Jon Anderson’s songs are often about peace and harmony. The ongoing politics of the band Yes? Not so much.
Music
Todd Rundgren is a musical mimic, one who once helmed a Beatles sound-alike album called “Deface the Music.”
Remember those crappy school Christmas pageants you had to be in as a kid, you know, where you played, like, a tree or something? Well, now you can watch other kids do the same, sort of, but with guitars and dance beats and hopefully a bit less crappiness as the equally poppy and clubby Family Force 5 enlivens the season by headlining “The Christmas Pageant” tour, along with screamo favorites Forever The Sickest Kids in addition to the emotive Secondhand Serenade and Shorelines End. Make like a tree, once again, and leave for the festivities at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets are $25-$35; call 632-7600.
Las Vegas native Franky Perez left home to pursue his music career when he was a teenager.
The Dark Star Orchestra isn’t just authentic. It’s nostalgic and location-specific, too.
Passion Pit’s helium-buoyant synth pop belies the longing and uncertainty at its core. It’s the sound of sunshine, though the subject matter here is more suited for overcast days. Still, all the bright buzzing keys, dizzy falsetto vocals and supersized hooks are meant to boost the kind of sullen moods that seem to catalyze some of the band’s tunes.
You never really know who’s going to show up when sandpaper-gritty nine-member hip-hop crew the Wu-Tang Clan hits town, as barely controlled chaos defines not only their sound, but their relationships with one another as well.
