Music
▼ Concerts & Festivals
Hatebreed, Whitechapel, All Shall Perish @ In the Venue 09.22
Saturday night, In The Venue hosted the “10 Years of Perseverance” tour, celebrating a decade in the big business by hardcore kings Hatebreed. Support came in the form of the newer generation of death metal: Oakland-born All Shall Perish, and Tennessee boys Whitechapel, who are still riding the wave of good will and new fans from this year’s well received self-titled release. … read more
Henry Rollins @ The State Room 09.16
Rollins’ two-and-half-hour speech about whatever willed from his mouth—politics, reunion shows, being drug-free, iPod playlists, the smell of cow piss and more—was pretty bitchin’. With a sold-out crowd, Uncle Rollins proceeded to put the audience on his lap and tell them what the world is really like. No stone was left unturned, no ass cheek awake. For those of you who skipped this show, I shame you. … read more
Audio Circus @ Saltair with Krewella, Infected Mushroom, Nicky Romero...
Incredible light shows, crazy stilt performers and LED walls the size of the venue itself—it was a wondrous sight to behold. Did I mention the swagged-out fireworks display? Plus, with DJs like Pretty Lights, Nicky Romero, Andy C, Krewella, Infected Mushroom and countless others, how could Audio Circus simply not be phenomenal? … read more
Desert Noises @ Velour with The Young Electric, Timmy TheTeeth...
“You don’t seem impressed,” Jacob, my brother-in-law, said midway through Desert Noises’ set, “Do you not like them?” The thing is, I did. I was actually quite impressed with their skill and their songs—it was a much-better-than-average performance. The issue was not how good the band was, and they were quite good—the issue was who performed before them. “That’s not it at all, it’s just hard to have this,” I said, motioning toward the stage, “Follow that,” I point to the back of the room. … read more
Mercies @ Kilby with Daisy & the Moonshines, Your Meteor,...
Connecticut foursome, Mercies, looked endearing when the tambourine began to ring, initiating the intro into their opening number. Ambient rhythm guitar blanketed rolling drums in an unsteady and beautiful crescendo that would cut off just when you needed it most for a split second, then continue and pull you swiftly back in like breakers at high tide. … read more
Fictionist @ Rooftop Concert Series 09.07
This installment of Provo’s Rooftop Concert Series provided an interesting juxtaposition of coming and leaving in the Provo music scene. The show featured the scene’s most recent success story of breaking into the national eye, Fictionist. In contrast, The New Electric Sound is a rising force in Provo and is here to stay (for a little while, anyway). … read more
Why? with Serengeti, Jel @ Club Sound 09.04
The semi-circle set up in the background made plenty of room center-stage, making it clear that Yoni is in command of this game. This isn’t to say that the band adds nothing; one of Why?’s strengths is in their ability to mix indie, hip hop, pop or experimental instrumentation with well crafted lyrics. While the songs embody the attitude typical of a lot of affluent males as a pitiful, lonesome individual, the setup fit. As Yoni started the night with a popular hit from Alopecia, “A Sky for Shoeing Horses Under,” the crowd was quick to warm up to Yoni’s voice that pays solid attention to rhythm and wordplay. … read more
School of Seven Bells @ Urban Lounge 09.01
Unlike most shows at this venue, the crowd was not speaking in the wings, but corralled into “The Holding Pen,” as I like to call the rail-lined dance floor in front of the stage, and hanging on every extended vocal harmony that Deheza began and finished. She is as good as she ever was. … read more
Chelsea Wolfe with Spell Talk and Light Black @ Urban...
I hear and feel dark swelling tones of bass, looped vocals and keys as they open with “Movie Screen.” Fog machine aside, their ominous stage presence creates an element of awe in the room, and the audience is eerily silent and perfectly still. I can feel the energy waiting to burst out of this band. I’m stoked, because just when I think I know where a piece is going, it does the exact opposite. I’m built up by Chelsea Wolfe’s layered vocal loops, then the ambient guitar sounds and deep bass drop me out a trap door and the music halts for a fraction of a second. They are tight and together, executing these rising and falling swells with surgical precision. … read more
The Boards Reunion Show with Avon Calling and Gnawing Suspicion...
As these sages of punk rock strap on their guitars and study their set lists, the crowd of two dozen aged rockers (and a couple young punks like myself) watches anxiously, sensing the nervous energy in the bar. The guys haven’t forgotten how to kick ass, though, and they start with some of the oldies—stripped down punk rock n’ fuckin’ roll. … read more