Month: January 2012
Godina
If it’s nighttime in Salt Lake City, Justin Godina is working hard on some Technics—either DJing as he does at residencies, six nights out of the week, or in his basement fixing the broken mechanisms that make the workhorse tables of the industry tick. His instrument is the 1200s, and he’s known as the “Mad Scientist of the 1200s,” after the infamous Technics SL-1200 turntables that he both plays on as a DJ and repairs as a hobby. … read more
The Slackers: Rude and Reckless Radio Rebels
The Slackers aren’t a ska band. They aren’t a reggae band, or a punk band, or a garage rock band. According to vocalist/organist Vic Ruggiero, they’re a “Jamaican rock n’ roll” band. In listening to the band’s vast discography, you’ll find bits of The Velvet Underground crossing over with The Upsetters grooves, psychedelia mixing with dub, and Motown taking some heavy hints from Studio One. … read more
Mike Brown: Occupy NBA
One night while I was balls deep in a sea of Jim Beam and Budweiser at one of my favorite downtown dives, the Jackalope, I was checking my twitter feed, which was flooded with #OccupyWallStreet crap. Then it struck me—I could single-handedly save basketball. #OccupyNBA was born. It was time to take action. … read more
Ghost: Gathering the Black Masses
Ghost emerged in 2008, playing live shows clad in cloaks with their faces covered, their frontman adorned in a demonic pope outfit and skull-painted face. Speculation immediately came from fans and cynics: Are Ghost a gimmick, or something more sinister? In an interview with one of Ghost’s Nameless Ghouls, I attempted to unravel the mystery behind the band. … read more
Salty Lyrics and Love Songs
The Growlers, based out of Costa Mesa, play spooky, slowed-down surf pop. It’s an unexpectedly morose sound, considering their proximity to the beach, great surfing and ample sunshine. This spring sees the band touring through Salt Lake City on March 8, playing Austin’s SXSW, the sold out, two-weekend-long Coachella, and releasing their third album, Hung at Heart. … read more
Film Festival Circus: An Interview with Paul Rachman
For the past 17 years, Paul Rachman has made the trek to Park City every January to be a part of what he describes as the film festival “circus” that overtakes the small mountain town. Rachman helped found Slamdance Film Festival in the mid-’90s and currently serves as the Festival’s east coast director. “[It’s] important to me because there is a tight community of people helping each other,” he says. … read more
Man of Many Masks: An Interview with Julian Carr
Julian Carr is a man of many masks—pro skier, entrepreneur, college graduate, published writer and world record holder. He is also a man of dedication and commitment, traits that helped him achieve his success both as a professional skier and as owner of Discrete Headwear. Through all this, he’s still humble and unassuming, grounded in his love and passion for skiing. … read more
Photo Feature: Bode Merrill
Bode Merrill recently told me about his affection for dubstep and raves. That is the moment I knew he was into drugs. Perhaps I’m jumping to conclusions here and underestimating the amount of head trauma he’s sustained from snowboarding. I decided to do some research into this second theory and found that Bode actually has his very own blog dedicated to one of the nastiest of all snowboarding wrecks—the scorpion. … read more
Live Dew-ds: Exposing Snowbasin
From February 9-12, some of the world’s biggest names in skiing and snowboarding will be returning to Utah. Over the past years, this particular stop has proven successful—breaking attendance records daily and providing Snowbasin with a ton of exposure. In order to learn how this competition found its way to Utah, I met with the guys behind the scenes and spent a day on the hill. … read more
Skateboards: A Magnet for Crazy
If there is a crazy bum in my general area, they’ll usually head straight for me and spark up a conversation. It doesn’t matter if I have a skateboard or not—bums love to talk to me—but the attraction is especially strong with a skateboard. At first, I thought it was something about my personality. I just naturally emitted some scent or aura that drew crazy people to me. Eventually, though, I realized it’s something to do with being a skateboarder. … read more