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12W
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CONTENTS 6W AS WE SEE IT The state
22W NOISE The hip-hop duo of
of the screen industry in the state without the enticing tax credits ... Great lectures and a new Teaching Gallery at UNLV’s Barrick Museum. Plus: Downtown news bites.
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek hit the Bowl, and songstress Sia and indie lads Bloc Party drop new discs.
ILLUSTRATION BY FILTHY LITTLE HANDS; JENNIFER LOPEZ BY DENISE TRUSCELLO
10W FEATURE | WHEN WE’RE
24W THE STRIP J.Lo’s new residency at Planet Hollywood is aptly named All I Have, because she leaves it all on the floor.
GONE Nephy Acevedo believes in the afterlife, and the part he plays in stewarding dead bodies.
27W PRINT Musing on the past.
12W FEATURE | YOUR GUIDE
28W FOOD & DRINK Morning
TO THE IMPORTANT THINGS Like using emojis to quit your job, making KoMex kimchi or booking a cool band for your bar mitzvah.
glory with buttery pastries at Craft Kitchen. A new life for the Goodwich kiosk and new sips at Art Bar.
19W A&E The Soft Moon and
30W CALENDAR What to do!
David Bowie—kindred spirits?
20W POP CULTURE Here’s why hating the Eagles is missing out on some irresistible pop.
21W SCREEN All you need to know about the O.J. Simpson show is that John Travolta is in it.
COVER ILLUSTRATION BY FILTHY LITTLE HANDS
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AsWeSeeIt N e w s + C u lt u r e + S t y l e + M o r e
Rough cut Film production in Las Vegas abounds, but will the industry be stunted by meager tax credits? ∑ After losing nearly all of its hard-
won, $80-million tax-credit allotment to Tesla during last autumn’s special legislative session, the local film industry deserved a windfall—and got one over the past week. A fifth Bourne film began shooting on the Strip. Homegrown studio Lola Pictures represented Sin City at Sundance with its mostly home-shot Frank & Lola, which had its world premiere— the first of three screenings at the festival—on Wednesday. And Clark County recently announced that in 2015, it issued 440 permits for movies, TV shows, commercials and other filmed content, breaking its own record for the third year in a row. The City of Las Vegas also had a blockbuster year, with 352 of its own. “It’s a good indicator of the health of the business,” says Eric Preiss, director of the Nevada Film Office, which promotes the state by
enticing film projects here. “We’re excited to see the trend going up. This is a cyclical business.” Among the productions filmed in Las Vegas last year were movies like the Oscar-nominated The Big Short and the forthcoming The Trust with local Nicolas Cage; game shows like Monopoly Millionaire’s Club; and reality-based TV programs like The Real World, the latter now having shot its third season in the Valley. When production companies come to film in Las Vegas, it typically means opportunities for local businesses and professionals, from dry cleaners and makeup and hair stylists to caterers and aerial/drone photographers. According to Lola Pictures producer Chris Ramirez (formerly of film company Silver State Production Services), however, big-budget movies tend to favor their own crew members as opposed to contracting locals. What’s
6W LasVegasWeekly.com january 28-February 3, 2016
most beneficial to the industry and city are the smaller independent films. “You can get more control, bring it to your town and make [Vegas] look like a real serious community and industry,” Ramirez says. But those movies often rely on the types of tax credits other states readily offer. New Mexico— which Preiss called Nevada’s biggest competitor outside of Hollywood, and which backdropped blockbuster film The Avengers and five seasons of Breaking Bad—has had much success with its 25-30 percent refundable tax credit, up to $50 million available each fiscal year. It generated $1.5 billion for New Mexico’s economy and employed nearly 16,000 people between 2010 and 2014, according to a state study. California, which offers 20-25 percent in tax credits (and various ancillary rebates), recently raised its yearly cap to $230 million in rebates, and it goes up another $100 million in 2019. Local industry contractor JR Reid, who founded JR Lighting 25 years ago, says he flourished in 2014 and early 2015, when incentivized projects included a handful of feature films (including Frank & Lola, which boasted
a purely local crew and employed Reid). After the tax-abatement approval, and in anticipation of the increased workload, Reid hired personnel and invested in new equipment. But then the credit package slipped away, and business fell from the heights of last year. He’s not despondent, though, as he predicts a “reasonable” 2016, which could see business from political TV ads, and he sees promise in the 2017 lawmaking session. “We’re hoping after the election’s over and we get back to the Legislature next year, we’ll see movement toward the incentives being funded again.” Ramirez adds that the credits mean credibility, and compares September’s decision to that of the recent rate increase on solar-power customers— two growing industries in Nevada, still running the gauntlet. “We’re not the only people looking at this” he says. “It’s national, even international. Investors and big companies and financiers—and back to the people on the ground—look at these decisions and wonder if they should plant a flag here. Once we renege on [tax incentives] … they don’t think we’re serious.” –Mike Prevatt
photo illustration by jon estrada
> Bourne in Vegas The fifth film has been shooting locally.
AS WE SEE IT…
BARRICK SHARES THE WALLS
FEED YOUR BRAIN!
> STAFF PICKS (Clockwise from top) “Long Distance” by Rachel Stiff, a Maya jade maskette and a Paiute basket.
Nothing is too niche or taboo for UNLV’s University Forum
If you’ve ever wondered how books will survive the digital age, why slavery still matters or what a three-stringed lute says about Japanese identity (and admit it—you have), check out UNLV’s University Forum lecture series, a delightful hodgepodge of free talks centered on all things social, historical and cultural. No subject is too niche or too taboo, as guests speakers and professors from home and abroad share their expertise on topics ranging from political extremism and modern-day propaganda to Ethiopian art to pornography’s role in everyday life. Sponsored by UNLV’s College of Liberal Arts, the first-come, first-served lectures run through early May, taking place weekdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Barrick Museum Auditorium. For details, visit unlv. edu/liberalarts/events. –Kristy Totten
A new program has UNLV faculty digging into the collections, from clay effigy vessels to contemporary art BY KRISTEN PETERSON Back in September, the Barrick Museum launched a new program allowing UNLV faculty and staff a chance to curate exhibits by plucking works stored in its collection rooms. The opportunity results in fascinating little shows that might pair pre-Columbian works with contemporary art, or, as with its inaugural exhibit Little Sculptures in the Round, present small, three-dimensional contemporary pieces for object-based learning—an all-angle viewing distinct from Las Vegas’ monumental architecture and false fronts. Initiated by Susanna Newbury, BARRICK assistant profesMUSEUM sor of contemporary TEACHING art history, criticism GALLERY and theory, Barrick’s MondayTeaching Gallery Friday, 9 grants access simia.m.-5 p.m. lar to what she had (Thursdays at Yale, where most till 8 p.m.); of her undergraduSaturday, ate coursework was noon-5 p.m. done in its gallery. UNLV, 702Designed to enhance 895-3381. academic experience and research, such programs are common at higher-ed institutions and museums. At Barrick, professors curate shows to reflect coursework, and students learn to view works and write critically. Newbury hopes there will be campus-wide interest, as do Barrick staffers like artist Alisha Kerlin, who says, “I’d like to see what a French professor might select.” Could be anything. The collection rooms hold more than 200 contemporary works belonging to the Las
IN BRIEF
Vegas Art Museum and Barrick and more than 2,000 works from Barrick’s cultural collection of American Southwest and Mesoamerica. Staff favorites (which gallery director Aurore Giguet says change constantly) make up the 14-piece exhibit currently in the Teaching Gallery, adjacent to the main gallery. Giguet’s picks? A Sam Davis C-print and Maya jade maskette, the kind worn by
8W LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 3, 2016
WELCOME HOME Someone is (finally) heeding the call for a more residential Downtown. The Arizona-based Wolff Company and Downtown Project arm 901 Fremont, LLC will break ground within the month on a 1.3-acre, mixed-use endeavor with the working name Fremont and 9th, which also describes its location (just west of Atomic Liquors). It’ll boast not only 231 rental units marked with stylish touches, but 15,000 square feet of shopping space, urban art and a hotel-like pool. –Mike Prevatt
FOOD NOT BOMBS Las Vegas’ oldest bar will soon build Downtown’s newest restaurant. Despite concerns from neighbors about potential noise violations, the city approved a specialuse permit for Atomic Kitchen, an eatery to be connected to East Fremont bar Atomic Liquors. Mob scenes from the movie Casino were filmed in the 1940s garage that will house the restaurant, and owner Lance Johns aims to open its doors in April. We hope the food is bomb. –KT
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JON ESTRADA
SHARING (BIKES) IS CARING Rrring, rrring. (That was a bike bell, by the way.) Vegas will join the ranks of 80 or so progressive cities this summer when a bike-share launches Downtown. One-hundred-eighty commuter bikes with baskets will be available for rent at 18 stations built out by Wisconsin-based BCycle, a partner of Trek bikes. Locations are to be determined and prices are yet to be set, but remember, it’s BYOH—the H being helmet. –Kristy Totten
emperors and possibly handed down as an heirloom. Kerlin selected Daniel Habegger’s oil-on-canvas painting, “Plaza Towers,” which had been featured in a previous exhibit. “The longer it lived on the wall, the more I saw in it,” she says. “I like the way he’s dealt with the edges and the way that light in Las Vegas rakes across buildings. Every mark is essential. No line fully connects.”
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Benefiting
KITCHEN
vegas
story
Nephy Acevedo Body mover
I
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By Kristen Peterson
t’s 3 a.m. in Las Vegas. Nephy Acevedo and his colleague are heading south down I-95 toward Henderson when they hear a motorcycle approaching, riding their tail. They switch lanes to let him pass. He sticks behind them in the next lane over, letting off the gas until the roar of his engine fades, then coming up fast, then fading back. No windows in the van. No lights on the bike. The driver keeps this up until finally Acevedo says, “Okay, this guy’s playing games with us. We might as well pull to the side.” They do, but the bike is gone. They speculate that maybe it was a friend or family member escorting the body. Or a crazy person. After a few minutes back on the road, the bike returns, pulling up along the driver’s side. Acevedo says that when his partner rolled down the window, the bike disappeared. This time for good.
***** Acevedo was 21 when he got a call from a friend in a jam. He had to move a body. “There might be a job in it for you, because we can’t keep anybody,” he remembers his friend saying. He’d never seen a dead body, and superstition was big in Acevedo’s family of Guatemalan and Mayan heritage. Touching the dead is ominous. But he agreed to help. He’d been working casino thrill rides, and business was slow. The man’s body growled when they wrapped it in a sheet, air releasing from his lungs as they lifted him onto the gurney. It was a hospital pickup. Nothing extreme. But then his friend got a call from the coroner’s office for another pickup. He asked Acevedo to sit in the back of the van in the dark with the body, out of sight. “Sitting with a man who was just alive in the back of a dark van, I’m thinking, There’s more to this. I’m interested.” Fifteen years later, Acevedo is an official body mover, one of about 30 in the county transporting decedents for mortuaries and the coroner’s office, making pickups anywhere life ends—homes and businesses, churches and government buildings, roads and parks. Three weeks on and three weeks off. More than 2 million residents live in the Valley, and calls come around the clock. Natural causes, overdoses, car accidents, shootings, domestic violence. If a death happens in someone’s home, the family cleans it up. “From the sidewalk in is the family’s responsibility,” Acevedo says. “With suicides with a gunshot, we take as much of it as we can. Sometimes it might go somewhere they can’t see it.” “It” refers to human tissue and fluids. That’s why attendants suggest a professional cleaning company. “Seeing it is one thing, but the first time you’re holding someone’s brains in your hands, it hits you—this is someone’s thoughts and dreams.” Clark County Coronor John Fudenberg says that body movers like Acevedo are essential to the machinery of dealing with death. “They’re a very valuable resource for us. These are the guys working in the shadows, they’re doing the heavy lifting. It’s not easy removing a decedent with extensive trauma and putting a decomposed body into a body bag. Their job is very difficult. And it’s a very thankless job.” While Acevedo has been able to handle it, the friend who initially brought him onboard struggled and finally quit. “He was taking the cases home with him. They were keeping him up at night,” says Acevedo, now in his 30s. “One moment he could be picking up an 80-year-old man, the
photograph by christopher devargas
next minute it could be a 2-year-old that was beaten to death.” The call that finished it, Acevedo says, involved a child being run over by a truck and driven back to the company yard caught in the undercarriage without the driver’s knowledge.
