Zombies an inspiration for local band

By Becky Bosshart

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 | 12:56 p.m.

It all started with their love of killing zombies.

Las Vegas alternative rock bank Searchlight found international recognition on the soundtrack of "Resident Evil: Extinction."

It has played local gigs for more than three years (in many now-defunct venues). Opened for Kiss at a biker fest. Garnered MySpace fame along the way to its debut album, "Until the End and After," which will be available Friday at a release concert at The Farm, an all-ages venue in southwest Las Vegas.

The album includes the moody, lyrically mysterious song "Contagious" — mysterious until you hear the back story.

"Every guy has a niche for zombies," said Kevin Abdon, 24.

He and fellow band member Adam Michaels, 24, were heavily into the zombie-killing video game "Resident Evil 4" after moving to Las Vegas in October 2005 to start their music career. It was more than a video game for them: It was the center of conversation. The center of life. Abdon blames losing a job over the time he spent playing that game with his buddy.

Although it fudged out reality, it birthed a creative idea.

"(Michaels) wrote the lyrics sitting on the couch while I was playing the game," Abdon said. "He would read me off this sentence and I said, 'Yeah, yeah it sounds awesome.'"

Distracted, but interested.

"Contagious" went on to be featured in the closing credits of the 2007 movie "Resident Evil: Extinction" and by Tuesday had about 38,000 plays on MySpace Music.

It was strangely appropriate that the band's song would be picked for the action thriller starring Russian babe Milla Jovovich. The movie follows Jovovich's character as she travels through the Nevada desert and the ruins of Las Vegas battling zombie hordes and killer creatures.

Perhaps Searchlight has its own zombie hordes, aka the commercial music industry. "Until the End and After" is being released by an independent studio.

The band's name came to Michaels while he was in the desert. Driving between his Arizona home and Las Vegas, he saw the sign for the town of Searchlight.

Michaels and Abdon sold more than $2,000 worth of "Lord of the Ring" and "Star Wars" collectibles (their "nerd memorabilia," they call it) to pay for the move from Lake Havasu, Ariz.

This was after Michaels spent months staking out the vacation home of the manager of The Used, the Utah rock band that made it big from their own small town. He scored a sit-down with the manager and was referred to Branden Steineckert, who is now the drummer for Rancid and the owner of Unknown Studios in Orem, Utah. He became the band's producer.

The band became complete with guitar player Matt Hopkins, a 2002 Centennial High grad, and drummer Ricky Torres, 23, who they found through MySpace.

The name of the group implies its looking for something, but Searchlight has already found its sound.

"A lot of bands try to figure out what their sound is. It almost seems like it's not natural," said Torres. "With us, we end up being alternative rock in the way that our songs are alternative of what you hear. But we don't stick to a genre, it just comes out as alternative rock."

Their collaborative efforts birthed their debut album, influenced by groups such as The Used, My Chemical Romance, Tom Waits and Rancid.

"It's more so like, 'Hey, look what I made up today and let's see what we can make out of that,'" Hopkins said.

They say it's difficult to find that fresh and new sound when everybody wants to make it big by sounding like somebody else who made it big.

"You have to do something that hasn't been done yet," Abdon said. "And Adam (Michaels) sings really good, so that makes it stand out."

If it sounds like these guys are friends — and even friendly — surprise, they are. No battling egos yet. They laugh at one another's jokes. They're hipsters who don't carry the pretentiousness of the alt-music scene on their shoulders like their scarves and locks of shaggy shorn hair.

Lead singer and guitar player Michaels did the cover art for the album, but he didn't say that — the drummer did. They travel to shows in the same car and have (Searchlight has shared bills with the Goo Goo Dolls, Flyleaf and Rodrigo Y Gabriela). They've piled into one motel room to save money.

"I fear the road and the industry changes people," said Steineckert, who left The Used because of conflict. "Egos get big. I've seen it with bands — my former band. I don't see it with these guys. They are friends and they are in love with what they do."

And they've kept their day jobs. Torres works "carrying towels and water" at the spa at Green Valley Ranch Resort. Hopkins buses tables at a Cheesecake Factory in Summerlin. Abdon is a vet tech at an animal hospital. Living the "starving artist" life is Michaels, who got fired from his job at an art store and decided that was "a forceful opportunity to live off my artwork."

Michaels said the four of them are the perfect guys to "spend a life in a band together."

Steineckert agreed.

"They're not out to be superstars," the producer said. "They want to make music. I think if there's a band who won't be changed by success, it'll be these guys."

The record release show will be at The Farm, 5597 S. Rainbow Blvd., 6 p.m. Feb. 27 with guests Lydia Vance, Collin Creek and This City in Collision. The album will also be available on iTunes and other digital download sites. Tickets are $10 through www.myspace.com/searchlightmusic or $15 at the door.

Becky Bosshart can be reached at 990-7748 or [email protected].