Music
Running Into Walls: The Return of Into Another
Back in 1994, there was no bigger band in my mind than New York City’s Into Another. When I learned that they were reuniting to play the Revelation Records anniversary shows in California this past summer and New York this fall, I was not only elated, but also dismayed, as my current financial situation would not allow me to attend any of the shows. I suppose that the following interview with founding member and vocalist Richie Birkenhead is somewhat of a consolation prize … and a damned good one, at that. … read more
Brunch for the Ears: The NOVA Chamber Music Series
The NOVA Chamber Music Series plays local and very new music in increasingly close measure with the rest of the program’s adventurous, but also canonical, repertoire. According to Jason Hardink, current artistic director of NOVA, “This makes NOVA a venue unlike any other musical presenter in town. It enriches your experience by putting a Utah composer’s piece beside a piece by Tchaikovsky, because you hear them both side by side.” … read more
The Ghosts of Hardcore Past
In 2004, hardcore blew up. Once that started happening, Blake Foard, member of bands such as Aftermath of a Trainwreck and Skeiff D’Bargg, and longtime show promoter, saw an opportunity to give a little something back to the community through the hardcore scene he loved. “Hardcore, to me, is helping out the people who matter most,” says Foard. That’s when the annual Sub For Santa show was born. … read more
Localized – Top Dead Celebrity, Døne and Despite Despair
Saturday, Nov. 10, you’d better be thankful you live in a land where Zion’s rock n’ roll forefathers worked their asses off to give you the shows you have today. Localized will feature two of Uncle Andy Patterson’s outfits, Top Dead Celebrity and Døne, oozing heavy gravy all over you turkeys at Urban. Openers Despite Despair will prep the big kids’ table with some electric-knife hardcore to kick off a raucous night of rock for you 21-plus music junkies for a small morsel of $5. … read more
Worshiping A Place to Bury Strangers
“We don’t try to be loud at all, we just play at a volume that feels good to us,” says Oliver Ackermann of New York noise-rockers A Place To Bury Strangers. Ackermann supplies the reverb-saturated baritone vocals to the group, who have been labeled as the “loudest band in New York” by various music critics since their formation in 2003. Over time, the label of loudness has become a bit of a nuisance for the band. “We play music, and I don’t think music should really be described.” … read more
Crystal Castles with HEALTH and Kontravoid @ In The Venue...
People lost their shit when Crystal Castles came out. It was like Beatlemania, but instead of young innocent girls, it was a bunch of dudes who looked like they were in a shitty Cold Cave cover band. As soon as the first song began it was clear who was the star of the show. … read more
Lord Huron and Night Moves @ Kilby Court 10.19.12
With sounds similar enough to make sense of them touring together, Night Moves and Lord Huron displayed great differences in what were both memorable performances. For Night Moves, it was a fun and slightly awkward night of getting to know their Salt Lake fans. For Lord Huron, it was a night of redemption. … read more
The xx @ The Complex 10.16 with 2:54
The xx have been a consistent favorite on the ol’ iPod since approximately 2008, when I happened upon their video for “VCR,” which at the time had a meager amount of views. Since then, they have exploded ferociously into the hip music hemisphere and when it became public knowledge that they would be playing here in Salt Lake, I couldn’t go anywhere in the city without hearing their name dropped. … read more
Flying Lotus @ Urban Lounge 10.19 with Teebs, Jeremiah Jae
It was another slightly bitter cold night in Salt Lake City, winter was settling in and we are just getting used to it. The energy in the air hinted that there was something special happening tonight, and that something special was Flying Lotus. … read more
Friends @ Urban Lounge with SSION, House of Ladosha
Brooklyn friends SSION, House of Ladosha and Friends crossed tour paths Wednesday night and treated Salt Lake to a wild night of electrifying pop music. Brooklyn has been the center of music culture for over a decade, and NYC always remains at the top of its game by constantly mutating and attracting fresh musicians and artists from across the land. … read more
Dinosaur Jr @ Urban Lounge w/ Shearwater 10.14.12
Cheers announce J, Lou and Murph approaching the stage. They resemble the picture in Our Band Could Be Your Life. They are Dinosaur Jr. J slides like a newborn snail on a predetermined track, wispy strands of a silvery mane undulating with each slinking step. He removes his horn-rimmed glasses, lifts a Fender Jaguar from its stand and delicately summons a jangly wail from it. … read more
Brother Ali Featuring Blank Tape Beloved @ Urban Lounge 10.15...
Ali doesn’t waste time between songs giving the audience instructions on what direction their hands should wave––he transitions from song to song flawlessly. The absence of the usual bullshit chitchat between songs creates and maintains that line of awe and respect between the audience and the performer, making Ali’s stage presence even more reverent. … read more
