Ty Segall anchored one of Neon Reverb’s most memorable single nights—September 11, 2012 at the Bunkhouse—so perhaps it’s fitting the California garage-rocker will help Las Vegas’ revered DIY music festival usher in its new era, at the same (relaunched) Downtown venue.
Segall’s profile has grown considerably since then, of course, and so could Reverb’s, if the lineup revealed for the 11th edition (and first in three years) draws as intended. Along with Segall, the top lines of the fest’s poster will feature names familiar to fans of indie music, among them Texas synth-pop outfit Neon Indian, fast-rising Philly punks Beach Slang, heavy-rock veterans the Melvins, rapper Sage Francis and roots-rocker Chuck Ragan (frontman for Hot Water Music). Other touring acts confirmed at press time include Eleanor Friedberger (of The Fiery Furnaces), La Sera, Tijuana Panthers, Big Business, Moving Units and Reverb favorites Leopold and His Fiction.
“It’s clearly the strongest lineup Neon Reverb has ever had, which is good because it has to be stepped up to merit its label,” says festival co-founder James Woodbridge, who helped bring in bands like The Walkmen, Akron/Family and Thee Oh Sees for previous installments. “Downtown has grown so much since we started it [in 2008], we have to grow to keep up.”
The festival, which runs Thursday, March 10 through Sunday, March 13 at such Fremont East venues as the Bunkhouse, Beauty Bar, Backstage Bar & Billiards and Fremont Country Club (which will host two 18-and-over shows), will also carry on Reverb’s tradition of showcasing loads of homegrown talent. Mercy Music, The Lique, Rusty Maples, Black Camaro, Hassan, Same Sex Mary, Cameron Calloway, Leather Lungs and Illicitor are among more than 30 Vegas acts that will be sprinkled across the 75-plus-artist schedule.
“The lineup feels right, and very Downtown to me,” says Downtown Project talent buyer Mike Henry, who worked with longtime Reverb trio Woodbridge, Thirry Harlin and Jason Aragon, plus 11th Street Records’ Ronald Corso, to plan next month’s event. “Our goal was to make it the biggest and best one ever, but also to make sure we can produce every show really well and pack every show. Neon Reverb is more than five people—it can only grow and become even more awesome if the community continues to support it the way it always has.”
Festival passes, priced at $50 for admission to all events, go on sale Thursday, February 18 at 10 a.m. through neonreverb.com. Tickets for most individual shows will cost $15 and will go on sale later.
Here's the confirmed lineup, with more acts still to be revealed.
Touring acts:
Ty Segall and the Muggers
Neon Indian
Melvins
Beach Slang
Sage Francis
Eleanor Friedberger
Big Business
Chuck Ragan
La Sera
El Ten Eleven
James Supercave
Tijuana Panthers
Colleen Green
Moving Units
Open Mike Eagle
The Mynabirds
Leopold and His Fiction
Melissa Brooks and the Aquadolls
Babes
Wheelchair Sports Camp
Astronauts, Etc.
Sego
Gems
Chaos Chaos
My Body Sings Electric
SadGirl
Failure Machine
Haunted Summer
Partybaby
Vegas acts:
All Night Visitors
The All-Togethers
The Astaires
Avalon Landing
The BIg Friendly Corporation
Cameron Calloway
Black Camaro
China
Close to Modern
Ulysses Diaz
The Dirty Hooks
Dark Black
Dusty Sunshine
Fredward
Glass Pools
Good Grief
Richard Grewar
Hassan
Headwinds
Hungry Cloud
Illicitor
Kerfoot and Dau
Kitze + The CPUs
Late for Dinner
Leather Lungs
The Lique
The Mapes
Mercy Music
Jeff Mix and the Songhearts
Moonboots
Narrowed
On the Other Hand
Jesse Pino
The Pluralses
Rusty Maples
Same Sex Mary
Special K
DJs:
DJ Fish
Jacob Savage
Professor Rex Dart
Totescity
Wizdumb
