Authors: Ricky Vigil
Crucial Comix: By Ricky Vigil
“Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we were once cool. Responsibility gets in the way of rock n’ roll.” … read more
Local Reviews: Fews & Two
Fews & Two are a young band, but this 8-song EP is a light of hope for all fans of Jamaican-influenced music in our fine state. Fews & Two’s steady, heavy rhythms, smooth, jazzy horns and sexy female vocals bring to mind visions of smoky bars, full of people swaying, stomping and sweating the night away. … read more
Local Reviews: �O Dear Sarcasm!
One of the coolest things about punk rock is that anyone can make it. However, since anyone can make punk rock, chances are someone has already said whatever you have to say. ODS have plenty to say, and they say it loud, fast and hard, but it just doesn’t stand out from the pack. … read more
Local Reviews: Dubbed/Bombs & Beating Hearts
While I still stand firmly by my assertion that most local punk rock sucks, I’d be lying if I said this release is anything but awesome. Recorded live in the Dubbed band room, this split finds two of Utah’s finest punk bands at their best, even if they are a little drunk (Dubbed) or a little rough around the edges (Bombs & Beating Hearts). … read more
Local Reviews: Shaky Trade
I don’t know about you, but when I think about Ogden, the first thing that comes to mind is funk. Well, maybe the first thing that comes to mind is poverty, then drug use, then crime, then funk, but I’m sure they’re all related somehow. … read more
Local Reviews: The Skaficionados
In the great tradition of affixing “ska” to the front of already existing words (Skalloween, Skanksgiving, Skanukkah, Skarbor Day), The Skaficionados keep third-wave ska alive in a world that just doesn’t give a crap. … read more
Local Reviews: The Naked Eyes
There’s something undeniably cool and timeless about blues-influenced rock and roll. As long as whiskey, cigarettes and broken hearts are en vogue, bands like The Naked Eyes will be around to provide the soundtrack to perfectly hazy nights. … read more
Local Reviews: ODS
The appealing aspects of that band ODS didn’t like the vaguely negative review I wrote about their EP a few months ago, so I’ll be a lot more blunt about this one: it sucks. Well, that might not be an entirely accurate reflection of my feelings. I sure as hell don’t like this album, but I also don’t hate it. In fact, it stirs no emotional response in me whatsoever. … read more
Local Reviews: The Mooks
For nerdy, awkward, sexually frustrated teen males, there is no better genre than the kind of pop-punk with “whoa-ohs” and only three chords. On The Snuggle Sessions, The Mooks have created a style of music that makes me want to go back and relive the part of my life when I listened to The Descendents and The Ramones every day, but without the part where talking to girls almost made me throw up. … read more
Local Reviews: Two and a Half White Guys
Given the average lifespan of most local bands, and especially local ska bands, it’s amazing that Two and Half White Guys are still around. What’s even more amazing is that they’re still really, really good. On the Gringos’ new album, they use their signature blend of ska and jazz as a base and jump around the musical spectrum a bit. … read more
Local Reviews: Vanzetti Crime
Let’s face it: local punk and ska bands, as a general rule, are pretty shitty. Of course there are always exceptions, but more often than not, local punk bands tend to be drunken, untalented idiots, and local ska bands tend to be goofy kids whose religious upbringing keeps them from being drunken, untalented idiots. … read more
