Julie Seabaugh

Story Archive

The Higher: It's Only Natural; Thursday, June 18, 2009; Vegas-based Epitaph band The Higher has chugged along as The Little Engine That Just Might for seven-plus years now.
The Headless Woman: Tuesday, June 16, 2009; Betrayal, unconditional love, decay and the disparate lots in life (and death) doled out by chance make for implicit yet meaty themes.
Palermo Shooting: Tuesday, June 16, 2009; Palermo is a visually stunning meditation on living life to the fullest. It’s also refreshingly dark, brooding and a little disorienting, though nearly to the point of self-indulgence.
Winnebago Man: Sunday, June 14, 2009; Who is the man behind the madness of the viral video "Winnebago Man," and how has the clip full of four letter words affected his life?
It Came from Kuchar: Saturday, June 13, 2009; For such colorful subject matter—twin underground filmmaking legends George and Mike Kuchar—former George pupil Jennifer Kroot presents a surprisingly straightforward and nearly subdued documentary portrait.
All In: The Poker Movie: Saturday, June 13, 2009; Addiction, ethics and the law? Check? A peek inside a card factory? Naturally. Housewives in church halls? But of course.
Impolex: Saturday, June 13, 2009; There’s a lot about this trippy, reverse-reveal of a World War II period piece that’s lost in the woods.
Sea of Darkness: Saturday, June 13, 2009; Don’t mistake this for a mere movie about surfing. The twisted ode to ocean idyllism also showcases drug smuggling, foiled kidnapping, the Quiksilver company, retired pirates, Bill Murray, salvaged chinaware and trained ants.
Vegas: Based on a True Story: Saturday, June 13, 2009; Despite the title, Vegas isn’t really about Vegas. It’s about the personal yen to drink, smoke and take shortcuts, and about gullibility and addiction and obsession.
Etienne!: Saturday, June 13, 2009; Ah, those nutty hipsters, what with their halting speech, their pinhole cameras and their single-minded missions to take their cancer-riddled dwarf hamsters on coastal bike tours of upstate California before they must be put to sleep.
Beautiful Darling: Friday, June 12, 2009; Beautiful Darling is gritty and original and, like its subject, “has an aura.” But it maintains distance and even pokes fun at the core dreamer.
Kasabian: West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum; Thursday, June 11, 2009; The third album from the endearingly sullen U.K. neo-psychedelics features co-production courtesy of Gorillaz’s Dan the Automator, a duet with actress Rosario Dawson and an overall reining-in of the band’s too-cool-for-the-dance-floor, lispy ambivalence.
Taking Back Sunday: Then Again; Thursday, June 4, 2009; The drama-plagued alt-emo breakouts’ fourth album opens with a plea disguised as a statement of declaration: “I am ready to be new again/I’m ready to hear you say who I am is quite enough.”
Marilyn Manson: The High End of Low; Thursday, May 28, 2009; Credit longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez with stoking the creative hellfires necessary to bring Manson’s brand of full-throttle glam, industrial metal and social and political commentary to full boil.
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: Outer South; Thursday, May 21, 2009; On his 2008 self-titled “solo” album, Bright Eyes mastermind Conor Oberst (and a ragtag band of wandering indie-folk minstrels) sought out south-of-the-border trails less traveled.
One Pin Short: Self-Titled; Thursday, May 7, 2009; Whether or not ska is dead remains debatable, but for Vegas’ foremost feel-good septet, the question is nearly irrelevant.
Ben Folds: Ben Folds Presents: University a Cappella; Thursday, May 7, 2009; It’s an original concept, to be sure: Somewhere between a covers, tribute and greatest-hits album lies the latest endeavor by pop pianist Ben Folds.
