07/31/08
Yesterday was my !?#!th birthday, and I spent it luxuriously, except for the hour or so I spent at the DMV since I'm a wait-to-the-last-second pinhead. Breakfast at The Other Place, lunch at Tin Angel, a couple of hours at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts to wallow in the unbelievable Monet to Picasso show, then a fine night at Red Butte watching one of my favorites, Los Lobos, who opened (inexplicably) for Los Lonely Boys. 
Los Lobos comes through Salt Lake regularly, and far from being "just another band from East L.A." (as they like to call...
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07/29/08
I'm taking Wednesday off for a little R&R (that stands for both "rest and relaxation" and, as you'll see in a moment, "rock 'n' roll"). So here's a quickie on some potential activities for you the next couple nights. Remarkably, both tonight and Wednesday have great shows, as well as great-if-you're-in-the-mood shows. Check it: Tonight at The Urban Lounge, 241 South 500 East, it's the wonderfully scruffy sounds of Memphis' Lucero, a band featuring a savvy blend of country and rock. One of the opening acts, Glossary, is supergroovy, too, so get to the venue around 10 to be sure to catch all the worthy sounds. 
- Tonight at the
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07/29/08
PARK CITY — For years and years in my life as a pop music writer, I never hesitated to call Lucinda Williams one of America's best songwriters. Her live performances, though, were always a little more hit-or-miss than her startling, seductive songcraft. Not so Monday at Deer Valley, where the 55-year-old Williams took the stage with her hair teased to the heavens, her wiry frame covered by a tight AC/DC t-shirt and her attitude in the perfect place to deliver a winning set of songs new and old. She called the small Deer Valley crowd the best of her tour so far, and couldn't keep the smile off her face as her band cranked up the volume and energy on bombastic rockers like "Come On" and "Get Right With God." At one point, she ran around the stage to smack...
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07/28/08
I was innocently slaving away on Wednesday, itching for the day to be over to start my planned four-day Pioneer Day weekend in Yellowstone National Park and West Yellowstone, Montana, when I got a blast on MySpace about a free "secret" show by one of my new favorite bands, The Hold Steady, happening Thursday night. In Billings, Montana. A mere 600 or so miles out of my way. Naturally, I had to go, being far more of a rock and roll guy than a fishing guy. Thankfully, my two road-trip buddies were up to the task, and we barreled through vast chunks of central Montana I'd never seen when I lived in Missoula in order to make it to the Railyard, a Billings microbrewery, in time to make sure there was NO WAY we would not get in to the first come, first served show. The...
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07/23/08
A complete bummer for fans of one of the most-hyped SubPop bands in years: the Fleet Foxes show slated for Kilby Court tonight has been cancelled due to van issues. Here's a Pitchfork story about the band's ordeal. Those of you lucky enough to have tix to the Wilco show at Red Butte next month can see Fleet Foxes there. No word on a makeup date for Kilby.
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07/23/08
Being a pop music critic for the better part of my professional life has allowed me to see probably thousands of shows. You're jealous, I know, but trust me when I say the gig isn't all it's cracked up to be. Have you been forced to sit through a Kenny Chesney concert seven summers in a row? Of course not. The sheer number of concerts I've been lucky enough to see has made me jaded at times, but more often, the experience has given me a pretty good eye and ear in recognizing that a show is something special. Hence, you'll see my review of Saturday's Police show and note that I found it pretty boring, and definitely not worth the money of hard-working fans. If you read the reviews from other local media, they sounded almost awe-struck at how great the show was....
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07/22/08
Last night I had the good fortune to be part of the Plan-B Theatre fundraiser And the Banned Played On, an annual run through some artistic works that have been banned or censored in one way or another. The event was a gas, at least from the rarified air backstage. A mix of media folks like myself and five former Salt Lake mayors introduced the scenes and songs on tap for the night. While we couldn't hear some of the scenes very well backstage, I can vouch for the fine musical numbers, including songs from The Mikado, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and The Who's Tommy. I heard great things about the children who performed a 10-minute version of Romeo & Juliet as well. And it was a hoot to see...
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07/21/08
Emmylou Harris is a sneaky one. You walk into Harris's concerts knowing what you're going to get—a mix of classic covers and country-folk-leaning originals—and still she is able to stun an audience into silence just by opening her mouth and unleashing that otherworldly voice of hers. Her sold-out show Sunday at Red Butte Garden provided just the latest example of that power. 
