On Sunday August 5th the Brooklyn Bowl hosted a trio of local Las Vegas rock bands - TYRANTS BY NIGHT, STOKED and ADELITA'S WAY. The evening began with TYRANTS BY NIGHT in the lead off spot, a 4-piece band with old-school heavy metal and thrash metal influences, cited by bassist Skylar Voegele to include Metallica, Iced Earth, Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Pantera. A clear example of these influences can be heard in the intros to songs such as "Meaningless", and "The Order of Annihilation". TYRANTS BY NIGHT has a really strong local following, which was made even more apparent by the significant number of their band t-shirts being worn by people in the crowd. Tyrants By Night are Matt O'Rourke on lead vocals/guitar, Jay Dumas on guitar, Skylar Voegele on bass guitar, and Josh Govang on Drums. This was only my second time seeing them perform, but I can certainly see why they garner such popularity - their fast and heavy guitar riffs, deep bass tones, powerful vocals, and catchy harmonies all combine to make them a quality heavy metal band that I truly enjoy. They will be part of the upcoming KOMP 92.3 Vegas Homegrown Concert Series on August 18th - check our concert calendar for more information HERE. It's a free show so mark your calendar!
TYRANTS BY NIGHT Set List:
Thought Police
Meaningless
Hang 'Em High
Led Astray
Under Wicked Skies
The Order of Annihilation
Tyrants By Night Photos by Randy Udell / R U Rockin' Photos
Next up was STOKED, a bit of an interesting mix in that they have a violist, Rahmaan Philip, who also plays with local band Elvis Monroe. This contributes greatly to their very unique sound. I would have a hard time coming up with a label for their style of music, but if I had to I would describe it as sort of ska punk/early metal/folk rock/jazz fusion, which sounds like a strange mix in writing but really works well with this talented group of musicians. Stoked is Ilan Dvir on lead vocals/guitar, Billy Kesner on drums, Rahmaan Phillip on viola, and Rob Theriot on bass. This was my second time seeing Stoked, the first time was a few months ago and they did not have their violist with them at that performance. I thought they were good back then, but they were even better this time around. I am sure I will be seeing them again in the near future.
STOKED Set List:
The Storm
Riverside
Coming Down From You
Bones
Smile In Her Eyes
Trouble
Dr. Dreams
STOKED Photos by Randy Udell / RURockin'Photography
Finishing out the night was ADELITA'S WAY, a national touring band who broke onto the music scene in a big way back in 2009 with their hit single "Invincible". Since those early days they have continued to follow up that success with more hit singles such as "Sick", "Bad Reputation", "Notorious", and "Criticize". Frontman Rick DeJesus wastes no time getting the crowd riled up, as he strolls up to the front of the stage, explaining to his fans how he got his bad-boy image, and belting out the lyrics of "Bad Reputation".
Immediately following that song DeJesus belied his bad-boy image by taking a moment to honor our nations service men and women, as well as first-responders, transitioning into the song "Ready for War", which DeJesus says he wrote for that very same reason. Along with Rick DeJesus on lead vocals, Adelita's Way is Trevor "Tre" Stafford on drums, Andrew Cushing on bass/Vocals, Tavis Stanley on guitar. Mid-way through their set Cushing put away his bass and broke out an acoustic guitar for a 3-song set with DeJesus and Stanley, featuring "Somebody Wishes They Were You", "Last Stand", and "Tell Me". I really like the way they do this, as it shows their versatility and showcases Rick's incredible voice. Then it was back to the 'hard stuff' starting with the song "Good Die Young", but not before DeJesus gives away Stanley's copy of the set list to a young fan in the audience. Stanley seemed a bit confused for a second, which obviously pleased Rick as he had a bit of a laugh over it. Once Stanley took a quick look at Rick's set list the show continued with a finale of hit songs, including "Collapse", which was apparently a last minute addition by request.
Adelita's Way finished with their fan-favorite "Invincible" rounding out a superb evening of local Las Vegas rock music. Adelita's Way is one of several local Las Vegas bands that have found national success but they are doing it in a way that is very different than most. They are an independent band with no label, so they are fully self-funded. While this can be a great way to maintain control over things like musical direction, as well as maximizing profits, it can also be a very expensive venture. Rick has found a formula that seems to be working well for the band but I am sure it also entails a huge amount of work. I commend him for the stance he has taken and wish him and the band continued success. They are an incredible band and consistently produce quality music, not to mention they are incredible live performers as well. Please, check them out (as well as others) and support our local music scene!
ADELITA'S WAY Set List:
Bad Reputation
Ready For War
Still Hungry
Alive
Somebody Wishes
They Were You (acoustic)
Last Stand (acoustic)
Tell Me (acoustic)
Good Die Young
Criticize
Sick
Notorious
Collapse
Invincible
Adelita's Way Photos by Randy Udell / R U Rockin' Photos
