Columnist Spencer Patterson: Music fans should get to know Pretty Girls

Spencer Patterson

Friday, Nov. 28, 2003 | 8:25 a.m.

Derek Fudesco sounded fairly downtrodden when he answered his cell phone Tuesday afternoon in a Tucson, Ariz., record store.

Who can really blame him? Two weeks ago Fudesco's band, Pretty Girls Make Graves, discovered its tour van -- with all of its musical equipment inside -- had been stolen while parked outside drummer Nick Dewitt's Seattle home.

Since then the quintet have been forced to resupply as they tour across Texas and into the Southwest.

"It's kind of a bummer," Fudesco, Pretty Girls' bassist, said. "We've just been buying stuff, and it's a lot of borrowing and a lot of loans.

"All the guitar heads that were taken were all really old, hard-to-find guitar heads. So it's not like you can go back out to the guitar store and buy them."

The band stops at Crossroads, the smaller staging area at House of Blues, at Mandalay Bay on Monday. Doors open at 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 the day of the show.

Stolen gear aside, Pretty Girls Make Graves' story has been successful. Formed in 2001 by Fudesco and four friends on the Seattle music scene, the band has earned high praise over the past two years.

A self-titled debut EP and the full-length "Good Health" CD landed Pretty Girls on the Associated Press' list of "100 Bands You Need to Know in '02."

Early this year the band signed with indie label extraordinaire Matador Records, a move that brought Fudesco closer to some of the groups he enjoys listening to.

"Matador approached us, and we were all really big fans, so it made sense," Fudesco said. "Pavement, Cat Power ... all the classics. They have some of the best records."

In September, Matador released "The New Romance," the band's second album, to more critical acclaim.

The All Music Guide proclaimed, "Put Pretty Girls Make Graves on the short list of bands that matter and make sure you get this record."

Andrea Zollo's forceful vocals make the first listen memorable, and from there the frenetic blend of keyboards, guitars and drums should keep listeners returning.

Stylistically, it couldn't be much more different than Fudesco's last project, Seattle death punk outfit the Murder City Devils. That band broke up after a four-year run in 2001, but not before amassing a sizable cult following.

So far that's exactly what Pretty Girls Make Graves has done, and Fudesco, for one, is enjoying the ride. Recent theft excluded, of course.

"It's been awesome," he said. "We all feel pretty lucky. I have a lot of fun playing music with these people, and as long as it's fun it's worth keeping it going."

Music notes

Huntridge hiatus: The Huntridge Theatre hosts its final show -- "The Punks Who Saved Christmas" -- before closing for renovations Saturday night.

Happy Campers, Audio Karate, The Summer League, Arcade Hero and The Shaws share the bill. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8, or $5 with a donation of three canned goods for the homeless.

As previously reported, the Huntridge is set to receive a significant face-lift, which is expected to keep the historic venue closed for approximately six months.

Huntridge talent promoter Tom Anderson recently announced the project will cost $4.7 million. Among the planned additions: a 450-seat second performance room, a full-service restaurant and gaming.

During the interim, the facility will be sorely missed by local music fans. In 2003 the Huntridge played host to 117 concerts.

Unturned stones: Apparently, the 273 industry voters who helped Rolling Stone magazine compile this week's "500 Greatest Albums" poll aren't diehard Rolling Stone readers.

I deduced that much by cross-referencing the new list with one released by the magazine in May 1997, that one a collection of the 200 "essential CDs of the rock & roll era."

By my own rudimentary calculations, 43 albums -- nearly a quarter of those included six years ago -- were skipped over this time around, even though the list grew from 200 to 2 1/2 times that size.

Strange that so many discs considered "definitive" by Rolling Stone writers then didn't make the cut now, while such non-essential fare as Soundgarden's "Superunknown" (No. 336), Madonna's "Ray of Light" (No. 363) and D'Angelo's "Voodoo" (No. 488) earned spots.

Quick hits

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

Blues legend B.B. King highlights an otherwise quiet Thanksgiving weekend with three shows in the Stardust's Wayne Newton Theater at 8 p.m. tonight through Sunday. Tickets are $60.

The 78-year-old Las Vegas resident has been an innovator in his genre since the 1940s, penning such blues classics as "The Thrill is Gone" and "Everyday I Have the Blues." In February, he ran his career Grammy total to 13 with wins for Best Pop Instrumental ("Auld Lang Syne") and Best Traditional Blues Album ("A Christmas Celebration of Hope").

The National Finals Rodeo doesn't officially kick off until Dec. 5, but a few country stars are getting a head start on the festivities.

Wednesday, popular trio Rascal Flatts headline the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay with support from Chris Cagle and Brian McComas. Doors open at 6 p.m. for the 21-and-over show. Tickets are $32.50, $40 and $50.

Rascal Flatts has come a long way since releasing their self-titled debut album just three years ago. The trio captured two awards at May's "Academy of Country Music Awards" show, including Group of the Year.

Thursday, honky-tonk veteran Dwight Yoakam stops by The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel for an 8 p.m. concert. Tickets are $35.

Yoakam, who has sent 12 albums into the country chart's Top 10 during his career, released two discs this year: soundtrack "Population Me" and rarities compilation "In Others' Words."

Also on Thursday, the Fremont Street Experience hosts its annual pre-NFR "Downtown Hoedown," beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Opening acts Pinmonkey and Bering Strait start the night off with performance on separate stages. Headliner Jessica Andrews, a 19-year-old vocalist, is scheduled to take the stage at 9 p.m.