Music
Press
Six local bands will showcase their talent Wednesday in an effort to win a spot in a new local festival planned for the fall.
The bands - Rusty Maples, American Cream, Same Sex Mary, Coastwest Unrest, Play for Keeps and The Perks - are scheduled to perform a free concert at Artifice, 1025 First St. Each band will play for 30 minutes beginning at 8 p.m., says Craig Nyman, the head of music for the festival's curator, Aurelian Marketing Group.
A showcase will be held monthly at different downtown venues in the months leading up to the Life is Beautiful festival, a two-day celebration of art, food and music, festival organizers say.
"Life is Beautiful is giving a tremendous amount of opportunity to Vegas," says Rehan Choudhry, CEO of Aurelian Marketing Group. "Local talent finally has a festival that will catapult them the same way that Coachella does for L.A. bands and South by Southwest does for Texas bands."
While a date has not been set for the festival, Choudhry says it will take place downtown. A map and additional details will be released in the coming weeks.
The festival "will give us a chance to showcase what we find in the city," Nyman says. "We live in a city with an extremely deep and talented music scene."
The monthly showcases will give festival organizers a chance to see musicians in action, onstage. It will give them an idea of how audiences react to their music, too. Original material is one of the main things that organizers are looking for, Nyman says.
Each showcase will feature a theme, such as a jazz and soul evening, indie rock bands, country and disc jockey/hip-hop. The theme this coming Wednesday is a mix of a couple of different genres but will be rock-heavy, Nyman says.
The showcase is open to the public. Admission is free but attendees must be 21 or older. Musicians interested in performing in a showcase can apply at lifeisbeautiful festival.com. Those selected to participate in the festival will be informed 30 days in advance. - Las Vegas Review Journal
http://mp3.com/free-mp3/play-for-keeps-just-like-the-movies/ - MP3.com
Lead singer and guitarist Cameron Dettman and his band, Play for Keeps, hit the stage next. PFK opened a bit flat, considering they have also performed headlining shows at both the Hard Rock and Black Door. Although the band had a slow start, they got better as time progressed through their set.
Local Las Vegas band Play For Keeps played with an excellent chemistry and harmony onstage, and they also displayed quite a dynamic range of talent as well. The band had an audio likeness to Journey meshed with a Pop/Alternative vibe.
The listeners really livened up when the band performed their version of “Locked Out of Heaven,” by Bruno Mars, which was impressive to say the least.
The band’s closing song, “Wasted All My Love on You,” was a definite people pleaser and the attendees were pumped and dancing to this enriching melody.
Keep your eyes on this quartet because they are in this for the long haul! Make sure to catch them again at one of the local Vegas venues. - Audio Addiktion
Discography
Goodbye Natural, Hello Manmade - LP - 2010 - iTunes/Spotify
Just like the Movies - Single - 2011 - iTunes/Spotify
Wasted - Singe - 2013 - iTunes/Spotify
Photos
Bio
In an industry that is ever changing, Play For Keeps has a pretty good start on what is to come. Founding member/lead singer/guitarist Cameron Dettman tries to keep that in mind every day of his life. "We have something that is sometimes more valuable than money, which is chemistry" says Dettman. "Play For Keeps's musical chemistry is the key to our success so far." PFK has made them a name for themselves across the Las Vegas valley. Performing headlining shows at the House of Blues, Hard rock, The Black Door, and many other established venues in Las Vegas was just the start for PFK's journey, although it sounds impressive, They constantly strive for more. Play For Keeps used their many musical influences to create a unique sound all their own. Dettman's unique, powerful voice combined with power-drummer Joseph Gilbert and the ever crafty guitarist/vocalsit Brian Jones, Play For Keeps is a force not to be reckoned with. Nowadays Play For Keeps focuses on their internet presence. With over 10,000 twitter followers, 20,000 facebook likes, they've already made a dent. The next big game on Dettman's agenda is Youtube. Youtube has brought many upcoming artists huge success. The age of internet success is now, and Play For Keeps plans to take their share of the pie.
Links
