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SaltLakeUnderGround • Vol. 22• Issue # 268 • April 2011 • slugmag.comPublisher: Eighteen Percent GrayEditor: Angela H. BrownManaging Editor:Jeanette D. MosesContributing Editor: Ricky VigilAction Sports Editor:Adam DorobialaEditorial Assistant: Esther MeroñoCopy Editing Team: Jeanette D.Moses, Rebecca Vernon, Ricky Vigil,Esther Meroño, Liz Phillips, Katie Panzer,Rio Connelly, Joe Maddock, AlexanderOrtega, Mary Enge, NWFP, Cody Kirkland,Hannah Christian, Rachel Fabiano,HondoCover Design: Joshua JoyeCover Photo: JPIssue Design: Joshua JoyeDesign Interns: Adam Dorobiala,Eric Sapp, Bob Plumb, Jeremy Riley,Chris SwainstonAd Designers: Todd Powelson,Kent Farrington, Sumerset Bivens,Jaleh Afshar, Lionel WIlliams, ChristianBroadbent, Kelli Tompkins, MaggiePoulton, Eric Sapp, Brad Barker, KJ,Lindsey Morris, Paden Bischoff, MaggieZukowski, thy DoanWebsite Design: Kate O’ConnorIllustrators: Jared Smith, ManuelAguilar, Ryan Perkins, Phil Cannon, BenjiPierson Maggie ZukowskiPhotographers: Ruby Johnson, KatiePanzer, Dave Brewer, Sam Milianta,Adam Dorobiala, Weston Colton, DavidDeAustin, David Newkirk, Barrett Doran,Adam Heath, Bob Plumb, Chris Swainston,Michelle Emerson, Max Lowe, PeterAnderson, Jesse Anderson, Mitch Allen,John Carlisle, Gage ThompsonFilmers: Andrew Schummer, BrianBaade, Loren Tyrel, Mary Catrow,SluggerAd Sales: SLUG HQ 801.487.9221Angela Brown:sales@slugmag.comMike Brownmikebrown@slugmag.comDISCLAIMER: SLUG Magazine does not necessarily maintain the same opinions as those found in our articles, interviewsor advertisements. If you are easily offended, please do not blame us. We are a carrier for the voice of the people and it isnot our fault if you don’t like people. Content is property of SLUG Magazine. Please do not use without permission or we willhunt you down and make you pay for your sins. Now, that’s a promise.Contributor LimelightJemie Spranklejemie@slugmag.comShauna Brennanshauna@slugmag.comMarketing Coordinator:Bethany FischerMarketing: Ischa Buchanan, Jeanette D.Moses, Jessica Davis, Hailee Jacobson,Stephanie Buschardt, Giselle Vickery,Veg Vollum, Chrissy Hawkins, EmilyBurkhart, Rachel Roller, Jeremy Riley,Sabrina Burris, Taylor HunsakerDistribution Manager: Eric GranatoDistro: Eric Granato, Tommy Dolph,Tony Bassett, Joe Jewkes, Jesse Hawlish,Nancy Burkhart, Joyce Bennett, BradBarker, Adam Okeefe, Manuel Aguilar,Ryan Worwood, David FrohlichOffice Interns: Jeremy Riley, ChrisProctor, Gaven Sheehan, Kia McGinnisSenior Staff Writers: Mike Brown,Mariah Mann-Mellus, James Orme,Lance Saunders, Jeanette D. Moses,Bryer Wharton, Peter Fryer, James Bennett,Ricky Vigil, Adam Dorobiala, GavinHoffman, Jon Robertson, Esther Meroño,Rebecca Vernon, Ross Solomon, ChrisSwainston, Sam Milianta, Jimmy Martin,Ben Trentelman, JP, Jesse Hawlish, TylerMakmell, Princess KennedyMonkeys with Computers:Brian Kubarycz, Shawn Mayer, CodyHudson, Mike Reff, Eric Hess, SeanZimmerman Wall, Rio Connelly, CourtneyBlair, Tully Flynn, Kendall Johnson, ElliotSecrist, Dean O. Hillis, Jemie Sprankle,Jessie Wood, Ryan Hall, Chris Proctor,Bethany Fischer, Dr. Evil, Some CopDude, Nate Perkins, Andrew Roy, AlexanderOrtega, Kyla Grant, Nate Housley,Madelyn Boudreaux, Ischa Buchanan,Gavin Sheehan, Liz Lucero, RyanSchoeck, Levi Rounds, Dylan Chadwick,Clayton Godby, Julianna Clay, MeganKennedy, Mike Abu, Tom BennettRoller Derby Correspondents:Paige Snow, Diane HartfordHailee Jacobson —Social Networking Coordinator / MarketingThis marketingmaven and socialnetworking staris bringing all ofSLUG’s socialmedia sites intothe 21st centurywith her innovativeideas andmad multi-taskingskills. Jacobson isthe main womanbehind the SLUGMagazine twitter, facebook, vimeo and youtube sites. Keep your eye to theweb for awesome giveaways from SLUG, new videos and info regardingawesome events in the SLC area. With Jacobson’s help, SLUG Magazineis not stuck in the mid-2000’s updating our status and organizing ourfriends on Myspace.—how passé.4 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 5

To Brofessor Alex Brotega.Listen Bro, You completely fuckingmissed the point of the broship, goin’from your article you make us seem likesome kind of pseudo-fraternity (withoutthat college education) We’re not afucking Frat and Fuck college anyways,the Broship is like the school of hardknocks and hard cocks. Anyway, We’renot some brovinistic, one-upsmanshipgang of uneducated go-nowhere futureMaverick attendants with criminalrecords for public intox and unpaidfines ..For the Bro-ship, Maverick is notwhere the Adventure ends... but where itbegins. The Bro in Broship is about brotherhood...Letme explain, Sometimesyour bro is just real bronely, and you’rethere for him no matter what... Even ifhe has a raging broner, you just have tobro-up or bro-home and fucking drainthat Bro-and-arrow, you know give hima proper brojob..I dont think it’s a bigsecret that Broship is a little Bro-curious(some might say, “bromosexual”), we’rechemically bro-pendent. It’s not gay it’spartyin’. Bros don’t get pissed when abro bro-ws a load in another bro’s eye,it’s just part of being a bro. Sometimes,you know your bro has had a rough day,so you go brocure him a brouquet ofbroses (brocabulary lesson—a twelver ofnatty). It’s just part of the holy matri-BROny and clearly you don’t understandthe hardships involved in that. You reallyshould attend our next Brorientation...Butbro-yond all of that. We thought it was apretty good article.Sincerely,Master and Brommander, the Brommanderand Chief of the USS. BroshipYo Bro,Brorry if brour Broship brover brorybroffended you, but we did our bestin brofiling this brolific brocal brollectivewithin the pages of SLUG. Asfar as these allegations of bromosexuality,something tells me that’sjust your own latent sexual confusionmanifesting itself in shit-talk … Notthat there’s anything wrong withbromos or anything, but that’s somejunior high bullshit right there. TheBroship has plenty of haters, butthese guys have been around foreverand are a big part of our musicscene, like it or not. When was thelast time you helped a touring bandfind somewhere to play or let themsleep on your floor? And how manyof you really support local bands thatyour friends aren’t in? If you’re reallythat bent out of shape by our Broshipbroverage, just convince all of yourfriends to start a party gang and getidentical tattoos … no bromo.Dear Dickheads,Mainly Nate Perkins and jesust,You guys all sound like Haters! Yeah,I said it, Haters! I’m sorry, I shouldn’tbe so harsh with you. It’s a commonmisconception people have in the worldtoday; You’re pissed off with organizedreligion, I get it, but more over, the jerksthat seem to be in charge of these socalled religions. and the many mindlessfollowers of these hypocritical institutions,But seriously, your anger is misdirected.What did Jesus ever do to you? I’m sickto death of people using God and Jesusas representatives to push hate. jesust!You’re no better than those assholeswho come to gay pride parades holdingup signs that say, “God hates fags!”Well, guess what? Jesus loves fags andhe loves jesust. It sounds like your oldband members were just as unhappywith the same empty feeling you spokeof in your lives too. Obviously puff’ n tuffwasn’t enough. So why be bitter withthem over wanting to feel better in theirown lives? What’s the problem K.B. ? It’scertainly not J.C. I can tell you that! If avegan wants to start eating meat, do youblame the cow? Even if your friend did issuean ultimatum, “accept Jesus as yoursavior or we can’t be friends anymore!”(it sounds like theirs is more to the storythan that.) I really don’t understandyour logic as a band either. Why wouldanyone name a band after somethingyou have so much disdain for anyway?Besides the name of your band, if thesentiment is correctly directed, couldbe, “religiont or O’religioust” (feel free totake any of these please.) At this point,using icons and symbols you have nolove or respect for to represent you andyour music looks weak. You have a starof David in the band photo, do you hatejews too? Why not represent yourself withwhat you DO love? weedt? jackt? Hatert?Stonedt? (you can have any of these too)This brings up another point, what weedare you smoke’n anyways? weed usuallymakes you mellow and happy. Not abunch of pissed off haters! “#!$& Jesus!Smoke weed!?” Really!? yeah go on, liveyour devoid life, play your hater music.And Mr. Perkins, You sir, are a poor writeryou messed up a 2 paragraph articleon a lame band. Learn the differencebetween a review and an editorial no oneis interested in your opinion! I’m sureyou got it in at the last minute hence, theeditor must have missed that one.Sincerely, Jesus loves you, Simon istrying.Dear Jesus,We’re flattered that you’ve taken thetime to read SLUG and felt compelledto write in, but we don’t really give afuck about your drama with old bromatesor your Christian rhetoric.FAX, SNAIL MAIL OR EMAIL US YOUR LETTERS!Fax: 801.487.1359Mailing Address:Dear Dickheads c/o SLUG Mag351 Pierpont Ave. Ste. 4B SLC, UT84101 or dickheads@slugmag.com6 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 7

April 16 marks the fourth annual Record StoreDay—a day when independent record storescome together to celebrate good musicwith exclusive releases from artists and liveperformances. To help you plan your recordstore day festivities, SLUG Magazine hasorganized an itinerary for every independentstore in our area. To see a full list of exclusivereleases visit recordstoreday.com.Happy record shopping!Graywhale CD ExchangeSeven locations throughout the Wasatch FrontOpens 8 a.m. for Killerwhale members,8:30 a.m. for all other customersFatfin.comAll seven of Graywhale’s locations will open at8 a.m. for Killerwhale members and 8:30 a.m.for all other customers. Some key releases willinclude Gorillaz, Foo Fighters, Flying Lotus,Bob Dylan and Flaming Lips. Live local musicshowcases will take place at four of Graywhale’sseven locations. KRCL 90.9FM hosts a showcaseat the University store featuring The Octet. TheBlaze hosts a showcase at the Taylorsville store,featuring Hour 13, Split Lid and more TBA. TheOrem location will host a Utah County bandshowcase featuring Desert Noises, Moth &The Flame, Glowing Heads, Just a Face andIn Dreaming. And finally, SLUG Magazine willhost it’s fourth annual metal showcase at theOgden Graywhale, featuring local music fromOld Timer, Reviver, Beyond This Flesh, Loomand Breaux.Groovacious Records173 N. 100 W.Cedar City, UT435-867-9800Opens at 11 a.m.groovacious.comGroovacious will have RSD exclusives available.Call store for details.The Heavy Metal Shop63 Exchange Place801-467-7071Opens at 11 a.m.Heavymetalshop.comThe Heavy Metal Shop will be opening an hourearlier than usual at 11 a.m. and be headbanging their way through Record Store Daywith exclusive LP’s from Hank III and a long listof vinyl releases from bands that include TheVelvet Underground, Bad Brains and OzzyOsbourne.Music to the Maxx3090 N. Fairfield Rd.Layton, UT801-776-1642Opens at 10 a.m.Music to the Maxx will have RSD exclusivesavailable. Call store for details.Randy’s Records157 E. 900 S.801-532-4413Opens at 9:30 a.m.Myspace.com/randysrecordshopRandy’s will open early at 9:30 a.m. and haveover 50 exclusive Record Store Day releases onhand. In addition to this, select albums by artistslike Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Beastie Boyswill be on sale for $19.95. All used vinyl will be10% off. Giveaways to the first ten customersin line and three lucky raffle winners will score instore credit in incriments of $50, $20 and $10.Raunch Records1119 E. 900 S.801-532-4413Opens at 11 a.m.Myspace.com/raunchrecordsRaunch Records will have RSD exclusivesavailable. Call store for details.Slowtrain Music221 E Broadway801-364-2611Opens at 10 a.m.slowtrainmusic.comSlowtrain is pulling out all stops for its RecordStore Day celebration. Plan on heading downearly (they open at 10 a.m. on Saturday) to nabsome exclusive releases from My MorningJacket, The Kills, New Pornographers andmany, many more. Get down and dirty inSlowtrain’s Subterranean Lounge hosted by theSalt Lake Film Festival, where Bohemian Brewerywill be serving up cold beer to complementthe good music. In the spirit of local support,Slowtrain is also hosting five Craft Lake Cityartist vendor booths in their backyard. Pickup handmade wares and artwork from VeloCity Bags, Reclaimed Wreckage, CopperPalate Press, Steve Jarman and Kat Martin.In addition to the vendor booths there will betasty food from Breathe Utah. Local bands,Birthquake, Plastic Furs, Desert Noises,American Shakes and many others will providelive music throughout the day. Finish up yourRSD weekend at Slowtrain with a deliciouspotluck brunch and another fix of local music onSunday.Uprok Records342 S. State St.801-363-1523Opens at 11 a.m.facebook.com/UprokHipHopLive local music throughout the day from DanielDay Trio, Sam Eye Am, Dusk One, Mark Dago& DJ Shanty, Abacus 81 & DJ Goobers, NativeSon, Youth in Eyes and more TBA.8 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 9

LocalizedBy Ryan Schoeckryan.schoeck@gmail.comL- R: Zaz McDonald - Keys/Organ Jeff Vanderlinden - BassTommy Brunson - Guitar/Vocals Steven Siggard - Drums/Backing VocalsPhoto: Peter Anderson“There were a lot of awkward moments atfirst. Kicking people out is no fun!” SharkSpeed frontman Joe Christensen says. Havingcycled through a good portion of Utah Countymusicians over the years—mixed with auditioningclassmates for new openings—makes followingthe development of Shark Speed’s current lineupno easy task.It all started with brothers Joe and JaredChristensen, who grew up playing music in thebasement of their parents’ Las Vegas home.Moving to Provo for school introduced thebrothers to a larger network of musical friends.“We just started grabbing people. Anyone whosaid they played music, we were like, ‘comeover,’” Jared says. After a series of failed attemptsusing this method, the brothers randomly metup with guitarist/vocalist Thayne Fagg, who alsogrew up in Vegas and had mutual friends withthe two brothers. As for bassist Dave Clark andmulti-instrumentalist Greg Wilson, “We were justhuge fans. We’d go to the shows and wouldplay together at first with our other band, JacketWeather,” Clark says. “We all just really meshedwell and enjoyed the music we started playingtogether.”Clark’s enthusiasm for the band is especiallyoverwhelming. Hisquirkiness starts tomake a little moresense when he talksabout his first showplaying bass as partof Shark Speed. Theway he describesit, he was literally quarantined to the side of thestage because he had contracted swine flu. “Iwas up there wearing my mask, doing my thingoff to the side,” he says. The rest of the guysjust shake their heads and laugh, seeminglyaccustomed to Clark’s antics. Today, contagiousor not, the rocking dance-pop group feel they are“as cohesive as we’ve ever been,” Joe says.When asked about the transition from a more‘indie rock’ sound into their latest, upbeat dancetempos, Jared says that it stemmed from acombination of things. “I was listening to DaftPunk yesterday and a little Led Zeppelin theday before, so it really just depends on whatwe’re feeling. But I think we’ll always stick to ourrock roots,” he says. “It’s what we are listening toright now and what we like to play, so I’ve said‘let’s add some of this in here,’” says Fagg.The rise of various ‘indie dance’ scenes going onin parts of Vegas and Utah have also influencedShark Speed’s new direction. “We used to go toa lot of dance and house parties in Vegas andat the W Lounge and just started getting into it,”says Joe. For Fagg, their sound is now moreenergetic due to the support from fans. “[Ourmusic] is definitely more upbeat because of theresponse we get from the people who come toL- R: Jared Christensen - Drums Greg Wilson - Muliti-instrumentalistJoe Christensen - Guitar Dave Clark - BasS Thayne Fagg - Guitar/Vocalssee us play and their reactions to our music.”They all agree that it’s been Provo’s venue, Velour,in which they are truly indebted for acting as their“launching pad.” Because Provo is somewhatof a college town with lots of ‘flavor of the week’groups, “bands don’t usually have too long ofa ‘shelf life’ down there,” says Clark. “But withVelour, it has been really good to us. Selling outthat place, whether people are there for the musicor just for the party aspect, has been a hugeconfidence booster for us.” The response fromProvo crowds motivated the band to take outstudent loans to pay for recording their first album.With the release of both the full-length album andtheir latest EP, Education, Shark Speed is still on themove. “We don’t have plans to stop playing. I kindof felt like I had to go to college so I could supportmyself to play music,” Joe says. “That’s the nicething about owning our music and not answeringto a label. We’re free to tour when we want and justdo what we want.” Jared says, “For some bands,it’s like ‘If we don’t get signed, if we don’t succeed,we lose.’ But in reality, dudes who think like thathave already lost. They aren’t doing it because theylove it.” The consensus of this band seems to focusmore on the fun they have along the way, ratherthan ever worrying about “making it.” Regardless offamilies, new jobs or even moving for dental school,Shark Speed plansto keep the tempogoing ––created atwhatever pace theychoose.Ride your bicycle down to Urban Lounge onFriday, April 8 to see Heber City rockers HolyWater Buffalo pair up with indie-dance-popgroup Shark Speed and openers Red DogRevival. $5 gets you in.Settling into the dimly lit back room of Heber’s AngryBull Saloon, it becomes apparent why Holy WaterBuffalo likes sticking to their home turf. “We wentto high school with the bartender,” keyboardistZaz McDonald says while the barmaiden handsus our beers. “The support is incredible. All of ourfamily and friends are here, and driving to Salt Lakeor Provo isn’t too far.” Plus, they all say, “It is sobeautiful up here!” If there was ever a local bandneeding to advocate for their state, Holy WaterBuffalo might just fit the bill. “From what we haveseen, Utah has so many of the good characteristicsfor a musician, and not very many of the bad,” leadguitarist/vocalist Tommy Brunson says. Big smilesand nods from the others confirm this notion.As two sets of best friends merged out of highschool, the infant stages of the band took root inthis town outside of Park City. Barely into their 20s,these four have a real energy and passion for themusic they are creating up here. “We like that weare from somewhere else,” Brunson says. “It’s niceto not be ‘the band from Salt Lake’ sometimes.”Inspired by the classic, late ‘60s sounds of TheBand and The Allman Brothers, combined withan affinity for current groups Dawes and DeltaSpirit, the ball was set in motion for these fourfriends. Add some high school band training, andHoly Water Buffalo was formed.“My dad is the band teacher at Wasatch, so Zazand I learned to play sax with him,” says thesoft-spoken drummer, Steven Siggard. Brunsonalso took a lesson or two from the school’s bandteacher during his high school days. Bass player,Jeff Vanderlinden, who was too interested inhockey at the time, has since “developed quickerthan anyone I have seen. He’s made leaps andbounds,” says Brunson. The group now workson their sound together at a non-denominationalchurch in Heber. “Having a practice space readilyavailable is key for us. It is where we really learnto work together and turn ideas into songs,”Brunson says.With serious faces, each member of Holy WaterBuffalo tells me that practicing together is whathas always been the most important aspect oftheir band. While always working on new materialas individuals, the ritual of getting together ina room and creating as a group is what reallymatters to these guys. “When Tommy brings anidea to rehearsal, it gets processed differently bythree other people,” McDonald says. “The songsdevelop into a sound that works with everybody.”It has been roughly four months since HWB’s selftitledalbum was released and their efforts seem tobe paying off. Winning the Battle of the Bands atVelour in December, along with an abundance oflocal radio play, HWB is starting to be recognized.“The feedback has been positive for sure, and wecouldn’t have asked for better support from Ebaydown at KRCL. That dude has helped out a ton,and we are super grateful,” Brunson says.Playing shows during Sundance was also a goodway for the Heber gang to get some exposureon a larger scale. “I usually hate Sundance,”Vanderlinden says. “It’s just such a hassle, youfeel like, ‘Ahh! Why are all these people here?!’ Butthis year it was fun. We had a good time and madesome new contacts.”With a newly purchased van, tricked out withcustom upholstery and trailer, Holy Water Buffalo isset to hit the road. Spring and summer will involvespreading their music beyond familiar territory.“We just hit up Vegas and plan to tour a littleoutside of Utah this summer. From there, we willsee what happens,” Brunson says. When askedabout future plans for Holy Water Buffalo, they allagree that they just want to keep playing musicand experience new places along the way. Talkof moving if necessary is not discounted, but, asSiggard says, “Utah is our home. And besides, Itreally is great here.”10 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 11Photo: Peter Anderson

