SLUG Contributor Limelight
November 28, 2009
Contributor Limelight: Ricky Vigil
Ricky Vigil started at SLUG Magazine back in 2006 as an intern. Mr. Vigil is the man that spearheaded the issue archiving project, poaching the U of U‘s scanners to accomplish it. Since that time Vigil has climbed the corporate SLUG ladder from intern, to monkey with computer, to office coordinator and finally to his newest position – Editorial Assistant. Every month Vigil is the man responsible for getting SLUG Magazine on the web. Over the years, Vigil has penned many a piece for the pages of this rag—Hepcat, Chuck Ragan and Propagandhi being some of the most recent. His cartooning skills aren’t bad either.
Articles by contributor
Reviews: Transplants – In a Warzone
After breaking up in 2005, shortly after the release of their second album Haunted Cities (I would’ve broken up after that album too…), this rap/punk supergroup has returned with a fun (if kinda dumb) new album. … read more
Reviews: The Bronx – IV
After releasing two albums as their mariachi alter ego, these L.A. rockers have returned with a bit less snarl, but still plenty of swagger. … read more
Reviews: Lemuria – The Distance Is So Big
Masters of melancholy adorableness, Lemuria’s third LP sounds as though it could be a long-lost relic of early ‘90s indie rock—and that’s a good thing. … read more
Reviews: Baroness – Live at Maida Vale
Collecting four tracks recorded live from Baroness’ 2012 album Yellow & Green, Live at Maida Vale showcases the band embracing their expansion beyond their sludgy origins. … read more
Reviews: Deafheaven – Sunbather
Beyond words and beyond genres, Sunbather is a transcendent collection of music that simultaneously channels a wide spectrum of emotion. … read more
Reviews: Hot Water Music – Live in Chicago
Hot Water Music = Small Brown Bike + Avail + Polar Bear Club
Recorded live over two nights shortly after these raspy-voiced rapscallions reunited following a two-year hiatus, Live in Chicago is an amazing document for hardcore HWM fans. … read more
Review: Torche – Restarter
Torche = Big Business + Black Tusk + Kylesa … read more
Review: Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy
Titus Andronicus = Desaparecidos + Fucked Up + Andrew Jackson Jihad … read more
Review: Sundowner – Neon Fiction
Themes of coldness, loss and drifting permeate the album, but there is a wistfulness that seems almost hopeful. Neon Fiction lacks some of the more aggressive songs from previous Sundowner albums, but it is easily the most consistent and fully realized album under the name yet. … read more
Review: Russian Circles – Guidance
Russian Circles = Pelican + This Will Destroy You + Mogwai … read more
Review: Red Fang – Whales & Leeches
Somehow, Red Fang has become louder. They have become heavier. They have become more bad ass. Red Fang is more Red Fang than Red Fang has ever been. … read more
Review: Piñata Protest – El Valiente
Opening with a 45-second intro declaring Piñata Protest “los mas chingones de la musica norteña punk,” El Valiente certainly delivers on that description. … read more
Review: Nails – Abandon All Life
Some days, you want to light the world on fire. Abandon All Life landed on my lap on one such day, and luckily, its eighteen-minute running length was far too brief for me to make it to the nearest flame thrower dispensary, because shit would’ve gone down. … read more
Review: Masked Intruder – Self-Titled
Masked Intruder = Teenage Bottlerocket + The Riverdales + The Steinways … read more
Review: Kvelertak – Nattesferd
Kvelertak = The Sword + Mastodon + Black Star Riders … read more
Review: Less Than Jake – Greetings & Salutations
Whether you’re holed up at the Missionary Training Center or just dream of being there someday, this latest collection from Gainesville’s favorite ska-punk sons will help you get through those lonely nights. … read more
Local Reviews: Fever Dreams
Even though they’re from St. George, I’m pretty sure that anytime Fever Dreams play a show in their hometown, we’d be able to hear ‘em all the way up in Salt Lake. This is dirty, mean, evil shit. … read more
Local Reviews: Huldra
After an EP and a split with fellow locals Dustbloom, Huldra have finally released a proper full-length, and it’s a beast. It’s bigger. It’s louder. It’s more intense. It’s simply more of everything Huldra does well. … read more
Local Review: SubRosa – More Constant Than the Gods
Haunting in their beauty, SubRosa are simply one of the best bands in dark and heavy music. More Constant Than the Gods follows the highly celebrated No Help For the Mighty Ones, and carries on the same level of excellence found on that album. … read more
Local Review: MCKC – Is OK
MCKC = Bad Astronaut + Toh Kay + Frank Turner
… read more
Local Review: Juse – Concentrate This!
Juse Concentrate This! Self-Released Street: 09.01 Juse = Social Distortion + Rancid + The Offspring Juse (pronounced like “Juice”) have been throwing out their brand of punk influenced rock in Ogden for almost four years. With Concentrate This!, Juse presents some interesting songs with plenty of energy, but it’s a little too rough around the
Local Review: Bandhood – Self-titled
Bandhood = Torche + Hot Rod Circuit + A Perfect Circle
… read more
Local Review: A Civil Reaction – Self-Titled
A Civil Reaction = Adolescents + Bad Religion + Anti-Flag … read more
Crucialfest Picks
Now in its third year, Crucial Fest is Salt Lake City’s own annual music festival featuring punk rock, hardcore, hip-hop, heavy metal and more. For 2013, Crucial Fest is expanding yet again. Taking place from June 26 through 29, and now being sponsored by the City, Crucial Fest 2013 will feature over 60 bands playing at seven venues across four days. Local heroes, national touring bands, handpicked headliners and first-timers will all be represented at this year’s fest, and SLUG spoke with Head Festival Organizer Jarom Bischoff about some of the bands he’s most excited to see perform at this year’s installment. … read more
Comic: How to Be An Ally During Quarantine
For our Amplify Black Voices issue, the latest SLUG comic finds Ricky Vigil exploring how to be an ally during quarantine. … read more
Review: Boris – Dear
Boris = Sunn O))) + Earth + Melvins … read more
Review: Black Tusk – Tend No Wounds
Though Tend No Wounds may not be treading much new ground, it is a testament to Black Tusk’s consistency. For best results, pair with whiskey and/or beer, moshing and friends. … read more
Review: Against Me! – True Trans EP
The True Trans EP is an acoustic teaser for the band’s forthcoming full-length, featuring a pair of songs with excellent titles (“FuckMyLife666,” “True Trans Soul Rebel”) and weighty subject matter, but not a whole lot of punch. … read more
Art in the Hood: Positive Community Transformation
Art in the Hood hopes to be more than just an art exhibit—it aims to be something that reacts to the negative impact of displacement in the community. … read more
Walking the Path of Black Lantern with Chris Bodily
Black Lantern is truly epic—the first book clocks in at 250 pages—and Bodily estimates it will take him three more volumes to tell the story. … read more
What’s 24-Hour Comics Day?
