Utah Stories

The Voice of Local Utah

Bollypop – A New Musical Fusion

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Aarushi and Amishi Rohaj of A&A Bollypop
Aarushi and Amishi Rohaj of A& A Bollypop

I stood up from the fancy gold colored couch and smoothed out the wrinkles on my magenta gown. “Lub Dub, Lub Dub, Lub Dub.” My heart was beating so fast I thought it was going to explode. As I walked up on stage, my hands turned cold, my throat ran as dry as a desert ditch, and a trickle of sweat ran down my cheek. 

I had worked hours a day, days a week, and weeks a month for Indian Idol, yet I didn’t feel ready. This show was going to be broadcast internationally; how could I not be tense about it? I faced the audience, the vivid array of lights blinding my eyes. As my track filled the recording studio with its soothing sound, I looked at the stage more closely to divert my attention. 

The stage was made up of blue sparkling glass, with thousands of lights filling the studio with vibrant colors, while hundreds of cameras spiraled around me. I couldn’t believe it! The fantasy that I had daydreamed every day was finally coming true. I was eight when I wrote it on my dream board. It was a blurred and hazy vision. There was no way I was going to sing on Indian Idol (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Lil Champs North America), growing up so far away in the United States. Yet I wrote that dream down on my board. 

I sent my audition video the day I saw the ad on television. I didn’t know if I would get selected for the show, but it was a dream that I wanted to work toward. My ability to sing originated from a petite seed inside me that sprouted when I was very young. Singing and music gave me a feeling of power and intense light, and I constantly craved for that feeling to fill my heart and lungs.

But now I was actually standing on the most beautiful stage in Mumbai, thousands of miles away from home to fulfill my dream. Suddenly the host grabbed my attention. It was my turn to sing. I closed my eyes and let my skin soak up the atmosphere. I let my voice out with confidence, like a bird spreading its wings to take flight. I felt the vibrations of the music through the soles of my feet. I was finally here, and I was going to absorb each and every part of the experience.

As I watched the performance I had given two weeks ago as it aired on international television, I realized that the reverie I had deemed impossible had actually come true. My belief and constant perseverance created that thousand-mile bridge. But it’s not just about singing to perform and compete.

Music can mean a thousand different things to a thousand different people. Music has brought individuals closer to who they are physically, emotionally, spiritually, and culturally. To my sister Amishi and me, music is not just about singing to perform or compete; rather, we feel a unique connection to our American Indian background. 

Living in the United States but being brought up in an Indian household has taught us the importance of the two different cultures that make us who we are. I remember sitting with my family in India singing old Bollywood songs and jamming out to pop music in my car. That was the time I acquired the devotion and dedication towards music that still remains with me today. Being trained in Indian classical and Western pop music has allowed Amishi and I to become one with our diverse cultural background.

On a hot summer day, Amishi and I were sitting on our front porch singing Bollywood songs and jamming out on ukuleles. After a few minutes, Amishi started singing the chorus of Attention by Charlie Puth, while I was still singing the main chorus of a Bollywood song. Within seconds we both looked up at each other with wide eyes. 

Our jaws dropped in utter shock. I quickly started playing the uke again and singing the Bollywood song chorus, while at the same time, Amishi sung the chorus of Attention. We were fascinated with the crossover we had discovered. We never thought that mixing Bollywood songs with Western Pop music could sound so pleasing, and that little moment led us to create our own style of music. 

We obviously had to come up with a name for this new style of music, so after thinking about it for a few days, we decided to call our music style “Bollypop”. Bolly comes from Bollywood and the word pop comes from Western Pop music. It was a fitting blend. 

Bollypop incorporates different genres of music, a mix of languages, variations in harmonics and vocals, a mashup of popular songs on one track, and last but not least, a fusion of American and Indian culture. 

Amishi and I started our own YouTube channel to share Bollypop where we upload our newest and brightest music videos. We have performed Bollypop at various charity events, music festivals, and at the Governor’s Mansion. Through Bollypop, we aspire to share our culture and passion for music with the world. Music is a language that connects individuals in ways that no other medium can. Music touches our soul, flows through our blood, and keeps us breathing.

