Music of Nevada

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Music of the United States

For most people, the music in Nevada is probably most closely associated with the Rat Pack and lounge singers like Wayne Newton playing in Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City and other cities. However, Nevada has had several other notable and innovative musical communities.


Contents

Alternative [edit]

Las Vegas has been the hometown of multiple platinum-selling alternative rock bands including The Killers (Island Records), Brandon Flowers (Island Records), Panic! at the Disco (Decaydance Records), and Imagine Dragons (Interscope Records).[1][2][3]

The Killers have released four consecutive #1 albums on the UK charts. They have also sold more than 16 million records. Brandon Flowers (lead singer of the band) released another solo album which reached #1 on the UK charts in 2010. Imagine Dragons' debut album Night Visions reached #2 on the US Billboard albums chart and #2 on the UK albums chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA in 2013.[4]

Alt country [edit]

As an integral part of the indie music community in Las Vegas, the alt country music scene is responsible for several bands, including The Clydesdale and the The Yeller Bellies, both of whom have released multiple albums each.[5][6]

Country music [edit]

The city of Elko, Nevada is an important center for cowboy music and poetry. In 1985, Hal Cannon, director of the Western Folklife Center, founded the first Cowboy Poetry Gathering, which has since spread across the country; Elko is also home to the Cowboy Music Gathering. Las Vegas' music scene includes a number of country and cowboy-themed hotel shows, many of them featuring big stars like Reba McEntire, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.[7]

NBC's America's Got Talent winner Michael Grimm is a Las Vegas resident who regularly performs in the valley.

Folk music [edit]

David Hopkins, a singer-songwriter formerly of Ireland, relocated to Las Vegas where he released a 2010 album featuring Damien Rice.[8] His recordings have landed on the Irish singles top 40 charts.

Garage rock [edit]

Several garage acts have gained notoriety in Las Vegas. The Mad Caps mix blues and rockabilly with garage rock, while Rob Bell of The Yeller Bellies mixes country with garage rock in his project known as The Psyatics [9]

Hard rock [edit]

Formed in early 2012, Crazy Chief premiered their first show during Las Vegas' Neon Reverb festival in September 2012. Crazy Chief's Jesse and Roxie Amoroso are the owners of Cowtown Guitars, a vintage guitar store in downtown Las Vegas, and singer Drew Johnson also fronts a Doors cover band in Las Vegas known as Mojo Rising.[10][11]

Indie [edit]

As a result of the downtown Las Vegas restoration that began in 2006, mainly that of the Fremont East district, which spurred the opening of several new bars and clubs, a new music scene began sprouting up in Las Vegas. With the support of local press, independent musical artists such as the bands Black Camaro, The Big Friendly Corporation, Halloween Town, and A Crowd of Small Adventures grew large fan bases quickly in Las Vegas.[12][13][14]

The Las Vegas indie music community would soon form its own music festival to parallel that of the SXSW festival in Austin, TX. Founded by Thirry Harlin, James Woodbridge, and Jason Aragon, the music festival, known as Neon Reverb, which mainly consists of both national and local indie acts, has experimented with genres such as Hip-Hop and punk rock as well as other culture related segments such as film and visual art that compliment the music portion of the festival.[15][16] The festival has grown to include a radio segment of the same name, founded by Donald Hickey and The Killers bassist, Mark Stoermer that broadcasts from 91.5 KUNV in Las Vegas.[17][18]

As a result of the continuing revitalization of downtown Las Vegas, a second wave of indie acts have grown prominent in the local music scene. In December 2011, songwriter Zach Ryan premiered his new band Zach Ryan and the Rouge, which has since been renamed Zach Ryan and the Renegades. Other second wave Las Vegas Indie acts include Restless Suns, and Alaska, who both arrived in 2012.[19][20] In October 2012, Las Vegas based band Bear With Me finished tracking an EP at Chrome Werewolf, a Las Vegas studio opened in 2011 by Black Camaro's Brian Garth. The EP marks Bear With Me's second release and features the song I Am a Fiesta.[21]

Psychedelic [edit]

In December 2012 Trevor and The Joneses self-released There Was Lightning, their first LP. The band formed in early 2012, has performed over 50 shows, and shares the stage with acts such as The Warlocks.[22][23][24] The band was the last to record in Brian Garth's now defunct studio Chrome Werewolf in downtown Las Vegas.[25]

Punk rock [edit]

Las Vegas is also home to notable punk bands such as the Recess Records bands, Civic Minded Five and The Mapes.