Construction to Destruction:Not For the Faint of HeartBy: Chris Proctorchrisproctor@slugmag.comWell kids, it’s hard to believe that the eleventhinstallment of the SLUG Games has alreadycome and gone. Every year that we do thiscontest series, we get more and more stokedto bring you new and creative ways to test yourmettle in the park. To end the series this year,SLUG Magazine, along with Natural Light, Scion,and Vitamin Water, brought you Constructionto Destruction, a bone-crushing, face-meltingjam of pure destruction housed at none otherthan Brighton Resort onMarch 5. As you wereout skating and enjoyingthe waning summermonths of 2010, SLUGand the Brighton TerrainPark crew were slavingover beers, hot wingsand laptop computers todesign this constructionsite-oriented terrain park.The course this year wasunlike anything we hadbuilt before. With youraverage terrain parkyou have two, maybethree, different lines topick from. Droppinginto Construction toDestruction, you couldpick from a pole jamtransfer, road signgap with a bonk, twodifferent barriers, arhythm section and another pole jam. To top itall off, we put a 3-section quarter pipe at the endof the course for your jibbing pleasure. With somuch to choose from, creativity was the nameof the game. A creative pole jam hit or rhythmsection would easily score more points than a720 gap over the road sign. The few who wereable to rise to the challenge ended up with freegear and mountains of fame and glory, and thosewho weren’t had a good time anyway.Pole jam flip from hell. Photo: Gagethompson.comAs warm-ups got under way, we knew thiscontest was aptly named as competitorsslammed ribs, shins and faces into barriers,knuckles and each other. Two of the SLUGGames coordinators even got broken-off over theinfamous road sign gap before warm-ups. As thesun rose above our heads and the contest areabegan to fill with eager competitors and curiousspectators, Construction to Destruction waslooking to be a success for all. With DJ Gooberson the ones andtwos, the only personnot having fun wasa disgruntled fatherstaring in irritation froma distance.Kickin’ it retro style off of the road sign.Photo: Gagethompson.comDecked out in orangevests, the 17-and-underdivision skiers andsnowboarders droppedfirst. Right from theget-go, the judges wereastounded. Thesekids were amped, andit soon became clearthat a lot of them canand do hold their ownagainst the big boys.The energy and thestoke emanating fromthese little groms ishard to match, whichmade them all the more12 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 13

exciting to watch. Noah Sutton threw in somesuper stylish bonks, Ricky Webber held it downon the smaller pole jam, and a few kids evengot in on the rhythm section. After half an hourwe blew the whistle, the judges marked theirscore-sheets and the open ski division got set toshred. The skiers favored the road sign gap andthe pole jam transfer. Many an inverted aerialwas stomped that day. I don’t know if skiers can“land bolts,” but you get the point. BrendanTrieb soared over the bonk feature with multiple360s and a really stylish 540, and Jane Hwangdominated the pole jam for most of the morning.Perhaps my favorite trick thrown during thatheat was a completely laid-out front flip over thebarrier bonk—you know how those skiers lovetheir front flips.Last but certainly not least, the open snowboarddivision was set and ready to throw down fortheir qualifying round. Right away, bangers werebeing hucked, almost too often for the judges tocatch. A 540 bonk here, a rodeo there, McTwistat the quarter pipe—the contest area was an alloutbattlefield. After the initial excitement fizzledand things started to slow down, the riders gottechnical. Backside lipslide was the trick mostcompetitors attempted on the first barrier. A fewrode away unscathed, while others bit their heelsideedge and paid the price. After three intenseheats, I was amazed that we hadn’t had to callin Life Flight, or at least help someone off thecourse. But luck was on our side that day andwhen it was finally time to get things ready for thefinals, the park crew took to the course to rakethe take-offs and clean the blood off the jibs.As soon as the course was ready for the finalheat of the day, we called a last-minute audibleand packed all the divisions together into asingle heat—an all-out shred fest. On the skiside, PJ Baymiller wasted no time securinghimself the third place spot on the podiumwith back-to-back creative runs and few bails.Ricky Webber went just a little bit further withsome really technical tricks to finish in second.Finally, Trevor Akimoto, a SLUG Gamesveteran, stomped enough spins over the roadsign gap to earn first place honors for the 17and under ski division. For the girls, big ups toJane Hwang for winning first, second, third andlast place in a SLUG contest. Where were youladies?! The guys’ division was a really closecall. Alex Buller squeezed into third place afterupping the intensity from the first heat. BrendanTrieb stomped some difficult tricks in the lastfew minutes to earn himself second place, andOeysten Scyawoe took first place following oneseriously impressive run.For the 17-and-under snowboarders, gromextraordinaire Noah Sutton dropped in abovethe park, soared a huge air out of the quarterpipe and landed in third place. Shaw Irwin laiddown some textbook slides and spins to finishoff the day in second place, and Jordan Trampproved himself king of the kids as the first placecompetitor. The ladies showed up ready toshred, and it showed. Grace Mayernik, youngas she is, wowed the judges and the crowdwith her next-level skills. She finished in thirdplace, with Nicole Roccanova just ahead of herin second place. But it was Marley Colt whobrought the ruckus and rose to the top to takefirst prize in the women’s division. And finally,for the men’s open snowboard division, BradyLarson ended up in third place after takingmultiple face shots to the ground trying to getthat front board. Jeff McGrath landed a goodnumber of 360s and 540s over the road signgap that earned him second place honors. Andafter an entire day of impressive snowboarding,Cameron Gorby proved himself the bestshredder in the park, taking home first place andbragging rights for a year to come.After all was said and done, this contest was ablast for all involved. As always, none of thiswould’ve been possible without the help of ourvolunteers and sponsors: Vitamin Water, Scion,Natty Light, X96, Face Nozzle, Blindside, Smith,OTW Safety, Dale Boot, War Regime, ShogoClothing, Milosport, Siege Audio, Signal, Demon,Neve, 4FRNT, City Weekly, Salty Peaks, Discreteand Headshot. Until next year suckers, keep onshredding!Barrier backside 50.Photo: Gagethompson.comPerfect backside lipslide form.Photo: Davebrewerphoto.comClockwise from upper left: Men’s Ski 17 andunder winners (L to R)– PJ Baymiller 3rd, RickyWebber 2nd, Trevor Akimoto 1st. Men’s Board17 and under winners (L to R)– Noah Sutton 3rd,Jordan Tramp 1st, Shawn Irwin 2nd. Men’s Openwinners (L to R)– Brady Larsen 3rd, CameronGorby 1st, Jeff McGrath 2nd. Women’s Boardwinners (L to R)– Grace Mayernick 3rd, MarleyColt 1st, Nicole Roccanova 2nd (Not Pictured).Men’s Open Ski winners (L to R)– Alex Buller3rd, Oeysten Scyawoe 1st, Brendan Trieb 2nd.Women’s Ski winner– Jane Hwang.All photos this page: Gagethompson.comHiking the course. Photo: Gagethompson.comMonster 1-foot.Photo: Katie Panzer14 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 15

Dear Cop,A few weeks ago I was patronizinga local bar on a Friday night.The place was moderately busy,a DJ was spinning in the booth,the dance floor was busy and allaround everyone was having agreat time. Then out of nowhere acrew of cops showed up to informthe bar owner and the bar patronsthat it was illegal to be on thedance floor with a drink in hand.Apparently this wasn’t the only barthe cops visited that Friday evening.Across the downtown areathey were making appearancestelling people to ditch the drinksif they were dancing. Where doesthe cops’ authority come from tomarch into a bar and claim no onecan dance? Is this “no drinks onthe dance floor” some archaic lawinitially passed as a safety precaution?Do they consider that dancingwith a drink is probably saferthan leaving said drink unattendedon a table and getting roofiedlater in the night? Aren’t roofies abigger safety concern than drinkson the dance floor? And whenthe fuck did Salt Lake City startresembling the plot of the movieFootloose?—Tiny DancerA COPDear EtOH Dancer-I’msomewhat familiar withUtah State liquor laws.And, I’m basicallyfamiliar with Salt LakeCity alcohol ordinanceTitle 6, and nowherehave I ever heard orread of any law, stateor local, that prohibitsdancing in a bar witha drink in your hand.I looked them bothup after reading yourquestion just to makesure.Are you sure they werereal cops? I could seewhere a $5 drink getschugged so you cancontinue dancing, andthen you buy another$5 drink to make up forthe one you chugged.Sounds like a moneymaker for the bar.You hear stories about strangeliquor laws all over this country,and Utah has its share, but aslong as you’re in an area of theestablishment where it’s legalto drink, I don’t know of anyUtah statute or city ordinancethat makes it illegal to dancewith a drink in your hand.There is a legislator Nazi downin Orem who’s attempting toadd to Utah’s strange liquorlaws, but I haven’t even heardhim promote Footloose’s nodancingSharia law.And, if you think about it, haveyou ever seen cops enforcingliquor laws on any patron in abar, other than the standarddrunk dude or chick who gotin a fight? No. It’s not their responsibilityunless the bar itselfhas called them on somethinglike a fake ID or a fight. Vicecops go in, they look for violations,and then they cite thebar owner. If there were a lawagainst dancing with a drink inyour hand, it would be the barowner permitting the activitywho is breaking the law. Again,it seems like the bar you werein made some extra money thatnight.Email Your Questions To: ASKACOP@SLUGMAG.com[Editors Note: At press time SLUG Magazine could not confirm the exactname of the specific City Ordinance refrenced here. However,SLCPD did confirm that it is in fact, a city ordinance.]Artwork by Reclaimed Sentiment from What Would Jesus Do?By Mariah Mann Mellusmariah@slugmag.comSeveral years ago, a dear friend ofmine, Alex Ferguson, found a bustof Vincent Van Gogh at the DeseretIndustries. He rescued the piece,photographed it and framed thephoto with the title “Vincent, what areyou doing here at the D.I.?” Now, that“found art” adorns my entryway in aplace of honor for all to see. We’ve allheard the saying “One person’s trashis another person’s treasure,” SaltLake City artist Reclaimed Sentimentis putting that theory to test.Using discarded mass-producedlandscapes and old LDS Primaryclass images—often found at DeseretIndustries—Reclaimed Sentimenttransforms the unwanted andforgotten into the extraordinary andrefreshing by following two rules:Everything used to create the artmust be found secondhand and theart must be affordable and accessibleto the masses.Narcolepsy, anthropomorphism,American idioms, cephalopods,schadenfreude, and America’s favoritepastime, television, have been justa few of the fun themes ReclaimedSentiment has focused on in therecent past. With that kind of history,it only seemed fitting to focus on BigBrother himself—Jesus Christ.Imagine if Jesus came back toEarth—forget all the apocalyptic stuffand just think about what he woulddo on Earth if he could walk aroundwithout all his celebrity status—hangingout like an average joe, just beinghimself on a Sunday afternoon. Theartist assured me it’s not meant tobe blasphemous, just a further explorationof the Christian youth motto“What would Jesus do?” Coincidentally,that’s also the title of the show.Leading up to this show, a Facebookpoll was started asking the publicwhat they think Jesus would do for ajob. Surprisingly, someone suggestedhe would work at Subway. Perhaps itdoes take a special person to makethose five-dollar footlongs. Maybe healready works there, and that is howthey keep their prices so low—he’smultiplying the bread! The showis less about being irreverent andmore about opening up the space inthe viewer’s mind to think about thepossibility of Jesus as a man. WhatWould Jesus Do? opens on April 15 atStolen and Escaped in the basementof Frosty Darling at 177 E. Broadway.Artist reception runs from 6-9 p.m.Now from the ordinary activities of adeity, we’ll move to the extraordinaryactivities of the “who’s who” in SLC.A Vanity State by Dia Diaboliquewill grace the walls of the ultra urbanchic Ulysses Salon high atop SparksClothing store on 629 S. and StateStreet. Always creating a scene, ourbeloved Princess Kennedy, queenof many things, has been adding artcurating to her résumé for the lastsix months. A Vanity State will includevarious people within Salt Lake’sfabulous scene, interpreted on screengraphics and woodcuts, by the lovelyDia of the Slippery Kittens. Moralof this story: If you feel too pure afterWWJD, come indulge your vain veinat Ulysses. Artist reception takesplace Sunday, April 17 from 6-8 p.m.Keep in mind these shows are freeand only a sample of the amazingwork available on display fromhundreds of Utah artists during themonthly Gallery Stroll. Gallery Strolltakes place the third Friday of everymonth. Save the date, walk thestreets and get to know your city’sunderground art scene.16 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 17

By Heck Fork Griefinfo@slugmag.comTroy King is called DaHotdog King––as are his fleet of hotdogcarts. As Salt Lake’s only genuine Chicago hotdogcart, this newest soon-to-be Utah legend sits on thecorner of 400 South and Main Street on weekdayafternoons not three hundred feet from where LedZeppelin twice played and Dylan Thomas oncestumbled drunkenly past. The Chicago-style hotdog isan archetype and Mr. King makes his dogs with pridein the case of the traditional versions and with WildMouse-rollercoaster daring in the case of his originalselections. The proud owner of two carts in Chicagoand two in Atlanta, he400 S. Main St.SW CornerSalt Lake City, UT 84101is the friendliest high-powered executive you’re everlikely to chat with over a steam table.King also happens to be as affable and nice asany person I have met this year. As I do with thesecolumns, I bought one of everything (or one ofeverything that looks good, on bigger menus). WhileI labeled my parceled out hotdogs, he told me howhe only sells regular Chicago-style dogs at his cartsin Illinois and in Atlanta. Salt Lakers, he says, havean extended palate. As a result, many specialty dogsappear here, courtesy of his inventive daughter,Alexis, who is his test kitchen when she isn’t studying(801) 608-9039facebook.com/dahotdogkingat college. Peopleback in Chicago just won’t eat this kindof thing, he says. ‘Now who’s conservative,’ I think tomyself.You could call Da Hotdog King cutting edge: Hissocial media empire extends to the realms ofFacebook and Twitter. If you friend or follow him,you get access to a secret hotdog, which will not berevealed here and is most unexpected.The hotdog selections are themed into traditional,local, and nouvelle cuisine styles, and they can bemade with meat or vegan franks for the same price.Start with the Maxwell Street Polish Dog ($4.00) servedproudly as it would be on the street of the same namein Chicago. Most of the traditional hot dogs havecelery salt, which is just a good idea and a Chicagocustom. The Maxwell Street also has grilled onionsmarinated in Dr. Pepper and is dressed up in yourmother’s plain mustard and a couple of tasty sportpeppers. The Kraut Dog ($3.50 or two for $6.00, asare all the regular hotdogs) features a house-madesauerkraut with mustard and caraway seeds, which issoft and slightly sweet. Get it with the sport peppers:It’s my favorite of the tasty bunch here. There is alsoa Chicago Dog, which comes on a poppy-seed bunwith these great marinated onions, celery salt, tomatoslices, green relish, a spear of dill pickle and sportpeppers. There’s more tasty veg here than you’ll findin a San Francisco Bloody Mary.Troy King of Da Hotdog King serving up some delicious dogs onthe corner of 400 S. and Main. You can find King inside Club JamWed. - Sun. from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.Photo: Barrett DoranThe Kilby Dog is a surprising set of flavors that godown pretty darn well––covered with honey-bakedbacon, coconut-flavored mustard, raspberry BBQsauce and those delicious onions. Pretty wild stuffinspired, I suppose, by the variety of exciting andunexpected bands that come through Kilby Court, SaltLake’s most interesting music venue. The Ute Dog isa smoky-like sausage, grilled with its skin scored foreasier bite-sized eating, striped with house-made frysauce and then wrapped in pastrami and grilled.As for nouvelle-styled fare, The Picnic Dog is thewildest of the breed, covered with potato salad—againcustom and very tasty —raspberry chipotle sauce, anda little rail of bacon bits. I don’t know what I expected,but this dog certainly surprised me. It didn’t shakeme to my core or send me into the wilderness, but itconfused me in a pretty essential way. The SouthwestDog is a pretty classic chili cheese dog done up withguacamole and tortilla chip curls for an unexpectedswagger around the molars. I was largely sympatheticwith the case for the chips, but not entirely won over.The rest of the dog was just fine, and I enjoyed it.The Lemongrass Chicken Dog is the most ambitiousof the dogs, with lemongrass chicken on it and apersonalized Thai sauce, which I savored. It wasplenty good, but not as daring as I expected it to be.I feel better about Salt Lake City knowing that we haveDa Hotdog King. I expect that this summer, with all thefolks that should be walking around downtown, thereshould be plenty of time to take a friend for a tasty andunique lunch on the cheap and under the nicest roofthe city has to offer.18 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 19

By Princess KennedyOn Saturday, April 2 at The Metro, I will be hosting a benefit and fur donation for PETAcalled “Fur is a Drag.” The nationwide event is to raise awareness of animal crueltythrough drag queen lip syncs and a fashion show.“‘Fur is a Drag’ is a fun way to bring attention to the violent and bloody fur trade. Wewant people to realize that there’s nothing cool or glamorous about animals beinganally electrocuted, having their necks snapped or having the fur ripped off their backswhile still conscious,” straight edge activist and PETA employee Matt Bruce told meregarding the event. I personally have been inspired by our interview and have decidedto take a floor length fox fur I never wear and donate it to the Ching Farm Animal Rescue& Sanctuary. Follow its progress on my Twitter feed, @princesskennedy.Bruce, an activist and magician who lives in one of America’s most successful squats(the Bike House), is about to leave us and head out to Los Angeles to work for PETA. Ithought this would be a perfect opportunity to tell his “Cinderfella” story.SLUG: Tell me about where you are from and how you ended up in Utah.Matt Bruce: I grew up in Southern California. For most of my childhood we lived in andout of hotels because we couldn’t afford a decent place to live. When my sister and herhusband moved to Layton, my parents and I followed and moved to Clearfield, which Iwouldn’t wish on anybody.SLUG: How do you think your upbringing helped make you who you are today?Bruce: I’m actually very removed from everything my parents taught me, but I’d like tothink that the core principles they instilled in me of compassion, empathy and standingup for what’s right are still strong.bike clinic where we’d line up all our freak bikes and offer free bike repairs and we wouldtalk to people about veganism, anarchism and give them literature. We did this everyweekend for two summers, and only one person ever visited us! As far as animal rightsis involved, it was around 2002 and I was walking downtown wearing some vegan shirtand someone in a flat, black Jetta covered in vegan stickers yelled at me to go to theSalt Palace. I took their advice. I headed down there and it turned out to be a protestagainst Huntingdon Life Sciences, one of the world’s largest animal experimentationcompanies. There were feds on nearby rooftops taking our pictures, activists wearingmasks, people getting arrested and others taken in for interrogation. It was intense!And that’s when I realized: this is a real fight, with real consequences and real impact.SLUG: Who was an early influence and why?Bruce: Salt Lake City itself made a huge impact on me. As far as animal rights goes, Idon’t think there is another city that should be more proud of their animal rights history.Harold Rose and Jeremy Beckham are great influences for their tireless efforts,Cherem was a great influence for keeping the message alive in our hardcore scene,Foekus was important for doing something different, the guys at Good Times andColby Smith’s A New Dawn Breaking zine.SLUG: Fill me in on your living situation in a squat. How does the whole Bike Housework?Bruce: When the house was discovered back in the early 2000s, it was a rundownbuilding with boarded up windows, holes in the floor, water damage and mold. A groupof friends realized how obscene it was to have such a large homeless population, whilehouses remained vacant. Everyone deserves a place to live, regardless of income. Theytook a risk and pried the boards off the windows, opened the doors, and 11 peopleshared one room towards the back of the house. Everybody contributed to remodelingthe house, and over the next few months the whole ground floor was livable and roomswere opened. A few months later, Shawn Wood and I moved into the basement, whichwas a wreck! We pulled the floors, built walls, killed mold and cleaned it up.In 2007, the landlord unexpectedly showed up and we faced the real threat of the housebeing shut down. We mobilized and put a call out to activists around the country (I evenemailed Oprah!), and decided to take a stand. If the house was being taken from us,it wouldn’t happen without a fight. We had people from all over come and stay with usin case the police came knocking. After telling off the landlord, he never came back,and the threat was gone. If it weren’t for the initial efforts (and continued work) of GaryHurst, Scott Smuin and Carrie Smith, this house may never have existed.SLUG: The FBI raided your house twice, which is pretty serious. How do you draw theline in activism without crossing it (i.e. freeing a mink farm)?Bruce: It’s really up to the individual to decide. Some people feel there is no line andare willing to make the sacrifices and accept the consequences. After the house beingraided by the FBI twice last year and being under their watchful eye, I feel I can benefitthe animals the most by bringing my activism global with PETA.PETA employee and all around activist Matt Bruce goes forKennedy’s jugular when she rocks a fur a la Cruella Deville.Photo: Katie PanzerSLUG: How did you find out the position with PETA was open and what was your initialmotivation to go for the job?Bruce: Jeremy Beckham started working for PETA about a year ago and filled me inon what positions were available. He encouraged me to apply, even though a collegeeducation was necessary (which I don’t have), and I did. Apparently, my experiencewith activism spoke for itself, and I got hired.SLUG: What are some of the qualities that you thought made you a good candidate?Bruce: I’ve been going to demos and yelling at people for several years about goingvegan, I thought it was time to try it professionally.SLUG: What was the hardest part of the application process?Bruce: The interview! If you get a job at PETA, you definitely earned it.SLUG: What was it that got you interested in activism?Bruce: Up in Ogden, my good friend Shawn Wood and I did a free bike clinic. He hadthis warehouse space by the train tracks where he would make freak bikes. We had thisSLUG: What kinds of things do you hope to bring to the PETA table?Bruce: A lot of magic.20 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 21

