Spaghetti, Ducks and Clydesdales
I rarely explore the Nellis area for the simple reason that it is, for the most part, a musical dead zone. That’s changing, though, thanks to a certain visiting troubadour.
Longtime Las Vegas fan and hell-raising Supersuckers frontman Eddie Spaghetti just released his third solo album, Sundowner, his first for Philadelphia-based alt-country label Bloodshot. He’s touring the U.S. with a March 8 stop at his favorite bar in town, Aces & Ales (3740 S. Nellis Blvd., 436-7600, AcesAndAles.com).
Sundowner starts with kick-ass country-rockin’ Spaghetti original “Never Thought I Would.” But the album is mostly a collection of covers the Seattle-based singer/songwriter has been performing live for years, with a few curveballs. The songs are eclectic, wild, from The Dwarves’ “Everybody’s Girl” to Dean Martin’s “Party Dolls and Wine” to Lee Harvey Oswald Band’s “Jesus Never Lived on Mars.”
“Who knew that Oswald Band tune would sound good in an acoustic-based format?” says Spaghetti, during a phone chat. “The best songs sound simple at first, since they’re often just three chords. But there’s always a mystery element that makes them something more, something that transcends.”
Spaghetti has played Vegas frequently over the years; it’s a city he loves. He even got married here. He has many funny stories about his time in Sin City, including one weekend when he and his wife took a bunch of Ecstasy, passed out in the median in front of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign and earned Metro’s attention. But it’s better to hear it straight from the source; don’t miss this show.
Bonus: I’m told Aces & Ales offers fried cheese curds and a beer snob’s list of cool brews: Deschutes, Samichlaus, Kasteel. Mmmm.
Eating into what was once Neon Reverb Radio’s two-hour time slot is a resuscitated Dr. Ducks Guitar Prescription. From early ’07 to late ’09, the show, dedicated to the greatest rock guitarists of all time (Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, etc.), had enjoyed a brief run on KUNV 91.5 FM, only to be bumped off the air. It’s back Saturday nights at 8. I spoke to host John Duck, and he’s deeply passionate about guitarmanship and knows music inside and out. If you dig six-string superheroes, tune in.
Finally, The Clydesdale performs 7 p.m. March 4 as part of Winchester Cultural Center’s “Young Originals” series, which drags Vegas’ top indie acts out of the dirty downtown bars and into a nice, acoustically sensitive theater. For those who haven’t heard The Clydesdale, they’re an alt-country band led by gorgeous, gorgeously voiced Paige Overton, who gives Patsy Cline a run for her bar tab. Every song is like entering a forgotten honky-tonk where Hank Williams’ ghost lingers. A Crowd of Small Adventures opens. Admission is $5, the right price for any show.