Check out our YouTube channel! A&A Bollypop

And follow us on social media for our newest releases! Instagram:

@aarushirohaj

@amishirohaj

@aa_bollypop

 

Made in Utah Winter Fest 2019

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Made in Utah Winter Fest and Winter Walk Dec. 7-8, 14-15 and 21-22

SALT LAKE CITY, UT — (November 20, 2019) – Utah Stories has partnered with The Gateway to present the second annual Made in Utah Winter Fest in collaboration with the Gateway’s unique Winter Walk holiday light experience. With distinctive holiday light displays created by local artists, specialty art and cultural programming each December weekend and a focus on local shopping, it promises to be an amazing “Winter Wonderland” experience for all ages.

This holiday season, options are plentiful starting with the popular Lights On Nov. 21 at dusk. The second annual Winter Walk is a unique holiday light stroll held nightly during Winter Fest. The Gateway will close down Rio Grande, allowing guests to stroll the property looking at the Winter Wonderland light display while they sip on the hot beverage of their choice — from cocoa to spiked cider. This year’s holiday light display was created in partnership with Utah Artists Alliance and local artists. It’s filled with unique one-of-a-kind custom sculptures and arts installations, turning the entire Gateway into a dreamy winter wonderland of light and art. It all adds up to the perfect setting for everyone’s “holiday card” photo with ample shopping and dining options while they enjoy the photo ops.

Shoppers have three full weekends to visit the Made in Utah Winter Fest with 50 pop-up local vendors featured on Dec. 7-8, 14-15 and 21-22. The market runs from 1-9 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-7 p.m. on Sundays and Winter Walk happens both evenings.

Winter Fest is the remembrance and celebration of lost holiday traditions. It is the recovery of childhood nostalgia and the reconstruction of the simpler times.

“On the exterior, the Made in Utah Winter Fest is a community-driven, free to the public, and family-friendly market that showcases some of Utah’s top artists, musicians, artisans, product makers including breweries, distilleries, restaurants, food trucks, and other local businesses in Utah, while boosting our local economy… But it is so much more than that…

“Winter Fest is the remembrance and celebration of lost holiday traditions. It is the recovery of childhood nostalgia and the reconstruction of the simpler times. For three weekends in December, you will have the opportunity to be whisked back to the time when you believed in Father Christmas, for you and your children will have the opportunity to interact with an authentic “Father Christmas.” You will ooh and aah at the beautiful and atmospheric lighting and décor that will pull you closer to the festive holiday spirits that lurk behind every corner. This is an evolving festival and will only get bigger and better every year so don’t miss out on the birth of an emerging Utah Tradition, The Made in Utah: Winter Fest,” says Danny Stewart, Loca­l Folklorist and Traditions Bearer, and Utah Stories event coordinator.

About Utah Stories:

Utah Stories is the voice of local Utah. Our mission is to promote and protect the power of the individual. It’s our belief that The Internet can become a means for individual voices to be heard through all of the clutter, spin and noise in the current media setting. It’s our mission to promote and highlight individuality in a world becoming more homogeneous. To this end, we highlight individual success stories and promote the home- grown culture found in Utah through our stories and events. Utah Stories is the organizer of Made in Utah Summer, Winter and Brewers Festivals

About The Gateway:

The Gateway is a 1.4 million square foot lifestyle destination in the heart of Downtown Salt Lake City. Owned and managed by Vestar, the property is in the midst of a $100 million redevelopment—infusing retail and dining, entertainment, modern office space, arts and culture, a boutique hotel, and a full calendar of community-driven events.

About Vestar:

As one of the leading privately held real estate companies in the United States, Vestar acquires, develops and manages shopping and entertainment destinations that serve as community focal points. Since its inception in 1989, Vestar has earned a reputation for integrity and responsibility in the fields of retail property development, operations, leasing and marketing. Vestar’s current portfolio of retail properties totals 30 million square feet throughout the western states. For more information, please visit vestar.com.

