VEGASinsight Archives

If you’re a member at HOB.com, then you already know this, and if you’re not, then now’s your chance to sign up and get in on the deals: Tickets to three concerts at House of Blues Las Vegas (inside the Mandalay Bay) are going two-for-one today at 10 a.m. as part of HOB.com’s weekly “2-for-Tu” promotion.

First up is The Breeders, featuring one of the elder stateswomen of indie rock, Kim “yes, from the Pixies” Deal. If you haven’t ever seen this group best known for its 1993 alternative radio hit, “Cannonball,” then you can quickly grab some indie cred by doing so, though first you may want to pick up its newest album, Mountain Battles. Tickets for the May 2 show are two for $20 — so yes, $10 a piece. That’s Huntridge Theatre prices!

For you classic rock nuts out there, the original lineup of Asia is back in action, and you can get into the “Heat of the Moment” on May 3 with a pal for $35 — yep, $17.50 a pop to witness the 25th anniversary tour of this legendary super group. (more…)

We’re not sure that this is a scene from The Talent Given Us, but it was in the press kit, so who are we to not use it?

Three things we love: Free movies, free air conditioning and the library. You know where we’re going with that lead, right? Because we’ve used this gimmick before. And we’ll do it again!

The CineVegas From the Vault series continues at the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road) with three CineVegas celluloid alumni presented for free at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of each month throughout the warmer months, save for June when the 10th Annual CineVegas Film Festival takes over the Palms for a few weeks.

Things kick off on May 1 with 5th World, a 2005 festival feature that traces the contours of burgeoning love between two Navajo students while exploring how tribal culture shades their bond in powerful ways. After the 2008 festival, the series returns on July 3 with 2004’s Malachance, which follows a troubled man from New Orleans as he moves to New York and takes on a new identity. And finally, 2004’s Grand Jury Prize winner, The Talent Given Us, plays on Aug. 7. This festival favorite tells the story of a family forced to come together after making a cross-country trip to track down their absent brother.

Hey, did you know there was a second Crown & Anchor British Pub on the west side of town? Neither did we, until we were pulling out of the Lucky parking lot at Spring Mountain Road and Decatur Boulevard after a stop at the Post Office Express inside the grocery store, and spotted the familiar-yet-out-of-place name on a building that, by our count, has housed 4,378,988* different restaurants over the years it’s been there.

We didn’t stop inside, but for some reason, we doubt this imitation holds a candle to the charm of the original location on East Tropicana Avenue. And it also feels like it dilutes the original anyway. Think about it: The Crown & Anchor is an icon of University District life. When someone says “Crown & Anchor,” only one vision comes to mind. The spawning of a second location makes the brand feel like a British-themed PT’s. And Christ, we have enough cookie-cutter neighborhood bars.

*Estimate only.

We’re back from a weekend full of sun, wind and hope, and we brought pictures. Yesterday, downtown Las Vegas saw thousands take to the (barricaded) streets, braving perilous road construction, assaults from giant children’s characters and hundreds of vicious poodles for Aid For AIDS of Nevada’s 2008 AIDS Walk Las Vegas. We don’t have the final tallies of funds raised or total walkers yet (AFAN’s site shows $368,000, but that’s online-only donations), but we do have a gallery of photos for you when you click here.

Also, if you didn’t make it to the inaugural “Hi-Fidelity” night at Beauty Bar last Tuesday featuring Trackademics and Honor Roll, well, shame on you. But at least we have a nifty gallery of pictures that can be viewed by clicking here.

Who loves ya, baby?

Hank III is going straight to hell. And taking you with him. Whenever he actually tours again. (Photo courtesy Hank3.com)

Careful readers may have caught in our preview of the House of Blues Las Vegas’ upcoming offerings, we mentioned Hank III & Assjack was coming later this spring to countrify your punk asses (specifically, May). Well, looks like as quickly as that was announced, it was unannounced: That concert, as well as any other May tour dates for the raucous son of Hank Williams, Jr. have been postponed.

Why? We’re not sure. We asked Hank III’s booking agent about it, and he just sent us the same notice posted on Hank III’s official website: “All dates that have been released by various web sites for May have been postponed. If you recently purchased tickets, consult the location where you did so for information regarding their policy. Many outlets and venues may honor those tickets when the next tour does kick off – which we hope to be very soon.”

Hold on to your hats, we guess, for more information.

We’ve seen a lot of prostitutes in Vegas casinos. They are never this cute or happy.

Further blurring the state line between California and Nevada, yet another star-studded movie premiere is coming to Las Vegas next week (on the heels of last night’s 88 Minutes premiere at Planet Hollywood), and yes, it’s another Las Vegas-based gambling story (as was another PH premiere, 21), this time called Deal.

The film, directed by Gil Cates, Jr., features Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison and Shannon Elizabeth – the latter as what else but a call girl – engaged in the world of high stakes poker. The green-felt glory of Deal will debut at 7:30 p.m. next Thursday, April 24, at Brenden Theatres inside the Palms (4321 W. Flamingo Road) – not coincidentally, where premiere sponsor CineVegas will hold its 10th annual film festival later this summer.

