Chris Mounts—all five-foot-six of him—doesn’t seem like your typical lead singer for a hardcore punk band. Outside of two ornate tattoos on both of his arms, the 21-year-old out-of-work cook looks like someone who’d be more comfortable sitting on a bench drinking coffee, reading Sartre, strumming an acoustic guitar and singing about lost love.
But as the frontman for local group Anthems, Mounts shrugs off that image and transforms into a beast of lunatic-grade energy as he channels a younger Ian MacKaye for Vegas audiences.
“It sucks to watch a band who doesn’t interact with the crowd,” Mounts says moments after leaving a packed Rejavanate coffeehouse speechless Monday night.
“We actually want to.”
For Anthems, founded six months ago by Mounts and friends Freddi Cruz (bass), Fernando DeLaserna (guitar), Cody Stigers (guitar) and Shane Snodgrass (drums), interacting with crowds isn’t a problem. Trying to find them is the tricky part.
The band, which has already picked up a huge following in Las Vegas’ underground scene, has found itself performing a majority of its gigs in Utah and California, gaining huge clusters of fans and respect from some of the most creative and unique aggro-music dens in the nation.
“Kids in LA really liked us,” DeLaserna says. “People there said we were the best band to come out of Vegas since Faded Grey.”
Faded Grey, which ruled the Vegas hardcore scene from 1998 until 2002 and remains legendary in local hardcore circles, was a huge influence on Mounts and Co. But unlike Grey, which never really reached audiences outside of Las Vegas and broke up on the verge of becoming more well-known nationally, Anthems has played most of its shows outside the Silver State. Of the band’s five gigs thus far, only two have taken place in town. Mounts attributes that to the Las Vegas’ lack of “consistent or competent” all-ages venues to foster and develop a young band like Anthems.
“It sucks,” Mounts says. “You can’t have a strong following if there’s nowhere to play.”
Anthems plans to release an EP, Still Living, this spring and tour nationally with LA band Tie Fighter. That early success has many wondering if Anthems will be the seminal hardcore band that brings together a fractious Vegas scene, or if they’ll just pay their dues and head out of town.
Mounts and his band don’t sound like they’re ready to cut and run just yet. “This is where I grew up and learned about music,” Mounts says. “Besides, you can’t deny where you came from.”
Anthems performs February 23 at The Lodge (1516 Elizabeth Ave.). (myspace.com/anthemshc)