Today I’m going to be telling you about our Artist of the Week: Rock Band The Implosions!
Here’s their story in their own words! Enjoy!
VMS: “When did you start writing and performing your music. What’s your backstory.”
The Implosions: “The Implosions played our first show back in October of 2017. Our band is really the product of long-term friendship. Clay and Denise, and Adrienne and Dave are married couples who have each played music in other bands going back decades.
One night, while hanging out together at the El Cortez, we were lamenting that we all don’t spend as much time together as we’d like, so we decided the solution was to form a band with all four of us. Some couples friends get together and play Bridge or soft ball, we get together and rock n roll. In recent years, we’ve sweetened the deal further by incorporating brunch into our rehearsals. Band ‘n’ Brunch!”
VMS: “What artist or bands inspire you and your sound.”
The Implosions: “We think of ourselves as garage rock, especially 60’s inspired, but really have influences from all over the place. Some of the bands that we have referenced when writing include: The Sonics, The Cramps, The Makers, The Shangri-las, The B-52s, Bikini Kill, the 13th Floor Elevators…, the list could go on and on.”
VMS: “What’s your writing process and inspiration for your lyrics.”
The Implosions: “All of our songs take inspiration from the city of Las Vegas. Some of our songs are about it’s history (Adrienne is a history teacher, and Clay studies Las Vegas history for fun), others are stories inspired by things that we love, loathe, or just find interesting about the city.
A lot of times the music itself is written to sound like a particular place or time, like in one of our newer songs, “Evel Knieval”, Dave wrote in guitar parts that sound like a motorcycle, or our song “Block 16″, in which Clay’s drums evoke the chugging of a train rolling into town. All of our writing is very collaborative, usually Dave or Denise will start us off with guitar or a bass line, Adrienne writes most of the lyrics, and Clay leads the arrangement, but all along we bounce ideas off of each other.”
VMS: “I love your songs “Atomic” , “Block 16” and “Blue Angel”. What is the inspiration or story behind these songs.”
The Implosions: ” “Atomic” and “Block 16” were both fun history songs to write because they both involved field trips. For “Atomic,” Adrienne went to The Atomic Testing Museum and took notes while viewing the exhibits. The song is about atomic tourism and the test site doom towns. The line “sitting on the roof with my sunglasses on,” is a direct reference to when people used to come here and go to the rooftops of hotels downtown to catch a glimpse of a mushroom cloud.
For “Block 16,” the whole band went to the Boomtown exhibit at the Springs Preserve to learn more about the earliest history of Las Vegas, when the railroad first came through here; it’s a great interactive place to visit.
“Blue Angel,” was inspired a lot by the book, My Week at the Blue Angel: Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas, by Matthew O’Brien, a great set of essays about some of the lesser known bits of Las Vegas life.”
Listen to “Atomic” on Spotify:
Listen To “Block 16” on Spotify:
Listen to “Blue Angel” on Spotify:
VMS: “What do you want your audience to feel and experience at one of your live shows.”
The Implosions: “While several of our songs are about history and you can learn a lot about our city’s culture from our lyrics, our live shows are nothing like going to school. The music is high-energy rock n roll, with a bit of sultry dancing thrown in. We really aim to throw a fun rock n roll party, and the performing is the best part for us.”
VMS: “Which local artist would you like to work with and why.”
The Implosions: “Locally, we love playing with Shanda and the Howlers, The Swamp Gospel, Franks n Deans, The Shakewells, Thee Swank Bastards, Jerk, Las Nalgonas, The Psyatics, The Dirty Hooks, The Hideaway, The Rifleman, Atomic Mayhem, Frankie Lee and the Infernos, The Minges, and so many more. Someone we’d like to work with in the future? I’d have to say, Cook E. Jarr and the Crumbs.”
VMS: “What’s your overall theme or message of your music.”
The Implosions: “The overall theme or message of our music might be a call to appreciate the glitter, grime, and grit that is Las Vegas. It’s not perfect, but it’s ours, so don’t talk shit about it.”
VMS: “Do you have a favorite song that you like to perform.”
The Implosions: “One of our favorite songs to perform live is probably “Million Dollar Photo.” It has this cool sexy bass line, interesting timing, and a great dirty guitar solo.”
VMS: “Do you have any crazy or interesting stories from working in the music scene.”
The Implosions: “Do the Implosions have any crazy or interesting stories from the music scene? Hmmm, perhaps not, but Clay and Dave have seen their fair share of shenanigans,…if you know, you know.”
VMS: “What does the future hold for The Implosions.”
The Implosions: “Right now, we are working on finishing up our second album, and we hope to put it out on vinyl soon. In the meantime, we are playing around town pretty regularly, The Red Dwarf has been a recent favorite. We love meeting new faces, so we welcome everyone to come and rock n roll with us at our next one!”
What I love about “The Implosions” is not only are they wonderful musicians and singers who you can tell really know how to rock, but I love their wonderful throwback Rockabilly sound mixed with grunge. With those unrelenting guitar riffs and commanding drumbeats that make you want dance, that creates such a fun and timeless vibe. Their music makes me want to ride in my car with the top down and just go get lost in all of the wonderful things this city has to offer. Our heritage is so unique and a little bizarre, but I appreciate their love and admiration for this city, and how they have embraced our “one of a kind” town through their wonderful 2019 Album simply titled “Las Vegas”.
As a born and raised native myself, I have seen (just as I’m sure they have too) how dramatically different Las Vegas has become over the years. So I think it’s awesome that in their music they are trying to keep our history alive, by celebrating what makes us uniquely Vegas, which I appreciate greatly. I encourage you to go see them live to get the full experience of this band! They are truly a wild, balls to the walls group that will make you sing, dance and just have a wonderful time. In a city of F1, a Huge Ball, No Free Parking and Football, it’s nice to remember what made us cool in the first place: Elvis, Atomic Testing, Area 51 and Rock ‘n’ Roll.
“The Implosions” are hands down, a very unique band, for a very unique city.
For more information about “The Implosions” Please visit their social media sites.
“The Implosions” on Bandcamp:
https://theimplosionslv.bandcamp.com/album/las-vegas
“The Implosions” on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/the.implosions?igsh=azM1Z2t5Z3g3dG9l
“The Implosions” on Spotify:
—-VMS.