Columnist Spencer Patterson: Glassjaw frontman Palumbo heads to Huntridge

Spencer Patterson

Friday, May 14, 2004 | 8:11 a.m.

Daryl Palumbo has been inspiring mosh pits for years. Who knew he also secretly wanted to teach the world to dance?

Saturday night, Palumbo -- best known as the frontman for hardcore band Glassjaw -- brings his new side project, Head Automatica, to the Huntridge Theatre.

The group has yet to release a song, apart from one ("Brooklyn is Burning") available on the band's official Web site, www.headautomatica.com. Based on that track and Palumbo's description, however, Head Automatica's sound is far more dance-oriented than the scream-o heaviness of Glassjaw.

"It's definitely dancey, electronic rock," Palumbo said in a phone interview from his tour van, en route to a Southern California venue. "A lot of nights, the kids are just dancing, straight-up dancing (at our shows)."

Sharing Saturday's bill: headliner Lostprophets and another opening act, Kill Radio. Tickets are $12 to the all-ages show. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Head Automatica's other key contributor won't be present at Saturday's gig, but he did play a major role in the recording of the band's debut album, "Decadence," which is expecting to drop sometime in July.

Producer Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, known for his work with rapper Kool Keith and in hip-hop collective Gorillaz, collaborated with Palumbo for the first time on the Head Automatica material.

"We have a lot of mutual friends, like New York graffiti artists from the '80s, so we met through them," Palumbo, a 25-year-old native of New York's Long Island said.

"Hip-hop is the music that's most in my diet, so to finally get to work with one of my heroes is just great. I just knew that he'd come with beats that were perfect, exactly what I needed for this, like Big Audio Dynamite and some big Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan-inspired breaks."

Palumbo said he has been yearning to do something musically adventurous for several years, and got his chance when Glassjaw went on hiatus following last summer's Vans Warped Tour.

"I started writing this music starting, like, two years ago," Palumbo said. "Always being on the road with Glassjaw touring 365 (days) for so many years, I never had a chance to sit down and put this imaginary band to work."

Palumbo insisted that Glassjaw will return, when he determines the time is right.

"Glassjaw is definitely not over. Just right now, I'm gonna do this for a little bit," he said. "But I'm already crazy amped to play heavy music again. So it's definitely not over."

For now, though, Palumbo savors the effect his new music is having on audiences.

"I think a little bit of rhythm is coming back into the white-boy, indie-rock thing," he said. "And it's OK with me. It's cool. It's cute."

Music notes

Twice Daly: Five days of "Last Call With Carson Daly" Las Vegas tapings begin Tuesday at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, with two shows daily.

The show's musical lineup: Ben Kweller, Liz Phair, Mobb Deep, Sparta, Ben Lee, Juliette Lewis & The Licks and three acts with local ties, the Killers, Crystal Method and Blue Man Group.

Tapings begin at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., with audiences required to arrive by 3:45 and 7:15. Free tickets for most shows are still available through Web site www.1iota.com.

Uber party: Local band Uberschall, a percussive ensemble that includes members of the Blue Man Group production show, plays Studio 54 at the MGM Grand Sunday night.

The band will be joined onstage by dancers from such ongoing local shows as "Zumanity" and Celine Dion's "A New Day."

Doors open at 10:30 p.m. for the 12:30 performance. Admission is free for Nevada residents.

Peas and whiskey: Grammy nominated hip-hop quartet the Black Eyed Peas open the summer concert series at Green Valley Ranch's Whiskey Beach at 10 tonight. Tickets are $42.50.

Next up at the Whiskey Beach: veteran rap trio De La Soul on June 4.

On sale

Velvet Revolver, a band featuring three former members of Guns N' Roses and ex-Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, plays The Joint on June 11. Tickets are $30 and go on sale at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Hard Rock box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

John Fogerty stops at The Joint on July 31. Tickets are $53-$128 and go on sale at noon Saturday through the Hard Rock box office and TicketMaster.

The Steve Miller Band performs at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on July 2. Tickets are $47-$68 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office and through TicketMaster.

Tickets to three upcoming Mandalay Bay Beach concerts go on sale at noon Saturday: the Wallflowers on June 11 ($33), Cyndi Lauper on July 23 ($38.50) and Rick Springfield on Sept. 3 ($38.50).

The Flatlanders land at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on July 28. Tickets are $20-$25 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at 10 at the House of Blues box office, at www.hob.com and through TicketMaster.

Tickets to three other recent additions to the House of Blues calendar are on sale now: DMX on June 6 ($30-$40), Carl Thomas with Floetry on June 25 ($25-$35) and the "Strhess Tour" featuring Shadows Fall, As I Lay Dying, Himsa and Remembering Never on Aug. 9 ($12.50).