City Weekly July 20, 2023

MUSIC

the LOCAL ISSUE ISSUE

S AP

BOX

@SLCWEEKLY @SLCWEEKLY @CITYWEEKLY

“Happy Trails,” July 13 The Streets

I’ve been meaning to write for some time about how Citizen Revolt was removed in favor of The Streets. The problem with this is that Citizen Revolt was a feature that listed things readers could do to not be passive members of society.

I myself attended a presentation at the University of Utah’s Gardener Institute and canoed on the Jordan River, among other activities, because of events listed in that feature. If you want people to be active members of society, information on what they can do is essential.

Given the balkanization and decline of media, the fact that City Weekly is still printed—and free—makes it an important vehicle for disseminating information to the community.

Now that the The Streets feature seems to be ending, I hope you bring Citizen Revolt back. It was one of many features that distinguished CW from other media.

RICHARD LAYMAN

Salt

Lake City

“Deja Vu,” July 13 Private Eye

Thank you for highlighting this issue! We—along with Laziz—have been deeply impacted by the construction on 200 South, and the 900 south construction is hurting our other Laziz location! We hope to make it through but the impact is severe and not sustainable.

BACKDOORSLC

Via Instagram

There’s no legitimate reason why 200 South construction is taking so long. Also, the construction on 300 West from 900

South through 2100 South is now seven months over the projected finish date and it’s still not done.

NUTMEGNINA

Via Instagram

Can we also talk about the 2100 South/ Highland Drive fiasco? Our KW office is moving this week, as it’s been a nightmare, yearlong project that prevents clients, agents and anyone else from getting there. Several local restaurants have already vacated.

LISADORELLIHELFEN

Via Instagram

Imagine two-plus years of construction and removing our entrance for two months. Y’all don’t even know.

VERTICAL_DINER_SLC

Via Instagram

I sent a letter to the mayor today on this topic. Hopefully the publicity from City Weekly triggers a helpful response.

CJSOELBERG

Via Instagram

All this “construction” and torn up streets, but I hardly ever see people working. First South was torn up for a long time, they finished and came back twice. South Temple has been converted to a single lane above 700 East to create a bike lane that just disappears below 7th.

Don’t even get me started on 300 West, that’s an absolute s—t show. Or there’s my old favorite—the traffic lights downtown and the way you get stopped at every intersection. Who is running things here?

STONE_SHAPED_HEART

Via Instagram

Rare criticism of SLC government from City Weekly, which usually cheerleads everything for the Mendenhall administration. It would be amazing if police shootings, a corrupt district attorney, the mayor’s backdoor real estate deals and the cruelty of the homeless camp abatements got the same scrutiny as some traffic cones.

HANDYSIXDEUCE

Via Instagram

Send letters to comments@cityweekly.net

THE WATER COOLER

What is your favorite hike?

Wes Long

Either Dog Lake or Timpanogos Cave National Monument

Benjamin Wood

Three-way tie between the Wind Caves in Logan, Delicate Arch in Arches and Big Water up Millcreek.

Chelsea Neider

The Living Room trail

Eric Granato

Donut Falls. It’s always a refreshing hike.

Kelly Boyce

Goblin Valley, where you get to make your own hike!

Chris Metos

My favorite hike is Lake Mary in Brighton. It’s shaded in most parts—not too intense—and you have amazing views of the lake as a finale of course. Prime spot to have a nice picnic along the rocks. In the fall, just the drive up to the trail itself is worth it!

Bill Frost

Upstairs to the refrigerator.

Derek Carlisle

Any of them as long as I have my wireless speaker blaring ska, get to ask every passer “is it much farther?” and smoking a cigar at the top to better everyone’s experience.

PRIVATE EYE

Don’t Know Much

Over the centuries, many countries in what history considers to be the “Cradle of Civilization” have not only been plundered of their civilized philosophies and bookish sciences, but also of their physical, historic relics. Modern-day countries like Iran, Iraq, Egypt and Lebanon—the birth mothers of our own civilization—are often left without the objects that helped them create their early attempts at civilized life.

Just two years ago, more than 17,000 ancient relics—some dating to Mesopotamian times (8000-2000 B.C.)—were returned to their rightful owners, the peoples of modern-day Baghdad and Iraq. Those artifacts came from all over the world, including 5,000 pieces from Cornell University in New York state. That’s basically one piece of history for every six residents of Ithaca, New York, ironically named for the famous Greek island on which the fated Greek mythological traveler and hero Odysseus was born.

Even Odysseus would be surprised to learn that the Greek statues of Venus de Milo and the Winged Goddess of Nike are two of the three greatest treasures in the Louvre, with the “Mona Lisa” being the third. None are French. Or that the Parthenon Marbles—stolen in the early 1800s from the Acropolis in Athens—now reside in London’s British Museum, renamed as the Elgin Marbles. Bastards!