Inspiration for Life

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News of Death

Every city has a place where the downtrodden congregate. In Salt Lake, Pioneer Park is that place. I would see drug use and violence, but on one spring day I saw something new. A man in a chef toque was meditating under a tree. I saw him there daily. My curiosity grew and one day I sat in silence beside him. After awhile he turned and smiled at me with a sublime gaze. I asked the reason he meditated in the park. Without losing his smile he calmly said, “I’m here meditating because I am dying.”

He was born in Compton, California and had lost two brothers to gang violence. To avoid the same fate, he concocted a plan. He sold crack long enough to get the money to move to Las Vegas and attend culinary school. He had been working as a successful chef for several years when he began to feel an increasingly intense pain in his back. He had tests run, fully expecting to hear he simply needed to get a massage or to be better hydrated. He was not prepared to discover that he had terminal cancer.

Upon receiving the news, he immediately went home and flew into a rage. He destroyed his apartment, punching holes in the walls and throwing his lamp through the window. He eventually fell to the ground and wept like a child. When he woke, he was surrounded by chaos and shame.

Inspiration for Life

On a normal day he would have walked to the bus stop and gone to work, but once at the bus stop, he kept walking. He soon found himself at the end of the city and began hitchhiking. He continued until he reached Salt Lake. He turned to me and said, “I sat under this tree. The setting sunlight came through the leaves and I smiled. It was the first time I smiled since I learned I was soon to die.”

He decided he would sit under the tree until he either found peace or death. When I met him, nearly four months had passed. He wanted to share with the world something so meaningful that it would change many lives … if only he had time. He began to ask me brilliant, soul searching questions until finally he said, “What will you be doing on the day you die?”

I laughed at the seriousness of the question and shrugged it off. My friend laughed and assured me it was no laughing matter. “Life is so fleeting. You may live 50 more years or you may die today. Either way, it will not be enough time. You need to realize this.”

Tom Bennett performing

I thought about his question and came to realize that my life has been defined by travel and making music. I brought my guitar the next day and played for my friend. Our visits continued until one day I arrived at the park and he wasn’t there. I returned for many days and never saw him again. I quit my job and have now been on the road for over six years. I have played nearly 2000 shows in 41 states. Every night I sing my song for my friend. One of the lines says,

If you stay true to anything, let it be the wild-eyed wonder of a child. Live your life with a sense of poetry, don’t be afraid to go a little bit wild.

The song is called “If I Could Die Anywhere.”

Everywhere I travel, it is my goal to share the great mystery my friend shared with me.

Ogden’s 18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration

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Ogden's 18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration Historic 25th Street

Join Ogden Downtown Alliance for Northern Utah’s Largest Event of the Year.

September 21st – Ogden, Utah. Celebrate the end of summer and beginning of fall with family-friendly activities, live music, artisan exhibits, community organizations, unique performances, local businesses, seasonal surprises and free entry to Northern Utah’s largest event of the year!

The Eighteenth Annual Harvest Moon Celebration will take place on Historic 25th Street in Ogden, September 21st from Noon to 8 pm. Located on the 100 and 200 blocks of Historic 25th Street, a street highly committed to locally-owned and operated businesses, Ogden Downtown Alliance is proud to bring together our community, local businesses, and nonprofit organizations for a celebration that grows with each passing year.

Activities

Leading up to Harvest Moon Celebration, NUHOPE’s Suicide Awareness Walk and Ceremony will be held from 9 am to 11 pm at Ogden Amphitheater. “Whether you walk remembering or supporting a loved one, recovering from hard times yourself, or as a supporter of the cause, we would be honored to have you participate in this memorable event,” shares NUHOPE.

Ogden's 18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration Stage Performers

At noon, Harvest Moon Celebration kicks off with free family activities until 5 pm featuring local Magician Elias “Lefty” Caress, Locally Twisted balloon artists, a climbing course wall with the Army National Guard, plaster fossil casting with Ogden’s George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park, Dartside’s activity course, Hand Drawn Photo Booth, wooden moon phases art project with the Local Artisan Collective, Eccles Art Center’s Create Your Own Pumpkin activity and more.

