Vegas Beach

Surf Noir (n): A dark and twisted instrumental blend of Surf, Goth, old school New Orleans jazz and southern swamp Blues, with even a hint of country and a healthy dose of camp. Best served after midnight (with a shot or three of bourbon).
Ricky Las Vegas (guitars), Wavy Davy (bass) and Jim "The Cat" Garfield (drums) have certainly upped the stakes since Dark Side Of The Beach (see Pipeline 61). Share The Sand features a dozen atmospheric soundscapes courtesy of its very tasty guitar sounds, a melodic feel, and some thoughtful arrangements.

As with any good three piece the rhythm section is more involved than usual, particularly the bass, but Vegas Beach wisely use two or three guitar tracks to really fill out the sound and keep the interest high. Even more significant is their restraint in not letting the tracks linger on too long, thus avoiding any danger of disappearing up their own backsides through overindulgence and excessive noodling. There’s none of that here.

Plaintive guitar jangles, which recall Blue Oyster Cult on their classic Don’t Fear The Reaper, keep pulling me in, and then the lead guitar takes off on one and I’m well and truly hooked. This is music to lay back and enjoy, it’ll transport you wherever… with a smile. The group’s own definition “surf noir” really doesn’t do them justice. Sure - it’s an instrumental blend, but the influences mentioned are so totally absorbed as to be unrecognizable. The result is an expansive, inventive, rock instrumental mélange with smoothly soaring modern guitar sounds, oodles of atmosphere, and still with enough of a beat to get your toes gently but inevitably tapping.
This is a very rewarding listen indeed, and my copy has been hijacked by the lady of Pipeline Towers, who has pronounced it as the best album in the history of the magazine – ever.

Alan Taylor, editor, Pipeline Instrumental Review, Issue 68.
- Pipeline Instrumental Review, Issue 68

Soft and psychedelic, Vegas Beach is like a moonlit Harley Davidson cruise across the sand-swept American badlands. Six dark and groovy chill-out tunes courtesy of former Vampire Beach Babe Ricky Las Vegas, Dark Side of the Beach takes its surf noir sound somewhere in between The Shadows and Pink Floyd, and is best served chilled after sundown. A post-cocktail haze of soft bass, simple drums and pick'n'ring guitars, we say roll the dic and double down at www.vegas-beach.com.
Tom Dragomir, Rue Morgue Magazine - Rue Morgue Magazine

Just the cover art alone of the latest CD from Canada's instro rockers Vegas Beach could stop a train. But don't let that fool you, as there's some great guitar rock on Share The Sand, and overall, the 12 track 2005 CD is a fine follow up to their first CD, Dark Side Of The Beach. Self-proclaimed pioneers of the Surf Noir movement, the instro trio - featuring the sizzling electric guitar of Ricky Las Vegas - serve up a stellar mix of classic surf sounds, Goth, old school New Orleans jazz, Souther swamp blues, a hint of country and a healthy dose of camp. - 20th Century Guitar Magazine