blog
My Las Vegas Evening With Maldroid
Archives
14 entries
Back to Latest Entries
Back to Latest Entries
My evening with Maldroid(5/21/08)actually began with my workday. The work was an audio uninstall for a medium large conference at the Hotel Rio here in Las Vegas for a group of medical surgeons. I did not attend the conference, but I did perform the audio install four days prior. A co-worker of mine, who has also become a friend, worked with me. He is a sharp audio guy, and he has gone on the road recently to run and support the audio needs of a band called The Killers. Anyway, once the work was complete, and the trucks loaded, I made my way back to downtown Vegas where I live.
I knew that Maldroid was going to play very nearby me at a club called Jillian’s, located in the downtown group of shops(mostly closed, but making a slow comeback)called Neonopolis. Since I don’t own a car these days, I took a couple of buses to get there. I thought that the band would start a bit later, somewhere between nine and ten p.m.. But I forgot the fact that Jillian’s is an all ages club that is split in two - half is designed for adults where there is a bar and food, the other half is designed for those who are under the age of 21, where the bands play. So the bands generally start earlier. There is also plenty of video game arcade machines to play on, and even a bowling alley for those so inclined. I got to the front door and spoke to a man who turned out to be the owner of the club. I asked him when Maldroid’s start time was, but he told me that they just got finished playing as I walked up to the door. I was disappointed with that news, I really wanted to see and hear the band play. But I also knew that the band’s keyboard player, Prince J was the first person to befriend me at Fuzz when I joined last year in July. I asked the owner if I could talk to the band members, and he said yes. He gave me a wrist band that gave me access to the club, and didn’t charge me anything to enter. He was a very cool guy! Upon entering the club, I saw Maldroid hustling their gear off of the stage to get ready for the next band. I walked up close and asked someone to help me find Prince J. He did, and when Prince J walked up to me, I introduced myself and told him of our online association at Fuzz. He was delighted to actually meet someone from Fuzz’s online community. I apologized to him, and later the rest of the band for missing their performance. He forgave me, and we went outside to talk about the band, and to talk a bit about me and what I’ve been up to lately. We talked about playing music in Europe, as Maldroid has yet to play there. I told him that I would see what I could do in that regard, I still have some contacts in Holland that may possibly be of some help. After meeting the rest of the band members, I suggested that we go over to the +21 side of the club for a drink. I wanted to make it up to the guys for missing their show, so I bought some rounds of drinks for the band, and some shots for me and Prince J. It was the least that I could do. And very refreshing.
I began to learn who these guys in Maldroid really were. They are some of the coolest, smartest and most talented men that I’ve met in a while. Prince J, bassist Seandroid and myself spent the most time together that evening. Prince J gave me some CDs and buttons, and the grand tour of their tour bus, and gave me a bit of inside info about life on the road for all who ride on the bus. Guitarist Johnny Genius told me that the band members built the sleeping berths(12)into the bus themselves. I was impressed. Once all of the band gear was loaded onto the bus, we set off down the Freemont Street Experience(FSE)for more drinks and some merriment. The bands The Phenomenauts and The A.K.A’s also travel with Maldroid on this tour, and those guys were also very cool to be around. The bassist from The Phenomenauts and I talked about basses and bass amplifiers as we walked the FSE. He has worked hard on playing the upright bass, and it shows that he has had good results when you listen to their record.
Prince J and myself spent a good deal of time talking about Maldroid’s future that night. I told him that I have a feeling that the band will be much bigger by this time next year, and larger so two years from now. He told me something that was so important for all serious bands, the fact that they are in the music business. They treat the business side of music very seriously. Everyone in the band has a business assignment for the band that they take to heart. And they realize and understand that the hard work that they do is something that must be done over the long haul. He told me about how Maldroid was put together with members from other bay area bands that had broken up; they’ve certainly seen their share of heartbreak and realized the mistakes that had been made. He and Seandroid said that they would do everything in their power not to repeat those mistakes again. Prince J told me of the bay area bands that do not like Maldroid, he called them the “haters”. He said that those bands think that Maldroid just popped up overnight, and passed them by in one fell swoop. He wanted me and those bands to know that nothing could be further from the truth, and he even wished those bands the best in their futures too. It was a reminder to me that those we meet in this industry on the way up, are the same ones we meet on the way down too. It was a reminder to be kind to all those that you meet along the way, in both directions.