By Mike Brownmikebrown@slugmag.comTwitter: @FuckmikebrownThere are some stories I just cannot share with SLUGreaders. Not because I don’t want to—my fingers yearnto type a trail of madness for you all to enjoy—butsometimes the emotional and legal ramifications thata public, published piece regarding destruction couldpotentially cause isn’t worth the gamble. But as timegoes on, the heat dies down, the evidence becomesmore admissible and the story becomes safer to publish.This is one such story. I’ll still have to leave out some ofthe details, but I’ll try to entertain you nonetheless. Lately,I’ve been writing a lot about destruction—whether it be ofmy kitchen via my February article or my dating life via myMarch article. I think I’ll keep the theme going.This particular night occurred about six or seven yearsago with my friend Alex. Let me tell you a little bit abouthim first. Alex has since moved to the Big Apple and hastaken to the hipster lifestyle unlike anyone I am still friendswith. Highlights of his current lifestyle include making it inthe Vice Magazine ‘Do’s’ (although he’s a total ‘Don’t’)and eating out Harrison Ford’s daughter. Both true. Infact, last time I communicated with Alex was when hetexted me to let me know about shoving his tongue inHan Solo’s daughter’s holy grail. (Whoa! See what I justdid there? Two Harrison Ford movie references in onesentence!)Another fun fact about Alex is when I managed asnowboard shop, he was one of my employees and Ihad to fire him for showing up to work still drunk. Ironic,I know, but please keep in mind his shift started at noonand my policy with all employees was you could showup to your job hung over, but you couldn’t show up stilldrunk. [Editors’ Note: Mike Brown has shown up stilldrunk to SLUG sales meetings.]Anyway, back to our night of destruction about six orseven years ago. We were both particularly frustratedwith life—about what I can’t exactly remember. I’m suremine was over a woman—don’t know Alex’s reasons, buteither way, life decided to kick us both in the balls at thesame time. So we decided to kick life back in the form ofvandalism and drinking, in no particular order.We were at the nudie bar on a slow night. Since we weremad we were crumpling up our dollar bills or folding theminto little airplanes before throwing them at the strippers.Strippers don’t like that, BTW. There was a table full ofmeatheads adjacent to us and they didn’t like Alex’s hair.I didn’t like his hair either—he had the worst, grossestdreadlocks ever at the time.Words were exchanged, I remember Alex saying, “Fuckyou! Cheese dick!” to the man who commented on hishair. A losing fight on our side seemed imminent andthen the bouncers stepped in and kicked us out. Wewere pissed because they started it. Fucking meatheads.We walked behind the nudie bar to take a piss. We werepissing by the dumpster and my drunken intuition mademe go through their garbage. I was dragging a garbagebag up the street for some unknown reason when thebag ripped. And guess what was in there? A paint rollerwith fresh paint on it.I looked at Alex and told him this was a divine sign—wehad a chance to get back at the guys who got us kickedout of the nudie bar. I told Alex we should paint theircars. Alex agreed. There were only a couple cars in theparking lot, so there was a good chance that whatevercar I decided to paint would belong to one of those guys.So I rolled up to this black SUV and painted the passengerside windows and half the windshield, then hid in somebushes with Alex. I had Alex call up some broad to pickus up. And we watched with the giddiness of a fat richkid on Christmas morning as one of the cheese dickswas staring at his SUV, yelling, “Who the FUCK paints afucking car!!!?” I do motherfucker, that’s who.As we got in the girl’s car, we insisted she drive fast andwe couldn’t stop laughing. So she was like, “What didyou guys do?” and when we were finally done giggling,we told her that we painted some dickhead’s car. Wewere quite proud of ourselves. The girl didn’t find thesame entertainment factor in all of this and kicked us outof her car in the middle of downtown.We walked back to my place and broke as much shitas we could on the walk home. I have no idea how orwhy the cops weren’t involved in this night. We eventhrew some stuff off of some elevated platforms to watchthem break. I guess sometimes you just gotta breaksomething.Illustration: Ruckus Art22 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 23

I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t surrounded by vinyl records.As a kid, my parents would spin old country and western albums, and myteenage siblings were heavily into ‘80s rock. I was weaned on Van Halenand George Jones. As soon as I had enough money to hit a proper recordstore, I was there, standing on a box in order to reach the back of the usedrecord bin. Almost a quarter century later, it’s still an obsession of mine.Since record collecting is not an exact science, there are no concrete rules.But there are some things to consider before you jump into it. I consultedwith friend and longtime record pundit Billy Carter (from Cincinnati’s ShakeIt Records) and have come up with a few suggestions for starting your ownrecord collection:Buy records that you’ll actually listen to.Seems simple enough, but you’d be surprised at how many people buy music they thinkthey should like, but will never actuallyplay. Or worse, they buy records theyhope will be worth a fortune someday.Stop it. Buy music you’ll be happy toown.Visit the record shops andthrift stores often.A big part of collecting is searching forthe titles you want. Not every great LPis still in production and used recordstores can’t control what their stockwill be on any given day. One day theymight have eight used Zeppelin LPsand nine Zappas, some days none atall. That’s the nature of the business.There are also a tremendous numberof faithful regulars that shop nearlyevery single day. A once-a-month visitfrom the novice record collector won’tcut it. Much like the Wild West, thefastest gun wins.Get to know your recordstore clerks.Collecting relies on a network of buyersand sellers. The more of them you know,the better they can work for you. Thebetter they know what you’re after, themore likely they’ll be to guide you towardwhat you need. There’s nothing quite likewalking into a record shop and havingthe guy behind the counter say, “Youwon’t believe what we just got in.”COLLECTINGA BEGINNER’S GUIDE“The plural of vinyl is and always has beenvinyl. Vinyls is not a word. Call themrecords, LPs or albums, but don't call themvinyls. We will all laugh at you.”valuable, but not always by very much. Remember, buy it because you like it, not becauseyou think you can finance your kid’s education later by reselling it. There is no way topredict if an LP’s value will increase.Buy it when you see it.If you pass on it now, it could be years before you get the chance to buy it again. If youneed it for your collection, don’t let it slip away. If you give yourself the afternoon to thinkabout it, the disc will find its way into someone else’s collection before you get back.You may never see it again. Strike while the iron is hot.Be prepared for how the music will sound on LP.Remember that records are pressed onto vinyl. Vinyl is softer than plastic and canscratch and scuff fairly easily. Most of what you hear when you drop the needle willbe music, but there will be some background noise, especially with older LPs or junkyturntables. If sound quality is a big deal for you, invest in a quality player and only buynew albums—and keep everything clean. You may still hear noise, this is the cross thatthe vinyl enthusiast must bear. Learn to rollwith it. Personally, I rather enjoy the crackleIllustration: Ruckus ArtBy James Bennett and Billy Carterbennett.james.m@gmail.comof old records. One of my favorites is a wellworncopy of Leonard Cohen’s SongsFrom A Room. The vinyl is rough and thecover is stained with coffee mug rings andcandle wax. No way a digital copy has thatmuch character.Consider collecting in themes.You will never have every record you want.It just won’t happen. But you can track downeverything from a certain band or a specificmusic genre. You could also try collectingrecords based on size, cover art or recordlabel. Remember that assembling thecollection is the fun part—the diggingthrough bins, talking to store clerks andtrading records with people you meet.That’s why people get into it. Once youenjoy the process, the collection will takecare of itself.Other Tips:If you’re going to spend 20 minutesinspecting a three-dollar Joni MitchellLP like it’s the fucking Zapruder film, youshould really just take up another hobby.Gardening?If the LP comes in more than two colors,it’s no longer an LP, it’s a game.The plural of vinyl is and always hasbeen vinyl. Vinyls is not a word. Call themrecords, LPs or albums, but don’t callthem vinyls. We will all laugh at you.Limited doesn’t meanvaluable.I mean, it might, but most rare recordsIf you are buying LPs because you findgot that way because no one wanted themthem kitschy and goofy and if you don’twhen they first came out. If the recordreally care for the music, you should justcompany had the presence of mind tostay home.label a record with a “limited edition”sticker, then they also made enoughA first pressing of a shitty record is still acopies to offset the cost of printing andshitty record.applying said sticker. Early pressingsand colored vinyl runs are normally moreListen to the first eight Black SabbathLPs.24 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 25

Welcome to the Vinyl Cult:Buying a Half-Decent Record PlayerBy Nate Perkins Perkins.nate@gmail.comEveryone who is evena little bit into music hasthat friend who continually,and annoyingly, scoffs at iPodplaylists and can never shut up aboutthe divine attributes of vinyl records,spouting nonsense like “it’s morepersonal, man” or “there’s a warmersound, man.” I never bought into allof that, but don’t get me wrong, therehave been times in my life when myrecord-buying habits seriously impairedmy ability to pay rent or put gas in myscooter, but that’s just because I’mcrazy about rock n’roll in all its variousforms. When I find a punk or hardcore7” that is otherwise unavailable, I getthis tingly, sort of aroused feeling in mystomach, and I dig seeing my LPs linedup on the shelf, but I never thought theyactually sounded better.depending on whatyou’re looking for. Ihave no idea what makesone different from another, soI have Tom explain the difference.It all comes down to the shape ofthe needle, he says. Now I’m noengineer, but from what I understand,the higher-end needles, known asmicrolines, make more contact withthe record’s grooves than the middleand low-end ones do, elliptical andconical, respectively. It turns out thata record holds many times moreinformation than a CD does (thatmeans it has potential to sound reallygood, dude), but you just have toknow how to access it all. One part ofaccessing all that info is to swap yourneedle out after every 1,000 hours oflistening.It turns out (again!) that I have noidea what I’m talking about. Afterspending an afternoon in the backroom of Randy’s Records, a family runestablishment that exists because,as founding owner Randy Stinsoncharitably says, “It’s fun to get vinylinto the hands of people who like it,”I learned just how wrong I was. I alsolearned that my turntable, a CrosleyCR49-TW that I got for Christmas a fewyears ago, is a total piece of garbage.Father and son team Randy and TomStinson, who make up the expertbrains of Randy’s Records, took onelook at my setup and chuckled. My heartsank. I knew my system wasn’t anythingspecial, but a chuckle from these twomeans bad news. They’re the experts.Randy bought his first record (Santoand Johnny’s Sleepwalk) in 1959, andhas been an addict ever since. At onepoint, he claims to have owned over30,000 45s. Tom couldn’t help but to besurrounded by vinyl his whole life. Theyknow exactly what they’re talking about.“Those are kind of a novelty thing, but alot of people are buying them,” Randysays, referring to Crosley record playersand other similar stereo systems. “It’ssad because they’re ruining records.They’re buying all these 20 and 30 dollar records—you know, like Radiohead’s newone or something—and you can’t play it very many times without it starting to wear.”The best record players, he says, were built in the seventies and eighties, and canoften be found in record stores if people know what they’re looking for.Randy is quick to point on my turntable’s most serious flaw. “The two most importantthings about a record player, in my opinion, are the arm and the cartridge,” he says. Thearm on mine shakes around like crazy which, according to Randy and Tom, will keepthe system from being able to reproduce the high and low ends of the sound spectrum.Randy weighs the cartridge, explaining that most needles and records are calibratedto handle a cartridge that weighs about 1.5 to two grams. The cartridge on mine is soheavy that his scale can’t read it. Randy shakes his head and estimates that it weighsabout 8 grams. That means that my precious records are wearing out at least fourtimes faster than they would on a good turntable, and they’re not sounding very goodwhile they do it.Decent cartridges are available at Randy’s for anywhere from $25 to about $200,Father and son, Tom Stinson and RandyStinson, of Randy’s Records are pros when itcomes to purchasing a record player.Photo: SwainstonRandy throws a slab on my recordplayer and listens for a few secondsbefore announcing that the platter isspinning too fast. He checks it, andsure enough, instead of spinning at 45RPM it’s spinning at about 52. Bummer.I ask him why this is and he explainsthe different kinds of turntables, oneswith belt drives and ones with directdrives.He says that on direct drives, the platteris built right into the motor. DJs preferthese models because they start andstop instantly with the push of a button.The others, he explains, are quieter.“It doesn’t matter if it’s a belt drive or adirect drive. If it’s well built, it’s going tohold its speed,” Randy says. Accordingto him, not enough people check forspeed when buying a turntable at athrift store. He teaches me a trick.Turn on the stereo and put a coin onthe platter, counting how many times itgoes around in a minute. “It’s better tobe slightly fast than slightly slow.”One of the main arguments for CDsover records is that record players pickup extra noise from dust or scratches,but Randy discredits that notion.“If you go to a concert and you focus on all the people around you, the squeaky chairs,whatever, you’re going to hear all kinds of noise, but if you go and focus on the music,it’s a great experience,” he says. “That’s what we do with records. You put a record onand so there’s a little tick every once in a while, there’s a little bit of background noise,but when the music’s on you don’t hear that.”Needles, platters, cartridges and arms. Ticks and background noise. It’s a lot to keepstraight, and it seems like getting a good sound out of vinyl records might start addingup to be rather expensive, especially when an amplifier and speakers get throwninto the mix, but at Randy’s there are full systems, complete with USB jack and selfamplified speakers for as little as $250.“The truth is, I just want people to have good turntables so they can hear records likeI did,” says Tom.Randy adds, “It’s hard to tell people just what it is. Some people think we’re a cultbecause we think that vinyl sounds better than CD. They don’t get it. They thinkwe’re nuts.”26 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 27

The 25-Year-Old Local Music MammalGraywhale is one of the most successful music storesto ever open in Utah—with seven locations rangingfrom Ogden to Orem. Currently headed by Jon Tueller,Dustin Hansen and Daryl Shieving, the company hasbeen selling new and used CDs and records since 1986.They, like other small music stores, continue to investin the media that most big-box chains like Walmart andBest Buy are phasing out.Recently, Graywhale launcheda new online digital downloadstore, FatFin.com. Hansen, a storedirector and merchandiser, andTueller, the marketing director,started working for the companyin 2002 and 1997, respectively.They moved from store managerialpositions to eventually buyingthe business, as did buyer andwarehouse manager Shieving.Tueller was studying marketing atUtah State when he entered theGraywhale picture and has sincefilled that position with marketinginitiatives with local radio—recentlyadding KRCL DJ picks in theirstores—to his list of ventures.Local business has to supportlocal music, symbiotically, withhard copies of releases. Graywhalecontributes by buying musicoutright instead of consigning frombigger bands in the area like Loomand Fictionist. “People come to uswith music all the time. Just bring itto us and we’ll buy it,” Tueller saysof the established groups out there.Graywhale also does consignmentfor up-and-coming local groups.FatFin.com now has whole albums or individual songs,for sale in digital form as well. This type of businessmodel and community support of Record Store Day(RSD) is the new dawn for small music retailers and willsave the business if enough community members votewith their wallet.The aforementioned Record Store Day was started inJON TUELLER AND DUSTIN HANSEN OF GRAYWHALE CDEXCHANGE ARE THRILLED THAT RECORD STORE DAY HASSTIRRED UP INTEREST IN BUYING LOCAL.2008 by The Music Monitor Network (MMN). TheMMN is a collection of nationwide independent retailersthat Tueller chaired in 2010, and a network fully able totake advantage of joining together to make a difference.RSD has successfully managed to stir up interest inbuying local, which is perfect for a retailer like Graywhale.“Supporting local business has always been an importantthing to the community here. We wouldn’t be who we arewithout it,” Tueller says.Photo: Katie PanzerBy JPjp@slugmag.comRSD falls on the third Saturday ofevery April, happening April 16 thisyear, and encourages feet backinto local record shops by offeringlimited edition releases of old andnew records. Records from pastartists include Beach House,Built to Spill and CharlotteGainsbourg. This year’s releaseslook equally solid with vinyl releasesfrom The Flaming Lips, The BlackAngels, The Kills and Deerhoof,among many others. It’s also goingto be RSD Ambassador OzzyOsbourne’s debut. Yes, OzzyOsbourne is the official RSD repthis year, an inaugural position that,according to Record Store Day cofounderMichael Kurtz, allows anindividual to “claim the mantle ofgreatness … on the world’s onlyholiday devoted to music.”There are rumors that Tueller hasplans to commemorate Ozzy’spresence in a limited-run tee like hedesigns every year for RSD. This isjust a rumor, but I hope it’s true. I’mcollecting Record Store Graywhalet-shirts for my grandchildren.Initially, Graywhale struggledretaining its own platform in thedark days when MP3s first attackedlocal music shops. Then Graywhalefound a time-tested business toolfor uncertain times: diversification.The retailer encouraged peopleto bring in other kinds of media totrade in for store credit or cash.Tueller’s rough estimates nowput music at 50-percent of theirinventory with 35-percent moviesand 15-percent video games. Usedvs. new stats vary, but the storesare guaranteed to have somethingyou’re looking for and are aimingto boost their ease of use in thatdepartment with a new product/store locator on their website.In addition to limited edition vinyl,Graywhale has seen the writing onthe audiophile wall and is amping upits regular vinyl inventory. As Hansentold SLUG, “I just did a gigantic vinylorder yesterday. We’re going to haveeasy beginner turntables and somemidgrade tables, too.”Get to any Graywhale location alongthe Wasatch Front at 8 a.m. for RSD.Graywhale locations will featureexclusive releases and in-storesfrom nearby bands. Check out theshelves for super-deep discounts onall their merch. Your local Graywhaleisn‘t going anywhere and neitheris the spirit of local music they’vefostered for almost three decades.28 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 29

my logo, or lack thereof, then fine by me. The artworkwas chosen because it fit the concept of the albumperfectly, and used because I couldn’t care less if I dowhat is expected of me or not.SLUG: Is there any sole purpose, for lack of a betterword, that inspires you to create music as Burzum,and do you have any predetermined desired effect themusic should have on the listener?Vikernes: I think “desired effect” was focused on toomuch on by some British metal magazine—they do lovetheir sensationalist celebrity crap over there. I guess thedesired effect of my music is that the listener entersa pleasant state of mind, where they are free to thinkwhatever they want to, about whatever they want. Musicis entertainment, and we need that in order not to fallinto the pit of despair.By Gavin Hoffmanreigniforever666@gmail.comFew names in metal music—or musicas a whole—generate as much vitriolas Burzum or its sole member, VargVikernes. The Norwegian recording artisthas been referred to as the most hatedand most dangerous man in metal music. ConsideringVikernes’ somewhat checkered past—being sentencedto 21 years in a Norwegian prison for the murder ofØystein Aarseth (a.k.a. Euronymous), foundingmember of Norwegian black metallers Mayhem,as well as being convicted of the arson of threeNorwegian stave churches. To the unfamiliar, thesesensationalized descriptions may fit. What follows isan e-mail conversation with Vikernes on the eve of theNorth American release of his latest effort, Fallen.SLUG: In the press release for Fallen on your website(burzum.org), it is stated that Fallen was mastered asthough it were a classical album, and you were moreexperimental than you were on Belus. Would you mindelaborating on how you were more experimental withFallen than you were with Belus?Vikernes: Experimental in the way I used the vocals,the way we mixed the album and because I includeda fairly experimental introduction and conclusion. Itwas mastered as if it was classical music, just like allthe albums prior to Belus, I may add, and this meanssimply that there is a more dynamic sound on thealbum than that on Belus. Unfortunately, I let a typicalmetal engineer master Belus, and because of this thealbum lost most of its dynamics. We didn’t have thetime to correct this mistake, but I wanted to make surethis didn’t happen with Fallen, so we told the engineerto master it as if it was classical music.SLUG: Since the release of Belus, you have been a bitmore open regarding the equipment used to recordyour albums. Is there any reason behind this, or is itsimply because people have been outwardly wonderingwhat equipment you use to record your music?Vikernes: It’s simply because I am sick and tiredof receiving e-mails from musicians who want toknow what equipment I was using for this or thatrecording. Personally, I couldn’t care less about theequipment used. I use whatever is at hand. I am evencontemplating using cardboard boxes and kettles fordrums and cymbals the next time I record an album.Just to spite all those who believe the equipment isso important. I am sure the result would have beenoutstanding anyway ...SLUG: I am a drummer, and I noticed in the pressrelease for Fallen that the album was recorded with avintage Ludwig drum kit, including a 26” bass drum.Did you have any trouble acclimating to that size ofBurzum, aka Varg Vikernes, releases Fallen onApril 5, via Candlelight Records. The release isthe first official North American Burzum release.drum? I play a 26” bass drum myself, and I initially hadsome difficulty with the mallets sinking into the headand not responding as quickly as they would on asmaller drum …Vikernes: It was hard to play the drums at all whenI got out of prison. I rehearsed a lot using my own“buy-the-cheapest-drum-kit-you-can-find” drum kit,in one of the buildings on my farm (to spare the restof the household), but when recording I used the onein Pytten’s studio and I never really thought aboutwhether it was harder or not to play on. It took an houror two to get used to it, but then it was fine to me. Italways takes an hour or two for me to get used to adrum kit. I thought that was perfectly normal ... The sizeof the kick didn’t strike me as having anything to say inthis context. Please stop making me think about suchthings; maybe I will really have problems the next time,because you told me I should have ... :-/ “What we don’tknow doesn’t hurt us.” If my drumming really sucks onthe next album, we all know whom to blame ... ;-)SLUG: Belus was released less than a year after yourrelease from prison, and Fallen is following close to ayear after Belus—even your first four albums (plus theAske EP) were recorded in roughly a two-year span.Can you cite a reason for your being such a prolificsongwriter/musician?Vikernes: Actually, I was pondering this questionmyself the other day, and I concluded that the reasonis my own ability—or, if you like, annoying tendency—to focus on one thing at the time. All brain power isfocused on this one single task, and therefore I can bevery efficient. I can work for hours and hours, and onlywhen I am done notice that I am actually freezing, thatI really have to go to the toilet, that I am hungry, thirstyand so forth. I didn’t notice whilst working because Iwas so focused on what I was doing. The “problem” isthat I am like this in pretty much all contexts, whetherit is making music, playing computer games, readingbooks or doing research on some subject. I can easilywork 18 hours a day, eat while I work and never takeeven a five minute break, and keep up this pace for halfa year or so, before I start noticing the fatigue. It’s a bitfrustrating for the individuals around me, but ... it getsthe work done. The reason I am working so slowly thesedays—making only one new album a year—is the factthat I have other responsibilities too, and cannot spendall my time on Burzum.SLUG: In the past, you have stated that you weresomewhat focused on making sure your recordingswere the opposite of so-called underground metal thathad become popular at the time, but that with Belus,Fallen and presumably with future releases, you aremore focused on recording and releasing music theway you want to, without concerning yourself withoutside influence. Is this correct?Vikernes: This is correct. I simply do my best to makethe music I like, without considering anything but myown preferences. I am not revolting against anything. Iam not protesting against anything and simply do whatI like. Life is best when lived your way, and not as anegation of what you don’t like.SLUG: How did you go about choosing the cover art forFallen, and was there a reason you chose to stay awayfrom any stylized font for the Burzum name and albumtitle on the cover of Fallen?Vikernes: I used Times New Roman for the band titleand album title simply to stress that such things donot matter, at least not in context with Burzum. I makemusic, and if anyone wants to dislike it because ofSLUG: You have stated that Burzum has nothing incommon with what people today refer to, or think of, as“black metal.” How would you prefer Burzum’s listenersto regard your music, instead of simply putting a sterilegenre tag of “black metal” on it?Vikernes: Heavy metal would be a sufficient tag, don’tyou think? Black metal is not of interest to me, and Ithink it is a waste of our time talking about it. The wholegenre has become a parody of what it was supposedto be, and it serves only as a source of annoyance forevery more or less intelligent human being familiarwith it. Yet, we can always go to YouTube and look atImmortal videos just for laughs, and I think that’s theonly thing black metal is good for.SLUG: This is the first Burzum album to see a properNorth American release. Is there a reason why youhave elected to allow Fallen to see such a release, oris this something you’ve never necessarily bothered toconcern yourself with?Vikernes: I think you Americans are too concernedabout my negativity towards the USA, and believethat I have a problem with Americans in general. I amperfectly aware of the fact that the USA consists of manyfine human beings—just like Europe. Your governmentis not representative of your population, again, just likein Europe. Fallen sees a proper North American releasebecause we now have had the opportunity to do thisfor the first time.SLUG: What, if any, music currently inspires or intriguesyou?Vikernes: I don’t have all that much time to listen tomusic, because the time I can listen to music is mostlyspent on making music. I listen mostly to unfinishedBurzum music or The Cure. I can highly recommendtheir music to anyone, especially their Disintegrationalbum. It’s old music, but it’s still the best I can think of.SLUG: If you have any further thoughts you would liketo share, please take the opportunity do so.Vikernes: I am fine. I think my manager wants me tokeep most of my thoughts to myself, in order not to scareaway too many distributors, and I will do just that. Thankyou for the interest, and good luck with your SLUG.Love him or despise him, Varg Vikernes has hadan immeasurable impact on the world of metal,and whether you agree with or abhor his personalphilosophies, Burzum’s music deserves a chanceto stand on its own. Anyone with even a passinginterest in metal could benefit from giving it a chance.Fallen will be released in North America on April 5, viaCandlelight Records.Note: This interview has been trimmed due to spaceconstraints. Read the entire, unedited interview atslugmag.com.30 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 31

