Music
▼ Interview
Tycho: Visual Articulation of Musical Ideas
The ability to create something—a painting, a song, a piece of clothing, jewelry, whatever it might be—to communicate an idea because it’s the only way that you know how to get it out of your head and into the world, is powerful. The way Tycho expresses his ideas and feelings resonates deeply with a wide audience, which is telling of his intuitive talent as a musician. … read more
Smang Lake City Vol. 2: Turquoise Jeep is Riding through
“Lemme smang it, girl, smash it and bang”: If you don’t automatically know where these lyrics come from, you were either born into an anti-technology polygamist family or have parents that solely bought their kids educational toys for Christmas. Turquoise Jeep rolled through to SLC at Kilby last May, and they’re coming back Nov. 17 to Kilby AND Urban. … read more
Dark Passengers: Riding the Void with Holy Grail
Touring almost nonstop since the release of Ride the Void in January, Holy Grail are working hard to keep their name on the minds of metalheads nationwide. Even though the band is comparatively new to the national stage, they’re determined to keep people excited and to build on their success. “It’s great to see that hard work actually pays off,” says guitarist Eli Santana. … read more
Dig This: The Pyrate Punx
Keeping the spirit of punk alive and well, the Pyrate Punx are a force to be reckoned with. Fed up with a lack of decent, underground gigs coming through Utah, local punk rockers saw the potential to start the Salt Lake Pyrate Punx chapter. The SLC chapter formed, drawing from a wealth of experience and influences from other Pyrate Punx chapters around the globe, and has gained quite a reputation. … read more
Inside the Cult of Cut Copy
SLUG had the chance to chat with Cut Copy’s bassist Ben Browning about their upcoming world tour, in which Salt Lake City will be their second stop, and how they landed True Blood star Alexander Skarsgård to lead in their new music video. “We’re really interested in cults, hippie culture and rave culture of the ’80s and early ’90s,” says Browning. “The idea of a cult that listens to Cut Copy music had been an idea for a video of ours for a while.” … read more
Atlas Genius are Pop Trojans
Atlas Genius is the latest indie rock radio darling hailing from Adelaide, Australia. Their freshman release, When It Was Now (2013), has seen healthy airplay by virtue of two solid pop singles, “Trojans” and “If So.” I interviewed founding member and front man Keith Jeffery about the state of affairs in Atlas Genius. … read more
Don’t Kill Mother Fucking Depeche Mode: An Interview With Sascha...
Sascha Konietzko is a music machine. For the last three decades, Konietzko’s band, KMFDM, has produced an album every other year, often with a tour to accompany its release. KMFDM have pushed the boundaries of industrial music, sex and politics. From the sense of nihilism brought on by the formulaic nature of modern music, to the feelings of outrage over political oppression, KMFDM have been there to address the issue. SLUG Magazine got the opportunity to talk with Sascha Konietzko about his recently released album Kunst, his wife and bandmate Lucia Cifarelli, the Syria conflict and Konietzko’s perspective on the progression of industrial music over the years. … read more
Preaching the Keller Gospel: An Interview with Dad Horse Ottn...
“I had this experience when I was playing in Circleville, Ohio—I was doing the sound check and there was this lady my age sitting at the bar and she said “Hey! What are you doing?” I said ‘I’m [playing] a mixture of country, gospel and punk music,’ and she said, ‘You play gospel in the bar? My mother sang gospel in the choir and she would have never sang in a bar.’ Once again, it’s a pity because that is where the Gospel should be heard.” … read more
Cut To The Bone: An Interview with Patrick Santana of...
“I think that’s what keeps it addicting: the fact that it’s not a consistent job. You show up and you don’t know what is going to happen at a show and that what makes the good moments even better—going into a situation and you don’t know what is going to happen, but you hope for the best. I don’t think anyone in our band is fearful of getting hurt. I mean, our singer is an animal. He’ll bury himself for the band.” … read more
Salt Lake gets Aokified: an Interview with Steve Aoki
“When it came to writing music, I was never technically trained. I picked up the guitar when I was 15 years old and started a band. We were fucking horrible. We ate the dirt and just got back up. You’re going to have a lot of big fails and people don’t want to see you succeed, but you can’t dwell on them, you just have to keep going and move forward.” … read more