Issues: Issue 281 - May 2012
Localized – YZE, Burnell Washburn and Linus Stubbs
This month’s Localized showcase is going to be a night of real hip hop. Linus Stubbs is an accomplished DJ and producer who lets his beats do the talking. Burnell Washburn is young, but his career is on the upswing and his ambition is undeniable. Opener YZE is a top-shelf emcee/producer who puts on a show you won’t want to miss. Catch them all at the Urban Lounge (21+) on May 11 at 10 p.m. As always, $5 gets you in. … read more
Contributor Limelight: Espo
If you’ve ever been to a SLUG-sponsored event, you’ve seen our marketing minions handing out free mags and convincing you to buy our cool merch. Espo, however, has gone above and beyond his SLUG tabling duties on a number of occasions. … read more
Velo City Bags Speeds into Downtown
Since the inception of Velo City Bags in 2008, owner and creator Nathan Larsen has adorned cyclists and others with handmade, colorful and well built messenger bags and backpacks as they cruise around the city. As his bags have caught on, he made the long-awaited move into his first storefront in downtown Salt Lake in mid-February. I sat down with Larsen in his new shop to pick his brain on the new location and the high-quality goods within. … read more
Local Reviews: Golden Sun
This self-titled indie rock EP is fierce as fuck, paving the way for a full-fledged album in the future and establishing an above-average, awesome sound. A casual listener might not realize that these dudes are young—both in age and in their time together as a band, releasing their first album in July 2011. … read more
SLUG Readers Interview Social Distortion
For over 30 years, Social Distortion has built a loyal following wherever their music has reached, Salt Lake being no exception. Mike Ness and the boys have never had any trouble selling out shows in our fair city, which is why SLUG reached out to you, our readers, via Facebook and Twitter, to submit the questions you’ve always wanted Ness to answer. Never ones to let us down, you came up with some terrific inquiries that evoked some interesting responses from Mr. Ness. … read more
Local Reviews: Austin Joseph
Early Years, Austin Joseph’s first album, has an intriguing duality to it—whether it was a conscious effort is left to the listener to decide. To start, Mr. Joseph looks pretty clean cut: all smiles, hair gel and jeans. His musicality reflects this clean-cut image: uplifting keys and inspirational guitar. It’s clear that Joseph has extensively studied the catalogs of Pete Seeger, Gordon Lightfoot and other guitar-wielding good guys. … read more
Local Reviews: S.L.F.M.
This 14-song, 13-and-a-half-minute album is a sweet little treat indeed. S.L.F.M., the brainchild of SLC musician Jessica Davis, is one our cities finest projects. With buttery vocals reminiscent of Pink Martini’s China Forbes, frenetic strumming not unlike Dead Kennedys, and the unique use of distorted ukulele to set the mood, these tunes are ridiculously original and fun. … read more
Wandering into the Wild West: Spindrift Returns to Salt Lake...
It’s a rare treat to find a band who so easily transports listeners to another place. It’s even better when the experience is enhanced during their live sets. On multiple occasions while watching LA’s Spindrift perform, I’ve felt the transformative and utterly delightful power of their mostly instrumental and moody spaghetti western songs. The music is driven by its imagery, and surprisingly, it is done without the use of many lyrics. … read more
Homebrewed: An Interview with Kincade Bauer
Over the last decade, Salt Lake City has seen exponential growth in the craft beer scene—the sturdy backbone of this movement has been the home brewers. One of these home brew aficionados is Kincade Bauer. Bauer worked closely in Salt Lake City’s music scene as a promoter for years and currently works as a liquor rep and as the Beam Ambassador for Utah. Despite slinging booze in his working life, it has not stopped him from crafting his own libations at home as a hobby. … read more
Utah’s Best Beerfest
I would personally like to invite you all to a beerfest! Utah’s best beerfest in fact. We have close to 60 breweries from all over the West coming to this beer festival. There will be approximately 220 different beers at our super beer soirée, but there’s a slight problem with our beer festival: We have to hold it in Idaho. I know, it’s a bit confusing, but if you look at it this way, it might make more sense. … read more