo. He makes fiddle playing look easy, and is always able to improvise perfectly with whatever band he is playing in. The guys got the party started early, and the early crowd got a good dose of musicianship right up front. A great prep for Wayne.

Next up was The Unwieldies. I write about them a lot, because quite frankly I really enjoy and appreciate their style of music. Hard to classify, they may edge toward Alt-Folk, but really they do some amazing covers and outstanding originals. Songs for the “haves and have-nots” is their motto, and their lyrics are a perfect blend. Add in a new (ish) drummer/banjo player and their band is very well rounded out. Again, the crowd was enjoying the set, and I even spied Wayne hanging out and tapping his toe!

Headliner, Wayne Hancock is a legend in the Rockabilly-Western scene. Wayne plays all over the world, and he is a nice and affable man to talk to. He recently was in Vegas playing Viva this year, so I caught his performance in April. He switches out players, sometimes with a drummer, but tonight he was just a four-piece. With an amazing steel pedalist, he brings a raucous energy to Evel Pie tonight. It was packed full in the back, and people were loving it. He played for almost 2 hours and despite the heat, was fun loving and awesome. If you get a chance to check him out, he does have a pretty heavy touring schedule most of the summer.

I then sped over to Dive Bar to check out the bands for owner Angie’s annual birthday bash. To say “tame” or “subtle” is not the description of Angie’s annual shows. Full of energetic and crazy bands, the crowd is always suitably entertained and somewhat out of control. Tonight was no different. When I arrived, I was able to catch The Sheiks of Neptune and the 20th anniversary of The Mapes. The Sheiks of Neptune are an off the cuff, energetic, hard hitting band. Balancing the line between punk and metal, the Sheiks have a look and style all their own. Dressed in Fez’s and matching surf type clothes, the band is fronted by wild man, Dick Vain. Dick is back from a 3 month hiatus from a mid-show accident where he broke his ankle. They are that crazy and fun! Their music is danceable, but hard and they enjoy engaging the crowd at every show. It is always a fun time, and the band members are as gracious as they are talented.

Lastly was The Mapes. The Mapes have been around, like was advertised, for 20 years. Lately they have played only 1 show a year, but it is 364 days of craziness piled into that 1 show. The crowd for Mapes knows what to expect. Every show is a food fight of some sort. There is no boundary. People fling food, burning toilet paper, and other unmentionables at the band from the get go. Tonight was no different. The band hadn’t even done their first song and already flour, eggs and popcorn were assaulting the stage. But, if you get past the food fight, the band themselves are a powerhouse of musicians. Dave Post, Joseph Cycenas, Jason Wilda, Clay Heximer and Kurt Kangieser have all been local Vegas musicians for well over 20 years in various bands. But, The Mapes bring their own brand of punk-prank to the fold. Their music makes you laugh, makes you rock hard and keeps you moving to avoid getting plummeted with foodstuffs. I didn’t stay for the whole Mapes set, as sadly I was worn out, but I heard there was Tuna in the Piñatas. All in all it was an amazing night of local musicianship and no better way to spend a weekend in Vegas!