***** Sitting in the Galleria mall food court, Acevedo is conversational, easygoing, kind and smiling. He believes in an afterlife, that our bodies are vessels for only one leg of the journey. He escorts those vessels. “I treat them with the most respect possible. I still feel good doing it. I can still handle it.” The work often involves removing a body with the family present, a delicate situation. “I’m always aware of what the family is going to see or think. I try to put myself in their place and see what they’re seeing. I tip my hat to the investigator, the bearer of bad news—that takes a toll. It’s not like TV shows or the news. In reality, there’s more to it. Even a case in the news, if Vegas ever knew the backstory and the pain of the family ... “A lot of the really emotional cases are the domestic cases. Emotions run high with family. Those have been the goriest, the most unbelievable and the most senseless. They’re usually very gruesome. They’re usually very violent. The wounds are more extensive or repetitive. There are a lot of cases that were so impactful. I won’t forget them. Emotionally and unbelievably. “In a way you’ve gotta be coldhearted, because if every case you wonder how the family is going to deal with it, you’d never get your work done.” When Acevedo’s own family arrived here from Central America in 1980 under Reagan administration amnesty, Las Vegas was still a relatively small town. Today, violence is more commonplace than when he took the job in 2000, from shootings to stabbings to rollovers. A network of professionals moves in quickly, including Acevedo. He has seen a child jump on his father’s gurney, and a criminal grieve for his girlfriend who’d been terminally ill and died while he was out buying her a birthday cake. “I talk to [the bodies] in certain cases,” he says. “With a child, I’ll say, ‘Alright buddy, time to go.’” When asked about his seemingly happy disposition, Acevedo explains, “I’m better off than anyone I’m going to pick up today. It can change like that at any minute.”
***** Then what? Acevedo thinks the decedents hang around for a while, based on what he says he’s experienced, and connecting back to that night in the van on I-95. With the motorcycle gone and the two body movers alone on the freeway, Acevedo brought up an option for what happened. During the pickup, they’d seen photographs of the dead man on different Harleys over the decades. There was a leather vest in the room, and the deceased was wearing motorcycle boots with his bedclothes. “What if this is him?” Acevedo asked. “Maybe this is his last ride.”
January 28–february 3, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com
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O ur g u i de to i m p r ov i n g yo u r l if e a n d t h e l ive s of oth e r s Illustrations by Filthy Little Hands
HOW TO
DON’T: 1. Post a picture of your wound. We’re sorry you’re hurt, but we don’t need proof. 2. Flash your post-workout abs. Every. Single. Day. Hey, congrats on working out 1,426 days in a row. We don’t care! 3. Oh, your gym smoothie? Zzzzz. 4. Ditto Starbucks cups, except when the barista comically misspelled your name. 5. Unless it’s ironic, keep the cat pics to yourself. Actually, same goes for ironic. No cat pics. 6. You’re cute. We like your face. But selfies every day, from the same damn angle, with duck lips? No. 7. Don’t like posts announcing deaths. You like that my grandpa died? What the hell is wrong with you? 8. Speaking of family, you are not your child. Don’t make him your profile picture. 9. And speaking of profile pictures, current photos only. You’re not fooling anyone, and while your feathered bangs did rock the ’90s, they don’t anymore. Embrace the now. 10. Last but not least, avoid being vague or passive-aggressive. Don’t condemn your nameless friends for their also-unnamed transgressions. Same goes for hospital selfies without explanation—captionless IV pics are the worst. If you want sympathy, request it outright. After all, we’re your friends! –Kristy Totten
12W LasVegasWeekly.com january 28-February 3, 2016
KoMex Kimchi Makes 1 jar
Ingredients:
1 head Napa cabbage ¼ cup sea salt, extra to taste ¼ cup white sugar, extra to taste ¼ cup to ½ cup gochugaru red pepper powder, to taste ¼ cup garlic, blended fine ¼-inch ginger root, peeled and blended fine 1 tbsp. boiled white rice, blended fine ½ red bell pepper, blended fine 1 tbsp. salted baby shrimp 1 bundle green onion, chopped
HOW TO
∑ “One in 10 will love it on their first try. Nine of them will be like, ‘Ew, no thank you,’” Lynda Yi says with a laugh. The co-founder of KoMex Fusion was born in Korea, where the fermented-cabbage snack known as kimchi is happily eaten with just about everything. Yi says Vegas’ two KoMex locations (4155 S. Buffalo Drive; 633 N. Decatur Blvd.) go through about 14 gallons a week, so fans are out there. “When it’s perfectly fermented it has a little bit of a vinegary taste, kind
of salty, very garlicky, and it does have a very pungent smell. … Think of sauerkraut with a lot of garlic.” It tastes way better than it smells. And you don’t need to bury it in the ground like they did in the old days. But like her mother did, Yi cooks from the hip at home. “Eye and taste … my mom taught me that way, so I’ve never really used a teaspoon or a measuring cup,” she says. So feel free to tweak this recipe to your spicy and funky levels of bliss. –Erin Ryan
Method: Wash cabbage. Chop wet leaves into inch-thick ribbons and put in clean plastic tub. Add sea salt and toss, then let sit for two hours or until leaves are wilted. Rinse cabbage and tub and return leaves to tub. Add baby shrimp, gochugaru, sugar, blend of garlic, ginger, bell pepper and rice, green onion and a pinch of sea salt. Mix with your hands until leaves are coated. Taste to ensure balance and add sugar or salt accordingly, though remember fermenting will intensify everything. Stuff raw kimchi into sterile Mason jar and cover with plastic wrap, then lid, to keep in moisture and flavor. Leave jar out for 24 hours. Open and press down on plastic wrap to compress kimchi and aid fermentation, cover and refrigerate for about a week, “depending how fast you want to eat this and how crunchy you like it.”
HOW TO
MAKE YOUR ASS HARD THROUGH ROLLERBLADING ∑ Midnight skating the university campus we cover miles in the desert summer air—roads, parking lots, pathways, circling the sports arena then hopping curbs, leaping stairs and riding concrete benches, flying off with the rehearsed grace of Olympians. Rollerblades were an inevitable invention. Wheels on the feet. It couldn’t be simpler, a complete freedom that yields surprisingly exceptional posture and strength, promising you’ll bound flights of stairs with ease, prompted by hard glutes and solid hamstrings. The very basics of inline ensure it: Skater pushes off, extends leg back, pushes off with other leg, repeating thousands of rolling lunges in one evening. It’s why the racehorse-esque gluteal muscles of male figure skaters become armchair conversation. “Maybe I should take up ice skating,” someone finally says. Wheels. –Kristen Peterson
January 28–february 3, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com
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HOW TO
Netflix and chill
I quit
We’re breaking up
HOW TO
∑ So you’ve graduated from a winged corkscrew to a waiter’s friend, your sommelier boyfriend having taught you something that’s actually useful at a dinner party. But then you misplace that wine key minutes before the toast. How do you uncork your 2010 Cab? Find a toolbox: Chances are, there’s a screw in there. Twist one halfway into the center of the cork, which you can now wiggle out via the screw with the end of a hammer or a pair of pliers. Alternatively, you can lightly hammer three or four small nails into the cork, all in a line. Then, slide the groove at the end of the hammer under the nail heads and carefully pull. Take off your shoe: If you’ve got one that’s well-padded inside, stick the butt of the bottle inside of it, where your heel sits. Now strike the sole against a wall (or any hard surface). The cork will eventually come out. If a shoe sounds gross or odd, wrap a towel around the bottom half of the bottle and bang away—but be careful so you don’t break the glass. Unsheath a knife: Carefully push a serrated blade through the cork. Then twist the blade and the cork out. Grab your car keys: Push a key two-thirds of the way into the cork diagonally. Wriggle it and the cork toward you until it’s out. Fire up the blowtorch: For reals. Torch the neck, just below the cork. The air will expand from the heat, and the subsequent pressure will nudge out (or outright pop) the cork. Use caution for this maneuver as well, as an overzealous flaming can break the neck. –Mike Prevatt
14W LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 3, 2016
OW N H RE R A LEA C A TO TAKE E LIKE IFT TO EOPL , RE-G A P E OF CIERG BEINGAOKE T R CONITHOU ND KA ISIT W AG A SS, V KLY. BO EE TB D I R L I K E A A SW VEGCOM. S A L
HOW TO
∑ We’ve all been there, flipping through a magazine, looking at photos of fabulous living spaces and wondering how to get some fabulous minus Steve Wynn’s fabulous wallet. We reached out to local designer Melissa Roche Amos of Parlor 430 Design Studio for simple, inexpensive ways to improve your surroundings—and impress your houseguests. Throw pillows. Pops of color and texture will dress up your sad sofa or chair. Amos recommends various sizes and shapes to further enhance the space with depth and interest. Lighting. Candles to floor lamps, Amos suggests adding ambient light. Is your overhead fixture casting a nasty glare? Remedy that with a dimmer. Accent wall. “Roll up your sleeves and get to painting,” Amos advises. A feature or accent wall, like a headboard wall or television wall, will add some drama. Flowers. This is Amos’ favorite tip for designing on a dime, as a grocery-store orchid will add style to any space and last for months. Or opt for fresh-cut flowers in different-sized vases to add color, dimension and scent. Music. While not necessarily a design aesthetic, a soundtrack can be the best way to set the mood for your guests. Amos suggests a good Bluetooth speaker or a television set to a music channel. “That is why great restaurants and retail stores always play music.” –Mark Adams
HOW TO
BOOK A TOURING BAND FOR YOUR BACKYARD ∑ Who hasn’t daydreamed about it—a favorite band playing your wedding, birthday or house party? Veteran talent buyer Mike Henry, who books at the Bunkhouse, Downtown Container Park and Gold Spike, says it can happen, even to ordinary fans. “I think stuff like that is more possible than ever now. Bands do it all around the country, and agents know how to think about it.” A few of Henry’s specific tips for getting the gig going … 1. Be realistic. “You’re not gonna get Radiohead, but you can certainly find bands that will do it. If you look at Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s website, there’s a whole run of house shows. Mike Doughty is famous for doing it. Maybe start by finding bands with holes in their tours, that aren’t playing Vegas but will be close by. Some bands might get insulted, but some will be flattered and super into it.” 2. Make a connection. “Good agents listen to their bands, so if you have a way
to go to the artist first—if you can connect with them and get them excited about it—you just moved the ball way down the field. Lots of artists are very approachable and will email you back.” 3. Be legit. “You have to be as professional about it as you can. They’re gonna quickly want to know, ‘Who are you, have you done this before, is this gonna be produced well?’ Any sort of credibility you can bring to it will help. Maybe even do a house show with local bands and videotape it so you have something to show them.” 4. Get help. “Having it come off right is a lot of work and requires a pretty specialized skill set. You might think about bringing someone in, an experienced musician or event promoter or producer.” We’ll add a final tip: Watch the video portion of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes’ Ruin Jonny’s Bar Mitzvah album before you book anything. As the title suggests, great concepts don’t always add up to great results. –Spencer Patterson
JANUARY 28–FEBRUARY 3, 2016 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM
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Canada’s Alex and Chris van den Hoef are best known for “Tsunami,” a collaboration with fellow Hakkasan Group Vegas resident Borgeous. But the brothers have taken a more melodic route lately with “Never Leave” and “Angel,” electronic experimentation worth checking out this weekend.
