Since January of 2020, Contributing Writer Mekenna Malan has made her mark through a hefty, consistent output of music coverage.
July 30, 2020

Contributor Limelight: Mekenna Malan

Since January of 2020, Contributing Writer Mekenna Malan has made her mark through a hefty, consistent output of music coverage. Whether its through reviews of artists such as U.S. Girls and NIIKA or via interview features with the likes of Born Ruffians, self-described “indie-music junkie” and life-long SLUG reader Malan’s excitement for music and her empathy for her subjects’ craft and lived experiences shines. This month, find Malan’s vignettes on two Craft Lake City Virtual DIY Festival performers, Sonali Loomba and Milk Money, and head to SLUGMag.com to read her recent online-exclusive interview feature with Adam Klopp of Choir Boy. With her vibrant, personable prose and her clear passion for a breadth of musical styles and approaches, Malan is vital to SLUG’s music discourse. We’re continually delighted to see what she writes next!

Articles by contributor

Review: Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk

Review: Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk
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A project of the Los Angeles-based duo, Imaginal Disk is sophomore album of Magdalena Bay —and in it, they’re hitting their stride. … read more

The Western Sky Serenades of Jeffrey Silverstein 

The Western Sky Serenades of Jeffrey Silverstein 
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Make a new friend and groove along to Jeffrey Silverstein, in support of Mikaela Davis, at Kilby Court on Tuesday, August 6. … read more

Talia Keys: “This Is What I Was Put on Earth to Do.”

Talia Keys: “This Is What I Was Put on Earth...
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Born and raised in Salt Lake City, powerhouse performer Talia Keys has been playing music since she was nine years old. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2024

Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2024
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There’s a lot to say about this Local Music Singles Roundup, but we’ve got the variety you need—and maybe something to make being a girl less confusing. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: July 2024

Local Music Singles Roundup: July 2024
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Hot local (music) singles are in your area! You’re sure to find your (musical) match for a seasonal fling here in this roundup of our favorite new tracks by Utah artists. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: March 2024

Local Music Singles Roundup: March 2024
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The weather is upside down and it’s not letting up anytime soon, but SLUG is here to supply dreamy alt-rock and pure raging punk. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2024

Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2024
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Ah, February. Spring is nowhere in sight, and there’s even an extra day this year to drag it on that much longer. Luckily, SLUG’s Local Music Singles Roundup is here to keep you warm. … read more

Slamdance Celebrates “30 Years of Anarchy” with its Most Diverse Slate Yet

Slamdance Celebrates “30 Years of Anarchy” with its Most Diverse...
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Now celebrating its 30th year and featuring a program curated from over 9,000 film submissions, Festival Director Taylor Miller notes that the 2024 Slamdance Film Festival will feature its most diverse lineup yet. … read more

Local Review: Herring – Who Affects the Sun

Local Review: Herring – Who Affects the Sun
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If you crave post-punk-adjacent instrumentals in the fall, consider adding Who Affects The Sun into your leaf-crunching, moon-gazing, hot, black coffee-drinking music rotation.  … read more

Fruita Triple Sec: The Latest Milestone of Waterpocket Distillery’s Sensory Journey

Fruita Triple Sec: The Latest Milestone of Waterpocket Distillery’s Sensory...
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Waterpocket’s Fruita Triple Sec is crafted with only the finest aromatics including mace, orange petals, sweet orange and lemon pieces, cloves and dried peels of Haitian bitter oranges. … read more

Courtney Marie Andrews: DIY Festival Headliner

Courtney Marie Andrews: DIY Festival Headliner
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On her latest album, Loose Future, Andrews collaborated with modern folk favorites to create a warm, rambling portrait of easygoing Americana. … read more

Cabernet and Camaraderie: Women’s Wine Hiking Society

Cabernet and Camaraderie: Women’s Wine Hiking Society
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Utah’s Women’s Wine Hiking Society is empowering women to experience the outdoors one happy hour at a time. … read more

Indigo De Souza Loves You No Matter What You’re Wearing

Indigo De Souza Loves You No Matter What You’re Wearing
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What would you like to do before you die? It’s an intimidating question, but Indigo De Souza is no stranger to creative contemplations on mortality. … read more

