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TALES FROM THE SPOTLIGHT: 'Las Vegas Entertainer'...a Career of Contradictions

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TALES FROM THE SPOTLIGHT: 'Las Vegas Entertainer'...a Career of Contradictions

From "Sin City Local Band" and "Direct From Las Vegas" to "Exclusive Strip Residency", the interpretation of 'Vegas entertainer' varies wildly. This is the first of a multi-part series 'Tales from the Spotlight'.

Photo by Fremont St Experience via Facebook It wasn't so long ago when people said "Las Vegas is where entertainers go to die." Then Celine Dion arrived at Caesars Palace and completely changed that perception. Suddenly, icons like Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey, Cher, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, and Sting were clamoring for residencies. They found themselves sharing the spotlight with Vegas-only curiosities like Gordie Brown and Danny Gans.

"Who the Hell is Danny Gans?" (screenshot from THE FAMILY GUY)

Far from "coming here to die", some superstar groups were born in Las Vegas. Bands like PANIC! AT THE DISCO, IMAGINE DRAGONS, THE CRYSTAL METHOD, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, and THE KILLERS are all wildly successful. While those hitmakers are individually unique, each fits the description of a "Las Vegas band." In an ironic twist, some resident entertainers struggle to fill Vegas showrooms but easily pack large halls and arenas elsewhere. They spend most of their time on the road, proudly boasting the tagline "Direct From Las Vegas". You can read my exploration of that scenario by following this link. Here's an excerpt:

“Traveling is where we can make a profit. If we stay here, between marketing costs, union costs, room costs – breaking even is a hard thing to do nowadays.” - Vincent John, The Bronx Wanderers

Finally, there are true local bands like Original Chaos and LUCIEFR. You'll find them at clubs like Sand Dollar, on outdoor stages at Harrah's and Fremont Street, and occasionally scheduling ticketed appearances at smaller venues. These are the guys and gals who struggle the most. Still, they continue to perform out of a passion for their art...and sometimes successfully break through to the masses.

Recently, I reached out to several Vegas-based musicians to pick their brains. The goal was to determine what challenges and advantages they face in a city teeming with huge names, massive budgets, and a constantly changing tourist population. The first came from David Tatlock of THE SOUL JUICE BAND.

You may remember THE SOUL JUICE BAND from this April 2022 profile. At the time, this incredibly funky group was about to release a new album and perform at the LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL music fest. Since then, they've seen a few changes in the line-up and continue to release exciting new material. David Tatlock is the manager and frontman for THE SOUL JUICE BAND. A former educator, this no-nonsense singer is a knowledgeable source of showbiz intricacies. He offered this detailed analysis of what being a "Vegas Local Band" means. Enjoy!

David Tatlock (center) and The Soul Juice Band

COMMENTARY ON BEING A ‘LOCAL’ LAS VEGAS BAND by David Tatlock

There’s a lot to say about being a ‘local’ Las Vegas band. Las Vegas is a cover-song city. Most venues and establishments want familiar music so that locals and tourists feel happy and spend lots of money on alcohol and gambling. Many other cities really look for and enjoy original music, but Las Vegas is where original music suffocates from a lack of oxygen. The interest and enjoyment are just not there unless it’s the biggest acts from around the world.

The second thing about being a ‘local’ Las Vegas band is that there is no city in the world where you will literally compete with HUNDREDS of other events, bands, and shows almost any night of the week. Original bands need to sell tickets and tickets are hard to sell in Las Vegas just from sheer competition. Las Vegas has more entertainment options for a ticket buyer than any other location on the earth and a ‘local’ band has to try and rise above the noise to get noticed.

The last thing that really hurts a ‘local’ Vegas band is that once a local original band realizes they need to do at least 70% cover songs...then they start getting booked. Las Vegas is a land of endless gigs and bookings. It's easy to become a band that plays in Las Vegas and makes just enough noise and money to keep the machine running.

However, this causes a ‘local’ original band to forego the most important step in becoming known and actually make it, which is going out on the road and grinding it out for a couple of years. It’s much easier for a horn player to sleep in his own bed and make $150-800 on a cover or corporate gig than to sleep in an overcrowded van, do a 10-city tour, and make a little more than expenses and possibly lose wages.

Las Vegas is the place that will lull all your original music dreams to sleep as you go from local gig to local gig achieving Las Vegas notoriety while playing ‘September’ for the 187th time in a lounge casino.

As a 10-piece, original funk and soul band, we have created one of the most anti-Vegas ensembles to exist. And the word is out there on the street. We can barely get an out-of-town band in our genre to even give Vegas a shot for a collaborating show.

Those are three reasons why being a ‘local’ Vegas band may not be the easiest thing in the world. However, we can’t do anything different because we have to stay true to our artistic vision.

Dave Tatlock, manager and singer The Soul Juice Band

The next TALES FROM THE SPOTLIGHT will feature Mario Barth and ABOUT KINGS. Subsequent installments will focus on Kevin Sucher of THE DOCKSIDERS, David Perrico of the Las Vegas Raiders House Band, Michael Shapiro of RECKLESS IN VEGAS, and more. Stay tuned!