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Wynn’s nightclubs have developed a habit of jumping on breakout dancemusic artists. The latest: a masked, anonymous producer who exploded last year and debuted at Surrender last week. Ready to get your Marshmello on?
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Another band of brothers, Dutch duo Sjoerd and Wouter Janssen, takes the decks at Omnia Saturday night, but these guys have been doing it for almost 15 years. Showtek considers itself part of a sonic tribe, gleaning energy from its fans/brothers. Feel it for yourself.
dvbbs by al powers; marshmello by tony tran; showtek by aaron garcia; dj mustard by joe janet
After a year in which he had a heavy hand in both “Lean On” and “You Know You Like It”— two monumental smashes—it’s no wonder DJ Snake made Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of musicians to watch ... and if you kept watching, er, listening to “Middle” and “Propaganda,” you know Forbes was right.
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Associate Publisher Mark De Pooter (mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com)
The last time Mustard sauced it up at Light, the in-demand hip-hop producer and DJ brought along Travis Scott so they could bump their new track “Whole Lotta Lovin’.” There’s no telling who will pop in or what will go down this time.
Industry Weekly Editor Brock Radke (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com) Industry Weekly Writer Leslie Ventura (leslie.ventura@gmgvegas.com) Contributors Mark Adams, Don Chareunsy, Sarah Feldberg, Erin Ryan, Kristy Totten Associate Creative Director Liz Brown (liz.brown@gmgvegas.com) Designers Corlene Byrd, Jon Estrada, Marvin Lucas Circulation Director Ron Gannon CEO, Publisher & Editor Brian Greenspun Chief Operating Officer Robert Cauthorn Group Publisher Gordon Prouty Managing Editor Ric Anderson
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Afrojack returns to Omnia Nightclub. Photo by FotoFloor
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frojack has become quite the emblem of the globe-trotting, club-conquering, big lifeliving DJ and dance-music producer. He’s unapologetic about enjoying the spoils of his electronic endeavors, even if the press continues to jump every time he buys a new car. (Granted, his most recent acquisition, the Rosso Bia Lamborghini Aventador SV, is reportedly the first of its kind to be delivered to the Netherlands.) His name might conjure images of waking up among a bevy of beauties and sucking down a Blowfish hangover-cure drink, as he does in the bouncy video for last season’s hit “SummerThing!”. But as glamorous as the lifestyle may be, the still-only-28-year-old Afrojack is about his business, and his business is music. Before “SummerThing!” there was “Hey Mama,” Afro’s 2015 all-star team-up with David Guetta and Nicki Minaj, an inescapable pop crossover.
photogrAph by AAron gArciA
With a spot on virtually every major EDM fest around the globe, a fresh residency at Omnia and a constant stream of new music—he just teamed with fellow Dutchman Hardwell for “Hollywood”—it’s no wonder why Afrojack remains firmly planted on the shortlist of top-earning DJs year in and year out. Afrojack, January 29, February 16 & 19, Omnia at Caesars Palace.
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here aren’t many female hosts in the Las Vegas nightlife industry. “It’s a very demanding job. You have to have a thick skin and be able to put up with a lot,” says Natalia Badzjo, senior manager of VIP services at one of the country’s most profitable nightclubs, XS at Encore. “As a female host, you can’t play by the same rules as a male host. It just doesn’t work that way. Many females try themselves out in this industry and don’t last, but there are great ones who paved the way for the ones still here.” Badzjo isn’t going anywhere. The Russian dynamo originally landed in Las Vegas to finish her education, and after her first gig cocktailing at Tabu at MGM Grand, she dove into management and operations at Studio 54. She and her husband, Brian Buechner, also worked for Station Casinos implementing the popular Red Rock Retreat promotion before Badzjo began hosting at Encore.
phoTograph By aNThoNy Mair
“My job is never boring,” she says. “I love walking into the club and seeing the huge energy at midnight, right before the main DJ comes on, and then getting texts from customers saying they had an amazing time and can’t wait to come back. Working for Wynn has taught me a lot that I’m using now in opening my own business.”
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Indeed, Badzjo and Buechner just debuted Big B’s Texas BBQ in their Henderson neighborhood last week—and sold out of food on their very first day. Considering Badzjo’s knack for driving business and taking care of customers, that will likely become a regular occurrence. –Brock Radke
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ow that Austin “Chumlee” Russell is famous, and not just a funny guy who works at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, his nights out in Vegas are a little different. Known for being the comic foil on the History Channel’s Pawn Stars—and an occasional DJ, spinning
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hip-hop hits at Ghostbar Dayclub Saturday afternoon—Chum still likes to party, but he does it like a true local.
rooms at my house, and there’s always someone visiting or sleeping on the couch,” he laughs.
“Going to Hakkasan to see Tiësto is a regular night for me,” he says. “I love Hakkasan, and I’m there all the time, but for someone who’s coming into town and has never seen that, it’s a huge deal. I basically go out now with my friends according to the DJ, and it’s usually local guys like DJ Five or Eric D-Lux who play the music we really enjoy listening to.”
“We party here until 11 or 12 before the club, and afterwards maybe we hit a karaoke bar in Chinatown or a late-night food spot like Pho Kim Long at 3 or 4 in the morning to finish the night off right. It’s always a race to beat the sun, to get to bed before it’s bright outside.” Chumlee, January 30, GBDC at the Palms.
You might find him at XS, too, but for the most part, Chum clubs it up in hip-hop rooms like Ling Ling at Hakkasan and Heart of Omnia. His pre-party? At home. “I have five bed-
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here are lots of reasons Wild at Heart on Tuesdays has quickly become one of Las Vegas’ favorite industry nights. The easy, most obvious factor is the plush venue itself, Heart of Omnia, where the rich, ultralounge-style design and
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LED-screen-boosted sensory overload make every night feel like a VIPs-only special occasion. When Wild at Heart takes over, with its constantly shifting, lighthearted themes, it instills a youthful spirit into its guests, almost like we’re partying when our parents are gone. The energetic open format (guided this week by SKAM Artist DJ buddies Five and Eric D-Lux) pushes the carefree party vibe into overdrive.
And then there’s Omnia’s X factor: On any given night, you could move into the main room and catch a different, monumental act, like Dirty Dutch label boss Chuckie (this Tuesday), or in February, The Chainsmokers or Afrojack. In short, Tuesday at Omnia is every kind of wild you want.
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inding the right spot between sexy and playful is no easy feat. With STK’s sensual, sophisticated vibe and curvaceous, ultramodern design, one might wonder how the Cosmopolitan steakhouse could pull off a cheekier theme for brunch. How about servers in pajamas? Rap and R&B hits from the ’90s floating overhead? Football on the flatscreens? Of course, a stellar menu helps, full of savory and sweet options like pork belly Benedict with yuzu hollandaise or a giant vanilla-bean waffle. STK’s new Sunday Brunch Club is where this playful magic happens, and it’s the perfect blend of rich, flirtatious fun. If the previous night kept you out until morning, jump straight to the make-your-own bottomless Bloody Mary bar. STK offers two types of Mary mixers, a traditional red and a chunky, spicy, tomatillo-based flavor. Add any number of hot sauces (Frank’s? Cholula? Tabasco?) plus celery, carrots, cheese cubes and peppered bacon, and you’ll be good as new in no time.
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Boosting the brunch vibe, which swaps the clubbier atmosphere for a down-tempo one, is singer Christina Amato and her live band between DJ sets by Roger Gangi. The strolling coffee cart? That only adds to STK’s laidback luxury.
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Next, try the smoked salmon, five slices atop crispy bagel chips with cream cheese and onion—or the, sweet, “STKy” monkey bread. Of course, STK’s take on traditional steak and eggs is bound to be a classic, with a juicy 12-ounce ribeye and perfectly seasoned breakfast potatoes. Lighter fare includes the king crab quiche with tarragon, fennel and asparagus, or the airy and sweet pancake with vanilla, butterscotch, coconut and peanut butter chips. Sunday Brunch Club at STK at Cosmopolitan, Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. –Leslie Ventura
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here’s a bag of booze on the bar at Bazaar Meat. Not a plastic bag. Not a paper bag wrapped around some tallboy or 40-ounce bottle in an attempt at hipster irony. This bag is supple and rustic, made of leather and imported from Spain. Some might call it a canteen or a wineskin, but in Spanish it’s a bota, and at Bazaar Meat this super-sized 4-liter container is dubbed the botarón. It isn’t just for decor. Lined with juniper oil and resin, it contains a cocktail-in-progress that will spend about two weeks mellowing inside the bag before emerging ready to pour as the Leatherette. The ingredients are simple: equal parts Old Overholt Rye, Yzaguirre Rojo Vermouth, Lepanto Brandy and Emilio Lustau Sherry. “If you mixed it without the leather, it would still be a great cocktail, but it would be a really intense cocktail,” says bar manager Hien Truong. The time inside the botarón balances and softens the edges until you have an easy sipper that tastes of oak and molasses with the dryness of velvety leather throughout. Chilled and served over a single 2-inch ice cube with lavender bitters and a sprig of the plant, the Leatherette pairs well with the restaurant’s richly marbled ribeye steaks. But no matter what you’re ordering, consider this crucial information: Drinking a cocktail that’s aged in leather just feels cool. Bazaar Meat by José Andrés at SLS, 702-761-7610; SundayThursday 5:30-10 p.m., Friday & Saturday, 5:30-11 p.m. –Sarah Feldberg
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#industry weekly
Hakkasan Group raised more than $63,000 and collected 1 ton of goods over the holidays to benefit the Shade Tree, a local nonprofit shelter assisting women and children who are victims of domestic violence and homelessness. Hakkasan team members and CEO Neil Moffitt recently delivered the donations, proving that Las Vegas hospitality knows no bounds. Share your most Vegas moments. Bring us behind your scenes with #IndustryWeekly.
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Arts&Entertainment MOVIES + MUSIC + ART + FOOD
> SIGNS, SIGNS Mmmm, $1.57 buffet.
THREE QUESTIONS Luis Vasquez, the man behind post-punk project The Soft Moon Your lyrics are typically mixed low, but on March album Deeper they’re more present. Do they carry more weight on this record? In the past I didn’t really know how to express what I was feeling with words, so my lyrics were more of a mantra—I would bury them and create a sense of frustration. With this record, it just felt time. I’ve gotten older, and I think just because of that natural growth I was able to put words behind my emotions.
TRUST US
Stuff you’ll want to know about GO BIGGER, BETTER AND BRIGHTER: THE EVOLUTION OF LAS VEGAS SIGNS Architect and scholar Stefen
PLANET HOLLYWOOD BY DENISE TRUSCELLO, REBELS BY L.E BASKOW
Al discusses the when, why and how of the Strip’s distinctive sign design during his presentation at UNLV’s Barrick Museum. February 2, 7 p.m., free. STEAMATHON 2 Victorian tinkerers unite for a three-day celebration of steampunk, including vaudeville, a fashion show and costume ball at the appropriately train-themed Main Street Station. All aboard! January 29-31, doors at 10 a.m., $48-$178. UNLV BASKETBALL VS. SAN DIEGO STATE
Which Rebels will show up for this clash with the Mountain West Conference-leading Aztecs— the Rebels who reeled off three straight wins after switching head coaches or the Rebels who suffered an ugly loss to rival Reno on Saturday? Show up and see. January 30, 5 p.m., $20-$140, Thomas & Mack Center.
