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 a tune, 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!

This Rancid Mill - Kyle Decker

 

I think that a friend recommended this on Facebook and since it takes place in the early 80’s in the LA punk scene that I lived in, I thought I’d give it a chance - and our library carried it!

The story revolves around the death of a Darby Crash- styled character (funnily Decker does mention the resemblance to Crash and his character) that is initially assumed to be a simple overdose but a “punk PI” thinks it might be something more.

The death takes place at the Starwood and he name checks places like Oki-Dogs, gives the characters believable (if a bit corny) punk names and everyone lives in a bit over the top squalor. Of course, there is a lovely young punk girl who had been the singer’s girlfriend who the PI has an eye for since she hired him - she is, naturally, the stereotypical rich-girl-slumming-as-a-punk. The stereotypes abound but maybe that’s for the rubes who know nothing of the scene.

Organized crime gets involved, as well as porn stars, drug dealers (natch) and way more as the investigation gets more complicated instead of less as it progresses. The main character drops into Al's Bar, apparently just to be able to name-check Al's Bar, mentions Bad Religion and Club 88 and even uses Richard Hell’s real name as an alias. Oddly, John Holmes is s reoccurring character - of course, there was some overlap in punk'n'porn, but odd that Decker uses a real-life celebrity, particularly for an unsympathetic character.

In any case, there is a roundabout plot with a senator and his runaway daughter who had hooked up with the dead punk singer and there's lots of violence'n'drugs as everyone tries to figure out who is playing who and the senator is trying to save his career and will go to any extreme to do so and, considering his connections to organized crime, there are plenty of extremes.

The PI takes a few wrong turns - he admits he learned his profession mostly from books'n'movies - and is almost killed more than once, but, with the help of some friends, he discovers the unhappy truth and solves the case, although no one is completely happy with the way things turn out.

I was hoping that I would like this more than I did. Again, maybe I am just being overly particular, but just thought it was ok, really, although fun to virtually revisit some old haunts.

recommended gigs

               

Friday 7-31-26 - the Space Vampires, Femaliens, Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Friday 7-31-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Friday 7-31-26 - Ike Fonseca, Crimson Riot and the Triple Splits at the Double Down

Friday 7-31-26 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Las Vegas Distillery

Saturday 8-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 8-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-1-26 - John Armstrong's Birthday at the Double Down with the Minges, the Way Outs and Va Voom

Wednesday 8-5-26 - the Woggles, the Crotches, the Implosions, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

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

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

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

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

Sunday 8-30-26 - Fea at the Griffin

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

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

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

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

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

Generic Surf Band final show at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch, Sunday July 26, 2026

 We knew that Generic Surf Band was getting ready to call it quits so we were determined to make it down for one of their last gigs and we were able to get to the grand finale at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch.

Obviously, a number of people were sad to hear of the band's demise, as the place was pretty well packed this afternoon with lots of fans sporting the GSB's t-shirts. As our weekends are pretty jammed with errands and chores, we didn't arrive until the end of their second to last set. When we got there, the band was doing their "switcheroo" with Eddie moving to lead guitar (standard and 6-string bass!) with Phil holding down the bass. Of course, Mark kept the snappy back-beat going throughout it all - he is definitely one of the best in town! 

After a short break - and some Detroit-styled pizza and (non-Detroit) drinks for us, they came on for their last set. Plenty of surf standards, including the Batman theme with appropriate TV show footage showing behind them, and guest appearance by friend'n'fan Nikki Ruffing on a few tunes. Big finale with a great reception from the crowd, photos with fans and they packed it up.

But while Phil is retiring (at least temporarily), Mark and Ed will return with none other than Jeff Murphy as the Shark Bites! I believe that they said their first gig will be in September, so keep an eye out for them! RIP the Generic Surf Band, love live the Shark Bites!

Shanda and the Howlers - the Sand Dollar, Friday July 24, 2026

 I’ve been a huge fan of the Howlers since their inception and have ranted’n’faved about them countless times here on my blog. Their distinctive brand of R’n’B/Soul with a dash of blues is always a treat and it’s been far too long since they’ve played in town so we took a little nap and headed down to the original Sand Dollar to participate in their 50th anniversary celebration!

