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
Beer Flows Through Salt Lake at the Utah Beer Festival 08.17
On Saturday, August 17 from 3–8 p.m., over 100 local and national breweries gathered at Gallivan Plaza to share samples of beer for a great cause, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary for the fourth annual Utah Beer Festival. … read more
Ririe-Woodbury: Kinetic Spaces @ UMOCA 08.16
Increasingly “performance,” of one kind or another, is as important at these events as painting, sculpture or video art. The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art’s inaugural Utah Biennial: Mondo Utah, is one such effort, and last Friday it played host to Kinetic Spaces, a dance installation performed by Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company. … read more
Summer Slaughter Tour @ The Complex 08.17
The long, hot day did not dampen the crowd’s appreciative roars, and just a few songs in there were already dudes finding a way to scale the stage and run around with the band or scream into the mic before security escorted them off or they took a dive into the crowd. The band didn’t seem to mind it either way, welcoming the energetic participation (which seemed to be an important theme to most of the bands’ performances), although security seemed less than pleased, but what are you gonna do? Those’re metal hooligans for you. … read more
Junction City Roller Dolls: Back to School Double Header 08.24
The second half started getting down and vicious in a very fast way. Both teams seemed to get a second wind and it showed. Jammers were pushing themselves to break the pack first, blockers were throwing hip checks and pulling great defensive plays and at times it was all I could do to keep up. … read more
Do You Know Dannic?
Dannic, the Dutch house producer supporting Hardwell on his Go Hardwell or Go Home tour, jumped on stage at the Saltair on Aug. 17 after coming straight off a plane from his show in Vegas earlier that night. I sat down for a few minutes with the up-and-coming dance music star before he took the stage, and discussed his career to date, as well as his new music. … read more
SheJumps: Bringing Magic to the Outdoors
“What great thing would you dare to accomplish if success was the only outcome?” Claire Smallwood, executive director of the non-profit organization SheJumps, repeats this phrase on the daily. Smallwood has taken the mantra to heart, and for the past five years has used the statement as a backbone for the female-driven organization that aims to increase women participation in outdoor activities. … read more
FYF Fest: Dylan Chadwick is Finally Over L.A.
Sets by the Melvins, The Breeders, Yo La Tengo, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and My Bloody Valentine copped the ideal bait for oldster journo types, while curveball appearances by obscure punk/noise vets (!!!, The Locust), up and coming taste-makers (Metz, Solange, Death Grips) and mainstream-level smashers (MGMT) made more attractive waves for those in the know at FYF Fest. … read more
FYF Fest: My Bloody Valentine Fairy Tale 08.24-25
My Bloody Valentine’s most critically acclaimed album may be called “Loveless,” but there is a tangible romance inside the static and reverb, which is why we’re here together, arms wrapped around each other. … read more
Burgerama: An Interview With Burger Records’ Sean Bohrman
Bohrman is a self-proclaimed “music nerd” and “weirdo.” Those three words in quotes could be put together to describe the Burger family. They’re a bunch of music nerd weirdos who love what they do and not much else. Burger Records is essentially a distributing company that specializes in cassette tapes, which started in 2007. “It’s taken off in a way that none of us really expected,” says Bohrman. … read more
Blitzen Trapper Take to the Hills with VII
With VII, Earley takes the listener from the open highways of American Goldwing and into the deep and dark woods of Oregon, both musically and lyrically. This is true as well considering the cover art for the album, done by Blakely Dadson, which depicts a colorful train pulling through a black forest landscape. … read more