Solstice Malt is Keeping Old-World Malting Techniques Alive

Solstice Malt is Keeping Old-World Malting Techniques Alive
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“Historically, every town had its own brewery, but every town also had its own malt house,” says James Weed, the owner and sole full-time employee of Solstice Malt. “That’s where you get Vienna malt or Pilsner malt or Munich malt.” These malts, and the beer that resulted from them, became so popular that they are still recreated around the world today. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: April 2023

Local Music Singles Roundup: April 2023
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Our April Local Music Singles Roundup is here! From SLC punk to subtle pop to R&B and more, there’s something for every listener here. … read more

The Noori Screendance Festival: A Love Letter to Intentional Movement

The Noori Screendance Festival: A Love Letter to Intentional Movement
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The Noori Screendance Festival is a celebration of film and dance and the way the two disciplines combine, a partnership that lends to surprise and play. … read more

Paint & Puppies: Happypaws Pet Portraits

Paint & Puppies: Happypaws Pet Portraits
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To commemorate a furry family member, Happypaws pet portraits keep the image of our irreplaceable friends alive forever through custom watercolor portraits. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: January 2023

Local Music Singles Roundup: January 2023
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3… 2… 1… Happy New Year! Along with 2023, SLUG’s January Local Music Singles Roundup has arrived! … read more

Localized: Fonteyn

Localized: Fonteyn
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Suzanne May has created sunshine-drenched, ’70s pop reminiscent of the music she grew up with, playing with her bandmates under the stage name Fonteyn. … read more

Localized: Lane And The Chain

Localized: Lane And The Chain
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Although discovering their signature sound has been an ever-evolving process, Lane And The Chain are solidifying their place in the local music scene. … read more

Afton Klein Group: Design Without Limits

Afton Klein Group: Design Without Limits
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Afton Klein Group is known to be where the action is, creating engaging and successful work for clients while staying true to its creative vision and brand. … read more

Return to the Earth at The Kinlands

Return to the Earth at The Kinlands
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The Kinlands infuses intention into every stalk of corn, bed linen, animal encounter and workshop, cultivating a thoughtful relationship with the earth. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2022

Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2022
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As the sweltering season sinks into its final sunsets, the SLUG team has cherry-picked a basket of tunes to accompany you into the autumnal cooldown. … read more

Review: Panda Riot – Extra Cosmic

Review: Panda Riot – Extra Cosmic
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Panda Riot = Beach House x My Bloody Valentine + Pinkshinyultrablast  … read more

Localized: The Zissous

Localized: The Zissous
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The Zissous consist of four Wes Anderson and ’70s-era punk lovers who are poised and ready to make a name for themselves in the local music scene. … read more

Localized: MSKING

Localized: MSKING
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SLC’s grunge-inspired trio MSKING is inspired by a multitude of different artists and genres, making their music layered and meticulous. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2022

Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2022
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In February’s Local Singles Music Roundup, you can find a sample of SLC’s eclectic music style, from mellow-pop beats to an anarchist rager. … read more

Boyfriend Sushi Town’s New—and Only—Album is Destined for Cult Status

Boyfriend Sushi Town’s New—and Only—Album is Destined for Cult Status
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Days after the release of their debut, Rufus, Boyfriend Sushi Town disbanded, a story which gives this album the potential for cult status. … read more

Marissa’s Books: A Treasure Trove for Bookworms of All Ages

Marissa’s Books: A Treasure Trove for Bookworms of All Ages
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A Millcreek gem with nearly 8,000 square feet, Marissa’s Books is the kind of place that any bibliophile could spend a whole day wandering. … read more

The Second Annual Kilby Block Party Is a “Return to Music”

The Second Annual Kilby Block Party Is a “Return to...
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Kilby Court—Salt Lake City’s longest-running all-ages music venue—remains with its doors open to music artists and music lovers alike. … read more

Review: Abby Huston – AH HA

Review: Abby Huston – AH HA
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Abby Huston = Clairo x Arlo Parks + Glass Animals … read more

Local Review: Ben Brinton – Pocket Octavez

Local Review: Ben Brinton – Pocket Octavez
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Ben Brinton = The Avett Brothers + Counting Crows x Flight of the Conchords … read more

