Authors: Gregory Gerulat
Local Reviews: The Summer Storm
The Summer Storm is the kind of outfit that possibly would’ve thrived quite decently in the late ’80s and might’ve even gotten a listen by Steve Albini, but repetitious guitar tones with spoken word in lieu of sung melodies has never been common. … read more
Local Reviews: Spirit Master
Notwithstanding their lack of prior coverage and how their name sounds like it was loaned from a Dungeons & Dragons manual, Spirit Master is definitely an interesting act when contrasted with the current local music scenes. Locals might recognize band member Brent Dreiling from Band of Annuals and The American Shakes, but needless to say, comparing those with this record is comparing apples to oranges—engrossedly psychedelic oranges. … read more
Local Reviews: Sea Gown
It’s a very taut rope to walk when trying to craft a successful downtempo/techno-pop crossbreed album. Electronica one-man-band Peter Densmore tests his sense of balance with his project, Sea Gown. … read more
Local Reviews: The Awful Truth
Whether it’s intentional or a happy accident, the release date of Birthright seems very well timed to me. By this, I mean it’s possibly one of the best fall albums I’ve heard in a while from a local artist. … read more
Local Review: PTO
Pointless has possibly gotten just as many plays on my stereo as it would have on a college radio station two decades ago. Even though the album’s performers are just four local (and young) dudes, they could still easily pass as Clinton-era slackers. … read more
Nurses @ Kilby 01.14
When it comes to West Coast experimental pop/freak-folk outfits, I typically gloss over their reviews or any sizable mention in the press, since they’re not usually my cup of tea. As for Nurses, there’s something inextricable which compels me to grant their tracks more listens per usual—even placing certain songs on mixtapes. Fortunately, I was bestowed the chance to investigate this dilemmatic phenomenon by witnessing them live at Kilby. … read more
Appleseed Cast, Kathryn Calder, Hospital Ships @ Urban 11.09
The five-piece Kansas outfit known as Appleseed Cast came back to Utah to grace us with their presence for the second time this year on November 8. Instead of playing to an all-ages assortment at Kilby Court, they sought refuge from the impending frigid weather with a loose crowd of twenty-somethings at Urban Lounge. … read more
Cass McCombs, Frank Fairfield @ Kilby 02.04
Being a songwriter who not only released two separate albums in 2011, but also got them both to be ranked––by more than a few publications––as two of the best albums of year, Cass McCombs is something of a marvel who’s shown up as a sizable blip on most listeners’ radars. … read more
Perfume Genius with Parenthetical Girls @ KIlby Court 04.14
Mike Hadreas doesn’t do drugs, or at least not anymore. This is what the front man of Perfume Genius connoted as he told me the story about how a destitute man carrying a baby randomly solicited him for drugs a few blocks away upon his arrival. He looks as if he wants to laugh and grimace simultaneously at this, but opts to smoke the cigarette clenched in his right paw instead. This is his first time playing in Utah. … read more
Girl Talk 06.21 @ In the Venue
Although I’d never attended a Girl Talk show and am hardly partial towards mashups to begin with, I felt hard pressed to see what Gregg Gillis was all about considering he’s been getting repeat plays in my car. From what I’d heard, Gillis’ modus operandi for his live music’s production relied solely on a single laptop—nothing else. … read more