Slogans that capture the interdisciplinary anger of the Occupy movement don’t come much pithier than this: Shit is fucked up and bullshit. A protester at the F29 (that’s Feb. 29) protest at NV Energy in Las Vegas stenciled that onto a piece of cardboard.

The afternoon protest attracted an edgier, but smaller, crowd than earlier Occupy protests. Many of the 40-odd activists wore Anonymous masks and jackets with patches. Many came to protest the utility’s government-sanctioned monopoly, its use of coal-fired plants and, of course, its role in the 2010 explosion that damaged Main Street businesses.

But the larger issue that inspired similar protests nationwide was the influence of the lobbying organization ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council. Protesters targeted NV Energy because they said it was a member of the group. ALEC is a public-private coalition of state legislators and corporate big wigs. According to a recent series in The Nation, the group crafts model legislation to deregulate industry and change tax laws that is subsequently introduced in statehouses across the country. Corporate members of ALEC can veto bills and alter the language as they see fit.

Some Nevada legislators belong to ALEC. And according to the blog Desert Beacon, some legislation remarkably similar to their model bills has surfaced in Carson City. If you believe that corporations shouldn’t have undue influence on the political process, you might agree with the sign-guy that it’s kinda fucked up.

Stephen Malkmus at Beauty Bar (photo by Mike Prevatt)

It’s nights like these where I miss The Celebrity, downtown’s best music venue until its proprietors — the same ones that own the Lady Luck/Downtown Grand/whatever — decided it wasn’t worth the effort to keep operating as such. It’s the one place that could have accommodated the sizeable crowd that showed up for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks‘ Vegas debut last night at the Beauty Bar. During the Portland, Oregon band’s set, I thought about how better the experience would have been in that now-defunct venue — specifically, how much warmer and better-sounding it would have been there. It also reminded me of a show almost exactly a year ago: 12 Volt Sex’s farewell gig, also at the Beauty Bar patio. Most of us were pretty cold then, too, and frustrated with a sound system that kept cutting out. Malkmus and his audience didn’t have to contend with a faulty PA, thankfully, but for a rock ‘n’ roll show, the volume was pathetically low. I know I’m not going deaf, either, as a few crowd members shouted for the sound guy to turn it up, to no avail.

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Kid Meets Cougar (photo by Mike Thompson and Courtney Carroll)

After months of show absence due to studio solitude, Kid Meets Cougar emerged from the lair Feb.24 with one of the more visually immersive shows this side of Cirque Du Soleil. Following a droning, psychedelic performance from Twin Brother and a solo set from Hungry Cloud/A Crowd of Small Adventures’ Mike Weller, KMC closed last night at the Winchester Cultural Center with a slew of original videos and animations (great work, Light Forge Studios Brett Bolton) to accompany the tracks off its new EP, Sierra Papa Tango.

While at times it seemed the duo were a little rusty with the older tunes (we’ll give them a pass considering the show gap), it showed off an earnest and tech-geek-friendly new live show. The integration of new music video “Apollo Repeat” was a happy surprise — as was the use of XBox Kinect technology to have the band’s fancy new projector show video on KMC’s Bolton and Courtney Carroll as it played onstage. It was a solid reminder of why the two used to turn the Beauty Bar patio into a sweaty sardine can in the not-too-distant past.

But while the live show was amazing, the real props need to go to the new songs. This is seriously an incredible EP and an early vote for one of our favorites of the year. It’s the kind of thing you show your out-of-state friends when you’re trying to boast about the music scene in Las Vegas. If Kid Meets Cougar was ever going to get signed and “make it” in the notorious sense of the word, Sierra Papa Tango is going to be the album to achieve it.

CSS (courtesy photo)

Georgia rock band The Whigs and Brazilian dance outfit CSS will headline The Pastel Project, the Royal Resort’s first major music event, taking place March 23-24.

Those two bands will be joined by indie faves and up-and-comers such as Le Butcherettes, Tennis,  HEALTH, Classix, The Album Leaf, Yuksek, Strfkr, Mini Mansions, Nervous Wreckords, Chromatics and others. The Dirty Somethings join previously announced local bands Twin Brother, Rusty Maples, Halloween Town, Minor Suns and Zach Ryan & The Rouge.