All three bands were truly enjoying themselves at the FSE. We went into casino after casino, they wanted to check it all out. They liked the drinks served in clear plastic NFL sized football shaped containers that you could buy at The Bayou. When the Bayou closed around midnight, I took Prince J and Seandroid over to the oldest hotel and casino in all of Las Vegas, The Golden Gate. They serve some really tall drinks there in a plastic container for about $10. An extra $2 will get you an extra shot added into your drink. Seandroid bought one(with the extra shot), and before we left I took them around the casino floor walls and showed them some great large photographs of vintage San Francisco. There are a couple of photos of the Golden Gate Bridge being built. I really love those. I also showed them the telephone from 1907 encased on the wall with a bit of info about the era when it was used. It was part Las Vegas’s first telephone system. The number? Just dial 1.
All of us ended up at Fitzgerald’s Hotel and Casino. Someone said that they wanted to hit the blackjack tables. Since I don’t gamble(I work so hard for my money!), I watched as members from all three bands sat down to try their luck. Prince J and I spoke some more about Maldroid’s future for a little while before he sat down at one of the tables, joining his band mates. I did see some chips begin to accumulate in front of the players, it looked like they were doing well. Then Prince J and lead singer Ryandivine left the blackjack table, and took off somewhere. I waited close by, sitting in front of a slot machine, for their return. Fifteen minutes quickly turned into thirty. When they did not return, I looked around the casino to try to find them, but no luck. I decided to get some food after a long day’s work, and walk around the corner to where I live. Before I left, I said goodnight to Johnny Genius, and a couple of the band members from The Phenomenauts, wishing them a safe journey home.
Being a part of Fuzz’s online social community is truly how this meeting took place. Let us all remember the fact that there is a real person at the other end of our online communications. And if you can, go out and support a Fuzz act when they come to your town, or support them when you can if you happen to live in the same town as they do. It really means something.
My thanks to Prince J and all the members of Maldroid, The Phenomenauts, and The A.K.A’s for such a fun evening. I wish them all a safe journey, and the very best in their musical futures.
BB
I knew that Maldroid was going to play very nearby me at a club called Jillian’s, located in the downtown group of shops(mostly closed, but making a slow comeback)called Neonopolis. Since I don’t own a car these days, I took a couple of buses to get there. I thought that the band would start a bit later, somewhere between nine and ten p.m.. But I forgot the fact that Jillian’s is an all ages club that is split in two - half is designed for adults where there is a bar and food, the other half is designed for those who are under the age of 21, where the bands play. So the bands generally start earlier. There is also plenty of video game arcade machines to play on, and even a bowling alley for those so inclined. I got to the front door and spoke to a man who turned out to be the owner of the club. I asked him when Maldroid’s start time was, but he told me that they just got finished playing as I walked up to the door. I was disappointed with that news, I really wanted to see and hear the band play. But I also knew that the band’s keyboard player, Prince J was the first person to befriend me at Fuzz when I joined last year in July. I asked the owner if I could talk to the band members, and he said yes. He gave me a wrist band that gave me access to the club, and didn’t charge me anything to enter. He was a very cool guy! Upon entering the club, I saw Maldroid hustling their gear off of the stage to get ready for the next band. I walked up close and asked someone to help me find Prince J. He did, and when Prince J walked up to me, I introduced myself and told him of our online association at Fuzz. He was delighted to actually meet someone from Fuzz’s online community. I apologized to him, and later the rest of the band for missing their performance. He forgave me, and we went outside to talk about the band, and to talk a bit about me and what I’ve been up to lately. We talked about playing music in Europe, as Maldroid has yet to play there. I told him that I would see what I could do in that regard, I still have some contacts in Holland that may possibly be of some help. After meeting the rest of the band members, I suggested that we go over to the +21 side of the club for a drink. I wanted to make it up to the guys for missing their show, so I bought some rounds of drinks for the band, and some shots for me and Prince J. It was the least that I could do. And very refreshing.
