Authors: Blake Leszczynski
Local Reviews: The Young Electric
It takes about 150 seconds for this album to establish itself as one of the tightest, most well produced local efforts this year. It’s a seamless transition between the opener, “Patterns & Processes,” which subtly incorporates elements of its successor on the album, “Machines,” that sets the feeling for the remainder of The Young Electric’s debut effort as more of a complete package rather than an assortment of randomly distributed tracks. … read more
Review: Nom Nom Galaxy
In the early ’90s, when we are all sitting around playing our Super Nintendos, I remember talking with my friends about different ideas for games—believe it or not, we never landed on the idea of a game about intergalactic soup domination. … read more
Review: Trials Fusion: Awesome Level Max
The biggest issue I have with Awesome Level Max is that, even though at first this looks like a brand new experience, after a few hours it just feels samey. … read more
Review: No Time to Explain
Despite the game’s title, let me try to explain this to you. A puzzling, at times challenging platformer in which a giant, interdimensional, time-travelling monster has kidnapped your future self, and it’s up to present you (as well as multiple alternate-reality yous) to traverse through dimensions, armed with a propulsion gun, trying to save yourself and find out what the fuck is going on. … read more
Review: Spectra
Spectra Gateway Interactive/ Mastertronic Reviewed on: Xbox One Also On: PC Street: 07.10 One of the stranger—perhaps more ironic—byproducts of this generation of souped-up consoles, is the amount of games I’ve personally played that look and feel like they are older than I am. I’m coming up on 30, for fuck’s sake. The reasons for
Battle of the Bands Benefit @ Food & Care Coalition,...
Friday’s Battle was organized and hosted by the Food & Care Coalition to benefit their Provo facility that not only feeds over 100,000 people every year, but also provides those in need with showers, laundry, haircuts, job-seeking services and even chiropractic care. An organization that started as a group of local public officials, religious leaders and regular citizens who were concerned about the lack of services for Utah County’s homeless and low-income populations, the Coalition’s main focus is not only to feed these individuals, but to help them get on their feet with a myriad of services. This was the Center’s second year putting on such an event, following the success of last year’s edition. … read more
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X96 Big Ass Show @ Gallivan Center 09.29.12
One my favorite things about Shrink the Giant’s performance was how lead singer Stefania Barr’s smile got wider and wider as the crowd began to fill in. By the end of their short set, she was beaming and most of the crowd was, too. It was hard not to like them and a lot of it had to do with Barr’s demeanor. … read more
Rooftop Concert Series @ Central Bank parking terrace 06.07
There is beauty all around. That insipid tune is ringing in my brain as I walk toward the downtown Provo parking structure that doubles as the venue for their Rooftop Concert Series. Why? Because everything about the early Summer night in Provo is so damn beautiful. The weather is a perfect 75 degrees, with a light breeze and clear skies. The sunset, with all of its oranges and purples, falling behind the downtown Marriott and into Utah Lake. The massive mountains are the stage’s backdrop. The sweet smells waft from the WaffleLuv truck. And the people … Oh God, the people of Provo. Every single one is more beautiful than the last. … read more
Battle of the Bands @ Velour 06.15
I arrived at Velour about 30 minutes before show time on Saturday night. A week earlier, the venue’s Number Two, the lovely Kaneischa Johnson, had asked me to help out with judging the competition. Kaneischa briefed us, the esteemed judges, on the judging criteria and what she expected from us. I looked at the paper with the criteria that she had given us all, appended to a clipboard: Musicianship, Songwriting, Crowd Response, Stage Presence and Vocal Performance, all out of 10. … read more
The Mighty Sequoia
Friday night’s show at Velour would be The Mighty Sequoyah’s last … well, at least for a few years. The five piece band, made up of Darger, Hannah Currie (Viola/Vocals), Alex Woods (Guitar/Keys), Bret Meisenbach (Drums) and Mike Dixon (Bass/Pedal Steel Guitar) opened up with “Medicine Man” from their Sunken Houses album, a track that quickly shows what TMS is all about: thoughtful indie folk rock, beautiful song building and breathtaking harmonies. In fact, those harmonies between Currie and Darger are beyond breathtaking—they have a rare chemistry onstage that only comes from two talented people believing in their music so much that the sounds coming from them almost become a tangible object. … read more
Parlor Hawk, L’anarchiste, Young & Old @ Velour 07.26
I learned two valuable lessons in my adventure to Provo’s Velour on Friday night. The first, with Velour shows, the opening acts are often just as impressive as the headliner … So, be there at 8, when doors open. The second: You can’t just park wherever the fuck you want in Provo, even if it is a deserted bank well after business hours. … read more
L’Anarchiste, Lake Island @ Velour 11.15
The music was aggressive but not necessarily loud. I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t help but feel like something was off. As their first song ended, the room remained quiet. Not in a disapproving way, I don’t think … No, this felt more like a hypnotized way. It was like it caught everyone a little off guard, or maybe not. … read more