New this year, get your picture with a Giant Pumpkin grown by Jim Seamons and carved by local artist Adam Smith, weighing an estimated 250 pounds; and check out huge tractors on display from Great Basin Antique Tractors! Enjoy classic Harvest Moon Celebration favorites, such as the giant rock wall offering free climbing until 4 pm and pay to play until 8 pm, local business, artisan vendors and a beer garden featuring local beers such as Roosters and UTOG.

Ogden's 18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration Social Axe Throwing

Social Axe will be back this year to host their second live Harvest Moon Axe Throwing Competition and will be offering free axe throwing for all guests 13 years and older until 5 pm. The tournament will start at 5:30 pm for 50 pre-registered participants. To compete, register on-site before 5 pm. Custom Trophy Axes will be gifted to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place title holders.

Performances

The main stage, located on the north side of the Historic 25th Street and Lincoln Avenue Intersection, will be active throughout the day with live music performances and cultural demonstrations. Check out the lineup below:

12:00 pm

Local singer and songwriter, Branson Anderson

12:40 pm

Ogden Buddhist Taiko Drummers

1:00 pm

Local band, Fuzion

2:00 pm

Ballet Folklorico Tutulli

2:20 pm

Local band, Caleb & Canvas

3:15 pm

Utah Irish Dance Company

4:30 pm

Endless Indulgence Retro Wear Fashion Show

6:00 pm

Congolese Drummers

6:30 pm

Headliner – TBA

A community stage located on the south side of the 200 block of Historic 25th Street near Wise Guys Comedy Club will highlight local up and coming talent by Imagine Music from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Food & Drink

Indulge in lunch, dinner and treats from local restaurants and vendors such as Warrens Craft Burger, Tona Sushi, Lucky Slice Pizza, Rovali’s Ristorante Italiano, Roosters, Fry Me To The Moon, Daily Rise Coffee, Ivan’s Ice Cream, Menchies, Soul Pinoy Utah’s Own Pink Drink, Smokey’s BBQ, Wasatch Roasting Company, Hearth on 25th, Wimpy & Fritz, World’s Best Corn Dogs, Z’s Hot Sauce, Thai Curry Kitchen, and a new restaurant coming soon to The Monarch – WB’s!

“Harvest Moon offers a nice way to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall,” says Tina Yu, owner of Tona Sushi Bar and Grill, a local, independent business that has been operating for 15 years on Historic 25th Street, “we have been involved with Harvest Moon since we opened. The best is the amount of people who visit the street. It is a fun day with good vibes…It’s an event for all ages – kids love the activities and excitement and adults love the music, businesses, food, and beer garden.”

A variety of kid’s activities will be available free of charge until 5 pm. Beer and wine will be available for purchase at designated beverage stations for guests 21+ from Noon to 8 pm. Coolers are not allowed into the celebration and guests will be checked at entry points. Due to the size of this event, pets will not be allowed on the street except for certified service animals.

Ogden's 18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration Schedule

18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration

September 21st 12 pm to 8 pm

Historic 25th Street in Ogden (Wall Avenue to Grant Avenue)

Free Entrance

For event information follow @OgdenDowntown on Facebook and Instagram.

Harvest Moon Celebration is produced and managed by the Ogden Downtown Alliance.

About Ogden Downtown Alliance:

Awarded Best of State in Community Development, the Ogden Downtown Alliance is a 501(c)(3) committed to increasing economic vitality and community vibrancy throughout Ogden’s Central Business District. We support local commerce through placemaking, destination marketing, focused community programming and events. We create and promote a dynamic epicenter for arts, entertainment, and cultural experiences in Ogden’s downtown.

FIND MORE OGDEN STORIES HERE.

What to Do In Salt Lake City 12 Minutes at a Time

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What to do in Salt Lake City, modern dance piece called Heartland
Molly Heller, a teacher at the U of U’s School of Dance, performing modern dance piece called Heartland

What to Do In Salt Lake City

12 Minutes Max at the Salt Lake City Public Library is a monthly experimental performance series featuring three short works by local musicians, filmmakers, dancers, artists and just about anything that can be put on a stage. The kicker is everyone gets 12 minutes with a short question and answer period at the end of each act. That’s what is so great about this event. A little something for everyone. Not too long. You get a taste of different music styles or dance or film and then you can explore more in depth on your own.