Data Rock at The Parrish on 03.17Photo: JPBlack LipsEvery March, musicians, journalists, photographers and industrytypes descend upon the city of Austin for nearly a week of nonstopmusic. Sixth Street is closed to any through traffic and asthe week progresses, people mob the streets like a rabid horde.Music of every genre spills out of every orifice of the city. It beginsaround noon and doesn’t let up until close to three in the morning.Everything is bigger in Texas, and although Austin isn’t anythinglike the rest of the state, the slogan still rings true. In a mere fivedays, we easily saw upwards of 60 performers. When music oozesout of everywhere, it’s hard to find something that you don’t like.Mediocre performances are forgotten in the sea of awesome. Whensomething isn’t that great you just move on to something better.This list only covers the top ten performances that we witnessed inAustin. For full coverage from SXSW, visit slugmag.com.Photo: Joseph Llanes.comAlthough I’d never seen Black Lips before this performance, I’dheard rumors of the rowdy stage antics that might occur. I didn’tnotice anything as over-the-top as partial nudity, but there was ahealthy amount of guitar players touching tongues, beers beingdropkicked and spit around the stage. At one point, I think guitarplayer Cole Alexander might have vomited a bit before diving intothe chorus of one of their songs. About half of the band’s set listwas made up of songs off the upcoming album, Arabia Mountain,but the older material (mostly pulled from Good Bad Not Evil)are what saw the crowd and band acting the wildest. My favoritemoments were when Black Lips played “Bad Kids,” “Cold Hands”and “O Katrina.” The performance makes it that much harder towait for Arabia Mountain to drop on June 7 (Urban Lounge, 06.18).–Jeanette D. MosesThe KillsAlison Mosshart is the kind of woman that inspires me to want topick up a guitar. Mosshart commanded the stage at Emo’s with avoice that was equal parts sex bomb and dirty grit. Accompaniedon stage by her partner in crime, guitarist Jamie Hince, I found itawe-inspiring that this two-piece created such a huge sound. Hinceand Mosshart had great chemistry on stage, shooting each otherglances as they belted out a slew of material from their upcomingalbum, Blood Pressures. Their usual bare-bones sound receiveda giant punch in the chest during their performance at SXSW.Everything seemed louder, heavier and a lot heartier than it doesrecorded. The highlight came when they played “No Wow,” whichfound the first few rows screaming along with Mosshart.–Jeanette D. MosesThe Black AngelsCharles Bradleyperforms at Stubb’s on 03.17I caught The Black Angels twice at SXSW—the first during a morestripped down day-time set at The Austin Convention Center,without their drummer Stephanie Bailey, and the second, eighthours later at The Orchard Showcase. The Black Angels can do nowrong with their reverb-heavy psych rock n’ roll. Although the twoperformances held a very different energy, both were unforgettable.The evening showcase was, hands down, my favorite thing I sawat SXSW. The Black Angels sounded tighter than ever and I wishedtheir 9-song set had never ended. A blissful smile returns to myface every time I look back on the showcase. I knew The BlackAngels would blow my mind, but their performance exceeded myexpectations by leaps and bounds. (Urban Lounge, 05.06)–Jeanette D. Moses32 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 33

Charles Bradley & theMenahan Street BandCharles Bradley is the kind of performer that music journalistshave wet dreams about. This 62-year-old soul man, backed by theMenahan Street Band, was one of the happiest musical surprisesI’ve had in a long time. Bradley busted onto the stage with moreenergy and pizzazz than performers half his age. He crooned tothe crowd, blew kisses to the ladies and dropped to his knees, allwhile never missing a note. His effusive stage presence was asintoxicating as his tormented soulful voice. Anything Dap ToneRecords touches seems to turn to gold—Charles Bradley is noexception. –Jeanette D. MosesGazaZoe Jakes of Beats Antiqueat Beauty Bar Backyard on 03.16Photo: JPAt approximately 5 p.m. on a Friday, Gaza destroyed Austin. TheSalt Lake City based grindcore band blew the fucking roof off ofLovejoys. Lead singer Jon Parkin paced in front of the shoe-boxsizedstage like some sort of wild animal, taunting members of thecrowd as he passed them by, the rest of the band playing theirinstruments at break-neck speed. As the band broke into “He isNever Coming Back,” the crowd surged forward like a pack of wildhyenas to scream the lyrics in unison with Parkin. The performancewas precise, brutal and very powerful. Gaza’s music was anoverdue assault to the psyche. –Jeanette D. MosesBeats AntiqueSome bands throw concerts to create a mood. Other bands makemoods. Beats Antique brought a literal party to their at-capacity,Beauty Bar backyard showcase. The drum-playing Zoe Jakesadded to the set by dancing some cross of belly and folk dancingas the rest of the band blasted a fusion of electro and hip hop. Thatwas fantastic enough, but then Oakland’s Extra Action MarchingBand swelled onto the stage for the last song before parading fromthe venue’s block down an alley in Trinity street’s center. It was thefirst show I’ve ever been to that ended in a physically different placethan where it began (The Depot, 04.05). –JPDatarockDatarock is everything your too-cool sister hates: They’re a catchy,Norwegian-accented funk group with pop sentiments. They alsowear matching jumpsuits and released “The Most ExtravagantPhoto: JPSingle In History,” in March (featuring 105 bonus tracks). Shewould hate it just like she would hate how half the band disrobedmid-set and revealed less-than rock star, two-pack bodies. If youthrow a bizarre, cool nerd-vibe out, you get great crowd response:Datarock proved this with their synchronized jumping, dancing anddrumming. If you’re lucky enough to get within a few hundred milesof a Datarock show, go. –JPChildish GambinoOut of all the “hip hop” groups I saw at SXSW, the guy keeping itthe most real was a self-identifying “rapper on a TV show.” Turnsout Gambino, a.k.a. Community’s Donald Glover, can performand really rap. His delivery, a live video cameo beat from ReggieWatts, and some really cogent, thought-provoking rhymes madefor an amazing night. Compared to other rappers I saw, who allplayed their tracks off laptops (barring Kosha Dillz’s set with SLCDJ Street Jesus), Gambino had a real band playing his loops livewith finesse. Gambino has a free EP download available. Go get it,I have it playing non-stop: iamdonald.com (Vertigo at The Complex,04.19) –JPKill It KidLatitude 30 was presenting British music and they brought it hardwith showcases like “Best of the Northwest,” which is whereI discovered a small band with growing potential. Liverpool’sKill it Kid have a uniquely American classic-rock attack lacedwith unmistakable Liverpudlian-accented guitaritry and timing.The group’s female/male dual vocals inspire awe that beginsin your head and descends to a thigh clap and foot stomp.Stephanie Ward’s cutting, Joplin-esque stylings are my newfavorite neo-psych vocals and have overtaken Sleepy Sun andBlack Mountain. Her youth and virtuosity with her vocal chordsand keyboard chords combined into enchanting and electricalcongruency. Good show, you Brits. –JPThe Extra Action Marching Band atBeauty Bar Backyard on 03.16Warm GhostI recently received Warm Ghost’s debut EP like a magical presentin my SLUG box and I jumped when I heard they were showcasingat SXSW this year. Their EP is quietly beautiful—built with layersof tremulous vocals and carefully parsed silences and swells. Thelive experience was the same as the recorded layers of chillwaveand electronic textures and was created with only two guys—veryimpressive. Lead singer/composer Paul Duncan was a genuinelynice guy and is a very talented multi-instrumentalist. This is a newfavorite group of mine and I crave more than the EP-length releaseand their too-short showcase. More, more, more. –JP34 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 35

Infiltrating the Mainstream: An Interview withIt’s a Friday night in Austin,Texas and The BlackAngels are wowing a hugecrowd with a reverb-heavyset at Cedar St. Courtyardduring SXSW 2011. It’s thelast of four showcases theAustin-based psychedelicrock band would play atSXSW—a minimal numberof shows compared to whatthey’ve done in years past.The lights are turned downto a low red glow and peopledance as if they’ve beenpossessed by some sortof rock n’ roll demon. Leadsinger Alex Maas appears tobe in a meditative trance ashe belts out lyrics to songsfrom the group’s most recentrelease, Phosphene Dream.The rest of the band appearto be equally engrossedin what they are doing.Blonde drummer, StephanieBailey, pounds away behindher kit, driving the musicforward and swilling beerbetween each song. A litcigarette dangles from NateRyan’s mouth as he playsthe bass, falling from his lipswhen a song hits its breaking pointand crashes over the crowd like adark wave. He snubs it out with thetoe of his boot to avoid any mishapson stage. The Black Angels areeffortlessly cool and obviously passionateall at once.By Jeanette D. MosesThe day before this performance, I’d met up with Alex Maas (vocals, bass,guitar, keyboards) and Christian Bland (guitar, bass) after they playeda mid-day show to a group of adoring fans at a bike shop called MellowJohnny’s. The shop, like many other retail spaces and restaurants inAustin, had been turned into a temporary venue to help house theonslaught of label showcases that had taken over the city.jeanette @ slugmag.comPhosphene Dream, the band’s thirdfull-length release, marked theirfirst time working with a producer.“It’s wild here this week,compared to other weeks,”Bland says regarding theSXSW takeover that occursin Austin every March.He pauses before quicklyreiterating that any week ofthe year there is live musichappening somewhere inAustin.“Austin is like an oasis inTexas. We’re surrounded bythe Bible belt, it runs througha couple other states andthen hits Utah,” Maas says.“I think [our isolation] lendsitself to a lot of creativetypes who come here whowant to explore differentparts of life.” Maas andBland, who are originallyfrom Houston, both say thatthey felt a strong attractionto Austin early on, partiallybecause it seemed sodifferent from their strict andconservative upbringing.“It’s a magnet for weirdpeople,” Maas says.This is the band’s seventhyear playing the week-longfestival. In 2005, when theyplayed their first SXSWshowcase, they met Matt Sullivan,founder of Light in the AtticRecords. The label would becomehome for the group’s early releases.The Black Angels have played SXSWevery year since, although Maas andBland both say that 2011 is mellow compared to previous years, one of whichfound them playing close to 13 shows in a four day period.Although the group’s 2011 SXSW schedule may have been “mellow,” theirtouring schedule never is. Maas and Bland estimate they spend approximately125 to 150 days on the road each year. A winter tour after the release ofPhosphene Dream brought them to Salt Lake City last December. Twelve daysafter SXSW, The Black Angels hit the road again on a spring 2011 tour thateventually brings them back through Salt Lake City on Friday, May 6 at TheUrban Lounge. This time around, they’ll be playing some yet-to-be-releasedsongs and plan to revisit some of their older material.The older material is great live, but tracks from their third and most recentrelease, Phosphene Dream, seemed to shine the brightest during theirperformances in Austin. The album, produced by David Sardy (The DandyWarhols, Devo and Wolfmother), is filled with songs that are shorter andplayed faster than the work found on Passover or Directions To See a Ghost.The album is the first on which the band worked with a producer. “For a longtime we were doing slower songs, and I think one of the things we were tryingto do was to explore different tempos,” says Bland regarding the direction ofPhosphene Dream. “It’s fun to play a little bit quicker. It’s fun for the fans tohear songs that aren’t just mid tempo.”Maas and Bland say that they feel the album has revealed some of their lessobvious influences beyond the oft-compared Velvet Underground. “We loveearly Beatles, The Zombies, The Troggs. It was fun to dive into that field.There are a lot of ingredientsthat make The Black Angels.Different ones shine throughon different songs,” Maassays. They say working witha producer helped themcreate more movementwithin the songs. “Weunderstand that not manypeople want to sit downand listen to an 18-minutesong,” says Maas. Althoughthe songs on the record areshorter, in a live setting, theband will stretch their lengthas they see fit. “It’s fun tonot play it exactly like therecord,” says Bland.Although the band’smusic has recently beenlicensed and appeared incommercials for Target,Fable 3 and Cadillac, don’tstart bitching and moaningabout how they’ve soldout—it’s quite the contrary.“The idea is to infiltrate thepopular culture and thenturn them on to your music,”Maas says. “The WhiteStripes did that. The BlackKeys are doing that now.A lot of bands just becomethe mainstream. Insteadof changing your style tobecome [the mainstream]you just infiltrate.” Theband’s willingness to have theirmusic licensed is a combination ofwanting to be heard by as manypeople as possible and some soundadvice from The Black Keys. “Onetime we were talking to Pat [Carney]and he said ‘man if you ever get anythingsent to you for TV—just do it. People are going to be turned on to your music,’”says Maas.If the Internet is any indication—the infiltration tactic is working. Forumsare blowing up with questions regarding the music in the aforementionedcommercials. However, The Black Angels do have musical boundaries theyrefuse to cross. According to Maas, the army approached the band andThe Black Angels release two RSDexclusives on Sat. April 16 and playUrban Lounge on Fri. May 6.wanted to use their music for a recruiting commercial. For aband whose early material was heavily focused on anti-war songs—“Young Men Dead,” “First Vietnamese War” and the 18-minute long“Call to Arms”—the offer seemed like a joke. “That was the strangest thingwe’ve ever gotten,” Maas says.Bland goes on to describe a time he met a soldier on a plane who was headedback to Iraq. According to Bland, the soldier expressed that he didn’t want togo back, but that the pay was so good, it couldn’t be passed up. “That’s howthey get you. They’re paid a lot to kill. They’re contract killers in a way. I feel forthe people that are there who are doing it for the money. There should be moreeducation to keep people out of the army,” says Maas.Commercializing and high-profile exposure aside, the band isn’t willing tosacrifice their musical integrity for money, and they realize the importance oftheir indie roots. In addition to their relentless touring and awe-inspiring liveshows, April 16 sees the band releasing two Record Store Day exclusives.Photo: Alexandra ValentiPhosgene Nightmare,released by Blue Horizon(The Orchard offshoot thatreleased Phosphene Dream),is a white vinyl 10” of B-sidesthat were recorded during thecreation of Phosphene Dream.The second exclusive RSDvinyl release, Another NicePair, is being put out by theband’s first label, Light inthe Attic. Another Nice Pairfeatures the band’s first twoEPs, Black Angels EP andBlack Angel Exit EP—one onthe A-side and one on theB. It is the first time either EPwill see a release on vinyl.Maas and Bland say thatit’s important for them to doRecord Store Day exclusivesas a thank you to the recordstores and fans that supportthem. “We support recordstores—smaller home-grownstores are integral to themusic economy,” says Maas.“The homegrowns seem moretapped into what’s happeningunderground,” says Bland.Both releases will be availableto purchase at Slowtrain,Graywhale and Randy’s onApril 16 for Record Store Day.The Black Angels will play SaltLake City on Friday, May 6 at UrbanLounge with Sleepy Sun and theyseem excited, calling Salt Lake City acrucial tour stop. “I always have a goodtime in Salt Lake. I remember the lasttwo or three times were really magical,”Maas says. “It almost feels like Austin.The vibe of the club.”“Oh it does. It feels a lot like Emo’s,” Bland says of Urban Lounge.Come have your mind blown with The Black Angels’ layered reverb andlarger-than-life show at Urban Lounge on May 6.36 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 37

