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THE HEAVY METAL SHOP
By Andrew Roy roydrechsel@gmail.com
Since 1987, The Heavy Metal Shop has been
everything that stores like Hot Topic and FYE
aren’t—legit, neighborly and stocked with great
music, posters and apparel—plus, there’s no
embarrassment if you’re seen hanging out there. If
you ever want to talk music, take a minute and go
chat with HMS owner Kevin Kirk. He’s an absolute
fountain of rock/metal facts and anecdotes. Kirk
has done something few shop owners have done:
He’s created one of the most recognizable brands
to come out of Salt Lake. It’s not uncommon to see
a slew of bands like Slayer, Megadeth, Alice in
Chains and Exodus clothed in the unholy garb of
the HMS. If you haven’t already, go buy yourself a
shirt down at 63 Exchange Place (between 300 and
400 South downtown).
SLUG: Tell us about your first experience with
SLUG Magazine.
Kirk: It was when JR had it out in Sandy. It seemed
like it might have even been stapled together back
then. I had an in-store concert coming with Dark
Angel and he came and approached me, and I did
an ad with him.
SLUG: How have you seen the magazine change
since then?
Kirk: It’s gotten much bigger. JR did a lot of
trade with me. He’d take $100 worth of music in
exchange for ad space.
Jeremy Sundeaus—
or “Jerm” as most folks know
him—has been involved in the local and national
music scenes since before most mall-punks were
born. He can often be found slinging drinks, loading
the stage at our own Burt’s Tiki Lounge, occupying
said stage with his current doom act Muckraker,
and also bearing an uncanny resemblance to the
Prince of Darkness with the extremely awesome
and underrated Black Sabbath tribute band Irony
Man. Sundeaus has seen bands, fads, clothing,
hair-styles and countless issues of SLUG come and
go. He was kind enough to share a few thoughts
about SLUG with us, and although he is a man of
few words, his responses are pretty goddamned
entertaining.
SLUG: Tell us about your first experience with
SLUG Magazine.
Sundeaus: I think it was when a certain drummer
wrote to Dear Dickheads under the moniker
“Grindboy” and stirred up some funny rantings
about the then-scene.
SLUG: What is one of the most memorable SLUG
articles that you have read?
Kirk: I liked Helen Wolf a lot. That was Bill
Frost, and I liked his column—everyone thought
he was a woman, and that was pretty funny. I
like Mike Brown—he’s funny. There have been
some good interviews, too. I did an interview with
[rock & roll photographer] Roberta Bayley. She
did the first Ramones album cover. I also got to
interview Tom Petersson from Cheap Trick over
the phone—I was pretty nervous.
SLUG: What is your favorite SLUG cover?
Kirk: I remember the Maggotheads cover,
because I had given SLUG pictures of the
Ventures, and that’s what they used. That was
fun because we went down to the Pompadour,
since JR was running that too, and we did the
interview there.
SLUG: Tell us about the most memorable SLUG
event that you’ve attended.
Kirk: The Sabbathons at the Speedway. Those
were fun. And the ones that Angela did at the
Gallivan Center were really cool. We set up a
booth there, and it got really cold that night, so I
sold a lot of hoodies [laughs].
SLUG: How has SLUG affected your life?
I think Dan from Draize Method/Red No.
5 retorted that he’d spank Grindboy with a Slayer
album...
SLUG: How have you seen the magazine change
since then?
Sundeaus: Besides color and a sleeker look, I
think there’s been continuity with the magazine that
parallels the times.
SLUG: What is one of the most memorable SLUG
articles that you have read?
Sundeaus: Nothing in particular, but I always read
Localized.
SLUG: What is your favorite SLUG cover?
Sundeaus: The one of Thunderfist/Blackhole/
The Wolfs, etc.Thunderfist being my favorite.
SLUG: Tell us about the most memorable SLUG
event that you’ve attended.
BURT’S TIKI LOUNGE
Kirk: It was
nice, especially in the
beginning, to work together
and be interested in the same things.
JR and I were friends, and those were cool
times. It was pre-internet days, when you actually
had to go down to the record store to hear new
music and hang out.
SLUG: Why do you think SLUG has continued to
be relevant in Utah for the last 22 years?
Kirk: Some people are surprised that Salt Lake
needs something like this, but there are a lot of
music fans in Salt Lake.
Photo: John Carlisle
Sundeaus: The
Sabbathon when ol’ Jamie St. James
joined The Unlucky Boys for a sweet rendition of
“Sweet Leaf!”
SLUG: How has SLUG affected your life?
Sundeaus: It’s just a good source of information
for local and national shows, shops, etc. and has
been a great source for advertising locally.
SLUG: Why do you think SLUG has continued to
be relevant in Utah for the last 22 years?
Sundeaus: I don’t think they let themselves fall into
a mold and they continue to keep up with what
kids are doing in the now.
Photo: John Carlisle
By Gavin Hoffman reigniforever666@gmail.com
34 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 35