Afghan Raiders (file photo by Bill Hughes)

Notice electro-punk trio Afghan Raiders has been awfully quiet? So have we, so we investigated. Not only is the act no longer on the Velvet Hammer management roster, but the guys say they’ve got other things going on. As such, the project is on “indefinite hiatus,” according to keyboardist Vincent “Beans” Campillo. Beans moved to San Francisco last year, and is prepping his gear to make some new music, possibly with AR drummer Drew Marcogliese, who also lives in the Bay Area. Singer Mikey Francis, who elected to stay in Las Vegas, has been DJing locally and making music with fellow spinster Pedi Amiri, aka Lightknife. The two have been producing music together for the past year or so — some of which received attention on electronic dance music blogs — but recently decided on a moniker for their work: Black Boots, already attracting some industry attention. Expect new material to emerge soon.

As desk jockeys who only get to escape as far as Austin, Texas, for work, we’re living vicariously through local drummer Daniel Kloza, the 26-year-old who’s leaving for a two-year, 100-city tour on Jan. 20. Backing renowned concert pianist Silard Somorjay, he’ll go everywhere from China to Japan, from eating fish and chips to whatever they eat in Russia. His resume looks like a pop-rock Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation: He’s shared stages with Joan Jett, Angels and Airwaves, Hawthorne Heights, Eve 6 and, most recently, been a member of local act The Day After. Now he’ll change gears with Somorjay, an incredibly talented Hungarian jazz pianist who incorporates a lot of global instruments and styles. We hope Kloza comes back with a comically destination-sticker-covered suitcase. And that his current musical partner, Paul Corson, doesn’t have too many postpartem issues from losing his drummer of 12 years.

Otherwise has officially announced L.A.-based Century Media as the label it signed with in December. The deal calls for three or four albums and radio promotion of its first single, “Soldiers,” which recently landed the hard rock quintet in this paper’s “Local Heroes” issue. That song is climbing the charts over at Sirius XM satellite radio, and will likely head to terrestrial radio next month. Otherwise will also travel to Austin, Texas, for South By Southwest in March — as will another local hard rock band, Deadhand, which already has two gigs there lined up.

Even though he crushes his solo works as a beat-makin’ MC and as one half of Phil A and Hassan, Phil Agudelo’s horror-rapcentric trio Mob Zombie has always loomed over his work like a decaying, gangrenous reminder of what once was. But this week he and counterparts POLO and Bambu reunite for the 200th “Hip-Hop Roots” show on Jan. 24 at LVCS. … Speaking of “Hip-Hop Roots,” the weekly show now has expanded into San Diego and Salt Lake City — same format, local-for-them artists and some artist swaps between cities.

Also: Hardcore kids Caravels have Well Worn, a five-track split 12-inch with Virginian post-rock instrumentalists Gifts from Enola, coming out Jan. 24 on their label Topshelf Records. … This Romantic Tragedy will begin its U.S. tour on Feb. 6 with We are Defiance. But it’ll warm up with a Jan. 31 House of Blues gig, which also features Ministry of Love. … Finally, the British Broadcasting Company, with the help of veteran DJ (and Encore Beach Club resident) Pete Tong, recently aired an hour-long special on the rise of dance music culture in Las Vegas. Tong called DJs “the new Rat Pack”; interviewed local club dignitaries like Wynn/Encore nightlife head Zee Zandi and Angel Management Group CEO Neil Moffitt; and got former mayor Oscar Goodman to go on record and say he likes electronic dance music (proving he’ll say anything to promote Las Vegas). He also was refreshingly honest about our “corporate” club scene, while also hailing our pool parties as the best outside of Ibiza, and even worked in a segment on downtown, as well. Pete, you never let us down. MIKE PREVATT AND MAX PLENKE

Send your tips to mprevatt@lvcitylife.com.