Columnist Spencer Patterson: Write of passage boosts indie rockers the Bleachers

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Jan. 31, 2003 | 9:04 a.m.

Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at spencer@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-2309.

Joe Maloney estimates he used to self-record about 20 songs a month.

"I put hundreds of songs onto tapes," Maloney, a 22-year-old local musician, said. "That's all I did in my spare time."

When Maloney -- then a fresh-faced graduate of the Las Vegas Academy -- played the results for his friends, their assessments were generally positive.

But when Maloney started spinning his tapes for fellow musician Marco Brizuela, he began receiving reviews of a much different type.

"I'd bring them to Marco, and he was brutally honest," Maloney said. "And, of course, that hurt as an artist."

It also challenged Maloney to improve his songwriting.

"I knew he had the potential, the tools to be a really good songwriter," Brizuela said. "He was still writing songs in the mindset of being in high school, and through tough love I was trying to encourage him to move his songwriting to the next level."

Brizuela's approach ultimately worked, to the point where he felt so strongly about Maloney's abilities that he determined the time had come for the duo to team up.

Thus was born local indie rock outfit the Bleachers. The pair released its first CD, a self-titled EP, last December and has begun recording songs for a full-length album, tentatively due to hit shelves in November.

The six-track, 20-minute debut EP begins innocently enough, with Maloney strumming an acoustic guitar and singing sweetly on the opening number "Quiet."

By the first few seconds to the second song, "Whistler," however, it is apparent there's far more going on. Though the disc features no percussion, Brizuela beefed up Maloney's sparse guitar and vocal arrangements with a variety of background elements, from whistling winds to banging doors to pouring rain.

"I'm very interested in movies, and that's where the cinematic feel comes from," Brizuela, 30, said. "We added little things that made the songs feel complete to us."

Listen to Track 3, "The Fine Print," and it's also apparent why Maloney has drawn comparisons to indie singer/songwriter Elliott Smith. Maloney's vocals manage to sound pleasant without becoming monotonous, his lyrics unfold over time and the song's closing guitar solo is simply mesmerizing.

Also notable is the recording quality of the entirely self-produced disc.

"I don't think Marco does anything without being prepared," Maloney said.

The friendship between Maloney and Brizuela dates back several years, to the days when Maloney began frequenting Big B's CDs and Records on Maryland Parkway, where Brizuela has served as general manager for the past five years.

Maloney's eclectic taste in music caught Brizuela's attention, and the two began spending time together, discovering they also shared several mutual friends.

One of those acquaintances, Cole Palen, contributed some elegant photography for the CD's liner notes, including an inside shot of the pair standing near a home that has since been razed near McCarran International Airport.

The Bleachers played several live sets in 2002, usually during open-microphone nights at Cafe Espresso Roma, near Big B's on Maryland Parkway. The two men hope to take their act to the stage more often in the year to come, with electric instruments and, possibly, a drummer.

"The live thing is still coming together, but we definitely have aspirations of taking this thing farther," Brizuela said.

The upcoming full-length album will likely be somewhat of a departure from the EP, with the first discs's upbeat final track "Counterfeit," hinting at a new direction.

"We wanted to start with something small, real bare bones, and not get overwhelmed," Maloney said. "But large guitar amps have been purchased for the next one."

The Bleachers' EP is available at Big B's for $4.99.

Music notes

Jamming in June: Grunge rock veterans Pearl Jam have announced a June 6 date at Mandalay Bay Events Center during the second leg of the bands upcoming Riot Act Tour. Ticket on-sale information and prices have yet to be released.

As with Pearl Jam's 2000 tour, which included a show at the Thomas & Mack Center, official bootleg CDs from each night will be available for purchase. This time the sets will be limited editions and available only online.

Pearl Jam released its seventh studio album, "Riot Act," in October.

New home for Particle: The Las Vegas Jam Band Society has moved Particle's Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 shows -- originally scheduled for Blue Note Las Vegas -- to the Hard Rock Cafe. The space-jazz outfit will perform at 1 a.m. each night, after Phish's two Thomas & Mack appearances, with both Particle shows scheduled to end around 6 a.m.

Tickets for the Blue Note events will be honored at the new venue. The Saturday night concert is sold out. Tickets for the Sunday night show are available through ticketweb.com.

No shagging: Reggae-pop singer Shaggy has cancelled his Feb. 15 show at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, reportedly because the date conflicted with filming and production work for an upcoming film project. Refunds are available at original points of purchase.

Quick hits

A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:

Blues vocalist Bobby "Blue" Bland performs tonight at 7 at the House of Blues. The 73-year-old Memphis, Tenn., legend has released more than 60 albums and compilations, including his most recent, 1998's well-received "Memphis Monday Morning." Tickets are $20 and $25. (A side note: Bland played the final show at the old Palace Grand Theatre at Arizona Charlie's on Decatur Boulevard, in May 2000.)

Former Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford arrives in town for a makeup show at the House of Blues on Saturday night at 6. Halford was originally scheduled to play the venue on Dec. 29, before he and his band reportedly encountered difficulty entering the country from England. Testament and Exhumed open. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 the day of the show.

Rap-metal band Bionic Jive descends on the Huntridge Theatre Saturday night at 8:30. The quintet opened for Eminem last summer on his "Anger Management Tour," which included a stop at the Thomas & Mack Center. Looney Bin, Six, 187 and Broken End open. Tickets are $10.

The Huntridge Theatre hosts modern rock band Tapping the Vein Tuesday night at 7. The group released its debut album, "The Damage," last year, highlighted by the vocal stylings of singer Heather Thompson. Garden of Gods, Four Bolt Main and State of War open. Tickets are $10.

On sale

Tickets for a March 29 stopover on the "Jagermeister Music Tour" at the House of Blues go on sale Saturday at noon at the House of Blues box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 632-7600 or 474-4000 or online at hob.com or ticketmaster.com. Alt-metal bands Saliva and (hed) P.E. are headlining the event, with opening sets by Breaking Benjamin, Systematic and Stereomud