Teutonic Titans of TerrorAn Interview With Guitarist Wolf HoffmanBy Bryer Whartonbryer@slugmag.comYou may not know the words of the impendingverse—your dad or uncle might, but you shouldknow them too: “Fast as a shark he’ll cut out of thedark. He’s a killer––he’ll rip out your heart. On aone-way track and you’re not coming back, ‘causethe killer’s on the attack!” Lyrics not ringing a bellyet? Okay, let’s get to the big, huge heavy metalanthem. If you don’t know this one, you shouldn’tcall yourself a metalhead: “And then you’ll get yourballs to the wall, man! Balls to the wall!” It just gotheavy metal in here, because we’re talking aboutthe mighty German wrecking crew, Accept, whocrashed out a nice gleaming slab of metal lastyear with their album Blood of the Nations. SLUGhad the chance to talk to principle member WolfHoffmann, creator of some serious metal guitarriffage, about all things Accept.SLUG: There are certain words used wheneverAccept is mentioned: legendary, classic, forbearersof metal … I could go on. What has been thehardest part of the band’s journey from the ‘80sthrough today?Hoffmann: There is and was no hardest part. Asan artist and especially in this band, you are justa bystander when it comes to what people labelyou. Today we understand what Accept has meantmuch more, and obviously we are very proud tohave left footprints in music history, but the fansgave that history to us and by other musicians whohonor us. We just wrote and performed the music.SLUG: With Udo Dirkschneider, the originaland most recognizable voice of Accept, absentfrom the current lineup, things obviously aren’t thesame, but the fact is some bands go through manyvocalists. What do you say to the folks who saythat Accept isn’t Accept without Udo?Hoffmann: First of all, Udo is hardly ever mentionedanymore and the fans have decided—I do not havemore to say. I do not feel offended if someone loved[the previous] formation more than the one we havenow, but the undeniable fact is [new vocalist] MarkTornillo took the audiences worldwide by storm.We have left the past behind us—big time!SLUG: Ideally, I would like to see Accept in amighty, balls-out arena stage show, but the venueyou are playing in Salt Lake City is a club. Is therea venue while touring within the last couple of yearsthat has been absolutely awful, or is there a gig thatstands out amongst the rest?Hoffmann: There are absolutely awful places andthere are wonderful venues. We decided to do it thehard way and go anywhere this time, but here is mytake: Any hole is beautiful when the band and thefans are one. Who is thinking about the venue whenthe sweat is dripping from the ceiling and it [feelslike] the show of the century? Of course, we preferto play in palaces, but we’ve had that and the showsdid not take off. [Bad shows] hardly happen today.Actually, I am stunned—we are taking down the roofeverywhere! Right now, we are riding high. Comeand see yourself! And tear us apart if we suck!!SLUG: Lastly, I have the utmost respect for thecurrent members of Accept and what you’veaccomplished because the odds for success werereally stacked against you. How does it feel to beable to continue playing heavy metal? Hopefullythere are no signs of quitting because I can takeas many albums as you guys can happily to givethe metal world!Hoffmann: Thank you. As I said, we are on an alltimehigh and I can hardly believe it—it seems weare getting better and better with every show andthe fans are getting crazier and happier as well!Everywhere! We just had a show in Moscow in thecoldest winter—it was the hottest show! But onething I want to say: We are determined to excite thefans —if the thrill is gone, we will be gone. We are allindividuals who live a great and exciting life, and thefans who are giving us the honor of coming to seeus and who are buying our music deserve to seepeople who are happy to perform for them. In Acceptyou will not find an unhappy musician, I guaranteeyou that. We made that pact and we will stick to it!Check out Accept at Club Vegas on May 4 withheavy hitting Swedish power metal act, Sabaton,and locals Deny Your Faith, Sonic Prophecy andEpsilon Minus. Advance tickets are available for$25 through 24tix.com.38 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 39Photo: Mark Tucker

killa camwords and photos by:giuseppe ventrellainfo@slugmag.comI met Cameron Starke on April 20, or 420 ifyou’re into that stoner kind of thing. Thanks toall the stoners in the world, it makes it easy toremember our Bro-Anniversary. I rememberI was helping a friend take some photos forBlindside’s Layton store and Starke came alongto help direct people. He was recovering from aninjury so he wasn’t skateboarding that day. Themost memorable part of the day, however, waswatching a young couple on fixed gear bicyclesrun into each other while riding and crash in themiddle of the road near Trolley Square. Basically,if you spend the whole time laughing the firsttime you meet someone, you know you’re goingto be great friends.That was two years ago, and I’velearned a lot of things about Starkesince then. One of the things I knowis that when he’s not injured, he’san amazing skateboarder. Most ofthe time when you skate with him,he just mills around and has fun.Then, suddenly, out of nowhere,he’ll do a hardflip—not one of thosewacky sideways hardflips either—areal, proper Mike Carroll-flick stylehardflip.Starke is a classic skate rat who canskate pretty much everything. He’sunderrated as shit. Starke will silentlykill it for years just because he lovesto skate. He’s a skater’s skater if Iever met one. He skates because hewants to, not because he’s competitiveor wants an energy drink sponsor.So, I’d like to introduce you, ladiesand gentlemen, to Mr. CameronStarke.SLUG: I’ve noticed the rest of Utah seems kindof oblivious to the amount of amazing skateboardersin Davis/Weber Counties. Who aresome people from that area that rip, known andunknown?Starke: Omar Budge, Jay Mendez, IssacRaymond and Colton Woods. Those dudesalways blow my mind and keep it real. Watch outfor these guys, they are terrorizers.SLUG: What are the three best cities outside ofUtah you have skateboarded in and what makesthem amazing?Starke: Buffalo, New York is the best, handsdown. Just the East Coast’s rough, sketchyspots are a blast. You have to be very creativeand know how to have fun on your board, andthat’s what I am all about. Not to mention thebest homies ever. San Diego, Calif. is always agood time—awesome weather, the beach, greatskate scene and a lot of fun spots. Also WashingtonStreet Park rules. DIY or DIE! Evanston, Wyo.for one reason and that one reason is THE HELLHOLE.SLUG: Share, if you will, the story of what happenedat the Motörhead concert recently?Starke: OK, so [at] the end of January, a ton ofBack Smith.SLUG: How did you “discover” skateboarding?Starke: I discovered it twice. Thefirst was when I was seven yearsold and my older cousin Levi wasalways skating around. I just thoughtit was the coolest thing ever and Ireally looked up to him. Then when Imoved from SLC to Layton, I met twocool dudes named Scott Pulley andJosh Gailey. Josh was my neighborand had rails and ramps and thewhole nine yards. So I asked for askateboard for my next birthday. Gotit from the very first Blindside ever inKaysville and was hooked.40 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 41

homies, my lady friend and myself all head downto Vegas to see Motörhead. Keep in mind thatI have been waiting and trying to see them forfive years and something has always been inthe way, but not this time. I mean, Lemmy is66 so come on—got to see him while he is stillrockin’. So we get to Vegas and do Vegas right:99-cent margaritas all day just having a blast.Do the whole Vegas night thing: roulette tablesand slots. Next day, we get feeling crunchy andwe head to the show. Right off the bat, I run intoLemmy, slap him a high five and then it’s on!Valient Thorr started the show off. About thefourth song in, which was “Heatseeker” (one ofmy favorite songs), shit starts getting wild. ThenI guess I pissed the wrong dude off becauseBAM! I woke up in a wheelchair outside havingno clue what was happening. So from what Ihave heard, because I can’t remember, I gotpunched in the jaw which knocked me out cold.Then the story is unclear because I have beentold I just tripped over people and hit my head,but also I heard I got tossed head first by thesame dude. Also, someone told me they heardright? Well, it gets worse. I go to sleep that night,we all wake up and drive back to Utah, get homeand crash out. I wake up that Monday for work,the whole day feeling like shit. I had a bad headacheand was feeling like I had to ralph all day.I called my mom and she told me to go to thehospital. I said OK and went and got some CATscans. They had to drain three cc of blood frommy knee. I somehow hurt that during all of it, too.Then they told me the news: I had bleeding inmy head and had to go to an emergency room.The neurologist told me I had a twelve-hourwindow of living and they were going to watchover me until eight in the morning. Then, I wouldget surgery because I had fractured my skull andthat caused the bleeding and blood clots. Theyhad to cut a hole in my skull and drain the bloodand zap the arteries closed. So, around six inthe morning, they came and got me ready forsurgery and it went awesome. I now have a holein my skull and the only thing protecting it is myjaw muscle. I had seven staples in the side of myhead for four weeks. I just got them out. It wascrazy, man, a total bummer.SLUG: Tell us about your experiences withGonz. You used to call him, right? Who did hethink you were?Starke: Oh yeah, so that’s a good story. Oneof my homies from Buffalo had his number andgave it to me. We also had Johnny Layton’snumber and some other pros, but the only dudethat never got pissed was The Gonz. So it turnedfrom a bunch of prank calls to actually talkingand having conversations here and there. At firsthe thought when I would say, “Hey it’s CameronStarke,” that I was David Clark and would keepasking me questions and talking about stuff Ihad no idea about and seeing if I was skatingand if I got my product boxes. After a while, itturned into Brooks Hall and myself having nicknamesfrom him. Brooks was Powerslide andI was Frontside Guy. Then, the sad day camewhen he got a new number. Oh man, I almostforgot the best part! Brooks and myself askedhim to come to Utah and chill for a little while.His response was that he had family that drove aminivan filled with children and we would have tomeet the demands of finding him a long boardand a pair of Timberlands if he was to come outhere. Oh, and Johnny Layton sucks to prank call.SLUG: Tell us your best Brian Brown story.Starke: That’s a hard one, but I think the creationof Stackers is the best beause stacking rules! SoBrian and myself started having bar night everyThursday back when I first moved to Salt Lake.We would try and go to a couple different barsevery Thursday night to see what was out thereand where it was the illest to drink. On one ofthose Thursday nights we ended up at CheersTo You. Last call came up and we still wanted toparty, so we made our way out to the front of thebar and out of drunken boredom decided to startstacking crap chairs on top of tables on top ofledges. We had made thishuge tower in front of thebar and had tons of peoplejust watching in amazement.At the time I lived two blocksfrom the U so we had a longjourney ahead of us. Sowith that journey back homewe decided to stack all offourth south, which includedBeto’s, Chuck-O-Rama, CoffeeBreak, Spoon Me andmany more businesses untilarrival at my house aroundfive in the morning. Thebest stack of the night wasat Little Caeser’s. I draggeda Christmas tree threeblocks and stacked it ontop of that place. Man, whata night.Wallie Crooks.the dude Donkey Kong-ed me, lifted me up andslammed me down like a barrel. So, unclear ofthat, I woke up talking to bouncers and EMTs. Icannot remember anything, had no idea whereI was or what was happening. Finally, after timepassed by I was able to talk them into letting meback in to see Motörhead. I had to sit up in theseats, but that was alright with me because I wasnot missing this for anything. Omar and Kasey(Cloward) both sat with me and Motörheadkilled it. They even played “Overkill” for theencore: the one song I was screaming at them toplay the entire show.So, I have a huge swollen face, black eye,several lumps on the side of my head, bummerSLUG: Who in Utah iscurrently killing it on askateboard?Starke: Sean Hadley. Thatdude can shred it all. OmarBudge is always killing iton and off his board. DirkHogan, Oliver Buchananand of course, everyone’s favorite wimpy deer,John Willardsen aka Bambi.SLUG: Who is killing it at life right now?Starke: My Family, my amazing lady friend LindsayEvans, Todd Leaver, Red Beast, DavidWeaver, Max Cloward, Brittany Evans, IanElliot, Blindside, Mike Lowder and Nate Loveat DC, Rabobo, Young Guns, Brian Brown,hefeweizens, Matt Coles, Swainston, Merlin’sBeard, Sunny Brooks, the Gonz for keeping itreal and everyone else that is out there doingwhat they want and having a blast with it. This isthanks for killing it at life and staying on.42 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 43

Age OfEverlastWords and photos by: Chris Swainstonswainstonphotography@gmail.comexample. First introduced in 1984, it remainedthe top-of-the-line 35mm rangefinder for 17years. Jump to present day. My first digitalcamera (Canon 1D Mark I) has seen foursuccessors since its original release date in2001. The current model (1D Mark IV) carriesa $5,000 price tag and brings together bothphotography and HD video with four differentframe rates. It’s my guess that in less than tenyears, this camera too will be obsolete andmy Hasselblad will still be shooting sharp andstraight.With film, there is an everlasting essencethat’s carried with it. Every type produces aslightly different color palate or tonal rangethat influences the emotion of the image. Thefilm choice is a conscious thought in the previsualizationprocess. With digital, the camerayou choose is the only choice. It captures thesame every time. Sadly, I feel this is bringinga generic quality to photography confined bythe brand of camera you shoot with. Sure, youcan change anything in Photoshop, but it’snot real—nothing tangible exists. We can fakejust about anything these days with moderntechnology. Even my iPod has a Polaroid app.Long before I knew what I wasdoing with a camera and flashes,Caleb Orton knew what he wasdoing on a skateboard. Smithgrind in southland Draper.You have to be far more attentive and focusedwith shooting film. The latitude for error (errorbeing a very subjective word for what wasonce seen as an error could later be seen asa success, aka “the happy accident”) is muchsmaller. At best, you get a Polaroid to checkthe light once, but after that the photographermust carry a sense of knowing and faith withthem. The camera, lights and self all becomean extension of the eye, for the next time youvisit that moment will be on the light table andthere is no going back from there. With digital photography thelatitude for error is much larger: two stops overexposed? Fix itin Photoshop. Not sure if you got the shot? Shoot a thousandmore. Film forces you to see before seeing because there is nochecking after every shot.Fish, E-Center switch ollie circa 2004.I’ve learned to project myself into future moments, recognizingan instant before its instant. This is because of film’s greatestlimitation, an absolute end. It’s not possible to carry aroundinfinite rolls of film. So at some point, you will eventually run outof shots. This forces one to practice waiting for the decisivemoment, because inevitably, one day it will come down to oneshot, like a sniper with a single bullet. Instead of shooting to kill,one shoots to create. Digital never has that last shot, it is thatinfinite roll of film. Less time is spent looking at the subject andmore time is spent wildly firing like a marine with a machine gun.Throw enough lead and eventually you will hit something. Evenwith the flash card full, I can delete in-camera for more room.With how quickly today’s acceleration of digital it’s the biggest trick thats ever been played on Left to right: White, Fish, Cheese, Orton, Dirty.camera technology is growing, it makes it us. I remember when buying a new camera, IFor me, deleting is the cardinal of all photography sins. Tossingalmost a financial impossibility to keep up. In had no doubts about its functionality. I neverout individual digital frames is much easier than cutting fromless than ten years, digital cameras have almost took into consideration how old it was or howa strip of film. Thus, I find myself trashing images before I evercompletely replaced film. There are still those many shots it had fired. The cameras were builtgive them a second thought. Throwing away photography is toclassic die-hards out there, but digital is a vicious to last, made of metals not plastics. They couldthrow away history and evolution. To do so is foolish, especiallystorm furiously blowing over film. I’ve seen take a hit and keep on shooting. My first mediumwhen the choices are made based upon vain opinions towardsnearly all my favorite films vanish off the market. format camera was introduced in 1957 by Victorthings like composition, aesthetics, focus and clarity. ThoseDaniel Cooper, hailing from Arizona, poppedPolaroid is nearly extinct and the local photo Hasselblad and stayed in production untilelements of photography are purely subjective and contextual toout of nowere one summer laying down bangerslab went from daily 90 minute film processing to 1970. I still have that camera today and it shootstime and place, not defined by any true set of rule or measure.like this nollie bs flip on the 4 flat 4 that has longtwice a week. As far as the industry goes, digital flawlessly every time. Put it in the right handsThe only truth that matters is documentation of the moment. Itsince been skate-stopped.cameras are the best thing invented since the and you’ll see a negative that will rival any digitalreigns above all else because the moment captured is forevercamera obscura. As far as photographers go, image capture. The Leica M6 is anotherlost in space-time, impossible to revisit except through44 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 45

Skyline has seen some heavybangers. Cy Bickmore's nollie boardslide stillhails as one of the top. He quit skating years ago,but rumor has it he has been skating again ...You still got that flip or what, Cy?the photograph. It’s as if the photograph becomes a tangible database forthe mind to store memories in while keeping room for new ones at home.When looking back into my photographic library, I can relive each frame toalmost its full original reality. I can feel the sun on my shoulders, hear theshutter click. The moment never changes, it’s ongoing forever and I canrevisit it at any time. I too often look back and find new gems that I oncethought were just rocks. New ideas spawn from old angles. With digital,there are too many frames to go through and those boring blue folders onmy hard drive entitled Skate, Portrait, Event, Travel and so on just aren’t asalluring as those binders on my bookshelf filled with contact sheets andpositives. They become books themselves, only the words are written insilver halide crystals and the story is up to the lookers’ interpretation.So, with all of that said, this is an homage to the past to be revisited inthe present. A time of uncertainty, experimentation and throw-aways thatweren’t, when not knowing was halfthe excitement and the once thoughtmistakes have transformed intowisdom. For leaving behind a tangiblemoment that will last an eternityshort of physical destruction and forthose tangible moments, despiteall of the possible reproductions, toforever exist as the only original storyinscribed in silver halide.Pizza time. MorganBeck grabs a slice andTanel White yummysa snack.46 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 47

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PHOTOFEATUREI’ve known Bjorn Leines so long that I think when Ifirst met him, Bush’s dad was president and I wassporting a ponytail that ran halfway down my back.This guy’s been around, and somehow he stays ontop of the game year in and year out. When Ogdengot all the snow last year, Leines was game to throwhis veteran knees and back into the mix of flat landings.He even gave the rookies a demonstration onhow to match your sponsor’s name on your base toyour kit. 24th Street frontside 180. –Andy Wright50 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 51

AirwalkEnigma ReissueAirwalk.comAirwalk has beenreissuing classicsfor the lastyear or so, and tocelebrate the 25-year anniversary ofthe company, theyhave finally reissuedthe Enigmaskate shoe backinto the line-up.The Enigma wasoriginally releasedin the ‘90s, but thisstyle of shoe isseen everywhere in skateboarding today. Midtopcomfort and suede durability, along with theoriginal colorway when released over a decadeand a half ago makes this a great nostalgic skateshoe. Before all the bells and whistles, all-overprints and gimmicks, companies designed greatshoes and the Enigma is the prime example of aclean and simple skateboard shoe. If you aren’tused to mid-tops, they can feel a little stiff andconstrictive at first, but after time they loosenright up. If you aren’t into the whole patiencething, just cut the tops down and rock them trueold school. These babies are limited edition, soI recommend getting yourself a pair before thewell runs dry. –Raleigh St. ClairLogitechUltimate Ears 100Logitech.comI’m horrible with headphones. I lose them constantly,wrap them so tight that the wires breakand have even been known to let my toddlerchew on ‘em. As a result, I’m always on the lookout for a new set, especially one that won’t breakthe bank. I was really pleased with these noiseisolatingearbuds. The main selling point for mewas how comfortable they are—much easier towear than the standard iPod earbuds that camewith every device I own. They fit well in my earsand come with a few different sizes of soft earcushions for maximum customization. They alsomanage to block a lot of the outside noise. As faras sound goes, they were comparable to otherin-ear headphones I’ve had in the past. They’rea little weak on the bass end, but I don’t listen tovery much house music, so I didn’t really noticeit. Otherwise, the sound quality is great. Theyalso seem to be rather sturdy. The speaker wiresare durable and manage to bend without feelinglike they’re going to snap. At less than twentybucks retail, I’m not going to lose any sleepworrying about leaving them on the bus. All in all,this is a worthy little product. –James BennettThirty TwoVedder Buttonup FleeceThirtytwo.comThis shirt has been my best friend for the pastfew weeks. Whoever designed it deserves a solidpat on the back because it is one of the mostversatile tops I’ve had the pleasure of wearing.Not only is it super soft and comfortable, it’swarm and durable enough for shredding, skating,camping, fishing and just about anythingelse you could hope to do in the early spring.For you fashion-savvy outdoorsmen, the shirt islong and thin, making people like myself looka little less short and fat than we really are. In aworld of Gore-Tex and GoPros, it’s nice to seea company manufacturing quality in simplicity.–Chris ProctorRusty/ SOR.ADSunday ShirtRusty.com/us/soradNow that it isfinally startingto warm up, it’sonly obviousthat I wouldwant to wearmy Sundayfinest shortsleevebuttonupto embracethe heat.The Sundayshirt from SOR.AD (Rusty Audio Design) is exactly the type ofclothing that welcomes the warmth with a printedbutton-up on a regular sleeve tee that makesyou feel like you are living in ‘Margaritaville’ whensporting it. SO R.AD is a new line from Rusty,spearheaded by Joey Brezinski, with sweatshirtsthat have washable, built-in headphonesand cleanly designed tees, too. I imagine you willstart to see SO R.AD products everywhere withinthe next year or so, seeing that it has becomea necessity to listen to your iPod while skatingaround. With the new feature of being able to justplug into your garment instead of worrying aboutcords and shit, why not plug in and plug out. –Dudley HeinsbergenPeach TreatsTreats for Gauged LobesTifthapeach.etsy.comPeach Treats is the brainchild of sculptural artistTiffany Blue, who crafts one-of-a-kind polymerclay jewelry for stretched ear lobes. She can docustom work in all styles and sizes but her bestdesigns are intended for lobes stretched 4g to00 and above. For those fakers and fronters, shedoes offer a few designs that when worn—makeit appear that the lobes are stretched. However,Blue’s designsare reallycateredtowardscustomers withthe real deal.Almost all of thePeach Treats’designs areuniquely herown although,she doessome goodknock-offs too. The polymer clay is a perfectmedium for her complex and chucky designstyle, many of which would be too heavy if theywere made by any other substance. The polymerclay enables Peach Treats’ jewelry to have apliability factor, allowing one to gently bend partsof the piece as it is placed in a gauged ear. Thispliability is what lets Blue get so creative withher styles. Included with every pair of earringsis a small vile of grape seed oil. This servestwo purposes: 1) to polish the clay and keepit looking fresh, 2) to provide lubrication foreasy jewelry insertion. With a price tag around$20, peach treats should be at the top of yourshopping list. —Gracie LawBicycle Tube Hobo Bag with Accent FlowerReclaimed Wreckageetsy.com/ReclaimedWreckageI first spotted oneof ReclaimedWreckage’s rubberbags on a friend.Instantly I knew Ihad to have one.This local brandspecializes inhandbag fabricationfrom upcycledbike tires. I firstsaw this techniquein the mid-90sby San Francisohaberdashers so naturally I was stoked to find alocal artist right here in Salt Lake City, designingcontemporary rubber purses from popped biketubes. The bag I chose was the same style I’dseen my friend wearing—the Hobo Bag withAccent Flower ($64.99). The rubber flower accentis very charming. This purse is well crafted,complete with a lining and durable zipper. Isee a long future with this bag and myself.Reclaimed Wreckage crafts other rubber itemstoo: jewelry, shoe spats, clothing, pouches,etc. peep her etsy store or visit her booth atSlowtrain’s Record Store Day, Saturday April 16.Reclaimed Wreckage artist, Lisa Brown will beselling her wares there in-person. Oh one morething: Brown has a big heart. 10% of every orderis donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation forBreast Cancer Research. —Gracie Law52 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 53

