Growing up in the intermountain west, my childhood summers were full of road trips and amphitheaters. Festivals at ski resorts, skits at summer camp, family reunions, weddings and outdoor productions by the local community college were all performed (some better than others) in these beautiful western landscapes. They were also all preceded by painful road trips and followed by equally painful sunburns. Thankfully, this amphitheater trend has continued into adulthood, culminating recently with the breathtaking vista that is The Gorge, Washington. … read more
Gutenberg! The Musical!
Driving to Park City is quite the trek for someone who doesn’t like travelling further south than Trolley Square. If I lived in a bigger city, a half hour drive to an iconic little post-mining town might seem ridiculously close, but I live in Salt Lake City, where a fifteen minute drive to the point of the mountain feels like a journey to the limits of civilized society. In the case of Plan B’s newest play production, Gutenberg! The Musical!, the drive is definitely worth it.
Bitter and Then Some: Touche Amore Interview
Welcome to the first edition of Bitter and Then Some, the latest in a series of weekly metal blogs brought to you by SLUG. This week we have an interview with Touche Amore, whose second album was released on June 7th via Deathwish and who will be in town on June 13th. Also included are a rundown of this busy week full of events, blog exclusive reviews, relevant videos and links to streaming music. … read more
Iron and Wine with The Head and the Heart @ In The Venue 06.03
Having seen Iron and Wine previously at the Twilight Concert Series, I expected a night of slow, sugary folk music and a lot of Mormon girls getting wet in the pants for Mr. Sam Beam––the man behind the magic. … read more
Title Fight @ Kilby Court 06.13
I’ve never been to a show at Kilby that had this insane of crowd—the amount of moshing and swinging from shit on the ceiling was so high that it was almost impossible to see Title Fight play. Regardless, Title Fight is super good live. They’re excellent at executing the right amount of pop-punk and hardcore music with Saves The Day-esque vocals. This is also why I’m not surprised they were the headlining band. … read more
Beauty And The Beat At 30: Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin Interview
I recently chatted with Jane about the tour and the anniversary of one of the finest and most legendary debuts in pop history. It was the first album completely written and performed by an all-female band to top the Billboard charts, where it remained for an astounding consecutive six-week reign. A feat, incidentally, never reached before or since. … read more
Who Likes Short Shorts? Film Festival @ The Post Theatre 06.03
There are no clear rules in short films, so what do you look for when watching one: story, art, length? The Who Likes Short Shorts Film Festival, which began screening submissions from local filmmakers in fall of 2010, features short films focusing on wide ranging subjects in all genres. … read more
Napalm Flesh – Gigan: Thrash in Space!
It’s been a while since Napalm Flesh entered the internet but I’m sure this is a long-awaited return for the loyal readers (sarcasm switch ON!). I have an interview with Tampa, Florida’s Gigan bassist/guitarist Eric Hersemann. Also included is your usual weekly rundown of local and national shows coming to town and reviews of the new Morbid Angel and Engineer albums as well as a review of a re-issue from Death Strike. … read more
Cake @ Red Butte Garden 06.16
Although my musical tastes have shifted and evolved over the past decade or so, listening to Cake was an important part of my young teenage years. At parties, I danced like a maniac, kicking and knocking people’s drinks from their hands to “Stick Shifts and Safety Belts.” … read more
Motley Crue, Poison and New York Dolls @ USANA 06.19
If you know me at all, then you know how much I like Poison, and not because me and Bret Michaels have been friends since before Rock of Love aired on VH1. We became friends when I met him backstage when Poison played here in like 2006. Although he won’t respond to any of my fan mail, I still feel a strong connection with that great man. … read more
Dead But Dreaming: Unearth Interview
This week, I sit down with veteran vocalist Trevor Phipps of the brutal Unearth to find out about their upcoming release Darkness In The Light, to get his thoughts on the current pulse of the metal scene, and find out why this album has fired up the brutal Boston quartet more than ever as they gear up to join Megadeth on the Rockstar Mayhem Festival. I’ve also got some web-exclusive reviews and an event rundown for you. … read more
SLUG Offers Its Two Tokens at E3
E3 is one of the world’s largest dog-and-pony shows for the video games industry’s finest to showcase their latest and greatest developments. This year, I scheduled a strict agenda that allowed me to test, observe, judge and dismiss more games on the floor than ever before. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the “Good News” and “Bad News” of every game I got my grubby mitts on. … read more
