The Last Vegas

The glitz and glam of LA’s Sunset Boulevard has been effectively bottled by The Last Vegas. While the quintet may originally hail from Chicago, Whatever Gets You Off could believably been raised amid the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles’ 1980s rock scene. Whatever Gets You Off sweats booze and good times from every riff and nasally, W. Axl Rose-influenced vocal. The Last Vegas aren’t shy about their AC/DC worship, either, as the opening title track comes on like gangbusters; albeit, gangbusters that studied at the Johnson/Scott/Young school of hard rock.

Whatever Gets You Off amalgamates glam metal, hard rock and punk rock into a combustible cocktail. The Last Vegas aren’t doing anything original, but they are most certainly culling inspiration from the spandex and Aqua Net heyday. It’s nostalgic without being a complete and total throwback; it’s sexy without being cheesy, which is notoriously difficult to pull off in this genre. Did we mention that we love vocalist Chad Cherry’s moniker?

Cultural leanings aside, guitarists Adam Arling and Johnny Wator rip and snort with solos and shredding. These two are the backbone of Whatever Gets You Off. Like any self-respecting glam-flecked, hard rock album, there’s a ballad, “Apologize,” which is tucked smack dab in the middle of the hedonistic swagger of “High Class Trash,” “Loose Lips” and “Cherry Red.” You don’t need to be perennially stuck in the 1980s to appreciate The Last Vegas. All that’s required is a love for an era gone by and an ability to accept an ever-so-slightly, modernized take offered up by a new band.

— Amy Sciarretto
05.14.09

It seems that every few years -- like clockwork -- there is a new wave of bands that have apparently discovered the pleasures of vintage AC/DC albums from the '70s, when they were fronted by the late, great Bon Scott. And in the early 21st century, bands such as Airbourne represent the latest wave of high-profile DC worshipers, as well as a few lesser-known ones, such as the Last Vegas and their 2009 release, Whatever Gets You Off. But unlike most of the other similarly styled groups, the Last Vegas have been slugging it out for several years, and albums, by this point. Upon having been "discovered" by Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx (who not only signed the group to his Eleven Seven Music label and co-produced the album, but also secured the group a spot on the Crüe's 2009 U.S. tour), it appears as through the group will be introduced to a whole new audience. Like most bands heavily influenced by AC/DC, there are very little stylistic surprises within the grooves of Whatever Gets You Off, as the lads stick closely to the well-worn blueprint of greasy guitar riffs, sleazy vocals and lyrics, and boogie rhythms, as showcased on such ditties as "Whatever Gets You Off," "I'm Bad," and "Loose Lips." ~ Greg Prato, Rovi