ZOMBIE PAINTBALL EXPRESS If you missed out in October, Bonnie Springs Ranch is bringing back its zombie shooting gallery/bus ride for a one-off. Tickets will only be sold to guests 10 and over at the main entrance, starting at 5 p.m. January 30, 6-11 p.m., $30 for 200 paintballs.
HEAR SPECIAL-K We included these lo-fi indie rockers in the online supplement to last week’s bands-to-watch feature—now catch them in a ’90s-centric bill with grunge tribute band Smells Like Nirvana, New York’s Mega Bog and local prog-instrumentalists Brother Mister. January 30, 9 p.m., $5, Bunkhouse. NEVER SAY DIE Hard Rock Live hosts the latest RVLTN 18-and-over rave-up headlined by Belgian basslord Eptic, British boom-master Laxx and London dubstepper Skism. With Zack the Ripper, Blurnt Squad, Weavy, Zaiaku. January 30, 8 p.m., $25-$30. WATOTO CHILDREN’S CHOIR UNICEF finds more than
80 percent of the world’s children orphaned by AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa, and many more have lost parents to war and poverty. Watoto’s 18 young Ugandans represent and take on the statistics by raising their voices in hope. January 31, 6:30 p.m., Living Grace Foursquare Church; February 2, 7 p.m., Unity Baptist Church; free.
You write, record and engineer everyTHE SOFT thing on your own, MOON but you have a band with Close on tour. Is it difficult to Modern, handing over some Dark Black. creative control? I January 30, 8 really embrace their p.m., $10-$12. style or input when Backstage Bar it comes to the live & Billiards, aspect of the project. 702-382-2227. It helps to have a better dynamic. It’s more alive rather than too perfect. You’re living in Berlin, where David Bowie moved for his famous Berlin Trilogy. Is there something about the city that makes it a creative place? It’s about the energy, I guess. There’s something about this place that makes me feel creative at all times. There’s a sense of freedom that I haven’t felt anywhere else. It makes me feel more comfortable in expressing myself in different ways, or more radically. I don’t know too much about [the Berlin Trilogy]. I know he wrote Low while he was out there, and that’s an amazing record. I’m just doing my thing and living in my own little world, and the music is really what’s taken me to these places. I never thought in a million years I’d live in Berlin. Perhaps we’re kindred spirits in a way. –Leslie Ventura For more of our interview with Vasquez, visit lasvegasweekly.com.
JANUARY 28–FEBRUARY 3, 2016 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM
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A&E | pop culture C U LT U R A L AT TAC H M E N T
The long run
Hating the Eagles only means you’re missing out By SMITH GALTNEY
> After the Thrill Is Gone Frey (left) sang lead vocals on Eagles hits like “Take It Easy,” “Already Gone” and “Heartache Tonight.”
between Eagles Live and Hell Freezes Over. “With so many variables you can’t control, you should control everything you can,” Frey told Rolling Stone in a 1979 cover story. “We make it so the worst you can possibly be is great.” Honing and perfecting one’s craft might be admirable for a sushi chef, but it’s a very boring quality in a rock band. Then there’s the “douche” factor. History of the Eagles, a documentary authorized by the band in 2013, made it abundantly, fascinatingly clear that this was the biggest group of a-holes that ever existed. The part when Frey bids a very flippant adieu to longtime bandmate Don Felder is the nastiest, most arrogant moment I’ve ever seen in a rock movie. And Don Henley’s misanthropic nature often makes me wince. Whenever I hear
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him sing, “We’re gonna find out, pretty mama, what turns on your lights” in “One of These Nights,” it always sounds like he’s this-close to committing a sex crime. And yet, I always turn that song up when it comes on the radio. (One of my all-time favorite basslines.) The opening chords to “I Can’t Tell You Why” always make me smile. (I’m a sucker for Rhodes piano.) I can’t help singing “warm smell of colitas” whenever that damn song plays at the gym. (I prefer “warm smell of colitis.”) I used to fear that liking the Eagles meant I’d gotten old somehow. But what’s more pathetic than not liking the Eagles in some last-ditch effort to stay cool? Like a friend said last week, “If you don’t like the Eagles, you don’t love pop music.” Lighten up because you can. Resistance isn’t flattering.
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On January 19, the day after Glenn Frey died from numerous ailments at 67, a line on the cover of the New York Daily News read, “Frey’s Death Is Sad, But I Still Loathe the Eagles.” The article inside declared, “Hating the Eagles defines whether a music fan is a fan of music or a bandwagon jumper.” It called the band’s music “pop pap … a warm glass of milk to get you to bed.” It cited Steely Dan lyrics and Big Lebowski scenes and albums by other ’70s artists (Bowie, Reed, Stones, Young) as proof that “The Eagles were, quite simply, the worst rock and roll band.” This tactless, boneheaded diatribe ran alongside a more formal tribute to Frey, who, again, had only been dead a few hours. I guess somebody thought they were being cool. Or “authentic.” Whatever. How does a band inspire such odium, even in death? Blame the eternal East Coast vs. West Coast conflict. Back in ’73, Frey—who hated punk rock as much as he hated keeping his mouth shut—dissed the New York Dolls while playing a gig in New York City, which was like going to Boston and pooping in a Red Sox cap. East Coast rock critics preferred pale-faced underdogs and garage noise to sun-tanned jocks and peaceful, easy feelings. And the more popular the Eagles got, the more poisoned their screeds. Reviewing The Long Run for Rolling Stone in ’79, Dave Marsh wrote, “The fact that this pack of cliché-mongers is one of the biggest ‘rock’ bands today is perhaps the most pathetic commentary I know about the current state of the musical world.” It didn’t help that the Eagles were never shy about having a formula. This band would never break its own mold. “Hotel California” sounded the same in the studio as it did onstage, nor did it change in the 14 years
th
A&E | screen
> clearing his name Gooding’s O.J. takes a lie detector test.
SHORT TAKES New this week Everything About Her (Not reviewed) Vilma Santos, Angel Locsin, Xian Lim. Directed by Joyce Bernal. 127 minutes. Not rated. In Filipino with English subtitles. A dying business mogul facilitates a connection between her son and her caregiver. Century Orleans, Regal Village Square. Fifty Shades of Black (Not reviewed) Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett. Directed by Michael Tiddes. 92 minutes. Rated R. A parody of erotic drama Fifty Shades of Grey. Theaters citywide.
TV
The Juice is loose
The O.J. Simpson case gets an overheated reenactment in American Crime Story By Josh Bell do, and the parade of colorful figures (Al Cowlings! Kato Anyone who turned on a TV during the seemKaelin! The Kardashians!) is more overwhelming than ingly interminable period in 1994 and ’95 when the O.J. engaging. The cast is full of well-known actors, and the Simpson murder trial took up hundreds of broadcast performances range from misguided and campy (Connie hours will probably instinctively cringe at the 10 hourBritton as a loopy Faye Resnick; John Travolta affecting long episodes devoted to the case in the excruciatingly a Dr. Evil voice as lawyer Robert Shapiro) to genuinely detailed miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson: American affecting. Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance Crime Story. Rehashing every motion, every give the strongest performances as prosecumedia appearance, every personality clash of tor Marcia Clark and defense attorney Johnnie the divisive saga, The People ends up at odds aaccc Cochran, respectively, and both are presented with itself, torn between the typically over- THE PEOPLE sympathetically as principled people doing what wrought sensationalism of executive producer V. O.J. they sincerely believe is right. Ryan Murphy (Glee, American Horror Story, SIMPSON: Cuba Gooding Jr. falls somewhere in the Scream Queens) and the slightly more respect- AMERICAN middle in his portrayal of Simpson himself, able true-life drama created by head writers CRIME and the show never definitively states whether Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander (screen- STORY it believes Simpson killed his ex-wife Nicole writers of Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt Tuesdays, 10 p.m., FX. Brown and her friend Ron Goldman. It’s more and Man on the Moon). interested in exploring, often inelegantly, issues Sensationalism wins out much of the time, of race and class, big ideas that get steamrolled under and even the more grounded material ends up someMurphy’s usual bombastic production style (his main what painful to watch, given how the series drags out contribution as a director is a lot of distractingly swoopthe story to fill an entire season (Simpson’s infamous ing camera moves). A story that was exhaustively scruFord Bronco escape attempt takes up the whole second tinized at the time it occurred proves just as exhausting episode). The writing is full of heavy-handed references two decades later. to things viewers know more about than the characters
Kung Fu Panda 3 delivers the expected Kung fu panda Po has learned to believe in himself so many times, he must be the most self-actualized character in all of cinema. In Kung Fu Panda 3, Po (voiced by Jack Black) once again comes to appreciate how totally awesome he is, and then uses his total awesomeness to defeat an evil villain. Even if it recycles many of the plot and thematic elements of its predecessors, KFP3 is still reasonably entertaining for kids and other fans of the series, with lush animation and fun, likable characters. ¶ This time around, Po must master the traditional Chinese concept of ch’i—which the movie treats like it’s the Force—in order to take down mystically powered bad guy Kai (J.K. Simmons). He also has a bit of an identity crisis after meeting his long-lost biological father (Bryan Cranston) and discovering a secret city of pandas. Returning co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson continues to mix up the animation styles with some lovely 2D sequences, and the celebrity voice actors put energy and wit into their lines. At this point, there’s really nothing new to discover in a Kung Fu Panda movie, but it’s still nice to see old friends every so often. –Josh Bell
Jane Got a Gun (Not reviewed) Natalie Portman, Joel Edgerton, Ewan McGregor. Directed by Gavin O’Connor. 98 minutes. Rated R. A Western frontier woman enlists the help of her former fiancé to save her husband from a gang of outlaws. Theaters citywide.
S p e c i a l s c r e e nin g s Cinemark Classic Series Sun, 2 pm; Wed, 2 & 7 pm, $7-$10. 1/31, 2/3, Blazing Saddles. Century Theaters citywide. Las Vegas Stories 2/4, documentary The Misunderstood Legend of the Las Vegas Moulin Rouge, 7 pm, free. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702507-3459. RiffTrax Live 1/28, The Room with comedic commentary, 7:30 pm, $10.50-$12.50. Theaters citywide. Info: fathomevents.com. Sci Fi Center Mon, Cinemondays, 8 pm, free. 1/30, The Killer Shrews, Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks, 7 pm, $5. 5077 Arville St., 855-501-4335, thescificenter.com.
Al s o p l ay in g
FILM
Bear necessities
The Finest Hours aaacc Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Holliday Grainger. Directed by Craig Gillespie. 117 minutes. Rated PG-13. This true-life drama about a daring 1952 Coast Guard rescue is old-fashioned in both good and bad ways, with some hokey writing and performances, but also some solid suspense and excitement. Affleck is particularly good as the prickly but resourceful chief engineer on a stranded oil tanker. –JB Theaters citywide.
aaacc KUNG FU PANDA 3 Voices of Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, J.K. Simmons. Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni. Rated PG. Opens Friday citywide.
The 5th Wave aaccc Chloë Grace Moretz, Alex Roe, Nick Robinson. Directed by J Blakeson. 112 minutes. Rated PG-13. Teenager Cassie (Moretz) fights off an alien invasion and gets caught in a love triangle in the latest adaptation of a young-adult sci-fi novel series. The 5th Wave starts out as a rote survival narrative before taking a turn for the absurd with its central romance and the aliens’ nonsensical endgame. –JB Theaters citywide. Dirty Grandpa acccc Zac Efron, Robert De Niro, Aubrey Plaza. Directed by Dan Mazer. 102 minutes. Rated R. De Niro’s career twilight reaches its latest low point in this crass comedy about a randy widower (De Niro) who drags his uptight grandson (Efron) on a road trip to spring break at Daytona Beach. The humor is nasty, misogynistic and gross, but the disingenuously heartfelt scenes might be even more offensive. –JB Theaters citywide. For complete movie listings, visit lasvegasweekly.com/movie-listings.
