This is the band that created “Sensitive Kid,” so honesty and humility blend in a foot-tapping way that this concert hall could hardly hold; however, The Depot did its best and the former House of Blues sound system thumped pleasantly with tappings and noddings of all sorts. “Bulldozer” is a subtle metaphor for the types of emotions felt in these situations, but hearing it live added a level of hope to being run over completely and the lyrics became real in a way you could only appreciate by closing your eyes. … read more
Ballet West’s The Firebird @ Kingsbury Hall 11.09
Ballet West’s current season, which runs two and a half hours, is an ambitious bill, uniting the music of Stravinsky, Mozart and Gershwin. … read more
Deerhoof @ Urban Lounge 11.10 with LXMP and Palace of Buddies
Deerhoof are a bundle of paradoxes: both tightly in control in the precision of their playing and seemingly veering out of control like a car with no one behind the wheel into the chaos of oncoming traffic—conventionally rock n’ roll, yet at moments as “out there” as any experimental group. They’re sweet and playful and, at the same time, as brutal as any heavy metal band. … read more
Dax Riggs, Red Telephone, Breakers @ Urban Lounge 11.06
Last Wednesday night brought one of, if not the most, anticipated shows of the year for this fearless narrator. Dax Riggs is probably in my Capitoline Triad of music gods, which brings admittedly high expectations for a show. I’ve been to a lot of shows in my life, and you’re always prepared for a disconnect between the wind-blown fantasies in your brain and the reality. However, Wednesday was quite unusual, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t honest about it. … read more
Exceptional Shoegaze: Juval Haring of Israel’s Vaadat Charigim
“The idea for the album’s name and glue that sticks the songs together came from stargazing. I thought a lot back then about how there really is no present time. About the paradox of perception that happens when you look up at stars and are actually looking into an image of the past. The album deals with displacements like that one, with the feeling that there is no now.” … read more
The Chamber Music Society: Growing With The Modigliani Quartet
Glancing at the program, I noticed that the ages of the instruments that this quartet were going to play ranged from the newest being a 233-year-old Giovanni Battista Guadagnini violin to the oldest being a 423-year-old Luigi Mariani viola. I wondered about the different musicians hands that held and played these fine instruments through the centuries. The quartet would be performing pieces from Haydn, Dohnanyi and Debussy. … read more
Nova Chamber Music Series: The Latin Quarter and The French Quarter 11.10
Once again, the Nova Chamber Series and its director, Jason Hardink, bring new music to the Salt Lake scene with two world premiere pieces and two great French pieces. … read more
The Collective Effect: Impact Hub’s Crowd Funding Launch Party 11.14
Impact Hub is a web of exceptional city folk who relish in the idea of working close to other individuals in their community from widely varying fields. … read more
Film Review: Cold War
Every person wants to be remembered in some fashion. What Sandoval finagled down a 20-stair or what Burman did on a handrail in Philadelphia won’t be forgotten. The Zero crew stuck to their roots and put together another classic video. Cold War is a must buy for anyone who is into handrails, Minor Threat and skulls. … read more
Good Enough: Less Than Jake See the Light in 2013
“For me, it’s like you’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t—you can only write from the heart. There are people that heard our records when they were 16 years old and they heard it a certain way, and no matter what we record now it’s not going to hit them in the same way. All you can do is what comes naturally, and I think that that’s what we achieved with this new record.” … read more
Praying For Snow at the ULLR Ball, Sponsored by Voile @ The Garage 11.09
Two Norse gods were in Salt Lake City on the night of November 9, 2013. One was Urrl, the god of snow, at the Urrl Ball Save Our Canyons Benefit party and the other, a movie featuring some boring gentleman with a hammer. The idea of the benefit was to pray for snow; the purpose of the event was to protect the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch canyons, mountains and foothills. … read more
RJD2 @ The Depot 11.15 with Blockhead
RJD2 takes the stage. He has three turntables, a sample pad and a crate full of vinyl. Yes, the original, non-digital vinyl. RJ humbly introduces himself and begins his set with electronic sounds behind a Gang Starr verse. It’s the most OG way to start a party—I look at the balcony on the second floor covered with ladies moving and guys bobbing their heads and waving their arms in the air. The Depot is at its full potential and the audience is just as live as any rap concert as I’ve ever been to. … read more
