Las Vegas Mixtape v57: Metal-Punk Forever, Charcoal Room, and Sally Steele’s 8th Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards — Track #3 (of 5): Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards @Orleans Hotel and Casino

Track #3 (of 5): Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards @Orleans Hotel and Casino

Sally Steele brings you nothing less than R-O-C-K.(Image: Steve Spatafore)

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Sally Steele of Vegas Rocks! Magazine does so much for the Vegas rock community. She champions musicians—mainly in the hard rock space, from Vegas and beyond—and gives the scene a crucial ingredient: cohesion. 

Steele’s well-attended “8th Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards” show (the first one in two years) at the Orleans showroom was expertly produced and implemented—a reflection of the Indianapolis native’s heart and soul, not to mention her love for the transformative power of rock. 

Sally lights up the red carpet with (from left): Tracii Guns, Michael Anthony, and Billy Sheehan. (Image: Fred Morledge)

Awards were given to national artists including Sammy Hagar, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan, Tracii Guns, and Gilby Clarke, as well as Sirius XM radio personality Eddie Trunk, who now mostly lives in Vegas and whose move here has most definitely amplified the scene.

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All were on hand to receive their honors except for Hagar, who sent his son, musician Andrew Hagar, to accept his award.  Vegas-based artists including Franky Perez, D.j. Ashba, Alistar James, and Zowie Bowie were also saluted as well as the city’s up-and-coming bands who both performed: the hard-rocking Heroine Honey and punk trio Pure Sport. 

Raising the temperature on the planet, from left: guitarist Christian Brady, drummer Blas Elias, bassist Michael Anthony, and vocalist Mitch Malloy. (Image: Steve Spatafore)

Show highlights included Perez and guitarist Christian Brady bringing the house down with their soulful take on Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” The night culminated with two all-star jams. On the L.A. Guns song “Never Enough,” Tracii sizzled on guitar, joined by Sheehan on bass, Clarke on guitar, drummer Blas Elias, vocalist Jake Bruen of Vegas’ The Far Worst, and Jeff Scott Soto on backing vocals.

The high-octane finale notably was Van Halen’s famously rude classic “Ain’t Talking Bout Love,” featuring VH bassist Michael Anthony and vocalist Mitch Malloy, who the band’s diehard fans know was in Van Halen for a minute (but never recorded with them) in 1996 after Hagar’s departure (the job ultimately went to Gary Cherone). You can watch show highlights HERE.