Las Vegas act Good Coffee hasn't been releasing music much longer than a year. Fellow Valley music outfit Goldboot, on the other hand, has been going strong for the better part of a decade.
What unites the two acts, besides their Vegas addresses? They’re both played on NV89, Nevada Public Radio’s music station in Reno. That includes both acts' recent material -- including Good Coffee's folk-pop winter release, "Gold," and Goldboot's springtime groover, "My Language."
Those two songs, and three other recent releases by Las Vegas bands, all range in style, sound and mood. Parsing those differences is Jake Wagner, a host on NV89 and music director for the Las Vegas Aces basketball team.
Good Coffee – "Gold"
“Good Coffee is the psychedelic-leaning solo project of singer-songwriter Cole Heathcott. After performing around Colorado for a few years, Cole spent extensive time living out of his car. He was traveling around the U.S., eventually landing in the Las Vegas Valley due to affordable housing and the budding art scene.
The project combines elements of Americana and indie folk with imaginative lyrics to create a warm atmosphere.”
Kurumpaw – “Paper Battleships”
“Well, they’re eclectic, to say the least. Kurumpaw is a Latin-based psychedelic rock band that has emerged from the house show scene in east Las Vegas. They mi '60s and '70s surf and psychedelic rock with modern alternative Spanish rock, the latter influencing their bilingual lyrics.
And I don’t say this lightly, they are a must see in a live setting.
This song has a very visually stimulating music video animated by Paula Moruzzi -- might be a common theme going on in the local scene given what Black Camaro did with [their] “Out in the Rain” [video] and even what Sonia Barcelona did recently. This new song “Paper Battleships” is going to be off their forthcoming debut album due out later this year.”
Bad Phantom – “Ideas”
“Lots of support [for them] out there. I think it speaks to the popularity of their members specifically, singer Shayna Rain Mercer and [bassist] Nick Boswell. They’ve been involved in the downtown scene [and] Naked City Audio a lot. Their new EP Moon Garden, which was recorded locally down at Naked City Audio -- and at their house as well -- dropped last week and garnered a lot of support from all around the scene mostly due to the distinct voice of Shayna.
It is a very unique sound. And the influences you can hear there are elements of progressive and psych-rock, [and] definitely for fans of Hiatus Kaiyote, Portishead and Grizzly Bear.”
Inhuman Again – “To Be Human”
“Ted Rader got his start around town with garage/surf act The Mad Caps, then after some time, the band broke up. He [then] began this psych-krautrock act Ted Rader’s Magic Family. They’re still playing around town, but in true artistic fashion, Ted had to venture off on his own and create a synthy new-wave direction for this alter ego.
It’s a nod to cybernetic autonomy -- a warning from future AI, if you will, influenced by renowned synth producer Brian Eno. Or, in other words, it’s Ted's synthesizer solo project that is the exact opposite of his guitar band.”
Goldboot – “My Language”
“This band has been established in town longer than most of the bands that we talked about today. [For] almost a decade, Logan Landing and Bobby Lucky have been playing around town as Goldboot. They mix disco flash with funk grooves and have no shame in referencing all things Vegas when it comes to their songwriting. They’ve even got a fun Elvis cover to throw into the mix. You might hear influences of Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, and Prince, to name a few. I’m a sucker for a good pop song, so this is right up my alley.”
Jake Wagner, host, NV89
