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 … [Read more...]
Ogden’s 18th Annual Harvest Moon Celebration
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 … [Read more...]
What to Do In Salt Lake City 12 Minutes at a Time
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 … [Read more...]
Bonanza Campout Festival: The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music
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 … [Read more...]
Songwriter’s Showcase
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 … [Read more...]
John Young: Luthier
"A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit, and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy." -Albert Einstein 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, … [Read more...]
Twilite Lounge Nights: Music that Fits the Mood
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 … [Read more...]
To The Bat Kave: Tunes in Toquerville
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 … [Read more...]
Respect the Real: the Need for Authentic Voices in American Music
I was sitting at a table in one of my favorite Salt Lake bars listening to Rooster, a traveling country singer. His song was about something he experiences on any given night of the week. It was a song about sleeping in his truck in some middle-of-nowhere Wyoming town after a gig. Throughout the song, a drunk lady leaned against the stage yelling repeatedly, "play Johnny … [Read more...]
Reverend Beat-Man and Nicole Izobel Garcia perform in Salt Lake City
On April 22nd, Switzerland’s infamous Reverend Beat-Man will be playing the Garage on Beck with Nicole Izobel Garcia. They are touring the United States to support their new album Baile Bruja Muerto, released on Beat-Man’s label Voodoo Rhythm Records. The two will take their stage dressed as a reverend (Beat-Man) and a nun (Garcia). Not a reverend in the traditional sense, … [Read more...]