Secret Bushes, Little Squirrels and Happy Accidents 04.20

Bob Ross, who died back in 1995 of lymphoma, has been immortalized through his epic landscape art lessons. “We don’t make mistakes, we just have happy accidents,” he memorably said to his frustrated but determined viewers. Eleven talented Salt Lake artists embraced his legacy, purchased a slew of Bob Ross paint supplies, and assembled to watch two videos from Ross’s “Joy of Painting” series. … read more

All Shall Perish, Carnifex, Fleshgod Apocalypse @ In the Venue 04.26

Thursday, April 26, In The Venue hosted one of the most anticipated death metal tours to hit Salt Lake this year: the This Is Where It Ends tour. I’ve been waiting for this show for months, and some fans, for years. All Shall Perish are one of my favorite bands and this is the first time I’ve seen them in my hometown. The place was humming with excitement from the second you walked in the door. … read more

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