Crash Kings’ grand enterance

Tahoe Onstage
The 1,100 music venue Cargo is on the first floor of the Whitney Peak Hotel, which has a grand opening Saturday, June 7. Tim Parsons / Tahoe Onstage

The Whitney Peak Hotel’s Grand Opening Saturday is highlighted by a hard-rocking band with unique instrumentation.

The Los Angeles trio Crash Kings feature visceral guitar sounds from a rare 1970’s model Hohner Clavinet, which has 60 guitar strings attached to a whammy bar. It was designed to emulate a harpsichord, but Tony Beliveau plays heavy metal rock.

“It allows me to have a big sound onstage without having so many people,” he said in an interview with Reno/Tahoe Onstage. “We’re having fun doing what we do. It’s fun doing something different.”

Attached to the “Biggest Little City in the World” sign which arches over Virginia Street, the Whitney Peak Hotel is a breath of fresh air in downtown Reno. It doesn’t allow smoking or gambling. The Cargo will feature bands popular with University of Nevada, Reno students. The majority of the shows be for concertgoers 18 and older and require an inexpensive entry fee. The cover for the Crash Kings is $5.

Major shows will be booked in the fall, after the summer festival season has ended, said Devildog Production’s Brent Harding, who also brings shows to the Crystal Bay Casino and Squaw Valley.

“(The first shows) have been doing great,” Harding said. “We are already getting a rep for the best sound in Reno. Once we get into fall when the bigger acts tour, the place will take off.”

The 1,100 capacity Cargo has a nearly $500,000 sound system, including a Midas Pro 9 digital console, which is set inside an enclosed engineering area adjacent to a long bar.

“ I’m consistently hearing comments from patrons about how phenomenal the sound is, and how much they dig the overall vibe,” said Nicole Gross, the project manager of the 159-room hotel. “There is a lot of positive energy, which I feel is a testament of the bands and our staff. Because we’re treating the bands like kings, they have a much better time on stage, and when they’re happy, the staff is happy.”

The concept of this website, Tahoe Onstage, and the companion site, Reno Onstage, is to support and promote live music. Spurred by the music venue in the Crystal Bay Casino, we have reported on the emergence of local bands Dead Winter Carpenters and Jelly Bread onto the national scene. More Reno and Tahoe bands could take it to the next level using Cargo and Devildog as a springboard. Reno’s Moondog Matinee, Mojo Green and CRVSH have already performed in Cargo.

“We want to support local artists in a high-production space,” Gross said. “Here they have the same production value as a big show, one of the best in the country.”

Crash Kings

Preview article: http://renoonstage.com/crash-kings-rock-like-band/

When: 9 p.m. Saturday, June 7
Where: Cargo @ Whitney Peak Hotel
Cover: $5
For: Ages 18 and older
Tickets: http://cargoreno.com/events/

 

 

Upcoming shows

Sat., June 13       Jelly Bread, 9 p.m. $7 tickets

Sun., June 14     Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath, 9 p.m., $10 tickets

Friday, June 20  Buck Ford, $5 tickets

Sat., June 21       The Stone Foxes, 9 p.m., $5 tickets

Sat., June 27       Hollow Woow, 9 p.m.. $5 tickets

Sat., June 28       Comedian Brian Posehn, 9 p.m., $18 tickets

Sat., July 5           MarchFourth Marching Band and special guest Diego’s Umbrella, 8 p.m., $18 tickets

Sat., July 12         Delhi 2 Dublin, 9 p.m., 10-$15 tickets

Friday, July 25   Caught A Ghost, $5 tickets

Aug. 1-2               School of Rock, $10 tickets

Sun., Aug 3         Jonny Lang, 8 p.m., $28-$56 tickets

Sat., Aug. 16      Down North, $5 tickets
Sat., Aug. 30       The Dan Band, 10 p.m., 20 tickets

ABOUT Tim Parsons

Picture of Tim Parsons
Tim Parsons is the editor of Tahoe Onstage who first moved to Lake Tahoe in 1992. Before starting Tahoe Onstage in 2013, he worked for 29 years at newspapers, including the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Eureka Times-Standard and Contra Costa Times. He was the recipient of the 2011 Keeping the Blues Alive award for Journalism.

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