by JOHNSON CUMMINS

With Internet tastemakers like Pitchfork championing bands with the guaranteed life expectancy of a fruitfly, it’s just impossible these days for a basic, balls-out rock ’n’ roll band to catch a break. Worse is the other side of the coin, rock radio, which continues to tread the tepid waters of the purported classics while eating its own young. Hell, it’s in such a sad state of affairs even ol’ Botoxed-and-cornrowed Axl won’t come out and play.

Thankfully, the underground rock ’n’ roll scene has never been more vibrant, and the riff-o-rama that Chicago’s the Last Vegas serves up is an excellent example of what that scene can offer. In anticipation of the Last Vegas’s appearance at the two-day Degeneration Overdrive Rock ’n’ Roll Extravaganza at Café Chaos, the Mirror talked to drummer Nate Arling over the phone.

Mirror: You guys have toured a lot in Europe lately. Is the rock ’n’ roll scene there more happening than in North America right now?

Nate Arling: People over there just get really excited about live rock ’n’ roll, especially Scandinavia and Spain. In America, there’s just so much advertising and TV shit that it’s hard for people to get excited about something for what it is, and not because it’s the new thing or whatever. A lot of music that’s popular in America right now has to go through a lot of mass marketing and advertising for it to affect people. Places like Spain have only had rock ’n’ roll bands coming over in the past 30 years, so it’s still almost new over there.

M: Rock fans seem to be really dedicated to the music, and tend not to get distracted by the new thing coming off the turnpike.

NA: I think a lot of bands that are heralded as the next big thing by the press usually have fancy press photos and some angles that the press can play on. The press has never liked real rock ’n’ roll bands. This is an information age we live in, but I think that there’s also still a lot of word of mouth, which is a positive thing. We’re playing all-ages shows now, and kids are thinking this rock ’n’ roll thing is totally new. They think it’s like some sort of new punk rock or something. I guess some kids are just getting sick of emo and pop-punk, and want to find something a little bit more real. When you see young kids wearing AC/DC shirts, you can’t help but think that’s a good thing.

M: Rock ’n’ roll always offered an escape. Given that the world is currently in dark days, do you find people are needing that escape more than ever?

NA: I think that’s why people go to rock shows, so they can escape their daily grind, current political climate or whatever, and I think it’s still important to go down to the club, have a couple of beers and just rock out. There’s enough angry vibes in the world right now—the last thing you need is some kid screaming in your ear about how pissed off he is. I think it’s more important now than ever to have a good time, and that’s really what this band is all about.

With Squalor, Tokyo Sex Whale and Arson Eagles at Café Chaos on Saturday, Nov. 11, 9 p.m., $8

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