January 28–february 3, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com
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A&E | noise Pop
> Feeling Brand New Kweli made his return to the Bowl a memorable one.
Playing pop star Sia repurposes superstar leftovers on This Is Acting
C O N C E RT
Eternal reflections
Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek preach to the faithful at Brooklyn Bowl Considering our city has high-end replica versions of the Eiffel Tower, the Egyptian pyramids and the Statue of Liberty, there’s some irony in Talib Kweli performing at a Vegas venue modeled after the one in his hometown. On Sunday, Brooklyn Bowl hosted Kweli and Hi-Tek, aka duo Reflection Eternal, responsible for 2000’s classic album Train of Thought and its 2010 follow-up Revolutions Per Minute. The show marked Kweli’s return to the venue after packing the house almost a year ago to the date. But with Hi-Tek joining him, this was a decidedly different performance. The two graced the stage, both grasping mics and commanding the mostly bearded crowd to wave its hands in a careless manner. After some brief
mic time, Hi-Tek manned the decks as the two ran through a collection of aaaac classic cuts, surprisingly dropping the Talib mellow, bittersweet “Memories Live” Kweli & at the top of the show, quickly gaining Hi-Tek more discerning fans’ trust. Staples like January 24, “Move Somethin’” and “Get By,” along Brooklyn with Kweli’s verse from Kanye West’s Bowl. “Get em High” achieved the desired effect of bouncing backpackers and B-girls, while deeper cuts like “The Blast” and Black Star’s “Respiration” created a cool mood. “Hip-hop culture is the most unifying culture on the whole planet. It brings together more races, more religions and different backgrounds than anything else,” Talib preached midway through the show, perhaps indirectly addressing Macklemore’s Iggy Azalea mention on “White Privilege II,” which Kweli had been debating with fans on Twitter just moments before hitting the stage. “There is nothing racist about hip-hop music. Hip-Hop music is the opposite of racism. But it comes from pain, struggle and oppression. You can’t just benefit from it and ignore those things.” –Mike Pizzo
By the time she launched her career as a songwriter for hire, Australian singer Sia had already put out five albums of her own, garnering critical acclaim but limited commercial success. Since co-writing hits for Rihanna, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Ne-Yo and others, Sia has steered her solo career in a more pop-oriented direction, which reaches its radio-friendly height with This Is Acting. A concept album of sorts, Acting features songs Sia worked on for other artists who ultimately declined to record them, which explains why Adele, Kanye West and Fun’s Jack Antonoff are among the credited writers. One of the reasons Sia aaacc has been so successful as SIA a pop songwriter is that This Is she can craft lyrics and Acting hooks that sound simultaneously personal and generic, expressions of self-confidence and empowerment that could come straight from the heart of just about anyone. As such, Acting sounds a bit like the appealing but generic debut album of a new pop singer who has yet to find her own voice. Lead single “Alive” features Adelestyle soaring vocals, “One Million Bullets” showcases Rihanna-style staccato delivery and “Footprints” is Katy Perrystyle empty uplift. All three sound like mid-level album tracks from bigger pop stars, which is probably what they would have been if those stars had decided to record them. That doesn’t mean Acting isn’t a fun listen, with its club bangers and many different ways of declaring “I am awesome.” But for a singer who started out by creating deeply personal songs, the acting on display here may be a little too good. –Josh Bell
That Bloc Party’s Hymns exists is almost miraculous. The U.K. quartet has gone on hiatus twice since 2009, and in recent years lost its formidable rhythm section, bassist Gordon Moakes and drummer Matt Tong. In light of that turbulence, it’s no aaccc surprise Hymns sounds quite different from the rest of Bloc Party’s albums. Instead of forceful post-punk or danceable electroBloc pop, the record hews toward amorphous, sleepy indie rock with keyboard-y accents (“So Real”) and hushed, minimalist R&B Party (“Fortress”). Although frontman Kele Okereke is well-suited for these styles, Hymns is a slog to get through. New bassist Justin Hymns Harris (who’s also in Menomena) and the session drummer employed here (full-timer Louise Bartle joined later) don’t have much to work with; arrangements tend to be slight and sterile—save for “Virtue” and the soulful “Only He Can Heal Me,” which both incorporate spacious ’80s synth-rock and oceanic melodies reminiscent of early New Order. And on “The Good News,” even gospel-inspired vocal harmonies and handclaps can’t save clunky lines like, “I used to find my answers in the gospels of St. John/Now I find them at the bottom of this shot glass.” Overall, Hymns sounds tentative and almost bored with itself, which makes for a rather forgettable album. –Annie Zaleski
22W LasVegasWeekly.com january 28-February 3, 2016
talib kweli by Erik Kabik/erikkabik.com
I n d ie R o c k
A&E | NOISE LO C A L S C E N E
Adult swim Bryan Todd steps back into songwriting with new band Glass Pools By Leslie Ventura
> Cannonball! From left, Todd, Romero, Sully and McDonald.
Records’ drummer Emily Sully. And while Glass Pools’ bread-and-butter is funky grooves, the songs are slightly angry, Todd says. “It’s like Alanis Morissette,” he jokes, before quickly rescinding. “Don’t print that.” That comparison actually isn’t too far off. As a dancey, disco drumbeat and a deep, swirling bassline kick in on “Dumb,” Todd recalls a sour relationship with lyrical venom. “Trust, I was so full of trust/I was so full of lust/I couldn’t see it/Sh*t, you were so full of
sh*t/But I fell into it each time/Over and over and over and over,” he coos against sparkling guitar riffs. You can find Glass Pools demos at glasspools. bandcamp.com, but Todd would rather you hear the music at the band’s debut, February 4 at the Bunkhouse, with visual projections by local artist Brian Henry. (Also on the bill: Rusty Maples and Black Camaricans.) Another objective? “To have something tangible,” Todd says. “We’ll record an album soon. That’s a goal.”
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It’s been more than a year since Brian Todd commanded audiences to move and sway as the frontman of college-rock cover band Red Eye Radio. Be it at Beauty Bar or the Palms Lounge, the dancefloor worked up a sweat, a result of the now-defunct Red Eye’s intoxicating energy. Now, Todd is back with a new indie-pop project, Glass Pools, and he’s set on making Vegas dance again. He’s no stranger to the limelight—before Red Eye Radio he fronted The Novelty Act and played in Pilot to Orion, and he’s a frequent actor and director for Cockroach Theatre. But leading an original act again is challenging, Todd admits, even if it’s more rewarding than performing other people’s songs. “As much as you put your own thing on [covers], it’s the familiarity and nostalgia that’s making people feel a certain way,” he says. Todd says his new sound comes from a lot of the influences that drove Red Eye Radio—a funky “amalgam of differently styled songs” with similarities to The Cure, Talking Heads, Phoenix and Bloc Party. It makes sense, as Glass Pools features three Red Eye Radio members: Todd (vocals/guitar), Ro Romero (guitar) and Mike McDonald (bass) plus Empire
A&E | THE STRIP
> FLY GIRL J.Lo’s PH show is a flashy, energetic whirlwind.
T H E K AT S R E P O RT
BLOCK PARTY J.Lo’s All I Have goes all-out all the time BY JOHN KATSILOMETES A group conversation the other night about Jennifer Lopez’s new show at Planet Hollywood’s Axis theater took an unexpected turn—down CeeLo Boulevard. We recalled CeeLo Green’s performance at the Planet Hollywood showroom, educating someone relatively new to Las Vegas who hadn’t witnessed CeeLo’s short-lived Loberace residency in the spring of 2013. As I attempted to explain, the CeeLo show was an attempt to create a nightclub atmosphere in a proper theater on the Strip. The promise at the time was to tap into CeeLo’s ample superstar equity to fill the theater for a comparably late start, 11 p.m. Playing up Liberace’s great showmanship and penchant for garish costumes and bedazzled scenery, Green would serve as that nightclub’s superstar attraction and the party would be on. Instead of Tiësto, we’d get CeeLo. The idea was sound and appealing, and represented an early attempt to merge theater and nightclub
entertainment in Las Vegas, since attempted elsewhere with shows like For the Record: Baz at Light. But Loberace failed in one crucial requirement: funding. The show either did not or could not spend the resources to deliver what was promised. Great expense was spent on CeeLo’s arrival on the Strip in front of Planet Hollywood, as his piano erupted in flames, but when the show rolled out, he wasn’t even given an instrument to play. The costumes didn’t fit. The music was entirely tracked. The show looked and felt cheap, a maddening outcome given CeeLo’s individual capacity to dazzle large crowds. That noble concept of a party at PH with a superstar at the center has held, however. The scene has changed, and it’s the old Theatre for the Performing Arts, redesigned as Axis. Since the upgrades, including a drawdown of the standard capacity from 7,500 to about 4,600, the focus has been to deliver nightclub-styled productions around superstar performers. Britney Spears’ show is full of flashy dance numbers, and Pitbull’s thunders with high-powered club songs designed to pull audience members from their seats. J.Lo’s show is the latest to infuse the theater space with a thundering nightclub experience. The difference starts with the checkbook: a little less than $10 million in production costs, including J.Lo’s eye-popping $350,000-per-show salary (a
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figure reported by TMZ and not disputed). Every scene in this show could serve as a static set in a major Strip production. The innovative expenditure is evident everywhere, starting with a smoldering five-piece band and 16 backing dancers whose jewelJENNIFER encrusted costumes seem pulled LOPEZ: from the final days of Jubilee. ALL I HAVE The multisensory experience Nights vary, unfolds throughout. During “Jenny 9 p.m., $59From the Block,” the singer and sub$416. Axis ject of that song is flanked by a pair at Planet of giant Yankee caps. A glimmering Hollywood, No. 6 subway train lurches forward 702-785-5395. for “Let’s Get Loud.” She dons a towering dress that serves as both gown and projection screen for a cover of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance,” which she dedicated to her 7-year-old twins Max and Emme in a moment that cut through the kinetic action onstage. Her sense of technology is paraded as her backing dancers race across the stage on hoverboards during “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” The production’s attention to detail extends to the accessories. J.Lo grips a rhinestone-studded cane for “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” (the Bye Bye Birdie production number) while dancing up a spiral staircase in the center of the stage. Then a chaise lounge is placed in that spot, and an artist who could be forgiven for simply dancing during her many hits performs a somersault across that pink piece of furniture. At 46, Lopez remains fearless and confident, and as impressive a dancer as she was during her days as a Fly Girl on In Living Color. To borrow a club phrase (or, at least one I once overheard), she’s got a lot of it, and she knows how to move it around. A quibble? Maybe add real horns to that band instead of using a synthesizer. And the DJ moments mixed into the show are not entirely necessary. But taken individually, the elements of this show would be laudable enough. J.Lo is a superstar with many crossover hits. She’s a familiar celebrity who has starred on film and TV, and maintained status as a major figure in the music industry. Given all that fame, an unvarnished concert-style show starring her and her band would sell tickets. Even without a name star at the center, the massive production is dazzling enough to recommend to any live-entertainment fan. But the combination of Lopez’s fame, work ethic and talent make the show a party befitting a superstar. The production is generous, tireless and imaginative—all qualities shared by Lopez. There are no half-measures with this woman, and at the end you feel spent, which is the intended result.
