Music
NOVA Chamber Series: Echoes of Utah @ Libby Gardner Hall...
Tchaikovsky is so good at this kind of thing, it might not be wrong to credit him with the invention of Stadium Rock, as the desired effect and the outcome are essentially the same. … read more
Trust @ Urban 03.12 with Eraas
Trust has been incredibly influential for me this past year. Their debut album, TRST, has nourished my babybat maturation and been a setting for the transgressive happiness that I look for in post-punk expression. … read more
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down, Sallie Ford and...
When I first saw Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside perform in Portland, I was hooked, and I selfishly wanted them to become more popular, hoping that would mean tour dates that included Salt Lake on the route. This is the second time they’ve visited Salt Lake (that I know of, at least), and hopefully not the last! Sallie embodies the sounds of a wicked vintage diva, from throwing it back to surf rock influences, to using the upright bass (an element I especially dig), to belting sassy lyrics with crude themes. … read more
Alabama Shakes @ Saltair 03.08
I’ve been a fan of Alabama Shakes for shy of a year and even though I love their album, I was expecting a canned performance, appealing to a broad audience, sticking only to their album and no jam seasons. I was wrong. The Alabama Shakes have one of the tightest rhythm sections I’ve seen in quite some time—without their quick stops and interplay, the vocals of Brittany Howard would not have a platform to launch from. … read more
Matt & Kim @ The Complex with Passion Pit
Matt & Kim pounded onto the stage to “Harlem Shake” as the horde of witnesses released a guttural snarl, and commenced grinding their asses on the floor. Matt Johnson flailed a water bottle into the the scuffle while he and Kim Schifino (his “partner in crime and in sex”) thrashed their appendages to and fro. … read more
Joey Arias and Kristian Hoffman @ Urban Lounge 02.28 with...
Called the “demigod of the demimonde” by Time Out New York, Joey Arias has made a career out of following the twists and turns of drag and performance culture since 1976, when he drove from L.A. to New York with dreams of performing. … read more
Art | Art and Fashion | LGBTQ+ | Show Reviews
Youth Lagoon @ Kilby Court 02.28 with Night Sweats
When I first saw Trevor Powers aka Youth Lagoon play, it was last year at the Urban Lounge. At the time, he was a quiet performer with only his drum machine and keyboard and one guitarist. That was a beautiful performance. … read more
Toro y Moi @ Urban Lounge 02.24 with Dog Bite,...
I have wanted to see Chaz Bundick aka Toro Y Moi perform for a long time, and I must say, my expectations were fully met. … read more
Kishi Bashi with Tall Tall Trees, Plume Giant @ Kilby...
Kishi Bashi is better known for his work with Jupiter One and of Montreal, but has made a name for himself as an incomparable one-man act in a very short amount of time. Currently touring with Tall Tall Trees as his live band in support of his first solo album, 151a, Kishi Bashi brought an incredible amount of positive energy and bright, smiling faces to Kilby. … read more
Negative Approach @ The Shred Shed 02.16.12
Alternative Utah came out in droves on Saturday to pay respect to punk legends Negative Approach. Street punks, Crust punks, SHARPs, punk-savvy hipsters, people of all ages (there was a man who clearly into his late 60s dancing at the sidelines), people from every socio-economic stripe packed the Shred Shed en masse for cynical, anti-social hardcore. I’m not sure if the show sold out, but it sure looked like it, all thanks to the promoting monsters at Pyrate Punx SLC. … read more