‘The hardest-working kid in our business, period’: From his band to his booking, Pulsar is Vegas music’s rock; Thursday, April 16, 2009; Twenty-five minutes before his band takes the stage, Patrick Trout is still promoting the gig. Barreling out of the side entrance of the Box Office, a stack of fliers in his sizable fist, he greets the door guy, the security guard and the two sullen high-school girls gaining entry.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: It's Blitz!; Thursday, April 2, 2009; Firebrand frontwoman Karen O’s coos and squeals remain as sex-soaked as ever, and not far into the ride it becomes clear that no matter what manner of “trendy” territory is explored, her vocals are the uniting, identifying glue.
Peter Doherty: Grace/Wastelands; Thursday, March 26, 2009; It’s no real surprise that the poet, painter, model and celebrated experimenter in the opioid arts would have such eclectic tastes. But that his current project would be so personal and understated, well, that’s Doherty’s latest out-and-out shocker.
Stand-up switch-ups: Thursday, March 19, 2009; The Comedy Stop wasn’t really an ideal comedy room, with its boxy shape, dark hike to the bar and lengthy rectangular tables better suited for holding church suppers aloft.
Chris Cornell: Scream; Thursday, March 19, 2009; The former grunge-god frontman of Soundgarden and more recent fourth of Audioslave kicks off his third solo album with a volley of horns, which gives way to the mumbled, hip-hop-inspired boasts of a computerized demon growling over sitar and Middle Eastern chanting.
Searchlight: Until the End and After; Thursday, March 19, 2009; Yes, Searchlight is singing about zombies.
M. Ward: Hold Time; Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009; Zooey Deschanel, the larger-eyed half of M. Ward’s high-profile indie-pop duo She & Him, appears on two of the comparatively sunnier tracks on her cohort’s sixth album.
Unplanned reunion: Veteran metal outfit Hemlock find itself right back where it started; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; It was supposed to be a one-off thing: guitarists Mike Johns and Richard Burnett and drummer Brian Smith—one-time members of Vegas metal band-made-good Hemlock —joining bassist/vocalist Chad Smith onstage at Henderson’s JJ’s Bar for a handful of songs last November.
Thursday: Common Existence; Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009; The Jersey sextet that helped establish the screamo movement ultimately valued artistic merit over creative compromise, allowing scores of also-rans’ careers to rise and fall around them.
Ben Kweller: Changing Horses; Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009; Having already made the transition from grunge wunderkind, Ben Kweller infuses his old-school indie-pop with a restless spirit that has yet to abate.
A.C. Newman: Get Guilty; Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009; With his second solo effort, The New Pornographers prolific songwriter and multi-instrumentalist merely demonstrates that in terms of output, less can be more.
Leathermouth: X∅; Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009; With the first release from his mad-as-hell side project Leathermouth, Frank Iero returns to his unruly roots with a nod to such precursors of social and political protest as Black Flag.
The Dereck Trucks Band: Already Free; Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009; Derek Trucks has been personally and professionally shaped by his uncle Butch’s Allman Brothers; it befits the perpetual wunderkind more than any other modern-day guitarist—while eschewing the mic in favor of leading with licks.
A host of expectations: Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009; His is an uneven comedy equation, yet the net sum is that Jimmy Fallon has scored himself the infinitely plum gig as Conan O’Brien’s replacement on Late Night, his boyishly likeable mug soon to be grinning behind the desk that’s helped launch so many other comedy careers.
Madigan, man: Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008; Kathleen Madigan boasts Midwestern upbringings, an arsenal of biting impressions, highly personal storytelling and a defiantly codependent relationship with alcohol.
2008: The year in comedy: Thursday, Dec. 25, 2008; A whole year of laughs boiled down to 10 seriously funny CDs and DVDs. Take note.
Hey Jo, stop playing Koy: Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008; Here’s the thing about local comedians in Vegas: You’ve got to leave to succeed.
A Maz, Maz, Maz, Maz, world: Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008; It’s like he came out of nowhere; one minute earning a Ph.D. at UCLA, the next not only touring with four Middle Eastern comedians under the Axis of Evil banner, but headlining the whole media-savvy thing as well.
