Giving thanks for music scene

On this day of thanks, here's what I'm most thankful for:

■ Indie rockers Black Camaro putting out a fantastic new record, "Black Camericans," their first full-length since 2005.

It very well may be the best Vegas music release of 2012.

■ Thrashers Avenger of Blood finally solidifying their lineup after close to two years of uncertainty, releasing a punishing batch of new tunes that are among their fiercest yet.

■ Ministry of Love singer Meg Vitale overcoming her battle with thyroid cancer en route to hopefully singing again one day soon.

■ Promoter James Eirikr continuing to book great all-ages gigs at Yayo Taco, bringing in underground heavyweights such as Atlas Moth, Megaton Leviathan, Author & Punisher and dozens more.

■ The Big Friendly Corporation releasing their finest record yet, "Nocturne," and that's really saying something considering that the indie popsters have long been one of Vegas' very best.

■ A promising new venue, Fremont Country Club, opening soon downtown. It's supposed to be up and running already, but still, it's a welcome development to have a 1,000-capacity room to lure in bigger acts in that part of town. It would be nice if the venue could be brought into the Neon Reverb festivities so that it could continue to grow with larger bands.

■ Speaking of Neon Reverb, that bunch continues to deserve lots of credit for putting on two fests a year with hardly any outside support and little reward other than the satisfaction of bringing in consistently compelling acts.

■ Brutal death metal pace-setters Guttural Secrete finally completing their first new album since 2006's vomit-covered classic "Reek of Pubescent Despoilment." Now if only they could release the thing already.

■ Indie horror director Dustin Mills helming a couple of fantastic videos for Demon Lung and the Fat Dukes, respectively. The visually arresting clips featured puppets doing very bad things and earned some much-deserved national exposure for both groups.

■ A pair of seminal Vegas bands, Curl Up and Die and the Righteous Pigs, announcing that they were getting back together, if only for a show or two in the latter's case.

■ A new Vegas-based label, SquidHat Records, signing local acts and giving them a real push. Granted, record labels seem like a thing of the past, oftentimes, but it's nice to see bands like The Gashers and The Dirty Panties get some serious support and not have to do everything on their own.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.