25th Anniversary Showing of Hedwig and the Angry Inch at House of Blues, Sunday 8-9-26

 Of course, we were big fans of the Hedwig movie when it came out 25 (!) years ago. We've owned the DVD, the soundtrack, seen local live performances, etc., so when we heard that John Cameron Mitchell would be hosting the 25th anniversary viewing in Las Vegas, we got our tickets!

The House of Blues was maybe half full for this event - not too surprising considering that it was a little pricey for a movie, but the main event was the Q&A and live performance by JCM. There was a costume contest, as well (a Hedwig won) and, of course, the movie was great (it had been a while since we saw it). Mitchell spent at least 20 minutes taking questions from the audience - nothing earthshattering, but he was passionate about his views on various subjects and he did talk about the original meaning of the punk rock movement, which was inclusive and being true to yourself and not wearing a uniform. (I assume that he got on that tangent since he is hosting a tour of the Punk Rock Museum today, Monday).

He did a short live set with a guitarist (I didn't quite get his position or relation to John) and a brief appearance by David J of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets. John's voice is still terrific - he looks great, as well - although the set was off-the-cuff covers of a bunch of David Bowie songs (obviously, a huge influence on the movie but I would have liked more from the movie, for instance), finishing with the finale from the movie with everyone joining in.

Nice to see Brenda Wilda working there, as well! The staff was all great and while it was a little chilly for me, it was a fine venue for a fun performance.

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells Play the Blues

 

I just discovered this 1972 release via someone's random Facebook post of one of the songs that this duo recorded with my faves from the era, the J. Geils Band! I had no idea that they played on anyone else's recordings much less cats of this caliber so I had to search it out and thankfully, I found it at a reasonable price.

And damn, what a find this was! Junior is on vocals and harp (natch), Buddy is at his best on smokin' lead guitar and they are backed by a who's who of the blues, white and black - Eric Clapton (sitting back on rhythm and slide guitar), Dr. John and Mike Utley on piano, AC Reed on sax, Carl Radle and Leroy Stewart on bass, Jim Gordon and Roosevelt Shaw on drums and, of course, two numbers backed by the J. Geils Band! Whew!

All of the performances are excellent - to tell the truth, the J. Geils songs are not wildly different from the other talented folks backing up Buddy and Junior, but that's just a testament to how great everyone on this record is! Great song choices, terrific playing'n'singing and just a damn fab album! Highly recommended! 

Cher - Absolutely the Best Vol. 1

 

Growing up in the 60's, I was a fan of Sonny'n'Cher and even watched their (pretty corny) TV show regularly, and they put out some great pop tunes early on. And even before that (maybe also during? I'm not 100% sure) Cher had a solo career and put out some top notch songs and this collection (that we've had for a while but I just randomly grabbed from our shelves) puts together a good selection of them.

"Dream Baby", released under the name Cherilyn, is an excellent stab at the girl group/Phil Spector sound and while I don't remember it on the radio at the time, I've had the single and it is a terrific Bono tune. Here's the original (?) take on Sonny's "Bang Bang" (although I remember it with Sonny singing, as well - a later version?), followed by a catchy number about divorce ("You Better Sit Down Kids"). Ironically, considering her husband's first name, she does a cover of "Sunny", there's more social commentary from Sonny, an unnecessary cover of "Alfie", but her version of "All I Really Want To Do" was at least somewhat of a hit (although her take on "I Want You" isn't as successful artistically or commercially), they were certainly fans of their peers, the Byrds, as "The Bells of Rhymney" attests, and many others around them also covered "Hey Joe" and while Cher does a fine job singing, this doesn't really break any new ground.

The rest of the CD is, unfortunately, fairly forgettable. But the initial tunes are well worth the price and Cher's voice is outstanding throughout, even on the weaker numbers. 

The Unwieldies - Folly In Melancholy

 

Of course, the Unwieldies are good friends of ours as well as our favorite acoustic combo, so we were sad to see them move to Colorado, but glad to hear that they are thriving there and they put together a new album that has just been released.

