Noted wacky hat enthusiasts, the Squirrel Nut Zippers

Best known for the 1997 hit “Hell,” the Squirrel Nut Zippers came in on the tide of the brief mid-’90s neo-swing movement with bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Royal Crown Revue, even though they never fit exactly with that style of music.

In fact, they never really fit with any particular style of music. Hot jazz was a major influence on the band’s eclectic sound, but the blues and rock and cabaret singing and klezmer all found their way into mix. As quickly as they came around, after 1995′s The Inevitable, by 2000′s Bedlam Ballroom they were seemingly done. Tom Maxwell, who was credited with writing many of the band’s songs including “Hell” and follow-up “Put a Lid on It” left amid in-fighting.

In 2007 the band reformed and started touring, trading on their four studio albums and bringing out the faithful. They play tomorrow night at Ovation at Green Valley Ranch at 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. We talked to founding member and drummer Chris Phillips — in town just in time to celebrate his birthday — about getting back in the studio, revisiting old ground and how the ’90s swing movement could just as well have been a karate revival. Click for more words and pictures »

By Jason Scavone

Wait, we’re sure he’s not Sammy Hagar, right?

Zowie Bowie’s replacement has been tapped at Red Rock Resort, and it’s the delightfully portmanteaued Dr. Zhivegas. It still doesn’t quite hold up to the level of the Bargoyles, but it’s solid. We can only hope this is going to be a rock show set against the backdrop of the Russian Revolution. It could be the assassination-of-Anastasiest show to hit town since that rash of Rasputin impersonators were all the rage on the Strip in the ’70s.

The band started in St. Louis 12 years ago as a spoof disco cover band and has evolved into a rock/dance-funk cover act that will appear in Rocks Lounge Fridays and Saturdays starting April 10. They’ll also do a rock show at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch on Sundays starting April 12.

Frankie Muriel handles vocal duties, with Dee Dee “Muggs” James on guitar, Cub Smith on bass and Paul Chickey on drums. They’ll bring in a horn section on Friday and Saturday, while they’ll go with an extra guitarist for the Sunday Night Dr. Z Rocks shows.

By Jason Scavone

She was one Testament song away from completely rocking out. (Photos by Scott Harrison | Retna)

Tiffany, who was in town all week starting with a Wednesday performance at Tao inside The Venetian, joined up with local rockers Sin City Sinners for sets on Friday and Saturday night at Chrome inside Santa Fe Station and Ovation at Green Valley Ranch, respectively. She did four songs with the Sinners on Saturday, joining them for the Sex Pistols’ “Pretty Vacant,” Guns n’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” The Beatles “I Saw Her Standing There” and, in an act of cover-on-cover violence, Ritchie Cordell’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” — also known as “Wait, someone did that song before Tiffany?”

We’re not gonna lie. Cross-pollination between former Faster Pussycat member Brent Muscat and a one-time mall diva isn’t something we would have ever expected or approved of when we were listening to Faster Pussycat in the fifth grade. This is because in the fifth grade we lacked the capacity for AWESOME.

By Jason Scavone

Like, the best groupie ever. (Photo by Scott Harrison | Retna)

Tera Patrick was over at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch Saturday night to watch husband Evan Seinfeld’s band Spyderz do a set with the Sin City Sinners. This is the second time in less than a month that the Spyderz and Sinners have played together with Patrick turning out for both shows. Really, how often do you get to see a porn star and her sometimes-co-star husband together at a rock show? Other than, apparently, every three to four weeks or so?

By Jason Scavone

Artist’s interpretation.

In the pantheon of surreal things you don’t ever expect to see, Dennis Haskins singing Alice Cooper slots in somewhere between “Freshman-era Marlon Brando winning a sprint against Usain Bolt” and “Michael Bay ripping down a Best Director Oscar,” yet there you had it Friday night.

Haskins joined Steel Panther on stage at Ovation inside Green Valley Ranch to do “School’s Out” — and he honestly nailed it. Maybe every day after Saved by the Bell finished taping he’d go sit in his trailer and listen to “I’m Eighteen” over and over again or something. We don’t have all the answers here. It got a little weird when he started chasing guitarist Satchel around to fake-hump him, but for God’s sake, he was Mr. Belding. He’s earned the right.

By the time the band moved on to a rousing take on Slaughter’s “Up All Night,” Haskins had left the stage, leaving an entire shell-shocked room looking around trying to figure out of what they’d just seen actually happened. It totally did, and now we can never look at Kelly Kapowski again without thinking of “Billion Dollar Babies.” So, thanks for that, Dennis Haskins.

By Jason Scavone