Where do I even start? This week is the 27th Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend celebration, a multi-day event that I’ve been attending since 2018. It’s a celebration of mid-century Americana with cars, girls and music, that’s just a lot of fun. This will be my fourth time attending the event, having skipped the COVID years (boo!) and I’ve been spent this past week preparing by attending several pre-VIVA events. The first was a fun burlesque show called “Tiki Tuesday Ten Spot” at the Mint Tavern featuring several performers who will participate in several shows at Viva. 

I also attended a rockabilly show Wednesday night at the Sand Dollar Lounge that featured four bands and another rockabilly show Thursday night at the Golden Tiki which repeated one of the four bands, The Rayford Bros. 

Ever since becoming good friends with the Oak Hill Drifters in 2013 when I was living in Florida, I’ve had the good fortune to find great local talent and attend as many of their shows as possible. Since seeing the Rayford Bros at the Sand Dollar Lounge in 2018, I’ve enjoyed their musical stylings 13 times. Oddly I never caught their act when they’ve appeared at VIVA. But they are a great way to get into the right “let’s enjoy life” mindset. The opening video is one I shot Thursday night at the Golden Tiki. And the following video is a much longer set from 2017 posted by Star Carlton. Enjoy.

Viva Las Vegas 27
Viva Las Vegas 27

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Tags: live music, rockabilly, The Rayford Brothers, video Fridays, Viva Las Vegas

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