Battle: Los AngelesColumbia PicturesIn Theaters: 03.11armed services, this courage-filledpeek at the unity formed betweensoldiers may push you over the edge.Ooh-Rah! –Jimmy MartinI Saw the DevilMagnet ReleasingIn Theaters: 04.01Korean filmmaker, Kim Jee-woon,brings audiences a gruesome psychologicalthriller that spares no gutwrenchinggraphic detail with I Sawthe Devil. After a psychopath rapesand murders the pregnant fiancée ofsecret-service agent Kim Soo-hyun(Lee Byung-hun), the psychopathbecomes the unsuspecting prey ofthe grief-stricken man. Soo-hyun’smission is to hunt the man downwho murdered his wife-to-be andmake him suffer. Soo-hyun feels thatmurdering the man or turning him overto the authorities wouldn’t be harshenough and instead decides to enacthis own form of revenge by teasingand torturing the killer and ultimatelymaking him feel like a victim. I Sawthe Devil has plenty of scenes tomake you squirm—a child finding adismembered ear in a field, severedheads, an Achilles tendon beingsliced in half and even cannibalism.The gratuitous violence is broken upwith numerous one-liners (translatedfrom Korean) to make the audiencelaugh and lighten the mood. I Saw theDevil stands with some of the bestin the genre. It’s a film to watch forthe “seriously fucked up” factor andone that would probably do well withaudiences at Brewvies Cinema Pub.–Jeanette D. Moseshis widely popular books. I like the threat and paranoia of outsiders wantingtopics they tackle: sex, humor, welldressedin on the ruse. Burger’s hyperac-women, homosexuality. I’ve tive MTV background surfaces with histried to read one or two but I couldn’t exploitation of various image-twistingget through them. Kaboom, I’m sorry, camera lenses and post-productionIt may not be the most innovative conceptbut you will always make me feel like strobe light effects. The color schemeto surface from Hollywood lately,I feel about David Sedaris. I couldn’t alternation from a bleak and gray un-but there’s something oddly engagingget through you and I was bored the dertone world into a vibrant and pulsatingabout watching multiple renditions ofentire time. I found myself thinkingenvironment, post pill ingestionthe eradication of the human populationabout my Twitter account in the is a nice touch. The film sets off on theby enraged extraterrestrials. Di-middle of the movie and purposely right foot and ends with an unexpect-rector Jonathan Liebesman roughstook an unneeded bathroom break. ed yet gratifying twist, but the meat ofup the sci-fi genre with a shaky-camI’m sorry Kaboom. I don’t think I will be the sandwich is where the predicamentswar drama that pits America’s finest,looking up your director/screenwriterlie, story-wise. You would thinkled by Staff Sergeant Michael NantzGregg Araki’s back catalogue a genius would be smart enough to(Aaron Eckhart), against a race ofanytime soon, but someone else will. avoid a loan from a Russian mobstermerciless invaders who’ve come for–Gracie Lawor at least would remember to payour natural resources and aren’t inoff his measly $100,000 loan afterthe mood to negotiate. As the largestLimitlessmaking $2 million in the stock market.cities on the Pacific coastline of theRogue PicturesI suppose the drug carries a memoryUnited States are overtaken by theIn Theaters: 03.18loss side effect? The initial concept isassault, the command is given toIt’s a common myth that the typical enough to spark interest, but the additionprotect the city of Los Angeles athuman only uses 20% of their brain’sof pointless side characters and aall costs. Essentially, it’s The Hurtcapability, which forces one tomysterious murder subplot hinder theKaboomLocker wrapped together with Districtconsider the possibilities and ramificationsof unlocking the remaining Martinnarrative’s full effectiveness. –JimmyCrispy Films9. Forget cheesy, “Now, that’s whatIn Theaters: 01.26I’m talking about!” dialogue from Willallotment. This is the premise in NeilMy opinion of this movie is very similarSmith—Liebesman focuses his filmBurger’s thriller that focuses on Mars Needs Momsto my opinion of David Sedaris,on a more realistic approach to anstruggling novelist Eddie Morra (BradleyCooper) who’s recently been In Theaters: 03.11Disneythe NPR humorist and bestsellingintergalactic war on American soil.author. I enjoy satire, I really do.Within fifteen minutes from the get go,dumped by his girlfriend, is suffering It’s fascinating to witness the progressionof motion-capture filmmaking,But the manner in which Sedaristhe audience is tossed directly intofrom a terrible case of writer’s blockdelivers his monologues makes methe firefight and dodging the barrageand is on the verge of being evicted because the end result is becomingbored after the first two minutes. Iof enemy artillery that never seems tofrom his New York City apartment. All more and more brilliant with eachappreciate his social commentary andcease, as Liebesman never takes hiswould seem lost until Eddie bumps title’s release. Let’s just agree to putwitty euphemisms, but I grow tired offoot off the accelerator. There are theinto his ex-brother-in-law and is given the creepy images of 2004’s The Polarhearing his voice recite them. I reallyall-too-familiar character introductionsan off-the-market drug that opens the Express behind us. With that said, it’swant to like David Sedaris—I lovewith hints of who will become cannonbrain’s full functionality. Within hours, still irritating to observe filmmakersmany of the NPR radio programs he’sfodder momentarily (i.e. if you mentionall of his life’s problems are effortlesslyresolved. The ability to seduce progression and dialogue due toneglecting other elements like storybeen featured on like This Americanyour upcoming wedding, you probablywon’t make it to the altar), butwomen, play the piano and learn their infatuation with the technology.Life (and I respect Ira Glass as aneditor) but I just don’t feel it. Sedaris’where Liebesman partially stumbles,foreign languages could not be any Such is the case with Simon Wells’words don’t strike a chord with me.he makes up for it with raw wareasier. However, when Eddie’s supplieris murdered and the remaining off with exciting and beautiful actionintergalactic adventure which startsThere are so many things about himfootage that sets the tone for a newthat I do like that it is hard to believegeneration of alien encounter projects.pills fall into his possession, the sky is sequences and likable characters,that I still can’t be a fan. I can’t readIf you ever considered joining thethe limit, but not without the constant54 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 55

ut once the Red Planet is reached,the momentum slows down to asufferable degree and the charmingwit is lost in the stars. Milo (originallyacted and voiced by Seth Green, butreplaced by child actor Seth RobertDusky) is an average kid who hateseating his vegetables and beingordered around by his nagging mom(Joan Cusack). After pronouncinghow wonderful life would be withouther, Milo must toss his aggravationsaside and rescue his mother aftershe’s kidnapped by Martians andtaken to their home planet. The majorproblems with the film arrive with theentrance of Mars’ inhabitants, whichinclude a long-time human residentliving underground, Gribble (DanFogler), and Ki (Elisabeth Harnois),a Martian who studied English bywatching 1970s television. You canimagine how groovy her dialogue is.Speaking of the dialogue, whoeverdecided that a “Who let the dogsout?” punchline was still acceptableby modern standards should beblacklisted immediately. The grandfinale hits a surprisingly emotionalchord, but, in retrospect, doesn’tdeserve the accolades with such adiscouraging second act. –JimmyMartinPaulUniversalIn Theaters: 03.18If you’ve never experienced the comedicduo that is Simon Pegg and NickFrost, it’s certainly something youshould rectify in your life immediately,especially if you consider yourself aresident of planet geek. While theirlatest pairing project, Paul, isn’t asoriginal or witty as their previousendeavors (Shaun of the Dead & HotFuzz), it still strikes an amusing chordwith their core audience, maybe theonly group to appreciate the humor.While visiting America to attend SanDiego’s Comic Con, über-nerdsGraeme and Clive (Pegg and Frost)plan a cross-country expedition to visitevery major UFO hotspot on record,but their plans are disrupted aftercoming into contact with the extraterrestrialPaul (voiced by Seth Rogen)who requests the duo help him getback to his home planet. Hot on theirheels are three government officialsled by the straight-laced Agent Zoil(Jason Bateman) and his two bumblingcronies (Bill Hader & Joe LoTruglio). Pegg and Frost have beenknown to incorporate nerdy pop culturereferences within their dialogue,but they never forgot to keep their ownhumor as amusin. This is not the casein this science-fiction blend of Dumband Dumber and Howard the Duck.The countless allusions to Star Wars,Close Encounters of the Third Kind,E.T. and Aliens are indeed hilarious,but the bombardment of stereotypicaldrug jokes ruin the final product. Tomake matters worse, Rogen’s identifiablestoner voice takes away from thestory whenever a syllable is uttered.If you know how to ask “Where is thebathroom?” in Klingon (it’s “nuqDaq‘oH puchpa’’e’”), you’ll find sanctuaryin the film, otherwise you’re betteroff staying at home and watchingthe original classics being mocked.–Jimmy MartinRed Riding HoodWarner Bros.In Theaters: 03.11It would appear Catherine Hardwickeis incapable of shaking offthe mystical adolescent love storygenre since her attachment to theTwilight saga. Her last two endeavorshave revolved around a supernaturalfemale who’s adored by two males(both of whom are incompetent in theacting department) and one may be awerewolf. The most appealing aspectto the medieval-era project is DonMacaulay’s gorgeous art directioncaptured by Mandy Walker’s remarkablecinematography, but that’s wherethe encouraging elements end andthe troubles arise. In this retooling ofthe classic tale, Amanda Seyfrieddons the rosy robe as Valerie, thedaughter of a lumberjack who’s beenarranged to marry a wealthy blacksmith,but her affection for one of herfather’s co-workers has obstructedthe agreement. Even with all theongoing personal drama, the villageis constantly under threat of a viciouswerewolf, but, after the unprovokedkilling of Valerie’s sister, the townshipdecides to end the legendary feudonce and for all. With a red moonpresent allowing the beast to passalong the curse to anyone bitten, Valeriemust keep a close eye on thoseshe once trusted. With a telepathicwerewolf and the use of direct quotesfrom the fairy tale (“Grandmother,what big teeth you have.”), the chillingatmosphere Hardwicke tried sohard to create quickly plummets intoan undesirable and preposterouscategory neither audience nor directorwants. With the talents of Hardwicke,Seyfried, an obviously gifted productioncrew and a supporting roleprovided by Gary Oldman, it’s sad tosee so many talents wasted on such amediocre project. –Jimmy MartinSource CodeSummit EntertainmentIn Theaters: 04.01Duncan Jones, the independentscience-fiction filmmaker who broughtyou the eerily brilliant seclusion filmMoon, has returned with another fascinatingidea that takes the repetitiousconcept of Groundhog Day, yet strapsa time-sensitive terrorist plot angle toit to add another level of excitement.Jake Gyllenhaal stars as CaptainColter Stevens, an American helicopterpilot in Afghanistan who suddenlyfinds himself aboard a train minutesbefore it’s bombed in a terrorist attack.Rather than opening his eyes tothe pearly gates, Stevens finds himselfrestrained in a dank and frigid metalcompartment. His only connection tothe outside world is via a small videoscreen with the voice and image ofofficer Carol Goodwin (Vera Farmiga)providing instructions on his currentmission. Using the state-of-the-artsystem, Source Code, Stevens iscapable of entering a parallel universeand embodying a passenger travelingon the ill-fated train and has exactlyeight minutes to discover clues tosolve the mystery behind the attackbefore being obliterated again. Whileenduring a fiery death over and over,Stevens inches his way through themaze while also trying to solve thesecret behind his unusual predicament.Jones has perfected the senseof isolation and forces his actors togenerate a variety of emotions andrealizations with no one else around tohelp, and Gyllenhaal takes hold of thedaunting task and achieves greatnessby offering a dramatic role that’s notafraid to poke fun at the precarioussituation. The end result may baffleand irritate some moviegoers, but thecleverness and romantic elements(Michelle Monaghan is available asa doomed passenger/love interest)should be enough for all to enjoy. –Jimmy MartinThe Lincoln LawyerLionsgateIn Theaters: 03.18.11It’s been over 15 years since MatthewMcConaughey stepped intoa courtroom to unleash a barrage oflegal lingo with 1996’s A Time to Kill,but it’s certainly the profession hissignature smooth-talking charm fitslike a glove. From the opening credits’slick multiple split-screen shots of aLincoln Continental driving though LosAngeles with Motown’s finest addinga slice of smooth to the mix, it’s cleardefense attorney Mick Haller (McConaughey)isn’t your typical lawyer ashe conducts business from the backseat.While run-of-the-mill prostitutesand drug dealers form the majority ofhis clientele, an opportunity to representa wealthy young man from BeverlyHills who has been arrested forattempted murder arises. Louis Roulet(Ryan Phillippe) never refrains fromproclaiming his innocence, but, aftertaking the case, Haller quickly realizeshe’s entered the world of an evengreater and potentially dangeroushustler. While director Brad Furmanhas only reinvented the wheel whenit comes to legal dramas with varioustwists and turns, he has succeededin assembling a strong lead andsupporting cast with memorable charactersand alluring performances. It’ssatisfying to observe McConaugheyand Phillippe return to the screen withtoe-to-toe tension-filled encountersthat are both gripping and terrifying allat once. Along for the ride and also offeringsolid performances are MarisaTomei as Haller’s ex-wife and WilliamH. Macy as his wise-cracking investigator.–Jimmy MartinCheck Out More Reviews At:SLUGMAG.com56 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 57

By: Tyler Makmelltyler@slugmag.comThere was a time when I actuallyhad to look around for new beerhitting the market. But with all theoptions now, it’s pretty fucking hardfor me to go out to a pub (Republicanexcluded) and say, “I’ll havethe regular.” With this scatter shotof fantastic new styles hitting streetsin SLC, it’s time to sit back andenjoy your beer-battered bukkakeof selections.Uinta DubheBrewery: Uinta Brewing CompanyABV: 9.2%Serving Style: 12 oz BottleDescription: This double blackIPA pours a deep brown —almostan over-scorched roach color. Thearoma is filled with piney grapefruithops, sweet plums, a rounded roastcharacter and a soft caramel lacing.The first rip/sip leads into a resiny,hop-coated, roasted character thatmellows out with soft citrus andfinishes with an earthy hop spice.Overview: Hell yeah brah! Theblack IPA is not a style shy to thisstate, and a double black IPA isonly the second to be seen in thestate, but a double black hempseed IPA—Uinta, you’ve done itagain. This is one beer that, despitethe high alcohol content, is sessionableenough to make its way intothe fridge on a regular basis. If thatwas not provoking enough, Uinta isselling this for only $1.65 a bottle.Jack Mormon CoffeeStoutBrewery: Epic (Contract Brewers)ABV: 8.1%Serving Style: 22 oz BottleDescription: This breakfast-in-abottlepours deep brown/black incolor and puts off a medium headthat fades off to some nice lacingaround the glass. The aroma is ahuge combination of milk chocolate,espresso, roasted malts and atoasty pinch at the end. The flavoris a mouthful of the aforementionedwith a silky body that opens upthe coffee flavor and toasted-oatcharacter.Overview: Try and keep up: Thisis an imperial chocolate-oatmealespresso-milk-stoutconceivedby local homebrew guru ChrisDetrick. Through the small sociallimits of Salt Lake City, this recipewas presented to Jack MormonCoffee and contract-brewed byEpic Brewing Co. with a little helpfrom the original brewer himself.That aside, this is a wonderfulbreakfast stout that is worth having,but could stand to lay out a littlelonger in the cellar. Pick some upat Epic Brewing Co. and don’t bethe only Jack Mormon on the streetmissing out on the most importantmeal of the day.Hotheaded RedheadBrewery: Hopper’s GrillABV: 8.0%Serving Style: 750 ml BottleDescription: Off the pour, thisIrish inspired strong ale is a deeporange-to-auburn in color with asmall, off-white pillowy head. Thearoma is heavily complex in themalt profile with characteristicsof soft toasts, sweet malts and adocile roast with some earthy hopcharacter in the end. The flavor isvery smooth for the alcohol content.With some sweet fruits and that softtoasted character coming through,it finishes smooth with a roundedhop character.Overview: I don’t know how manytimes I’ve said it, but the brewhouseat Hopper’s is dialed in, andI want to see more bottled beer! Iam always a fan of seeing stylesof beer come out of the wetworksthat we thought were going extinct.Thanks to head brewer DonovanSteele, we’ve managed to keepthe Irish Strong Ale kicking around.This beer was deeply complex inthe malt profile, so it was enjoyableto the last sip. Be sure to pick themup while they last at Hopper’s inMidvale.58 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 59

Birthquake!Be Excellent To Each OtherKilby RecordsStreet: 02.28Birthquake! = Friendly Fires +samba + jazz + Minus The Bear +springtimeBirthquake! is a local band of brothers,the Whittaker brothers to beexact, who managed to capture thebliss of life on this exuberant little sliceof pure joy known as the Be ExcellentTo Each Other EP. This release iswhat smiles sound like. The love thebrothers have for each other andtheir zeal for good times is apparentand shines through on each track ofBe Excellent. Matt’s percussion isspicy like a street burrito—It is freeand loose and complements theinstrumentation of his brothers (Scotton bass and Nick on guitar). ThisEP is packed with solid grooves. Thechord progressions are well thoughtout and well played. The recordingstyle captures the live feel of a Birthquake!show, which is full of blissedout dancing. The guitars are texturedand ambient, and the drum fills arecrisp and punctual. These tunes areperfect for a road trip or a day outskateboarding. If I were feeling a bitbummed out, cranking these jamswould definitely bust up my blues.This music is proof that spring is racingour way and I’m certain this will beits soundtrack. Props to Birthquake!and Kilby Records for a joy-inducingreminder to be excellent to eachother. –Tom BennettCharles EllsworthThe Shepherd LaneSessions EPSelf-ReleasedStreet: 12.01.10Charles Ellsworth = early Tom Waits+ The National + Bob DylanCharles Ellsworth is a storyteller. If hismusic doesn’t keep you listening (andit should), his vivid lyrics will stop yourhand from skipping anything on thisEP. Ellsworth’s vocals remind me ofMatt Berninger, laced with the bluesand 1960s country. “Last I Heard andLast I Checked” is an ode to whatcould have been—just a man and hisguitar, soulfully pondering. Lyrics like“tell the Lord your plans if you wannamake him laugh, cuz when I told himmine I had him rolling on his back”were reason enough for me to finallyfigure out how to use the repeat functionon my home stereo. You’re goingto hum these songs, and your friendsare going to ask you for a copy ofwhatever it is you’re singing. Luckyfor them, Ellsworth is happy to share.Just find him on Facebook already.–Andrew RoyHandicapitalistNumber One EPSelf-ReleasedStreet: 02.04Handicapitalist = (The Ramones –Joey Ramone) + screaming teensLeave it to a true punk band to recorda cheap EP in a small unfilteredspace. The fast-paced trio threwthis five-track album together in aday, all performed and recorded inthe Raunch Records back room. It’sabout as crude as a digital recordingcan be, which is saying somethingfor today’s tech. The sound poundingon the cheap ceiling tiles with thedrums smothered under the guitaramps makes it sound like it came offan ‘87 K Records comp. The songsare quick, loud, angry—complete withthat “we don’t give a fuck what youthink of us” attitude. It would be greatif it wasn’t just nine minutes long, forcinglisteners to put it on repeat to getany longevity out of it. Downside: It’sa half-assed session with barely audiblelyrics. Upside: It’s the completelive punk band experience minusflying Pabst cans. –Gavin SheehanKilionaSilhouettes & LiesSelf-ReleasedStreet: 12.03.10Kiliona = Marvin Gaye + MintCondition + JamiroquaiIn an effort to strike out on his own,Kiliona Palauni broke away fromhis popular and well-establishedgroup A Cassandra Utterance andimmediately hit the studio in mid-2010to craft this pop/soul tour de force.Not at all afraid to experiment, Kilionatouches base with early ‘80s synthand early ‘90s hip hop beats whileguests drop rhymes. He’s mixed ina string section over almost everytrack and uses a ukulele over a shortballad at one point. All of this is donewith little to no computer trickery thatwe’ve become so accustomed to inmodern pop. Kiliona’s voice emergesas the true hook of the album—softenough to catch the ear, but powerfulenough to command each lyric. Evenin the saddest songs, his love for themusic shines through the beat. Thisis what pop music should be. –GavinSheehanNever Say NeverHymns of HateBallz Out RecordsStreet: 12.14.10Never Say Never = The Unseen +Broken Bones + Municipal WasteSalt Lake City’s bullet-belted loudmouthsclaim to be the dirty rottenbastard offspring of spike-studdedpunk rock and rollicking thrash metal.The effort is earnest (and generallyenjoyable) and their cheeky disdain ofall things “PC” elicits a laugh or two(who isn’t up for the occasional dickjoke?), but they don’t always straddlethe line seamlessly. When they decideto play breakneck thrash (“Thrash ofthe Titans” and “Iron Soul”) they’retight, explosive and undeniable. It’swhen they reign it all in for a midtempostreet punk jam that the hybridsounds a tad forced and disjointed(“Ashes of Society” with its dopeylyrics and Star Wars sample, thoughendearing, sounds a bit out of place).Still, they’ve got the chops when theychoose to use ‘em, and like seasonedshoplifters, they’re at their best whenthey’re playing at blitzkrieg speed.–Dylan ChadwickRavings Of A MadmanIn the Time it Takes to Hate...Self-ReleasedStreet: 12.10.10Ravings of a Madman = MarilynManson + Snot + music toexorcise byThese guys are having such a goodfucking time being pissed off. Inthe Time it Takes to Hate is a heavyalbum, in content and sound. It isan exorcism of noise and emotionwhich can be exhilarating for boththe audience and performer, but onoccasion, and with sub-par execution,it can also be totally disorienting.Their live show may entirely eradicatethis issue, since live performance isall about noise and emotion, but thealbum lets ROAM’s weak spots peekout. There’s a lot of awesomenessfor those weak spots to hide behind,so gentlemen, please just take thisreview for what it’s worth: motivationto continue to improve at yourown game. Continue to expand youraudience by refusing to be trappedin one genre, work those harmonies,and don’t be afraid to be beautiful.–P.BuchananSubrosaNo Help for the Mighty OnesProfound LoreStreet: 03.01Subrosa = Sleep + Sunn O))+ SwansNo Help for the Mighty Ones beginswith whispers and it ends withwhispers, but there’s a whole lotof darkened and beautiful noise inbetween. Once this album passesthrough one’s auditory passages andtheir individual psyche, they will bechanged forever. The album featuressome super down-tuned guitar andbass riffing, almost to the point ofcreating a buzzing feedback noise,which definitely makes it stand apartfrom, well, anything you may haveheard. The weight of the droningguitars and shivering violins is onlylifted by the vocal harmonies that playout so softly in comparison to songsthat are often stark, driving and pummeling.This contrast fits the band’slyrical content by creating a voice ofthe downtrodden, trying to escapethe noise of the world that seems todominate it. The vocals aren’t alwayssoft in the mix though—they comethrough when it’s most important orwhen the anger breaks free from thedroning, mesmerizing sounds. This isessentially a doom album worthy ofjoining the ranks of Black Sabbath,Candlemass and Sleep, but it’s outof bounds enough to ultimately beunlike anything your ears will ever layclaim to. –Bryer Wharton60 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 61