Delivering a career-spanning set — another predictable aspect of her shows — Harris enthralled with winning takes on old favorites by the likes of the Gram Parsons ("Grievous Angel"), Merle Haggard ("Kern River") and Townes Van Zandt ("Pancho & Lefty"). Her opening one-two punch of...
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07/21/08
WEST VALLEY CITY – After more than two decades waiting for a reunion, after months waiting for the show after getting tickets, and after all the reports from previous tour stops about the magic of the Police on their world tour that started last year, my ultimate reaction at their show Saturday was:
Is that it?
I mean that both literally and figuratively. Literally in the sense that Sting and the boys were saying “Thank you, good night,” a mere hour and 12 songs after they started their hits-laden set, beefing up their total running time to about 90 minutes after padding the set with two encores. And I mean that figuratively in the sense that, after all the hype about this comeback, the Police’s stage show was so straightforward as to be boring, so...
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07/18/08
This is a call for all you lovers of the First Amendment. All you people who love to shoot your mouth off at a bar, march in protest of this or that or cruise with a bumper sticker that lets the world know you love/hate (insert your political party/candidate/position of choice). I know you're out there; I can hear you breathing. This Monday is the sixth annual And the Banned Played On fundraiser hosted by Plan-B Theatre, a yearly romp through readings, scenes and songs from great art works that have been banned at some point in time. And there's never a better time to celebrate every journalist/writer's favorite constitutional amendment than an election year, right? 
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07/18/08
Salt Lake mag's intrepid graphic designer Natalie Peirce was at the midnight showing of The Dark Knight at Jordan Commons last night, checking out the new Christopher Nolan flick IMAX-style. Here's her report from the scene: "A story on CNN has declared The Dark Knight's opening day "Dark Friday," predicting attendance at work could be dramatically down. Maybe so, but as I write this in a caffeine-stimulated fervor, I tell you now, it was worth it. 
Picture it: Jordan Commons Megaplex, 11:45 pm Thursday. As I make my way through a seriously restless and surprisingly jammed crowd toward the theater and (blessedly) reserved seat, who am I surrounded by? Batman fans. Now,...
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07/18/08
I'm too tired to do a hell of a lot of listings, so bear with me. Here are the highlights: - Tonight, it's gallery stroll time all over Salt Lake City. I'm particularly interested in the post-337 Project lecture at the Salt Lake Art Center, but there are worthy things going on all over the place: Ken Sanders, Art Access, you name it. Get out there and check it. - Saturday, it's the night of a thousand shows (or so). The Police and Elvis Costello play at Usana Amphitheater, Flogging Molly headlines at The Saltair and Lyle Lovett headlines
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07/18/08
DEER VALLEY — There's nothing like rolling into a concert with low or no expectations and being blown away. It happens all too rarely, but last night's Feist show in Park City fit the bill. 
The Canadian chanteuse proved to be a far more dynamic performer than I expected, thanks to her crack band of multi-instrumentalists and her own willingness to delve into jazz, rock, pop and country licks as part of her presentation. She was also a hilarious frontwoman, making cracks about the VIP crowd in front of the stage, with their "tiny quail eggs" and "caviar-flavored hummus." After a rousing set of dance-worthy alt-rock by openers the Golden Dogs, Feist kept the crowd waiting a spell so...
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07/17/08
I'm movin' mighty slow this morning after catching a chunka, chunka burnin' love last night at The Urban Lounge in the form of King Khan and the Shrines. It's easy to tell I'm getting waaaaay old when a band starting its set after midnight becomes REALLY annoying; thankfully, the music was a gas, gas, gas. Less fun was the King's insistence on making Mormon jokes between every couple songs. I realize that a lot of bands coming through town have never been to Utah, and all they know about the place is its religious nature, but after 20-plus years of going to concerts, the jokes are incredibly tired, and almost never clever. It wasn't enough to ruin the show, but it was a distraction. So, onward and upward tonight,...
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07/16/08
Regular readers of Lounge Act — both of you — will recall my delight at hearing Sam Bush cover a Band song that wasn't "The Weight" during his set at this weekend's Founder's Title Folk & Bluegrass Festival. He did "Up on Cripple Creek." Last night as I walked into the Jonny Lang concert at Red Butte Garden and what did I hear within five minutes? Opening act Dusty Rhodes and the River Band playing "The Weight." Sigh. 
Still, I did like the rootsy soul of Rhodes and Co. a little more than blues-dude Lang, although I was in the vast minority on that one, judging by the dancing frenzy that had started in front of the...