The All-American Rejects: When the World Comes Down; Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008; The All-American Rejects’ evolution over six years, from Alternative Press cover boys whipping emo-punks into a pogoing frenzy with “Swing, Swing” to multiplatinum-selling MTV Video Music Award-winners, proves that bigger isn’t always better.
Hey, he’s talkin’ here!: Thursday, Dec. 11, 2008; What do Petey, Big Petey, Regular Petey, Irregular Petey, Ortho Petey, Re Petey and Joey Bagga Donuts have in common?
Shiny Toy Guns: Season of Poison; Thursday, Dec. 4, 2008; The term “unclassifiable” may have negative connotations when it comes to disease or foodstuffs, but in the case of Shiny Toy Guns, it’s an unequivocal compliment.
Laughs, yes. Big deals, no.: Now, when we need laughter more than ever, what role does a comedy festival play?; Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008; Talent-wise, the stars are as big as ever at the annual Comedy Festival - Jerry Seinfeld, Dane Cook, Andrew Dice Clay and dozens more. But after four years, is the thrill gone?
Nickelback: Dark Horse; Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008; Post-grunge modern mainstream rockers Nickelback kick off their sixth effort with what amounts to a musical sneer. “You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.” It’s the Canadian four-piece’s way of saying “suck it."
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Cardinology; Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008; Doofy name; comfortably well-worn alt-country grooves. On the fourth album with his backing-band-turned-full-collaborators in as many years (meaning he’s actually slowing down a bit), rock’s favorite troubled troubadour finds himself settling down at long last.
Ginsberg, Germans and solid gold: Afghan Raiders overcome odds with 30-minute CMJ takeover; Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008; “We’re gonna see if we can pull off the full version here,” Mikey cautions as 22 revelers go impressively batshit for apocalyptic closer “Future Thinkers.”
Snow Patrol: A Hundred Million Suns; Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008; For an album with such a high-wattage title, the follow-up to the multiplatinum-selling Eyes Open comes off a little dim.
Escape the Fate: This War is Ours; Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008; To recap: Escape the Fate has weathered significant drama in the past few years including the departure of guitarist Omar Espinosa and dismissal of singer Ronnie Radke. Now the foursome has something to prove.
More to love: Ex-Vegas pair gets serious—sorta—at New York’s CMJ fest; Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008; The crowd had thinned considerably after 12 hours of music, but Sneak Attack Media showcase headliners More Amor nevertheless remained in high spirits throughout the duration of their midnight set during the kickoff of 2008’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York City Tuesday.
Rachael Yamagata: Elephants ... Teeth Sinking into Heart; Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008; There’s a thin line, most spatial-emotional experts will agree, between love and hate. On her long-delayed second album songstress Rachael Yamagata doesn’t so much straddle the divide as alternately float above and thrash wildly about below it.
Jack's Mannequin: The Glass Passenger; Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008; Former Something Corporate frontman Andrew McMahon may have survived leukemia, but don’t expect him to get all sentimental about it
Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue; Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; Having ditched her Rilo Kiley bandmates (albeit temporarily) and the Watson Twins—her collaborators on 2006’s otherwise-solo effort Rabbit Fur Coat—malleable indie songstress and onetime Las Vegas resident Jenny Lewis has found herself a new playgroup in an upgraded musical sandbox.
Up, up and away: The Higher completes “the record” it’s been aiming for; Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008; It’s 5:05 p.m., and Seth Trotter just woke up. The vocalist for local R&B-tinged pop-punks The Higher can’t be faulted, however, as his band returned home from Los Angeles just yesterday upon completing its third full-length album, It’s Only Natural.
Plain White T's: Big Bad World; Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008; Seems like a lifetime’s passed since the Jason Schwartzman-bolstered Phantom Planet struck gold with starry-eyed O.C. theme song “California.”