I began to learn who these guys in Maldroid really were. They are some of the coolest, smartest and most talented men that I’ve met in a while. Prince J, bassist Seandroid and myself spent the most time together that evening. Prince J gave me some CDs and buttons, and the grand tour of their tour bus, and gave me a bit of inside info about life on the road for all who ride on the bus. Guitarist Johnny Genius told me that the band members built the sleeping berths(12)into the bus themselves. I was impressed. Once all of the band gear was loaded onto the bus, we set off down the Freemont Street Experience(FSE)for more drinks and some merriment. The bands The Phenomenauts and The A.K.A’s also travel with Maldroid on this tour, and those guys were also very cool to be around. The bassist from The Phenomenauts and I talked about basses and bass amplifiers as we walked the FSE. He has worked hard on playing the upright bass, and it shows that he has had good results when you listen to their record.
Prince J and myself spent a good deal of time talking about Maldroid’s future that night. I told him that I have a feeling that the band will be much bigger by this time next year, and larger so two years from now. He told me something that was so important for all serious bands, the fact that they are in the music business. They treat the business side of music very seriously. Everyone in the band has a business assignment for the band that they take to heart. And they realize and understand that the hard work that they do is something that must be done over the long haul. He told me about how Maldroid was put together with members from other bay area bands that had broken up; they’ve certainly seen their share of heartbreak and realized the mistakes that had been made. He and Seandroid said that they would do everything in their power not to repeat those mistakes again. Prince J told me of the bay area bands that do not like Maldroid, he called them the “haters”. He said that those bands think that Maldroid just popped up overnight, and passed them by in one fell swoop. He wanted me and those bands to know that nothing could be further from the truth, and he even wished those bands the best in their futures too. It was a reminder to me that those we meet in this industry on the way up, are the same ones we meet on the way down too. It was a reminder to be kind to all those that you meet along the way, in both directions.
All three bands were truly enjoying themselves at the FSE. We went into casino after casino, they wanted to check it all out. They liked the drinks served in clear plastic NFL sized football shaped containers that you could buy at The Bayou. When the Bayou closed around midnight, I took Prince J and Seandroid over to the oldest hotel and casino in all of Las Vegas, The Golden Gate. They serve some really tall drinks there in a plastic container for about $10. An extra $2 will get you an extra shot added into your drink. Seandroid bought one(with the extra shot), and before we left I took them around the casino floor walls and showed them some great large photographs of vintage San Francisco. There are a couple of photos of the Golden Gate Bridge being built. I really love those. I also showed them the telephone from 1907 encased on the wall with a bit of info about the era when it was used. It was part Las Vegas’s first telephone system. The number? Just dial 1.
All of us ended up at Fitzgerald’s Hotel and Casino. Someone said that they wanted to hit the blackjack tables. Since I don’t gamble(I work so hard for my money!), I watched as members from all three bands sat down to try their luck. Prince J and I spoke some more about Maldroid’s future for a little while before he sat down at one of the tables, joining his band mates. I did see some chips begin to accumulate in front of the players, it looked like they were doing well. Then Prince J and lead singer Ryandivine left the blackjack table, and took off somewhere. I waited close by, sitting in front of a slot machine, for their return. Fifteen minutes quickly turned into thirty. When they did not return, I looked around the casino to try to find them, but no luck. I decided to get some food after a long day’s work, and walk around the corner to where I live. Before I left, I said goodnight to Johnny Genius, and a couple of the band members from The Phenomenauts, wishing them a safe journey home.
Being a part of Fuzz’s online social community is truly how this meeting took place. Let us all remember the fact that there is a real person at the other end of our online communications. And if you can, go out and support a Fuzz act when they come to your town, or support them when you can if you happen to live in the same town as they do. It really means something.
My thanks to Prince J and all the members of Maldroid, The Phenomenauts, and The A.K.A’s for such a fun evening. I wish them all a safe journey, and the very best in their musical futures.
BB
Comments
Cheers!
-J