Also, as previously reported, there will be an outdoor all-ages 18-and-over stage, as well as the Royal House stage inside. VIP pool and post-concert parties are also scheduled.

Pre-sale tickets go on sale Tuesday, Feb. 28; check the festival’s website for details.

The Kooks

[GET YOUR MIDWEEK ROCK FIX] TUESDAY, FEB. 28

English modern rock band The Kooks have their work cut out for them. Once a media darling in the U.K. — aren’t they all at one point? — the foursome seems less popular than when its style of music — post-punk-flavored Britpop, or is that Britpop-oriented post-punk? — was more in vogue, when it and bands like The Arctic Monkeys rose in the mid-to-late 2000s. And it’s doing the thing British acts rarely do: extensively tour the United States. Which means play cities largely unfamiliar with their work. Like Las Vegas, a city they’ve never visited — a Tuesday gig, no less. But the lads have a big selling point: scads of melodic rock tunes whose aesthetic roots go further back than Generation X. There’s not just traces of The Strokes and The Police in there, but The Kinks and, of course, The Beatles. The songs from last year’s Junk of the Heart will serve as a midweek musical highlight for anyone game to welcome The Kooks to this side of the Atlantic. MIKE PREVATT

Doors at 5:30 p.m., The Kooks go onstage at 8:20; House of Blues, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd., South, 632-7600, $22.50-$25.50

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Twin Brother (file photo by Bill Hughes)

Slow and steady, The Royal Resort and its lounge — known as The Royal House — has been moving toward its goal of becoming a music destination. It’s become a regular hangout to some for its “Sunday Sermon” open mic, and its now biweekly tribute nights, where local musicians play the music of one artist, draw triple-digit attendance figures (last week’s Pixies night was one of the venue’s most successful nights ever).

Now, the higher-ups at The Royal Resort have decided to double down on their cultural objectives and will launch a well-funded, 25-act indie music festival on March 23-24. The Pastel Project will include two areas for live music — including an all-ages outdoor stage — featuring a slew of Pitchfork-friendly, headliner modern rock/electro acts (to be released soon), and a smattering of indie-oriented Vegas bands including Twin Brother, Rusty Maples, Minor Suns, Zach Ryan & the Rouge and Halloween Town. There will also be food trucks and possible amusement diversions. No onsale date for passes is scheduled yet, but they will cost $39 for Friday, $49 for Saturday and $69 for both days, putting it in the ballpark of other national indie festivals. (A $99 VIP pass option will also be available each day.)

“I’m trying to make it fun, like [Los Angeles'] FYF Fest,” says Ryan Pardey, the Royal’s entertainment director (and Halloween Town’s leadman). The festival’s name is spring-themed, and aims to have “green” tie-ins and sponsors for environmental consciousness. If successful, The Royal will also launch a September version, which Pardey hopes will be even bigger.

There’s a white elephant in the room, however. The Pastel Project happens right in the middle of our existing indie music festival, Neon Reverb, which spans March 20-25 and also has a September edition. It will book the same sort of bands Neon Reverb tends to program. And yet, it has nothing to do with Neon Reverb, despite the Royal having participated as a host venue in the fall 2011 version.

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Rainbow Company Theatre (courtesy photo)

by David McKee

Every February brings the latest installment in Rainbow Company Youth Theatre’s Nevada History cycle, which plays downtown before hitting local elementary schools. Lurking behind didactic titles like Unsung Heroes of Nevada’s Past and Sagebrush Stories are colorful, fun and creatively told pioneer sagas, featuring the playwriting and direction of Karen McKenney, and the whimsical songwriting of J Neal. “We have adults that only come to this show because they love it so much. Good childrens’ theater is good theater” is McKenney’s explanation of the plays’ crossover appeal.