On Oct. 5, celebrate 24-Hour Comics Day! This nearly 30-year tradition is an international call to a uniquely challenging task for comic creators. … read more
Talkin’ Tortilla Comix with Jaime Crespo
Jaime Crespo has been creating comics for over 30 years, and you can feel the love he has for the medium in the newest issue of his self-published work. … read more
Local Reviews: The Upstarts
Finally, a band that proves that Utah ska doesn’t need to be the realm of high school band nerds with a Reel Big Fish fetish! The Upstarts deliver some seriously awesome ska, chock full of soul and a whole heap of energy. … read more
Crucial Comix: By Ricky Vigil
“Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we were once cool. Responsibility gets in the way of rock n’ roll.” … read more
Local Reviews: Fews & Two
Fews & Two are a young band, but this 8-song EP is a light of hope for all fans of Jamaican-influenced music in our fine state. Fews & Two’s steady, heavy rhythms, smooth, jazzy horns and sexy female vocals bring to mind visions of smoky bars, full of people swaying, stomping and sweating the night away. … read more
Local Reviews: �O Dear Sarcasm!
One of the coolest things about punk rock is that anyone can make it. However, since anyone can make punk rock, chances are someone has already said whatever you have to say. ODS have plenty to say, and they say it loud, fast and hard, but it just doesn’t stand out from the pack. … read more
Local Reviews: Dubbed/Bombs & Beating Hearts
While I still stand firmly by my assertion that most local punk rock sucks, I’d be lying if I said this release is anything but awesome. Recorded live in the Dubbed band room, this split finds two of Utah’s finest punk bands at their best, even if they are a little drunk (Dubbed) or a little rough around the edges (Bombs & Beating Hearts). … read more
Local Reviews: Shaky Trade
I don’t know about you, but when I think about Ogden, the first thing that comes to mind is funk. Well, maybe the first thing that comes to mind is poverty, then drug use, then crime, then funk, but I’m sure they’re all related somehow. … read more
Local Reviews: The Skaficionados
In the great tradition of affixing “ska” to the front of already existing words (Skalloween, Skanksgiving, Skanukkah, Skarbor Day), The Skaficionados keep third-wave ska alive in a world that just doesn’t give a crap. … read more
Local Reviews: The Naked Eyes
There’s something undeniably cool and timeless about blues-influenced rock and roll. As long as whiskey, cigarettes and broken hearts are en vogue, bands like The Naked Eyes will be around to provide the soundtrack to perfectly hazy nights. … read more
Local Reviews: ODS
The appealing aspects of that band ODS didn’t like the vaguely negative review I wrote about their EP a few months ago, so I’ll be a lot more blunt about this one: it sucks. Well, that might not be an entirely accurate reflection of my feelings. I sure as hell don’t like this album, but I also don’t hate it. In fact, it stirs no emotional response in me whatsoever. … read more
Local Reviews: The Mooks
For nerdy, awkward, sexually frustrated teen males, there is no better genre than the kind of pop-punk with “whoa-ohs” and only three chords. On The Snuggle Sessions, The Mooks have created a style of music that makes me want to go back and relive the part of my life when I listened to The Descendents and The Ramones every day, but without the part where talking to girls almost made me throw up. … read more
Local Reviews: Two and a Half White Guys
Given the average lifespan of most local bands, and especially local ska bands, it’s amazing that Two and Half White Guys are still around. What’s even more amazing is that they’re still really, really good. On the Gringos’ new album, they use their signature blend of ska and jazz as a base and jump around the musical spectrum a bit. … read more
Local Reviews: Vanzetti Crime
Let’s face it: local punk and ska bands, as a general rule, are pretty shitty. Of course there are always exceptions, but more often than not, local punk bands tend to be drunken, untalented idiots, and local ska bands tend to be goofy kids whose religious upbringing keeps them from being drunken, untalented idiots. … read more
Local Reviews: Illegal Beagle
Hey, non-traditional ska bands in Utah: this is how you’re supposed to be doing it. The members of Illegal Beagle seem to have ignored nearly all of the ska made during their lifetimes and pick it up right after the two-tone movement, injecting an urgency and attitude into ska while keeping the rhythm in tact. … read more
SLUG Fashion Comix
This month’s SLUG Comix is dedicated to DIY punk fashion and is a reminder to fellow punks out there that the majority of punk fashion is simply owning it. … read more
Local Reviews: Dirty Vespuccis
There are a few reasons why I’ve avoided so-called “street punk” for most of my life. First of all, I don’t really have the body type to pull off skin-tight leopard print pants. … read more
Local Reviews: Tijuana Bible
Holy crap, this is really from Provo? And 2010? As boring and pussy-fied as the Salt Lake music scene can seem, Provo has it a lot worse, so hearing some ‘80s style hardcore coming from Happy Valley is pretty awesome. Tijuana Bible’s debut (which is only available on cassette) takes the simple fury of early Dischord bands, throws in the toughness and gang vocals of early New York hardcore and tops it all off with the thrashiness and humor of SoCal skate punk. … read more
Boris
In July, Sargent House remastered and reissued the album with a bonus album, Forbidden Songs, which was recorded at the same time as PINK. The band will embark on a US tour in which they will perform the album, including a momentous show on Aug. 20 in SLC. … read more
Flying High with The Falcon
In September 2006, Chicago punk rock supergroup The Falcon released their first full-length album, Unicornography. Featuring Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy of The Lawrence Arms and Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio, it was a sometimes goofy, sometimes dark, always energetic album that united internet punks the world over. … read more
Halloween in Summer: Building a Frightening Magna Main
In addition to offering local ghouls the opportunity to celebrate their favorite holiday more than once a year, the Halloween in Summer Festival has led to the added bonus of creating community among businesses on Magna Main Street and the town’s residents. … read more
Local Reviews: Parallax
