Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 | 9:07 a.m.
When dance-rockers the Faint toured as the opening act for No Doubt two years ago, observers assumed a move to a major label wouldn't be far behind for the Omaha, Neb., quintet.
Not exactly.
If anything, Faint bassist Joel Petersen says the No Doubt experience pushed his band away from the majors and back to Omaha-based independent label Saddle Creek Records.
"I'd say it made us go the other way," Petersen said in a recent phone interview from his Omaha home. "It seemed really impersonal and generic, like no one cared about what they were actually doing. They were just kind of going through the motions."
Following the success of their third album, 2001's hyped "Danse Macabre," the Faint were pursued heavily by the industry's powers that be. And Petersen said they actually gave a label switch serious consideration.
"We took it about as far as it could have gone without us signing the dotted line," Petersen, 30, said. "But once it started to get to that point, we just weren't happy. And finally one night I was talking to (vocalist) Todd (Bachle), and we were like, 'This is causing too much stress. It's not making us feel creative. It's just bogging us down.'
"And Saddle Creek is awesome. Why the (expletive) would we want to leave that? They're our friends. They've never screwed up. Why take this big risk if nothing is wrong?"
So the Faint stayed put, releasing a fourth CD, "Wet From Birth," in September on their hometown imprint.
On Tuesday, locals get an opportunity to hear that material live, when the Faint headline a three-band bill at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Fellow Omaha product Beep Beep and Brooklyn, N.Y., outfit TV On the Radio open the show.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the all-ages event. Tickets are $14 in advance and $16 on Tuesday.
Beginning with the Faint's second album, 1999's "Blank-Wave Arcade," the band has been identifiable by its willingness to experiment with keyboards and catchy, retro-'80s sounds.
Such an approach is hardly unique in 2004, however, and the Faint have been lumped in with "electroclash" acts such as Fischerspooner and Ladytron more frequently with each passing year.
So this time around, Petersen and his mates set out to distance themselves from their reputation. "Wet From Birth" still features synthesizers, but this time the approach is far more eclectic, coming off as punky one minute and electronic the next.
"We had it in our head that we wanted to do something different," Petersen said. "We tend to be a group of people where we're a bit reactionary, and we probably have the strongest reaction to ourselves.
"We wrote the 'Danse Macabre' record and toured it a whole lot, and we were just tired of that kind of song. So we just wanted to do something that felt fresh to us."
That move away from a reliable formula likely would have driven major-label executives crazy. Then again, if the Faint weren't based in Omaha, they might not have had much choice in the matter.
"We're fortunate enough to live in a city that's very inexpensive, and I think it allows us to make the music we want to make," Petersen said. "If we lived in New York of L.A. or Boston and had to come up with $2,500 to rent an apartment each month, that would be really hard. I can live a long time for $2,500 here."
Music notes
Shortlist handicap: On Monday, Las Vegas band-made-good the Killers will find out if they have won this year's prestigious Shortlist Music Prize.
The award, which recognizes critical achievement for an album with sales under 500,000 units (at the point of nomination), will be handed out at a concert at Los Angeles' Avalon Theater featuring performances by several of the list's 10 finalists.
The Killers are not among the show's confirmed acts, but the Shortlist's official Web site hints that at least one surprise artist will join the bill.
The diverse panel of judges includes comedian Jack Black, the Cure's Robert Smith, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Norah Jones and drummer Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson from the Roots.
Shortlist winners the first three years have been just as varied: Icelandic experimentalists Sigur Ros in 2001, Neptunes' hip-hop/R&B side project N.E.R.D. in 2002 and Irish folk-rocker Damien Rice in 2003.
That history, combined with this year's loaded field, makes it difficult to predict a winner. But here goes anyway, Feedback's attempt to handicap the 2004 Shortlist field.
The Favorites: Air (electronica), Dizzee Rascal (hip-hop), Franz Ferdinand (rock), Loretta Lynn (country), Wilco (alt-country).
