Authors: Ricky Vigil
Big Business: Loud, Weird Rock
Formed by bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis, Big Business has been deafening fans of all things heavy with their brand of thick, freaky rock n’ roll for nearly a decade. Fresh off a tour of Europe with Unsane, now featuring three members, and armed with a brand new 7″, Big Business will be embarking on a US tour this fall. Before their stop in Salt Lake, SLUG spoke with Willis about the band’s current state of affairs. … read more
Baby Ghosts: Pop-Punk Poltergeists
Part Provo and part Salt Lake, the aggro-adorable music of Baby Ghosts exists in a nebulous world where pop-punk, cuddlecore, anime, garage rock and 8-bit video games coalesce into a perfect party soundtrack. The co-ed four piece utilizes three of its members as vocalists—singing, screaming and harmonizing playful yet thoughtful lyrics over bouncy melodies that give way to some certifiably shredding guitar work. The band has a wide appeal, equally embraced by the more indie rock-oriented crowds of Velour as well as the blossoming Provo hardcore scene. … read more
Eagle Twin: The Serpent and The Crow
Eagle Twin is two beasts, operating in a spectrum of duality. Eagle Twin is finesse and power. Eagle Twin combines the power of the riff with the freeness of jazz. Eagle Twin is the serpent and the crow. Eagle Twin is Gentry Densley and Tyler Smith. In 2009, the band released their first album, The Unkindness of Crows, on the legendary Southern Lord Records. Now, the band is preparing to release their second album, The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale. … read more
Mariachi El Bronx: A Cleverly Disguised Rock Band
When it comes to long-running bands, side projects are an inevitability. But sometimes, a side project can take on a life of its own. Such is the case with Mariachi El Bronx. The offshoot of the LA punk band, The Bronx, initially began when the group was asked to perform a song acoustically for a TV appearance. Rather than taking the easy route, they came up with a mariachi arrangement of the song and unwittingly began the next chapter of the band’s existence. … read more
Kvelertak: Meir Og Meir
After missing their scheduled set earlier that night on Converge’s headlining tour due to van problems, Kvelertak rolled into SLCto play a last-minute show on 10/22/12 and delivered their potent mix of black metal, punk, hardcore and classic rock n’ roll to a rapturous crowd. Kvelertak riled up the crowd so much at midnight on a Monday that multiple fights broke out, but, as vocalist Erlend Hjelvik potently put it when the band stopped in the middle of a song to calm the audience down, “We are here to party, not to fight!” … read more
Russian Circles: Louder Than Words
Sprawling. Swirling. Ominous. Auspicious. Any number of multisyllabic words can be used to describe the music of Russian Circles, who have been creating dynamic instrumental music since 2004. In anticipation of their performance at The Great Saltair on Feb. 15, SLUG spoke with bassist Brian Cook about the upcoming tour and what Russian Circles have in store for 2013. … read more
Baroness: Unbroken Remains
On Aug. 15, 2012, Baroness’ tour bus plunged 30 feet from atop a viaduct near Bath, England, injuring all nine passengers. Miraculously, everyone on the bus survived, though no one emerged unscathed. Despite this accident, frontman John Baizley moves forward, saying, “In an effort to move past that and get to somewhere a bit more rewarding than pitiful, our goal is, quite simply put, to be known as a good live touring band.” … read more
Full of Hell: Beautiful Mutilators
Rudiments of Mutilation, the sophomore album by Full of Hell, to be released on June 11, is not an easy listen. It begins with harsh, piercing noise, slowly followed by wails from vocalist Dylan Walker and shambling, rumbling drums. An explosion of crusty blastbeats and hardcore riffs break the tension before the band delves deep into a downtrodden doom sound, with Walker’s voice channeling chaos all the while. This is intentionally ugly music—music that is designed to make you feel the worst of humanity. “We want to make really harsh, negative music that induces pain,” Walker said in a recent phone interview with SLUG. “It’s kind of beautiful in a way.” … read more
And So I Watch You From Afar: Young Brave Minds
On Oct. 13, 2010, I meandered into The Basement in Ogden and was greeted by thunderous drumming, huge riffs and four Irish maniacs throwing themselves around the stage with their instruments. I discovered that the band was And So I Watch You From Afar, and I have been a huge fan of theirs ever since. The band will return to Utah on Oct. 15 as part of the Sargent House Tour, and SLUG spoke with drummer Christopher Wee in anticipation of the performance. … read more
Mojado Punk’s Not Dead: An Interview with Piñata Protest
If your ideal version of a raucous punk rock performance doesn’t involve an accordion and at least one cowboy hat, you clearly aren’t aware of Piñata Protest. … read more
Hex Cabs: Heavy Metal
The duo of Tyler Smith and Gentry Densley are known for bone-shaking performances, melding deafening doom metal with improvisation, brutality with artistry. When you’ve seen, heard and felt Eagle Twin, you’ve probably also seen, heard and felt the unique guitar cabinets flanking Densley and Smith onstage.
Run the Jewels: Murder, Mayhem and Melodic Music
“Opening for the Wu is for real,” Killer Mike (Michael Render) tells SLUG in his boisterous Southern drawl. El-P recreates the experience, saying, “We walked into it assuming the crowd was there for Wu-Tang and we were just the opener. So the fact that we had 10,000 kids screaming our lyrics back to us was legitimately a surprise.” … read more
