Starting in near or abouts the mid 1980s, pioneering Detroit Neo-Garage
producer, Len Puch, decided to form a minimalist, muddy, feedback drenched
psychobilly band called Art Phag. Puch turned to longtime friend
and legendary n'er do well, Vegas Razz, to handle the lyric writing
and singing duties. With the promise of free beer, little rehearsal and
just another excuse not to get a real job, Vegas Razz was only too
happy to oblige.
What started off as a cheap way to get an opening band for Puch's
main project, Snakeout, Art Phag ended up touring with the likes of My Bloody Valentine, the Membranes and Jesus and the Mary Chain and playing
at legendary concert venues like the Whiskey A Go Go and the John
Ansell Ford Amphitheater in Los Angles. Although they never officially
called it quits, Art Phag's last show was in 1992 at small bar in Hamtramck,
Michigan that doesn't exist anymore.
After Art Phag, Vegas dropped out of the music scene almost completely.
He stopped writing, rarely going to shows and barely keeping in touch with
old friends. Rumor had it, that he had gone all respectical like. Gettin'
married and having kids; gittin a house in the suburbs, barbeques on Saturdays and church on Sundays. Which is kinda' odd, considering that he can't cook and god hates him!
Flash forward a decade later: At a labor day picnic, Vegas's wife and
a couple other moms in the neighborhood got to drinkin' the devil's juice
and decided to form an all moms garage band. Never mind that none of them
knew how to play instruments or how to write songs, but they were determined.
After settling on the groups name (The Mydols), these adventurous mums began to, what some would later describe as practice, and a sound began to develop.While these women had the bravery ands guts part down pat, they didn't have any material.
That's where Vegas stepped in.
Vegas begin to write songs for The Mydols. As he puts it, "it was like a flood gate opened" and tunes began to pour out and haven't stopped since. His songs include some of the biggest Mydols hits, including "The Mydol Twist", "Merry Freakin Christmas", "Soccer Mom Stomp" and "Run Crazy Baby! Run!" just to name a few. In the spring of 05, Vegas wrote and recorded "Roller Derby Queen" inspired by friends of his that began
to form and build the Detroit Roller Derby League, which later became know as the Detroit Derby Girls. The song was adopted by the DDGs and later the Mydols recorded (kinda) their own version.
Currently, Vegas is still writing. Except now he does it on a beat up old acoustic, all by his lonesome, thinkin about an old bar in Hamtramck that doesn't exist anymore, and wondering if it ever did.
CURRENT SONGS: Maybe a couple of new acoustic offerings...maybe some Mydols....There might be some others playin as well...Hey, who can keep track.
