Authors: Ryan Michael Painter
Smashing Pumpkins @ Vivint Smart Home Arena 09.04 with Metric
In the early to mid-90s, Smashing Pumpkins were a bridge that connected the classic sounds of ‘80s alternative radio and the post-Nirvana breakthrough that would define what alternative radio would become. For some, Smashing Pumpkins were the strangest band they listened to. … read more
Erasure @ Kingsbury Hall 08.12 with Reed and Caroline
Erasure’s set ends with “Stop!,” a track from the Crackers International release that served as a Christmas release in 1988 and a bridge between the The Innocents and Wild! releases. Thunderous applause follows—genuine, stand-on-your-feet applause. … read more
Lost ’80s Live 2018: A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung,...
Maybe it’s the heat, or that we were suddenly realizing how spoiled we were by the Retro Futura Tour a few weeks before, where the use of a backing band for the first three acts allowed the artist’s sets to be longer and seamless. Tonight, any momentum built up by the end of a band’s set evaporates before the next act can tune their instruments. … read more
Retro Futura Tour 2018: ABC, Belinda Carlisle, Modern English @...
The first cassette tape that I ever bought all on my own was Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven is a Place on Earth,” and while my taste in music has strayed considerably away from mainstream pop, Carlisle was the act I was looking forward to the most. … read more
Violent Femmes @ Red Butte Garden 06.13 with Marcia Mello
It’s hard to not feel nostalgic. In fact, it was a longing for the past that prompted me to attend the show in the first place. I saw the Violent Femmes numerous times in the ’90s. The first time, a night spent with friends at Kingsbury Hall where bassist Brian Ritchie smoked a giant cigar, is one of my fondest memories. … read more
Cold Cave @ Urban Lounge 06.04 with Black Marble, Choir Boy
With the stage stripped down to three banks of keyboards, a trilogy of guitars and the lone drum set, three black-clad performers take the stage. A fog sets in against the backdrop of “My Heart is Immortal,” the closing track on Cold Cave’s fascinating 2018 release You & Me & Infinity. … read more
Front 242 @ Metro 04.21 with Contaminated Intelligence
Front 242’s studio recordings are primal, but their live performance lifts the material to a completely different level. … read more
Book of Love @ The State Room 04.20
On the night of their SLC show, Book of Love consist of only the two Ottaviano’s (not related or married, but I do like to imagine a completely fictional narrative of the duo meeting in an elementary school lunch line and bonding over a mutual love for chocolate milk and Kraftwerk). … read more
The Fleeting Light of Dusk: An Interview with Lo Moon’s...
Lo Moon’s show at The State Room on April 12 is one of those shows that you can’t afford to miss. You might never get to see them this up close and personal ever again. … read more
Covenant @ Club X 3.30 with Rare Facture and Starbass
Over 20 years after their debut album, Dreams of a Cryotank, Covenant are still a force to behold. A vital, menacing weaver of dreams. … read more
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark @ The Complex 03.21 with...
I’m not one inclined to use hyperbole, but if you weren’t in Salt Lake City at The Complex on March 21, 2018, then you missed what will be remembered as one of the greatest Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark gigs of all time. … read more
Local Reviews: Cavedoll
Cavedoll carelessly litter genres new wave, post punk, IDM, industrial, 70s glam, ethereal, darkwave, indie, trip-hop and avant-garde pop throughout their music without claiming allegiance to anything beyond their own musings. They’re a writer’s nightmare in their refusal to sit still long enough to be described; a detail further emphasized when the band decides to unleash its complete collection of unreleased material all at once. … read more
