We’ve lived in Las Vegas for a little under a year. Well, technically we live in Henderson, NV, but you have to go into Las Vegas to do anything cool. Living here was always meant to be temporary, but it turned out to be a little more temporary than we anticipated for a number of reasons that I’m not going to go into here, because I like to keep it posi.
While I’m not terribly sad to be leaving, I will say that I’m sad I never got to experience the music scene here thanks to our pal COVID. There have been shows, but I’m just not comfortable going to them yet due to this pandemic we’ve all been dealing with for what seems like forever. When I first moved to Sacramento, CA, I started going to shows and checking out the local venues almost immediately, so it’s been really strange not to be able to do that here.
Although I haven’t been going to shows, I have been spending a lot of time at the local record stores, specifically Zia Records, which has two great locations in Vegas. They remind me a lot of Sacramento’s dearly departed Dimple Records, so I’ve been very happy to have at least one thing that feels familiar during our time here. Another great shop out here in the desert is Primitive Recordings, which is run by Roger Beaujard of Mortician fame. I didn’t get to go there nearly as often I would have liked to, but it was a pleasure meeting Roger and loading up on Mortician merch and other goodies; if you’re a metalhead and you’re ever in Vegas, definitely stop by his store, especially if you’ve got a taste for death metal.
I wish I had more to say about our time in Vegas, but I’m honestly at a loss as I type this. I’m glad I had the experience of living here, because I have gotten to see and do some really cool shit, but I’m also ready to move on.
Our next stop is Salem, OR. From what little research I’ve been able to do, it doesn’t seem like there’s much of a metal scene there (I just might have to figure out how to start one). Metal Archives lists thirty-six bands from Salem, but many of them seem to be split up or inactive. There are a few live music venues, but none of them appear to really cater to metal with the exception of some one-off shows here and there. I have noticed some good punk shows rolling through, such as MDC and Agent Orange, and we’ve already got tickets to see Warduna in October, so I’m hopeful that we’ll still be able to get our live music fix, even if it isn’t a constant barrage of metal.
Of course, the great news is we’re only about forty-five minutes from Portland and unsurprisingly it appears that’s where all the action is when it comes to metal in Oregon. From what I’ve seen, it looks like tons of great tours roll through there, and to be completely honest, I’m fine with having to drive a little ways to go to a show, because it means I live away from all the hustle and bustle of the “big city.” At this stage of my life I think I might finally be ready for a little peace and quiet.
So, in the last few years I’ll have gone from being pretty well immersed in Sacramento’s metal scene, to not being able to immerse myself in Las Vegas’ metal scene, to being just a short drive away from Portland’s metal scene. It’s going to be an interesting transition and I’m curious to see how it affects my writing, if at all. Only time will tell, but I’m excited for what the future may hold.
THKD 