​By John Katsilometes
ORIGINALLY POSTED: Thursday, June 5, 2014 | 11:27 a.m.

As is often the case in Las Vegas, shifts in one show, venue or individual can cause a ripple all across the scene. This has been the case again recently, and we’ll begin this journey with events centering on our friend Skye Dee Miles.

One of the city’s most electrifying performers, Miles learned that she has lost one gig and is on hiatus from another just in the past week. Oddly enough, Miles’ travails at least peripherally involve venues and shows at three hotel-casinos: Tropicana, Mandalay Bay and Bally’s.

Most notably, Miles’ Skye 5 band is leaving Tropicana Lounge after a spirited 4 1/2 year run. Miles and her band performed admirably as productions came and went in Tropicana Theater, which over the past few years saw the closing of the 49-year-old “Folies Bergere,” headlining runs by Wayne Newton and Gladys Knight, a stint by “Dancing With the Stars Live!” and a weekend stint by Chicago, among other one-off events in the venue.

Written by Skye Miles
ORIGINALLY POSTED: ​April 1, 2013 by Las Vegas Black Image Magazine   

Spring is in the Las Vegas air, and so are the celebrities. The weather outside is delicious, which means it’s time to put on your spring fling and hit the town.

In March, one of the hottest tickets on the Strip was Boyz II Men at The Mirage. I have had the pleasure of seeing them in concert, and to answer your question: Yes, they are worth every penny. Personally, I would love to see a New Edition/Boyz II Men show, but the Boyz have decided to team up with New Kids on the Block and some other group whose name I can’t remember. They will return to Las Vegas in August, so stay tuned.

Cee-Lo! It’s Vegas, baby — give it to us! This is the place you can actually wear all those crazy costumes and nobody will look at you caray-zeeeeeeeeeeee! We are rooting for you Mr. Green. Bring the bling for your stay at Planet Hollywood!

Also at Planet Hollywood, Coco Austin has extended her Sin City stay through July, and I am so elated! Not because I know her personally, but I am a supporter of well-built, tanned blondes — they remind me of myself. And, well, Ice-T has been one of my favorites since the days of gangsta rap. Long before he played a cop on “Law and Order.”

Vegas is shining bright with all kinds of new shows. My good friend, Dave Perrico of Pop Evolution, is composer and director of the new hit show “Pin Up.” It is at the Stratosphere, and stars Claire Sinclair — a centerfold who has made a lot of boys happy across America.

Over at the Hilton — excuse me, LVH; old habits are hard to break — they pulled some classic rockers out of the archives for “Raiding the Rock Vault.” Everything old is new again, and I love it. At the end of the day, if it was good music then, it’s good music now. Let the aging fellas keep living their glory days of rock and roll!

Fans of R&B are gearing up for the Las Vegas Soul Festival, scheduled for April 6 and 7 at the Thomas and Mack Center. I hate that I have to work those nights, because I sure want to see some Ms. Erykah Badu. What will she wear? How is her hair? How many candles will she burn? Is Tyrone still on the scene? Mary Mary will be there to further define new gospel. I love their new song about going to church on Sunday. But that reality show? It needs some repentance. Bobby Jones is also going to be in the house. Now he may need to loan Cee-Lo one of his bling jackets. Hallelujah!
​
Catch me doing my thing in my show, “Midnight Skye,” on April 9 in the Sin City Theatre at Planet Hollywood. Child, I will be giving it to you funny, funky and fabulous! When I say funky, I mean that make-you-sweat-James-Brown kind of funk. You can also catch me with my band Skye 5 at the Tropicana, Thursday-Sunday, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Oh yes, I did just plug me — not once, but twice!

​by BWW News Desk 
ORIGINALLY POSTED: Jan. 30, 2013  

Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino's newest entertainment hotspot, the Sin City Theatre, presents rock/soul diva Skye Dee Mile's newest showcase, Midnight Skye. The sexy, sassy, and soulful show premieres tonight, Jan. 30 at the stroke of midnight.

Midnight Skye will feature Skye Dee Miles, a four-piece band, three dancers, and back-up singers who can regularly be found in many of the Las Vegas Strip's major productions, including Jersey Boys, Vegas! The Show and iCandy Burlesque. The show delivers an original cabaret style vibe, with a set list that includes unique renditions of the music of The Beatles, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker and Journey.