Joining Dani (vocals/guitar) and Rob (bass/vocals) this time out is Tim Mallot on dobro and mandolin along with Las Vegas cohort Eric Frommhold on banjo. The Un's lineup has been fluid, with just Dani'n'Rob as the constants, but they always bring in some fine talent to augment their sound.

Of course, their sound is pretty darn unique so difficult to describe, but they call themselves Americana/ Alt-Country (among other descriptors), which is as good as any, but they really just sound like the Unwieldies. Dani's lovely, lilting voice intertwines with Rob's gruffer, but still great, vocals in highly melodic manners and their songs have fab lyrics (always think they should include lyrics with their records) as well as interesting structures, time signatures and tunes.

Both Dani and Rob are prolific songwriters and all of these numbers were written since they moved to CO, so, unlike their other releases, the songs were unfamiliar to me before getting this record. But, if you liked their previous releases, this one will surely hit as well. Dani's voice is, of course, unmistakable, and even with the personnel changes, the backings sound like the Unwieldies! Dobro and banjo are prefect accompaniments for the tunes and the styles. I love the harmonies between Dani'n'Rob, and songs like "Oh Mary O" could be mistaken for a long lost bluegrass number (and it is one of the strongest songs here), while Rob has a habit of self-deprecating lyrics, as in "Liar" or political statements, as in "Washed Clean", and, naturally, there are a number of relationship songs, in their own fashion, like "Honey Do List".

Always high quality writing and performances! Like I said, if you were a fan, you will certainly dig this one and if you haven't heard them, but appreciate acoustic/alt-country/uniqueness, you will want to check this out!

The Woggles, the Crotches, The Implosions, Crom Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place, Wednesday August 5, 2026

 

We haven't seen the Woggles since they blew the roof off of the Tiki Oasis finale 10 years ago, but any time a national/international garage band comes to town, we gotta make it out. Of course, it helped that there were 3 happening local bands on the bill, as well!

I can't remember the last time we saw Cromm's P200, either, but it had certainly been a while. Back to a three piece with Cromm on bass - at times he's been on guitar, sometimes just vocals, but always stylishly rockin'! Of course, he is more than ably backed by Truland on guitar (moving from clean tones, to wildly fuzzed out to heavy) and Aaron on  driving drums and harmonic backing vocals.

Cromm has always had a variety of influences and while 60's garage is a powerful contender, there is at least as much 70's punk (among others) in his sound these days, as evidenced in the wildly frantic first few numbers. The 60's sounds still are apparent, but with a nice variety and plenty of edge. Always worth checking out!

Anyone who has ever perused this page knows that I have ranted'n'raved countless times about our pals The Implosions. Their Vegas-centric brand of garage/punk/Cramps-ian moodiness is always a fave with us and their live show continues to evolve into a strongly visual, as well as musical, event as they get increasingly more confident. Adrienne is a fine singer and has become quite the front person, shimmy-ing and shaking as she yelps'n'croons while the rest of the crew provide a solid backing for the songs about the ghosts of Rhyolite, playing the ponies, taking pix with a million dollars, cashing out and lots more. They have their own audience participation number which always goes over big and they join the audience themselves as the mood strikes them. One of Vegas' finest!

We needed a breath of air and some fries from the food truck in the adjacent parking lot, so we missed a bit of the Crotches, but they put on a wild show with a sound that is impossible to describe - I've seen them numerous times and have no idea what to compare them to or what words to use for them. Talented musicians, a dynamic frontperson and their own sound which seemed to win over the crowd.

But the stars of the night were certainly the Woggles, a comparatively later-day garage revival combo who nonetheless have been together for 30 years and are still rockin' non-stop!The band is a super talented, tight rock'n'roll combo, whose musical contributions all work towards the song while they put on an energetically visual show. Their sound and style - both visual and musical - reminded me of the Fleshtones - garage with a touch of soul, choreographed moves, jumping into the audience, a dynamic singer and even some honkin' saw on several numbers! 