Unfortunately, when the City of Las Vegas abandoned the Reed Whipple Center, Rainbow’s history play was bumped from Whipple’s 80-seat studio to the 350-seat Fifth Street School auditorium and cut to a single weekend. “There is no need to run the touring play as long to accommodate everyone who may wish to see it,” said Cultural Administrator Patricia Harris last August. “More people can be seated at each performance, so the play does not need to be performed as many times. There may be even higher attendance [because] so many more people can be seated.”

“I loved that [studio] space,” McKenney laments, adding that she’s not going to put more that 100-120 chairs out for Fifth Street School performances, preserving the intimacy which enhances her plays’ charm. Since the new location doesn’t have theatrical lighting, performance conditions will match those Rainbow encounters when it goes to classrooms.

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Holding On To Sound (file photo by Jeferson Applegate)

Punk Rock Bowling, the multi-day music festival/pilsner ‘n’ pins competition now in its 14th year, has announced the next batch of participating acts for the May 25-28 extravaganza, to be held downtown once again. Among the names released: our own Holding On To Sound, whose The Sea made CityLife’s best local albums list last year.

HOTS join acts like venerable post-hardcore act Hot Water Music, venerable pre-hardcore band Youth of Today, punk supergroup Dead Ending, iconic ska outfit Hepcat and others in joining the Punk Rock Bowling roster. Pennywise, Rancid, NOFX, The Adicts and the original Briefs were the first five acts announced last month. On Feb. 24, the daily schedule comes out — and hopefully the rest of the performance roster. We’re crossing our fingers other Vegas acts might find themselves on official PRB stages that weekend, despite the festival’s concentration on national promotion.

Three-day passes at $100 go on sale Feb. 24, and single-day passes at $40 will be available for purchase on March 5. Festival shows are all-ages. Here’s the full list of today’s revealed participants (check the fest’s website for more info): Sham 69, Hepcat, Hot Water Music, Youth of Today, Dead Ending, Street Dogs, Real McKenzies, Old Man Markley, The Beltones, Far From Finished, Toys That Kill, American Heist, The Bots, The Dips, American Werewolves.

Before there was an Arts District, there was the Attic, a two-story emporium of antiques and vintage fashion that opened in 1992. The colorful building settled like a piece of confetti on Main Street, a drab block of automotive repair shops and bail bondsmen. And it thrived, building a regular clientele of local customers and national celebrities.

The business even survived the first three years of the Great Recession. Then, on July 10, 2010, an explosion at the NV Energy sub-station next store knocked the Attic off its feet. Literally. The explosive force pushed the building off its foundation.

Th Attic relocated to a smaller building across the street. But the new space was less than a third the size of the original, and owner Myra Politis had to put much of her inventory in storage. Business declined and Politis was never able to reach an agreement with NV Energy, which denies responsibility. Politis waged a public relations war against the utility, plastering the old building with comic strip rant about her plight. Last month, she went on a hunger strike.

Today she announced the Attic is closing. It’s not unexpected; she’s been broadcasting her misfortune for a year and a half. But it’s still sad. If it weren’t for the explosion, the Attic would still be standing. Nobody has come forward to make it right for Politis. Her attorney, Matthew Callister, filed a lawsuit against NV Energy and Southwest Gas. It might not bring the business back, but at least it might repair some of the damage that has been done.

BY DAVID MCKEE

Late Monday, in a startlingly candid press release, Onyx Theatre gave Artistic Director Sirc Michaels the chop. Despite having “lent his considerable talent, experience, and energy to revitalizing the venue and bringing new works to its audiences, making it a hotspot for local theatre practitioners, and breath[ing] new life into” Onyx’s own productions, Michaels received an involuntary “tearful farewell.”

Ironically, the ouster shortly follows a second sellout run Michaels’ staging of Evil Dead The Musical at Onyx. A year ago, prior to Michaels’ short-lived tenure, Onyx’s 2010-11 season had fallen into chaos and theater owner Michael Morse was plugging the gaps with whatever could be imported at short notice. The new artistic director, despite some early missteps (like the badly mishandled Sin City Shortsfest), soon put together an ambitious production schedule, including Evil Dead, much of its $10,000 budget raised online.

