> So where are all the comments on the Las Vegas Grind ? > I know some of you were there. hey anja, there are tons of recaps/reviews being posted on the bomp-list... what follows is my take on the grind -- warning, it's long!!! btw, it was great to finally meet you and mike. hope to see you this weekend at cavestomp! *** what an AMAZING weekend! i cannot even begin to describe what a fantastic job the organisers did with the event. every detail was covered, from the cheap booze to the record stalls to the decorations to the go-go girls to the DJs to the between band contests to the event goodies for sale (shirts, posters, mugs, etc.) to the dancefloor to the hosts... oh yeah, i almost forgot, THE BANDS!!! the crowd was really, really cool -- i got to meet so many people i've only "talked to" online, not to mention seeing a bunch of people i knew (many new yorkers were 'in da house'). the gold coast was a perfect venue, though a bit surreal as there was a bull-riders/cowboy convention also booked at the hotel for the same weekend!!! they were sponsored by jim beam, so the bourbon was flowing -- in boot-shaped shot glasses! quick musical recap: night 1: dirty burds (missed most of their set, but what i heard was good, though sloppy garage-punk) the neatbeats (as tight as a record with fantastic stage presence. the crowd went nuts and damn did they look happy to be playing. oh yeah, easily the sharpest dressed band of the weekend) the dukes of hamburg (lived up to all i've heard. a great, psychotic set with lots of nose-blowing) the wildebeests (ex-thanes/milkshakes/kaisers. very good, heavy-beat with nice '70s punk touches, though their lack of stage presence hurt them after the previous two bands -- they shoulda gone on before the neatbeats. nonetheless, a really solid band with some fantastic tunes) thee mighty ceasers (actually not as great as i'd hoped, but damn good. they did come to the stage-- toga-clad -- on a women-led chariot to a rousing chorus of 'heil ceasers!' they played all the songs i wanted to hear, with an especially on-target "cowboys are square" considering who the grinders were sharing the hotel with) i missed the wailers and the breadmakers due to a very early arrival that morning (not to mention starting drinking at, oh, around 3 in the afternoon). i heard the wailers were great up until the '70s-type ballad where they apparantly lost much of the crowd and that the breadmakers were flat-out incredible. night 2: the diaboliks (good for a few songs, though the vocals weren't my thing. they sure looked amazing though! oh yeah, they closed their set with a nice tell tale hearts cover.) the arousers (a surf band from england -- need i say more? not my thing) the untamed youth (amazing!!! a scorching set through and through by the original line-up, closed off with a great remains cover) rudy ray moore (you read that right -- dolemite was in the house!!! he did a few numbers to a backing tape that were great, raunchy and hysterical, and then intro'ed the next band...) the phantom surfers (not my thing and way too goofy) davie allen and the arrows (the first of the night's real surprises. stunning!!! why is allen not mentioned in the same breath as all the other git-heroes of the '60s? this guy can fuckin' play!) the trashmen (nothing prepared the crowd for this... UN-FUCKIN'-REAL!!! the entire crowd was dancing, sweating and singing along!!! incredible vocals, musicianship and true glowing enthusiasm. one of the best revival/reunions i've ever seen and i wasn't even really looking forward to seeing 'em!!!) the saturn v featuring orbit (what a killer band, with amazing stage-presence. they were able to follow the incredible trashmen, and that's saying a lot. the twist contest was a real hit with the very drunk crowd) night 3 (halloween): i'd say that 85-90% of the crowd was decked out in costume and very, very, very drunk... the embrooks (great mod/freakbeat. i really liked this band who i'd never heard before. they did a bunch of cool covers including an ace version of "say those magic words" and threw out lots of little halloween goodies between songs) jack and the rippers (missed their set and heard from all that they were awful) the neanderdolls (very fun, though not the most musical...) the neanderthals (great rock'n'roll -- a lot better live than on record... a perfect halloween band) shutdown 66 (the true '60s-style garage band of the weekend. maraca-shakin' teen-punk at its best with a fantastic, frantic frontman. they brought up mike stax to sing a number, which was very cool) rudy ray moore (same exact thing as the night before -- same jokes too -- this time he intro'ed...) andre williams (ugh. i saw andre stumbling around before his set and knew we were in for it. he was just TOO drunk to really perform and his voice was very raw. the first two or three cuts came off very promising -- especially a great "shake a tail feather" -- but soon the set went to hell and i left before the end as it was painful to watch. the count downs are definitely the WRONG backing band for this legend, though andre didn't help matters by boozing it up to oblivion....) like i said, i left, so i missed los straitjackets, who i did hear put on a great show. phew! there ya go; a very fine weekend, filled with over-indulgence and fun, fun, fun!!! see ya at the next one!!! lee sound views --- "make strong old dreams lest our world lose heart."
