Localized – Staks O’Lee, Puddle Mountain Ramblers and Ugly Valley Boys

Roots music has always had a strong foothold in Salt Lake. With our rural history and independent spirit, folk, bluegrass, blues and country have all found a home here. We’re lucky enough to have the rough and gruff, down and dirty Ugly Valley Boys and the cotton lickin’, finger pickin’ Puddle Mountain Ramblers on June 8 for Localized this month at Urban Lounge with opener Staks O’Lee. … read more

Beer Match Challenge

You’re a grocery store clerk, and your drunken shoppers have dropped all their beer right before beer o’clock. They want to get checked out lickety-split, and you need to satisfy the customer before the hour strikes. Since they’re too inebriated to function, it’s up to you to get the right beer with the right person out the door. It’s now time for the Beer Match Challenge! … read more

The True Skateboarders Behind Blood Wizard

There are people who ride skateboards, and then there are skateboarders. It sounds redundant, but it’s true. Toad is a true skateboarder. Toad’s been around since the “back-in-the-day” days and still skateboards. Toad is the kind of person skateboarders want to run skateboard companies. Luckily for us skateboarders, in the year of our lord 2012, we have Blood Wizard Skateboards. … read more

Local Reviews: Despite Despair / Gunner

Squealing guitars and gritty breakdowns dot the mathcore landscape of this local split, which showcases two bands with similar influences to create undeniably different, but thematically similar music. Despite Despair begins with “Elohim,” a short track which starts slow and somber, with twangy, dissonant grooves reminiscent of Pelican’s Australasia. … read more

Desert Edge Brewery at The Pub

Appealing to business professionals, casual eaters and college students on a budget, “The Pub,” as it is also known, is a great casual-dining gastro-pub that caters to a clientele as diverse as its menu. Opened in 1973, The Pub is considered a Salt Lake original and has kept its loyal following by staying true to its “from scratch” recipes, casual vibe and continuing its tradition of award-winning craft brews. … read more

Local Reviews: Dirtbags Don’t Die

Dirtbags Don’t Die reminds me of those Hellcat Records compilations, Give ‘Em the Boot, which were full of all sorts of punk, hardcore, ska and a ton of other genres. Dirtbags Don’t Die can blast out top-notch punk rock, like on “Suckerpunch,” and the next thing you know, they’re seamlessly slipping into a laid-back ska tune like “I Remember.” … read more

SLUG Bug Red Beer Recipe

When SLUG asked The Beer Nut to create a recipe, we wanted something sticky, juicy and memorable. We formulated an American red ale, loaded with rich, malty goodness and a blast of citrusy hop flavor. At 5.9 percent ABV, this ale satisfies the desire for a rich, full-bodied beer without knocking you off your skateboard. (Note: Don’t drink beer on a skateboard—you could spill some.) We’ve compiled two versions of the recipe: an all-grain and a mini-mash/extract version. … read more

Letterpressed with Love: The Mandate Press

Ben Webster, who founded The Mandate Press in 2004, studied graphic design in college, graduated to land a job working in a modern print shop helping with pre-press, and eventually took a letterpress class through the University of Utah’s Book Arts Program. “The appeal is that impression, that tactile quality,” he says. “You experience something that has been letterpressed: You can see it, you can feel it—it has some character to it. It has some soul.” … read more