Penny-pinching Tabu

When 22-year-old Kate Cageao got hired at the new Tabu inside the MGM Grand, she felt damn lucky - and she should've. There simply aren't too many waitress jobs out there that offer professional hair and makeup treatment every night as a perk.

"My friends came in and didn't even recognize me," she says.

When planning began a year ago, Tabu set out to give Las Vegas nightlife a makeover as well. Incorporating the chic elements of a dance club with the soothing atmosphere of a lounge, Tabu opened its doors Feb. 28 fully equipped to kick off or close a swank evening on the town, or hold its own as a destination.

Aesthetically, Tabu is the brainchild of New York architect and club owner, Jeffrey Beers (known locally for his design of Mandalay Bay's Rumjungle). "My approach was to take MGM to another place," he says. "It's not just a bar. It's more about an attitude, a state of mind."

Six months into the project, former art designer for Cirque du Soleil Roger Parent was commissioned for his expertise in surreal imagery. The result of their visionary marriage is a stylish masterpiece of interior design. From the lighting, furniture and textures to uniquely interactive laser projections and a colorfully permuting mural, it's indeed a feast for the senses.

Upon entry, you're greeted by warm hues of browns and reds against indigo and violet-lit glass and light-gray marble. On the left, a wall curves slightly inward lined with booths, and a large marble-topped bar sits in the middle of the main room. To the right, five low-set slabs of polished concrete, weighing 680 pounds a piece, sit between couches. Early in the night they serve as tables and become dancing podiums as the evening develops.

"I didn't want a dance floor but I wanted dancing," Beers continues. "[Tabu] has the ability to ramp up to a full-blown nightclub."

A small dome-shaped chamber sits just off of the main room. It's referred to as the Tantra Room and is also lined with couches. A glass door reveals a freezer where vodka bottles from around the world sit tiered on icy shelves. The soft lighting and dome acoustics make for a very cozy and intimate escape from any commotion in the main bar.

A VIP room sits off of the main room, where a giant circular slab of marble serves as another bar inlayed with plasma screens at shin level showing sensual images of fishnet stockings, stiletto heels and other knee-high reveries.

DJ Frankie of Studio 54 has come in as Tabu's resident DJ spinning what general manager Candace Carrell refers to as European vocal house "for more cultured persons. Every element of Tabu has been taken to the highest level."

Carrell explains further that MGM has spared no expense and, quite frankly, neither should you if you plan to go. The drinks are expensive and bottle service starts at $225, nearly double that in some other Strip lounges. But for that you get your very own bartender for the night. And considering the majority of its staff are professional models that competed in runway auditions for the job, at least you'll have some tasteful eye candy to go with your premium booze.

Tabu is open nightly from 9 p.m. until the party's over. For reservations (which are free and encouraged due to a 348 capacity), call 702-891-1111.

-Holly Kintz

kintz@lvpress.com

The new Mandell

Recently, Las Vegas has been recast in the eyes of national touring acts into a viable tour stop with enthusiastic audiences willing to be gouged at hotel-casino-operated clubs. More auspicious though is the underground circuit of small clubs, bars and cafes that host independent yet no less credible artists. If only all CityLife readers had been fortunate enough to be at House of Brews March 2, when Los Angeles-based chanteuse Eleni Mandell graced the small yet appreciative crowd with a set of stellar music.

Mandell's ace up her sleeve is her irresistibly sexy voice, an intoxicating melange of PJ Harvey and Patsy Cline. Her band was pared down to Mandell and her tiny acoustic guitar, standup bassist Ryan Feves and guitarist/pedal-steelist Josh Grange. Despite its spare instrumentation, the music lacked nothing.

The prolific singer/songwriter is touring in support of her latest album, Country for True Lovers, which departs from the dark cabaret approach she honed on her first three discs. Indeed, Country is a country record, albeit delivered with Mandell's inimitable croon and lovely way with melody. Even die-hard country haters can't resist the lure of her sound.

The trio slid into its laid-back set with ease, the majority of songs drawn from Country, with Mandell's somber lyrics just as prominent as her svelte voice. Swaying her hips, gently strumming her diminutive guitar and lithely delivering her soul with a smile, she knew she had the audience in the palm of her hand. Feves' bass filled out the sound commendably and kept the beat, while Grange's crying pedal steel licks added the cherry on the icing, excellent atmospherics while at the same time never diminishing Mandell's delivery. Original compositions such as "Another Lonely Heart" and "Don't Say You Care" simmered with white-hot emotion, showing just how expressive and plain great country music can really be. Tasteful covers of Merle Haggard and Allen Toussaint complemented Mandell's originals perfectly and further displayed her exemplary singing. The set gently floated to its heartbreaking conclusion.

For more info on Mandell, check www.elenimandell.com.

-Aaron Archer renimani@nme.com

Cosmic coincidence?

After breaking away from Fu Manchu in 1997, guitarist Eddie Glass and drummer Ruben Romano formed Nebula. The trio also includes bass player Mark Abshire (another former Fu Manchu member, who replaced original bassist Scott Reeder of Kyuss) and their music is very much in the same sludgy, stoner rock/metal mold, but with a slightly trippy vibe substituting for the latter's obsession with cars. Catch Nebula along with the rowdy and reckless quartet Drunk Horse from Oakland, and locals bronson at the Rock on Monday, March 10, at 9 p.m.; tickets for this 21-and-over show are $10.

Why is this show such a big deal to bronson? Bass player Jhen Kobran says, "Everyone in the band really digs Nebula, and our CD was recorded on Oct. 6, the same day Nebula played at the Double Down Saloon. We were chased out of the studio during the mixing, so we raced over there, watched Nebula rock, and returned to the studio to find our CD finished."

Big Lizard Records will be releasing bronson's 5-song EP For Every Action There's a Jackson later this month.

-Poizen Ivy poizenivy@sincitysounds.com

Extreme King returns

San Francisco's eXtreme Elvis has finally scored a Las Vegas venue for his epic-proportioned recreation of the first 1970 Black Sabbath album, Black Sabbath, involving the 45-piece Extra Action Marching Band with the debauched King standing in for Ozzy Osbourne. The "Axis of Evil" spectacle will also include sets by eXtreme Elvis, EAMB, and opening act Irv and Laverne. The Beach at 365 Convention Center Drive will host this "once-in-a-lifetime occurrence" on Tuesday, March 11 at 9 p.m. Tickets for this 21-and-up show are $10.

-P.I.

Got questions or feedback? Contact Jarret Keene at 702-871-6780 ext. 347 or keene@lvpress.com.