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The spendy champagne. The foie gras atop another dish you can’t pronounce. The high-tech dry-ice seafood. Is it all necessary to get the girl?

Ryan Jaunzemis doesn’t think so.

“Guys always think they’re original with the fancy dinner,” says Jaunzemis, pick-up artist and dating coach from Meetup.com’s The Players Club. What’s really important on Valentine’s Day, or any other time a guy is trying to make an impression, he says, is appropriateness. While you might spend a few hundred to treat a long-time partner to a lavish meal, it’s not necessary to drop big bucks on a first date … because often it’s more awkward than it is impressive.

Instead, Jaunzemis offers these ideas:

• The La Contessa yacht cruise at Lake Las Vegas. Unique? Check. Romantic? Check.
• Ice skating. It’s good, clean fun and you’ll probably get to hold her hand. Check out these places.
• A quiet dinner at home. Cook together, and do the dishes for extra points. (Actually Jaunzemis said, “ask her to cook for you,” but we like our suggestion better.)
• A tour of Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden in Henderson. “They give you free chocolate!”

And remember, Jaunzemis says, “She’s going to eat dinner with someone. It might as well be you.” KRISTY TOTTEN

Post-script: CityLife does not typically print shout-outs, but this is a blog, and what the hell. Jaunzemis wants to add: “I’ll be spending V-day with a special someone and if she’s reading this article, I’d like to say I love you, Michelle.“

Picks-Books-Beyond Brokebac

Beyond Brokeback

[BE A BROKIE FOR A DAY] SATURDAY, FEB. 11

Extreme fans of Brokeback Mountain, called Brokies — think Trekkies, but wearing Rick Perry’s jacket — just can’t quit the stereotype-busting movie. They’ve posted huge amounts of stuff on the Members of the Ultimate Brokeback Forum website, some 500,000 items. Playwright Gregory Hinton threshed the material into Beyond Brokeback, a staged reading of excerpts from that deluge — essays, poems, messages, music. Six reader/musicians will handle the presentation, brought to you by the library district and Nevada Conservatory Theater. “Nevada has a rich country-western gay and lesbian culture, and Beyond Brokeback is a comprehensive oral history of the rural gay west,” Hinton says. Saddle up! SCOTT DICKENSHEETS

2 p.m., Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, www.lvccld.org, free.

Polar Bear Plunge

[CHILL OUT] SATURDAY, FEB. 11

If you’ve still got love for polar bears after all those Coke commercials during the Super Bowl, read on. This event might be for you. Cool-braggers, bear-huggers and daredevils in good health are invited to join the City of Henderson’s first-ever Polar Bear Plunge, a safer and nonliteral alternative to swimming with endangered white arctic cannibals. Plus, there are treats! Three groups, divided by age, will rush down water slides into freezing cold outdoor pools and emerge to claim commemorative pins and hot foodstuffs. The first 100 to arrive get goodie bags, and there’ll be games, raffles, a bounce house and lots of food. The best part: No commercials! KRISTY TOTTEN

1-4 p.m.; Whitney Ranch Aquatic Complex, 1575 Galleria Drive, 267-5870 or www.cityofhenderson.com/parks, $5 to watch or participate.

Vince Neil of Motley Crue (photo courtesy of Erik Kabik/erikkabik.com)

This was not a weekend for subtlety. What weekend in Las Vegas isn’t, you ask? Point taken, but this weekend in particular threatened to blow our faces off — figuratively and literally.

On Feb. 3, veteran hair metal band Motley Crue debuted its new “residency” show at the Joint, and when we say residency, we mean the quartet played one of 12 shows it scheduled through Feb. 19 that may or may not be successful enough to warrant another slew of dates later in the year. Carlos Santana busted the Joint’s residency cherry a few years ago with regularly scheduled shows; Motley Crue have taken a more conservative approach by only announcing the February dates. Which is strange only because of the obvious financial investment the Hard Rock Hotel has made in the show — you’d think this rock ‘n’ roll spectacular would be a recurring event given the bells and whistles.

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