Shanda is, of course, the powerhouse vocalist front’n’center who is hacked by one of the best rhythm sections in town with Turbo on the tubs, who can move from quietly swinging to wildly pounding, and Luke (who also writes a lot of their material) grooving on the bass along with extraordinary guitarist Trevor, who can also change from bluesy’n’moody to loud’n’garagey. Truly, person for person, some of the most talented in town.

Of course, there’s only so far talent will take you without songs but thankfully they have some of the best tunes in town, as well. They can be jumpin’n’jivin’ one minute, sizzling soulful the next, bluesy after that and even toss in some 60’s garage for good measure!

This evening they gave us two terrific sets and had the crowd dancing with them all night long! 

Sorry to say that we got there late and left after the Howlers since it had been a tough week so we missed the other acts but thank you to the Sand Dollar for another fun night with great music, drinks and pizza!

recommended gigs

              

Friday 7-24-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys, Frankie Lee and the Infernos at the Sand Dollar

Friday 7-24-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 7-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 7-25-26 - the New Waves, Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones and the Viva Las Vegas Go-Go showcase at Grey Witch

Sunday 7-26-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 7-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Tiki

Wednesday 7-29-26 - Authority Zero, Suburban Resistance, Venomous Pinks, Jr Ska Boss at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 7-31-26 - the Space Vampires, Femaliens, Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Friday 7-31-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Friday 7-31-26 - Ike Fonseca, Crimson Riot and the Triple Splits at the Double Down

Friday 7-31-26 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Las Vegas Distillery

Saturday 8-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 8-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-1-26 - John Armstrong's Birthday at the Double Down with the Minges, the Way Outs and Va Voom

Wednesday 8-5-26 - the Woggles, the Crotches, the Implosions, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

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

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

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

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

Sunday 8-30-26 - Fea at the Griffin

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

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

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

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

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

The Big Wheel - Bruce Thomas

 

Bruce Thomas was, of course, the incredibly talented bassist from Elvis Costello’s Attractions. He credits this book for getting him kicked out of the band not just once, but twice! Once close friends as well as bandmates, they became embittered to the point that when the Attractions inducted into the RnR Hall of Fame, Bruce was the only original member not to play.

Here he documents touring after they had become reasonably successful and were traveling in (comparative) comfort, but he still manages to complain about most everything and is not very complimentary to his bandmates - obviously, the reason he was sacked.

His writing style is a bit disjointed and not particularly linear and this combined with his random British-isms make it a odd read. He refers to the others as "The Drummer", "The Keyboardist" and "The Singer" and they all seem to grate on him for one reason or another and while he is having extravagant worldwide adventures that many of us only dream of, and he is making a living playing music, he is not content.

He does have some funny, if not totally linear and coherent, stories of his musical endeavors before the Attractions, with fairly crazed musical cohorts and mad trips'n'tours'n'sessions gone wrong. He meanders in time between chapters and it seems that he fancies himself a more poetic writer than I feel that he is - sorry, Bruce! 

This is definitely not the place to get a feel for Elvis', or even the Attractions', careers, and while it is interesting, it is, unfortunately, not a great read, in my opinion. A fantastic bassist, not a fantastic writer. 

Mamie Van Doren - You Thought I Was Dead

 

Of course, Mamie was one of the gorgeous blond bombshells of the 1950's that every male of any age was in lust with. I discovered this book - with the clever and not-untrue title - via a random ad on Facebook and log and behold, our library carried it!

She opens with her claim that she is the first women to sing rock'n'roll on the silver screen and I can't verify that, but certainly can't deny it, either. To most people, she is known for her early teen-sploitation movies where her presence lit up the screen. Apparently, she published an autobiography in 1987 that was edited more heavily than she cared for and so she tells some tales here that had not seen the light of day previously. 

She starts the story proper as a poor, unwanted (conceived pre-wedlock, although her parents did marry and stayed married) child who bounced around in fairly squalid conditions but eventually ended up back with her (alcoholic) parents. Although they, too, had reservations about her upkeep, it sounds like they realized a bit of their responsibility and started to (begrudgingly) take better care of her. And, her dreams came true when the war effort brought her family to Los Angeles, home of the movie stars like her idol, Jean Harlow, who she wished to emulate.

Fast forward a few years and, as a 14 year old that undoubtedly looked older, she was "discovered" by the talent scout for the Florentine Gardens (I did not know much about its history when I lived in LA) and became part of their revue - as a flower girl, not quite as glamourous as the showgirls but still, she was on TV! Here she had a few escapades and became friends with the woman who became the victim in the Black Dahlia murder, which quite obviously traumatized her!

