Thanksgiving is upon us and while it’s a time to be grateful and celebrate with family and friends that get together to share good food, story and spirits, it’s also a time that we can explore Tahoe and Reno’s live music scene to dance, listen and feel the power of music and the inspiration of creativity.
Music is powerful. It evokes emotions and feelings. It sends a message. It wakes us up. It can help us forget about our challenges and issues for a few hours when we drop in and are completely present in the moment; nothing else going on but listening to the music whether profound, profane or playful.
Speaking to and having conversations with many of the artists that visit our area has been enlightening. They offer glimpses into who they are, why they write and play music and what they’d like to bring to the stage and to us, the audience. We’ve interviewed musicians that that have been touring and recording for longer than many of us have been alive and chatted with new emerging artists that want to forge new sounds in music, each equally creative, innovative and often surprisingly deep and philosophical. The men and women who bring the artists and bands to our area are as passionate about their love of music as the musicians themselves.
“We host artists that are traditional, while others are stretching musical boundaries and don’t want to be contained or boxed into a genre.”
Music is an integral part of many of our lives – many of us eat and breathe music. There is enormous diversity in the area, for some it’s the love of funk, blues, rock n’ roll or reggae, while for others is bluegrass, folk, Americana, country or hip-hop, while the jam band scene or psychedelic sounds might call to you, lest us not forget the love of electronic music. Other passions may fall to Indie, alternative, jazz, R&B, soul or singer-songwriter, whatever the sound or genre you love the list is extensive. And many of these genres are constantly evolving and shifting.
We host artists that are traditional, while others are stretching musical boundaries and don’t want to be contained or boxed into a genre. Whatever your tastes are, it’s available here. We have music venues that have long ruled our area bringing some of the best artists and bands and have introduced us to the obscure and up and coming bands, and our area continues to grow along with its music scene.
In Tahoe, we look to the Crystal Bay Casino where Bill Wood and Brent Harding bring some of the best music around. In Truckee, Moody’s keeps downtown hopping Thursdays through Saturdays with great live music. Cottonwood and Bar of America offer live music, as well. Moe’s BBQ in Tahoe City is emerging as a newer music venue and they are bringing a wide variety of music for all tastes.
While in South Lake, Whiskey Dicks has stepped up and is bringing a diverse line up of music; ask Late Night Billy who is having fun booking talent there. The South Shore Room, an intimate venue at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, is also drawing in some great and diverse shows. The Stateline casinos such as Hard Rock, Harrah’s and MontBleu host some of the bigger artists performing in our area. The Reno casino scene isn’t just about gambling, they provide both big name bands and live music in large halls and host smaller venues. Look to Atlantis, Eldorado, Grand Sierra, Peppermill, Nugget and Silver Legacy for entertainment.
There are numerous smaller clubs and venues emerging out of Reno offering live music. Cargo Concert Hall has been crushing it with their diverse line up. Georgette Crush, talent buyer at The Saint in Reno, one of the evolving clubs offering live music, has been bringing in some great shows. Rockbar Theatre, Jub Jubs Thirst Parlor, Studio on 4th and 3rd Street Bar all keep Reno entertained with live bands.
The Tahoe Weekly enjoys bringing our readers the latest and greatest entertainment happenings in the region. If we’ve missed something that you’d like us to add to our coverage, e-mail entertainment@tahoethisweek.com and let the good times roll.
