Bonkers for Banzai: Anime Banzai 2013

Bonkers for Banzai: Anime Banzai 2013
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 The last panel I went to was “Mega Man: Powered Up!” and was by far the most heated panel of the three. Things got a little out of control when a man dressed in a full-on My Little Pony jumpsuit stated that Mega Man would always be superior to Zero, because supposedly they keep bringing Zero back, while Mega Man is a constant, which caused the other members of the audience to simultaneously start yelling that they agreed or disagreed with this guy’s theory, and why he was right or wrong. … read more

Salt Lake Comic Con @ The Salt Palace 09.07

Salt Lake Comic Con @ The Salt Palace 09.07
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Unless you just flew in from the darkest reaches of Romulan space, you may have heard about a little convention our fair city had last week, a convention that shattered records and expectations and huffed new life into the suffocating lungs of local geekdom. Dan Farr Productions’ Salt Lake Comic Con was a blazing fucking success by all accounts—especially financially—and has set the stage for Salt Lake to become a new mecca for the culture. … read more

Uproar Festival 2013: Rockstars and Wannabes 09.02 @ USANA Ampitheater

Uproar Festival 2013: Rockstars and Wannabes 09.02 @ USANA Ampitheater
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Typically anchored by fairly recognizable and boring headlining acts like Disturbed or Shinedown, this year those acts consisted of the strange combination of Circa Survive, Coheed & Cambria, Jane’s Addiction and the legendary Alice In Chains – strange mix, but finally compelling enough for me to begrudgingly make it to an Uproar date. Make no mistake, though, I’ve got a lot of generic bullshit to tear apart before we get to the good stuff.  … read more

Summer of Death: Roughside of the Trax IV Presented by Scion 09.07

Summer of Death: Roughside of the Trax IV Presented by...
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Saturday, Sept. 7 marked the last contest for the 14th annual Summer of Death series: Roughside of the Trax IV Presented by Scion.  … read more

Summer of Death: Urban Surfin’

Summer of Death: Urban Surfin’
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Some people believe skateboarding to be an art. Others would say that jumping around on a wooden toy is a monumental waste of time. I say, every minute you are skateboarding is a minute that you aren’t stealing an old lady’s purse. In celebration of not making an octogenarian your prey, the 14th annual Summer of Death Presented by Scion had its first contest of the year on Saturday, July 20, paired with the Urban Arts Festival. … read more

Summer of Death Presented by Scion 07.20

Summer of Death Presented by Scion 07.20

The Summer of Death Presented by Scion commenced alongside the Urban Arts Festival at the Gateway on Saturday, July 20. … read more

Crucialfest Day Four @ Shred Shed and Wasted Space 06.29

Crucialfest Day Four @ Shred Shed and Wasted Space 06.29
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It’s Year Three, Day Four of SLC’s amazing musical orgasm CrucialFest, and I step off the Trax stop at Courthouse to get myself some delicious pizza and beer from The Pie Hole before the festivities start. Heat’s in the triple digits, and I pity the poor fools even more who chose Warped Tour over CF. … read more

Crucialfest Day Two @ Killby Court 06.27

Crucialfest Day Two @ Killby Court 06.27
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On the second day of Crucialfest 3, the music gods looked upon Kilby Court and decided, “This is where the rock shall be.” A little slice of all-ages paradise, Kilby Court is a great venue tucked away in the back of an alley. The only downside is a serious lack of air conditioning, but fantastic lighting and sound makes up for it. Besides, it’s the summer—if you’re not sweating, then you’re not trying hard enough. One of the most fun things about Kilby Court that doesn’t really translate to a lot of venues is also the easygoing, casual vibe. “Casual” is the best way to describe Kilby all the way around, with the open garage door in back and courtyard full of stickers with a firepit flanked by park benches. Not a half bad way to catch some tunes and make some new friends. … read more

Crucialfest Day One @ The Woodshed 06.26

Crucialfest Day One @ The Woodshed 06.26
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On a warm and muggy Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to cover the first night of Crucialfest 3 at the Wood Shed. While technically starting at Kilby Court earlier that day, I was stoked to get in and get some of that sweet Crucialfest vibe. If you’ve never heard of Crucialfest, now is a good time to catch up before next year. A huge, local festival, getting bigger and bigger every year, Crucialfest is literally a crucial part of the Utah music scene in a big way. Taking place over several days and several different venues, with mostly local acts peppered with a few touring bands, it’s a great way to dive in and get a grab bag of new tunes.

… read more

Electric Daisy Carnival: The Best Kind of Zombie Nation

Electric Daisy Carnival: The Best Kind of Zombie Nation
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On June 21 to 25, I headed to Las Vegas for one of the biggest parties/festivals of the year, Insomniac’s 17th Electric Daisy Carnival! Once again, for three days straight, some of the best DJs in the world would all be in one place for another sold-out crowd at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the biggest all-night party, literally. From 7 p.m. to sunrise, there would be nonstop music. Las Vegas is already known as the city to party in, but during EDC weekend, something magical happens: It’s party level of 10 doubles and by two and multiplies to infinity. … read more