She started attracting the attention of famous men in LA, from Vic Damone to Howard Hughes - and even Quincy Jones! (She seems to have had terrific taste in music, from rock'n'roll to jazz'n'be-bop). She talks quite a bit about her relationships - understandably, as that kind of thing certainly sells and most of the men are gone by now - and has a truly horrible story about Jack Webb, of all people. Even Che Guevara makes an appearance!

Not surprisingly, she spends a long time on her tour of Viet Nam during the war, entertaining the troops in hazardous hot spots. She was in real danger multiple times and had to be flown out of places in a hurry, but she did her shows - until she was attacked by a solider in a show at an Officer's Club in Saigon and had to be hospitalized! Of course, Jane Fonda's anti-war rhetoric was well known over there and Mamie repeatedly makes a point of saying that she didn't agree with her, although I still think that Fonda was really misunderstood, but that's just the old hippie in me.

Although in the 60's she was a staunch Republican - friends with Nixon, even - she does have the good sense to have left the current party due to its extreme views. And also to her credit, she championed AIDS causes early on as well as the Gay community in general, and even cut disco singles and performed in gay clubs.

From there she moves to the end of the book pretty quickly - she got married, settled down, brought up her boy from her first marriage and lived a quiet(er) life. 

This is a fun, light-hearted (overall), kiss'n'tell book and a quick read. Fans of Mamie and her era should definitely check it out!

Ernest Tubb - Saturday Satan, Sunday Saint

 

My lovely wife found this one in great condition in our local thrift store and couldn't resist the combination of classic country with the fab title/cover!

This 1969 release opens with a fairly politically incorrect but still kinda funny take on beer goggles with "She's Looking Better by the Minute", which sounds like classic Tubb to me - I suppose that while kids like me were into wild rock'n'roll in '69, country music still retained much of its original flavor and hadn't succumb to pop drivel. "If I Ever Stop Hurtin'" is trad country, right down to the broken hearted story, which is followed by a slightly surprising take on Joe South's "Games People Play", but upon listening, Tubb's rendition does work, even if it's a bit poppy for him. "Making Believe" is more fitting as an old-style tear-jerker, as is "The Carol County Accident", a story-telling song that requires you to really listen to all of the lyrics to get the whole tale. Another sad-sack tune is the pedal-steel flavored "Just a Drink Away", where the narrator is divorced and bitter and can't afford to leave town so he watches as his ex is "just a drink away from anyone but me". 

The title track is, naturally, a tale of religious hypocrites sung to the tune of Ernest's old song "Thanks a Lot" (for the most part), and is a fine performance all around. Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again" is another country classic, and Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues' is given a bit of a kick with the pedal steel jump-starting Luther's quintessential guitar lines. "Tommy's Doll" is a macabre tale of a young boy who was enamored with a doll instead of "boy's toys" and when his father threw the doll away he went into his shell until he saw (hallucinated?) his doll in a trash can and ran into the street, with predictable results. After that, we get the more upbeat finale, the bouncy "One More Memory" which, nonetheless, is still a broken-hearted tale that you can easily dance to!

It took me a long time to appreciate old school country music, and Tubb's voice may not be appreciated by all (in the vein of singers like Johnny Cash), but this record is a fab example of true country, with great songs and playin'. 

Katabasis - RF Kuang

 

Named for the Greek term for a descent into the Underworld, Kuang creates a world in which magic not only works, but is an academic study. Alice, a student about to graduate, loses her thesis director via a spell gone wrong (possibly her fault due to the impossible expectations fostered upon the students) and follows him into Hell in order to try to bring him back. Just as she's about to leave, she is joined by a fellow student, who has also been researching the descent for reasons of his own. They use writings such as Dante's Inferno as a guide and each has their own set of specialties that they bring with them.

I found this book by searching for intelligent, realistic fiction, but I suppose that "realistic" is a subjective term, as this tale is anything but. I do need to suspend my personal beliefs, not only in the afterlife, but in the theories of time, space, reincarnation, the transmutation of energy and more. Of course, "magick" itself is described as possible only by (essentially) believing in the unbelievable. But, the writing is good and the story moves along.

