What #HAPPENS in Vegas.. 2023 Edition
We spent last week in good ol’ SIN CITY.. taking over the Fremont District, and celebrating the tenth anniversary of #HAPPENS Rock and Alternative Radio Convention, presented by MEDIABASE… where label and streaming executives, culture-tastemakers, radio stations, brands, and recording artists old and new come together to create the ultimate curated new music experience.. inspiring new ideas in the ever-evolving music community. We spent the week networking and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the biggest names in radio, label reps, promoters, rockstars, and a host of other DIRTBAGS. Rock n' roll was had by all.
Wednesday night brought us all together once again at Backstage Bar & Billiards for our welcome party, featuring musical performances by Skratch n Sniff DJ Mike Czech, Cairo Knife Fight, Little Image, and Des Rocs. We also had some celebrity cameos from Chris Daughtry, Tommy Vext, and Dana White— a known Des Rocs stan ;)… DIRTBAG furnished all of the greenrooms for the week with fresh snacks, drinks, and PBJs.. as well as stickers, buttons, lanyards, and some free SCORPION PERCUSSION sample pairs.
We reconvened early Thursday morning for some brunch n’ convention. We hung out with, and heard some awesome new tracks from Nita Strauss, Spinefarm Records, Culture Wars, Letdown., Chad Tepper, and Better Noise Music. Then, we watched the radio folks conduct a panel on the many ways stations are reaching audiences who aren’t listening to the radio.
The Thursday night party took over Backstage Bar & Billiards with performances from Letdown., The Kaleidoscope Kid, Starcrawler, and Weathers… AND ALSO took over Fremont Country Club with performances from Black Heart Saints, Saliva, Pistols at Dawn, and DAUGHTRY. The folks at BBB and FCC know how to put on a great event. Venues far and wide could stand to learn a thing or two from them.
At the speed of snails, we rose once again Friday morning for one more brunch n’ convention. We had our socks rocked off bright and early with acoustic sets from CROBOT and Stone Horses.. then we kicked it with, and heard new music from GXTP (Guns and Toilet Paper), Revivalists, Weathers, Stone Horses, White Reaper, and Jason Hook (5 Finger Death Punch).
The last party of the week was once again at BBB, and featured Felly, The Moss, and our old friend, Jared James Nichols..
If you’re not familiar with Jared, look him up. These days, it is nearly impossible to find a well-known artist as humble, warm, and charismatic as Jared James Nichols. When I first entered the room during his soundcheck, he was knelt down at the front of the stage, talking and laughing with the five or so people watching him soundcheck. When I approached the stage, he looked me directly in the eye, and said, “Hey there! Welcome! My name is Jared, what’s yours? It’s great to meet you.” He then proceeded to do the easiest soundcheck I’ve ever witnessed. This guy plugs his guitar in, and is ready to play a show.. Bands everywhere need to see a video of JJN soundchecking and take notes.
