Long time Vegas party band 'Nuff Said returned to the stage at the Brooklyn Bowl after a year and a half break. It was nice to see the band play again as they seemed re-energized after such a long time. The band had a great gig at Jack's Irish Pub in the Palace Station for years. After that, they had a short, successful stint at the Plaza entertaining the floor. It was normal for the bar to run out of Patron or Jack Daniels during their shows as the crowd sang along to all the great rock tunes from Van Halen, Cream, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan and The Rolling Stones.
The band consists of Rik Stoddard on drums, Sean Maxwell on bass, Max Rico on lead guitar and Michael Anthony on lead vocals and guitar. Keep an eye out for them Las Vegas, they are well worth seeing! I'll let the videos speak for themselves.
For info on 'Nuff Said, check out www.facebook.com/nuffsaidvegas
So I headed out to Phoenix to see Van Halen at the Ak-Chin Pavilion. Great venue. It was definitely a warm Monday night with a beautiful moon rising to top off a good show. As far as a review, I'll let the video speak for itself.
Then on that following Friday I went to So-Cal to see them again at the Hollywood Bowl. I think there must be something magical when a band plays their hometown. The sound at the venue was incredible and the band was definitely fired up. Dave was on cue with his Rothisms and the band played with some serious energy. They topped the previous Phoenix show out at the Hollywood Bowl that night. Great vibe at a great venue from my favorite all time band.
They took Kenny Wayne Shepard out on tour with them. He was a great opener. I had almost forgot that he had Stevie Ray Vaughan's Chris Layton on drums. They definitely planted the fans in their seats. I missed him at the Hollywood Bowl because I took the Park and Ride from West LA to the venue and got there at the end of their set. For anyone traveling to an LA show, I highly recommend this as the traffic out there is beyond awful. Below is a video from the Phoenix show. Enjoy!
Rock Fantasy, a tribute show dedicated to bringing back the yesteryear of rock n' roll's biggest talents. This was the first show of it's type at the Silverton Hotel and Casino. The show consisted of impersonators Kenny Metcaf as Elton John, Paul Gizzo as Jon Bon Jovi and Brian Geller as David Lee Roth.
Elton John opened the show with a wonderful sound and an even greater impression. The band sounded tight as impersonator Kenny Metcaf was great as the Madman Across the Water. He did everything from Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting, Levon, Candle in the Wind, Crocodile Rock and the beloved Rocket Man.
The next set was Paul Gizzo as Jon Bon Jovi. Paul is almost a dead ringer for Bon Jovi in his current years and definitely entertains. Wanted Dead or Alive started off a little slow, but Paul pulled the drummer up to speed during the intro and they covered the rest of the song beautifully. They also featured It's My Life, Bad Medicine, Living on a Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name and Runaway.
Last but not least was my personal favorite...David Lee Roth played by Brian Geller. Brian covers Dave full time in the Van Halen tribute band The Atomic Punks. I was thrilled that his set list consisted of nothing but the classic Van Halen tunes Beautiful Girls, Jamie's Cryin', Ain't Talkin 'Bout Love, Panama, Hot For Teacher and Jump. The band was good enough to play these tunes (as I'm very picky when VH gets covered) but also had a two guitar attack that in my opinion was unnecessary. Eddie Van Halen hardly ever doubles his tracks and it certainly isn't needed live.
It seems the Silverton plans on continuing this tribute show and with the popularity of Raiding the Rock Vault at the Tropicana and Rock of Ages at the Venetian, I don't blame them for tapping into rock nostalgia. I'm wondering if the band rehearsed without the vocal talents as I believe all the lead singers are from out of town. If so, it showed slightly, especially during the Bon Jovi set but the band was definitely talented enough to get through it well. The show's host stated they would feature other rock impersonators. I'd like to see more of this in the near future as it could grow into something that may be really fun. Overall I had a ball. The audience certainly liked it as there were those who ran up front (mainly women) to cheer and dance the night away. So, until next time...cheers!
For those of you who were not aware Conatiner Park is a fantastic little venue made up of stacked shipping containers that were created as store fronts. There is everything from small boutiques, art galleries and restaurants that make up a small shopping center with a large stage in the back. The stage has a turf area with 2 large bins full of big lego type blocks for kids as well as foam toys. The area is lined with seats, benches and couches for the general public to relax in.
The front entrance has a huge metal sculpture of a mantis that shoots fire and is active on Friday and Saturday evenings.
A Slight Return, a local Vegas band dedicated to blues rock happened to be playing there on Sept. 11th and filled the park with the righteous sounds of blues and rock n' roll. It's not often that you get to see such an incredible amount of unknown talent in such a comfortable setting. The park closes off to kids under eighteen at 9pm which is the perfect time to enjoy this type of band. You have access to alcohol from the bars, food and desserts from the vendors as well as the hip artsy stores within the park. Container Park is at 707 Fremont St. For more info you can check out the website here at http://downtowncontainerpark.com/
If you're into Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan or the likes of Robin Trower or blues based rock in general, I highly recommend you go see A Slight Return live. They can be checked out at http://www.aslightreturn.com/
For those of you who don't know, New Jersey drummer Brian Tichy in my book is probably the baddest drummer for hire out there. He's played with Zakk Wylde/Pride and Glory, Billy Idol, Whitesnake and Foreigner just to name a few. He also organizes and plays tributes to John Bonham/Bonzo Bash, Keith Moon/The Ox & The Loon and a tribute to Ozzy guitarist Randy Rhodes. This guy is so good that he even plays a speed bag while drumming!
