Friday, Nov. 7, 2003 | 8:43 a.m.
Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-2309.
Mary Fahl may be signed to a major label, but when the Sony Classical recording artist began plotting a West Coast tour she found herself footing the bill.
"Some people take ski vacations, I go on the road," Fahl, former vocalist for the October Project, said with a laugh. "I'm doing this tour because I love to play out live. I just felt a compulsion to get to the West Coast."
Fahl's self-funded tour stops in Las Vegas tonight, with a 10 p.m. show at Crossroads at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Tickets are $14.
During the 1990s, Fahl lent her haunting vocals to the October Project's two full-length albums, 1993's self-titled CD and 1995's follow-up, "Falling Farther In."
But in 1996 the band was dropped from Sony's roster, leaving Fahl to pursue a solo career. Her debut album, "The Other Side of Time," was released in May.
"We were sort of on that cusp (of success), but it was very hard to keep the band together because there was no income coming in," Fahl said in a phone interview from her San Francisco hotel room. "We were so deep in the hole, we would have had to go platinum to even start to get royalties back."
Instead of bemoaning the end of her band, Fahl viewed it as an opportunity to explore different aspects of her music, such as songwriting. In October Project, keyboardist Emil Adler did the writing, while his wife, Julie Flanders, contributed the bulk of the lyrics.
"That band was a good experience for me, but I was only allowed to sing. That's it," Fahl said. "It got frustrating after a while. It's fine to just sing -- I'm primarily a singer and will always be -- but it was like eating one kind of food all the time.
"I felt that over time, the material was not expanding. It was kind of the same song over and over again. Don't get me wrong, I think we made two beautiful records. But they were really just one thing, very yearning, that was it. And it was not a full representation of what I am."
For her first solo effort, Fahl said she looked to one of her childhood heroes: singer/songwriter Judy Collins.
"When I was growing up I was a big Judy Collins fan, the early Judy stuff like 'In My Life' and 'Wildflowers,' beautiful records from the late '60s," Fahl said. "Those records were interesting because she would do sort of art songs, semi-classical-sounding songs. And then she'd have a song like 'Both Sides Now,' the pop hit. And she'd cover other people, and she even did a medieval Italian song.
"So that's the type of record I wanted to make. Not that we sound anything alike, but in terms of how she was eclectic. Whether I succeeded or not, I don't know."
While Fahl's album features layered orchestration on many tracks, she says her live show will be quite different. With a three-piece band backing her, the Hoboken, N.J., resident takes a more stripped-down approach onstage.
"I know when people see the live show they think, 'That's not what I was expecting.' But I think they say that in a good way," Fahl said. "The live show is much more of a representation of who I am and what I do."
Music notes
On the dial: If you've had trouble picking up a clear signal on new classical station KCNV 89.7-FM, you're not alone.
The station, which recently split from Nevada Public Radio's new all-news station (KNPR 88.9-FM), is aware of the problem -- which is mainly prevalent in Henderson -- and working to fix it, according to spokeswoman Regina Olivares.
"We're very confident as to why we're having problems in Henderson and were working on that now," said Olivares, Commuity and Media Relations Manager for Nevada Public Radio. "It should be fixed in the next couple of weeks."
Without getting too technical, the difficulty stems mainly from the proximity of KCNV's new antenna to metal wires anchoring the radio tower in place, Olivares said. She said work will begin soon to remove the metal from the wires.
Even then, it might be difficult to tune in KCNV in certain parts of Southern Nevada. The Federal Communications Commission approved the station for just 550 watts of power, because a station in northern Arizona also broadcasts on 89.7. By way of comparison, KNPR broadcasts at 25,000 watts, Olivares said.
Different strokes: Rolling Stone cover boys the Strokes will ring in 2004 with a New Year's Eve show at Cox Pavilion at UNLV. Tickets are $47 and are on sale now.
It will mark the third different Las Vegas venue for the New York City garage band, which played the House of Blues and The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in 2002. The Strokes released their second album, "Room on Fire," last month.
Hunky dory: David Bowie's Jan. 30 concert at The Joint sold out so quickly, the British legend has added a second date at the venue: Feb. 6. Tickets are $104, $204, $254 and $304 and go on sale Saturday at noon at the Hard Rock box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.
Quick hits
A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:
Wu-Tang Clan producer RZA brings his DJ skills to the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Sunday night at 11. RZA released his latest solo album, "Birth of a Prince," in October.
Also on the bill: Das EFX and Northstar. Tickets are $25.
Korn and Limp Bizkit kick off their "Back 2 Basics" tour Monday night at 8 at The Joint. The two hard-rock outfits are breaking from their usual arena productions for scaled-back shows at smaller venues. The Las Vegas concert is sold out.
The Fred Durst-led Limp Bizkit released its fourth album, "Results May Vary," in September. Korn's sixth album, "Take a Look in the Mirror," hits shelves later this month.
Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Dar Williams share the stage at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night. Tickets are $35 for the all-acoustic event.
Also on Wednesday, Matchbox Twenty returns to town for a sold-out 8 p.m. show at The Joint. The band's most recent album, "More Than You Think You Are," includes top-10 hit "Unwell."
Get there early to check out support act Fountains of Wayne, of "Stacy's Mom" fame. No word yet on whether supermodel Rachel Hunter will be in attendance.
New Eminem protege Obie Trice headlines a hip-hop concert Thursday at 7 p.m. at the House of Blues. Trice's debut album, "Cheers," features contributions from Eminem, Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes, among others.
Nappy Roots and Kanye West share the bill. Tickets are $25 and $30.
On sale
Mariah Carey performs at the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts on Dec. 20. Tickets are $68.35, $157.60, $183.85 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Aladdin box office, at TicketMaster outlets by phone at 785-5000 or 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.
Seether plays The Joint on Dec. 9. Tickets are $15 and go on sale Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Hard Rock box office and through TicketMaster.
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