Xibalba @ Foursquare Church 3.9.12 with Take Offense, Soul Search, Sagat and Mouthrunner

Xibalba @ Foursquare Church 3.9.12 with Take Offense, Soul Search,...
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Have you ever moshed at a church? Like, for-real moshed? Like, Sick of it All in Beavis and Butt-head’s living room moshed? Like the cover of Break Down the Walls moshed? Not talking no “I pogoed to Relient K at Christian Youth Camp then bounced to the woods to smoke weed and repress painful sexual experiences with trusted religious officials” kinda moshed. No I’m not talking about that. … read more

Night Beats @ Bar Deluxe 03.06

Night Beats @ Bar Deluxe 03.06
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On Tuesday evening, I pedaled my ass through a massive snowstorm towards Bar Deluxe to check out the Night Beats. By the time I got to the bar (a mere four blocks east of my house), I was cold and wet and I’d watched my boyfriend almost eat shit on his bike. Before I made it home that night, I was colder and had slid out on my bike and managed to smash both my knees and my chin against some ice. Thank god I didn’t break the record that I’d purchased—if that had happened, my tears probably would have lasted much longer. Fear that you’ve just lost your teeth to an icy sidewalk is scary, but destroying an awesome record, now, that would be devastating. … read more

Bassnectar @ Saltair 03.02

Bassnectar @ Saltair 03.02
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You would have never guessed that Utah had been hit with a winter storm based on the outfits the majority of the crowd at Great Saltair rocked last Friday night for Bassnectar—the necessary articles of clothing seemed to be bikinis, LED gloves and furry boots. … read more

Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake: Faure Piano Quartet @ Libby Gardner 02.22

Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake: Faure Piano Quartet @...
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The Faure Piano Quartet are superstars in Germany and England, having won awards for recordings of both classical and pop music. Despite having covered bands like N.E.R.D. and Feist, Elliott Smith, System of A Down, Pet Shop Boys and Steely Dan, among others, when they play classical music, you would think they had never played anything else. … read more

Zola Jesus, Talk Normal, Night Sweats @ Urban 02.27

Zola Jesus, Talk Normal, Night Sweats @ Urban 02.27
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I back the bejeezus out of everything Sacred Bones touches. One of the premier indie labels of recent memory for sure (Amen Dunes, Religious Knives … I’m getting elitist douchebag chills) and Russian-American songstress Zola Jesus ain’t no exception. … read more

Form of Rocket with Gaza @ Kilby Court 02.17

Form of Rocket with Gaza @ Kilby Court 02.17
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I’ll be honest, Form of Rocket and Gaza are in my top ten favorite local bands of all time. Their lyrical word choice, math-rock rhythm and active stage presence hooked me early on in life. I think my exposure to Gaza and Form of Rocket deeply shaped my expectations for “good music.” … read more

Twin Sister and Ava Luna @ Kilby 02.11

Twin Sister and Ava Luna @ Kilby 02.11
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I’m one of those people who can have one song by an artist in my music library and still call myself a fan—Twin Sister being a solid example of that. Once upon a time, I came across their track, “Lady Daydream,” and was obsessed with it for approximately one day. It was with that in mind and an altogether hazy idea of what they might actually sound like live that I stumbled into this show. … read more

Cursive, Ume, Mount Moriah @ Urban 02.14

Cursive, Ume, Mount Moriah @ Urban 02.14
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When I heard Cursive was playing in Salt Lake on Valentine’s Day, I immediately called my boyfriend and told him we were going. How perfect would it be to stand within gazing distance of Tim Kasher, holding my lover’s hand and singing along to the melodramatic lyrics that summed up all of my deep rooted adolescent sensitivities in celebration of our romance? … read more

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/ Nurses 02.13 @ Urban Lounge

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks w/ Nurses 02.13 @ Urban...
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After touring the U.K and Europe last fall, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks returned stateside, kicking off their first show of 2012. Opening for Malkmus was the Portland-trio, Nurses. I had not heard any of their music before the show, but found their unique blend of indie and pop enjoyable for the most part. … read more

Cass McCombs, Frank Fairfield @ Kilby 02.04

Cass McCombs, Frank Fairfield @ Kilby 02.04
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Being a songwriter who not only released two separate albums in 2011, but also got them both to be ranked––by more than a few publications––as two of the best albums of year, Cass McCombs is something of a marvel who’s shown up as a sizable blip on most listeners’ radars. … read more