I was lucky enough to meet with him a few years ago when he played a local venue under the name The Moby Dicks.
Brian absolutely burned the venue down that night. I've never seen anyone play Bonham with that much power before. Brian teaches drums through Skype lessons, is on tour with The Dead Daisies and currently lives in Santa Clarita, Ca. He's an amazing drummer, a really cool guy and an absolute influence on my drumming.
Zeppelin USA... an American tribute to Led Zeppelin! Vocalist Brody Dolyniuk (former frontman and founder of Las Vegas band Yellow Brick Road) does a wonderful job of covering Robert Plant. Guitarist Steve Zukowsky was in Led Zepagain for years and is by far one of my favorites to cover Jimmy Page. Bassist Jonathan Gilcrest (currently in Yellow Brick Road) is an amazing musician who can play just about anything from guitar, bass, mandolin, keyboards, violin and sax. Drummer Pat Leon slams out Bonham with some serious power.
These guys do not dress the part, but don't let that fool you. They kick some serious ass when it comes to Zeppelin! I like that fact that they are themselves and just get up there and whoop you in the ass with their Zep covers. I've seen them more than a few times around town and I always try and ctach them when they return. They're well worth your time. You can vist their website at http://www.zusarocks.com/
I never did see Led Zeppelin live. Never even came close. I was way too young by the time they disbanded. The closest I ever got was the film/album "The Song Remains The Same". Well, the next best thing has come along in Zep tribute bands.
Led Zepagain: These guys absolutely tear it up. I've seen them play the 25 minute version of Dazed and Confused live. It was amazing! They really play tribute to Zep and cover all aspects of the band. Vocalist Swan Montgomery nails Plant's lead vocals, Jim Kersey plays his respects to Bonham, Jim Wooten is an amazing John Paul Jones while covering bass, keys and mandolin, etc. and guitarist Jimmy Sakurai, well he's been endorsed by Jimmy Page himself!
I think I've seen these guys around 10 times and they never disappoint. You can check them out at http://www.zepagain.com/
With all the great legendary bands getting older, retiring and some no longer touring, tribute bands are marching on while proudly waving the Rock N' Roll flag. Although I've seen Van Halen six times now, I never saw them at their peak with their original line up. Led Zeppelin had also broken up and I was too young with no one to take me. These bands are here to fill in the void, help us relive the glory of true Rock N' Roll and are the next best thing to experiencing these bands in their prime.
The Atomic Punks. Paying tribute to the David Lee Roth Era of Van Halen. This band doesn't just play Van Halen, but they do it with the raw and immense power that it deserves. Van Halen was a high energy band that even at their worst would devastate any other band on the planet. Lead singer Brian Geller looks and sounds great as Roth and guitarist Lance Turner defintely has Eddie Van Halen's arsenal in his back pocket. Bassist Joe Lester definietly holds down the fort and adds great background vocals. Drummer Scott Patterson is defintely one of the finest drummers I've ever seen and it's his playing that ties it all together. I've seen other bands cover VH and the guitarist has never been good enough. Let me tell you, these guys can pull it off! This band has had a great history with Van Halen as well. They've practically been endorsed by the original band. Michael Anthony has played with them, David Lee Roth vocally said they're great, has toured with one of their guitarists and they've been mentioned and praised by Howard Stern as well. If your a hardcore VH fan like I am, this is the tribute band to see. You can visit their website here: http://www.theatomicpunks.com/
I've heard that back in the 90's Vegas was a great place for working musicians. Today the competition is fierce while DJ's are making millions for one night performances in large casino clubs by just playing tracks and pushing buttons. Is it clear to you now that I have no respect for DJ's?
If you see great talent out there, please support it. The following videos are of local guitar gunslinger Max Rico. He has a great taste for the likes of Jimi Hedrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eddie Van Halen and Frank Marino of Mahogany Rush. If you've never heard of Frank Marino, check him out. He's like a super charged Jimi Hendrix out of Canada.
Max currently plays around town in the following bands: A Slight Return, Jolli's Jammers and 'Nuff Said as well as his own Stevie Ray Vaughan tribute band that will be debuting soon. Keep an eye out for him. He's hands down one of the best live guitarists I've ever seen.
8/4/15: The Australian Pink Floyd with Led Zeppelin 2 at the Mandalay Bay Beach. This was a great setting. The crowd had a really great vibe as many took to the pool while enjoying the late summer breeze and the great music of these two legendary bands.
Led Zeppelin 2, a tribute band based out of Chicago opened the show. I really enjoyed drummer Ian Lee's playing. He definitely has the strength, power and feel to cover John Bonham. Lead vocalist
Bruce Lamont wasn't as clear as he should have been vocally. As a band, I think they took too many liberties in covering some of
the classic Zep tunes. Nice performance, but I admit I've seen better. Check out the timing as they slow down the ending of Stairway to Heaven in the video below. In the end it was a good time.Those Jimmy Page guitar riffs will live on forever! You can check out Led Zeppelin 2 at http://zep2.com/
As far as Australian Pink Floyd, what can I say? They do a beautiful job of covering the music note for note. They even have wonderful back up vocalists to cover the likes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. They're not the most exciting band on stage as they don't talk to the audience in-between songs but then again, they're not Van Halen. You can check out their talents in the video posted below. Their website is as follows http://www.aussiefloyd.com/
Welcome to Loud Vegas! This blog chronicles my experiences of hard and heavy blues based Rock n' Roll from Las Vegas and beyond. Covering national acts and all the unknown local talent.
