Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Gilmore brings smoky sounds to amphitheater

Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-2309.

Jimmie Dale Gilmore has been called his generation's Willie Nelson.

Gilmore has released a dozen or so albums on his own and with his sometime band, the Flatlanders. And he's been nominated for two Grammy Awards.

Yet most people recognize the Austin, Texas, musician from his lone acting credit, his role as Smokey in the Coen brothers' cult classic, "The Big Lebowski."

Anyone who has seen the movie is bound to remember Gilmore's portrayal of the thin, silvery-haired bowler who prompts John Goodman's character to pull his gun over a disputed rules violation on the lanes.

"I'm actually lots more known because of that, on the street and stuff," Gilmore said in a recent phone interview from Lubbock, Texas. "It's in circulation now as much as it's ever been, because it's been mainly a video hit. Very strange."

Strange indeed, that the celebrated singer, guitarist and songwriter is better known to film buffs than to music fans, especially those whose tastes lean toward country.

Country is the genre most often associated with Gilmore, though by any modern definition his music seems like anything but. In a style similar to Nelson's, Gilmore's gritty sound blends traditional country with elements of folk, rock and the blues.

"I grew up in a totally country and western background, but then because of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison -- people from this area -- I was also steeped in that pop music of the late '50s and '60s," Gilmore, 58, said. "I think the best description is probably 'folk-rock,' but it's got rock and blues and country influences so it's always been hard (to categorize)."

For the first time in seven years, Gilmore brings his genre-bending sounds back to Las Vegas on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the gate.

Fans who turn out will likely be many of the same people who attended Saturday's Neil Young show to catch support act Lucinda Williams or last Sunday's Jackson Browne concert to hear opener Steve Earle.

Loosely grouped under the "alternative country" umbrella, such acts provide options for music listeners who don't mind a twang, but don't want what's on today's Country Music Television.

"It's kind of funny, what they call country music now, on so-called country radio," Gilmore said. "It's so unrelated to what I do that it makes it so strange to even call it country. It's a whole different style and a different aesthetic, a different world view."

And though Gilmore isn't on bad terms with the Nashville community -- he estimates he's done more than half his recording there, including latest album "One Endless Night" in 2001 -- he still considers himself very much an outsider to the scene in that country capital.

"I think at one time there was so much more personality in country music that's just not there anymore," Gilmore said. "Now it's all about production, and how they look. It's really artificial, it seems to me.

"And I think the greatest thing about country music the way I knew it when I was younger was that it was the opposite of that, completely not artificial."

Gilmore's first recording session -- done with Flatlanders mates Joe Ely and Butch Hancock in 1972 -- produced what remains his best-loved work. An underground sensation for years after being released only on 8-track initially, the collection of songs was finally properly reissued on CD as the aptly named "More a Legend Than a Band" in 1990.

Listening to that disc, you can hear the origins of the modern alt-country movement that includes such buzz artists as Wilco, Ryan Adams and the Old 97s.

"I really love that music," Gilmore said of today's country rebels. "I don't necessarily know that I or the Flatlanders specifically fit in with that, although a lot of those guys say that we inspired them. There's definitely a connection there."

Quick hits

It's another packed summer weekend, with a couple of solid midweek concerts as well. A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:

Bring your dancing shoes to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay for Reverend Horton Heat with Southern Culture on the Skids Saturday night at 6:30. Tickets are $13 and $18.

Get ready to laugh as well, as both acts mix a healthy dose of humor in with their updated takes on traditional rockabilly. Just check out a few of Southern Culture's album titles: "Dirt Track Date," "Plastic Seat Sweat" and "Too Much Pork for One Fork."

Rapper Lil' Kim, who was scheduled to perform at the House of Blues later that night, has canceled her show, reportedly the result of a scheduling conflict. A House of Blues spokesman said the concert will likely be rescheduled, though ticket holders can obtain refunds in the meantime at original points of purchase.

Sunday night, Ben Harper and Jack Johnson bring their brand of mellow college rock to The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8. Tickets are $55.50 and $80.50.

Johnson is a fitting opener for Harper, who initially helped the former professional surfer get noticed in the music world.

Also on Sunday, groove-rappers the Roots are back in town for a 7 p.m. show at the House of Blues. Tickets are $20, $30 and $40.

The intimate venue should provide an appropriate setting for the Philadelphia group, whose acclaimed live sound was a poor fit for the cavernous Thomas & Mack Center when the Roots opened for Trey Anastasio there last year.

London "it" band the Libertines make their Las Vegas debut Tuesday night at 7 at the Huntridge Theatre. Tickets are $10.

The band, whose punky, garage sound has drawn comparisons to the Strokes and the Hives, played their first American gig at April's "Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival." The Libertines' first album, "Up the Bracket," was released in the United States in March.

On Thursday goth-metal outfit Evanescence arrives at the House of Blues with the "Nintendo Fusion Tour" for a 6 p.m. concert. Tickets are sold out.

The Arkansas band had a surprise modern rock hit this year with "Bring Me to Life," which features Amy Lee's haunting vocals atop screeching guitars. Sharing the bill: Cold, Cauterize and Revis.

On sale

Alan Jackson plays the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sept. 26. Tickets are $45, $65 and $85 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at the MGM box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at ticketmaster.com.

The Orleans Arena hosts Peter, Paul and Mary on Sept. 19. Tickets are $20, $30 and $40 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at Coast casinos box offices, by phone at 284-7777 or at orleansarena.com.

Billy Idol performs at the Mandalay Bay Beach on Sept. 26. Tickets are $40 and $45 and are on sale at the Mandalay Bay box office and through TicketMaster.

Saliva stops at the House of Blues on Oct. 17. Tickets are $15 and go on sale Saturday at noon at the House of Blues box office, by phone at 632-7600, at hob.com or through TicketMaster.

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