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A&E | PRINT
COMING SOON
Opening this February at the former Tenaya Creek Brewery at Cheyenne & Tenaya
NOW AND THEN AND NOW
Tripping on time and family ties in Tessa Hadley’s latest novel BY CHUCK TWARDY For anyone unfamiliar with the Pilar, with whom the eldest sibling, concept that the past shapes the Harriet, becomes obsessed. Fran, the youngest, presumably present, Tessa Hadley helpfully titled her latest novel The Past. She conceived during Jill’s homeward also organized it into three parts: flight, brings children Ivy and Arthur. “The Present,” “The Past” and “The Among the novel’s charms are Present.” Because, you see, past is Hadley’s characterizations of these two, and her shrewd scrutiny of chilprologue, and all that. So the quirks of four middle-aged dren’s actions and motives generally, siblings gathered for a three-week including those of the young siblings holiday at their old family home in in the novel’s middle section. Ivy the west of England trace directly to and Arthur instinctively traipse after their bright but flighty mother and Kasim and Molly, the grown persons self-absorbed, absent father. This is nearest in age. When they are unimpressed with something the clear even before the middle children show them, Hadley section, which drops back writes, “The abrupt cutting to 1968, when Jill Fellowes aaabc
off of attention was a surbrings her first three chil- THE PAST: prise to the children, who dren back to that home, flee- A NOVEL were used to being bathed in ing London and her husband, By Tessa adult awareness.” Ivy resists Tom, a newspaper reporter. Hadley, $27. melting down because her This means returning to her parents, a bumptious Anglican mother was not there—“she couldn’t cleric tending a dwindling flock of risk disaster’s crescendo with no one yokels and a canny but somewhat to anchor it against.” Hadley shifts omniscient pointrepressed mother. This pair also haunts their grandchildren’s pres- of-view fluidly, a saving grace of a ent through a trove of letters found novel that sometimes needs saving. Her turns of phrase occasionally by one of Jill’s daughters. Alice, the baby in the flashback startle more than surprise, and the section, is the second-youngest sib- adult characters’ idiosyncrasies can ling, a failed actress diffidently nego- be tedious. But she deftly weaves tiating her middle years. She brings together the third-person narratives, along Kasim, the smug college-stu- assembling a patchwork of crises dent son of her sometime lover, for rooted in the ever-present past. If reasons neither understands. He, in some are only partly resolved—well, turn, flirts with Molly, the 16-year- that’s what the future is for. old daughter of Roland, who arrives Find more by Chuck Twardy at with his new wife, a cold and beautiful Argentinian émigré named chucktwardy.com.
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FOOD & Drink > savory and sweet The Croissant Sammy (left) is a buttery dream, and Chicken and What? hits the mashup sweet-spot.
Rising tide Craft Kitchen is a fresh-baked example of how far local dining has come By Jim Begley When I began writing about the local dining scene five years ago, the Henderson foodscape was thoroughly saturated with chain restaurants and not much else. While Eastern Avenue is still weighed down with corporate eats, a new breed has sprouted up sporadically, weed-like, as chefs with Strip restaurant experience set off on their own in the ’burbs. One of the latest to join this growing fraternity is Jaret Blinn, whose Craft Kitchen is located near the entrance to Anthem in the old Bread & Butter space. If you’re not living or working in the southeast part of the Valley, you should still make an effort to visit the former Red Rock Resort executive pastry chef and CRAFT his locally inspired fare. The dayKITCHEN time-only dining spot offers what 10940 S. is essentially an everyday brunch, Eastern Ave. with a menu split evenly between #107, 702breakfast and lunch items. 728-5828. The Croissant Sammy ($10.75) Daily, 7 a.m.combines my love of breakfast sand3 p.m. wiches with Blinn’s expert baked goods. Ingredients shine; thick-cut bacon, cheddar cheese and an over-hard egg are nestled between an immeasurably flaky croissant. Blinn has also served as pastry chef for the Maccioni family at Le Cirque and Circo, and it’s obvious where his expertise lies—so much so, in fact, that the crust is sorely missed from the crustless quiche of the day ($11.95). Served in an individual crock, this dish is better described as soufflé-esque. During one visit, it was wild mushroom-based, falling short in both texture and flavor; I suspect a more robust option like bacon cheeseburger makes for a more successful choice. More flavorful is the Chicken and What? ($11.75), although its breading—akin to fish-and-chips batter—could benefit from a bit more salt and pepper. But the fowl is perched atop airy waffles and benefits from the side of jalapeño-maple syrup.
28W LasVegasWeekly.com january 28-February 3, 2016
There’s no question that Blinn’s baked goods are outstanding. Like museum pieces, daily pastry selections are housed under glass at the front counter and should be treated with reverence. No matter whether you’re ordering a chocolate croissant, cinnamon roll or pecan sticky roll, you’re getting some of the Valley’s best. The cinnamon roll is a divine blend of butter and sugar, while the pecan sticky roll hints of maple. For a healthier option, try the smashed avocado toast ($11.50). Sunflower seeds offer a textural
contrast to the smooth avocado spread on grilled ciabatta with a gooey poached egg. Be forewarned: Craft Kitchen is much less crowded on weekdays than during prime weekend brunch hours, with buzz building fast. Regardless, you should try it, and remind yourself how far the area’s dining scene has progressed. Five years ago, we were lamenting the nonexistence of places like this. Now, thanks to this chef and others like him, we can debate exactly how good they are.
photogpraphs by jon estrada
> CLASSIC COWBOY Stick with smoky prime rib (left) and stuffed mushrooms at Bob Taylor’s Ranch House.
LUCANO SOUR > TASTE EXPERIMENT The kiosk’s life is ever-changing.
WHAT COMES AFTER THE GOODWICH? Downtown’s new culinary incubator, in a parking lot If you spend any time Downtown, you surely have a special place in your hungry heart for the Goodwich, the award-winning sandwich shop operating out of a tiny kiosk in Dino’s parking lot. You’re also likely saddened by its recent temporary closure, as it transitions to a permanent location at Soho Lofts. But what’s to come of the OG location, which has housed other foodie endeavors? After a quick upgrade to the cooking facilities, Goodwich proprietors Josh Clark and Theo van Soest are transitioning the spot into a culinary incubator, where up-and-coming chefs will run their own kitchens. “The concept is going to evolve into something where we can showcase local talent and chefs with an idea of something they want to try but don’t have a place to do it,” Clark says. DineFine, the umbrella company that runs the Goodwich and its associated catering operations, will provide support services, everything except food, beverage and the menu. Those will be up to the chef. The space will be leased out in three-month blocks with a single opportunity to extend another three months. Once this trial ends, a concept will have had the opportunity to establish a track record of cost and commercial viability.
It’s Clark’s hope that investors will become interested in what might be a viable concept. The initial tenant/guinea pig will be chef Justin Kingsley Hall (former executive sous chef of Comme Ça West Hollywood) with his SLO-Boy concept, which premiered last year at the Downtown Brew Festival. Named after Hall’s hometown of San Luis Obispo—“laidback people who go for a 22-ounce beer on a Monday afternoon,” he says—the concept will co-mingle various influences from his culinary past, “American-French rustic” highlighting “the simplicity of food” with few components and slow-cooking styles of roasting and braising. Expect a Santa Maria-style tri-tip sandwich, a deep fried Cornish hen he affectionately refers to as Coq in a Box and beef cheek tamale with popcorn masa. After Hall completes his tour of duty, applications will be taken for the next slot. The venue, for which Clark and van Soest are still considering names, will be open to anyone who has a viable business plan for a food concept that could work in an 8-by-12-foot booth. So whether it’s called Chef’s Corner at the Goodwich, Goodwich Concept Kitchen or even the succinct TBD, it’s bound to be an exciting endeavor. –Jim Begley
GOODWICH BY STEVE MARCUS; ART BAR BY CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS
2 oz. Amaro Lucano Anniversario 1 oz. fresh lemon juice /2 oz. Wilks & Wilson Rosabelle’s Raspberry Gomme
1
Dehydrated orange peel for garnish Orange zest for garnish
METHOD Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a Nick and Nora cocktail glass. Garnish with a dehydrated orange peel and orange zest.
ARTFUL SIPPING
a Moscow Mule. Swapping vodka for Jägermeister, Hannis adds amaretto, muddled raspberries and mint to tradi“Girl with a Pearl Earring.” tional ginger beer, making a sweet, crisp “Mona Lisa.” “The Starry Night.” These are some of the world’s most renowned cocktail that’s perfect for round one. And while the painting by Dutch artist paintings, and they’re also the inspiraJohannes Vermeer doesn’t evoke the tion for Art Bar’s latest cocktail menu. tropics, the Pearl Earring cocktail does, The menu, launched on New Year’s with Malibu and Myers’s rum, vanillaEve inside the Downtown Grand bar, infused orange juice and features art-themed drinks pomegranate syrup. It’s a like the Burning Giraffe, ART BAR cocktail as curious as the named after Salvador Dalí’s Downtown Grand, painting it’s named after. surrealist 1937 painting. 702-719-5100. Still thirsty? The eyeMichael Chambers, the Daily, 3-11 p.m. catching No. 5 is named property’s food and beverage after Jackson Pollock’s director, says he wanted to abstract expressionist painting. Served stick with the bar’s theme while offerdeconstructed with a Blue Curaçao ice ing something accessible and unique. “We wanted to put something together sphere and jalapeño in one glass and Karma tequila, lime juice and sweet that wasn’t too over the top. It’s just and sour in the other, it just might be enough to be different.” the most avant-garde drink on the Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” menu—something Pollock himself served as the foundation for barmight fancy. –Leslie Ventura tender Brian Hannis’ elixir, his take on
INGREDIENTS
Amaro Lucano, a bittersweet Italian liqueur made from more than 30 herbs, has stood the test of time — its anniversary edition bottle, used here, marks 120 years of history. Still family-owned and produced in the same province of Southern Italy where it originated, this liqueur is distinctive, aromatic and complex. In the Lucano Sour, the herbal flavors are highlighted by the citrus juice and raspberry flavoring.
Cocktail created by Francesco Lafranconi, Executive Director of Mixology and Spirits Education at Southern Wine & Spirits. > VERMEER ON ICE The Pearl Earring
JANUARY 28–FEBRUARY 3, 2016 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM
29W
Calendar LISTINGS YOU CAN PLAN YOUR LIFE BY! 2/20, 7:30 pm, $24-$95. Esteban, Teresa Joy 2/21, 3 & 7 pm, $45-$55. Lucy Woodward 2/26-2/27, 7 pm, $39-$49. 361 Symphony Park Ave., 702-749-2000.
