Interestingly enough, Ivan & Alyosha got their name from a Dostoevsky novel, which initially made me think they were all about bleak introspection on the darkness of the human soul. On the contrary, they’re very skilled at cranking out catchy melodies with sincere vocals—not stuff I usually associate with Dostoevsky. … read more
Jeff Mangum @ The Depot 04.04
Neutral Milk Hotel’s story has long ago been folded into the tapestry of indie rock legend—a songwriter with a burning vocabulary makes one beautifully haunting collection of song and memory that’s instantly called perfection, then recluses himself and dissociates from its fame, perhaps crushed with the silly fear of never writing anything one-hundredth as good. … read more
SpaceGhostPurrp @ Kilby Court 04.05 with Raider Klan, DopeThought
I’m a Purrp fan not for his hip hop roots, but for his connection to a somewhat dissimilar genre—goth. The boundaries between any genres can be overcome in our post-Internet lives—witch house, a basic blend of goth, R&B and hip hop, is paving the way for such genre experimentation. Witchy is an apt description of Purrp’s music. … read more
Uinta Madness vs. Capital City Crushers 04.06
The Depot was packed, fans of both teams filled the seats, ready to cheer on their respective teams. Our local boys of Uinta Madness, had a little score to settle with the Boise natives. … read more
Insight with Døne, Cool Your Jets @ The Shred Shed 04.12
Insight hadn’t played a single show since they broke up in September of 1990, and there were probably only a handful of people in the crowd that ever got the opportunity to see them live. They made sure to show everyone what they’d missed with a tight and incredibly fun set at The Shred Shed. … read more
One Way System with Mass Terror, All Systems Fail, Desolate, Discoid A @ The Salt Haus 04.08
For most of Salt Lake City, Monday night was a cold, wet and somewhat snowy night—one last night (hopefully) for hot cocoa, sweaters and watching that Magic School Bus box set you mom got you in December. Those of us foolishly brave enough to venture out to the Salt Haus got a quite the treat. Hosted by the Pyrate Punx SLC, the bands Discoid A, Desolate, All Systems Fail, Mass Terror and One Way System played quite the show. … read more
Purity Ring @ Urban Lounge 04.09 with Blue Hawaii
Minutes before the experience of Purity Ring began, Corin Roddick lifted the black veils (literal, figurative) from over his unusual instruments—Roddick triggers his percussion and drum kits through lighted orbs; Megan carries a lantern and bangs a glowing bass drum, as if to guide her audience through the performance. … read more
Going Ape Shit: Bonobo Takes Charge of 2013
With such an impressive repertoire under his belt, it isn’t surprising that the release of Bonobo’s most recent album, The North Borders, has already become a success. SLUG spoke with Bonobo about his new album, tour and recent projects. … read more
This Momentary Bliss – Soilwork Interview
Snap back to the late ’90s, and Soilwork was bursting on the scene as a band part of the second wave of Swedish melodic death metal. While their debut full-length, Steelbath Suicide, felt more like a thrash record than melodic death metal, Soilwork took everyone’s breathe away with Chainheart Machine with its technical prowess and its new take on what melodic death metal could be. Before their SLC show on April 11, I had the opportunity to talk to the band’s singer, Bjorn “Speed” Strid, about things current, past and the in-between. … read more
Projekt 801 Skate & BMX Contest @ We Are One 04.13
This past Saturday, April 13, Projekt 801 held their first-ever skate and BMX best trick contest at We Are One Skate Park. Projekt 801 is a non-profit organization supporting kids involved in action sports, which would otherwise not have the chance, to go to college. … read more
Angel Olsen @ Kilby Court 04.15 with Villages, The Awful Truth
Angel Olsen’s songs uncover a bygone era of folk and country Americana, when music was simpler, or at least less cluttered with electronics. … read more
OMD @ The Depot 04.10 with Diamond Rings
After seeing Diamond Rings, aka John O’Regan play an acoustic set at SXSW, I anticipated a good show with all the bells and whistles at The Depot on April 10, where he was opening for Orchestral Manoeveures In The Dark (OMD). … read more
