The Pharaohs have played to a few sparse crowds since forming last October, but the Vegas garage-punk trio has never performed with just seven people watching. Until now. Still, singer/guitarist Quint Olsen, bassist Rick Keever and drummer Jimmy Krah don’t seem the least bit daunted as they launch into their set, even as the majority of their “audience” gets to work doing something other than rocking out.
That’s because this night isn’t about gathering supportive fans—at least, not yet. The Pharaohs are the latest local band to bring their live show into the Gold Machine, an eastside recording studio that’s been offering some of Las Vegas’ better rock outfits the chance to come away with a four-song audio demo, a fully mixed performance video and a collection of still photography, all free of charge. In exchange? Bands grant the rights to the footage for a future documentary on the local underground scene, tentatively titled The Las Vegas Live Project.
“We’re not reinventing the wheel, but we feel it’s something that should be done, and we have the resources to do it,” director Amy Carrelli explains. “There’s not enough documentation of the music scene here going on, and we feel this is a great time for local music in this town.”
So far, Carrelli and Gold Machine owner “Chili” Bob have brought 13 groups—beginning with the Sparkler Dims in May and continuing through The Pharaohs last Saturday and A Crowd of Small Adventures this past Wednesday—into the studio, and recorded two others at a remote location. Scheduled September participants include the Yeller Bellies, The Quitters and The Vermin.
“Amy came to me and told me what she had in mind, and it seemed like a worthy cause, so I volunteered some space and time at the Gold Machine for it,” Bob says. “The project isn’t meant to be the highest end, but we light it up as best we can, record audio using a high-quality 24-channel digital work station and record the video using a couple of three-chip cameras, along with some consumer ones.”
As The Pharaohs slam through 12 tunes—mostly originals, along with a few covers like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and The Supersuckers’ “Born With a Tail”—Carrelli and her team of volunteers capture it all with an assortment of (mostly handheld) cameras, while Bob watches the audio levels from a control booth one room over.
“It’s like walking a fine line,” Olsen says of the experience, staged on a platform that barely contains the three musicians and their gear. “You want it to have a live feel, but you’re in a studio recording what you hope can be a useful demo. And sure, it’s a little bit hard with no one watching, but otherwise it’s really no different than playing a live gig.”
When the band is done playing, Carrelli interviews The Pharaohs about the scene, fellow local bands and the city’s live venues—material that could someday help tell the story about Vegas rock ’n’ roll in the year 2007.
“It’d be really cool to be in on that,” Olsen offers. “I’ve been here twice—the first time with my other band, Quint & The Cowpunk Calamity—and from what I’ve seen, they’ve really done a great job putting it together so far.”
(myspace.com/thegoldmachine; myspace.com/jimmyandthepharaohs)