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07/15/08
Among the 12,000 events that were going on over the weekend was the opening show of the Bright Nights, Big Stars concert series at Deer Valley, featuring Aimee Mann opening for Marc Cohn. Among those in attendance: Salt Lake mag art director Heidi Larsen, along with the hubby and daughter. She's an Aimee Mann fan, and here's her report from Saturday night: 
(DEER VALLEY) — Yes, I have been reaffirmed. Aimee Mann is the coolest chick in music. You can have your Gwen, your J-Lo, your Rhianna. Mann isn't a shake-your-booty-type performer, but when it comes to songwriting and performing, she delivers a solid set every time. Not quite as rocking as the last time I saw...
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07/15/08
Rarely will you see me use this space to go on a politically tinged rant, but some things beg for commentary, such as today's news stories about Salt Lake City rushing to get a "Broadway-style theater" in place downtown, allegedly to act as an anchor to a revived arts district. I've been lucky enough, through my job at Salt Lake magazine, to explore the region's theater options over the past year or so to a degree that would not have been possible if I were just another paying customer. Going to plays is expensive, generally speaking, and like most citizens, I have to carefully pick and choose where my entertainment budget goes. It might go for a play one week, and a concert the next, and a movie...
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07/14/08
This summer has already been pretty sweet in the Lounge, as far as album releases go. With new releases from My Morning Jacket, Al Green, Mudhoney, Flight of the Conchords, Willie Nelson with Wynton Marsalis, Nine Inch Nails and Beck, plus the live finale from Rocket From the Crypt I picked up at Warped, my CD player's been in overdrive. Now comes the album that will inevitably push all those aside for a while: the new Hold Steady album, Stay Positive. 
As a relatively new convert to The Hold Steady's bar-band heroics, thanks to latching on to the band's brilliant 2006 release, Boys and Girls in America, I'm happy to report that Stay...
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07/14/08
Always one of my fave events of the summer, the Founder's Title Folk & Bluegrass Festival at Snowbird this weekend celebrated its 20th birthday with great weather, big crowds and some seriously skiller players. I was only able to get there for the last couple acts of the weekend, but that tells you something right there; even when I've missed most of the festival's fun and games, I still wanted to get a taste of the proceedings. Thankfully, that taste came courtesy of Peter Rowan's bluegrass band and multi-instrumental party-starter Sam Bush. 
Apparently inspired by the above photo, Sam played "Ride the...
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07/14/08
For years I've thought of the Red Butte Garden Amphitheater as the best summer concert venue Salt Lake City has to offer. And that was before the massive redesign and reconstruction that debuted Friday night to the sounds of Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. ![](\"/clientuploads/00dan/07_08/WyntonMarsalisSFM003.jpg\")
Ask any Red Butte regulars from past seasons what the problems with the venue were, and they inevitably would find common ground. Everyone hated using the port-a-johns, especially once it got dark. Everyone hated that, unless you got to the venue hours early, you risked sitting at an extreme angle to the stage, unable to see the...
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07/11/08
Okay, I totally spaced a couple of shows I meant to mention when I blogged this morning. Both fine additions to your weekend plans: Film School are a Los Angeles-based group whose new album, Hideout, is an excellent collection of dreamy guitar-pop, full of psychedelic swirls, insistent melodies and anthemic choruses. I liked the band's debut a couple years ago, but this set is even better. And it's shiny and new, so check it out. Saturday at 7 p.m., Film School headlines a show at Kilby Court, 741 South 330 West, with local rockers Red Bennies opening. 
Also Saturday, local artists Band of Annuals and...
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07/11/08
I might have aged about 10 years in one night Thursday as I tried to keep my cool in the mad crowds of the opening Twilight Concert Series show. The mayhem was expected, and I've always loved the Roots, but by the end I couldn't help feeling like I just might be OVER that whole crowd scene. Cranky sentiments, I know, but there's only so many elbows in the back, beers spilled on your shirt and yapping, no-attention-payin' hoseheads that one man can stand. That said, I did get to hang in the also-overcrowded sponsor lounge, so I can't complain that much. The band itself was tight, as always, and delivered a mean, 20-minute version of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" alongside their own tunes like "Mellow My Man," "You Got Me" and "The Seed."...
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07/10/08
First things first: summer pretty much starts tonight, for a lot of folks, with the opening of the Twilight Concert Series at the Gallivan Center. It will be mayhem, and it will be totally worth it, when the Philly-based hip-hoppers The Roots take the stage following an opening set by the Knux. 
(The Roots' musical mastermind ?uestlove, left, with MC Black Thought) If you have never heard The Roots, get ready for one of the most eclectic and skilled crews around. Rooted in hip-hop, the band (and, yes, it is a BAND) incorporates old-school funk and soul, classic-rock and R&B into monstrous jams that...
