Friday, Sept. 12, 2003 | 8:30 a.m.
Spencer Patterson covers music for the Sun. His music notes column appears Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-2309.
On his inaugural trip to Las Vegas, Hot Hot Heat frontman Steve Bays learned first impressions can be quite deceiving.
"We played there last summer, at this weird cafe. I can't even remember what it was called," Bays said. "And when I pulled up I was kind of like, 'What? This is where we're playing?' It was a D.I.Y. (do it yourself) kind of thing."
Bays, vocalist and keyboardist for the Victoria, British Columbia, buzz band, was referring to Cafe Espresso Roma, the strange little coffee-shop-by-day, concert-venue-by-night near the UNLV campus on Maryland Parkway.
Once he inspected further, however, Bays found the facility -- and more specifically the enthusiastic music fans crowded inside -- to be quite to his liking.
So much so, in fact, that Bays and drummer Paul Hawley specifically requested a Las Vegas date on this summer's U.S. tour. The duo got their wish. Hot Hot Heat plays the Huntridge Theatre at 7 p.m. on Monday with French Kicks and the Joggers. Tickets are $15.
"Last time was an awesome show, which is why we're coming back," Bays said in a phone interview from his band's bus while traveling through Holland. "We weren't supposed to do (Vegas) on this tour, but Paul and I wanted to go back.
"So we just kind of shifted a few dates around, and instead of having a day off, we ended up doing this show."
Many critics have tried lumping the Canadian quartet in with such acts as the Strokes and the Hives. But listening to Hot Hot Heat's debut full-length album, "Make Up the Breakdown," it's apparent the band's music hearkens not to the garages of the 1970s but to the new-wave stylings of the early '80s.
The disc is packed with fun, poppy confections, identifiable by Bays' keyboard fills and solos and his spunky, off-kilter vocals. Catchy cuts such as "No, Not Now," "Get In or Get Out" and "Bandages" sound as if they might have been written by Elvis Costello or XTC.
"I think I got a bit bored of all the guitar sludge that came after the whole grunge thing," Bays said. "Usually the keyboards aren't really synonymous with cool. You think of guys from the '70s who were really tall and lanky and weird looking. And I think most people just think of keyboards as just a background thing."
Hot Hot Heat didn't always sound this way. Initially, the band's music had a much harder edge, described by Bays as "arty," "technical" and "self-indulgent."
Then first vocalist Matthew Marnik exited the scene. Guitarist Dante DeCaro joined the band's three remaining founders: Bays, Hawley and bassist Dustin Hawthorne. And for the first time, Bays took on singing duties, dramatically altering Hot Hot Heat's musical direction.
"I said, 'If we're going to continue the band I think I want to sing.' And I didn't want to do heavy music. I didn't want to scream," Bays said. "A lot of bands were doing the screaming thing, and I just kind of got bored with it."
After nearly 14 months of intense touring, Bays is understandably also itching for the chance to devote himself to some full-time songwriting again, which he said should happen at the end of the year.
In the meantime, though, he said he's still enjoying performing live, especially in the kind of cramped quarters Hot Hot Heat found itself in last year in Las Vegas.
"The shows are still really fun, especially when we're doing club shows," Bays said. "You know the people are coming out just to see you, so it feels reassuring that you're doing the right thing."
Music notes
Los Lobos headlines tonight's "Fiesta in the Park" celebration celebrating Mexican Independence weekend in The Park at MGM Grand. Tickets are $10 for the event, which kicks off at 4 p.m. Los Lobos is scheduled to go on at 8 p.m.
Irish folk group Solas plays the Clark Country Government Center Amphitheater at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Fronted by multi-instrumentalist Seamus Egan, Solas is preparing to release its sixth studio album in October. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the gate.
Molly Hatchet and Foghat will be among the acts performing at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway as part of the upcoming four-day "Great American Music Festival," an event held in conjunction with the Speedway's "Great American Motorcycle Experience."
Molly Hatchet plays next Thursday and Friday nights, while Foghat takes the stage Saturday night. Other bands scheduled to appear are local acts RBQ, Ballroom Blitz, the Unauthorized Rolling Stones, Rockin' USA with George D. Trullinger and John Earl & the Boogey Man Band.
Ticket prices range from $10 to $35 for single days and $75 for four-day passes.
Simon & Garfunkel have announced a Nov. 8 MGM Grand Garden Arena date on their upcoming reunion tour. On-sale information and ticket prices have yet to be revealed.
Local singer/songwriter Sarah Thiele has begun a regular Thursday night engagement at Jack's Irish Pub inside Palace Station, beginning at 7 p.m. each week. Shows are free and open to all ages.
On sale
Lynyrd Skynyrd plays The Orleans Arena on Oct. 18. Tickets are $35 and $45, and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at Coast casinos, at the Boulevard, Galleria or Meadows malls, by phone at 284-7777 and at www.orleansarena.com.
Tickets to Primus' Oct. 15 show at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel go on sale Saturday at noon. Tickets are $32.50, and will be available at the Hard Rock box office, TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 or at www.ticketmaster.com.
The "Nokia Unwired Tour," featuring the All-American Rejects, Hoobastank, Ozomatli and Diffuser, stops at The Joint on Oct. 23. Tickets are $25.50, and go on sale Saturday at noon through the Hard Rock box office and TicketMaster.
Maroon 5 performs at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Sept. 13. Tickets are $12, and go on sale Saturday at noon at the House of Blues box office, by phone at 632-7600, at hob.com and through TicketMaster.
Godsmack lands at the House of Blues for a pair of shows on Oct. 16 and Oct. 18. Tickets for each concert are $32 and $35, and go on sale at 5 p.m. today through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.
Tickets are on sale now for two other House of Blues events: Modest Mouse on Nov. 6 ($15, $17) and a concert celebrating the 5th anniversary of website lvlocalmusicscene.com ($7) featuring local acts Clockwise, Corner Stone, FFI, Yesterdays Tomorrow, By Death's Design and Jeremy Williams. Tickets are available through the House of Blues box office and TicketMaster.
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