The Shivas @ Diabolical Records 10.29 with Super 78

The Wednesday before Halloween, I found myself at Diabolical Records for the first time, surprised by the tiny crowd. I arrived promptly at 9 p.m. and could hear the first note struck from the alley, as Salt Lake’s Super 78 had taken the stage and began play. From that first tune I heard from the alley, I knew I was going to dig this band. … read more

Rapture and Fascination: Erasure @ Capitol Theatre 10.29

Rapture and Fascination

Bell truly sounds magnificent and it is something watching him perform in person. One of our generation’s best blue-eyed soul singers, his technical voice is a marvel. Taking another unexpected curve, Clarke starts up the dark engines of Tomorrow’s World’s bitchy “I Lose Myself,” and Bell looks like he’s having a blast singing it. … read more

Punk Rock Halloween 2014 @ Diabolical Records 10.31 with Chalk, Foster Body, Problem Daughter, Prince Polo

Luigi Ghersi (Chalk) dressed up as Kurt Cobain at Punk Rock Halloween 2014.

Every party or night of heavy partaking prior to All Hallows’ Eve is a stepping stone to build the tolerance of the faithful for the ultimate celebration of horror-filled thrills and chills.  By this, I mean the traditional celebration of paying respect to the great punk bands of years before by playing the devil’s music for Punk Rock Halloween. … read more

Creature Feature: Lisa Dank – Drag Thing

Lisa Dank

Lisa Dank was born in Ogden and, three years ago, came to Salt Lake with wide, white eyes and a Trapper Keeper full of bright, bratty personality. Dank, who prefers male pronouns in and outside of performance, was soon spotted onstage at Pure (now Hydrate) by Cartel Chameleon Fenice, who was recruiting performers for a fledgling performance collective affectionately called the Bad Kids. … read more

Drunk History: Who Knew That History Could Be Funny?

Drunk History

Derek Waters and his friend Jake Johnson (now Nick Miller from New Girl) got into a drunken discussion over the great Otis Redding. Johnson was trying to convince him that Otis knew he was going to die on the plane, and Waters started thinking about how funny it would be for Redding to re-enact the story in front of a camera, and trying to convince the audience that it had actually never happened. … read more