Mediums and Messages was originally released on CD in 2006, shortly after the tragic death of Parallax vocalist Blake Donner. Five years later, the band is reissuing the album on vinyl and playing one final show in Provo (with Jeff Jensen, who filled in on vocals for a year following Donner’s passing) before laying Parallax to rest. … read more
Goldmine: Collector’s Curse
Bad news: Your grandma’s dead. Good news: You’ve inherited box after box of her dusty old LPs! Score! You’ve seen the vinyl displays at the front of Urban Outfitters and Barnes & Noble, so you know that vinyl is a hot commodity—Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin reissues are big business. … read more
Local Reviews: Jesus or Genome
Jesus or Genome is the new project from Mike Cundick, guitarist and occasional screamer of local rockers Loom. Those expecting the same sharp guitar licks and chaotic energy of Cundick’s other band are in for a surprise, as Jesus or Genome is a much more mellow affair, featuring only Cundick’s voice over an acoustic guitar. … read more
Budos Mayhem — Interview with Jared Tankel
The Budos Band are like the slightly-neglected stepchildren of the Daptone Records roster. Sure, they sport the same soulful pedigree as retro royalty like Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, but like any good stepchild of the 70s, they also worshipped at the altar of Black Sabbath, and somehow got their hands on some Fela Kuti
Review: New Brunswick, New Jersey, Goodbye
The radical idealism of punk rock is all well and good when you’re a kid , but when you’ve suddenly got bills and rent, it’s pretty hard to smash the state. Ronen Kauffman is the kind of guy that gives me hope. … read more
Nobrow: Art, Coffee and Community
As I sat and spoke with Joe Evans in nobrow Coffee and Tea, he kept his eyes on the front door. Whenever a customer would walk in, Joe would spring to his feet, often greeting the shop’s denizens by name and knowing just what they meant when they asked for “the usual.” He answered ringing
Localized: The Lionelle
On Friday, June 8th SLUG Magazine is hosting the first ever all-ages Localized at Kilby Court. The show will feature Kid Theodore, The Lionelle and opener Paul Jacobson. Door are at six, music starts at seven and it will end early enough that anyone over 21 will be able to attend the regular Localized at
Localized: Kid Theodore
On Friday, June 8th SLUG Magazine is hosting the first ever all-ages Localized at Kilby Court. The show will feature Kid Theodore, The Lionelle and opener Paul Jacobson. Door are at six, music starts at seven and it will end early enough that anyone over 21 will be able to attend the regular Localized at
Thunderfist
Jeremy Cardenas – Vocals Erik Stevens – Drums Mick Mayo – Bass Jeff Haskins – Guitar Mike Sasich – Guitar Thunderfist was put on this planet for one reason and one reason alone: TO ROCK! Singer/guitarist Jeremy Cardenas describes the band’s sound as “straight-ahead rock and roll,” and he ain’t lying. Gig posters of Turbonegro
Chasing Cuban Ballerinas with Chicken from Dead to Me
You might get the idea that Dead To Me is some kind of sappy inspirational band more apt to play self-help seminars than sweaty punk clubs, but their music makes it clear that punk rock can be about more than hating everything and everyone around you. … read more
Review: The Queers are Here
The Queers The Queers are Here MVD Street: 02.20 For hardcore Queers fan, The Queers are Here is the coolest thing since Love Songs for the Retarded. Frontman Joe Queer and an endlessly revolving lineup of others have been making simple Ramones-esque pop-punk for over twenty years now, and The Queers are Here serves as
Top 5 Hardcore Post-Punk Albums of 2015
Coliseum frontman Ryan Patterson mentioned that the visceral nature of hardcore “makes it temporary,” so where do hardcore musicians go from there? The answer is post-punk! You can catch up on the hardcore prerequisites that help make for stellar post-punk albums with this list. … read more
Local Reviews: 004
The Utah ska scene of the ’90s is fondly remembered (well… by some people), and the likes of Stretch Armstrong and My Man Friday have remained in the collective consciousness of local ska nerds over the years, but 004—quite possibly Utah’s first ska band—seems to have been forgotten. Hopefully, this great collection of 004’s music will rectify that injustice. … read more
Titus Andronicus: Forever And Ever And Ever
The Who. Pink Floyd. Titus Andronicus. If you think one of these bands doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the others, you clearly haven’t listened to The Most Lamentable Tragedy. The fourth album by New Jersey’s Titus Andronicus is a 29-song rock opera presented in five acts, following our hero’s confrontation
Local Reviews: Huldra
Clocking in at nearly 45 minutes, this might be the longest EP I’ve ever heard—but I’m totally okay with that. Huldra’s sound is firmly cemented in the spacey, weighty grounds of post-metal where ISIS and Neurosis trod before them, their songs building and crashing over striking keyboard passages, and punctuated by bellowing howls. … read more
Local Reviews: Budnick
I was immediately drawn to this local pop-punk EP for three reasons: 1. The band is named after the red-mulleted prankster from the classic kids’ TV series, Salute Your Shorts, 2. Closing track “Who Wrote Holden McNeil?” is a reference to both Screeching Weasel and Chasing Amy, 3. The cover art by notable punk artist Cristy Road is pretty rad. … read more
Local Reviews: Dustbloom/Huldra
Ah, the split album—it’s a perfect way to showcase new bands and display the diversity of a musical community. This split features three songs apiece and a collaborative track from two of Salt Lake’s most exciting bands in the world of aggressive music. … read more
Local Review: Problem Daughter
Problem Daughter has been cranking out solid punk rock tunes since 2008, and this self-titled release proves that punks can still progress. The opening trio of songs (particularly “Church Bitch”) channels the melodic style of punk rock championed by bands from the Bay Area and/or Gainseville and eaten up by frequenters of punknews.org. … read more
A Conversation with The Falcon’s Brendan Kelly: Grown-Up Punk Philospher
The side-project is an interesting beast in the world of punk rock. More often than not, it serves as an excuse for any given frontman to break out the acoustic guitar and contemplate their own existence in an overly pretentious and boring manner. Other times, the side band will stray so far from the original