Review: Nick Hakim + Roy Nathanson – Small Things

Review: Nick Hakim + Roy Nathanson – Small Things
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Small Things is the first album to be released on Onyx Collective’s new record label NYXO, and promisingly so.  … read more

Project Success Coalition Keeps Hope Alive Through Education, Advocacy and Celebration

Project Success Coalition Keeps Hope Alive Through Education, Advocacy and...
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Project Success Coalition is committed to promoting culture and improving education and health among the local Black and Brown community. … read more

Finding Light In Dark Places: the Film Photography of Yexenia Young

Finding Light In Dark Places: the Film Photography of Yexenia...
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Yexenia Young approaches her photography with a bold creativity and the desire to further each frame into another dimension. … read more

Review: Katy Kirby – Cool Dry Place

Review: Katy Kirby – Cool Dry Place
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Through indie-rock and folk-informed songwriting, Katy Kirby offers up the heart on her sleeve and one hell of a debut. … read more

Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2021

Local Music Singles Roundup: February 2021
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This February, turn toward your ever-reliable music community to help cure the winter blues with tracks from Rainy Dawn, KAL MARA and more. … read more

Top 5 Indie Rock Albums for Locking Yourself In Your Room Because It’s All Just Too Much: Young Jesus – Welcome to Conceptual Beach

Top 5 Indie Rock Albums for Locking Yourself In Your...
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Young Jesus = Pile + Horse Jumper of Love + Radiohead’s OK Computer … read more

Design Brain: Plastic Attack and Yeehaw Studio

Design Brain: Plastic Attack and Yeehaw Studio
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During work or play, on and off the clock, Erik DeWaal (of Plastic Attack) and McKenzie Wallace (of Yeehaw Studio) have design on the brain. … read more

Review: Spartan Jet-Plex – Live

Review: Spartan Jet-Plex – Live
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Spartan Jet-Plex = Julie Byrne + early Angel Olsen x CocoRosie … read more

Review: Nyssa – Girls Like Me

Review: Nyssa – Girls Like Me
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Nyssa = Florence and the Machine + Annie Lennox + U.S. Girls … read more

Milk Money: Craft Lake City Performer

Milk Money: Craft Lake City Performer
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Milk Money put a fresh face on the alt-rock genre through vulnerable lyrics and emotional tones while still staying true to post-hardcore’s roots. … read more

Sonali Loomba: Craft Lake City Performer

Sonali Loomba: Craft Lake City Performer
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To watch Sonali Loomba perform is an invitation to explore her vibrant culture, to remember our own roots and to be inspired. … read more

Choir Boy: Adam Klopp on the Vanity of Art and the Relevance of Gathering Swans

Choir Boy: Adam Klopp on the Vanity of Art and...
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Adam Klopp, the frontman of local band Choir Boy, discusses the vanity and narcissism of music while delving into the group’s latest album, Gathering Swans. … read more

Review: U.S. Girls – Heavy Light

Review: U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
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Heavy Light’s off-the-cuff style calls for a more deliberate listening experience: It’s thoughtful, provocative and politically apropos. … read more

Review: Monophonics – It’s Only Us

Review: Monophonics – It’s Only Us
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Every expertly delivered layer of Monophonic’s It’s Only Us feels like a revelation in contrast to today’s hyper-automated world. … read more

Review: Born Ruffians – JUICE

Review: Born Ruffians – JUICE
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Born Ruffians = Dr. Dog + The Strokes + The Lemon Twigs  … read more

Born Ruffians’ Luke Lalonde Talks Quarantine, Infomercials and JUICE

Born Ruffians’ Luke Lalonde Talks Quarantine, Infomercials and JUICE
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Born Ruffians’ frontman Luke Lalonde sits down with SLUG to talk about the release of the band’s new album, JUICE, and his favorite infomericals. … read more

Book Review: Acid Test: LSD vs. LDS

Book Review: Acid Test: LSD vs. LDS
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Bigelow’s thematic storytelling and prose allows Acid Test to transcend the simplicity of being just another coming-of-age tale about counterculture. … read more