Skye Dee Miles has proven to be a staple on the Las Vegas Strip since the year 2005, starring in shows including the popular Menopause: The Musical. Despite being a self-proclaimed "simple country girl from Boonville, Missouri," Miles is no stranger when it comes to the entertainment world. She spent seven years starring in the longest-running musical revue in history, San Francisco's Beach Blanket Babylon. Miles also had made a remarkable appearance by performing with her band Skye 5, which has steadily developed a reputation for attracting the top musical talent.

Admission to Midnight Skye is free and exclusive drink specials will be offered to guests that attend in sleepwear attire. Sin City Theatre, located on the Mezz at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, features the show Sin City Comedy nightly at 9:00 PM. Guests must be 21 years and up.

​Talk show host and comedienne Kelly Clinton interviews Skye Dee Miles on the set of the popular webcast show Talktails, filmed live in Las Vegas.  

Watch the video below!

​By John Katsilometes
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012 | 6 a.m.

...The “Show Off Sundays” industry night performances hosted by Skye Dee Miles and her Skye5 band at the Tropicana’s Ambhar Lounge are quickly becoming one of the week’s highlights. At least on my calendar. They started July 15 and have swiftly grown to one of the fun late-night hangs in the city. On Sunday night, Skye5 briefly ceded the stage to the Tenors (slowly shedding the Canadian Tenors title) for a version of “Hallelujah”... <READ MORE>

ORIGINALLY POSTED: ​March 6, 2010 by Las Vegas Black Image Magazine   

Five years ago, Skye Dee Miles arrived in Las Vegas from Oakland, Calif., with only $500 in her pocket. The Missouri native’s immediate goal: audition for shows on the famed Las Vegas Strip.

“The show ‘Menopause’ was the first show I auditioned for when I arrived in Las Vegas,” Miles recently told Black Image. “And I remember saying, ‘I don’t know what menopause is.’ ”

As a young plus-size woman, Miles was a bit surprised to be called back after that initial audition. She has since turned her winning personality into a long-running “Menopause” role, representing the corporate success story. “All of the women in the stage musical represent different female personalities,” explained Miles. “We all meet in the Bloomingdale’s department store and start talking about our experiences in getting older. Even though the show deals with menopause issues, it is really about change and accepting your life.”

With the production having traveled as far as Africa, Miles believes it contains something for everyone. “The show has simple messages that all people can relate to,” she said. “A lot of men love the show as well. We sing parodies of popular songs, such as Aretha Franklin’s ‘Chain of Fools’ — (it is called) ‘Change of Life’ in the show. We take songs from the late 1950s, ’60s and ’70s and change the lyrics to interpret the play, but the beats are the same.”

Given its ambitions — to celebrate the universality of the female experience — “Menopause” is frequently seen by audiences as something akin to a movement for empowerment. Now in its fifth year in the Silver State, Miles says its powerful message has frequently acted as a spiritual balm for uneasy souls. “We often have cancer survivors and women who are dealing with divorce in the audience,” she said. “They come backstage sometimes just to say thank you for identifying with them. The show identifies with real women. Actually, when I auditioned for the show, you had to be at least a size 10. Whatever people are going through, they come to the show and we make them find humor in it.”

As she reflected on a time when African-American performers were restricted from even entering many of the properties on the Strip, Miles recalls being filled with emotion prior to her first performance. “At the first dress rehearsal for the show, I remember feeling very sensitive and saying to myself, ‘I am getting ready to perform on a Las Vegas stage!’ Where people like Sammy Davis Jr. and others had to enter from the back door … to perform their shows on the stage, and then had to leave the property because of the color of their skin,” said Miles. “Wow! That was big for me, and I am very thankful to have my opportunity. But I am very much aware that there are still not many opportunities to perform on the … Strip for African-American entertainers. We are no longer in the Las Vegas lounges, and I realize we still have a ways to go.”

As for personal aspirations, Miles looks forward to further expressing herself as a writer. Future career moves might be dictated by her need, as an artist, to sometimes defy conventional wisdom.
​
“My dream is to one day get a tour bus and go city-to-city and just musically jam,” said Miles. “Singing rock and the blues and really being able to connect with people with my vision and my creativity. You have to be versatile in this business, not letting people put you in a box. My father always tells me, ‘Don’t let other people be your destiny.’ You can’t let people decide who you are going to be.”