A Fire-Side Chat with Tim Barry
"I guess this is gonna be the kitchen then!" Tim Barry sat himself down on a cooler full of Milwaukee’s Best and rested his guitar on his leg. His show with Drag the River that night at Kilby Court had been cancelled, and even though Tim knew he wasn’t going to make any money, he
Kristy Kruger
Regardless of political affiliation or personal ideology, I think most people can agree on one thing: War sucks. War ultimately leads to the deaths of good, honest people, and the loss of those people often has a profound effect on those who love them. … read more
Gaslight Anthem Show Review
Salt Lake City, I’m mighty disappointed in you. At the Gaslight Anthem’s first ever show in our fine city, they were greeted by a grand total of 10 people, four of whom were members of opening band Signal to Noise. … read more
Less Than Jake Show Review
Going to ska-punk shows does two things to me: 1. They make me feel old and 2. They make me feel relatively attractive. Ska-punk is an inherently dorky genre of music, and sad though it may be, the dorky tend to be less attractive than the non-dorky. Now I’m not saying that I’m a prime cut of 100% American Male myself, but goddamn those ugly kids sure made me feel good about myself (operative word being “kids”). … read more
Strung Out Show Review
I should really know better than to show up at In the Venue at the advertised start time. Doors were supposed to open for this show at 7, so I decide to show up around 7:30 only to be greeted by a giant fucking line of people still waiting to get in. … read more
Tiger Army Show Review: 10.26.07
Have you ever really liked a band, but when they started to get more popular and more successful, they just seemed to get worse and worse? Well, I can think of about five times that this has happened to me over the last few years, but Tiger Army is the most recent band to lose a bit of their magic for me. … read more
Westbound Train Show Review
It’s been about ten years since the ill-fated ska explosion of the late 1990s, and it seems that the world is finally willing to give the genre a chance again. Hellcat Records’ ska and reggae roster might be down to only two bands, but when those bands are as good as The Aggrolites and Westbound Train, you really don’t need anyone else. … read more
NOFX @ In the Venue
NOFX After releasing a live album called “I Heard They Suck Live” 10 years ago and following it up with “They’ve Actually Gotten Worse Live” last year, NOFX are well aware of the criticism directed towards their live performances. Having only seen NOFX at a pair of Warped Tours, I was generally in agreement with
TV On The Radio @ In The Venue
TV on the Radio 09.13.08 In the Venue with Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson Most people go through their lives entirely within their own comfort zones. They do the same things every day, talk to the same people, go to the same places, and listen to the same music. A life without variation may be a
The Loved Ones @ Kilby Court
The Loved Ones 10.04.08 Kilby Court with Jackson United, Beat Union Since the inception of punk rock, it has been combined with virtually every other vaguely underground musical genre. Metal, ska, country, reggae and hip-hop have all been meshed with punk over the past thirty years, but it was only recently that good old classic
Henry Rollins @ The Murray Theater
Henry Rollins 11.10.08 Murray Theater Henry Rollins When I was fifteen, Henry Rollins was my god. Not only was Rollins in one of the angriest punk rock bands of all time (Black Flag, of course), but he was also one of the angriest writers I’d ever read. Plus, he provided the voice for a character
Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice @ Saltair
Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice and The Gaslight Anthem 11.11.08 The Great Saltair Thrice (courtesy of myspace.com/thrice) I still remember doing my usual check on 24 tix.com for new and upcoming shows and having to rub my eyes a few times to make sure I was seeing was true I saw when I read the
Chris Murray: The Full Interview
Here’s the complete text of my interview with Chris Murray, Head over to chrismurray.net for more info on the prolific one-man ska band and check out unstrictlyroots.com to learn more about Murray’s record label. Be sure to check out the feature on Murray in the December 2008 issue of SLUG and catch his performance with
Online Exclusive Interview: Chuck Ragan
For the better part of the 1990s and the early 2000s, Chuck Ragan was one of the gruff-voiced, impassioned and intense frontmen for Hot Water Music, one of the greatest bands to ever come out of the punk rock mecca of Gainesville, Florida. When the band went on hiatus in 2005, Ragan ducked out of
Warped Tour 09 Review
We went to the Boise, ID date of the 2009 Warped Tour so we wouldn’t miss Craft Lake City. It was basically like attending the show in SLC, but more people were wearing camo.
… read more
Set Your Goals @ Murray Theater
Let’s get this out of the way: I fucking love Set Your Goals. They’re fusion of pop-punk and hardcore topped off with positive lyrics shouldn’t work at all, but it’s really, really good. … read more
Concert | Music | Show Reviews
Kylesa @ V2
Even though I’ve had my newfound fondness for metal for about a year, I haven’t been to any metal shows in that time. This show changed all of that. The chance to see Kylesa, one of my favorite newly-discovered metal bands, play at a venue I had never been to a crowd I had no idea how to interact with seemed like a perfectly logical step in my progression into full metal immersion. … read more
Mastodon @ Saltair
After years of derision as the preferred means of entertainment of suburban meatheads and scandinavian church burners, metal has been accepted by the masses. It’s unsurprising that one of the fall’s biggest tours is a metal-based affair, co-headlined by a fictional band with serious chops and one of the most successful metal bands in recent memory. Even though most of the audience was in attendance only for Dethklok, they were gonna get an incredible showcase of heavy music, whether they liked it or not. … read more
Strike Anywhere @ Club Sound
Bridge Nine Records has done an excellent job of expanding its roster to further reaches of hardcore over the past few years, and even though this tour didn’t necessarily feature the style of music that the label has come to be known for, it was an excellent lineup that reflects the the risks the label has been taking in challenging the traditional hardcore aesthetic. … read more