Most notable in recent years is the broadcasting of local Las Vegas punk music (as well as many other genres including indie and hip-hop) over the internet on the still young Double Down Radio.[citation needed]

Major Label Artists (signed from Las Vegas/Nevada) [edit]

Groups [edit]

Solo Acts [edit]

Nevada music venues [edit]

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts [edit]

In 2012, Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a $470 million facility opened. The center is free of slots and gambling. Instead, it features fine arts productions including symphonies, Broadway performances, and international talents.[26] It is also the home of the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra and Nevada Ballet Theatre.[27]

Other venues [edit]

Recording Studios [edit]

External links [edit]

Citations [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jun/18/renowned-bands-artists-besides-panic-disco-l/
  2. ^ http://www.lvrj.com/neon/las-vegas-panic-at-the-disco-playing-house-of-blues-after-weathering-lineup-changes-124058679.html
  3. ^ http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/feb/07/weekend-best-bets/
  4. ^ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?content_selector=gold-platinum-searchable-database
  5. ^ "NIGHT BEAT: Clydesdale in it for the long haul". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2005-01-25. Retrieved 2012-03-01. 
  6. ^ "The Yeller Bellies release follow up to debut: "Here to Suffer"". No Depression. 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2012-03-01. 
  7. ^ Byron, pgs. 146 - 149
  8. ^ http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2011/mar/30/whats-new-local-music/
  9. ^ "Psyatics' verve: rough and rumble". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2012-04-12. 
  10. ^ "Neon Reverb report: Crazy Chief's live debut". Las Vegas Weekly. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-09-21. 
  11. ^ "Local band upstages headliner: Neon Reverb, Sept. 12, Beauty Bar". Las Vegas CityLife. 2012-09-13. Retrieved 2012-09-21. 
  12. ^ "What's new in:local music". Las Vegas Weekly. 2011-03-23. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  13. ^ "Las Vegas' Big Friendly Corporation releases its third album". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  14. ^ "CD review: A Crowd of Small Adventures ‘A Decade in X-Rays’". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  15. ^ "Neon Reverb a labor of love". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2012-02-23. 
  16. ^ "Las Vegas guide to Neon Reverb". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2012-02-17. 
  17. ^ "Las Vegas Arts and Culture: Neon Reverb Radio LIVE on KUNV". LV Arts nd Culture. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2012-02-17. 
  18. ^ "Music: Radio Reverb". Desert Companion. 2011-09-08. Retrieved 2012-02-22. 
  19. ^ "Getting personal: Zach Ryan, new band in tow, gets to the heart of the matter -- his heart". Las Vegas CityLife. 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2012-07-06. 
  20. ^ "New bands worth scouting on the local music scene". Las Vegas Weekly. 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2012-07-06. 
  21. ^ "Teenage wasteland". Las Vegas CityLife. 2012-10-31. Retrieved 2012-11-04. 
  22. ^ "Concert review: Trevor and the Joneses". Vegas Seven. 2013-03-05. Retrieved 2013-05-06. 
  23. ^ "From beach to garage: Trevor and The Joneses will blow your brains out". Las Vegas CityLife. 2013-01-30. Retrieved 2013-05-06. 
  24. ^ "CD Reviews On With the Show, There Was Lightning, Spawn of Evil". Vegas Seven. 2013-01-31. Retrieved 2013-05-06. 
  25. ^ "Trevor And The Joneses end Chrome Werewolf studio's run on a high note". Las Vegas Weekly. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2013-02-16. 
  26. ^ "No slots or showgirls at new Vegas culture megacenter". USA Today Travel. 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2012-02-08. 
  27. ^ "History". The Las Vegas Philharmonic. Retrieved 2012-02-08. 
  28. ^ http://mixonline.com/studios/profiles/battle-born-studios-0110/
  29. ^ "For the record: a look at local indie recording studios". Las Vegas CityLife. 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2012-11-04. 

References [edit]

  • Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-71-7. 
  • Byron, Janet (1996). Country Music Lover's Guide to the U.S.A. (1st ed. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-14300-1. 
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