Washed Out, Memoryhouse @ Urban 04.28

Ernest Greene of Washed Out

There was a big difference between Washed Out on record and Washed Out the show. If you’re the kind of person who wants a band to sound exactly like they do on the record, you probably hated this show—a lot of the songs were changed up a bit to translate into a full band as Washed Out has moved from a bedroom project to a career for Ernest Greene. The songs sounded bigger and louder and heavier than the laptop synth-pop versions. Greene was obviously into it—pounding on his keys, bobbing his head like a parrot and putting himself into every word he sang. … read more

Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake & Nova Concert Series End of Season Performances

This year I have taken in two of the better, if more obscure, musical seasons presented by local arts organizations: the Nova Chamber Music Series, drawing largely from the luminous musicians of the Utah Symphony as well as other mostly local talent, and the Salt Lake Chamber Society’s season of touring Chamber Music ensembles. … read more

Trial, Powerwolves, Cool Your Jets, Despite Despair and No Empire @ Foursquare Church 04.27

Trial playing live music in Utah at Foursquare Church.

 Finally, with anticipation mounting, Trial began setting up. The crowd filed back in early, leaving an ominous empty space in the middle of the room for the inevitable mosh pit … The band took a couple minutes to sound-check, and then immediately blasted into “Reflection,” quickly finding out that microphones were totally unnecessary. The crowd shouted every single word, some guys climbing up onto the stage and holding singer Greg Bennick by the shoulders, screaming into his face before jumping down. The energy spread throughout the room, even affecting those of us opting to stay on the backside of the ever-expanding mosh pit. Bennick noted at one point that, “Salt Lake City is the only place you see people actually stretching during the fast parts, getting ready for the breakdown.” … read more

Bombing On The Banked Track: Salt City Makes Their Debut 05.05

When the Salt City Derby Girls announced last year that they would be making the transition to the banked track, I’ll admit that I had my doubts. After all, SCDG began as a flat track league in 2005. It’s likely that most of the league had never even set skate on a banked track before. Rumors started flying, but Salt City kept quiet. Finally, the track made its debut on May 5, to a home team beatdown between the Death Dealers and the Bomber Babes. … read more

Samba Fogo presents: Pegando Fogo 05.03 @ Rose Wagner

Pegando Fogo, a Portuguese phrase that means “catching fire,” offered a scintillating fusion of capoeira (an afro-brazilian martial art), fire dancing, carnival samba and Brazilian Orixa dance accompanied by Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian music. All of these genres, presented by the local Samba Fogo Music and Dance Company, were brilliantly assembled on a stage lit with dramatic colors, often reminiscent of the changing sky. … read more