Against Me! Interview
Over the past ten years, there has been no band as divisive in the punk rock world as Against Me!. I spoke with frontman Tom Gabel a few dates into their current tour with Silversun Pickups (stopping at The Rail on July 27th) about the band’s new lineup, their new album, and their relationship with fans and the media. … read more
Against Me! @ The Rail
Ostensibly, I was at this show to review the Henry Clay People’s performance, but the poppy Californian party-rockers literally played their last notes as I entered the venue. My disappointment was short-lived, as Against Me!, one of my favorite bands of all time, was set to take the stage next. The early start time meant I’d be home by 9:00 and able to keep my strict, geriatric-lite sleep schedule and be in bed by 11:00. Score. … read more
Cobra Skulls @ Kilby Court
To put it bluntly, Cobra Skulls—their name, logo, music and everything they entail—are completely bad ass. Hints of psychobilly, reggae, country, ska and good old rock n’ roll all influence their music, but Cobra Skulls play pure punk rock that is smart enough not to take itself too seriously. … read more
Anamanaguchi @ Urban Lounge
Meet Anamanaguchi: a Brooklyn-based band who substitute amps for old-school Nintendo systems, creating a rockin’ symphony of blips and bloops that sound like what might happen if Ratatat fucked a Game Boy–but in a good way. I had seen live videos of pasty-skinned, acne-covered kids losing their shit at Anamanaguchi shows, so I was excited to see these guys play at Urban. … read more
Bitter and Then Some: Touche Amore Interview
Welcome to the first edition of Bitter and Then Some, the latest in a series of weekly metal blogs brought to you by SLUG. This week we have an interview with Touche Amore, whose second album was released on June 7th via Deathwish and who will be in town on June 13th. Also included are a rundown of this busy week full of events, blog exclusive reviews, relevant videos and links to streaming music. … read more
Bitter and Then Some: Liturgy Interview
Welcome to the second installment of Bitter and Then Some, bringing you the falsest of false metal on a non-regular basis! This week we have an extended interview with the controversial Brooklyn-based black metallers Liturgy, a very sparse rundown of metal events happening this week and a few blog exclusive reviews from SLUG’s own Dylan Chadwick. … read more
Smoking Popes @ In the Venue 07.12
Snatched up by a major label in the wake of Green Day’s mainstream breakthrough, The Smoking Popes are one of the great under-appreciated punk bands of the ‘90s. They took the basic blueprint of Lookout! Records pop punk and filtered it through the romantic and soulful vocals of crooners like Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, creating a sound that is truly their own. … read more
Bitter and Then Some: All Pigs Must Die
This week we have an interview with Kevin Baker of All Pigs Must Die, who are releasing their full-length debut via Southern Lord on August 16. Also included is a rundown of this week’s metal happenings around Salt Lake, a stream of the new singles collection from screamo pioneers Pg.99 and extended reviews of new albums from Ringworm and Harm’s Way by Dylan Chadwick. … read more
Napalm Flesh: Heartless Interview
Welcome to yet another edition of Napalm Flesh. This week we have an interview with Pittsburgh hardcore crew Heartless. Also included are excluxive reviews of music from The Afternoon Gentlemen, Cradle of Filth, The Dead Lay Waiting, Hummingbird of Death/Titanarum, and Untimely Demise. And, as always, we have a rundown of this week’s metal happenings in Salt Lake and beyond. … read more
Bitter and Then Some: Raves and Reviews
Welcome to this week’s edition of the SLUG Mag metal blog! This week, we’re crammed full of reviews for your reading pleasure. We have extended reviews of the latest releases from Pro-Pain and Vader as well as exclusive reviews of new releases from Atriarch, Ghost Brigade, Mournful Congregation, Protest the Hero, Trivium and War Hungry. Also included is a listing of this week’s metal happenings around Salt Lake and links to some unexpectedly aggressive music streaming from NPR. … read more
Napalm Flesh: Deafheaven Interview
This week we have an interview with yet another band taking black metal to uncharted territory: Deafheaven. Their mixture of black metal, hardcore, shoegaze and post-rock is one of the most interesting and fresh spins on aggressive music to emerge in the last year. We also have links to streaming music, reviews of new and recent releases from The Body & Braveyoung, Old Silver Key, Opeth, Midnight Odyssey, True Widow and Warbringer, as well as this week’s rundown of metal events. … read more
OFF! Interview with Keith Morris
The vast majority of punk rock legends are either dead or boring. Keith Morris is neither of these things. Morris’ new band OFF! takes punk back to its angry, simple roots, and in the process has raised the bar not only for Morris’ fortysomething comrades, but for punk rock musicians of all ages. I got the chance to speak with the dreadlocked one in advance of OFF!’s performance in Salt Lake City this Friday, October 7. … read more
Napalm Flesh: East of the Wall interview
Welcome to another edition of Napalm Flesh. This week we have an interview with New Jersey prog-sludgers East of the Wall, who will be in town this Saturday at Burt’s Tiki Lounge. We also have reviews of new albums from The Body, Charnel House, Heartless, Megadeth, Sick of It All and Speedwolf. And, as always, we have a rundown of this week’s metal events happening in Salt Lake and beyond. … read more
Napalm Flesh: Nevertanezra, Burn Your World, Merlins Beard
This week, Napalm Flesh offers up a trio of local talent spotlights covering just about all metal fans’ discernable palates, with interviews from Nevertanezra, Burn Your World and Merlins Beard. Also on tap are reviews of Fester, Seas Will Rise and Xerxes … read more
Napalm Flesh: Crucial Fest Preview
This week, we have a quick preview of Crucial Fest, the local music festival that kicked off last night and runs through this weekend and next. With dozens of local and national bands of multiple genres playing at various venues throughout Salt Lake, it is truly an exciting event for our city. Also included are reviews of Homewrecker, Lord Mantis and Pleasant Living, and this week’s metal happenings. … read more
The Bouncing Souls @ In the Venue with The Menzingers...
