Issue 262 - October 2010

Doomtree: Family Over Fame

The Doomtree collective is different than many of today’s modern hip hop groups. They’re not in it for fame, bitches, cars, bling, or money—even though it would be nice to someday get paid for following their musical passion. Doomtree simply exist to produce music. Doomtree define themselves as not only as a record label and a group of solo artists working together as a music group but also above all else, as a family.

Rough Side of Da Trax

It could have been any hot summer Saturday—it should be every hot summer Saturday.  We met at the newly constructed testament of the human will: Brick and Mortar skate shop.  I was greeted by a mass of smiling friends, my extended family—a sweaty, dirty, wounded, raised-by-the-streets pack of wolves—blood brothers.  The UTA Trax approached, we boarded, and anarchy ensued.

Localized

Come out to Urban Lounge on Saturday, Oct. 9 to rock out with inventive hardcore from Reviver and unearthly stoner metal from Laughter. Dirty Vespuccis will kick it off 10:00 p.m. Kids seats still just five bucks.

Melvins: Bang the Drum Loudly

For almost thirty years—and roughly as many bassists—The Melvins have been disgusting mainstream music listeners and blowing the faces off of their fanbase, combining the best elements of punk rock, doom/heavy metal and noise into one sonic haymaker.  Drummer Dale Crover, with the band since 1984, handled a telephone call from yours truly in anticipation of the band’s Oct. 4 show in Salt Lake City.

Nickel & Dime: Bass.Drums.Vibes.

Nickel & Dime are Salt Lake’s up-and-coming hard electro DJs, playing massive sets in bars and parties all over the city, satisfying the craving in the party scene for nasty, hard-as-shit electronic dance music. What stands out about this DJ group is their ability to diversify, and their complete determination to be the best DJs possible, constantly finding fresh and unique material to use in their live shows and recorded mixes.

Envy: No Borders

Japanese post-hardcore giants Envy create brutally dense soundscapes that skirt the edge between hardcore and post-rock, and cut across language barriers. Their fifth album solidifies their full musical evolution into a peerless band incorporating the speed, intensity and emotional contact of hardcore and the expansiveness of post-rock. I spoke to lead singer Tetsuya Fukagawa about the how to express hope in heavy music and how to convey emotion without language being a factor.

Polar Bear Club

Polar Bear Club has made a career out of not fitting in. Polar Bear Club is also one of the hardest touring bands in any scene of the greater punk rock spectrum, and their willingness to take chances on tour packages and musical style has garnered them a stronger and stronger following since they began touring full-time in late 2008. During a rare period of Polar Bear Club downtime, SLUG had a chance to chat with vocalist Jimmy Stadt.

Avi Buffalo

Rock n’ roll and youth go together better than poofy pants, glow sticks and shitty electronic music. When you’re young, your liver can deal with the large amounts of alcohol you push through it, and you’re still pretty attractive even if you’re ugly, especially when you can play an instrument. The kids in Avi Buffalo certainly still have their youth, and after touring with Japandroids, Rogue Wave and Modest Mouse this year, it seems they have the rock n’ roll part down as well.

Levi Faust: Iceman

“Iceman: it’s the way he flies, ice cold, no mistakes … ” That quote is right out of Top Gun and if you’ve ever seen Levi Faust skate, then you know it describes him perfectly. His focus is impeccable.  You can see it in his face as he rolls up to a spot, feet perfectly placed, eyes locked on the target. He understands skating like most can never comprehend. I think it’s all the sugar he eats.