NOISE

THREE QUESTIONS WITH THE DISPLACED’S SIMON MANDEL

From 2003 to 2004, Displaced duo Mandel and Jen Jansen called Southern Nevada home, before the New York natives relocated to their prior hometown of San Diego.



Do you look back fondly on your time in Las Vegas?


We were received pretty well in Vegas, and we made friends pretty quick. [Cafe Espresso] Roma treated us well and we made quick friends at the Huntridge and a few other venues around town. There are still a couple of bands we're in touch with, like The Day After and the Killers' Mark Stoermer.


But there was also lots of rap-metal when we were there. When we moved into town, one of the first guys we met was in a Las Vegas version of the Insane Clown Posse. They had songs about anal rape with pieces of glass, so that was a little too aggro for what we were trying to get across in our music.



What's been going on with this Displaced since you left?


We've gone through a slew of different drummers, and now we've been doing shows where we've either had a drum machine or some other kind of electronic assistance. But the show we're playing in Vegas is actually with the first drummer we played with in San Diego. He's in college, so we have him for the summer. And we've been recording some new songs in a local studio and working with some members of another local band called the Stereotypes. The sound is always based on our songwriting and our harmonies, but I would say things are becoming richer.



As someone who experienced it firsthand, what do you think the Las Vegas music scene craves most?


Vegas has a huge suburban population—in Henderson and Summerlin—and there are all these kids who are coming of age, and there's no real outlet for them on the Strip. They're not gonna find their own community or their own culture with all the tourists, and they want to create something that's original and unique to them. Hopefully when it happens, it will have a lot less to do with rap-metal and anal rape. SP








104 Words About Gretchen Wilson


Imagine a cross between a raven-haired Tanya Tucker and blue-collar troubadour Merle Haggard and you start to get where Gretchen Wilson is coming from. Her songs, from the rowdy chart-toppers "Redneck Women" and "All Jacked Up" to the tender "When I Think About Cheatin" and "I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today," all showcase one of country music's most honest and entertaining performers. Although her sweaty barroom tunes provide the perfect lyrical backdrop, it's Wilson's voice that stands out. When she belts out her hits, it's pure rock 'n' roll. She may wear cowboy boots, but Wilson is really country's AC/DC.




Steven Ward









THE WEEKLY PLAYLIST: SUMMER MUSIC


The calendar claims summer doesn't officially start until June 21, but it's already reached 100 degrees here, so why wait any longer for 10 songs to keep you cool.




Spencer Patterson



1. The Kinks: "Sunny Afternoon"


2. Pavement: "Summer Babe"


3. Laura Veirs: "Lake Swimming"


4. Randy Newman: "Sail Away"


5. Joni Mitchell: "The Hissing of Summer Lawns"


6. Palace: "West Palm Beach"


7. Townes Van Zandt: "Like a Summer Thursday"


8. The Thrills: "Don't Steal Our Sun"


9. Luna: "Indian Summer"


10. The Beach Boys: "Surfin' Safari"








Coming to Town



HIM


Dark Light (3 stars)












With Aiden
Where: House of Blues.
When: June 8, 7 p.m.
Price: $27-$32.
Info: 632-7600.



The Finnish purveyors of "love metal" pack their first American album with the same slick odes to love/death that made them sensations of the import bin. Leader Ville Valo hasn't learned any new tricks, but he still packages his swoons in catchy melodies with his smooth, seductive voice.




Josh Bell




Slightly Stoopid


Closer to the Sun (1 star)












With the Expendables Where: House of Blues.
When: June 3, 7 p.m.
Price: $15-$17.
Info: 632-7600.



Annoying, repetitive white-boy reggae, with occasional detours into listless, Jack Johnson-style surf rock and half-hearted punk. Strictly for people who thought 311 were the second coming.




Josh Bell




THETA NAUGHT


Abacus (3 stars)













WITH BLACK CAMARO AND THE LAS VEGAS CLUB
Where: The Bunkhouse.
When: June 2, 9 p.m.
Price: Free.
Info: 384-4536.

WITH THE QUITTERS, ROCKET, THE OBJEX
Where: Celebrity.
When: June 3, 9 p.m.
Price: $10. Info: 384-2582.



Salt Lake City's post-rock troupe explores the cosmos on wings fashioned with cellos, lap steel guitars and didgeridoos on this second full-length CD. Majestic as the slow buildups can be, though, Theta Naught rarely seems to discover the transcendence it's searching for.




Spencer Patterson


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