The Bouncing Souls really did take me back to the place where music was the most important thing in my life. It was exactly what I wanted out of a Bouncing Souls show. I was stoked to see so many young kids at the show who were just getting into the band. Angst and anger are a big, important part of punk rock, but The Bouncing Souls represent the part about punk rock that’s all about enjoying your life and the people that are in that. … read more
Black Tusk with Red Fang, Lord Dying @ Urban 11.20
A steady stream of longhairs, hipster girls and middle-aged metalheads filed into the Urban Lounge on a chilly night to be baptized by a maelstrom of bone-shaking riffs from three of the loudest bands currently occupying planet earth: Lord Dying, Black Tusk and Red Fang. All three bands brought an ample supply of merch, including the usual assortment of T-shirts and records, but most eye-catching were the screen-printed posters commemorating this particularly rifftacular tour. … read more
Science Friday Live @ The Grand Theatre 04.19
The greatness of Science Friday is that it makes science accessible to the masses, and since the show started with a topic that interests virtually everybody, the audience’s attention was ensured throughout. … read more
Big Boi and Killer Mike @ The Depot 05.09
Big Boi stands as a legend in the rap game, primarily because of his time spent as part of Southern rap superstars Outkast, and Killer Mike has had his share of success, though he seems primarily prominent in the underground these days. I was excited to see Killer Mike perform, and to see how Big Boi stacked up to one of my current favorite rappers. … read more
Anamanaguchi: A Room Full of Misfits
The Brooklyn-based instrumental band Anamanaguchi has risen to Internet fame over the past few years with their retro video game style sound, and garnered even more attention after performing the soundtrack for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World video game. Last month, the band released their first official full-length album, Endless Fantasy, and has embarked on a tour to support the album. Before their stop in SLC at the Shred Shed on June 1, SLUG spoke with drummer Luke Silas while the band was on the road. … read more
An Interview with Doyle
Since 1980, the hulking monsterman Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein has been leaving his giant, bloody footprints in the dirty landscape of punk and horror-inspired rock. His band recently rechristened themselves (previously Gorgeous Frankenstein) as Doyle after their monstrous ringleader and released their first album under the name, Abominator, in July. Doyle is also currently on tour with former Misfits bandmate Danzig, performing a set of Misfits classics at each stop of the Danzig 25th anniversary tour. SLUG had the opportunity to speak with Doyle about the new album and the tour. … read more
Baroness @ Urban Lounge 08.30
Some bands become defined by tragedy. It would be easy to lump Baroness into that category, but after surviving a disastrous bus crash while touring Europe last year, the band has returned to touring, and with a vengeance. … read more
Review: Nina Blag
Nina Blag Dahlia Scapegoat Publishing Street: 08.01.06 Blag Dahlia is one of those notorious figures in punk rock that many people idolize for the same reasons that others abhor him. As the front man of The Dwarves, Blag has made a career out of shocking audiences for more than twenty years. With his second novel,
Review: A Texas Tale of Treason
When Alex Cox allowed a group of aging punkers from Texas to make the sequel to his 1984 cult classic Repo Man, what did he really expect to get back? … read more
Utah Ska
It may be hard to believe, but at one time ska was a genre of music loved by many in Utah. During the 1990s, local ska bands like Swim Herschel Swim and Stretch Armstrong were regularly drawing hundreds ofpeople to their shows, and Utah was one of the biggest markets fortouring ska bands. … read more
Finally a Local Podcast Worth a Damn
With the advent of the internet, the media has been put directly into the public’s hands. … read more
Chris Murray: Unstrictly Rude
For the past twenty years, Chris Murray has been a unique, driving force in the worldwide ska scene. … read more
Fake Problems: This is Growing Up
With all of the fake problems that Fake Problems have encountered during their brief existence, it’s easy to overlook their actual musical output. … read more
Propagandhi: Reasonable Doubt
Manitoba, Canada’s own Propagandhi is a perfect example of the action aspect of punk rock and have been for the entirety of their 23 year existence. … read more
My Man Crush on Chuck Ragan
Chuck Ragan, illustrated. … read more
Hepcat: Right on Time
During the 90s, there was no other ska band in the world like Hepcat. While other bands from the era built upon the punk-influenced ska of 1970s England, Hepcat created a potent mixture of 1960s Jamaican ska, jazz, latin music and American soul for a smooth, cool sound all their own. … read more
Salt Lake Recording Service
From the moment you step inside Salt Lake Recording Service, you know exactly what Brad McCarley and Nathan Tomlinson are going for. The century–old warehouse has a heavy air that only comes with age, and the worn wooden floors root you firmly in the past, but the modern flourishes like the art hanging from the walls, the low hum of electronic equipment and a sleek overall aesthetic fuse the past and the present into something that isn’t quite either. … read more
Localized: Aye Aye, Sleepover, The Kidneys – November 2009
This month SLUG’s Localized bring you the folkie-blusey psychedelia of Aye Aye, twee pop from Sleepover and opening band The Kidneys. It all happens on Fri. Nov. 13 at The Urban Lounge. Five bucks gets you in. … read more
Video Game Reviews – November 2009
Video Game reviews this month include Halo 3: ODST, Need For Speed: Shift, Scribblenauts, Wet and Zombie Apocalypse. Nerd out. … read more
Localized: The Fucktards, Heathen Ass Worship – December 2009
SLUG Localized presents The Fucktards and Heathen Ass Worship at the Urban Lounge. Five bucks gets you in, but nothing will ever get you out. … read more
National CD Reviews – December 2009
This month’s national reviews feature releases from Asobi Seksu, Beak>, Dead To Me, Evangelista, The Mary Onettes, The Prodigy, The Rakes, Skeletonwitch, Slayer and many more. … read more
Strike Anywhere: Ideas are Bulletproof
There is an innate assumption that punk rock is nothing more than a phase in most people’s lives. If you’re still rocking a Subhumans back patch or maintaining a NOFX vinyl collection past the age of 21, people will think you’re weird–and not even the good kind of punk rock weird. Strike Anywhere is different. Ten years after their formation, they’ve kept their energy, anger and, most importantly, their integrity. … read more
Letters From the Editors – February 2010
SLUG celebrates 21 years by reprinting vintage content, selected by three top SLUG editors: Jeanette Moses, Ricky Vigil and Adam Dorobiala. With the help of SLUG’s trusty office interns, this insightful team poured over the mag’s 21 years of content in just a few short months. … read more
How I’m Accidentally Stalking Tim Barry
For the past three years, I’ve had a number of awkward encounters with former Avail frontman Tim Barry. This is the story of how I’m secretly stalking him. … read more
Localized: Fox Van Cleef, The Boomsticks and Big Trub –...
