Key to the Las Vegas Strip for hair-metal icons is ‘pretty much in order’
The man known on stage as Stix Zadinia, with the commanding real name of Darren Leader, revisits Steel Panther’s history in Las Vegas.
Even the musician we call “Stix” is impressed, as he struts down this hair-metal Memory Lane.
“We played Empire Ballroom — if it’s still there. We played Santa Fe Station and Green Valley Ranch,” says the venerable rock act’s drummer. “We played the Shark Club. We played Pink E’s. We played the Drink.”
In listening to this collection, I say, “You guys need to receive a Key to the Strip and a proclamation. Has that ever happened for you?”
“Dude, please start the initiative now,” Stix says. “Look, we’re an L.A.-based band, but you could call it the Vegas band, because we spent so much time there, weekly, doing residencies. I feel like a key to the city is is pretty much in order.”
Well, as they say around here, we know a guy.
If it seems Steel Panther has been around a minute, they have. The band kicks off the 15th anniversary of their debut album, “Feel The Steel,” Saturday night at House of Blues. The quartet return Aug. 22.
Their hair high and forever clad in spandex, Steel Panther is just finishing work on new material. The form in which this music will be distributed is not yet determined.
“We are recording four songs that are brand new. For what? We don’t know,” Stix says. “We don’t know whether it’s gonna be an EP, or if we’re gonna do singles, or we’re gonna do a full length album. Not sure. We might want to drip it out in order to get people to pay maximum attention to each song.”
And the title of this … Whatever it is?
“It’s called, ‘The Greatest Album Ever Recorded by Four Humans in Spandex Ever,’” Stix, who is totally joking, says.
The band’s lead single was “Death To All But Metal,” a nuanced ditty that relates to the band’s affinity to the metal stylings dating to the 1980s.
“I loved Metallica, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, Dokken, Ratt,” Stix says. “I loved Warrant. I wasn’t the biggest Bon Jovi fan. I appreciated the hits. But I”m much more into the Scorpions, early Def Leppard — that was a good chunk of what I was listening to.”
Scorpions are also in town over the weekend, opening their 60th-anniversary celebration at PH Live, with Buckcherry opening.
“I need to scoot over there,” Stix says. “I love those guys. We just went on tour with them in Canada and they are so good.”
Since their inception Steel Panther has held a consistent, hair-metal focus, but it is not a band so readily defined. They seem a tribute band, but not of s specific act. They play and record originals, but they are steeped in humor, and for grown-ups. “Party Like Tomorrow is the End of the World” galvanizes the band’s sensibilities.
They sing of partying with multiple partners. Monogamy is not among the lyrical themes.
But the foursome of Stix, front man Ralph “Michael Starr” Saenz, Joe “Spyder” Lester on bass and Russ “Satchel” Parrish on guitars and backing vocals take the music seriously. There are no covers in the set list, all originals.
“We love creating music, recording and making records,” Stix says. “Michael’s in there, just wailing away. It’s a very, very cool experience.”
Stix says the band is revved up for a return to live performance.
“You’re going to get us in our full glory, where everybody’s ready to totally deliver, especially coming off of being in the in such a controlled environment,” the drummer says. “It’s going to like letting the Panther off the leash, letting us out of the cage, and there’s no telling what will happen.”
Mr. L.V. lauded
Wayne Newton is the next honoree at the annual Opportunity Village Camelot gala, set for Nov. 13 at The Magical Forest at O.V.’s Linda Smith and Christopher Smith Campus on West Oakey Boulevard. Opportunity Village is a grassroots Las Vegas nonprofit organization that serves adults who have intellectual disabilities, providing vocational training and community employment.
A true Vegas original, Opportunity Village was established in 1954, pre-dating the opening of since-razed Riviera (1955) and Stardust (1958).
Cool Hang Alert
Mickey Finnz on Fremont Street brings the live music with creative force Hal Savar from 3-7 p.m. Fridays. Randy LeDuc (Saturday) and the Aaron Archer Band (Sunday) fill the weekend. Finnz has a stout live-music program under the canopy (and under the radar), and no two crowds are alike. Get there, and go to mickiefinnzlasvegas.com for intel.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
