Show Reviews
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
This Will Destroy You @ Urban 06.14
The band sets up quickly, and we all congregate to the front of the stage. Without a word, Jeremy Galindo (guitar, effects), Chris King (guitar), Alex Bhore (drums) and Donovan Jones (bass) begin to play their heavy, otherworldly brand of ambient noise-rock. … read more
John Ross Boyce and His Troubles @ Kilby Court 06.12
As a former resident of the area, I empathize with the folks that live down in Utah County. The community has an overbearing influence from BYU and can, at times, become pretty annoying. Luckily that town has a thriving music scene for folks to find an outlet to release frustrations, and bands like John-Ross Boyce and His Troubles express the woes of life in a counter-religious way, providing tunes for all the troubled kids that may find themselves in deadbeat Provo. … read more
The Shins, The Head and The Heart, Blind Pilot @...
What’s better than getting to see The Shins? Getting to see two bands you’ve been solidly obsessed with for ages beforehand, making for a holy trifecta of folk pop. This Red Butte show sold out like crazy despite $50 tickets, so clearly I wasn’t alone in recognizing the glory of this lineup. … read more
Cold World @ SLC Foursquare Church on 05.23
There was a distinct time in hardcore lore when Cold World was absolutely the BIGGEST thing past or present. CW Bape shirts commanded hundreds of dollars on Ebay. Snagging an Ice Grillz EP on clear wax or the debut was akin to snifting the Hope Diamond. … read more
Jeff The Brotherhood @ Kilby Court 5.24 with Creature Double...
To watch Jeff the Brotherhood strut about the stage, intermittenly plugging in cables, tapping cymbals and copping sips from indiscrimate bottles, is like watching a nature documentary. … read more
Here We Go Magic @ Urban Lounge on 05.23
Ever since I first heard Hospitality on the radio months ago, and most recently on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert, I’ve become increasingly fond of their pop sound, especially with the distinct voice of Amber Papini. With that said, the fact that Here We Go Magic were headlining this show was an added bonus, since I haven’t seen them live before but heard they put on good show. … read more
Social Distortion @ The Depot 05.12
Upon arriving at Social Distortion’s second sold out Salt Lake City show of the weekend, I quickly made my way to the upstairs bar. While night one had been a strictly 21+ show, the second night of the weekend featured an all-ages section on the main level of the venue. The bar was packed and it was immediately clear that the all-ages night hadn’t deterred any of the 21+ crowd from coming out. … read more
Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Urban Lounge 05.09
Brian Jonestown Massacre takes the stage. All nine, ten or eleven of them. It’s loud. Heavenly, but loud nonetheless. Three guitarists are bound to make them ears ring. Somehow, it’s hard to make sense of everything happening on the stage. Gill-stuffed with musicians, slumped, draped and/or crouched over their instruments with varying levels of concentration etched into their faces—it’s like some otherwordly ritual we’re interrupting. … read more
Deer Tick @ Urban Lounge 05.10
The intense, raspy voice of Deer Tick’s John McCauley is a good analogy for Thursday night’s show at the Urban Lounge. At times, it’s a bit rough and you wonder how long before his vocal chords finally give out and the shit hits the fan. But, for the most part, it never did. Even though McCauley seemed a little unhappy with his guitar at times, calling it an asshole at one point, Deer Tick delivered a memorable set in all its ragged glory. … read more