Authors: Jeanette D. Moses
Ghost Riding an Econoline: Spell Talk Cruises Into Craft Lake...
Walking into the home of Spell Talk is like walking onto the set of an independent film about hometown rock heroes on the verge of making it. It’s a Monday night and they all seem to be in a state of semi-recovery from the weekend before. Despite their various states of weekend disrepair, they manage to pull their shit together long enough to make spaghetti dinner with homemade pasta sauce, set the table and pair each meal with a cold can of Olympia beer. … read more
CLC Artist: Tommy Dolph
On August 14, you can find Tommy Dolph sitting in a haunted lemonade stand made from the doors of an abandoned house. “I don’t think I’ll have any lemonade for sale … which confuses people,” Dolph says. Although he won’t be selling any delicious lemonade, Dolph will be selling an army of cardboard wizards, creepy monster hands attached to coffin-shaped boards and a collection of hubcap portraits of classic Americana artists like Patsy Cline, Waylon Jennings and Elvis Presley. … read more
CLC Artist: Arash Mafi
“When you see a stone that calls your name, you just want a piece made out of it,” Arash Mafi tells me. Mafi has transformed the Holladay garage into the workshop where he crafts handmade jewelry for his company, Paisley Dreams. Approximately 20 minutes later, I was watching Mafi create a custom bracelet for yours truly from copper wire and a massive piece of turquoise sea sediment jasper. … read more
Please Take Me Off the Guest List
Over a decade ago, Nick Zinner, Zachary Lipez and Stacy Wakefield were just three people living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, playing in bands. This burgeoning Brooklyn music scene is how the three initially met, and how over time, they would eventually collaborate on four different books together—No Seats on the Party Car, Slept in Beds, I Hope You Are All Happy Now and, most recently, Please Take Me off the Guest List. … read more
Top 5: Black Keys
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have crafted something rare and beautiful with the release of Brothers. It’s interesting and engaging from beginning to end and actually seems to have captured the same raw energy that was so exhilarating on their early albums. That isn’t to say Brothers is simply a rehashing. Instead, it’s as if they’ve captured that grit, but polished it up a bit with what they learned working with Danger Mouse on Attack & Release. … read more
A Portrait of a Punk Rock Powerhouse
The early ‘90s in Berkeley, California has become a special time in music history. For Marian Anderson, lead singer of The Insaints and the subject of Lilly Scourtis Ayers’ upcoming documentary, Last Fast Ride, the community of 924 Gilman Street offered temporary comfort, support and a place to play. “Marian was the most extreme example of a troubled kid who found a family through music. The band’s sound was definitely a product of its place and time,” says Ayers. … read more
Localized: Max Pain and the Groovies
SLUG Magazine celebrates 22 years at this month’s Localized music showcase! “People like to let out a lot of emotion at our shows. There are people throwing each other around and couples dancing super close to each other,” bass player Jake Brimley says when describing a typical Max Pain show. The description is spot on. … read more
Urban Lounge
In 2008, after nearly a decade of working at Urban Lounge doing sound, Chris Wright became majority owner of one of Salt Lake’s most prominent 21+ venues. “I put in a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the place over the years. It was a ‘home away from home’ and I just couldn’t imagine Salt Lake without The Urban Lounge,” says Wright. “When I heard it was in jeopardy of going out of business, I put a team together and we were able to [purchase Urban].” … read more
W Lounge
Casey Staker purchased the W Lounge in April 2004, mostly out of boredom and the opportunity to fulfill a long-time dream of owning a dance club. Since that time, Staker has transformed the small space into one of the hottest indie dance clubs in the city. Rye Rye, Chromeo, Million $ Mano, The Hood Internet and many other notable electro acts have packed the venue and provided club-goers with an intimate live experience, killer sound, low ticket prices and nightly drink specials. … read more
Nobrow Coffee and Tea
In 2006, after half a decade of working as a barista in corporate coffee shops, Joe Evans decided to open his own coffee shop, and Nobrow was born. Although Nobrow is a boutique shop—specializing in coffees made from top-tier roasters around the country like Intelligentsia and Counter Culture—the atmosphere is casual and their espresso delicious. Nobrow is more than a mere coffee shop, it’s also serves a gallery, a practice space for local bands and a meeting space for many groups. … read more