12 Minutes Max happens on the third Sunday of every month at 2:00 pm at the Salt Lake Public Library, within the 40 blocks of downtown Salt Lake City known as THE BLOCKS.

Act 1: Salt Lake Electric Ensemble

This past Sunday I listened to synthesized electronic music by Nick Foster, Mike Wall, and Austin Booth. Together they call themselves the Salt Lake Electric Ensemble. These musicians merged three of their personal compositions. The first movement of the music featured electronic dance music along with a real drum set. It was soothing and rhythmic; a later movement was unworldly and eerie.

Act 2: Heartland

Dancers then joined The Ensemble featuring Molly Heller, a teacher at the U of U’s School of Dance, who presented a modern dance piece called Heartland. The dance demonstrated a series of works that explore moving from the physical spaces of the heart in an attempt to find one’s true self. It comes from Ms. Heller ’s latest body of research surrounding the heart. After the performance in the Q and A, Molly was asked what percentage of the choreography was planned and how much was improvised. Her response was surprising. She remarked that about 80% is choreographed, and 20% is improvised by how she was feeling in the moment. On the day of this performance, she felt exhaustion which she expressed in her dance by allowing herself to collapse onto the floor and to roll off the stage as if gravity pulled her against her will. As a novice to Modern Dance, I wasn’t sure how to grasp or interpret the meaning of the movements, but the improvisational element of it was dynamic, novel and riveting.

24 minutes was up.

What to do in Salt Lake City, Will Bagley
Will Bagley

Act 3: Survivor

The next 12-minute act was an animated short film entitled Survivor, in which we meet Margaret Dalglish, a Utah handcart pioneer who was a “bad-a.” This short featured the storytelling prowess and narrative of Will Bagley. Will is a fellow of the Utah State Historical Society and has written many books on Western History. He was joined by KUER’s RadioWest, Elaine Clark who produced the pioneer story told in a new and modern way with interesting, flowing animation overlaid on top of actual black and white film footage of the pioneer trails and Salt Lake Valley. Once the film was over, the question and answer period about the piece was enlightening. We learned that for each second of animated film required 45 man hours of production. We also learned where one can find the old Pioneer journals and news accounts; how nonprofits operate and how this film is a small drop in KUER’s bigger picture in their telling of Utah stories.

The collaborative, behind-the-scenes look at these two very different performances was impressive and unique. Knowing little about electronic music or modern dance or animated pioneer stories, these new forms of storytelling were all new to me, but the entire audience experienced it and I learned more about these different genres of art and I was left inspired.

Past performers of 12 Minutes Max include a film by Steven Stallings, a musical performance by BoBo, modern dance by Tyler Orcutt, a cabaret piece by Dream Meli, a film by Conner Long.

Next month there will be something else to participate in and learn about, 12 minutes at a time on the Salt Lake Library stage.

The Salt Lake City Public Library has a nice size auditorium for events such as these, with cookies, coffee, and mingling afterward.

I can recommend enjoying this freestyle on a Sunday afternoon. To learn more about the arts, culture, events, activities, and entertainment in THE BLOCKS, go to theblocksslc.com.

Bonanza Campout Festival: The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music

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Bonanza Campout Photos by Braden Latimer.

Tucked away in River’s Edge Campground near Heber, Utah, lies one of Utah’s best kept secrets—an outdoor music festival with a star-studded lineup, fantastic amenities, and a picture-perfect alpine backdrop. Now in their third year of production, Bonanza Campout attracts people ready to enjoy the on-site camping options, local food trucks and breweries, and its unique, eclectic vibe.

With a distinct mixture of musical genres such as EDM, rap, indie, and pop, this year’s festival lineup was the biggest to date. Headlining was electro-pop queen Halsey, best known for her vocals on The Chainsmokers hit song “Closer,” named Dance Song of the Year in 2016.