Singer Manfred made it his mission to interact with the crowd - particularly with the lovely ladies in attendance - as he danced, sang'n'preached throughout the night. They had their own dance number, which the go-go dancers helped to demonstrate, and they gave the Wednesday night crowd plenty to jump'n'jive to!

I'm still a sucker for a well played, original garage rock'n'roll band and the Woggles are still tearing it up with quality and style! See them if you can for a rollicking good time!

Thanks once again to Brian Moy's Dirty Rock'n'Roll Dance Party (and I believe that Pulsar Presents participated, as well) and the Usual Place for a great night of happenin' rock'n'roll!

recommended gigs

                

Friday 8-7-26 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-8-26 - Sector 7-G, Punk'n'Country, Left Right Lefts at the Griffin

Sunday 8-9-26 - Hedwig at the House of Blues

Monday 8-10-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 8-12-26 - the Minges, the Bomb Pulse, Pitch After Dark at Red Dwarf

Saturday 8-15-26- Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 8-16-26 - Surfers of Mercy at Red Dwarf’s Sunday Brunch 

Monday 8-17-26- Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 8-19-26 - Fuzz Solow, Live Another Day, Switch to Fakie, Wyatt and The Ahes at Red Dwarf 

Saturday 8-22-26 - the return of Water Landing with the Let Me Diwns at Red Dwarf

Saturday 8-22-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 8-24-26  - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 8-26-26 - IV and the Strange Band at the Bizarre Bar

Friday 8-28-26 - Shanda and the Hiwlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-29-26  - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 8-30-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 8-30-26 - Fea at the Griffin

Monday 8-31-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 9-4-26 - Thee Implosions with Thee Toe Tags and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Monday 9-7-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-12-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Monday 9-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-19-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards l at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-26-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-3-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-10-26 - the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs with the Strains at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-31-26 - Special Halloween Treat at the Double Down with surprise all star (hah) band along with Thee Implosions and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones

Friday 11-13-26 - Plague Vendor at the Usual Place 

Sunday 11-15-26 - the Buzzcocks and Modern English at Brooklyn Bowl

Friday 12-18-26 - Thee Implosions at the Punk Rock Museum

The Way Outs, Va Voom and the Minges at the Double Down, Saturday August 1, 2026

 

Our friend John Armstrong decided to throw himself a birthday party at the DD (as he has done in years past) and put together this fun show to celebrate.

As we have always dug seeing the Way Outs, we made it a point to get there early and had a chance to say hi to a few people and grab a drink before they started. All talented musicians, they have performed in various musical styles over the years, but this incarnation is a pretty straight forward surf combo. A few standard covers - "Ghost Rider", "Apache", "Out of Limits", etc. - combined with others that I, at least, was not familiar with, but all played with skill'n'fun. The twin lead guitars interacted and used different tones throughout to great effect while the rhythm section - now with Va Voom's Jomar on drums - is as strong as they come. Even with the goofy, crude matching shirts, they put on a fab show and was a great start of the evening.

We took a break outside in between bands and caught up with some friends so we missed the start of Va Voom's set, but caught most of it. Jomar was doing double duty this evening, this time aided by his wife, Kelly, and their Mosrite-cradling guitarist. So, considering there's a Mosrite through a reverbed Fender amp, there is definitely a surf aspect, but also a bit of rockabilly in a manner not that different from Jomar's 90's combo, the Mad Daddies - in fact, they cover one of the Daddies' tunes. 

Closing out the night were the Minges, certainly one of Vegas' up'n'coming co-ed combos with local gal-about-town Messy Jessie on lead vocals and Stagnett's Cock's Joe on 70's-styled guitar, along with another tight rhythm section. Jessie stands out among many of the local punk singers as she can really sing and Joe's ever-changing equipment is always covering a cool 70's hard rock'n'roll/punk sound. The set is packed with their originals, but there's a fun cover of the Stones' "Star Star" that I always dig. Oh yeah, and Jeff Murphy sat in on bass for "Holiday in Cambodia", as well!

I guess that John should have birthdays more often if he's going to put together fun shows like this one! Glad we were able to make it out!