My better half and I were very pleased to attend the show this past Saturday night at the Las Vegas club Vamp'd. It's fun for a square like me to occasionally visit a club where I get frisked and wanded by security right after passing a sign that prohibits motorcycle club colors. The décor outside was Transylvania chic, and inside the walls were decorated with flames, motorcycles, and a large airbrushed portrait of Ozzy Osbourne; the big-screen behind the bar was playing MMA fights. The regulars outfit themselves in mostly black (clothing, hair, and makeup), and they are resplendent in Herman Munster boots and leather top hats. There was no shortage of either leather or Spandex.
The second of three acts that night was Jason Charles Miller, featuring our own @Living Dead Drummer Nick Mason. Nick is an in-demand drummer, touring this year not only with Miller, but also with Fleischkrieg and Pretty Boy Floyd. There was an opening act to warm up the crowd, but the first notes of Nick's band illustrated the difference between a competent bar band and a group of true professionals. While I may not be the core demographic for Outlaw Southern Rock, Miller's music is hard to pin under a single banner, spanning Southern, Industrial, and Alternative Metal. Don't let the cowboy hat fool you. The crowd was pumped, and the music was dark, driving, and bad-ass.
Saturday evening was the first show of 25 for the band's tour supporting Faster Pussycat, and the performance was polished despite the necessarily condensed practice schedule. Regardless of him occasionally referring to charts, Nick was in top form, and appearing to enjoy himself at least as much as the crowd of dedicated fans. (It's not common in my experience to see fans at such an intimate venue actually arriving wearing band merch.) I had a quick conversation with Nick while the band loaded their gear into their van after their set, and he caught me up on his ongoing schedule. I had hoped to get some better pictures of his equipment, but three bands in one night sharing a small stage means quick transitions and equipment appearing and disappearing as quickly as hands can be placed on it. Maybe when he returns to Las Vegas later this year I can talk him into a longer sit-down and a bit more info about his gear. This weekend's show found him sitting behind Miller's smaller kit, and I'd love a chance to see Nick's personal Living Dead Drummer blood-splattered white Yamahas.
Check the tour dates on his website if you want to see Nick in one of his many incarnations, especially if you are on the other side of the Atlantic, as he'll be performing there including gigs in Germany, Norway, and the UK later this year drumming for Pretty Boy Floyd.
Nick, thanks again for a great show.
The second of three acts that night was Jason Charles Miller, featuring our own @Living Dead Drummer Nick Mason. Nick is an in-demand drummer, touring this year not only with Miller, but also with Fleischkrieg and Pretty Boy Floyd. There was an opening act to warm up the crowd, but the first notes of Nick's band illustrated the difference between a competent bar band and a group of true professionals. While I may not be the core demographic for Outlaw Southern Rock, Miller's music is hard to pin under a single banner, spanning Southern, Industrial, and Alternative Metal. Don't let the cowboy hat fool you. The crowd was pumped, and the music was dark, driving, and bad-ass.
Saturday evening was the first show of 25 for the band's tour supporting Faster Pussycat, and the performance was polished despite the necessarily condensed practice schedule. Regardless of him occasionally referring to charts, Nick was in top form, and appearing to enjoy himself at least as much as the crowd of dedicated fans. (It's not common in my experience to see fans at such an intimate venue actually arriving wearing band merch.) I had a quick conversation with Nick while the band loaded their gear into their van after their set, and he caught me up on his ongoing schedule. I had hoped to get some better pictures of his equipment, but three bands in one night sharing a small stage means quick transitions and equipment appearing and disappearing as quickly as hands can be placed on it. Maybe when he returns to Las Vegas later this year I can talk him into a longer sit-down and a bit more info about his gear. This weekend's show found him sitting behind Miller's smaller kit, and I'd love a chance to see Nick's personal Living Dead Drummer blood-splattered white Yamahas.
Check the tour dates on his website if you want to see Nick in one of his many incarnations, especially if you are on the other side of the Atlantic, as he'll be performing there including gigs in Germany, Norway, and the UK later this year drumming for Pretty Boy Floyd.
Nick, thanks again for a great show.