Next on the roster was hip-hop heavyweight Wiz Khalifa, known for his wide range of mixtapes and hit songs such as “Black and Yellow” and “See You Again.”

Grammy-nominated electronic DJ/producer ZHU, whose mysterious identity and unique approach to EDM propelled him out of nowhere, and created waves in the music industry with #1 US dance chart hit “Faded,” was a crowd favorite.

Finishing out the top of the list was the euphoric trio RÜFÜS DU SOL, who delivered pure magic every time they graced the stage, with award-winning songs such as “You Were Right” and “Innerbloom.” Other noteworthy acts included Phantogram, Local Natives, BØRNS, Moon Taxi, Snakehips, Hippie Sabotage, and more.

Produced by Utah-based entertainment company, Live Night Events, Bonanza boasted a musical roster that festival giants Coachella and EDC would envy. What the younger, smaller Bonanza lacks in experience, it makes up for in the following dynamic details that combine to make a truly magical festival atmosphere.

The first is location. Surrounded by trees, rivers, and mountains, fans are immersed in fresh air and scenery pulled straight from a postcard. With on-site camping options and a quick 20-minute drive from the posh resorts of Park City, the mountain location appeals to urban hipsters and granola hippie fans alike.

Second is size and spacing. Two stages alternate acts throughout the night—Shade Stage and Bonanza Stage. Stars perform in a unique open space with plenty of room for fans to dance or just sit on the grass and relax with friends without being overrun by the crowds.

If you need a break from dancing, walk over and grab a local craft beer or fill up a bottle with fresh water. Not thirsty? Follow your nose toward the food trucks for tasty treats from local vendors and small business owners. If you are camping on site, head back to your digs and recharge for the next performance.

The third factor is level of production.What is better than simply watching these amazing artists perform? It is seeing and hearing them with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from an over-sized festival. Lasers? Smoke? Fire? Yeah, they got that. Beach balls dropping from the sky and fireworks for the final night? Yeah, they got that too! Top-level sound and production amplified by nature’s acoustics makes for an unbeatable performance experience in an intimate, high-energy environment.

“The epitome of good music. Good people. Good vibes. I can’t wait to come back next year to enjoy the ride again!” says first-time attendee Josh Mullen. The countdown until BONANZA 2019 has already begun. Mark your calendars for a festival experience you’d be hard pressed to replicate anywhere else.

Special thanks to Live Night Events for taking the risk on creating Utah’s largest music festival and making it what it is today. The memories made and experiences shared with loved ones is something this year’s lucky attendees will never forget.

Until next time! #bonanzasquad

Songwriter’s Showcase 

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Scott Cullins and Michael Feldman at Feldman’s Deli.

Scott Cullins’ passion for songwriting reignited when he moved to Utah from Teton Valley, Idaho in 2011. But his move to Holladay, in 2017, was like adding music steroid directly into his veins.

“You can find an open mic or open jam almost every night of the week in this town,” Says Cullins. “I felt like a kid in a candy shop. I was playing at Alchemy Coffee, The Royal Mestizo, The Wicked Pour, Wasatch Musician, Lumpy’s…you name it.”

As fate would have it, every time Cullins played, he’d run into the Deli man who was out playing his own basady blues originals.

Cullins had met Michael Feldman in 2012 at a Salt Lake Magazine dining awards photo shoot. Feldman and his wife Janet had recently opened Feldman’s Deli when editor May Malouf’s team discovered the deli.

“I remember it took Mike a few encounters to remember who I was,” jokes Cullins. “He was an award-winning restaurateur and I was merely the creative director who had helped make him famous…LOL.”

Feldman eventually invited Cullins to sit in at the deli one night. The two became friends and started brainstorming on what would eventually become Intermountain Songwriters & Performers (IS&P)

Both had noticed there was a lot of talent in Salt Lake City, but beyond the typical open mic there wasn’t much opportunity for songwriters to play and get noticed.

IS&P’s solution was to organize a series of curated showcases, with top local songwriters they both felt the public needed to see.