Gawkers might want to make the trek to catch glimpses of red carpet walkers such as the aforementioned Elizabeth, Mimi Rogers, Melissa Rivers, Sharon Lawrence and a bunch of other decreasingly recognizable names including some Playboy Playmates, professional poker champs and maybe a few escaped convicts. We cannot confirm the last part of that statement.

If you’re a Las Vegas-based musician toiling away in an esoteric, experimental sub-genre, your time to shine may be at hand, assuming your alternative frame of mind doesn’t prevent you from meeting a deadline.

Desertscraped: New Noise from the Neon Wilderness is local author/poet/musician Jarret Keene’s latest project spawned with the help of a Cirque du Soleil Community Support Grant. The music compilation will feature “no more than eight epic tracks” compiled by Keene to showcase artists working in experimental genres such as post-rock, avant-electronic and ambient. This is Keene’s second Community Support Grant, the first of which financed last October’s “Neon Crush” spoken word event and chapbook.

“I didn’t want to repeat myself, so I formulated a musical/performance project that I felt would spotlight some of the more underground and underappreciated musicians in Las Vegas,” Keene told VEGASinsight. “I really didn’t expect to get the second grant, and I am very grateful to Cirque for the opportunity to bring some attention to artists like Albino Leviathan and Meat Over Moscow.”

Artists are invited to submit their original, unheard songs in MP3 format by May 1. Selected artists will be notified by June 1, and those who are able to replicate their compositions in a live setting will be asked to perform for a public audience to celebrate the release of Desertscraped. Interested parties should contact Keene at jarret_keene@yahoo.com.

One of the best views in Las Vegas, now 100-percent carbon free.

N9NE Group – the dining and nightlife company behind all those clubs and restaurants at the Palms (4321 W. Flamingo Road) in which you enjoy imbibing and engaging in tomfoolery – is taking the initiative to be more environmentally responsible, as evidenced by a couple of notable events and announcements.

First, N9NE’s Moon nightclub atop the Palms’ Fantasy Tower is hosting an Earth Day fundraiser next Tuesday, April 22 at 10:30 p.m. Not only will a portion of the $20 cover charge be donated to the Nevada Conservation League, but patrons giving contributions at the donation station outside the club will receive drink tickets valid until the end of the night. Fliers for the event are being printed on Lotka paper, made from the bark of the Daphne bush, and apparently they produce flowers if planted. Seriously? Yep. How friggin’ rad is that? Every flier should be plantable! We could grow entire gardens just using the last batch of fliers left under my windshield wiper outside Beauty Bar last week.

Where were we? Oh, yeah, so on top of all that, Jack LaFleur will be spinning house music in Moon’s Satellite Bar, and body-painted dancers (are those eco-friendly paints?) will distribute 100-percent organic cotton tees from American Apparel throughout the night. (more…)

Mmm … pancakes, orange juice and human blood. Blade’s breakfast of champions.

It’s rare we get to merge two of our favorite things: breakfast food and community service. But Hash House A Go Go (6800 W. Sahara Ave.) and United Blood Services have somehow made the dream possible. Oh yes, that’s right – on Saturday, April 26, everyone’s favorite oversized portion-serving restaurant is hosting the UBS Vampire Bus (well, that’s what we call it) in its parking lot for those who wish to donate some of their precious blood to UBS’s ever-in-need blood bank.

As incentive to participate in the community blood drive, Hash House a Go Go is offering up a free pancake, T-shirt and fresh-squeezed orange juice for each donor. And to top it off, UBS will also give each donor one ticket to see The Scintas at the Hilton and two tickets to the Mega Bubble Show at Miracle Mile inside Planet Hollywood (OK, technically, they’re vouchers for tickets, whatever).

Well, those may not be the greatest shows on Earth, but face it – other people need your blood more than you do. All you’ll do is increase its alcohol content anyway. Schedule an appointment for the event, which runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., by calling 702-228-8400 or hit up www.bloodhero.com, code word “HASHHOUSE” (that sounds kind of subversive – we like it!).

Trackademics lives in an animated world, just like us.

There’s just not enough good hip-hop clubs in Las Vegas. No, really — we’re not talking about that Jay-Z-50 Cent-Ludacris stuff that the weak-ass DJs at the mainstream nightclubs play — we mean music that gets your ass shaking without inducing flashbacks of automatic weapons, women getting bitch-slapped or shiny gold grills.

Well, for one night a month, Beauty Bar (517 Fremont St.) is being transformed into an urban music oasis when Hi-Fidelity takes over the downtown hot spot. Hearkening back to those Hypercolored days of “House Party,” Hi-Fidelity is all about fly music and fresh looks. Featuring a different featured performer each month, the party also offers DJs Slimm, Green and Frizzle spinning soul, funk, hip-hop, lo-fi, house and other tasty styles of music, as well as drink specials, event photos and a “Your Royal Flyness” competition, with contestants competing for streetwear, featured placement on fliers and the web and, of course, respect.

The kick-off is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 15, at 10 p.m., with a performance by Trackademics and The Honor Roll. There’s no cover, and ladies showing up before 11:30 p.m. enjoy special prices on libations. The only dress code is to bring your personal style in spades.