Trading Cantos with the Deseret Experimental Opera Company

The term “opera” often brings to mind puffed sleeves and fat ladies, but according to Quebbeman-Turley, that’s not quite what they offer: “We’re using the term ‘opera’ loosely. We don’t use the term in the sense of Wagner or Mozart opera. For us, it’s a work that’s visual, narrative, musical and theatrical all at the same time.” … read more

Parlor Hawk, L’anarchiste, Young & Old @ Velour 07.26

I learned two valuable lessons in my adventure to Provo’s Velour on Friday night. The first, with Velour shows, the opening acts are often just as impressive as the headliner … So, be there at 8, when doors open. The second: You can’t just park wherever the fuck you want in Provo, even if it is a deserted bank well after business hours.  … read more

Spitting Iconic Fire

“We have so many good nights out with our friends, we write about when we have so much fun that we never want the night to end. You love your friends and you kind of just want them to feel what you feel,” Caroline Hjelt says of the inspiration behind the killer, upbeat dance tracks that the Swedish pop duo Icona Pop has been producing over the last few years.  … read more

Gogol Bordello, VIZA @ In the Venue 08.05

The lights went out and the stage was flooded with blue light. Then, I saw the silhouetted figure of Eugene Hütz, followed by the rest of Gogol Bordello, walk out on the stage and take their places. Hütz started singing into the mic and with compliance from the audience and the rest of the band, Gogol lit up the stage with “Wanderlust King.” From then on, the madness continued throughout. … read more

Creature Feature: A Conversation with Willard Cron

Willard Cron came into Salt Lake City to fill the dark corners of its alt. nightlife with everlasting light and kitschy attitude. Willard helped initiate the Bad Kids performance group and became an insta-celebrity, towering over crowds at his height of 6’4” (7’ in homemade creepers). Who is Willard? Who are the Bad Kids? Willard answers these and other pressing questions.  … read more

Wavves with Koala Temple

Wavves sound meaner live than on record, more taut, as if they’re being jerked around by strings suspended from the rafters. Audience members lap it up. There’s a vibe here. My girlfriend calls it “snotty indifference” but I’m not so sure. They’re with it—they’re bashing it out hard. It seems genuine. They’re saying to us, “You fuckheads really wanna know what happened to Milo Aukerman? He didn’t go to college! He moved to Tijuana and started huffing a bunch of copier toner!  Then he killed his girlfriend and buried her in the desert! BWAHHHH.”  … read more

Gathering the Flocks: Star City Games Open Series Magic: The Gathering Tournament @ Salt Palace Convention Center 08.10, 08.11

Two hundred and sixty-four players on Saturday and 152 on Sunday vied for top honors and cash prizes at the Star City Games Open Series Magic: The Gathering tournament. Flipping over little rectangles of cardboard may seem like the province of 90-pound weaklings and the nerdiest of the nerds, however, MTG players cover a lot of territory—from athletes who have suffered injuries to middle-aged moms who got into to the game while supporting their kids’ interest to professional players who travel from event to event and make significant money from the game and its related industries.   … read more