“Non-musicians don’t often seek out open mic events because let’s face it…you get marginal performers sometimes,” says Feldman, “But when you go to as many open mics as we do, you discover a lot of amazing musicians.”

Cullins had previously approaced Utah Stories Magazine with the idea of including a local songwriters showcase in the Made in Utah Festival VIP Room (August 25)

Publisher, Richard Markosian, along with his wife and festival organizer, Golda Hukic-Markosian, loved the idea right away. Instead of cover bands used in previous years, the VIP Room would now show case some of the best music made in Utah.

“It’s been a lot of work,” says Cullins, “but we are stoked to be part of this uniquely Utah food and entertainment event.”

John Young: Luthier

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“A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit, and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy.”
-Albert Einstein

Violin maker John Young in his Salt Lake City workshop. Photos by Alyssa Bray.

 

I spent a recent morning in a violin maker’s shop, being given a tour by its luthier, John Young. John picks up a future violin, a pair of wooden boards, and we look at the flaming of the grain. He shows me a scattering of violin pieces, ribs, fingerboards, boxes, necks, and scrolls, all hand carved. He picks up a jar of varnish, a twist of the lid releases a whiff of turpentine, and then he shows me color samples. These objects are all scattered across his work table, waiting to be pieced together to become, not only a beautiful musical instrument, but also a work of art that combines science and history with a craftsmanship that took years to develop.

John tells me how lucky he was to be able to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a luthier, a maker of stringed instruments. John tells me that, at age 10, and after watching a televised tour of a violin making shop on an episode of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, he decided that he wanted to learn how to make violins. While attending school in New York he was told that he had no options for learning this craft. It wasn’t until he traveled to Minnesota that he learned that, yes, indeed, there were schools dedicated to violin making. In Minnesota he attended the string instrument program at Red Wing Technical College, and then came to Salt Lake City, attending the Violin School of America. John Young made his first violin nearly 30 years ago and has since become an award winning luthier.

One violin typically consumes 80 hours of careful craftsmanship from start to finish.

In the 16th century, the first violins, as we know them today, appeared in Northern Italy. The small Italian town of Cremona is the birthplace of the most exquisite violins ever made. The violins crafted there by Antonio Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri have become the standard and John supposes that 99% of modern luthiers are emulating the Cremonese masters in their own work.

“I am inspired by the violins made by Stradivari and Guarneri.” John tells me. “But, I am not making a Stradivari or Guarneri violin. I make violins that look and sound good to me.”

A violin starts with the wood. John explains how the quality and the density of the wood comprise the instrument’s strength and flexibly. At different thicknesses the wood will vibrate at specific frequencies. Each component of the violin, the body, the fingerboard, the scroll, and even the varnish, all play a role in the way the violin will ultimately sound.

John is animated as he shares his craft with me. He holds an appreciation for each step of the process, as well as the materials he works with. He exudes a passion for his profession that feels genuine and rare.

“I love making violins because I get to work with really beautiful wood, using my hands, producing something that earns me a living and provides beauty to the world and I make this object that will last way beyond my lifetime.” John Young, quoted from “Sizzle & Depth”.

“Sizzle and Depth” is a short film about John Young, produced by John’s friend, Chris Morgan, and can be viewed here.

The dream of becoming a violin maker has come true for John Young.

 

Twilite Lounge Nights: Music that Fits the Mood

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Photo by Mike Jones.

Every Wednesday and Sunday night starting at 9pm, Twilite Lounge is home to live music hosted by David Payne of The Red Bennies. Wednesday typically features musicians playing traditional instruments such as guitar, keys and bass. Sundays is geared toward creative electronica and DJs Lord British, Falchion B and Twin Bee. During these respective nights, Payne hosts through his group Jazz Jaguars and his alter-ego, Lord British. Payne says, “We play ´Doom Lounge´ music—lounge defined as music that is beautiful, engaging as possible, but soft enough to encourage conversation amongst the people there. It’s called Doom because of our generally slow tempos.”

