The Art of Music:
Bringing the funk to Hooters Hotel and Casino is the Prince tribute band Purple Reign.
Consisting of band members Jason Tenner as, "His Royal Badness", Laz & Thomas as Morris Day and Jerome Benton, Damon Bartlett on keyboards, D’Andre on guitar, Funky Z on bass, LC on drums, and latest addition dancer and backup vocalist Adria Lawrence.
Having started as a group in 1997 Purple Reign’s lead man, Jason "Prince" Tenner is the only original member. I asked Jason how the concept for the group got started. He explained it all began at a 1996 Halloween party at the Hard Rock Hotel, where he went dressed as Prince. People were wondering if the real Prince was really in the building. Having already been in the bands "Uncle Scully" and "The Mother Ship Connection" where the band dressed as George Clinton and company; the switch from Afro wigs to purple gear was an easy one. The band has been well accepted in Vegas as one of the strips main stays having done stints at the late Boardwalk Hotel, and more recently at The House of Blues.
Growing up listening to the sounds of Led Zepplin, The Doors, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones, Jason had a variety of musical influences. His Mom had the sounds of Soul and Gospel music playing around the house; while more esoteric sounds were brought to him from his Stepfather. Today Jason’s listening tastes run more towards classical and Jazz, with Sade and Miles Davis being amongst his favorites. Amongst his favorite Prince hits Jason lists "Girls & Boys", as his favorite song, "Cystal Ball" as his favorite CD, and "Days Are Wild" as his favorite song to perform. Jason informed me that future plans, for the band include recording some of their own original music, for an upcoming CD, something we’re definitely looking forward to.
Now appearing at the Hooters Hotel & Casino’s Night Owl Showroom, the band is working on perfecting their performance as they adjust to this new venue. The music is loud, but not overly so, yet some of the licks D’Andre throws down on the guitar make you ponder experiencing them live in an outdoor arena. Z and LC also throw down some serious funk on the bass and drums respectively. Laz and Thomas add a notable quality of cool to the show with crowd-pleasing renditions of Morris Day and the ever colorful and ever present, Jerome Benton. Miko on the keyboards provides a constant flow of funk in orchestrating the performance, and the latest member Adria adds a lot of sizzle and sass to dance numbers like Raspberry Beret and Darling Nikki. And from years of perfecting his craft, Jason hits the high notes and gets down with the splits like the purple one himself.
The band has gotten some national acclaim from being featured last year on the David Letterman Show, as well as appearances on local television programs like KTNV’S Live at 9 which announced their move to The Hooters Hotel and Casino. Hooters marketing director Michelle Popejoy informed me that the move to Hooters is an open-ended situation, so Purple Reign will be bringing the funk there for the foreseeable future. So if your twenty-one or older in search of some great entertainment get, over to the Hooters Hotel and Casino Friday thru Sunday nights, and enjoy the high quality sounds of Purple Reign, bringing you the Minneapolis sound made famous by Prince, Morris Day, Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and a host of talented artists that made the 80’s one of the most dynamic times in music history. All this brought to you by the talented musicians that comprise the phenomenal music experience that is Purple Reign.
Consisting of band members Jason Tenner as, "His Royal Badness", Laz & Thomas as Morris Day and Jerome Benton, Damon Bartlett on keyboards, D’Andre on guitar, Funky Z on bass, LC on drums, and latest addition dancer and backup vocalist Adria Lawrence.
Having started as a group in 1997 Purple Reign’s lead man, Jason "Prince" Tenner is the only original member. I asked Jason how the concept for the group got started. He explained it all began at a 1996 Halloween party at the Hard Rock Hotel, where he went dressed as Prince. People were wondering if the real Prince was really in the building. Having already been in the bands "Uncle Scully" and "The Mother Ship Connection" where the band dressed as George Clinton and company; the switch from Afro wigs to purple gear was an easy one. The band has been well accepted in Vegas as one of the strips main stays having done stints at the late Boardwalk Hotel, and more recently at The House of Blues.
Growing up listening to the sounds of Led Zepplin, The Doors, Michael Jackson, and Quincy Jones, Jason had a variety of musical influences. His Mom had the sounds of Soul and Gospel music playing around the house; while more esoteric sounds were brought to him from his Stepfather. Today Jason’s listening tastes run more towards classical and Jazz, with Sade and Miles Davis being amongst his favorites. Amongst his favorite Prince hits Jason lists "Girls & Boys", as his favorite song, "Cystal Ball" as his favorite CD, and "Days Are Wild" as his favorite song to perform. Jason informed me that future plans, for the band include recording some of their own original music, for an upcoming CD, something we’re definitely looking forward to.
Now appearing at the Hooters Hotel & Casino’s Night Owl Showroom, the band is working on perfecting their performance as they adjust to this new venue. The music is loud, but not overly so, yet some of the licks D’Andre throws down on the guitar make you ponder experiencing them live in an outdoor arena. Z and LC also throw down some serious funk on the bass and drums respectively. Laz and Thomas add a notable quality of cool to the show with crowd-pleasing renditions of Morris Day and the ever colorful and ever present, Jerome Benton. Miko on the keyboards provides a constant flow of funk in orchestrating the performance, and the latest member Adria adds a lot of sizzle and sass to dance numbers like Raspberry Beret and Darling Nikki. And from years of perfecting his craft, Jason hits the high notes and gets down with the splits like the purple one himself.
The band has gotten some national acclaim from being featured last year on the David Letterman Show, as well as appearances on local television programs like KTNV’S Live at 9 which announced their move to The Hooters Hotel and Casino. Hooters marketing director Michelle Popejoy informed me that the move to Hooters is an open-ended situation, so Purple Reign will be bringing the funk there for the foreseeable future. So if your twenty-one or older in search of some great entertainment get, over to the Hooters Hotel and Casino Friday thru Sunday nights, and enjoy the high quality sounds of Purple Reign, bringing you the Minneapolis sound made famous by Prince, Morris Day, Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and a host of talented artists that made the 80’s one of the most dynamic times in music history. All this brought to you by the talented musicians that comprise the phenomenal music experience that is Purple Reign.