Steve Rastin talks about his often chaotic tenure as gig promoter at Vegas Bar in Rhyl
Before I start this tale, I would very much like to thank Robin and Sandra, doorman Baz, The Bistro Chicks, all the other staff, the bands, but most of all every single customer who contributed to the Vegas story. Back in what now feels like a very dim and distant past, Rhyl enjoyed a golden age of original live music.
ElemenoP – Love & Disrespect (2003)
Ok. The time has come for me to admit something. This has been weighing on me for years. It’ll be hard for some of you to hear and will probably make you think differently of me…..hell, some of you will probably stop speaking to me. Anyway, here goes…..
……my name is Skip and I like Pop-punk.
Oh man, that’s so liberating, I finally said it!!More
Hamburg has an amazing music scene and somehow I managed to go there when there was nothing on. OK, heavy rockers Anvil were playing in the city and could’ve warranted a little novelty attention, had the pub not been so alluring. That’s the problem when you go away with the boys on a ‘jolly’ rather than a mission.More
If you’re a music lover, you’ll recognise the symptoms I’m about to describe. You can be anywhere doing anything but music will be playing in the background via one source or another when suddenly, completely without warning, an unfamiliar song will hit you between the eyes (and ears) and for its duration you will be unaware of anything else going on around you. In the fullness of time it may or may not come to take on a fundamental meaning for you but in that first, awe inspiring moment it will have truly made the earth stand still. I’ve selected ten songs from my formative years to illustrate my point – read on (or better still, listen in) and enjoy.More
“Back To Square One”
This piece could have been written about any number of bands from North Wales over the years but for our purposes here I’m going to focus on The Pastimes.
Right now I think that they are the most exciting band in the region for any number of different reasons, all of which are pre-requisites for success in an industry that has always stacked the odds against wet-behind-the-ears hopefuls whatever the era.
The Pastimes write songs that combine grit and melody in the kind of equal measures that should make commercial acceptance an inevitability, their live performances are transcendent, they have a work ethic that is second to none, they are organised and they are focused.More