Music
David Bazan & Say Hi @ Kilby
I always look forward to Say Hi shows. From Say Hi To Your Mom’s drum beats and loop pedals to the full band sound of Say Hi , everything created by the robot, ghost and vampire loving Eric Elbogen is highly enjoyable. As for the headliner, David Bazan (formerly of Pedro the Lion), was going to be something new. … read more
The Sounds @ In the Venue
The Sounds’ Living in America was a random find at Graywhale when I was in Junior High. The album opened my sheltered mind to a new music world, even if it did lead to a strong distaste for The Sounds from the other kids in my carpool who knew the words to “Hit Me!” whether they liked it or not. … read more
National CD Reviews – November 2009
National music reviews from Brother Ali, Devendra Banhardt, Fuck Buttons, The Gossip, Immortal, Jookabox, Lewd Acts, The Raveonettes, Sea Wolf, Strike Anyhwere, White Denim and many more. … read more
Blitzen Trapper @ In the Venue
It’s rare these days for me to go to a show and remain impressed, engaged and enthusiastic throughout every single set. So I was quite pleasantly surprised by the recent Blitzen Trapper and Mirah show, which gave me a solid four hours of awesome live music. … read more
Sister Spit @ The Sponge Bar
Sister Spit is a touring troop of queer literary performance artists. SS was in part founded by Michelle Tea, one of San Francisco’s more distinguished and prolific queer writers. This all-female punky fan of writers first started trekking across the globe in the 90s, and have recently regrouped as Sister Spit: The Next Generation to tour across Europe and the U.S., including a stop in Salt Lake City at the Sponge Bar. … read more
Tori Amos – Midwinter Graces review
I can think of no greater feat than a Christmas/Holiday album helping to get you in the mood for the forthcoming holidays in October. If ever a modern artist was suited for recording a holiday/seasonal album, it must be Tori Amos. … read more
Mt. Eerie @ Kilby Court
From acoustic to electric distortion, Mt. Eerie has subtle ways of bringing surprises. Tonight he brought the rain, the comfort of the Kilby fire pit and high hopes of hearing some live snippets from his recent release, Wind’s Poem. … read more
Strike Anywhere @ Club Sound
Bridge Nine Records has done an excellent job of expanding its roster to further reaches of hardcore over the past few years, and even though this tour didn’t necessarily feature the style of music that the label has come to be known for, it was an excellent lineup that reflects the the risks the label has been taking in challenging the traditional hardcore aesthetic. … read more
Aimee Mann @ The State Room
Aimee Mannʼs music is comforting, melodic, beautiful and despite the unfortunate and incorrect critical tag line of it being “depressing,” (I would have chosen “realistic” if I wrote reviews back in those days) very uplifting. I was extremely excited about seeing her live for the first time, in a new venue (the great new The State Room), and especially in such an intimate setting: The State Room boasts a capacity of 300. … read more
Mastodon @ Saltair
After years of derision as the preferred means of entertainment of suburban meatheads and scandinavian church burners, metal has been accepted by the masses. It’s unsurprising that one of the fall’s biggest tours is a metal-based affair, co-headlined by a fictional band with serious chops and one of the most successful metal bands in recent memory. Even though most of the audience was in attendance only for Dethklok, they were gonna get an incredible showcase of heavy music, whether they liked it or not. … read more