Authors: Alexander Ortega
Local Reviews: Chainwhip
The Salt Lake punk scene’s own Critter fronts Chainwhip with his screechy vocal assault, accompanying a cacophonous mix of thrash and crusty hardcore. As with most demos from a local hardcore band, the lo-fi recording quality stands out at first, but only becomes more and more charming and appropriate as the release claws along. … read more
National Music Reviews – May 2012
New and recent releases from Ane Brun, fIREHOSE, Gift of Gab, Mean Jeans, Saint Vitus, Sleepy Sun, Torche, Zammuto and many more are reviewed. … read more
Suds n’ Studs
For our fifth annual beer issue, SLUG Mag invited local brewers from around the state to take some sultry and playful photos. Seek no further to see which bad boys let it all out and which nice guys still have a secret to share. We suggest you enjoy these sexy n’ sassy shots by cracking open your favorite, local brew that was handcrafted by one of these fine gentlemen while you relax in a bubble bath. … read more
Velo City Bags Speeds into Downtown
Since the inception of Velo City Bags in 2008, owner and creator Nathan Larsen has adorned cyclists and others with handmade, colorful and well built messenger bags and backpacks as they cruise around the city. As his bags have caught on, he made the long-awaited move into his first storefront in downtown Salt Lake in mid-February. I sat down with Larsen in his new shop to pick his brain on the new location and the high-quality goods within. … read more
Beer Match Challenge
You’re a grocery store clerk, and your drunken shoppers have dropped all their beer right before beer o’clock. They want to get checked out lickety-split, and you need to satisfy the customer before the hour strikes. Since they’re too inebriated to function, it’s up to you to get the right beer with the right person out the door. It’s now time for the Beer Match Challenge! … read more
Top 5: White Lung
Where much new punk music is conflated with hardcore, stoner metal, indie, folk or pop-punk, White Lung have managed to pick up where mid-aughts bands left off, to push a straight-up punk sound into a different realm without interlacing their tunes with conventions from other genres on their sophomore release, Sorry. … read more
Localized – Top Dead Celebrity, Døne and Despite Despair
Saturday, Nov. 10, you’d better be thankful you live in a land where Zion’s rock n’ roll forefathers worked their asses off to give you the shows you have today. Localized will feature two of Uncle Andy Patterson’s outfits, Top Dead Celebrity and Døne, oozing heavy gravy all over you turkeys at Urban. Openers Despite Despair will prep the big kids’ table with some electric-knife hardcore to kick off a raucous night of rock for you 21-plus music junkies for a small morsel of $5. … read more
National Music Reviews – August 2012
New and recent releases from Anywhere, Cinema Cinema, Deadly Remains, Diplo, Flaming Lips, Giant Giant Sand, Neneh Cherry & The Thing, Patti Smith, The Tallest Man on Earth, Tankard, Teenage Bottlerocket, YAWN, Whitechapel and many more are reviewed. … read more
Local Reviews: Mr. Richter
I’m all about the classic heavy metal revival. Mr. Richter join the mêlée of Utah’s virtuosic-vocal NWOBHM with their debut, six-song EP, where they find a good portion of their heavy metal niche with elegiac songs including opener “Mr. Richter,” which pounds along at a heavy, steady pace set by drummer Tyler Russell, along with chuggy guitars that blast in and out of dual harmony from both guitarists. … read more
National Music Reviews – July 2012
New and recent releases from A Place to Bury Strangers, Baroness, El-P, Mission of Burma, Nile, Public Image Ltd., Shout Out Out Out Out, The Ty Segall Band, Wintersleep, and many more are reviewed. … read more