Las Vegas’ music scene has changed a lot since those early days with The Killers. On any given night, a Downtown venue might offer western tunes, among snatches of darkwave and Latin psychedelia. Our metal movement is also gathering steam, and underground hip-hop circles are seeing aresurgence. Vegas’ current sound is as vast as it is diverse. We spoke to three local musicians about their differing scenes and how Las Vegas plays a distinct role in them.
Zach Ryan is an ex-Nashville country man who regularly gigs at Blake Shelton’s Ole Red and fronts Soft Echo, a new grunge-gaze band that recently released its new single “Hooked.” The band performs at Swan Dive on August 15, and they’ll hit the road with The Killers this September.
Jae Douglass is a melodic hitmaker often backed by a six-piece band, and he’s amassed a following for his borderless approach to hip-hop and R&B. Singles like “Coy Leray” and “Pennies” exhibit that in full, delivering a sleek arrangement of music made for those moments to yourself.
Cali Tucker is a Season 6 finalist of NBC’s The Voice and hails from a long line of stars, including Hall of Famer Tanya Tucker (her aunt) and recording artist LaCosta Tucker (her mother). The Nashville native has fully infiltrated the local country-pop scene, headlining at Delilah and Easy’s Cocktail Lounge and winning over fans with her single “Country Couture.”
Las Vegas Weekly: What inspires you to make the kind of music you make?
Soft Echo
CT: The love of performing comes from my family, because we traveled as really young kids on the road with them. When it came to country music, I went through a major phase when I hit middle school where I was introduced to all these other types of music I didn’t grow up listening to. It wasn’t until I moved out here to Vegas that I was … learning new songs from all different genres. And what brings me the most joy when I sing them? It’s always been country music. Shania Twain was very influential on me as a kid. When her new album, Come On Over, came out, I was like, what? Because that was pop-influenced and rock-influenced. The country music genre is now so vast and open to so many different styles.
ZR: At one point I was a young’un, and I would sit down on the rug in the living room with a Totino’s pizza and watch five hours of MTV. In 1996, I would have been 10 years old, so [there was] Oasis and Nirvana and Blur and Stone Temple Pilots and all that stuff. Those were all a really big deal to me when I was a kid. Later on in life, I’d been playing ’60s retro music and I decided it would be fun to do something that was nostalgic for me. Then I found my own voice with it.
JD: I grew up with a lot of different music, but funnily enough, hip-hop was introduced to me through my own self. The first songs I ever downloaded on my little iPod shuffle at 7 years old were “Love Lockdown” [by Kanye West], “Ice Box” by Omarion and then “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” by Jay-Z. John Mayer was huge for me when I was growing up. That was an inspiration for me, vocally. But I always had my personal love for hip-hop.
LVW: How would you describe your scene right now?
CT: It’s growing. People are being touched by country music now more than ever, because country is allowing these different sounds and different vibes to really infiltrate this genre and bring more of a wider audience. The fact that we have NFR here, we have [Professional Bull Riders] here—that is huge. We just need to continue to support all artists, but especially country artists really making waves. That’s the only way we’re going to continue to make country music grow more in Las Vegas instead of it being such a club vibe. People are craving live music, and I’m here to serve, girl.
JD: It truly is a melting pot of people. I have all the rap artists from the north side coming out. I have a lot of bands and a lot of indie folks that come out here. I have grandmas and grandpas showing up. It’s moms and dads. It’s kids that show up. It makes me proud to say I feel like I have something for everyone.
LVW: Has living in Vegas influenced your craft?
CT: One thousand percent. If I’d recorded “Country Couture” and I hadn’t moved to Vegas, it wouldn’t have been the same because I hadn’t experienced Las Vegas, and the bougieness of it and the extravagance of it. I don’t think I would have had my quirkiness and the cheekiness that the song actually does have. Vegas has brought out the absolute very best in me as a performer.
ZR: I stumbled into more country gigs here than I thought I’d ever do and that’s become something I really love doing. I’m so thankful for Ole Red. That was a real godsend. They’ve been really encouraging and they’ve given me a lot of creative freedom in how I produce my own shows there.
JD: I’d say a ton. I started out with this really small, passion project label here called Artist Mafia, and through that, I got the experience of meeting other artists and people who are doing the same thing. The music scene here is really strong, but it’s under-appreciated. There’s a lot more love in the community than there ever has been, and I’m super immersed in the Downtown Arts District. I have a creative space down there. Being tapped in with that community has been really revelatory to me.
LVW: Is there a current sound you feel is dominating Vegas right now?
Cali Tucker
JD: I think the hip-hop scene is the most dominant. I think it has the most loyal following, and it’s beyond just hip-hop and rap. I like to say alternative because hip-hop has become so widespread. Everyone’s getting so experimental and fun with it. Granted, there’s several bands really doing their thing. Michael Richter is one of them. He’s a great friend of mine, he’s crushing it. Secos has been doing a really great job. But I think the hip-hop and R&B sound is really the anchor of music here right now.
CT: There’s not another soul on this planet that sounds like me. There’s not another soul on this planet that sounds like my friends who play. We’re all doing something different. That’s what’s great about Vegas is it’s so eclectic. There is something for everybody.
ZR:It’s pretty diverse. Sand Dollar tends to be more of a working man’s venue. They do long sets and they do original shows, but they’re rooted in long performances … whereas multi-band shows are more apt to happen at Sinwave or Swan Dive or Red Dwarf. There’s certain people in town putting on themed shows, like Brian Moy’s doing Maximum Doom and the Dirty Rock ‘n’ Roll Dance Party. Even within that, I don’t think those bands are totally overlapping in their sound.
LVW: How does your sound fit into the overall vibe of Vegas?
ZR: That sound can work well in a big open space once you get out of town, when you see the big sunsets out in the desert, but then it also can work in the midst of all the neon lights, surrounded by slot machines. It’s kind of surreal living in a place like this. We take it for granted.
CT: People from all over the world come to Vegas, either for work or fun. And I think their initial intuition is, “Let’s go to Omnia or let’s go to Drai’s, let’s go to Zouk, let’s go to the clubs.” If they play country there I will die. I think it’d be the greatest thing on the planet if people would start re-mixing country songs and making them club songs. That’d be a cool way to bring country into Vegas in a bigger way.
LVW: If you had to make a Vegas soundtrack, what three tracks would be on your playlist?
ZR: “Sin City” by the Flying Burrito Brothers, “Cherry-coloured Funk” by Cocteau Twins and “1979” by the Smashing Pumpkins.
CT: Calvin Harris’ “We Found Love.” It’s a super fun song. “I’m in Las Vegas B****,” by LMFAO. The third one would be “Danke Shoen” by Wayne Newton.
JD: There’s a song I have that isn’t out yet, it’s called “Midnight in Vegas.” That would be a really solid one. I’d also say “1 Shot” by [local musician] Quinn Ayers and “Rental” by Brockhampton.
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