A Pinch of Salt: A History of Death By Salt

Guitarist/vocalist Ryan Fedor, featured on The Pentagraham Crackers’ DBS V track, “Santa’s Little Helper,” and on five previous tracks—two from Tolchock Trio, one from Buttery Muffins, The Wolfs and a solo project, 1h86335—says, “It’s always an honor to be selected to be a part of Death By Salt. I feel like Death By Salt really helped to get a lot of local bands some new fans that may have missed them otherwise. Plus, it provided some short- lived but great local bands with a physical release of their work.”

Several Death By Salt musicians have passed away. Eccentric art/folk music icon Bob Moss, whose DBS I track “Movie Man,” was recorded by Mike Kirkland of SoundCo Records and the New Evils. “‘Movie Man’ is a song written by Clint Wardlow and myself,” says Kirkland. “Bob could have submitted one of his own songs, but I think he liked the fact that Clint was involved in writing the song and he wanted to promote his involvement.” Moss and other former Death By Salt contributors who helped build the creative community continue to inspire the new generation of artists and musicians.

Death By Salt V takes on the resurgent genre of psych/garage rock. As Content Consultants for SLUG, Matt Hoenes—record store clerk and musician extraordinaire—and fellow Graywhale Records employee and concert promoter Jon Christiansen, consulted with Brown on the new one: “Angela, Jon and I had a hand in choosing the theme, selecting which bands to invite, and whittling submissions down to the final track listing,” Hoenes says. “We also helped choose artist Sean Hennefer for the visual aspects, gave direction on themes and concepts for the art. And a bit of my doodles were added.” SLUG’s Lead Designer Joshua Joye helped tie it all together with his design work. A psychedelic moire pattern behind shimmering lines like ripples in a pond, together with Joye’s mod font, make for a cover that exclaims, “This is a great expression of psych music!”

“After that, we made sure the mastering, vinyl production and artwork came together, along with Angela and Josh,” Hoenes says. “I’m excited to be part of something that will hopefully expose a chunk of the excellent garage/psych/post-punk DIY scene we have here to new audiences.” Christiansen says, “Salt Lake has always been a hotbed of musical talent, and this series, in past and in present, is an excellent showcase of that. It’s been seven years, so it’s about time we resurrect the damn thing. Comps are a great way to spread the word on overlooked bands, so I’m excited to get some fresh ears on these killer tunes.”

It’s been a labor of love in support of a local music scene that has grown and matured to become nationally regarded. “Now is an incredible time in SLC’s local music scene,” Brown says. “There are countless fresh, new projects emerging from up-and-comers as well as seasoned vets. It’s my hope that with the release of Death By Salt V, we may empower others to participate in building our spirited music community.”

Death By Salt V’s two release parties will be held at Urban Lounge (Friday, June 12, 21-plus with Dark Seas, Breakers and Albino Father) and Diabolical Records (Saturday, June 13, all-ages with Koala Temple, The Nods and The Troubles)