Las Vegas Mixtape v57: Metal-Punk Forever, Charcoal Room, and Sally Steele’s 8th Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards — Track #5 (of 5): Around Town Medley: “Bowie At Sunset” @Bizarre Bar, MEGA-SCOPES @Terrace Afterhours, and “Parade of Mischief” @Downtown Summerlin

Track #5 (of 5): Around Town Medley: “Bowie At Sunset” @Bizarre Bar, MEGA-SCOPES @Terrace Afterhours, and “Parade of Mischief” @Downtown Summerlin

DJ Velvet Rebel dials in some of the coolest music known to man. (Image: Vegas 411)

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It was “synth pop for New Romantics” at the ultra-fabulous, sprawling, and surreal-centric Bizarre Bar in the Arts District. The venue (indoor and outdoor), located on the second floor of the Colorado Building on Main St, is owned by nighttime visionary Tim Kam.  On the decks: the terrific DJ Velvet Rebel (Jason Lent), who kept the dance floor filled with his “Bowie At Sunset” ‘80s set between 6-9pm, with exciting remixes of tracks by the master and all the artists he inspired like Depeche Mode, the Cure, and Echo & The Bunnymen. Look for the return of “Bowie At Sunset” soon.

A little mischief is good for the soul. (Image: Vegas 411)

After a reliably fine dinner at Marufuku Ramen—the modern Japanese spot in downtown Summerlin—I caught the rehearsal for the annual “Parade of Mischief.” The free parade runs every Friday and Saturday at 6pm through October 24 and includes such themes as “Addams Family,” “Harry Potter,” and “Día de los Muertos.” Watching these talented local youth performers—gorgeously costumed and expertly choreographed—gave me great hope for the future. You could feel their optimism and spirit.

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Flight suits, owl masks, and truckloads of musical virtuosity—what more could you ask for? (Image: Vegas 411)

With the backdrop of airplanes taking off at nearby Harry Reid Airport, the Vegas-based otherworldly dance trio the MEGA-SCOPES (the caps are theirs) held court before a wildly enthusiastically crowd with their fans at Terrace Afterhours. The outdoor rooftop venue was the perfect location to see the mostly instrumental band who merge virtuosic live musicianship with mind-bending film projections and perform dressed in jumpsuits and owl masks. The show came a few days after they made their LA debut at Gold-Diggers and the band energetically dug their heels in, performing two sets. With their big, muscular sound, they merge jam band vibes with soundscapes encompassing electronic, rock, funk, prog, and touches of jazz. They also weave in electronically treated vocals and mysterious spoken word audio recordings to keep everything sounding as striking as possible. Look for their latest singles, the soaring and electro-funky “Move Your Chevrolegs” and “Divide & Bloom.” 

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