Special to the PVT Silverado, the long running house band at Mountain Springs Saloon, will play in Pahrump beginning at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow night for audiences at the StageStop Lounge and Casino on Blagg Road. Members are left to right, Johnny Douglas, Michael Hanratty and Mark Young. Advertisement

The music scene in Pahrump is changing along with the bands that play here.

A new name and new faces will be providing the entertainment at the StageStop Lounge and Casino tonight and tomorrow night.

The band "Silverado" maybe familiar to those venturing over the mountain, especially if Spring Mountain Saloon is a stop en route to Las Vegas.

The band has been around since the 1990s and their musical talent, varying style, repertoire of songs and showmanship landed them long term gigs. After all, the object is to draw a crowd and Silverado does it on a consistent basis.

They were the house band at the Spring Mountain Saloon for four years running before taking an opportunity to play for a different audience at the Marriott in Summerlin. For more than four years, the band rocked the lounge there.

In between, they performed numerous private functions as well as corporate gigs at Las Vegas hotels including The Riviera, The Rio, The Tropicana, The Fremont Street Experience, The House of Blues at Mandalay Bay and The Hard Rock Hotel.

Then it was back to Spring Mountain for another three years and finally to Pahrump.

Michael Hanratty, president of Silverado Productions said, "We're a good band. You can talk to other people who have bands and they'll tell you how great they are. But when you hear them ... you wonder where the great is ... they're terrible.

"I'm being as honest as I can."

Hanratty started playing when he was a teenager with musical influences like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Doors and the Rolling Stones. He turned professional at 17 and his advice to young musicians is "learn to read music. You can't go anywhere in today's industry unless you can."

Hanratty is the bass player for the band. He provides vocals as do the other members.

Johnny Douglas is on guitar for the band. In his mid-20s, he is the youngest member and Hanratty said, "Everyone loves his style."

Douglas is from Chicago and played professionally before hooking up with Silverado.

Mark Young is the drummer and a graphics artist by trade.

When the band takes the stage, expect to be involved in the show. They take requests and want the audience to hear the music they love. The band plays everything from cover music, classic rock and new rock to country.

Silverado will play 8 p.m. to midnight tonight and tomorrow at the StageStop, 100 Stagecoach Road. Call 727-7300 for more information.

To have held audiences in one place, not for a weekend, but for years, the reputation for being a good band has preceded them.