Akron/FamilyAkron/Family II (The CosmicBirth and Journey ofShinju TNT)Dead OceansStreet: 02.08Akron/Family = Steve Miller Band+ Animal Collective + BlitzenTrapperWritten in a cabin beneath an activevolcano in Japan and recordedin Detroit’s abandoned MichiganCentral Station, Akron/Family’s sixthfull-length should, on paper, sounda lot weirder. Instead, S/T II (despitethe anachronistic title) is the band’smost accessible and cohesive albumto date. Straying from the free-formpsychedelic-folk of previous releases,album opener “Silly Bears” roars outthe gate with full minimalist bravadoin the form of gang-shouted vocalsand Marnie Stern-style guitar theatrics.From there, S/T II ranges fromballs-out ragers, sampling freely fromprog, noise, psychedelia and shoegazeyatmospherics to beautifullyorchestrated folk ballads. “Creator”ends the album with a recontextualizationof Pharoah Sanders’jazz masterpiece “The Creator hasa Master Plan,” into a gorgeous,slow-building closer. A few delightfuldiversions into pure studio weirdnessaside, a novitiate AK listener woulddo well to start with this album andwork backwards. –Ryan Hallsextet brings an upbeat, layeredcollection of experimental, synth-popsound. Having spent a considerableamount of time living and recordingin Brooklyn, the current electronicboom seems to have taken hold ofthis project. Every track on the EPbursts with a playful, in-your-faceattitude expressed through electronic,synthesized textures. An abundanceof hand-clapping and echo-drivenvocals seem to dominate Runningwith Insanity. While this works for theself-titled track and “Drowning (InMyself),” there are other times whereit just doesn’t mesh. But for a littlefive-track release, this EP does offera refreshing change from the band’spreviously subdued albums. –RyanSchoeckBlood FreakMindscraperWillowtipStreet: 04.05Blood Freak = Mortician +Frightmare + Pig Destroyer +Repulsionblood-coagulated, old, wound-gooeygroove-riffing until that old wound isfresh again. Mindscraper kind of remindsme a bit of what Pig Destroyerwould be like if they had songs thatlasted four to five minutes. BloodFreak opted for longer cuts of meathere to let songs develop—whenthe band has leads or solos jar intothe mix of buzzed-bass-grizzled fun,they strike a definite poignant nerve.Mindscraper isn’t quite the follow-up Iwould’ve liked to have after Multiplex,but it serves my bloody needs. –BryerWhartonBuck 6520 Odd YearsWarnerStreet: 02.01Buck 65 = Sage Francis + WHY?+ B. Dolan + Cecil OtterNamed for the duration of this Canadianrapper’s hip-hop career, 20 OddYears is both an accessible introductionfor those unfamiliar with Buck65’s unique style, and a thorny, angularaddition to his fan-loved catalog.Buck’s distinctive, low rasp of a voicebrings to mind B. Dolan and SageFrancis most readily, with this releasecoming closest to Francis’ recentLyfe album, using country and folkelements to make his songs unique.More abstract than B-boy, the rhymesare usually pretty opaque, but docontain some lines that are absoluteburners and make you want to singalong as you learn the songs. FellowCanadians Nick Thorburn (TheUnicorns, Islands), Jenn Grant,and others also lend their considerablevocal talents, providing uniquetouches that Buck himself cannot.“Stop” features an excellent performanceby Hannah Georgas and isnotable for its near-perfect, shimmerypop under the raspy lyrics. “BCC” isclassic while “She Said Yes” is slowand sweet, but my favorite has got tobe “Zombie Delight,” in which Buckspits some sweet rhymes about, youguessed it, the zombocalypse overa rock beat. It turns out zombies candance. –Rio ConnellyBurzumFallenCandlelightRecords/Byelobog ProductionsStreet: 04.05Burzum = BurzumHaving abandoned the “black metal”tag years ago, Burzum’s Varg Vikernesreturns with his second albumin two years following his release fromprison, and it’s a whopper. Mixingclassic Burzum-style songwriting—tremolo guitar picking, solid andsteady bass, and drum beats rangingfrom blastbeats to slow, ploddingtempos—with well-produced,experimental intro and outro pieces,Fallen stands above any simple metalsub-genre. Droning, soaring piecesgive way to skull-crushing, Panzertank-driven, frenzied aural onslaughtsthat run the gamut of thrash, black,doom, and traditional heavy metal.The almost-spoken word interludes,and the folkish chorus of JegFeller, the album’s second (and mostcatchy) piece, neatly tie the albumtogether, making it a must-have fordie-hard Burzum fans, and those whoare simply curious. –Gavin HoffmanBy a ThreadSelf-titledRevelationStreet: 03.22By a Thread = Sunny Day RealEstate + Jimmy Eat World + Texasis the ReasonOver a decade since their lastrelease, Vancouver’s By a Thread returnto ‘core iconoclasts RevelationRecords (a veritable rehabilitationclinic for ‘90s hardcore and post-rockbands) for their post-millennial followup.While they’ve certainly honed theirchops to develop an increasingly“mature” sound, blending pop arrangementswith post-hardcore bite,the album sounds like something I’dhave slapped onto a middle-schoolmix-tape. (The layered crooning atthe end of “Line Ups” plays like anIncubus B-Side. I’m serious). Still, it’sriddled with more hooks than aBlood Freak have been making aname for themselves throughoutthe last 10 years with their horrifiedbrand of gore grind and death metal,so enjoying said genres of mightymetal is a prerequisite to getting fullenjoyment of Mindscraper, the band’sdebut for Willowtip Records. Fans canreally go either way with this one. It’sbasically a combo of their fantasticprevious effort—2007’s very grindingeffort, Multiplex Massacre—and itsAlcoholic Faithmore death n’ groove, meaty, lowertunedpredecessor, Live Fast, DieMissionRunning With Insanity EP Young … and Leave A Flesh EatingPaper Garden RecordsCorpse. Blood Freak utilize the heavyStreet: 03.29bottom end as much as they can withAlcoholic Faith Mission = Animal the new offering—it requires a bit ofCollective + Yeasayer - Grizzly patience, because initially, it’s goingBearto feel like a blur of songs. However,The latest release from this Danish a few listens in, you’ll be grasping the a jaunty little nursery-rhyme-esque62 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 63

corn-fed catfish in a Kentucky paylake(“Bloodshed”), and its marriageof muted electronics and shimmeringpop-production (“Fashion” and“Reign”) infectiously guarantees afew extra spins on the turntable. Itstruggles to distinguish itself fromother radio-friendly bands of their ilk(Jimmy Eat World) but it’s a ferventslab of angst-pop that (like a middleschooler)constantly jockeys for yourattention. –Dylan ChadwickDefeaterEmpty Days &Sleepless NightsStreet: 03.08Bridge 9Defeater = Have Heart + ModernLife is War + Okkervil RiverMusic is an art form, and in hardcore,it’s sometimes hard to recognize theart through the blind emotion. On oneend of the hardcore spectrum, youfind a brotacular spectacle of machismo—onthe other, you find Defeater.Emotionally viable, lyrically poeticand musically engaging, Defeateradds to their repertoire of peerlesshardcore with Empty Days and SleeplessNights. Proving just as adeptat shredding vocal chords as usingthem to sing, vocalist Derek Archambaulthas range. The first 10 tracksof the album pick up where Travelsleft off. With angry, thought-out andgripping arrangements, these tracksreally show what emotional hardcorecan do in 2011. The last four tracksare acoustic numbers—more akinto Saddle Creek than Bridge 9—andshow Defeater as a creative force thatsits just as well beside the Carrier asBright Eyes. Highly recommended.–Peter FryerThe Murphys’ brand of Celtic punkhas become popular the world overand with their seventh studio release,they’ve somehow become sharperand more precise, with each songmore easily bringing their vision tofruition. “Memorial Day” is jaunty banjo-drivensong that stands out with itsmelody and rhythm, while “SundayHardcore Matinee” recalls the glorydays of ‘80s hardcore shows andpaints a picture of ultimate camaraderie.With 16 years of success undertheir belts, it’s easy to wonder wherethese boys from Boston fall on themusical landscape. Well, when youcan get both Bruce Springsteenand Fat Mike (NoFX) to performguest vocals on your record, you’rein an exceptional position to garnerrespect from a large part of the musiccommunity. There’s a definite formulato the Dropkick Murphys’ sound, butthey do what they do so well on thisrecord. –James OrmeGrailsDeep PoliticsTemporary ResidenceStreet: 03.08Grails = Slint + Ennio Morricone+ Arbouretumappropriating a completely diversemusical landscape and synthesizingit into a cohesive musical statement.Grails sample freely from instrumentalhip-hop, long-dead Delta bluesmen,post-rock and tightly orchestratedchamber music to create some ofthe most arresting and gorgeousinstrumental long-players in recentmemory. There are few albums thatreach the grandeur and scope ofDeep Politics while remaining infinitelylistenable. –Ryan HallHeirsFowlDenovali RecordsStreet: 04.04Heirs = Isis + Jesu + Godflesh +SwansTaking post metal to new heightsor musical levels is a hard task todo. Australia’s Heirs aren’t out tobreak the mold, but to play on wellestablished themes, sounds, andstructures, twisting and pulling, justbecause they can. Take the depravity,repetition and soul-crushing natureof Godflesh and mix it in with thecrescendo-building, more melodicIsis, and you have a good indicationof Fowl. I applaud artists thatcan create different imagery whilelistening as well. Fowl starts outpeaceful and melodic enough anddegrades repeated in cycles. It allhas that air of apocalyptic haze orjust dangling on the edge of a cliff byyour fingertips—relief may or may notcome in the next song, it’s all up tothe listener. Heirs’ shoegazy to full-ondistortion isn’t new, but it’s a nicetrip to take. It’s seducingly calm, andeven though time-wise, it builds upover an extended period, it really feelslike Heirs can make things go to hellreally quick. –Bryer WhartonPat JordacheFuture Songs LPConstellationStreet: 04.26Pat Jordache = AnimalCollective+ TV on the RadioOn Future Sounds, it sounds as if Mr.Pat Gregoire, a.k.a. Pat Jordache,has had a bit too much to drink.His music has been referred to as“stripped,” but I would say it soundsmore like butt-naked and ranting.Pat Jordache’s voice sounds likethat of someone who might askyou for change on the street. I canbarely make out anything he is sayingand just want him to leave mealone. Jordache makes attempts atjangly guitar, but just struggles alongdisjointedly. He often employs dualvocals, one high and one very low,reminiscent of early tracks by TheFlaming Lips, where the bass voicespoke under Wayne Coyne’s. Thepercussion consists of woodblocks,chimes and what sounds like a bikebell. “Phantom Limb” was one of thefew tracks that grabbed my attention.A brushed snare roll and a pleasantbouncing bass line provide asolid backing as a soft, high vocaland an organ gently pop in and out.Jordache’s vocals were clearer thistime. I got excited as the last song,“Ukuuu,” began, but only becauseit meant the album was almostover. “Ukuuu” featured a guitar andvocalizing in reverse and would havebeen a nice track if Jordache wouldhave kept it at that. While Jordache’sexperimentations on this LP are commendable,I would have liked to haveseen a little more attention to detailand not so much bedroom-noodling.I think Jordache was showing the capabilitiesof his looping pedal insteadof writing solid songs. –Tom BennettKids of 88Just A Little BitDryden St.Street: 02.15Kids of 88 = Starfucker +Delorean + Passion PitThe second single from their Sugarpillsrelease, “Just A Little Bit,” isthe kind of dance song you wantto start your night off with, maybedancing around in underwear in yourroom before going out, if you’re intothat kind of thing. The point is, thefast-paced beat is infectious andheavy, the lyrics are easy to singalong with and have a few little yelpsand howls, and the chorus is just fun.The production has that same densequality you find on Muse records: alldistorted, yet totally polished at thesame time. The single also contains“Downtown,” which is just as fun, buta little funkier, equipped with synthhorns and a twangy guitar line overits tambourined-out throb. “SQRL”starts off slow but comes out like aChromeo-influenced ‘80s shimmerfest that builds to a great release.Rounding out the single’s five tracksare a couple remixes of “Just a LittleBit,” both fine in their own way, butnot as catchy as the original. I’ll belooking forward to the next dance-tasticrelease from these New Zealandnewcomers. –Rio ConnellyLittle ScreamThe Golden RecordSecretly CanadianStreet: 04.12Little Scream = Cat Power +PortisheadLaurel Sprengelmeyer’s debutalbum, The Golden Record, createswounded monologues of conflictingmelodies that equally swell into consumingovertures of percussion andfloat gingerly over the tiny expressions of her voice. Running parallel toSprengelmeyer’s somber eleganceare tracks like “Cannons” and “RedHunting Jacket,” that excite the listenerwith marching beats that serveas a successful guide through thedirty and fragile accusations and thepulsating rhythm. Standout track “TheHeron and the Fox” weave togetherfine threads of damaged longing thathaunt the whistling, parched tales oflove. Each layer combines a beautifulcontradiction, much like her monikerLittle Scream suggests. (The StateRoom: 04.02) –Liz LuceroBillie Ray MartinSweet SuburbanDisco EPDisco Activisto RecordsStreet: 02.28Billie Ray Martin =The One andOnlyHow Billie Ray Martin consistentlyappears to make great dance musicso effortlessly—especially in thisovercrowded genre—is as much atestament to her perfectionism as it isto her prodigious talents. With no lessthan three releases planned this year,Martin always takes her time, makingsure her great offerings continueto inspire as well as astound. Herlatest slice of dancefloor heaven, thesublime Sweet Suburban Disco, isno exception. Co-produced and programmedby Maertini Broes’ MikeVamp, this at first deceptively slownumber builds into a trademark BRMhummable chorus that is impossibleto resist. This is Italo-disco subtlyreinvented, with a delicious beat andconstant groove, but above it all is theamazing instrument that is her voice.Like all of Martin’s digital releases,this download boats a generousvariety of mixes and remixers, includingsuperb interpretations by HorseMeat Disco’s Severino and Freaks’Luke Solomon, not to mention thesleek disco stylings of DJ Ray Grant.I may be slightly prejudiced, but formy money, the extra smolderingVince Clarke mix is hard to beat,especially when you hear him repeatthe title using his own filtered vocal.–Dean O HillisMemphisHere Comes a CityArts & CraftsStreet: 03.08Memphis = Death Cab for Cutie +Mae + Broken Social SceneBest friend duo Torquil Campbelland Chris Dumont have alwaysproduced indie pop laced with aspecial mixture of ambient noises andcatchy melodies. Their third full-lengthrelease, Here Comes a City, is moreof the same. It also resembles Stars,the other group Dumont fronts, butin this less electro-pop setting, hisvocals sound even more like BenGibbard. Even the lyrical contentrecalls Death Cab for Cutie, especiallyon “Apocalyptic Pop Song.”They’re prone to the same repetitiveinstrumental tracks, which helps tobreak up the pop songs and makethe album a more contemplativeexperience. Here Comes a City is notthe best this genre has to offer, but isworth checking out if you’re a fan ofits predecessors. –CGMost Precious BloodDo Not ResuscitateBullet ToothStreet: 02.01Most Precious Blood = BuriedAlive + Ringworm + IndecisionOne might assume that longtimeBrooklyn-based heavyweights MostPrecious Blood, coming off a mysteriousfive-year hiatus, have somecatching up to do. However, theirnewest offering proves not only thatthey couldn’t care less about convention,but that the wait was well worthit. Born of chunky ‘90s metalcore,but buzzed with frantic millennialparanoia, Do Not Resuscitate seetheswith the crazed vitriol and spastic experimentationof a defiant band backto reclaim their territory. Constantlyprogressing, Rob Fusco showcasesmore deft vocal range than ever, lyricallyblending the traditional (“AnimalMother”) with the terrifying (“Stuart isa Dead Man Walking”), the redemptive(“Of Scattered Ants that SwarmTogether”) and the suicidal (“Do NotResuscitate”). Awash with keyboardsand electronic samples, the albummarks a triumphant return to form, anihilistic leap forward and a compellingsonic portrait of maturation in themost restrictive of genres. Excellent.–Dylan ChadwickDeep Politics is the much anticipatedfollow up to 2008’s excellentDropkick MurphysGoing Out in StyleDoomsdayer’s Holiday and is worthBorn & Bredevery second of the wait. Grails playObscuraStreet: 03.01ethnic white man blues—the kindOmniviumDropkick Murphys = AC/DC + The that delves deep into every cornerRelapsePogues + Swingin’ Uttersof the Anglophile universe—fromStreet: 03.29By now, we all know what to expect Celtic string sections, SpaghettiObscura = Atheist + Necrophagistfrom a Dropkick record: Irish folk Western soundtracks, and sparse+ Death + Morbid Angelplayed at a blistering pace alongside piano arrangements to crushingGermany’s Obscura have returnedbuzzsaw guitars and the familiar guitar riffs and exploratory psychedelicpassages. Like the best ofinstead of hearing about how amaz-again and thankfully this time around,Boston accents passionately andproudly blasting over everything else. Anglo culture, Grails is excellent atfucking Battles. Um? Awesome. reverb-infused64 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 65ing their new album is second-hand,I get to initially judge and listen formyself. Hype can be irritating and notreading any hype for this record actuallyallowed me to judge Omniviumfor what it is, instead of wonderingwhy people think it’s so damnedamazing. Credit is given where it’sdue—the four players that make upObscura all play their asses off andthen some. Is this the best tech-deathmetal album I’ve ever heard? By allmeans, no. While the album doesn’thave a direct flow between songs,each composition is thought out tobe perfectly executed, but still leavesroom for the important improvisationalfeeling that the progressivenature of Obscura carry with them.You could easily compare “EuclideanElements” to some improvised jazzcompositions. The way the bandtransitions from tempos or just differentinstrumental planes and texturesis done almost flawlessly. There isobvious talent here and fortunately forObscura, I don’t think the band hashit its peak quite yet. –Bryer WhartonO’DeathOutsideEarnest Jenning Record Co.Street: 04.19O’Death = The Microphones +A Hawk and a Handsaw + TheDecemberistsJust when I’m beginning to think mostfolk-rock bands have begun to meltinto one banjo-playing, sad gypsy/mountain man band, O’Death comesout with a new, fresh take on a genrethat has worn thin with mistreatment.O’Death were pioneers in the newGothic Americana movement, playingwith elements of bluegrass andcountry, but still as cutesy indie rockas a band can get. The first singleoff the album, “Bugs,” has such ahaunting, sad feel, but an underlyingthat is a ray of sunshine (banjo) thatpicks the song right up. The next fewsongs are classic O’Death: handclaps, fiddle, slightly pirate. O’Deathkicks Mumford & Sons’ ass at beinga truly darling band while giving TheDecemberists a run for their moneywith their rock n’ roll attitude. Ohyeah, plus, these guys toured withThey’re coming to town with StrangeBoys and Natural Child and eventhough they’re no Battles, it’ll still bea good time, for sure. (Urban: 04.03)–Kyla G.Phineas And TheLonely LeavesThe Kids We Used to BeSelf-releasedStreet: 02.11Phineas And The Lonely Leaves= Okkervil River + the voice ofRobert SchneiderOriginally a solo project of vocalistTimothy Feeny, Phineas And TheLonely Leaves’ second album is presentedby a full indie rock ensemblefrom all over New York. Though theband is touted as having raw and crazylive performances, these characteristicsjust don’t show themselves inthis album. The standard rock-bandfare of a guitar, drums, vocals andsome claps are all there, brought togetherin a fairly well-produced package.Unfortunately, the album justdoesn’t leave much of an impression.All of the songs are mellow, subduedand generally pleasant to listen to,they just aren’t exciting or strikinglyoriginal. Stories of childhoods past,hot summers, warm beers and lovefound and lost—the typical storiesare all there to create some lyrics thatmost people can connect to. Sadly,they’re all stories we’ve heard dozensof times already and they’re just notany more engaging this time around.–Ross SolomonRingo DeathstarrColour TripSonic Unyon RecordsStreet: 03.08Ringo Deathstarr = Jesus andMary Chain + My Bloody Valentine+ TripwiresThere’s nothing Yellow Submarineabout this album. Ringo Deathstarris a nu-gaze quartet out of Austinthat specializes in noisy melodic popsongs layered in a thick fuzz of feedback.The male vocals are noticeablysubdued and low in the mix, withmale and female vocals harmonizinginterchangeably, providing for subtle