There’s no better way to celebrate SLUG’s annual beer issue than by knocking back a few at this month’s Localized. Bands from all over Utah’s musical landscape will converge at The Urban Lounge in the name of booze on June 18, as Ogden psych-rockers Fox Van Cleef, Salt Lake surfers The Boomsticks and Provo garage rock openers Big Trub take the stage. As always, five bucks gets you in, and you get what you pay for. … read more
Red Bennies
“We have been around for sixteen years, and there’s a reason: it’s because we’re the best band—ever. And we challenge anyone as proof of this. Book the show and we’ll be there.” These are the words of Dave Payne, vocalist/guitarist of venerable local rock veterans The Red Bennies. With over ten releases to their name and a list of alumni that includes some of the most notable musicians in Salt Lake, The Red Bennies’ self-described style of “rock soul punk” has become legendary. … read more
Polar Bear Club: No Glitz, No Glam
Polar Bear Club has made a career out of not fitting in. Polar Bear Club is also one of the hardest touring bands in any scene of the greater punk rock spectrum, and their willingness to take chances on tour packages and musical style has garnered them a stronger and stronger following since they began touring full-time in late 2008. During a rare period of Polar Bear Club downtime, SLUG had a chance to chat with vocalist Jimmy Stadt. … read more
Two Cow Garage
Looking at the routing of Two Cow Garage’s current tour reveals many gigs taking place at bars, pubs, lounges, and even the odd brewery or tavern. If there was any justice in the world, these Ohio natives would have broken out of the bar scene and gained the same level of popularity as like-minded bands like The Hold Steady and The Gaslight Anthem. Injustice notwithstanding, one must admit that Two Cow Garage’s songs make a lot more sense after a few beers. … read more
Top 5: Touche Amore/La Dispute
When the Internet shit-talking regarding new bands reaches unprecedented levels, it usually means they’re about to get huge. As part of the weirdly wide-reaching post-hardcore and emo revival of the last few years, Touché Amoré and La Dispute have become the regular targets of many a cro-magnon keyboard attack in recent months, and both seem poised for greatness. … read more
Salt Lake City Film Festival: No Off Season
While most people’s attention will be turned towards Park City this January, the organizers of the Salt Lake City Film Festival will be hard at work putting together the third installment of their annual event. Even though this year’s festival doesn’t take place until the end of August, the organizers have been busy expanding their brand and planning for the future, and on December 16, the SLCFF celebrated the opening of submissions for the 2011 festival. … read more
Liturgy: Transcending Black Metal
Hunter Hunt-Hendrix may be the most hated man in metal at the moment. His essay Transcendental Black Metal has become the subject of much derision. However, Aesthethica, the second album from Hunt-Hendrix’s band Liturgy, has garnered just as many positive reviews from metal outsiders as it has negative reviews from the kvltest of the kvlt. I spoke with Hunt-Hendrix about the new album and how he’s dealing with all of the attention Liturgy has been receiving. … read more
CLC Band: The Mooks
Pop punk has always been a home for young, loud, snotty weirdos who don’t mind their rebel music being filtered through The Beach Boys, bubblegum, comic books and shitty horror movies. The Mooks have been doing their part to keep pop punk alive in Utah since 2008, and at Craft Lake City, they’ll unleash their firestorm of cuteness upon the masses. … read more
The Time I Interviewed The Queers
Here’s a comic about the time I interviewed The Queers for SLUG in 2007. … read more
Top 5: Wugazi
I hate mash-ups. I hate DJs. I hate dance music in general and the culture that surrounds it. However, I love Fugazi and I love the Wu-Tang Clan. Wugazi was made specifically for people just like me. … read more
The Zion Curtain Falls Once Again: Brad Collins Returns to...
After ending his radio show Behind the Zion Curtain in 1991 and closing Raunch Records in 1997, Brad Collins became absent in Utah’s punk scene. Other record stores and radio shows carried on the spirit of the store and the show, but both became legendary parts of Utah’s underground lore. When Raunch Records reopened in December 2009, a void left in the Salt Lake punk scene was filled, but many old-school punk rockers still longed for the return of Behind The Zion Curtain. … read more
National CD Reviews – January 2012
New and recent releases from The Cure, The Devil’s Blood, Errors, Kepi Ghoulie, Laura Gibson, Majestic Downfall, Mickey Moonlight, The Slackers, Tim “Love” Lee and many more are reviewed. … 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
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Andrew Jackson Jihad: Optimism Through Pessimism
The music of Andrew Jackson Jihad often casts its gaze upon the darkest parts of humanity. The songs on Knife Man, their most recent album, deal with homelessness, selfishness, laziness, murder, hopelessness and more, but vocalist and guitarist Sean Bonnette doesn’t see his band as the ultimate bummer machine they appear to be. “I consider myself and our band to be pretty optimistic,” Bonnette says. … read more
Earth: Angels/Demons
In the world of heavy metal, the music of Earth has become legendary. The deafening style of drone doom pioneered by Dylan Carlson in the early ’90s helped to shape an entire subset of metal. But if one were to blindly listen to Earth’s recent aural offerings, metal would not come to mind. “I’ve always thought of genres as something the audience or the marketers place on you,” says Carlson. “To me it’s always just been rock n’ roll, and that’s enough.” … read more
Zerofriends: Creepily Accessible
The San Francisco-based Zerofriends creative collective has become known for their creepy art, largely inspired by classic horror movies. A friend recently asked Zerofriends artist Alex Pardee where the darkness of his art comes from. “I honestly don’t know—I never know how to answer that question. This is just something that has always been in me,” he says. It turns out that Pardee and Dave Correia just like scary shit. … read more
RSD Comics: Raunch
To celebrate the fifth annual Record Store Day, which takes place on April 21, 2012, we asked four Salt Lake record stores about the special relationships they’ve forged with some of their favorite customers. Brad Collins of Raunch profiled his favorite customer, Neb. … read more
Local Reviews: The Mooks
Before hearing it, I thought that the title track of this latest Mooks release might be a Spice Girls cover—these are SLC’s foremost purveyors of all things pop-punk and cuteness, after all—but that is not the case (though that probably would’ve been pretty cool, too). … read more
Converge: Honestly Aimed Arrows
“Every new record should be the best possible version of your band.” Jacob Bannon—artist, label owner and Converge vocalist—has taken time out of his day to talk to me about his band’s new album, All We Love We Leave Behind. “I’ve always held the idea that if you’re making art, then the next thing you do should be a new step forward for you. I want to push things further and become a more cohesive artist and more successful in some way.” … read more
Coliseum: Course Correction
“Humans hate change—they don’t accept it even 10 years later,” Coliseum guitarist and vocalist Ryan Patterson says. For nearly 20 years, Patterson has been making various forms of punk rock with the likes of National Acrobat, Black Cross and Black God among others, but it’s the early Motörhead-meets-Discharge material of Coliseum—who play Kilby Court July
