One of the highlights of Las Vegas' Vegoose Festival was sitting down with legendary hip-hop maven Chuck D of lyrical assault perpetrators Public Enemy.

Austin, Texas' funk, punk, and soul duo Ghostland Observatory are a handful both on and offstage, rousing feet and bodies to their electro grooves to scores of fans, and later acting the merry pranksters, lounging amidst an interview with SPIN.com, respectively. Backstage at Vegoose after their midday set Sunday (Oct.

James Lavelle has been tinkering behind the decks under the UNKLE moniker for over a decade now, but on the project's third album, War Stories, the soft-spoken Englishman and Mo'Wax label founder gives it up -- Lavelle lends vocals to a host of tracks and earlier this month, he and a full band traveled stateside for UNKLE's first ever U.S. tour.

As you can imagine, or have possibly experienced, the pit during a Rage Against the Machine show often evolves into unruly whirlpool of fervent fans, many spilling over the dividing walls into the photo pit. As was the case at the politico-rockers' headlining performance at New Orleans' Voodoo Festival Saturday night (Oct.

Las Vegas seems like a proper match for the wild cabaret stylings of Gogol Bordello. After all, Sin City caters to the eccentric and flamboyant, thus opening day got off to a riotous and fitting start courtesy of the gypsy punker's wild rock'n'roll ways.

Despite their rich rock history, Battles -- John Stanier (drums), Tyondai Braxton (keys/vocals), Ian Williams (guitar/vocals), and Dave Konopka (guitar/bass) -- is just a bunch of regular dudes. Ushering in the third annual Vegoose Festival on a hot Saturday afternoon (Oct.

The only sure bet in Vegas -- the Vegoose festival -- will return this October with a stellar headliner tandem and an excellent legacy spectacle: Rage Against the Machine and Daft Punk will hold the fest's two top spots, and Iggy and the Stooges will perform their 1970 album Fun House in its entirety. Also on the Oct.

Normally, festival audiences are somewhat predictable: Guys and girls in comfy T-shirts, sneakers, and shorts, with the occasional hoodie available for chillier nighttime sets. But Vegoose was completely different, and not just due to its proximity to the garish, cartoon-like hotels of the famous Strip.

The tradition that began at Coachella '06 returned for a sixth time at Las Vegas' Vegoose this past weekend. Fans stopping by the Spin booth got their photos taken and gave us their own reviews of the festival. For some Vegoose-goers, Halloween came early, but for others, the event was less about spectacle and more about music.

Vegoose's Sunday lineup kicked off with competitive early sets that felt a lot like a high school battle of the bands: Several upstarts were vying for the early birds' attention. Said birds were few in number -- Vegas does offer its fair share of nocturnal diversions -- but those who did arrive early lucked out with some top-notch music.