Friday, July 16, 2004 | 8:48 a.m.
Superstar Bingo is coming to the Palms.
Don't get out your stampers. It's not some newfangled version of the popular parlor game.
Rather, Superstar Bingo is an instrumental funk-rock duo, featuring Las Vegas natives (and local bartenders) Kevin Andreason and Robert Burns.
"There was a billboard by the (old) Showboat hotel and it said 'Superstar Bingo' up on the thing, and we just jokingly said, 'Wouldn't it be funny if we called ourselves that?' " Andreason, 30, said. "And the name just kind of stuck."
The pair -- one of three Vegas acts among 150 participating in the upcoming "New York International Music Festival" -- perform at 9 p.m. July 24 at Brenden Theatres at the Palms.
The festival, which takes place in Las Vegas for the third time in 12 months, kicks off Tuesday and concludes on July 27. Performances run from noon through 10 p.m. each day.
Superstar Bingo, which evolved from a three-piece Vegas band called Soul Kiss in the late 1990s, recently underwent a significant instrumental change.
Andreason moved from bass to the 8-string guitar conceived and popularized by jazz player Charlie Hunter. The instrument features three bass strings and five regular guitar strings that are played simultaneously, and output sounds through two separate amplifiers.
"It takes a little concentration, but it's not as hard as it seems," Andreason said. "You're playing a lot of bass notes with your thumb and your index finger and then you're playing three-note chords with the rest of your fingers."
As the Valley High graduate has gained more confidence on his 8-string, he and drummer Burns have begun tackling more complex music. Andreason says 98 percent of their songs are original compositions.
The Palms' upcoming music festival -- which runs in conjunction with the "New York International Music Festival" -- offers musical acts opportunities to attend seminars, hobnob with industry types at parties and perform at showcase events before record executives.
"(The executives) can see people they like," festival founder and executive director Stuart Alson said. "If you send a bunch of tapes out, you can spend a lot of money and no one's going to listen to them a lot of times."
Participation fees begin at $395. This year's panelists include R&B vocalist Eric Benet, Atlantic Records A&R man Damon Eden and Playtone producer Mark Wolfson.
While most outfits are likely coming to town this week with hopes of landing a major-label record deal, Andreason said Superstar Bingo's aspirations are a bit more modest.
"We're just excited to play, ready for the full throwdown," he said. "We have a lot of energy for two people, and hopefully people will enjoy what we do."
Along with Superstar Bingo, Southern Nevada will be represented at the festival by Bri (real name: Sabrina Loise Bernstein), a 12-year-old singer/songwriter, and hip-hop performer Anika Myles.
Notable out-of-town hopefuls include hip-hop artist Lost SouL (real name: Desi Shell) -- who recently opened for rapper Chingy -- country vocalist Denise Bish, R&B singer/songwriter Donna King, pop singer Tiffany Dawn and classical pianist Kloeis (real name: Ashley Erin Hopgood).
Admission to the event costs $20 per day or $100 for a VIP pass covering all shows, films, seminars and parties.
Quick hits
A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:
Mainstream rockers Hoobastank team with the indie-leaning Phantom Planet for a 6:30 show tonight at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay.
A pair of tickets, originally priced at $15 and sold out for weeks, went for $175 on eBay this week.
Canadian songstress Sarah McLachlan lands at the Mandalay Bay Events Center at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $55-$65.
The Lilith Fair-founding vocalist released her sixth full-length studio album, "Afterglow," to mostly lukewarm reviews in November.
Eight-time Grammy winner Linda Ronstadt brings her "Greatest Hits Tour" to the Aladdin Theatre for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are $36.85-$78.85.
Among Ronstadt's many Top 10 singles: 1975's "You're No Good" and 1977's "Blue Bayou" and "It's So Easy."
On sale
Usher performs at the Mandalay Bay Events Center with Kanye West on Sept. 5. Tickets are $47.25-$89.25 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.
Gloria Estefan plays the Thomas & Mack Center on Aug. 13. Tickets are $45-$85 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Thomas & Mack box office, and UNLVTickets outlets, by phone at 739-3267 and at www.unlvtickets.com.
John Sebastian and Marco Antonio Solis team for a Sept. 4 concert at the Thomas & Mack Center. Tickets are $45-$85 and go on sale at noon Saturday at the Thomas & Mack box office and through UNLVTickets.
Wynonna stops at the House of Blues on Nov. 13. Tickets are $27-$40 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.
Mr. Cheeks, Pete Rock and Truth Hurts share an Aug. 15 bill at the House of Blues. Tickets are $20 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.
Todd Rundgren plays the House of Blues on Sept. 11. Tickets are $22-$30 and go on sale at 10 a.m. next Friday at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.
Tickets are on sale now for several other recent additions to the House of Blues schedule: Hatebreed with Devil Driver, Otep and Throwdown on Aug. 1 ($15), Thrice's Dustin Kensrue on Aug. 15 ($10), Ben Kweller and Camper Van Beethoven on Aug. 25 ($17.50), Face to Face with My Chemical Romance on Sept. 10 ($12.50), Ratt on Sept. 18 ($25), and Deicide with Goatwhore, Cattle Decapitation and Diabolic on Oct. 7 ($20).
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