SLUG Holiday Comix: My Racially Insensitive Halloween
When I was a kid, I never dressed up as anything scary for Halloween. Instead, I dressed as whatever pop culture icon I was obsessed with. The best Halloween was when I dressed up as Dennis Rodman. … read more
Top 5: Atom Age
The second full-length album from this Berkeley, Calif. quintet blows the doors right open with “Dig the Future,” blistering with punk rock fury and garage rock swagger. Brendan Frye’s sax is easily the standout element of The Atom Age’s sound, as he gives an extra gallon of rocket fuel to the band’s already frantically fast numbers , but is an equally effective attitude enhancer in slower songs. … read more
Black Tusk Needs Your Beer
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
Bomb the Beehive: Bomb the Music Industry! Returns to SLC
The first time Bomb the Music Industry! played Salt Lake City in the fall of 2007 just so happened to be one of the worst days in Jeff Rosenstock’s life. “I had the flu, and I was having fever dreams in the van. It was snowing that morning, and I got woken up by a text message from a friend that said, ‘Yo, Radiohead just totally yanked your style, dude,’” he says. Even so, Bomb the Music Industry! rocked the fuck out of Red Light Books that night with their spazzy blend of ska, pop-punk and ‘80s-style hardcore. … read more
Big Business: Loud, Weird Rock
Formed by bassist Jared Warren and drummer Coady Willis, Big Business has been deafening fans of all things heavy with their brand of thick, freaky rock n’ roll for nearly a decade. Fresh off a tour of Europe with Unsane, now featuring three members, and armed with a brand new 7″, Big Business will be embarking on a US tour this fall. Before their stop in Salt Lake, SLUG spoke with Willis about the band’s current state of affairs. … read more
Baby Ghosts: Pop-Punk Poltergeists
Part Provo and part Salt Lake, the aggro-adorable music of Baby Ghosts exists in a nebulous world where pop-punk, cuddlecore, anime, garage rock and 8-bit video games coalesce into a perfect party soundtrack. The co-ed four piece utilizes three of its members as vocalists—singing, screaming and harmonizing playful yet thoughtful lyrics over bouncy melodies that give way to some certifiably shredding guitar work. The band has a wide appeal, equally embraced by the more indie rock-oriented crowds of Velour as well as the blossoming Provo hardcore scene. … read more
Eagle Twin: The Serpent and The Crow
Eagle Twin is two beasts, operating in a spectrum of duality. Eagle Twin is finesse and power. Eagle Twin combines the power of the riff with the freeness of jazz. Eagle Twin is the serpent and the crow. Eagle Twin is Gentry Densley and Tyler Smith. In 2009, the band released their first album, The Unkindness of Crows, on the legendary Southern Lord Records. Now, the band is preparing to release their second album, The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale. … read more
Mariachi El Bronx: A Cleverly Disguised Rock Band
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
Kvelertak: Meir Og Meir
After missing their scheduled set earlier that night on Converge’s headlining tour due to van problems, Kvelertak rolled into SLCto play a last-minute show on 10/22/12 and delivered their potent mix of black metal, punk, hardcore and classic rock n’ roll to a rapturous crowd. Kvelertak riled up the crowd so much at midnight on a Monday that multiple fights broke out, but, as vocalist Erlend Hjelvik potently put it when the band stopped in the middle of a song to calm the audience down, “We are here to party, not to fight!” … read more
Russian Circles: Louder Than Words
Sprawling. Swirling. Ominous. Auspicious. Any number of multisyllabic words can be used to describe the music of Russian Circles, who have been creating dynamic instrumental music since 2004. In anticipation of their performance at The Great Saltair on Feb. 15, SLUG spoke with bassist Brian Cook about the upcoming tour and what Russian Circles have in store for 2013. … read more
Baroness: Unbroken Remains
On Aug. 15, 2012, Baroness’ tour bus plunged 30 feet from atop a viaduct near Bath, England, injuring all nine passengers. Miraculously, everyone on the bus survived, though no one emerged unscathed. Despite this accident, frontman John Baizley moves forward, saying, “In an effort to move past that and get to somewhere a bit more rewarding than pitiful, our goal is, quite simply put, to be known as a good live touring band.” … read more
Full of Hell: Beautiful Mutilators
Rudiments of Mutilation, the sophomore album by Full of Hell, to be released on June 11, is not an easy listen. It begins with harsh, piercing noise, slowly followed by wails from vocalist Dylan Walker and shambling, rumbling drums. An explosion of crusty blastbeats and hardcore riffs break the tension before the band delves deep into a downtrodden doom sound, with Walker’s voice channeling chaos all the while. This is intentionally ugly music—music that is designed to make you feel the worst of humanity. “We want to make really harsh, negative music that induces pain,” Walker said in a recent phone interview with SLUG. “It’s kind of beautiful in a way.” … read more
And So I Watch You From Afar: Young Brave Minds
On Oct. 13, 2010, I meandered into The Basement in Ogden and was greeted by thunderous drumming, huge riffs and four Irish maniacs throwing themselves around the stage with their instruments. I discovered that the band was And So I Watch You From Afar, and I have been a huge fan of theirs ever since. The band will return to Utah on Oct. 15 as part of the Sargent House Tour, and SLUG spoke with drummer Christopher Wee in anticipation of the performance. … read more
Mojado Punk’s Not Dead: An Interview with Piñata Protest
If your ideal version of a raucous punk rock performance doesn’t involve an accordion and at least one cowboy hat, you clearly aren’t aware of Piñata Protest. … read more
Hex Cabs: Heavy Metal
The duo of Tyler Smith and Gentry Densley are known for bone-shaking performances, melding deafening doom metal with improvisation, brutality with artistry. When you’ve seen, heard and felt Eagle Twin, you’ve probably also seen, heard and felt the unique guitar cabinets flanking Densley and Smith onstage.
Run the Jewels: Murder, Mayhem and Melodic Music
“Opening for the Wu is for real,” Killer Mike (Michael Render) tells SLUG in his boisterous Southern drawl. El-P recreates the experience, saying, “We walked into it assuming the crowd was there for Wu-Tang and we were just the opener. So the fact that we had 10,000 kids screaming our lyrics back to us was legitimately a surprise.” … read more
The Tide Will Swallow And Consume Us All: A Conversation...
For their second full-length album, and fourth release overall, Huldra have turned their eyes to the ocean—using it to channel emotions of loss and grief, filtered through the spectrum of a man lost at sea. In the weeks leading up to the album’s release on Oct. 11, SLUG met up with the local post-metal group to discuss their upcoming album, Black Tides. … read more
SLUG Holiday Comix – July 2014
Happy Birthday, Karl Malone! … read more
Articles by contributor
Mike Brown: Beer is Here to Save the Day
Beer turns the timid into the brave and turns bad ideas into great ideas—for this Beer Issue, I’d like to turn my attention to how beer can solve our problems. … read more
Mike Brown: NBA Bubble Trouble!
The NBA took a bold step and decided to stop the season right when the Billy Ray Virus hit and shut shit down faster than a rabbit in heat. … read more