harmonies that span an impressivespectrum. The band clearly fancies awhirlwind blend of often indecipherablesonic guitars, which might havemade for a potentially boring soundif it hadn’t been for the powerfuldrumming. In my estimation, a wallof-soundapproach to music can beoverwhelming at times, but the underlyinguse of straightforward beatshelp to sustain a distinguishablefocus to the songs, a simple effectmost noise bands fail to appreciate.I’m not really a shoegaze type of guy,but I’d check Ringo Deathstarr outif they rolled through Urban Lounge.–Mike AbuRYATAvant Gold + AvantGold RemixedObvious BanditsStreet: 03.08RYAT = Yeasayer x BjorkAvant Gold is a stew of genres thatsounds like a trainwreck on paper—drum n’ bass, prog-rock, dubstep,jazz—but sounds revelatory in itsexecution. The maximalist productionis superb, making effective useof the kitchen sink approach withoutsounding amateurish or pedantic.The album impresses on first listenthanks to the unique sonics, but continuesto sound better due to the solidsongwriting, especially “Not for thisLifetime,” a track that starts promisingand only gets better. The accompanyingremix disc sounds similar to theoriginal’s cut-and-paste aesthetic,and predictably does the best workwith the best source material—Botany’sremix of “Not for this Lifetime.”A uniquely talented voice, RYAT is anartist audaciously following her muse.–Nate HousleyThe Berg Sans NippleBuild with ErosionStreet: 03.08Team LoveThe Berg Sans Nipple = AnimalCollective + Album Leaf +Tortoise + TuungReasons why I want to hate this: 1.The band name has the word “nipple”in it. 2. The band is comprised of twoguys, one of who is a Frenchmannamed “Lori.” 3. They are associatedwith Conor Oberst, who I findextremely annoying (there, I said it).4. I have all of these reasons to judgeit and hate it, but when I put it on, IREALLY, ABSOLUTELY LOVED THISRECORD. Therefore, (5) I hate themfor proving all of my assumptionswrong. Build with Erosion is experimental,multi-instrumental glitch-andbell pop, layered with watery, drippingeffects on the vocals. As messy asthat sounds, the album never feelsoverdone. It’s a sound that manyattempt to do and fail, while theseguys make it seem effortless. Thissophomore effort is totally dreamy,as soon as you get over the word“nipple.” –Mary HoudiniSmall Brown BikeFell & FoundNo IdeaStreet: 04.26Small Brown Bike = The CasketLottery + Samiam + GradeLacking the noodly guitars and nasallyvocals of their peers, Small BrownBike stood apart from their early-2000s emo/post-hardcore brethrenwith their combination of emotionand ass-kickery. Fell & Found is theband’s first album since reforming in2009, and it showcases Small BrownBike at the top of their game. Nothingabout this album feels forced—SmallBrown Bike seems to have reunitedbecause they actually want to makemusic with each other rather thancash in on their former glory. Thetitle track and the jangly “You AlwaysKnew Me” are great emotive punkrock songs, but the album reallyshines when co-vocalist Ben Reedtakes the mic and slows things downwith his gravelly voice on “Sleep RiverSleep” and “Just Bones.” Those unfamiliarwith SBB will be better off withDead Reckoning or the band’s splitwith The Casket Lottery, but Fell &Found is a great example of a reunionalbum done right. –Ricky VigilThe SoundsSomething to Die forSideOneDummy RecordsStreet: 03.29The Sounds = Blondie +GoldfrappFor their fourth album, the workmanlikedance rock group producedit themselves. Appropriately, theemphasis remains on the hooksrather than on anything too experimentalor self-indulgent. That beingsaid, some songs do overstay theirwelcome—should a Sounds song reallylast 5:33? Also, the album closersounds like a country ballad andnot in a good way. But for the mostpart, the Sounds know what they’regood at—even if it’s not imbuingcatchy pop songs with sly wit like,say, Goldfrapp—and they’re not shyabout it. “We conquer our planet withdance,” Maja Ivarsson sings. Enoughsaid. –Nate HousleyEbo TaylorLife Stories: Highlife &Afrobeat Classics 1973-1980StrutStreet: 04.11Ebo Taylor = Fela Kuti + MilesDavis + Sly and the Family StoneFans of Afrobeat, take note. EboTaylor was a Ghananian contemporaryof Fela (they studied music inLondon together in 1962), and withthis collection, he clearly makes hismark as one of the founding fathersof Afrobeat. His songs showcasea fusion of jazz sensibilities, soulhorns, funky bass and organs mixedinto traditional African rhythms thatare guaranteed to keep the bodybouncing from top to bottom. Thelyrics are often political descriptionsof ethnically divided ‘70s Ghanaianlife, and the struggle for equality isprominent throughout this collection.Ebo’s use of the electric guitar makeshis music stand apart from other Afrobeatbands, and his sublime virtuosoperformances blend surprisingly well.My only complaint is that this twodisccompilation isn’t spinning on myrecord player right now. –Mike AbuThursdayNo DevoluciónEpitaphThursday = Jupiter-era Cave In+ City of Ships + The AppleseedCastWith the aptly titled No Devolución,Thursday delivers a sound they havebeen hinting at since 2006’s A City bythe Light Divided. No Devolución is acollection of cold soundscapes populatedby a thick layer of atmosphericinstrumentation. Fans who didn’tenjoy the slower passages of recentThursday releases aren’t going to beinto this, but those who somehowgraduated from the Warped Tour toMogwai or had their eyes openedby Thursday’s split with Envy will eatthis up. Vocalist Geoff Rickly’s voiceis electronically filtered throughoutmost of the album, but it adds tothe detached, empty (but in a goodway) feeling of the album. Highlightsinclude “Sparks against the Sun,” featuringpiano and an excellent swellingof synth just before the chorus, andthe slow-burning “Magnets CaughtIn a Metal Heart.” The album is a bittoo long and a few songs fall flat, butoverall, No Devolución is an excellentaddition to Thursday’s catalog. –RickyVigilXray EyeballsNot NothingKanine RecordsStreet: 04.19Xray Eyeballs = The Black Angels+ 13th Floor Elevators + JayReatard + Black Lips + TheGrowlersThis Brooklyn-based garage rockoutfit combines dreamy psychedelicmelodies with a distorted raw edgeto create a debut album packed withinstantly catchy tracks. On the firstfour tracks, the group sounds likeThe Black Angels on a heavy dose ofmethadone—which ultimately makesfor the perfect soundtrack for a rainySunday hungover afternoon. Themusic is mellow enough to spaceout to, but engaging enough that itwon’t put you to sleep. On “Drumsof Dead,” the band threw a curveballwith opening notes that would soundmore fitting on a song from TheCure. After the brief surprise, it wasback to more of the same—melodicgarage rock with a psychedelic edgethat occasionally broke the moldcrossing over into slightly moredistorted territory. Although the albumclocks in at 11 tracks, at times itsounds more like six, with many ofthe songs blending together into asort of indiscernible mash. Despitethe sometimes-repetitive nature ofthe songs, I have a feeling that in alive setting, the Xray Eyeballs wouldflesh out the monotony. Standouttracks include “Kamsing Nights,”“Fake Wedding,” and “X-Ray EyeballsTheme.” –Jeanette D. MosesStreet: 04.1266 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 67

Friday, April 1Los Rojos, Dwellers, Accidente – Burt’sThe AP Tour, Max Pain and the Groovies, JamesWesley– ComplexKettlefish, Reckless Spirit – Canyon InnSoggybone – Hog WallowWye Oak, Callers – KilbyRemains Faceless, Ironyman, Elephant Riders,Rattlesnake Shake, The Thirteenth Key –Roby Kap – Pat’s BBQTumbleweeds Childrens Film Festival – SLC FilmCenterMichelle Shocked – State RoomDubwise – UrbanCombined Minds, Poonhammer, Self Inflicted – WhySoundSaturday, April 2Muckracker, Red Locust – Burt’sA Balance Of Power, Massacre At The Wake, DeadVessel, Ravings of a Madman – Club VegasPleasure – ComplexTimmi Cruz – Johnny’sArsenic Addiction, Sonic Prophecy – Dawg PoundUlysses – Hog WallowKettlefish, The Craving – Canyon InnMiniature Tigers, Pepper Rabbit, Desert Noises –KilbyTumbleweeds Childrens Film Festival – SLC FilmCenterSharon Van Etten, Little Screams, Parlor Hawk –State RoomAcid Mothers Temple, Melting Parasio UFO, ShilipaRay & Her Happy Hookers – UrbanWasatch Roller Derby – Derby DepotFur is a Drag – MetroAll on Seven, Paul Dunn, Mckay Harris – Why SoundArtists of Smithson Panel Discussion w/FeaturedArtists – UMFASunday, April 3Macklemore & Ryan, Lewis, Blueprint, BurnellWashburn – KilbyThe Dangerous Summer, The Graduate, Sparks theRescue, The Scenic – MojosTumbleweeds Childrens Film Festival – SLC FilmCenterStrange Boys, Natural Child, O’Death – UrbanMonday, April 4Booze Biters, Clear Coats, Handicapitalists – Burt’sAsking Alexandria – ComplexCaptain Ahab, Nolens Volens, Virgin Sophia – KilbyForeign Legion, DJ Platurn, DJ Juggy – UrbanTuesday, April 5Bad Rabbits, Orbit Group – Bar DeluxeThe Air I Breathe, Comedy Roadkill – ComplexBeats Antique, Mount Kimble – DepotDance Gavin Dance, IWABO, In Fear and Faith,Close To Home – In The VenueOr, The Whale, Chamberlin, Whilmington, RhubarbJam – KilbyFranz Nicolay, David Dondero, Tony Lake – UrbanWednesday, April 6SEND US YOUR DATES BY THE 25TH OF THE PREVIOUS MONTH:dailycalendar@slugmag.comMeatmen, Endless Struggle, Against the Grain –Burt’sJohn Browns Body – ComplexTesco Vee book reading – Heavy Metal ShopDanny Heslop, Fauna, Seven Jane – KilbyThe Low Keys, Ulysses – UrbanChamber Music Series – UMFATemple Veil – West Lake Community ChurchThursday, April 7Spring Break Beach Bash – Canyon InnWizard Rifle, Oldtimer, Laughter – Burt’sBullet Boys, Aerial, Heartbreak Hangover, Shadow– Club VegasNeal McCoy – ComplexBook Signing with Poet Rob Carney – Ken SandersRare BooksMarcus Bentley – Hog WallowLightning Bolt, Palace of Buddies, Birthquake! –KilbyScotty Haze – Pats BBQBlack Joe Lewis & TheHoneybears, Those Darlins– UrbanJulie Feeney – VelourDeadbeat, Dut Dut, NickCrossley, Jarom Bischoff– Why SoundFriday, April 87th Street Blues Band –ABG’sWerewolf Afro, HeartbreakHangover –Canyon InnUgly Valley Boys, JR Boyce& His Troubles, Tupelo Moan– Burt’sCarlos Cornia – Hog WallowMy Chemical Romance,Neon Trees, The Architects – In The VenueMathew Nanes, Daniel Benjamin – KilbyRoby Kap – Pats BBQRaul Malo, Mary Hall McLean – State RoomRoger Miret &The Disasters4-11 @ Burt’sFilm: Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then – SLC FilmCenterSLUG Localized: Holy Water Buffalo, SharkSpeed, Red Dog Revival – UrbanFictionist, The Moth & The Flame – VelourGallery Walk – Why SoundHappy Birthday Eric Hess!Saturday, April 9Tom Bennett’s 30 th Birthday: Mstrshredder ,Dj/Dc,Musclehawk, Landlords – Bar DeluxeReaction Effect, Alias Code, I Eclipse, Embers ofYddrasil – Club VegasWerewolf Afro, Heartbreak Hangover –Canyon InnBetter Off With The Blues – Sun and Moon CaféCameron Rafati, Imagine Dragons – State RoomFauna – Johnny’sFrontier Ruckus – ComplexDraize Method, All Systems Fail, Desolate – Burt’sPress Plush – GARFO Art CenterSKPz – Hog WallowThe Joy Formidable, The Lonely Forest – KilbyKool Keith, Astronautalis, Mindstate, Scenic Byway,DJ Juggy – UrbanAccidentally Involved, Paul Siddoway, ClaytonPabst – Why SoundSunday, April 10Tommy and The High Pilots – Alchemy CoffeeQueenie 2011 – UrbanMonday, April 11Roger Miret & The Disasters, Flatfoot 56, ThoseDamn Bastards, Rendan Terror – Burt’sA Rocket To The Moon – ComplexArcade Fire, Local Natives – UCCU Event CenterThe Word Alive, Upon A Burning Body, Abandon AllShips, For Those Sleeping, The Color Morale – InThe VenueGreybear! – KilbyFilm: Two Spirits – SLC Film CenterYoung Prisms, Ceohalatron, Plastic Furs – UrbanCameron McGill – VelourThe Slants, Utah – Why SoundTuesday, April 12Matt Wertz, Ben Rector – KilbySilent Civilian, Dying Euforia, ArsenicAddiction, Motorman, Downfall – ClubVegasTerri Clark – State RoomMy Epic, Life On Repeat, Divided ByFriday – Studio 600Cameron McGill, David Williams, TheWeekenders – UrbanWednesday, April 13Brooksley Born Band, Bastard John,Glorious Bastards – Burt’sJeff Beck – DepotMuse’s Market with Gabrielle Louise –GroovaciousOf Mice & Men, I Set My Friends On Fire, SleepingWith Sirens, Woe Is Me, The Amity Affliction – In TheVenueFoxtron [Bosstron], The Soulistics – Liquid Joe’sFilm: Connected – SLC Film CenterCold Cave, The Heavens & the Earth, Gardens &Villa – UrbanViral Jetty: The Smithson Effect in Literature – UMFAThursday, April 14Civet, Continental, Envol, Mouth of Lion – Burt’sNinjasonik – ComplexKickoff Party for Brighton Ski Resort closingweekend –Canyon InnColin Robison Trio – Hog WallowMovits – KilbyScotty Haze – Pats BBQErimus, Pirates, South Of Ramona, The Dignataries– Club VegasRise Against, Bad Religion, Four Year Strong –SaltairShelley Short, Darren Hanlon – SlowtrainPhosphorescent, Family Band –UrbanKatie Thompson – VelourWaiving at Daisies, Tracing Yesterday, Knots in aCherry Stem – Why SoundPalette to Palate: Art and Wine – UMFAHappy Birthday Kelli Tompkins!Friday, April 15Professor Gall, Hectic Hobo - ABG’sMaylene & The Sons of Disaster, Tesseract,Dethrone The Sovereign – AvalonRacist Kramer, Toros, Fat Apollo – Burt’sUltimate Combat Experience – Club VegasWicked This Way Comes – Dawg PoundThe Velvetones – Hog WallowMoon Duo, Super 78, Silver Antlers – KilbyRoby Kap – Pats BBQThe Submarines, Nik Freitas – UrbanElectric Festival – Salt PalaceShark Speed – VelourJulius Brown – Why SoundSaturday, April 16Jesust, Minerva, Pretty Worms – Burt’sStus Birthday Bash, Darkblood – Dawg PoundDirty Blonde – Hog WallowTwiztid, Blaze, Axe Murder Boyz – In The VenueNevermore, Never Before, Means Nothing, ToxicDose – Club VegasThe Cave Singers – KilbyElectric Festival – Salt PalaceMarinade – Johnny’sQueer Prom – SLC LibraryAtilast – Murray TheaterSalty Spokes Bike Prom 2011 – Saltyspokes.comSlow Art Day, Journal Making – UMFASpell Talk, Red Dog Revival – UrbanAn Evening of Celtic Music with Julieann Hewkin– Why SoundSunday, April 17Daryl Hance – UrbanMonday, April 18Dark Dark Dark, Why Are We Building Such A BigShip, The Mighty Sequoya – KilbyScarub, Toki Wright – UrbanTuesday, April 19Death Angel, The Book, Truce, Muckraker – ClubVegasChildish Gambino – ComplexDark Dark Dark 4- 18 @ KilbyStarfucker, Champagne Champagne – KilbyFilm: Skiing Everest – SLC Film CenterRural Alberta Advantage – State RoomChristo Lecture at Kingbury Hall – UMFAStarfucker, Champagne Champagne, Night Sweats– UrbanWednesday, April 20Eddie Spaghetti, Michael Dean Damron – Burt’sTalia Keys, Gemini Mind – Hog WallowA Balance Of Power, Arsenic Addiction, Live AtPrequil, Incidious – Club VegasEddie Spaghetti (6 PM) – Heavy Metal ShopTribal Seeds – In The VenueDanksquad 420 Party – UrbanDavid Sedaris – Kingsbury HallThursday, April 21SLAJO, Free Press, Miles Beyond – Burt’sEnd of Snow Nights Season Bash – Canyon InnThe Green – ComplexKoffin Kats – Club VegasPinback – DepotOld Californio – GroovaciousTony Holiday & Co –Hog WallowDeftones, The Dillinger Esc Plan, Le Bucherettes –In The VenueEl Ten Eleven – KilbyScotty Haze – Pats BBQMaserati, Royal Bangs, The Lionelle – UrbanFriday, April 22Palamino – ABG’sOpal Hill Drive, Heartbreak Hangover – Canyon InnVultures 2012, Top Dead Celebrity, Dwellers – Burt’s(hed)p.e., Mushroomhead – ComplexLA Velvet, Seventking Ripchain, Burn The Gallows– Club VegasStonefed – Hog WallowBurnell Washburn CD Release – KilbyZiggy Stardust, Future of the Ghost – UrbanWordplay – Sugar SpaceRoby Kap – Pats BBQToy Bombs – VelourStankBot, Till We Have Faces – Why SoundSaturday, April 23Opal Hill Drive, Heartbreak Hangover – Canyon InnWanna!Gotta!Gimme!, Handicapitalists, Hung Ups,Victims Willing – Burt’sMike Watt & The Missingmen – ComplexNate Robinson Trio – Hog WallowSick Puppies – ComplexLoom, Eagle Twin, Cornered by Zombies – UrbanThe Velvetones – Johnny’sZero Gravity 2 – In The VenueWordplay – Sugar SpaceBackwoods Burning, Ravings Of A Madman,Interphaze, So Good Sunday – Club VegasSave Our Canyons Fundraiser – Salt Lake HardwareBuildingNik Day, Blind Actuaries – VelourNatturday Bash – BrightonGraffiti Fest – Free Speech ZoneLogan Hip Hop Series #7 – Why SoundGallery Talk: Renaissance Cabinets of Curiosity –UMFASunday, April 24The Builders & The Butchers, Damion Suomi & theMinor Prophets – UrbanMonday, April 25Tobacco, Beans, Shapers – UrbanJohn Vanderslice, Book on Tapeworm – VelourTuesday, April 26All That Remains, Nonpoint, Hail the Villain,Surrender the Fall – In The VenueJohn Vanderslice – KilbyFilm: Carbon Nation – SLC Film CenterKT Tunstall – State RoomPlan B – UrbanSteven Marley – DepotWednesday, April 27Knockout, The Toros – Burt’sHoneyHoney – State RoomChase and Status – ComplexThe Legendary Porch Pounders – Hog WallowSpy Hop Night! – KilbyDouble Feature Films – UMFADead Prez, Shad, Sick Sense & Skinwalker, DJJuggy – UrbanShenandoah Davis – VelourHappy Birthday Katie Panzer!Thursday, April 28Three Bad Jacks, Tuxedo Tramps, Mason Lee– Burt’sDaniel G. Harmann & The Troublestarts, Holy WaterBuffalo, Spiral Violet, Elevator Anonymous – ClubVegasDrop Top Lincoln – Hog WallowThe Spins, Dirty Blonde, YYBS – KilbyThe Pour Horse, Shaky Trade – UrbanScotty Haze – Pats BBQFire the Skies, Parley, A Dream Divided, SwampDonky – Why SoundFriday, April 29Might Be Tragic, Unionist, INVDRS – Burt’sBenefit for Erica, Unthinkable Thoughts – DawgPoundThe Utah County Swillers – ABG’sUltimate Combat Experience – Club VegasFunk Fu – Canyon InnMarinade – Hog WallowGift of Gab, Aceloyne, Souls of Mischief – ComplexThe Hotness, The Landlords, Young Slim, The LastLook – UrbanHelmet – ComplexFarewell Fighter, Assemble the Skyline, Larusso,Video, The Lionhearts – KilbyRoby Kap – Pats BBQJunip – State RoomLow Lives 3 – UMFAMusical Charis, Blvd Park, Battleschool – WhySoundHappy Birthday Brian Kubarycz!Happy Birthday Chris Proctor!Saturday, April 30Natural Roots, Wasnatch – Canyon InnThunderfist, Monkey Knife Fight – Burt’sHeidi’s Heavy Metal Birthday Bash – Club VegasJoy & Eric – Hog Wallow6 th Annual Japan Festival – Japantown StreetThe Skp’z – Johnny’sBlackhounds CD Release – KilbyWelcome to the Woods – Why SoundSunday, May 1Christina Perri, Cameron Rafati – AvalonJohnathon Richman, Tommy Larkins – KilbyMonday, May 2The Felice Brothers, You Are Plural – UrbanTR3 – DepotTuesday, May 3Coheed and Cambria, Brokencyde – In The VenueJust Three Words – KilbyTune Yards, Buke & Gass – UrbanThursday, May 5Kiska – KilbyFriday, May 6The Black Angels, Sleepy Sun – UrbanPick up the new SLUG – Anyplace Cool!68 SaltLakeUnderGround SaltLakeUnderGround 69

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