Hello,

My name is Meric, and I was at your show with the Detroit Cobras and
I wrote a review that I will be posting on a few sites online.
I used to write a column back east for a small NY rag, and now that I
am in Vegas, I thought I might write a few reviews.

Here is the one I did for the show, I hope you don't take it
personal, but I was less than enthused by the headliners performance.
The rest of the night was great, and I hope to catch a few more of the
shows you put on.

Thanks,

Meric


The Detroit Cobras at the Aruba Showroom
Meric Delung

The Detroit Cobras, The Black Jetts, The Dex Romwebber Duo, Leopold
and His Fiction
Aruba Showroom, Las Vegas, NV
May 22nd, 2009

This is my first show at the Aruba Showroom, which the promoters from
Neon Reverb are hoping will be the next great Vegas spot to catch live
shows.
I arrived early and caught a bit of the sound check before being
redirected to the Lounge area, called the Thunderbird, to sit and wait
among a half a dozen swing dancing guys and girls while the main room
was closed off just before the shows 10 o’clock start time to take
care of a few last minute adjustments to the sound.

Once back inside, I grabbed a drink and headed to the front of the
huge stage area, and took a look around the room. It was a pretty good
sized venue, bigger than most of the ones I have seen in Vegas, save
for the corporate digs of places like HOB and the Joint.

From here, it was just a short bit before the spinning disco lights
gave way to the sound of guitars being handled and a few tentative
kicks and tings to the drums.


First up were The Black Jetts, who are led by Gabe Stiff, as a high
energy storm of leg shaking quick lyric spiting Rock and Roll front
man, surrounded by pounding drums and wailing guitars. This bands
dirty rock-cum punk sound was great opener for the night, as it really
got the blood going and left you wanting more.


Next up were the Dex Romwebber Duo, fronted by Dex of the Flat Duo
Jets from the PsychoBilly scene (one of the White Stripes influences,
noted by Jack White in several interviews), and along for the ride,
his sister Sara on the drums.
This band, a bit of Blues, surf and Garage rock spread out over a
Rockabilly sound, gave a genuine and solid performance, shifting
seamlessly from one great tune to another. I was really surprised at
the fullness of sound these two brought out of such a small set up.

I noticed one odd thing between sets for the night: No Music.
According to a few in-the-know regulars, the DJs for the night had not
shown up, and the lack of a cable connection kept the promoters from
keeping the room rocking between acts.

Up next were the nights headliners, The Detroit Cobras. I have heard
a lot about these guys, which are form of cover band who belt out
obscure oldies, soul and rock and roll, and I was really looking
forward to catching this Las Vegas stop which they added onto this
tour last minute.

But about 10 minutes into the Detroit Cobras long awaited Vegas set,
I was starting to think that I may have wasted some money. Singer
Rachael Nagy was bored, or upset, or just so over Vegas already that
she seemed like she was just counting down the minutes to get back to
the tour van and get the hell out of town.
The sound was good, the crowd was good, and even the performance was
good. But what was lacking was any real sincerity on Nagy’s part.
Unlike most of the bands of the night, who seemed to really be having
a decent time of things, Nagy was rolling her eyes and shifting about
with real impatience. Several people around me had noticed this, and
after just a few songs, headed off to the venues lounge, removed from
the show by a few doors and a few pool tables.
And although this performance was better than the last Vegas show I
caught at the Double Down Saloon, where a sometimes sloppy and drunk
lead overshadowed a great band, I still was left thinking that they
were the let down of the night.

The last band of the night was Leopold and His Fiction, of which I
had read about after March’s Neon Reverb festival.
I was pretty much blown away by this three piece outfit hailing from
San Francisco. Daniel James, who leads the trio, gives off a great
vibe and keeps the room moving with a soulful balance of rock in’
blues and hip shaking and catchy tunes.
Even though this was a late night set, (albeit not by Vegas
standards, as I am learning) and the room had cleared some after the
Detroit Cobras left the stage, that never stopped these guys from
giving an all out performance that was easily the best of the night.
I thought it would be tough to top last weeks show at the Bunkhouse
Saloon (of which I only caught the last four songs), but they did it.
With what seemed like endless energy, James and company belted out a
nice long set for a very grateful crowd and left everyone asking when
they would be back to Vegas.

In the end, the night was a good one, well worth the measly ten
dollar admission price, and the guys at Neon Reverb have made me a fan
of what they seem to be doing here in a city without much music
ambition. Sometimes it just takes someone to get out there and get it
going.