Year: 2014
¡Vinyl Vive! Sacred Bones’ Caleb Braaten on Record Stores, Reissues...
Founded in 2007, Sacred Bones Records has grown from a small, independent label based in Brooklyn into a diverse community of international artists—with a range that includes the avant-pop star Zola Jesus, the psych-kraut of Psychic Ills, the dismantled post-punk of Pop. 1280 and The Men, coldwave outfits VÅR and Lust for Youth, and industrial noise fright Pharmakon. Though difficult to categorize, Sacred Bones releases are hooked through with fervent, often unsettling dedication to the craft and communal life of music. … read more
DVD Reviews
DVD reviews for ’83 US Festival Days 1-3 and What Makes Me Tic. … read more
Death Waltz Recording Company: An Interview with Spencer Hickman
Opening any release from Death Waltz Recording Company is like opening a fantastic gift—soundtracks to films both cult and lost, with bespoke tip-on jackets, detailed liner notes, unique artwork, lithographs and colorful variants, all combined to form an immensely rewarding multisensory experience. These records aren’t like many others: They’re special, rather than a reissue cash grab—and obviously the work of someone who loves what he’s doing. I spoke with Spencer Hickman, owner of Death Waltz, via Skype at 3 a.m. here, to make up for the time difference between the Mountain West and the UK. The conversation moved quickly, comfortably, and focused on one of my favorite topics—records. … read more
February 2014 Local Music Reviews
February 2014 Local Music Reviews … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Flying the Coup
I haven’t been to a bike event since last summer, I haven’t ridden my bike in three months, and the only time I get on SaltCycle is to hound its brainstorming capabilities for what to write this goddamn column about. … read more
Sounds From Out There: Records, Record Store Day And Singing...
Last September, the Voyager 1 left our solar system. That cold little coffin containing all of what mankind thought was important in 1977 is now careening through uncharted interstellar space. Onboard that space craft is a gold-plated phonographic record containing images and sounds that represent a fairly decent cross-section of human and animal life, as well as a record of some of our best scientific achievements up to that point. … read more
Mike Brown: Soccer, Beer and Piss Bombs—Kickin’ It with Nick...
According to my drunk friend, Danny, who is an RSL season ticket holder and sometimes takes me to games, Nick is “like, the best dude ever!” So I figured I’d better interview him. … read more
Princess Kennedy: Dead, Wrapped in Plastic—A Kat Martin Original
Becoming re-obsessed with Twin Peaks, posting nonstop about it on my various social medias, my fabulous artist friend, Kat Martin, suggested immortalizing myself as “dead, wrapped in plastic” in a piece of art. Kat Martin is an artist who, even though you may not realize, you’re most likely familiar with—because she’s part of every arts festival, craft fair and farmer’s market. … read more
The Coathangers: Suck My Shirt!
“Sometimes I wish I could play drums way more technically better from a drummer’s standpoint, but I don’t think that would help me in The Coathangers. We have our own styles because we kind of just winged it—we just made it up,” says Rusty Coathanger (Stephanie Luke), drummer and vocalist for The Coathangers. “I think that’s what rock n’ roll is all about: It’s not necessarily conforming to this idea of rock n’ roll—it’s actually just who you are, presented in a musical fashion.” … read more
The Demonstrably Modest Isaiah Rashad
I was gushing to Isaiah Rashad about his excellent new album, Cilvia Demo. A gauche, fanboy move I admit, but I couldn’t help myself. I went on about how there’s no filler, how it’s a “fully realized artistic statement” and so on. With all of that in mind, I wondered why he decided to call it an EP? … read more
The Asylum Door Opens: Ringworm Return to SLC
I’ve been chatting with James “The Human Furnace” Bulloch for just a few minutes. We’ve touched on Cleveland, the ’90s hardcore scene and his band Ringworm’s place within it. “I really had nothing in common with my peers at the time,” says Bulloch, reflecting on the band’s genesis and the hardcore scene of the time. “I never felt like singing about ‘the scene’ or ‘my friend stabbed me in the back.’” That’s always been Ringworm’s deal, though. A little bit o’ hardcore and a whole heaping of metal, it’s a style that came from Bulloch’s upbringing as the youngest of four music-obsessed kids. … read more
Pack the Van: Utah Hits SXSW
The SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas is the largest of its kind in the world—and one of the best opportunities for up-and-coming bands to promote their music, expose themselves to potential labels and maybe even get a little press. Though it sounds like a good time—and it is—it takes a motivated, hardworking band to make the trip and play a week of shows against thousands of other bands. Utah has a handful of talented acts making the trek this year under the Texas sun for a piece of the action. Follow them on the web to find out where and when they’ll be rockin’ in Austin. … read more
