For the past few years, bands have been rescuing the screamo moniker from its relegated position as an evil music genre epithet, a cause furthered by Rocky Mountain District. Brandishing their swords and screams proudly, and recording their performance in brilliant lo-fi glory, any notions of the negative connotation of emo and screamo are cast aside. … read more
When it comes to long-running bands, side projects are an inevitability. But sometimes, a side project can take on a life of its own. Such is the case with Mariachi El Bronx. The offshoot of the LA punk band, The Bronx, initially began when the group was asked to perform a song acoustically for a TV appearance. Rather than taking the easy route, they came up with a mariachi arrangement of the song and unwittingly began the next chapter of the band’s existence. … read more
Desert Noises are a band that were born to perform. The four-piece plays folk-inspired indie rock with enough rhythm, reverb and harmony to fill vast, open spaces. While some local bands are content with an occasional show at Kilby or Velour, these guys have been traveling from one corner of the country to another, loading and unloading their mini-van for shows they booked themselves. Just look at their Tumblr and see how riddled it is with tour announcements, updates from the road and “dates added.”
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In the spring of 2012, after a successful Kickstarter campaign raising over $8,000, Rachel and Leigh Kade opened Frisch Compassionate Eatery. Frisch has found their niche, offering healthy, plant-based comfort food in a friendly atmosphere. Everything on the menu is lovingly prepared with fresh (local when possible) ingredients. Facebook and Twitter are constantly flooded with gorgeous photos of daily specials, luring you back time and time again. … read more
J.R. Boyce and his best pal The Lord explore the true meaning of Easter in this month’s installment of SLUG Holiday Comix. … read more
Lost in the labyrinth of 6,000-square-foot homes that litter Dimple Dell Road is a little stretch of public land tucked in a ravine called Equestrian Park. As the name suggests, horses are allowed in this park. Whenever you are within the city limits and horses are allowed in a park, you can bet that you are in a very wealthy neighborhood. This fact is what has most certainly led to the police harassment of snowboarders recently reported there. … read more
“It was a Lamar—it was the sickest board ever,” said no one, ever. Unless, perhaps, you’re Brady Larson and you’re speaking of the beginning of a decade-long love affair with snowboarding. Larson’s love story begins the same as many of ours—a 9-year-old on Christmas morning, a budget snowboard from Sports Authority and beginner lessons at Brighton. And, like many of us, his love started to grow as he became a weekend warrior through middle school and high school. … read more
Niche Snowboards founder Dustin Morrell knew that without presenting a totally new niche on the table, their dream would be short-lived. “There wasn’t a 100-percent eco-friendly company from the ground up with focus on everything that you do,” says Ana Van Pelt, Niche’s creative director. So in 2009, Salt Lake City got a little bit greener. “Simply put, we make boards that have a positive impact on the planet and snowboard industry,” Van Pelt says. … read more
In rural Utah, where I grew up, winter meant a nearly three month skating hiatus. There were no parking garages or indoor ramps to skate. We would just hope the church parking lot dried up enough to pull out our flat bars and boxes, and we’d skate the snow gaps. Shoveling a spot to skate in sub-freezing weather shows dedication, and Bolts of Thunder founder Jon Hart is one of the most dedicated people I know. … read more
My dearest SLUG readers, I fear this could be my last column, as I am writing from my deathbed. I feel like I’m dying from slowly being poisoned by our past two months of The Inversion. March has finally arrived and with it comes a cleaner, clearer city, but the pollution still lingers in my body––I can feel it! I don’t know about you, but I seem to always forget about it during the 10-month period we’re Inversion-free. I have no doubt the effects linger long after. … read more
There are certain holidays that are pretty much catered to the boozing and bar industry. But there’s one designated drinking day that seems to suck the stupid out of people more than all of them: St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe it’s because I fancy a drink a tad bit more than the average American male, but I don’t need a holiday to tell me to drink. I probably got more hammered on Flag Day than I did on all of these “holidays” combined, and I don’t even know when Flag Day is. … read more
Every winter, but especially after a particularly wet one like this year, I promise myself it’ll be my last in Salt Lake. I really love this city––I just can’t handle pedaling or driving through all this extremity-numbing precipitation. What inevitably keeps me here is the fact that I can navigate my way around this godforsaken desert without Siri holding my hand. A city doesn’t become home until you can confidently give a stranger accurate directions to the nearest, local strip club. … read more