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07/09/08
Yes, you read that headline correctly. The good people at Lumpy's Downtown are hosting what they are calling the "1st Annual Bar Olympics," a five-week contest leading up to the "real" Olympics in human rights-challenged China. Tonight's opening ceremony includes a Bar Olympic Torch Crawl at 7:30 p.m., with a torch being walked, ran, crawled and Fun Bussed to various participating bars around town, and future weeks will feature contests in can throwing, marshmallow darts, saltine cracker eating races and "soda" chugging, among other events. Head to Lumpy's each Wednesday for the next few weeks at 7:30 to join the fun. Three-member teams are welcome to join at any point. IN...
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07/08/08
I forgot to mention in my previous salvo that industrial-tinged rockers Filter — best known for hits like "Hey Man, Nice Shot" and "Take a Picture," and led by former Nine Inch Nails member Richard Patrick — are headlining at The Avalon Theater, 3605 South State St., tonight at 7 p.m. Opiate for the Masses and The Urgency open; tickets are $16, available at the door and Smith's Tix outlets. 
We also got word today that Ice Cube, founding member of N.W.A., movie star and all-around talented cat, will be headlining The Depot August 24. Tickets go on sale...
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07/08/08
Every album Beck releases comes loaded with expectations that are completely out of whack with how many copies they sell. That's what happens when an artist's first few releases are widely hailed as sheer genius, as was the case with Mr. Hanson's Mellow Gold and Odelay. More than a decade since those excellent examples of Beck's eclectic, throw-in-the-kitchen-sink brand of rock, fans are still waiting for a set as immediately pleasing and consistently great. That wait doesn't end with his new album, Modern Guilt, but there is plenty to love on Beck's collaboration with uber-producer Danger Mouse, half of Gnarls Barkley and the man behind the brilliant Grey Album mash-up of Jay-Z's "black album" and The Beatles' "white...
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07/07/08
Hope all of you had a swell July 4th weekend, whatever you did. Mine was a loooong bout of wedding-related raging, and my liver is killing me. So, while I'd like to wax comedic about Madonna and A-Rod's alleged affair, or crack wise about the death of one of America's most evil politicians ever—that would be renowned racist and former North Carolina Sen. Jesse Helms—I'm too tired for all that. Instead, I'll drop some options to keep the party going tonight. - Over at the Mestizo Coffee House at 631 West North Temple, it's an open-mic night featuring tunes from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. I got that message from local artist Ruby Chacon, and if I'm not mistaken, some of her work decorates the place.
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07/03/08
Naturally we're going to hit the 100-degree temps just in time for all of us to head outdoors for a long weekend. Why not make the most of it by sweating to some rock n roll, or hiding in the lovely air-conditioned confines of a museum or movie theater? That's what I'll be doing. Here are some suggestions for you, starting tonight. TONIGHT You probably won't admit to anyone sitting near you at the office, or even yourself, but you kinda like Poison. If if you consider them a musical joke, which they surely are, there's something cute'n'cuddly about the four boys from Pennsylvania who hit it big on the Sunset Strip in the '80s. The fact they're still going strong, selling more than 10,000 tix a night in most places, is downright amazing. And despite his cheesy VH1 show,...
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07/02/08
Ah, to be a woman in Salt Lake City today—so much to do! To wit: - Tonight at Sam Weller's bookstore downtown, 254 South Main St., B-Word (the publishers of Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture) arrives in Salt Lake City for a discussion led by the journal's editor, Debbie Rasmussen. The topic of debate: "Feminism in/action: What is your feminism for and why does it matter?" The event starts at 5 p.m., and will be followed by a reception at the Kayo Gallery, 177 E. Broadway, catered by nobrow coffee, Cakewalk and Tin Angel. - Tonight at Kilby Court, 741 South 330 West, it's the disjointed pop of
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07/01/08
At the risk of appealing to some creepy stalker types, I have to mention the Kilby Court show tonight by The Veronicas, a set of sassy, easy-on-the-eyes twins from Australia with a knack for popperific dance music. No, this isn't your typical screamo or indie-rock that Kilby, 741 South 330 West, is known for, but a lovely diversion instead, from a band in the midst of a big "Verizon VIP" tour with Fergie. While that tour doesn't stop in SLC, the Veronicas made a point of stopping by our fair city, so welcome then with open arms tonight at 7 p.m. Sex on the Run opens. 
IN STORES TODAY Not a...
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