Issues: Issue 288 - December 2012
All Marks Ringside: Ultra Championship Wrestling in the Valley
“Wrestling gives people an outlet,” says star Ultra Championship Wrestling (UCW) wrestler Martin Casaus. “They can forget about any other crap that’s worrying them and just yell at us for a while. It makes me feel good.” And yell they do, like a brawling chorus. They shout, growl and cheer with an unbridled gusto, while a real-deal muscular spandex soap opera, a bloody dayglo boot party, unfolds before their widening eyes. They know what’s up, that UCW offers the highest quality in-ring product around. … read more
Localized – Spirit Master, Albino Father and Rainbow Black
This month’s Localized features two of Salt Lake’s most humble, eclectic and loud bands playing undefinable music that they love and that flows unfiltered. On Friday, Dec. 14, come worship rock n’ roll at Urban Lounge with two bands who truly believe in the power of music without pretense or ego, and transcend to a new level of musical consciousness for only $5. Rainbow Black opens. … read more
Go With the Flow: Tyson Bowerbank
Having first set foot on a skateboard at the age of 8, Tyson Bowerbank is a prime example of the up-and-coming. With a resume including Fuel TV, ESPN and a repertoire of high-profile amateur contest finals, Bowerbank has some pretty high credentials. Now, at the age of 18, Bowerbank is a solid, humble skater who just loves being on a skateboard. With a bag of tricks that most kids only have behind an Xbox controller, this baby-faced Sandy native is on a tear of a come-up and shows no signs of slowing down. … read more
Top 5 of 2012
Whether you’re a Pitchfork diehard or a Metalsucks connoisseur, there’s no doubt that some drool-worthy albums hit the sound waves this year! Take in SLUG contributors’ Top Five albums to make sure you didn’t miss a beat from the rad releases of 2012 … read more
Top 5: Atom Age
The second full-length album from this Berkeley, Calif. quintet blows the doors right open with “Dig the Future,” blistering with punk rock fury and garage rock swagger. Brendan Frye’s sax is easily the standout element of The Atom Age’s sound, as he gives an extra gallon of rocket fuel to the band’s already frantically fast numbers , but is an equally effective attitude enhancer in slower songs. … read more
Top 5: Baby Ghosts
Baby Ghosts are one of those surprise bands who were kind of overlooked when they arrived in 2010, but slowly grew on audiences as they got around and played all-ages gigs in Provo and Salt Lake City. The aggressive pop-punk rockers are one of those groups that, quite frankly, we may not deserve yet in the music scene. … read more
Top 5: Crystal Castles
Ethan Kath begins with a heart-heavy siren—your chest caves as your ears ache to understand what is coming. You feel yourself stepping onto a spaceship, and, before you know it, you are counting down, beat by beat, three, two, one … blastoff. Vocalist Alice Glass’s signature, scathing voice yells, “I am the plague,” and you succumb to the darkness that they breathe. … read more
Top 5: Eagle Twin
The fable of the crow continues in this year’s release, The Feather Tipped the Serpent’s Scale. Guitarist and vocalist Gentry Densely is a master storyteller, guiding listeners through his dark, mythical narrative with low, throaty vocals. On some tracks, he sings the part of the narrator, while in others, he sings in first person, detailing Crow’s battle against the sun and Crow’s metamorphosis into a snake … read more
Local Reviews: Euphoria Again
Euphoria Again is a minimalistic indie folk group whose music is comparable to a large, abstract art piece: It’s aesthetically engaging from afar, but observing it closer doesn’t bring any additional gratification. … read more
Top 5: Evoken
“I will diminish those centuries and persecute those with quiet desperation,” bleeds a grumbled death roar from the title track off Evoken’s fifth album. Not only do the gloomy lyrics set the tone of the album with the starting song, but the music does as well. Atra Mors’ biggest success as an album is its gutsy equality of atmospheric, obliterating doom and brain-stem-carving memorability. … read more