Music
The Shins, The Head and The Heart, Blind Pilot @...
What’s better than getting to see The Shins? Getting to see two bands you’ve been solidly obsessed with for ages beforehand, making for a holy trifecta of folk pop. This Red Butte show sold out like crazy despite $50 tickets, so clearly I wasn’t alone in recognizing the glory of this lineup. … read more
Cold World @ SLC Foursquare Church on 05.23
There was a distinct time in hardcore lore when Cold World was absolutely the BIGGEST thing past or present. CW Bape shirts commanded hundreds of dollars on Ebay. Snagging an Ice Grillz EP on clear wax or the debut was akin to snifting the Hope Diamond. … read more
Jeff The Brotherhood @ Kilby Court 5.24 with Creature Double...
To watch Jeff the Brotherhood strut about the stage, intermittenly plugging in cables, tapping cymbals and copping sips from indiscrimate bottles, is like watching a nature documentary. … read more
Here We Go Magic @ Urban Lounge on 05.23
Ever since I first heard Hospitality on the radio months ago, and most recently on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, I’ve become increasingly fond of their pop sound, especially with the distinct voice of Amber Papini. With that said, the fact that Here We Go Magic were headlining this show was an added bonus, since I haven’t seen them live before but heard they put on good show. … read more
Social Distortion @ The Depot 05.12
Upon arriving at Social Distortion’s second sold out Salt Lake City show of the weekend, I quickly made my way to the upstairs bar. While night one had been a strictly 21+ show, the second night of the weekend featured an all-ages section on the main level of the venue. The bar was packed and it was immediately clear that the all-ages night hadn’t deterred any of the 21+ crowd from coming out. … read more
Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Urban Lounge 05.09
Brian Jonestown Massacre takes the stage. All nine, ten or eleven of them. It’s loud. Heavenly, but loud nonetheless. Three guitarists are bound to make them ears ring. Somehow, it’s hard to make sense of everything happening on the stage. Gill-stuffed with musicians, slumped, draped and/or crouched over their instruments with varying levels of concentration etched into their faces—it’s like some otherwordly ritual we’re interrupting. … read more
Deer Tick @ Urban Lounge 05.10
The intense, raspy voice of Deer Tick’s John McCauley is a good analogy for Thursday night’s show at the Urban Lounge. At times, it’s a bit rough and you wonder how long before his vocal chords finally give out and the shit hits the fan. But, for the most part, it never did. Even though McCauley seemed a little unhappy with his guitar at times, calling it an asshole at one point, Deer Tick delivered a memorable set in all its ragged glory. … read more
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Rotting Out, Focused Minds, Speak Out and Fever Dreams @...
Truth be told, Focused Minds is what got me here. Midwest wolfpack. A split with Another Mistake. Serious Youth Crew, straight edge-bent. Color me “into it” and finger-point in my face. Last time they played here was at an acoustically wretched skatepark with a bunch of x-tian metalcore knuckledraggers. They didn’t complain. … read more
Trial, Powerwolves, Cool Your Jets, Despite Despair and No Empire...
Finally, with anticipation mounting, Trial began setting up. The crowd filed back in early, leaving an ominous empty space in the middle of the room for the inevitable mosh pit … The band took a couple minutes to sound-check, and then immediately blasted into “Reflection,” quickly finding out that microphones were totally unnecessary. The crowd shouted every single word, some guys climbing up onto the stage and holding singer Greg Bennick by the shoulders, screaming into his face before jumping down. The energy spread throughout the room, even affecting those of us opting to stay on the backside of the ever-expanding mosh pit. Bennick noted at one point that, “Salt Lake City is the only place you see people actually stretching during the fast parts, getting ready for the breakdown.” … read more
M83, I Break Horses @ In The Venue 04.29
The crowd is now at full capacity. The beer lines are intolerable and the denim gods are in full swing. We are ready. Ready for the Frenchmen, Anthony Gonzalez and company to hand-deliver some authentic ’80s synth-pop-gaze. … read more