Sunday, February 12, 2012
Thursday, February 09, 2012
Where to say, 'Will you marry me?' - Las Vegas Sun
Cómo romántico. Vegas is the home of the drive-up wedding, but there's another much more romantic side to Vegas. Question: best places to pop the question ? My favorite would be Lake Las Vegas, pictured above...
Where to say, 'Will you marry me?' - Las Vegas Sun
Monday, January 23, 2012
Old-School Vegas Meets New School Vibe: Frankie Moreno
by Julie Kasperson
Frankie Moreno has been a fixture on and off The Strip for about 10 years now. I saw him several years ago at one of the bars at the Stratosphere. He also played at Golden Nugget and at other venues.
Starting at the age of two, Santa Cruz-born Moreno had his first encounter with music, watching his father and uncle rehearse for a popular band they were in. These rehearsals at home sparked an interest in the young Frankie to learn and imitate what he saw. He could play anything he heard by memory, and by the time he was seven he was playing professionally. At age 11 he was on featured on “Star Search” and was exposed to a national audience.
With his two younger brothers, Tony and Ricky, he traveled the world and wrote music. He collaborated with world-renowned violinist Joshua Bell on an album that went to #1 in two categories on the Billboard charts.
Moreno and his 10-piece band, which features brother Tony on bass, recently began a 2-year run at the Stratosphere Theater at the Stratosphere Hotel & Casino. The show is as unique as he is. Which means you can hear him play the classic Beatles tune “Eleanor Rigby” one moment, standards like “Night and Day” and “Mack the Knife,” then launch right into one of his original tunes like “Black Mascara.”
He can be self-deprecating, silly, and fun. All the band members, including a horn and string section, are right on the mark. He can croon an original tune like “I’m Sorry” in a completely heartfelt manner, then shake his hips and bang the piano to another tune a few minutes later. His show is one of the reasons I love living in Las Vegas. It’s laid-back, funny, old-school, but rocks out as well. The musicianship is excellent.
At one point during the show, Frankie took a bottle of Crown Royal, with brother Tony joining him with a stack of huge shot glasses, and proceeded to roam the showroom with his mic, asking patrons if they would like to have a double-shot. I of course agreed to participate with a hearty “yes”! Where else but in Vegas can you drink shots with the talented, handsome singer of a razor-sharp band, while they are performing amazing material? Showmanship is alive and well at the Stratosphere.
Moreno and his band perform Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Ticket prices are $29.99, or $19.99 for locals.
All photo credits: Julie Kasperson,
© 2012 Julie Kasperson - All rights reserved.
-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Old-School Hip-Hop Featured As De La Soul Takes the Mic at Insert Coin(s)
by Julie Kasperson
One of my photographer friends, Ambrose, tipped me off to the fact that De La Soul, a very popular hip-hop group from the late-eighties and early nineties, was going to be performing at a local downtown club called Insert Coin(s). These three rappers from Long Island have been blending bizarre humor and social commentary for over 20 years.
Kelvin Mercer, David Jude Jolicoeur, and Vincent Mason have performed under different nick names within De La Soul since they formed the group in Long Island, NY, in 1989. Their debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, is considered a hip-hop masterpiece, and spawned the hit “Me Myself and I.” Other hits include “The Magic Number” and “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey).”
While rap and hip-hop are not my favorite genres of music, I do enjoy the “old-school” sounds and raps from artists such as Curtis Blow, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, and MC Lyte. Rap and hip-hop from the ‘80’s and ‘90’s was not about poppin’ bottles, designer labels and “hoes”; it had humor and a social conscience.
When De La Soul wasn’t performing on the club’s small stage, DJ88 kept the crowd happy with old-school rap and hip-hop and even blended in some Snoop Dogg and DMX. Insert Coin(s) was a great venue for this appearance; it’s a small, popular videolounge gamebar on East Fremont that features all the old video game machines we grew up with when video gaming was in its infancy. If you pay for bottle service you are able to enjoy playing the video game console of your choice, from the comfort of your leather couch, complete with HDTV.
Rap and hip-hop acts are for the most part not looked upon very favorably in the Las Vegas community, especially by Metro Police. But as I enjoyed the show, I was impressed by the fact that even though the crowd was young, they were very well behaved, just enjoying the beats and the rhymes. It was a dose of nostalgia for me.
Photos (click photos for larger image)
All photo credits: Julie Kasperson,
© 2012 Julie Kasperson - All rights reserved.
-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.
Sunday, January 08, 2012
Las Vegas - Downtown Does It Right On NYE
by Julie Kasperson
I did New Year’s Eve on The Strip, when I first moved here in 2003. It was an experience, but not something I’d go out of my way to repeat. My neighbors kept saying how scary and out-of-control the crowds get there; what I experienced was just huge crowds of people, roaming freely up and down The Strip, unimpeded by auto traffic. I had a good time, but I froze out there in the cold! It wasn’t as weird and crazy as I thought it would be; coming from L.A., I’m used to weird and unusual.
This year, I booked a room at Fitzgeralds in the Downtown area in September. I got a great rate on the room, even though I had to book two nights. From my previous experience working at Fitzgeralds in Marketing over five years ago, I knew that being on the Fremont Street Experience for New Year’s Eve was going to be special. And it was!
They called it “Tribute Palooza 4” which meant all the bands playing under the canopy that covers Fremont Street were all tribute bands: those that pay tribute and emulate Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc. All the bands sounded great. Dennis, my companion for the evening, showed up from work after 9 p.m., and we strolled Fremont Street Experience for the remainder of the evening.
I prefer celebrating NYE at Fremont Street Experience over The Strip. My reasons? Easier access, friendlier people, better crowd control. You park at one of the hotels Downtown or in one of the lots. The FSE is fenced-in for the night, so you either pay $30 for a wristband and access, or in my case, I was a guest at one of the hotels and got wristbands. Everyone has to be 21-and-up. Loads of good music, fun people, and walk-up bars everywhere. What’s not to like?
Fremont Street East got into the party mode as well. I had to get another wristband for that area, but it was just for security purposes, and I didn’t have to pay a fee to roam. I watched a friend play keyboards in his band, Rhyme N Rhythm, featuring a talented female bassist Coco Jenkins, while The Vanguard, Insert Coin(s), Beauty Bar, and other venues hosted packed crowds. A lot of the food trucks came out for the occasion too.
Nearer to midnight, my friend and I came back down Fremont to the stage right next to the Fitz. Mayor Carolyn Goodman and her former-Mayor husband Oscar were officially ringing in the New Year with all of us. Oscar had his usual huge martini glass full of Bombay Sapphire gin in hand. There was a cool retrospective of 2011 playing across the huge canopy screen, and then the virtual fireworks started, along with real fireworks that exploded up and down the FSE in synch with the music.
Dennis and I enjoyed a free shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate, which is famous for their inexpensive shrimp cocktail. We talked to a couple that were there dancing their way down Fremont, celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. We saw street performers dressed as the band KISS taking photos with happy tourists. We got our ears blown out by all the raucous music emanating from all the stages, including our favorite heavy metal/comedy band, Steel Panther.
I appreciated all the great customer service I received over the weekend. The Fitz was a great host; those people must have to put up with a lot to deal with NYE party revelers. But they did it all with smiles on their faces. And I had one on mine as I left on New Year’s Day. You see, I took a little cash from El Cortez and Fitzgeralds in the form of winnings from slots. A good time, a winning time, and I’ll be back next year!
Photos (click photos for larger image)
All photo credits: Julie Kasperson,
© 2012 Julie Kasperson - All rights reserved.
-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.
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