Music
Neon Indian @ Urban Lounge
We walked in the cool evening taking sips from a vitamin water bottle filled with cheap wine. We killed the last few drops as we hit the door of the already packed Urban Lounge to catch the most talked about show of October. Everyone bouncing and smiling as we were swallowed up by the sea of people on the floor. The mass of bodies was moving to the crests and troughs of a wave of sound from some kind of future island in the sun. … read more
OFF!, Retox @ Club Sound
I got there just in time for Retox, a national touring band from southern California. Retox is a four-piece grindcore band that features Justin Pearson (of Struggle and the Locust fame) and Gabe Serbian (of the Locust, and also Cattle Decapitation). … read more
Napalm Flesh: The Contortionist Interview
This week I bring you an interview with guitarist Robby Baca of The Contortionist, a space-prog-metal band from Indiana that fans of sci-fi and complex, atmospheric metal cannot afford to miss. We also have blog-exclusive reviews of the newest releases from As You Drown, Fuck the Facts, Nile, Ordo Obsidium, Skeletonwitch and Threat Signal, as well as this week’s event listings and links to streaming music. … read more
National CD Reviews – October 2011
New releases from Absu, Andrew Jackson Jihad, Beirut, Ceremony, Gringo Star. HTRK, Juno Reactor, Modeselektor, Night Birds, The Pine Hill Haints, Rocket From the Tombs, Sleep 8 Over, Trapped Under Ice, and many more are reviewed. … read more
OFF! Interview with Keith Morris
The vast majority of punk rock legends are either dead or boring. Keith Morris is neither of these things. Morris’ new band OFF! takes punk back to its angry, simple roots, and in the process has raised the bar not only for Morris’ fortysomething comrades, but for punk rock musicians of all ages. I got the chance to speak with the dreadlocked one in advance of OFF!’s performance in Salt Lake City this Friday, October 7. … read more
Electric Six, Mark Mallman @ Urban 10.01
After the openers had been swept away and the stage hosed off, the night finally got started. A surprising number of men in their mid-to-late forties suddenly swept over to the dance floor, many wearing freshly purchased “Electric Six” t-shirts from the merch table. … read more
Bubblegum Thunderstorm: Spell Talk Crackles and Booms
I barely beat the rain as I roll into an open garage where drummer Sammy Harper of Spell Talk shoots a game of pool on a worn down table. Bassist Jared Phelps shuffles about while guitarist Andrew Milne lounges on a couch next to new member and rhythm guitarist Elle Rasmussen, who quietly smokes a cigarette. The quartet is like a calm set of siblings on another stormy day, but they keep a loud secret in their pockets: a physically engaging album that will have you ready to stomp your feet and holler along with the band’s newborn thunder. … read more
Immolation
Immolation has been at their craft since 1988, brutalizing death metal fans and pushing not only the American extreme metal scene into new territory, but the world scene as well. They’re a band often emulated and praised, but the relative obscurity of their music has lent them to be described by their fans and critics as underrated. Immolation is headlining a show in Salt Lake City, Oct. 20 at the Complex—It’s the first time they have been in town since the mid-’90s.
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More Heart than Talent: NeverNever Refuses to Say… Well, You...
“Some really gnarly things happened to this band,” says drummer Gavin Hoffman, gently twirling his sticks. “Things I wouldn’t wish on anybody.” It’s dim here at NeverNever’s practice space, and I’m hoping my eyes will adjust. For a band that’s endured as much upheaval, tragedy and general misfortune, it’s a wonder that they’re back at all … let alone on speaking terms, in the same room together. … read more
The Country Side of Life
He may not look like he belongs on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, but after years of pioneering the psychobilly genre here in America, Tiger Army front man Nick 13 has taken some time to diverge from the world of fast-paced, hard-charging rock n’ roll to refocus his talents on country music. Elegant in its delivery and colorful in its tones, the self-titled debut sounds like it was created by a talented veteran of country music. … read more
Come On Die Young
Springing from the heat of Phoenix, Ariz., Come On Die Young is a band seemingly on the verge of shaking up what most people know as “punk rock.” With members who have been playing music of all types for more than half of their lives, and a guitarist whose roots lie in Salt Lake City, the band combines elements of traditional punk rock, powerviolence, metal and late-‘90s beard rock. … read more
Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits
Upon first hearing of a band that calls themselves Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children MacNuggits, one might find it somewhat difficult to discern just what the hell type of music these weirdos actually play. Describing themselves as a “satiric folk rock band,” the duo has been active for going on 16 years, and on October 7, the two-piece will return to Salt Lake City. … read more
