Issues: Issue 285 - September 2012
Matteo: Blending Eastern and Western Styles in SLC
When a band says they play “folk” music, you probably imagine them sitting around in a circle playing banjos, acoustic guitars and violins. For local band Matteo, though, their foreign-sounding name hints that something is different about the instruments they use. Matteo blends traditional Asian instruments with more common, American folk instruments. Throw in some nice vocal harmonies, and you get Matteo’s unique sound, which is unlike anything else coming from other local bands. … read more
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti: Making a Career Out of Strange
“Uncomfortable” is probably one of the best words to describe the early Ariel Pink albums, as well as the majority of interviews and a great deal of the performances. His eccentricities and diamond-in-the-rough garage pop drew people in initially, built him a fanbase of loyal, lo-fi cassette hounds, and did wonders for the beginning of the new chillwave genre. Released in August on 4AD, APHG’s newest album, Mature Themes, is a return to weird. … read more
The Dirty Dash: A Gateway Drug to Running
When most people think of running a 5k littered with swamps and walls of hay bales, the word “fun” may not be the first thing that springs to mind. Since the Dirty Dash started three years ago, however, every race they’ve held at Soldier Hollow in Midway has filled to capacity with runners eager to get sloppy—many clad in themed costumes. This year, each of their 10 races, from Albuquerque to Seattle, has sold out. … read more
Photo Feature: Devin York
How many times have you driven past this brick bank-to-rail and thought, “It would be rad if you could skate that”? Then all the reasons not to skate it come to mind: the curb, the bricks, the road it sits on, the height of the rail. Spots aren’t perfect. This is street skating. … read more
What Awesome Tastes Like: Curry Fried Chicken
What do superheroes eat after a hard day of do-gooding? Shawarma, of course. If you saw Joss Whedon’s latest movie, The Avengers, and you stayed for the second, post-credit end scene, you know what I’m talking about. Where do the local superheroes get a genuine shawarma in our little home of vice and virtue? Well, there is only one answer: Curry Fried Chicken. … read more
Mike Brown’s Monthly Dirt: The Original Fucktard
My band, The Fucktards, is nearing 13 years old. Like most bands that have been around over 10 years or so, we’ve changed. Dare I say, “progress”? In the case of The Fucktards, I realize that’s pushing it. These days, a Fucktards show consists of us dressing up stupid, getting beer and other random objects thrown at us and playing the same seven songs over and over again, until we are asked to stop. So, I want this article to give you lucky readers the origins and beginnings of The Fucktards. … read more
Princess Kennedy: Brigham Young’s Tranimal Son?
Brigham Young had a tranimal son? Yeah, you totally read that right. I heard a rumor that Brigham Young, the HBIC back in the day, allegedly had a son who donned a dress and matching falsetto voice. “What’s that?” I ask myself. “Could it be true that mine is not the only Mormon family with dirty secrets?” Imagine! … read more
Beautiful Godzilla: Rebel Grrrls—Ovarian Psycos
Ovarian Psycos’ Maryann Aguirre, aka La Fingers, answers a phone somewhere in East LA with unrestrained enthusiasm as I state my name on the other end at the SLUG Headquarters in Salt Lake. Ovarian Psycos claim to organize and cycle “for the purpose of healing our communities physically, emotionally and spiritually, by addressing pertinent issues through cycling. ”As she explains her nickname, La Fingers, a result of being caught wagging her middle-finger on more than one occasion, I know I’m talking to the right person. … read more
Gallery Stroll: Where Art Is Born
Gallery Stroll has two sides: that of the formal gallery setting with hardwood floors, track lighting and beautifully polished, hand-selected bodies of work; the other takes us down a dimly lit alleyway to a door with no sign. Inside, you find an artist hard at work—paint splattered on the floor, a faint smell of turpentine, sweat and whiskey lingering—even after the humble incense’s valiant effort to cover it up. The latter is where art is born, the first is where art goes to die. … read more
Dear Dickheads – September 2012
Dear Dickheads,
I would like to comment on your first story in Dear Dickheads [Issue #281 and #284]. I would like to comment how I use to be thin and the cops made me 300 lbs. And I’ve been homeless since 3-12-2012. Do to a pig that kicked me out of my home against the law. I didn’t threaten anyone again. … read more