Las Vegas Band Paper Cowboy Throws Album Party at Tuscany Suites

From The Bones to Paper Cowboy

Vitagliano fronts The Bones, a rock group known for hard guitars and snarling vocals. Paper Cowboy is his parallel project. It grew out of one song that refused to sound like a Bones song.

“Instead of giving it the typical Bones treatment,” Vitagliano said, “I let the song guide the instrumentation and production, and I was surprised where it took me.” He says he landed in a middle ground he calls the “Americana space.” He points to Springsteen, Mellencamp, Kid Rock, Van Morrison and Bon Jovi as rockers who have spent time there too.

“What a free and easy place to write from,” he said. “It’s all the songwriting, with none of the pretension, the pomp, the bravado.” He decided to make a whole album that way. Then he built a separate band around it so the songs could be played live.

That band is Vitagliano on lead vocals and guitar, Mike Campion on bass, Michael “Doc” Ellis on lead guitar, Sean Koos on piano and Daniel Margasa on drums.

Inside the Paper Cowboy Album

Vitagliano wrote all 13 tracks. He co-produced the album with Vinnie Castaldo, and they recorded it at The Tone Factory here in Vegas. I always like seeing that. A lot of the music made in this valley never gets credit for being made here.

The record collects the five singles the band has already released. It mixes rowdy country rockers with slower ballads. “My Kind of Crazy,” the song that started it all, has Phil X of Bon Jovi on lead guitar.

Some of the song titles let you know the band isn’t taking itself too seriously. “Sleepin’ With Yer Mom” and “She’s My Whiskey Drinkin’ White Trash Trailer Baby” are the obvious ones. Those titles are a good hint about the crowd these shows are aimed at. This is a grown-ups’ night out, so leave the kids with abuela.

Why a Country Band Covered Sarah McLachlan's "Angel"

The only cover on the album is a country take on Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” Vitagliano says it came from “WAY out of left field.”

He said he wanted a cover, but felt almost everything in country and Americana had already been done. So he reached back to the Lilith Fair era. He described the song as “one of the most powerful pieces ever written about needing and finding an escape in something, whether it be drugs, alcohol, etc... and having that become your safe space.”

“This song lives in that fragility, teetering on that ominous uncertainty,” he said. He added that he had always wanted to sing those lyrics “with even a fraction of the sincerity that Sarah changed the world with.”

Plenty of us of a certain age know that song by heart. Hearing it in a different key of life, so to speak, is reason enough to give the album a listen.

Paper Cowboy Album Release Party at Tuscany Suites

The official release party is Wednesday, November 25, from 7 to 10 p.m. It takes place in the Piazza Lounge inside Tuscany Suites & Casino. The band hasn’t announced a cover charge, so check the band’s Facebook or Instagram before you head out.

In our house, the night before Thanksgiving belongs to the kitchen. There are pies cooling on every counter and the tamales are half-assembled. I’d call a 7 p.m. start doable if the cooking is under control by dinnertime. And if you’re hosting the next day, the 10 p.m. finish means you won’t wreck your Thursday.

A Saturday Drive to the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings

If you’d rather make an outing of it, the band also plays the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings on Saturday, November 21, from 5 to 9 p.m. The saloon dates to 1913, and Goodsprings is a small town southwest of the valley.

An Americana band in a saloon older than most of Nevada’s casinos is about as good a match as you’ll find. Leave early enough to reach Goodsprings while it’s still light out. Late November sunsets come early, and the desert drive is nicer when you can see it.

I haven’t seen anything about age rules for either show. If you’re thinking of bringing a teenager, call the venue first.

Paper Cowboy Track Listing

1. My Kind of Crazy

2. B & E

3. Heart Don’t Know

4. She’s My Whiskey Drinkin’ White Trash Trailer Baby

5. Tonight

6. Angel

7. Baby Just Breathe

8. Never Bring Me Down

9. Oh Anna

10. One More Minute

11. Sleepin’ With Yer Mom

12. Purple Dress

13. Save Me

My plan is to listen to “Angel” first, then go back and play the album in order. After that, I’d pick the Pioneer Saloon show over the release party. A Saturday afternoon in Goodsprings with live country music is my idea of a local’s day out.