Here, Hell is familiar but with obstacles preventing the "shades" (newly dead) from moving on - for instance, the first circle is a seemingly infinite library, which is initially comforting, until our characters realize that there is a test that must be studied for in order to pass through and no one knows the rules or the expectations. Of course, the shades have literally all the time in the world, but our characters need to move fast in order to catch up with the professor.

As with other visits to Hades, this includes numerous commentary on various groups, from writers to philosophers to political activists to professors and many more - some hilarious, some petty. There is some pseudo-science, some real higher mathematics, and other logic mixed with magical theologies either to make things sound somewhat plausible or just for Kuang to show off! 

Our earthly characters encounter various friends, enemies, and nebulous shades, as well as the obstacles of Hell in their quest and sometimes win and sometimes lose but eventually, meet with Lord Yama to decide their fate and the fate of their quest.

I don't know if I am just being extraordinarily picky these days, but, once again, I found this good but not great. As I said, the story moves along and I'm not even sure what I didn't care for, but I'd say it was alright...

recommended gigs

             

Friday 7-17-26 - the Soap Girls at Grey Witch

Friday 7-17-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Friday 7-17-26 - Damned by the Night, Guilty by Association, Dirty Sanchez, Bad Days Only at the Double Down

Saturday 7-18-26 - Glen Meadmore and more at the Double Down

Saturday 7-18-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 7-18-26 - Bear Supply at Double Down's Matinee Show

Saturday 7-18-26 - Sparkle Plenty, Punk'n'Country, Wyatt and the Ashes at Red Dwarf

Sunday 7-19-26 - The Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 7-20-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 7-24-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, Eddie Clendening and the Blue Ribbon Boys, Frankie Lee and the Infernos at the Sand Dollar

Friday 7-24-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 7-25-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 7-25-26 - the New Waves, Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones and the Viva Las Vegas Go-Go showcase at Grey Witch

Sunday 7-26-26 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 7-27-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Tiki

Wednesday 7-29-26 - Authority Zero, Suburban Resistance, Venomous Pinks, Jr Ska Boss at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 7-31-26 - the Space Vampires, Femaliens, Unoriginal Unfits at Red Dwarf

Friday 7-31-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Friday 7-31-26 - Ike Fonseca, Crimson Riot and the Triple Splits at the Double Down

Friday 7-31-26 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Las Vegas Distillery

Saturday 8-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at The Golden Monkey at Resorts World

Saturday 8-1-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 8-1-26 - John Armstrong's Birthday at the Double Down with the Minges, the Way Outs and Va Voom

Wednesday 8-5-26 - the Woggles, the Crotches, the Implosions, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

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

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

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

Sunday 8-30-26 - Fea at the Griffin

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

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

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

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

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

Starcrawler at the Sand Dollar Spring Mountain, Wednesday July 15, 2026

Although Melanie had seen Starcrawler previously, all I knew about them was that the singer, Arrow, is the daughter (and spitting image, although even taller and thinner!) of the Miracle Workers' Aaron Sperske (who also sat in with the Tommyknockers a time or two, amongst other combos), so I had no idea what I was in for. 

I was very pleasantly surprised to hear their high energy version of 70's rock'n'roll, with influences from the likes of Led Zep through the Damned and more! 2 guitars (Henri - who also currently plays in Plague Vendor, per my wife - and Bill), a rock solid drummer (Wiki says his name is Seth) and fluid bassist (Tim) give a hard rockin' backin' to Arrow's wild frontperson antics. She really knows how to make use of her rather gangly body to give a fine performance, and while the vocals were not overly pronounced this eve, she seems to have a fine voice, as well.

Although the Sand Dollar's stage is relatively small and SC packed it with equipment, they still put on a visual show, interacting with each other, leaping about, bouncing around and genuinely seeming to have a good time. Both guitarists kept things interesting with their interweavings, dual leads, and even both playing Bill's guitar simultaneously at one point! 

Their cover of the Heartbreakers' "I Need to Know" seemed a bit out of place, although they did a fine job with it and said that they had performed it with Mike Campbell at some point, as did their take on "Pet Semetary" - again, not bad, but I felt it didn't really fit in with the rest of their set, but that was probably just me.

The evening started early (although confusingly, the flier and the club's website gave wildly different times) and the band was given an hour and a half or so for their set but we still got home at a very reasonable time for a Wednesday night. So, thank you and happy anniversary to the Sand Dollar!