5 picks for music in Las Vegas this weekend
The Grindmother
In the way-harder-than-your-GamGam department, we have The Grindmother, a powerviolence trio fronted by a steel-lunged 68-year-old who could shout down a tornado siren. Seriously, you really, really do not want to leave the toilet seat up in her house. See her at 5 p.m. Saturday at Eagle Aerie Hall in Henderson. Tickets are $12; call 702-565-2672.
Old 97’s
“I’ll entertain you, but I can’t save you,” Old 97’s frontman Rhett Miller sings at the outset of his band’s latest record, “Graveyard Whistling.” “Although I’m doing the best I can, I’m just a singer in a rock ’n’ roll band.” Yes, but what a band it is, and if these venerable alt-country ragers can’t offer you salvation, they can do you one better: They’re masters of the drinking song, meaning your troubles might not be eradicated, but they will be forgotten for an evening, at least. See them at 8 p.m. Sunday at Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel. Tickets start at $22; call 702-693-5000.
Zeke
Taking a Hobbesian approach and keeping things nasty, brutish and short, Seattle punk rockers Zeke favor jams as fast and perilous as the motorcycles that occasionally serve as their muse — along with beer and Motorhead, of course. Hey, what do you expect of a band that once paid tribute in song to an ax-wielding Jack Torrance of “The Shining” fame? See them at 8 p.m. Thursday at Backstage Bar & Billiards. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 day of show; call 702-382-2227.
STS9
A can’t-miss live act, STS9 links jam bands, jazzbos, hip-hop heads and electronic music devotees via shape-shifting instrumentals unbounded by convention and genre alike. See them at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl at The Linq. Tickets start at $37.50; call 702-862-2695.
Hempfest
Countless cotton mouths will be quenched by Faygo when reefer-lovin’ rappers Insane Clown Posse headline Hempfest. Hey, Bozo, pass the dutchie on the left-hand side at 11 a.m. Saturday at Craig Ranch Regional Park. Tickets start at $50 (www.lasvegashempfest.com).
