In 2004, hardcore blew up. Once that started happening, Blake Foard, member of bands such as Aftermath of a Trainwreck and Skeiff D’Bargg, and longtime show promoter, saw an opportunity to give a little something back to the community through the hardcore scene he loved. “Hardcore, to me, is helping out the people who matter most,” says Foard. That’s when the annual Sub For Santa show was born. … read more
The NOVA Chamber Music Series plays local and very new music in increasingly close measure with the rest of the program’s adventurous, but also canonical, repertoire. According to Jason Hardink, current artistic director of NOVA, “This makes NOVA a venue unlike any other musical presenter in town. It enriches your experience by putting a Utah composer’s piece beside a piece by Tchaikovsky, because you hear them both side by side.” … read more
Let’s face it: Salt Lake City’s local food scene commonly gets ignored. Among the clutter of chains and fast food joints, it’s easy to forget the marvelous local food available here in the valley. For a few years now, Becky and Josh Rosenthal, the creators behind SLC Foodie and Vintage Mixer, have been working hard to make sure we never forget that fact again. Their local food events, SLC Mixers, are bringing people and food together like never before. … read more
Mason Aeschbacher is the leader of the series of productions, which include his wife, Lorin Hansen, of Brazilian drum and dance corps Samba Fogo. Aeschbacher’s latest production entails far more than Brazilian music, however, and the project should engage a far broader audience. Aeschbacher calls the style of choreography/directing improv “Masonography,” and the first production in this style is entitled Masonography, You May Ask Yourself. … read more
Back in 1994, there was no bigger band in my mind than New York City’s Into Another. When I learned that they were reuniting to play the Revelation Records anniversary shows in California this past summer and New York this fall, I was not only elated, but also dismayed, as my current financial situation would not allow me to attend any of the shows. I suppose that the following interview with founding member and vocalist Richie Birkenhead is somewhat of a consolation prize … and a damned good one, at that. … read more
In the lastest installment of SLUG’s Holiday Comix series, Tommy Dolph explains the rituals behind everyone’s favorite November holiday, Lizardmass. … read more
Last fall, Black Tusk broke forth from the swamps of Savannah, Ga. once again to unleash their fourth album, Set The Dial, upon the world.Black Tusk have become known for combining various aspects of aggressive music and filtering them through their Southern roots to create a style of metal as crushing as it is fun. “I don’t just listen to metal music by any means. That’s why we don’t just sound metal all the time,” says drummer James May. “We don’t hang out in graveyards or worship the devil. We just do it in a fun way.” … read more
Nicknames are a funny thing, and they rarely make any sense. There are people like Derek Dennison, whose first and last names both begin with the letter “D.” Why does it seem so natural to refer to these individuals as “Double D?” The “Double D” exclusivity in this category of nicknames led me to investigate—which can only mean I did a Google. Lots of hits came up—that’s a good Google right there. … read more
Action sports films have become the centerpieces of their respective industries. The defining moments of an entire season are compiled into 60 minutes of adrenaline-pumping cinema aimed at getting your attention. For nearly a decade, PowderWhore Productions (PWP), a dedicated and seemingly unassuming group of snow riders, has been honing their craft and delivering top-caliber films for the discerning public. … read more
I have very little time to shoot skateboarding these days. I no longer have day-long skate sessions that cover half the valley, shooting photos here and there as we happen upon spots. These days, photos are planned out as much as possible to minimize the time taken away from my family. This photograph was imagined and planned out, down to every detail. I called up Matt because, in my experience, he can usually produce whatever trick I throw at him. He’s that good. … read more
Every Thanksgiving, as I begrudgingly sit through another family get-together, a little unofficial tradition unfolds. Usually, my dad starts off by saying something like, “Alright, we are going to go around the table and each say one thing we are thankful for and why.” This leads me to share with you readers some of the things in my life that I am truly thankful for: things that I can’t necessarily share at the dinner table, but that make my already awesome life more awesomer. … read more
Quite simply, a kiki is a party where you sit around with your besties and talk shit on people. It’s part of a vintage gay dialect created in the ’80s among the ghetto fabulous ballroom culture. In the heyday of these “Paris balls” in the late ’80s, a Ms. Jennie Livingstone thought it would be interesting enough to make a documentary called Paris Is Burning, and I, for one, am glad she did, ’cause it’s one of the most important pieces of documented history of gay subculture. … read more
