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
GoldCoast Global HQ Grand Opening 08.01
GoldCoast celebrated the opening of their new global headquarters, right here in Salt Lake City, on Aug. 1 with an epic party. The event was held at their new office, located at 150 Commonwealth Ave. #2 (across from Pat’s BBQ) in conjunction with Nixon watches, Poler Stuff, Loser Skateboard Company and Nike Snowboarding. … read more
My Ticket Home with Sights Sounds, I Am King, Night Verses, I Am The Ocean @ The Shred Shed 08.07
For SLUG’s end-of-the-year wrap-up last year, I chose My Ticket Home’s To Create A Cure as one of my Top 5 albums, and I’ve been watching the news for a while, waiting for my chance to hear them live. There’s just something about them that I loved right away, especially after watching the video for “New Breed.” Plenty of bands do the heavy-and-light mix, but I thought there was a genuine passion in their take, an earnestness that stood out to me. Touring to promote their new album, Strangers Only, they finally announced a Salt Lake show in the second half, bringing along Night Verses and I Am King to round out the bill. … read more
Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Hillbilly Herald, Zengrez
If you grow up playing guitar as I did, Guns N’ Roses, and thus Slash, are essential reference points for your musical cultural education. What’s more was that my dad came of age during the height of butt rock, so driving in his Jimmy, I became well acquainted with Appetite for Destruction and GNR’s covers, like “Nice Boys,” which would shape my sense of guitar listening. With that sense of rock tradition, I was stoked to share this experience with my dad. Needless to say, I was MEGA STOKED to see Slash’s stylings on the axe. … read more
Guy Seidel: Working Class Head Case
Remember that fella who checked out your air conditioner the other day? He was the friendly one that didn’t hogwash you about prices, but just gave you some quotes and went about his business—good man, I think. You were probably just about to pin his business card on your family bulletin board when Aunt Nadine called about her cat again. Well, when I tell you that man is one of the most successful comics in Salt Lake City, and HVAC is just his side job, what do you do? You slump down on your broom in astonishment. … read more
Kurt Vile & the Violators @ Urban Lounge 08.13 with Sonny & the Sunsets
The great cut from Smoke Ring quickly got the crowd tuned back in, as they began to move and nod their heads to the beat. The next tune “Wakin On A Pretty Day,” the longest and one of the best from the new record, set up what was to follow the rest of the night—pure fucking bliss. … read more
Whirr: Loudest Band in the World
Whirr is the loudest band in the world. Or, at least, they aspire to be. “We want to be the loudest band in the world,” singer and guitarist Nick Bassett says. “Mogwai, Swans, My Bloody Valentine, Manowar––that’s kindergarten. We blow them out of the water.” … read more
An Interview with Doyle
Since 1980, the hulking monsterman Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein has been leaving his giant, bloody footprints in the dirty landscape of punk and horror-inspired rock. His band recently rechristened themselves (previously Gorgeous Frankenstein) as Doyle after their monstrous ringleader and released their first album under the name, Abominator, in July. Doyle is also currently on tour with former Misfits bandmate Danzig, performing a set of Misfits classics at each stop of the Danzig 25th anniversary tour. SLUG had the opportunity to speak with Doyle about the new album and the tour. … read more
The Melvins, Honky 08.13 @ Club Sound
The Melvins are on tour to celebrate 30 years of avant-garde metal, countless member changes and an extensive discography that branches out into amazingly diverse side projects, including those with Mike Patton and Jelo Biafra. The original 1983 lineup reunited for Tres Cabrones, scheduled for release in November, hopefully to resurrect some amazing OG evil sounds. I missed their tour last year as Melvins Lite for their 2012 release Freak Puke, so I was super stoked to see them again after almost three years. … read more
Music Without The Middleman: Visitors, Heartless Breakers, Eidola and Visioneer to Play Urban Lounge
On Aug. 23, four hard-working, incredibly-talented local bands are combining their powers into one hell of a bill designed to spread their own particular brands of badassery into the airwaves. I met up with a bunch of these guys at the Beer Hive to get the low-down on the show, and it was a hell of a fun time. Just one conversation with this group, and it’s clear that they’ve got a lot of passion for their craft and a lot of love for the scene. … read more
Nitro/Noise, Kontrolled Demolition, DJ Dave Vendetta @ Area 51 08.17
Saturday nights at Area 51 have become my favorite play time, and on Aug. 17 I was able to have my cake and eat it too. The Synchronized Beat Tour had made a tour stop with special guest DJ Dave Vendetta. I knew that I was in for an evening of fresh tracks, dancing until my body ached, and looking at aesthetically pleasing men. … read more