Wilco might seem an obvious choice, but Jeff Tweedy & Co. have put out better albums than this year's "A Ghost is Born," namely 1996's "Being There" and 2002's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."
Likewise, French duo Air garnered more acclaim for 1998 debut "Moon Safari" than for this year's excellent "Talkie Walkie."
Lynn gained sudden indie cred by bringing in White Stripe Jack White as a collaborator on "Van Lear Rose" and may draw her share of sentimental votes.
But the guess here is that if anyone from this group has a chance, it's Brit Dizzee Rascal, whose debut "Boy in da Corner" became an underground rap sensation, or Franz Ferdinand, Scotland's red-hot indie hipsters who dropped their self-titled debut back in March.
The Longshots: Ghostface (hip-hop), the Killers (rock), the Streets (electronica).
Hate to say it, but the hometown boys probably won't be bringing the hardware back to Southern Nevada. The Killers' "Hot Fuss" is loads of fun and had everyone singing "Somebody Told Me" this summer, but the voters are likely to tap Franz Ferdinand or TV On the Radio if they opt for a rock album.
It's also difficult to imagine the Shortlist crew choosing Wu-Tang member Ghostface. His latest disc, "The Pretty Toney Album," has some choice cuts, but its lyrics are the farthest thing from P.C. this side of Eminem.
And as hyped as the Streets (aka Brit Mike Skinner) have been, this year's "A Grand Don't Come For Free" hasn't drawn quite the overwhelming reaction of 2002's "Original Pirate Material."
The Dark Horses: Nellie McKay (singer-songwriter), TV On the Radio (rock).
New York trio TV On the Radio hit a home run with their first full-length CD, "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes," and could overpower Franz Ferdinand if rock is the order of business.
But Feedback's pick for the artist most likely to walk away with the Shortlist prize is McKay, a quirky British vocalist whose double-disc debut "Get Away With Me" is unlike anything else in the field of 10.
McKay dabbles in virtually every musical style, from jazz to pop, rails on George W. Bush and even raps. Sounds like all the ingredients for the ultimate critics' darling.
Quick hits
A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:
Gloomy rocker Morrissey returns to Las Vegas for an 8 p.m. Saturday show at the The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. The ex-Smiths frontman is touring behind May solo release "We Are the Quarry." Tickets are $72.
Poppy punksters Simple Plan, whose latest album, "Still Not Getting Any ...," debuted at No. 3 on this week's Billboard 200 album chart, play The Joint at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Also on the bill: Mae and Plain White T's. Tickets are $12.
Singer-songwriter Ryan Cabrera rounds out The Joint's busy week, with an 8 p.m. show Wednesday. The Texans' hit "On the Way Down" is No. 9 on this week's Billboard Top 40 singles chart. Skye Sweetnam opens. Tickets are $22.
Neo-soul vocalist Macy Gray, who opened David Bowie's two Las Vegas concerts early this year, returns to perform a solo show at 7 Thursday night at the House of Blues. Tickets are $22.50 and $30 for the 21-and-over event.
Also on Thursday, KXTE 107.5-FM ("X-treme Radio") hosts its annual "Holiday Havoc" extravaganza starting at 7 p.m. at the Thomas & Mack Center. On this year's hard-rocking bill: Korn, the Used, My Chemical Romance and local band Magna-Fi. Tickets are $28.
On sale
Alanis Morissette performs on New Year's Eve at the House of Blues. Tickets are $90-$150 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.
Velvet Revolver rings in 2005 with a New Year's Eve show at The Joint. Tickets are $125-$250 and go on sale at noon on Saturday at the Hard Rock box office and through Ticketmaster.
Maroon 5 plays the Aladdin's Theatre for Performing Arts on Jan. 1. Tickets are $35-$90 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Aladdin box office and through Ticketmaster.
Jillian's (downtown at 450 Fremont Street) hosts a New Year's Eve show featuring Reel Big Fish, Zebrahead the Voodoo Glow Skulls, Happy Campers, the Matches, Suburban Legends, GDB and Over the Line. Tickets are $30 and are on sale now through Ticketmaster.
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