Authors: Megan Kennedy
Localized – Cornered By Zombies, Settle Down and Gunner
September’s Localized brings to the stage two of the hardest-working heavy acts in the valley today: Cornered by Zombies, a thrash metal two-piece that is erupting onto the scene, and Settle Down, the latest hard rock collaboration of veteran musicians you may already know and love. On Sept. 14, Urban Lounge (21+) hosts these two badass bands and openers Gunner, who will tear up the stage. For a mere five bones at the door, you can’t afford to miss it. … read more
Gaza: Bigger Fish to Fry
It’s been an intense six years for Gaza since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die. Their brutal music has lit fires under fans all over the world. They’ve lost a guitarist, but gained a fresh rebirth in their creativity, and their refusal to censor their message has earned them a finger-wagging from some of the industry’s biggest names. Just like their sound, however, Gaza are relentless, fierce, and unafraid to plow through the challenges presented. … read more
Local Review: Settle Down/Sure Sign of the Nail
This split single is a fantastic introduction to two of Salt Lake’s finest bands, and the songs they’ve chosen have a great emotional contrast. Sure Sign of the Nail opens with “Flora and Fauna,” a slow, ambient, tranquil trip with a thick bass line, overlaid with beautiful humming guitar and deep vocals that remind me of some primitive, Gregorian chant, rattling the deep parts of your chest with its dark beauty. … read more
Local Review: A Lily Gray
A Lily Gray has released a solid and highly enjoyable EP with The Fall. The album is ethereal and emotive, a bit more complex than most standard rock, but not quite stepping into any “progressive” territory, and has a strong foundation in the complementary sound of the music with singer David Lynn’s unique and far-reaching, clean vocals. … read more
Queens of the Geek Age: The Hello, Sweetie! Podcast
Geekdom has undergone some massive transitions over the last decade, moving from the Cheeto-scented shadows of pop culture into the limelight. Like any good cultural renaissance, geekdom is busting down gender barriers as well. Enter our story’s heroines: Cherri Vasquez, Kristal Starr, Rebecca Frost and Danielle Über Alles. The panel of the Hello, Sweetie! Podcast is four ladies committed to bringing geekery from a female perspective to the world. … read more
Review: Killswitch Engage – Disarm the Descent
Jesse Leach has returned, ladies and gents, back at the helm of his birth-band, and he’s brought an energy they haven’t had in a long goddamn time. … read more
Keith P. Rein: The P is for Penis
Imagine an artistic cocktail combining traditional and digital techniques, a dash of video games, some beautiful women in sexual situations, and the occasional popsicle. The result is the work of one-of-a-kind illustrator Keith P. Rein, whose exceptional Athens, Ga.–based studio, The P is for Penis, will be returning once again this year to the Salt Lake Tattoo Convention. … read more
Review: Old Wounds
There is a certain, special je ne sais quoi about the sound that Jersey-based Old Wounds deliver. It’s not new or groundbreaking, nor is it a completely tried-and-true homage to some old hardcore sound. Devastatingly simple, it is heavy music stripped to its rotted bones and delivered without pretense or gimmick. … read more
Through Smoke and Music: the Spiritual Reckoning of Dax Riggs
Dax Riggs is a different breed. While his songs may have evolved through the decades, Riggs is proud of every inch of his catalogue. His most recent years have introduced fans to a raw and toned-down brand of folksy swamp-rock blues that is powerful in its minimalist and stark expressions of primeval darkness from Riggs’ deep, crooning voice. … read more
Barley’s Angels: Beer School is Now in Session
Originally started in Oregon, Barley’s Angels is an international society dedicated to women who are passionate about craft beer. The organization allows women from any corner of the globe to begin their own chapter of the brand, and that’s exactly what Alexandra Ortiz de Fargher of Park City did. Having already been well initiated into the craft beer scene (her husband, Trent Fargher, is the owner and founder of Shades of Pale Brewing Company) Ortiz de Fargher wanted to start her own craft beer adventure. She and all the members of Barley’s Angels are dedicated to several philosophies: overturning the idea that beer is only a man’s drink, and convincing women who have written off beer as a bitter, tinny and cheap substitute for wine or spirits that they just haven’t met the right beer yet. … read more
The Hop Bombshells: Drafting Ladies into the Homebrew Army
The story of the Hop Bombshells begins with a talented woman looking for her kind. Jamie Burnham is the manager of Salt Lake homebrewing institution The Beer Nut, and a little over a year ago, she got the spark of an idea from her assistant, Dave Watson, that maybe the lady patrons of her store would enjoy being part of a club where the craft and creativity of beer making could thrive. She put the idea out to her female customers who came to pick up supplies, and received an overwhelmingly positive response. After collecting names and emails, and admittedly “dragging [her] feet for a few months,” she put together the Hop Bombshells, a club exclusively for the fairer sex of homebrewers. … read more
