Deadline approaching for ‘Desertscraped’ music compilation
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.