LIVE MUSIC THE STRIP & NEARBY Brooklyn Bowl The Motet, Sophistafunk 1/29, 9 pm, $17. Bryson Tiller, They 1/30, 9 pm, $250$35. Iration, Anuhea 1/31, 8:30 pm, $30$105. Us, Mija, Chocolate Puma, Coyota Kisses, MIICS, Deaf From Above, Laissez Faire, Sam V B2B, Scotty Rocks, Tevin Eleven 2/4, 6:30 pm, $30. Empire Records 2/5, 10 pm, free. Emily King, The Lique, Cameron Calloway 2/6, 9 pm, $15. Lamb of God, Anthrax, Deafheaven, Powertrip 2/11, 7 pm, $35. Hoodie Allen, Super Duper Kyle, Blackbear 2/12, 9 pm, $30. Nahko and Medicine for the People 2/13, 8:30 pm, $20-$24. Alice: A Steampunk Concert Fantasy 2/24, 3/23, 10 p.m., $15-$30. Phil Lesh & Friends 2/26-2/27, 8 pm, $65. The Infamous Stringdusters 2/27, 12:30 a.m., $15. Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band 2/28, 1 pm, $30. Metric, Joywave 2/29, 8 pm, $26. Linq, 702862-2695. The Colosseum Elton John 1/29-1/31, 6:30 pm, $55-$500. Celine Dion 2/232/24, 2/26-2/27, 7:30 pm, $55-$500. Mariah Carey 2/2, 2/5-2/6, 2/10, 2/13-2/14, 2/17, 2/19-2/20, 8 pm, $55$250. Tsai Chin 2/12, 9 pm, $58-$188. Caesars Palace, 702-731-7333. The Cosmopolitan (Chelsea) Celebration of the Lunar Year of the Monkey 2/13, 7:30 pm, $50. (Clique) Daniel Park 2/4. Matt Morgan 2/11. Rein Garcia 2/18. Brittney Hauser 2/25,. Clique shows 9 pm, free unless noted. 702-698-7000. Double Barrel Roadhouse (DB Live!) Thrillbilly Deluxe 2/5. Crossroad South 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27. Rowdy McCarren 2/12. Wheel High 2/19. Nicole Kerns 2/26. All shows at 11 pm, free unless noted. Monte Carlo, 702222-7735. Double Down Nathan Payne & The Wild Bores 1/29, 10 pm. Seven Dirty Words, Burgandy Jurk, Crinoline 1/30, 10 pm. Bargain DJ Collective Mon, 10 pm. Unique Massive Tue, midnight. The Juju Man Wed, midnight. Uberschall 1/31, 2/28, midnight. Shows free unless noted. 640 Paradise Road, 702-791-5775. Flamingo Olivia Newton-John 1/281/30, 7:30 pm, $70-$139. 702-733-3333. The Foundry Awolnation 2/5, 8 pm, $35. SLS, foundrylv.com. Gilley’s Easy 8’s Band 1/28, 2/4, 2/25, 9 pm, free. Scotty Alexander Band 2/18, 9 pm; 2/19-2/20, 10 pm. Kenny Allen Band 1/29-1/30, 10 pm. Rob Staley Band 2/5-2/6, 10 pm. Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band 2/11, 9 pm; 2/12-2/13, 10 pm. Kaleb King 2/26-2/27, 10 pm. Shows $10-$20 after 10 pm unless noted. Treasure Island, 702-894-7722. Hard Rock Live EPTIC, LAXX, SKISM 1/30, 8 pm, $25-$30. Tuesday Blend 2/2, 10 pm, $10-$20. Killswitch Engage, Stitched Up Heart, First Decree, Romantic Rebel, From Ashes to New 2/11, 7 pm, $15. Hard Rock Cafe (Strip), 702-733-7625. House of Blues Carlos Santana 1/29-1/31, 2/3-2/6, $90-$350, 8 pm. Charles Kelley, Maren Morris 1/28, 7 pm, $25-$28. Queen Nation 2/13, 7 pm, $15-$18. Cradle of Filth, Butcher Babies, Ne Obliviscaris 2/16, 8 pm, $25. At the Gates, The Haunted & Decapitated 2/18, 5:30 pm, $23-$25.
EVERYWHERE ELSE
> FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK AC/DC plays MGM Grand on February 5.
Wicked Garden, Roxy Gunn Project 2/20, 7 pm, $10. Fan Halen, Pick Your Poison 2/26, 7 pm, $10. Schism, diM 2/27, 6:30 pm, $10. Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7600. The Joint Bullet for My Valentine, Asking Alexandria, While She Sleeps 2/6, 7:30 pm, $32. Rascal Flatts, Rhythm & Roots 2/17, 2/19-2/20, 2/2, 2/26-2/27, 8 pm, $40. Hard Rock Hotel, 702-693-5222. Mandalay Bay (Events Center) Gerardo Ortiz y Calibre 50 2/12, 8 pm, $70-$180. Black Sabbath, Rival Sons 2/13, 7:30 pm, $45-$164. Iron Maiden, The Raven Age 2/28, $62$103. (Ri Ra) Creel 1/28, 1/31, 8:45 pm; 1/29-1/30, 9 pm, free. 702-632-7777. MGM Grand (Garden Arena) AC/DC 2/5, $129. 702-891-7777. Orleans (Arena) Midnight Star, The Emotions, Heatwave, Debra & Ronnie Laws, Jody Watley, Malo, GQ, The Jets, Evelyn King 2/13, 7:30 pm, $30-$79. Stellar Gospel Music Awards 2/20, 6 pm, $45-$200. Dion 2/5-2/6, 8 pm, $55-$82. Love Affair 2/13, 7:30 pm, $30. Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. 2/13-2/14, $33-$55. 702365-7075. Palms (Lounge) Gypsy Road 1/28, 10 pm, free. David Perrico & Pop Strings Orchestra 1/30, 11 pm, free. Franky Perez ft. Christian Brady 2/6, 10:30 pm, free. 4321 Flamingo Rd., 942-7777. The Pearl Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies, Children of Bodom, Havok 2/26, 7 pm, $50-$86. Palms, 702-942-7777. Planet Hollywood (The Axis) Britney Spears 2/13-2/14, 2/17, 2/19-2/20, 2/24, 2/26-2/27, 9 pm, $57-$180. Jennifer Lopez 1/29-1/30, 2/3, 2/5-2/6, 2/9, 9 pm, $95-$219. 702-777-2782. The Sayers Club Barry Black 1/30, 10 pm, free. The Conwaves 2/5, 10 pm, free. SLS, 702-761-7618.
Stoney’s Rockin’ Country Brodie Stewart 1/29. Frank Ortega 2/5. Beau Hodges Band 2/12. Jon Pardi 2/19. The Cains 2/26. Chase Bryant 2/27. Shows 10 pm, free unless noted. 6611 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-435-2855. Vinyl Thousand Foot Krutch, Bridge to Grace, David Brazil, Wayland, Sunflower Dead 2/12, 8 pm, $15-$18. P.O.D., 10 Years, Dead Letter Circus, War of Ages 2/13, 7 pm, $22-$39. Anti-Flag, Leftover Crack, War on Women, Homeless Gospel Choir, Blackbird Raum 2/28, 7 pm, $18. Hard Rock Hotel, 702-693-5000.
DOWNTOWN Artifice Vegas Jazz Tue, 7 pm, $15. Karaoke Wed, 10 pm, free. Thursday Request Live First Thu, 10 pm, free. 1025 S. 1st St., Ste. 100., 702-489-6339. Backstage Bar & Billiards Mustard Plug, Dan Potthast, The Retrolites, Light Em Up, DJ Jr. Ska Boss 1/29, 8 pm, $11-$13. The Soft Moon, Close to Modern, Dark Black 1/30, 8 pm, $10-$12. Mike Zito & The Wheel, Katy Guillen & The Girls 2/12, 8 pm, $16$21. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-382-2227. Beauty Bar Love Cop 1/28, 9 pm, free. Valley Queen, Boroughs 2/8, 9 pm, free. Metalachi 2/11, 9 pm, $12-$15. 517 Fremont St., 702-598-3757. Bunkhouse Saloon Special-K, Mega Bog, Brother Mister 1/30, 9 pm, $5. Dusty Sunshine, Blair Dewane 2/12, 8 pm, $5. 124 S. 11th St., 702-854-1414. Downtown Container Park The Moonshiners 1/29, 7 pm. 707 Fremont St, downtowncontainerpark.com. Fremont Country Club Hawthorne Heights, Mest, The Ataris 2/16, 7 pm, $20-$25. 601 E. Fremont St., 702382-6601. Fremont Street Experience (Main Street Stage) Ashley Red Thu, 10 pm. Metropolis Mon-Tue, 10 pm.
Alter Ego Wed, 10 pm. Spandex Nation Fri-Sun, 10 pm. ‘80s Station 10 pm. Empire Records 10 pm. (1st Street Stage) Spandex Nation Tue, 7 pm. Yellow Brick Road Thu, 7 pm. Las Vegas Bowl Pep Rally 6 pm. Alter Ego Fri-Sat, 7 pm. Tyler James Elvis Tribute Sun, 8 pm; Mon, 7 pm. Haleamano Wed, 7 pm. (3rd Street Stage) ‘80s Station Fri-Sat, 10 pm. RockIt 10 pm. Alter Ego Sun, 9 pm. Tony Marques Mon, 9 pm. Monroy Wed, 9 pm. Zowie Bowie Thu, 9 pm. Shows free unless noted. Downtown Las Vegas, vegasexperience.com. Golden Nugget (Gordie Brown Showroom)The Orchestra 1/29, $32$141. Blood Sweat and Tears 2/5, $32-$108. Christopher Cross 2/12, $32-$108. J.T. Taylor 2/19, $32-$108. Johnny Rivers 2/26, $32-$162. All shows 8 pm. 129 E. Fremont St., 866946-5336. LVCS Christian Death, Maension, Phoenix Siren 1/28, 8 pm, $12. Demrick, DJ Hoppa, Adlib, Ilam, Ekoh, The Jones 1/29, 9 pm, $12-$14. Orgy, Bobaflex, Death Valley High, Ne Last Words, Hyperion’s Horizon, EMDF 1/30, 8 pm, $15-$17. Nile, Spun in Darkness, Casket Raider, The Holy Pariah, Circa Sik, Brace 4 Impact, Spiritual Shepherd 2/5, 6 pm. Enforcer, Warbringer, Exmortus, Abysmal Dawn, Cauldron, Sicocis 2/6, 6 pm, $17-$20. Fremont St., 702382-3531. The Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) The Tenors 2/20, 7:30 pm, $24-$95. (Cabaret Jazz) Christine Ebersole 1/22-1/23, 7 pm, $39-$59. Frankie Moreno 2/1, 2/16, 3/1, 3/8, 8 pm, $25$35. Keola Beamer, Henry Kapono, Moanalani Beamer 1/29-1/30, 7 pm, $37-$59. Clint Holmes & Domenick Allen 2/4, 7 pm; 2/5-2/6, 8:30 pm, $37-$46. Lisa Fischer 2/19, 7 pm; 2/20, 6 & 9 pm, $37-$65. The Tenors
CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE CALENDAR LISTINGS AT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/EVENTS 30W LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 28-FEBRUARY 3, 2016
Aliante Casino + Hotel + Spa (Access Showroom) The Rippingtons 1/30, 8 pm, $38-$80. Euge Groove 2/6, 8 pm, $33-$63. Keiko Matsui 2/19, 8 pm, $33-$63. (All-Star Friday Nights) In-A-Fect 1/22. Michael Speaks 2/5. StarOne All-Stars 1/29, 2/12. Rhythm Nation 2/26. All-Star Friday Nights shows start at 9 pm, $10. 7300 N. Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, 702-692-7777. Boulder Dam Brewing DJ Haydin Band 1/29, 8 pm. Chicago Joe and the Waybacks 1/30, 8 pm. Shows free unless noted. 453 Nevada Way, Boulder City, 702-243-2739. Boulder Station (The Railhead) BJ Thomas 1/30, $20-$43, 8 pm. 702432-7777. CasaBlanca Resort & Casino Tony Sacca 2/27, 7:30 pm, $15-$30. A Tribute to Rush 2/6, 8:30 pm, $15-$30. The Fab: Beatles Love Songs Tribute 2/13, 8:30 pm, $15-$30. Mesquite MusicFest 2/15-2/17, 7 pm, $25-$32. Nieve Malandra & Stardust 2/14, 5:30 pm, $25-$45. Southern Nevada Symphony Orchestra 2/20, 7 pm, $15$30. 897 W. Mesquite Blvd, Mesquite, mesquitegaming.com. Count’s Vamp’d Y&T 2/5, 8:30 pm, $20-$25. Geoff Tate’s Operation Mindcrime 2/6, 9 pm, $20-$25. 6750 W. Sahara, 702-220-8849. Dive Bar The Toasters 2/19, 9 pm, $10-$12. 4110 S. Maryland Parkway, 702-586-3483. Elixir Tim Mendoza 1/30. Music from 8-11 pm, free unless noted. 2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, elixirlounge.net. Fiesta Rancho (Cabo Lounge) La Mar Le Warren Experience 1/29-1/30, 8:30 pm. Shows free unless noted. 702-631-7000. Orleans (Showroom) Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, Jr. & The Next Dimension 2/13-2/14, 8 pm, $33-$55. 702-284-7777. Santa Fe Station (Chrome Showroom) Sierra Black 1/29-1/30, 9 pm, free. 4949 N Rancho Drive, 702-658-4900. South Point The McCartney Years 1/29-1/31, 7:30 pm, $25. Tower of Power 2/12-2/14, 7:30 pm, $45-$55. Earl Turner and Friends 2/26-2/28, 7:30 pm, $18-$28. Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns Mon, 10:30 pm, $5-$10. Gregg Austin’s M Town Tue, 8 pm, $10. Deja Vu Wed, 6 pm, $5. Dennis Bono Show Thu, 2 pm, free. Wes Winters Fri-Sat, 6 pm, free. Spazmatics Sat, 10:30 pm, $5. 702797-8005. Suncoast (Showroom) The Man in Black, A Tribute to Johnny Cash 2/20-2/21, 7:30 pm, $25. 9090 Alta Drive, 702-636-7075.