The Twilite Night Lounge nights were started out of a need for places to perform. Payne had already been experimenting with taking soft music more seriously with students from his music-reading group. A bartender at Twilite invited Payne and company to play there. Soon the lounge nights were being frequented and guested by local acts playing similar versions of their material. Payne says, “We have guest bands every time.” Some notable groups include Strong Words, Muzzle Tung, Sam Burton, 90s TV and Cool Banana.

In order to play, acts must follow certain rules. Rule one: the guesting acts cannot be made up solely of male performers. Rule two: no soloists—ensembles only. Finally, rule three is that groups must present themselves with “lounge sensibilities.” Payne says “We really try and make it pleasant while posturing as non-background music.”

The musicians who play Twilite Lounge Nights don’t do it for pay. Musicians instead perform through the support of a kind of anti-capitalistic artistic integrity. “Of course, I’m sensitive to the concept that we all need money. But a paid relationship would ruin what we do over there,” Payne says, “ I don’t believe in artistic capitalism. I think other labors should pay your bills. I think that money is a major distraction to the artistic process, which is expressing eeyourself to yourself in view of other people.”

According to Payne, spurring on local music has been difficult in part due to Utah’s religious and cultural stigma against alcohol. It’s a stigma that is becoming steadily outdated thanks to new bars opening their doors. The trick though is that not all of the new establishments are sponsoring live music. Payne says, “I think every artist here knows that we live in a pop culture that doesn’t value the arts, especially local.”

But Payne is not deterred. He wants to see nights similar to Twilite Lounge nights spread into other bars throughout the Salt Lake Valley. “I’d like to see more bars adopt the kind of thing we do,” says Payne. “I want real, local, non-capitalistic, regular, dense, normalized, constant, artistic activity.” For more on Payne’s Lounge nights, visit Twilite Lounge on Wednesday and Sunday evenings.

Twilite Lounge: 347 E 200 S, Salt Lake City
801 532-9400

To The Bat Kave: Tunes in Toquerville

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Photos courtesy of Dave Durrant.

Southern Utah is not synonymous with live music. However, near the blood red cliffs of Zion, in the little town of Toquerville, Dave Durrant is cranking away at the Bat Kave studio.

Like many musicians, Durrant was interested in capturing his own material and started recording his music on a Tascam cassette recorder. Looking back on those days he says, “it was kind of cool because I had a cassette player in my hoopty little Dodge Neon, and I could listen while driving around Salt Lake City.”

Durrant got his start in SLC, but moved to Southern Utah in 2009. He originally produced and drummed for Kate Godfrey. As this turned into a romantic relationship they eventually formed the band Yesouisi (pronounced Yes We See.)

The Bat Kave.

Durrant and Godfrey both worked in and around Zion National Park in Springdale, Utah, but decided on nearby Toquerville to build their sonic sound temple, The Bat Kave.

I recently had the pleasure of recording 12 tracks at the Bat Kave and found it to be an awesome studio. I was also very impressed with the experience of recording with Durrant. The Bat Kave got it’s name from a Halloween party the couple threw. They put up decorations and they remained up. In the middle of the main recording room hangs a giant bat, from whence the studio takes its name.

The Bat Kave is a real hub for creativity. Having recorded in multiple studios in several states, I found many of them to be sterile and not conducive to the vibe that an artist might be seeking. Durrant lives at his studio so it’s not uncommon for him to whip up some grub or put on some hot tea during a long session. A beautiful husky dog, Balto, is quick to give approval as well. I loved pulling up everyday and seeing him run out to greet me. When my fiddle player was in town to record his parts, he was even allowed to stay at the studio at no extra charge. To say Dave and Kate were hospitable would be an understatement.

Dave has a keen ear for the feel that the artist is trying to capture. He is not afraid to employ unique techniques to get just the right sound. At one point we even brought Balto into the session for some authentic howls! On your breaks from recording everyone gathers around a fire pit for a little hatchet throwing competition and cold beer.

From the bluff, you can see for miles into the mountains of the Southern Utah desert. Durrant offers reasonable rates, recording solo acts for $40 an hour and full bands for $60. For the recording artist, this is a Southern Utah sonic experience not to be missed.

Dave Durrant can be reached at 435-256-1867.
durrantula@gmail.com