Pj Perez | |
---|---|
Born | August 4, 1976 |
Occupation | Writer, Filmmaker |
Nationality | American |
Genre | non-fiction, commentary, comic books |
Website | |
www |
Pj Perez (born August 4, 1976) is an American editor, writer, musician and filmmaker, best known for his reports and commentary on Las Vegas culture in such publications as Rolling Stone . Perez was the founding managing editor of Las Vegas-based Racket Magazine.
Perez made his first forays into publishing with self-published 'zines and poetry chapbooks in the early and mid-1990s while performing on the Las Vegas poetry circuit and singing in short-lived bands before beginning his freelance writing career with Las Vegas CityLife in 2000. After writing for a number of local and regional publications including Las Vegas Weekly and Las Vegas Mercury , Perez was recruited in late 2006 to launch a monthly lifestyle magazine called Racket. After Racket went on indefinite hiatus, Perez returned to freelance journalism, writing for publications such as Six Degrees and HRH magazines. [1] He was previously the Las Vegas Fine Arts Examiner for Examiner.com. [2]
In April 2009, Perez re-launched his comic book and pop culture website, Pop! Goes the Icon, as a boutique publishing label, and began writing and illustrating a weekly webcomic, The Utopian . [3] The Utopian was collected in a trade paperback released in 2011, [4] and a sequel collection called The Utopian Foundation followed in 2018. [5]
In the late 1990s, Perez played guitar in Morgana Athena, a Las Vegas-based gothic rock band whose single "E.S.P." was featured on Dim View of the Future, a gothic rock compilation released by a subsidiary of Triple X Records. [6] He previously played drums and guitar in Las Vegas-based rock band As Yet Unbroken, [7] and most recently, played bass guitar in Vegas-based indie rock band MOONBOOTS, which released a self-titled extended play record in 2016. [8] Moonboots broke up later that year. [9]
Perez first ventured into filmmaking with the 2011 48 Hour Film Project short film Sugarhook. [10] In August 2018, he posted a teaser trailer for Parkway of Broken Dreams, a documentary film about the cultural scene that developed near the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the early 1990s. [11] Parkway of Broken Dreams premiered in Las Vegas on October 13, 2021. [12] It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2021 Silver State Film Festival. [13]
In 2020, Perez released a television pilot for a proposed series called Notepads & Bar Tabs, developed with screenwriter Matthew Sorvillo. [14]
Perez graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a dual bachelor's degree in journalism and sociology. While at UNLV, he temporarily served as editor in chief of The Rebel Yell, the campus' award-winning newspaper. [15]
Green Day is an American rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their major-label debut Dookie, released through Reprise Records, became a breakout success and eventually shipped over 20 million copies in the U.S. Alongside fellow California punk bands Bad Religion, the Offspring, Rancid, NOFX, Pennywise and Social Distortion, Green Day is credited with popularizing mainstream interest in punk rock in the U.S.
Dream pop is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as reverb, echo, tremolo, and chorus. It often overlaps with the related genre of shoegaze, and the two genre terms have at times been used interchangeably.
Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 1983, Heggie was replaced with multi-instrumentalist Simon Raymonde. The group earned critical praise for their ethereal, effects-laden sound and the soprano vocals of Fraser, whose lyrics often eschew any recognisable language. They pioneered the 1980s alternative subgenre of dream pop and helped define what would become shoegaze.
Heaven or Las Vegas is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins. It was released on 17 September 1990 by 4AD. It is the band's second major-label release, following Blue Bell Knoll in 1988.
Clinton Darryl Mansell is an English musician, singer, and composer. He served as the lead vocalist of alt-rock band Pop Will Eat Itself. After the band's dissolution, Mansell moved to the United States and embarked on a career as a film score composer.
Joseph Anthony Pereira, professionally known as Joe Perry, is an American musician best known as a founding member, guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Aerosmith. Perry also has his own solo band called the Joe Perry Project, and is a member of the all-star band Hollywood Vampires with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp.
Redbone is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 by brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas. All members during their commercial peak and success were of Mexican American and Native American heritage, which was heavily reflected in their songs, stage costumes, and album art.
The Believer is an American bimonthly magazine of interviews, essays, and reviews, founded by the writers Heidi Julavits, Vendela Vida, and Ed Park in 2003. The magazine is a five-time finalist for the National Magazine Award.
That's the Way It Is is the twelfth studio album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released on RCA Records, LSP 4445, in November 1970. It consists of eight studio tracks recorded at RCA Studio B in Nashville, and four live in-concert tracks recorded at The International Hotel in Las Vegas. It accompanied the theatrical release of the documentary film Elvis: That's the Way It Is, although it is not generally considered a soundtrack album. The album peaked at number 21 on the Billboard 200 and at number eight on the country chart. It was certified Gold on June 28, 1973, by the Recording Industry Association of America and up-graded to Platinum, for sales of a million copies on March 8, 2018.
Beach House is an American indie band formed in Baltimore in 2004 by current members Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally. Their work is characterized by a hypnotic dream pop style.
"Heaven or Las Vegas" is a song by Scottish band Cocteau Twins. It was released by Capitol Records in October 1990 as the second single from the Heaven or Las Vegas album. The song has been described as dream pop.
Las Vegas Weekly is a free alternative weekly newspaper based in Henderson, Nevada, covering Las Vegas arts, entertainment, culture and news. Las Vegas Weekly is published by Greenspun Media Group.
Pop! Goes the Icon or PGTI, is an independent American comic book publisher based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Neon Trees are an American rock band from Provo, Utah. The band received nationwide exposure in late 2008 when they opened several North American tour dates for the band the Killers. Not long after, the band was signed by Mercury Records. Their first single, "Animal", climbed to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Alternative Songs chart.
The Utopian is a webcomic and comic book created, written and drawn by Pj Perez. It is published by Pop! Goes the Icon.
Sci-Fried is an American Independent music geek rock band from Orlando, Florida, United States, that performs original and parody songs with lyrics mostly about pop culture, science fiction, video games and comic books.
The Clydesdale was an indie band from Las Vegas, Nevada who grew prominent in the independent Las Vegas alt country and cowpunk community. Their sound is described by Rolling Stone as "bluegrass rock" fit for "the soundtrack to a western directed by Quentin Tarantino." Their members, who perform dressed in western wear, include Paige Overton and her trademark "ever-evolving beehive" hairdo, Andrew Karasa, a carpenter who builds his own instruments and once cut his middle finger off with a table saw a mere week before performing with the band, Jason Aragon, who co-created Las Vegas' Neon Reverb Music Festival (bass), and Courtney Carroll, who has played in several Las Vegas bands including Venus Diablo and Kid Meets Cougar (drums).
Benjamin Arthur McKee is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is the bassist for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.
Daniel James Platzman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and composer. He is best known as the former drummer for the pop rock band Imagine Dragons.
Parkway of Broken Dreams is a 2021 documentary film produced and directed by filmmaker Pj Perez. The documentary follows the rise and fall of the independent art and music scene that developed near the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in the 1990s.