Rock in a "hard" place. Guitar driven, lots of vocal melody and anthemic hooks. A blend of the old with the new.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Hard Rock, ROCK: Modern Rock



Details:
As this story unfolds, youâll see that the wheels for the BROKEN VEGAS machine were in motion well before the band exploded on to the Chicago rock scene in 2004.

In late 2000, vocalist Mike Vester and bassist Beau Carbonneau âofficiallyâ met and found themselves passing time in a cover band together after years of playing in separate original outfits for nearly a decade. The cover project never squelched their urge to keep writing original material, and together they began to form a songwriting partnership that would blossom.

When they decided to branch out and begin a new original band, it didnât take long for them to find the lead guitarist that would give the band its signature guitar identity that they wanted. Ricky Rolon had been Beauâs band mate since high school and had ruled Chicagoâs metal scene in the acclaimed band Section 8, and their writing bond and friendship was an ideal fit for this new, âyet to be named, project." The Rolon/Carbonneau combination was crunch and character in a truly original package.

The BROKEN VEGAS moniker came from the bandâs desire to achieve musical recognition on a Vegas strip scale without selling their collective soul to get it. To be on the hard rock and edgy side of a world where musical expression did not have to be pre-packaged or pre-prepared to consume. Broken Vegas was music inspired by lifeâs roll of the dice, and they wanted the world to know that the game was on!

In 2004, they released a 6-song demo âSounds From Room 118,â and in May 2005, they released a 7-song EP (3 studio, 4 live) called â2:15â. The ââ¦118â demo caught the publicâs attention, and â2:15â kept it. Then just as the â2:15â CD was released, BROKEN VEGAS introduced a new face to fans, but not a new face to the band. Drummer Matt Cowen had played with Vester during their 9 year run in their own bands Locket and FEELTRIP. FEELTRIP had been recognized as Backstage Pass Magazineâs âChicago Band of the Yearâ in 1999 so Cowen and Vester were no strangers to one another (having written and recorded well over 40 songs together), and no strangers to the Chicago rock scene. Cowen stepped in and the band was off and rocking.

With this line up, BROKEN VEGAS headlined many shows throughout 2005 and 2006 spreading their musical message all over Chicago and beyond. The bandâs âvirtualâ presence online has grown to an international level with fan bases existing in 20 countries. Their U.S. fan base continues to grow as well with street teams developed in Illinois, Florida, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Louisiana. The band has truly made their desire to reach the masses through drive and determination and the crafting of great original hard rock apparent to fans the world over.

The culmination of this hard work was realized in July of 2006 when the band was recognized by Chicago Rock Fans and critics as âone of the top 5 bands in Chicagoâ when they were voted in to perform in the Mix 101.9 Bon Jovi âHave a Nice Gig Contestâ sponsored by Saturn. The bandâs song âHow You Soundâ was selected from hundreds of other songs and made the top 10. Then, a fan vote got Broken Vegas in the top 5 giving them the chance to perform live at the Aragon Ballroom.

2007 brings forth their 3rd recording, âRoyal Flush,â a veritable smorgasbord of sounds that demonstrates their versatility, growth, and cohesion as a band. Ballads, straight ahead rockers, and pure adrenal-charged hard rock anthems are all a part of this 10 song recording, engineered by Chicagoâs own Rae Nimeh (yes, that Rae Nimeh) at his UTR studios on Michigan Ave. 2007 promises to be a great continuation of the journey the band set forth on in 2004 and covered so much ground in 2006. Broken Vegas has entered the buildingâ¦