COMEDY CasaBlanca Resort & Casino “Timeless Imressions” Starring Tom Stevens 1/30, 7:30 pm, $15-$20. The Comedy Machine 2/5, 8:30 pm, $15$25. 897 W. Mesquite Blvd, Mesquite, mesquitegaming.com. Champagne’s Cafe Urban Culture Open Mic Sun, 9 pm, free. Open Mic Comedy with Skratch Tue, 11 pm, free. 3557 S. Maryland Parkway, 702-737-1699.
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702.960.7200 7780 South Jones Blvd. (at Jones & Robindale) Las Vegas, NV 89139
Calendar Hard Rock Hotel (The Joint) Bo Burnham 1/30, 8 pm, $50. 702-693-5000. Harrah’s (The Improv) Dat Phan, Avi Liberman, Murray Valeriano 1/28-1/31. Vice Morris, Nick Youssef 2/2-2/7. Tue-Sun, 8:30 pm; Fri & Sat, 10 pm; $30-$45. 702369-5000. MGM Grand (Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club) Quinn Dahle, Rick Overton, Greg Vaccariello 1/25-1/31. Richard Vos, Zoltan Kaszas, Derek Richards 2/1-2/7. Brad Garrett, Debi Gutierrez, Andrew Norelli 2/8-2/14. Darrell Joyce, Mark Eddie, Randy Kagan 2/15-2/21. Scott Henry, Frances Dilorinzo, Drew Thomas 2/22-2/28. Brad Garrett, Michael Sommerville, Landry 2/293/5. Nightly, 8 pm, $43-$87. 702-891-7777. Mirage Daniel Tosh 2/5, 10 pm; 2/6, 7:30 pm, $65-$105. Jay Leno 2/26, 10 pm, $66-$87. Ron White 2/12-2/13, 10 pm, $66. 702-792-7777. Orleans (Showroom) Sinbad 2/5-2/6, 8 pm, $50. 702-284-7777. Red Rock (Rocks Lounge) Justin Willman 2/20, 8 pm, $25-$35. 702-797-7777. South Point Bob Levy, Mick Foley 2/5-2/6, 7:30 pm, $18-$28. Gabe Lopez Fri, 12:30 am, free. 702-797-8005. Tropicana (The Laugh Factory) Guy Torry, Derek Richards 1/25-1/31. Jeff Richards 2/12/7. Spencer James 2/8-2/10. Dom Irrera, Spencer James 2/11, 8:30 pm, 10:30 pm; 2/12-2/14, 8:30 pm. Baslie 2/15-2/21. Bob Zany 2/22-2/28. Jim Tavare, Cash Levy 2/293/6. All shows at 8:30 pm & 10:30 pm unless listed, $35-$55. 702-739-2222. Treasure Island David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson 2/12, 9 pm, $44-$71. 702-894-7111.
Performing Arts Christ Church Episcopal Hans Uwe Hielscher 2/5, 7:30 pm, $15. 2000 S. Maryland Parkway, sncago.org. Cockroach Theatre The Nether 2/25-2/27, 8 pm; 2/28, 2 pm, $16-$20. Art Square Theater, 1025 S. 1st St., Ste. 110, 702-818-3422. Las Vegas Philharmonic Pink Martini 2/6, 7:30 pm, $100-$250. Spotlight Series 2/16, 7:30 pm, $168. Smith Center, 702-749-2000. Onyx Theatre Reservoir Dolls 1/28-1/30, 8 pm; 1/31, 5 pm. Geek! 2/11-2/13, 2/18-2/20, 8 pm; 2/21, 5 pm, $15-$20. 953 E. Sahara Ave., 702-732-7225. Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) Riverdance 1/26-1/29, 7:30 pm; 1/30-1/31, 2 & 7:30 pm, $29$129. Panties in a Twist 2/2-2/6, $35-$43. The Symphonic Rockshow Presents: The Best of British Rock 2/5, 7:30 pm, $29-$59. Cinderella 2/13, 7:30 pm, 2/14, 2 pm, $29-$139. Elephant & Piggies We Are in A Play 2/17, 6:30 pm, $15-$23. (Troesh Studio Theater) Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill 2/12-2/14, 8 pm; 2/132/14, 3 pm, $34. 702-749-2000. UNLV (Rando-Grillot Recital Hall) Amernet Quartet ft. Rachel Calloway 1/28, 7:30 pm, $27-$30. Andrew York 2/20, 8 pm, $41-$45. Chelsea Chen 2/26, 7:30 pm, free. (Artemus W. Ham Hall) Sarah Chang and Julio Elizalde 2/6, 8 pm, $25-$75. (Judy Bayley Theatre) Nevada Conservatory Theatre: To Kill a Mockingbird 2/12-2/13, 2/18-2/20, 2/25-2/27, 8 pm; 2/14, 2/21, 2/28, 2 pm., $10-$33. 702895-3332.
Special Events
4755 SPRING MOUNTAIN 702.876.4733
1350 E. TROPIcANA 702.739.8676 PETS WELCOME ON PATIO
Artisan Craft Festival 1/31, 10 am-5 pm, free. Suncoast Hotel and Casino, ArtisanCraftFestival.com. Big Dog’s Winterfest 1/30, 3-9 pm, free. Big Dog’s Draft House, 4543 N. Rancho Drive. Big Ass Barrel Aged Beer Blowout Bonanza 2/13, 3 pm, $10-$15. Aces & Ales, 2801 N. Tenaya Way, 702-638-2337. Chinese New Year Festive Gala 2/17, 7:30 pm, $15-$35. Orleans Showroom, 702-284-7777. Chinese New Year in the Desert 2/8-2/12, 7-9 pm; 2/13-2/14, 1-9 pm. Free. Locations vary, cnyinthedesert.com. Darkness: Book Signing and Reading by Hossein Mortezaeian Abkenar 2/5, 8 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Downtown Podcast Thu, 9 pm, free. Inspire Theater, 107 Las Vegas Blvd. S., downtownpodcast.tv. First Friday 2/5, 5-11 pm, free, Las Vegas Arts District, fflv.com.
For the Love of Cocktails Meet the Masters of Cocktails 2/10, 6 pm, Hotel Bound Bar at Cromwell; Meet the Masters of Wine 2/10, 7:30 pm, $175, Giada at Cromwell. Downtown Bar Crawl 2/11, 5 pm. Locations vary. USBG Food Truck Wars 2/11, 10 pm, $25, Gold Spike. Micro-Experiences & Seminars 2/12, noon-5 pm. Mandalay Bay & Delano; The Grand Gala 2/12, 7 pm, $100, Mandalay Bay & Delano, ftloc.vegas. Human Love Experience: Poetry Music and Song ft. Lee Mallory, Philena Carter and Mizz Absurd 2/8, 7 pm, free. Hop Nuts Brewery, 1120 S. Main St., 702-816-5371. Hypnosis Unleashed Tue-Sun, 8:30 pm, $30-$40. Binion’s, 128 E. Fremont St., 702382-1600. John Lindsay’s Muscle Contest 1/30, 10 am-6 pm, $49-$55. Orleans Showroom, 702-284-7777. “Knock Out an MMA Fighter” DeepStack Extravaganza Poker Tournament 2/4, 7 pm, $300. Sands Poker Room at The Venetian, 702-414-1000. Las Vegas Spring Festival Parade 2/13, 11 am, free. Downtown Las Vegas, 702-848-2098. Las Vegas Ultimate Wine Run 1/29, 3:30 pm, $60-$90. Lake Las Vegas, 2030 Lake Las Vegas Pkwy., theultimatewinerun.com. Mondays Dark With Mark Shunock 2/15, 8:30 pm, $20-$50, Vinyl, 702-693-5000. Neon Lit 1/29, 2/26, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Sally Denton Book Signing and Reading 2/18, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Switch: Trans* Clothing Swap Thu, 5 pm, free. Gay & Lesbian Community Center, 702733-9800. William Logan Hebner & Michael Plyer Signing and Reading 1/28, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org.
Sports Champions Soccer California Clasico Match LA Galaxy vs. San Jose Earthquakes 2/13, 7 pm, $20-$50. Cashman Field, 850 Las Vegas Blvd., ticketfly.com. Global Legends Series 2/20, 4:30 pm, $35$95. Sam Boyd Stadium, unlvtickets.com. LVCHA Weekend Winter Championship Horse Cuttiong Event 2/10-2/15, times vary, free. South Point, 702-796-7111. Sin Sity Spiel Curling Tournament 1/29, noon-7:30 pm; 1/30, 9 am-8 pm; 1/31, 8:45 am-2 pm. Free. Las Vegas Ice Center, sinsityspiel.com. UFC 196 Wedum vs. Velasquez 2/6, 4 pm, $158-$3121. MGM Grand, 702-891-1111. UNLV Men’s Basketball San Diego St. 1/30, 5 pm, $20-$140. San Jose St. 2/10, 7 pm, $15-$130. Colorado St. 2/13, 7 pm, $15$130. Nevada, Reno 2/20, 7 pm, $20-$140. Thomas & Mack Center, unlvtickets.com. UNLV Women’s Basketball New Mexico 2/3, 7 pm, $4-$5. Fresno St. 2/6, 3 pm, $4-$5. Air Force 2/17, 7 pm, $4-$5. Boise St. 2/24, 7 pm, $4-$5. Cox Pavilion, unlvtickets.com. Vegas Shoot National Field Archery 1/29-1/31, times vary, free. South Point, 702-796-7111. WORCS Racing 2/26-2/28, times and prices TBA. South Point, 702-796-7111.
Galleries Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art Picasso: Creatures and Creativity Thru Feb 14, 10 am-8 pm, $0-$16. 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-693-7871. CSN Artspace Gallery Roscoe Wilson “Front Yard Zoo: Controlling Nature” 2/3-3/19, Mon-Fri, 8 am-10:30 pm; Sat, 8 am-5 pm, free. 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave., 702-651-4146. Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery In Focus: Downtown Architecture by Ryan Reason & Jennifer Burkart Mon-Fri, 7 am-5:30 pm, 495 S. Main St., 702-229-1012. Left of Center Seeking Justice Through Art 1/19-4/9, Tue-Fri, noon-5 pm; Sat, 10 am-3 pm. 2207 W. Gowan Road, 702-647-7378. Winchester Cultural Center Art Gallery Brent Holmes: “Ignominious Refuse” Thru 3/11, Tue-Fri, 10 am-8 pm; Sat, 9 am-6 pm. 3130 S. McLeod Drive, 702-455-7340.
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