Pray that such misfortune is never cast at our own Statue of Liberty and that it never graces some casino front in Macao or becomes the new symbol of the LIV Golf Association. What is it about the Levant area in the eastern Mediterranean region, plus ancient Greece and Rome, that Western countries are so enamored of to the point of ripping items out of the ground, claiming new ownership and planting them in some shadowy showroom? I could almost understand it if I thought that persons who visited those muse-

BY JOHN SALTAS @johnsaltas

ums actually found a value other than monetary upon viewing them. I don’t think they do, however.

I trust that when it comes to the impacts and meanings of ancient history, most U.S. citizens treat it just like they do modern history: They bury it, rewrite it, re-shape it and ignore it when it suits them.

For example, in 2017 then-President Donald Trump visited Pearl Harbor, upon which the Japanese Imperial Navy delivered their surprise attack on Dec. 7, 1941, and which is currently a memorial commemorating the 2,400 Americans killed there that day. Soon after arriving, Trump reportedly turned to his chief of staff, Gen. John Kelly (who previously lost his own son to war in Afghanistan), and asked, “Hey, John. What’s this all about? What’s this a tour of?”

No one ever accused Trump (who was born just one year after the war that begat the Pearl Harbor attack had come to an end) of being at the front of the class. We all know people who were poor history students. He might also be forgiven for having few friends as a child, thus no one to play toy soldiers with.

But, how could Trump have missed films like Tora! Tora! Tora!, Midway or Pearl Harbor? Has he ever been to the movies? I kinda doubt it, which makes me all the more incredulous over the big Trump news as I write this column on Tuesday, July 18.

No, I’m not at all surprised that he will again be indicted by a grand jury, this time for crimes related to Jan. 6, 2021’s, “peaceful gathering” at our nation’s Capitol. Trump has already proclaimed that he is a target of that investigation. I wouldn’t be the least surprised if seditious conspiracy charges are presented to him and that his core followers will follow him over the next cliff just as they have multiple times over these past few years. Nothing new there for now.

However, it was also revealed today that Israel—the same Israel of which Trump often boasts, “No president has done more for Israel than I have”—is asking that “national

treasure”-caliber religious items be returned to their rightful home. Where were said religious items found? At Mar-aLago, naturally—the home of Donald Trump.

Those antiquities—principally among them ancient Hanukkah oil lamps that were to be temporarily on display at the White House during the Trump presidency—somehow managed to find their way to a bathroom or some other sauntering place at Mar-a-Lago.

This is not out of character for Mr. Trump, perpetually careless as he is with items and thoughts that belong to other people. Who knows why they ended up at his home and, to be sure, no crime has been attested to their discovery. Nor has any malintent. It simply underscores that it is not uncommon for a person in these United States to have little or no regard for what people outside of the U.S. consider heritage or value.

In Utah, and all over the Mountain West, there is great opportunity for criminals to traffic in Indigenous peoples’ relics, often of a religious nature. It’s not unheard of for locals to get into a knot when such artifacts are discovered in the hands of a nefarious artifacts dealer, thus igniting some minor effort to “bring them home.”

Unfortunately, those same locals are less sympathetic to the OG locals who actually created those items. Heck, in Southern Utah, certain men are revered for making their livelihood from stealing from Native American cultures. You could teach about it, but then you’d be attacked for being “woke” or for promoting Utah-level Critical Race Theory and making white denizens feel bad. Who wants that on their conscience?

Not me. I sympathize with Israel for wanting their items returned—and any others that belong in their home cupboards and not hidden in a cardboard box in south Florida. Give ’em back, because, in the words of Paul Simon, we “don’t know much about history.” CW

Send comments to john@cityweekly.net.

HITS & MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE | @kathybiele THE

MISS: “Timber!”

Reminiscent of The Donald’s call to sweep forests, Utah’s Legislature has decided to throw money at another unproven idea to quell wildfires. There is, of course, a kernel of truth in these proposals, but not enough to warrant a full-scale assault. The Salt Lake Tribune ran a front-page story about the millions now allocated to a private landowner to “deploy a little-tested, controversial tree-removal method.” It’s called “roller-felling” and relies on dragging cables along the ground to clear large spaces and, supposedly, stimulate growth of fire-resistent aspens. But the problem is that it’s unproven and also—at nearly $4 million—simply puts taxpayer dollars into the hands and companies of a private landowner with great political connections. “It’s surprising that the Utah Legislature will support something that’s unproven,” said Darren McAvoy, an extension assistant professor of forestry at Utah State University. OK, that sounds like the status quo in Utah.

MISS: Schoolyard Pick

Apparently, local school boards have learned nothing from the past. Sure, it’s been years since the Salt Lake School Board fought parental activism over closing schools just as public school choice was coming into fashion. Ultimately, it was those smaller public schools drawing from other areas that won. But the problem now is declining enrollment, district-wide, and the school board doesn’t seem to have any innovative ideas to change the trend. The board has come up with a list of seven possible schools on the chopping block, KSL 1160 AM reports. The National Education Association knows the problem too well. Often, it’s schools with high populations of black and brown kids and special programs. NEA also notes the trauma and disruption for teachers, parents and schools when the bottom line is all a district board cares about. Parents need to get active, and if nothing else, vote against board members with narrow views.

HIT: Pretty Pictures

It can’t be all bad news when you’re talking about a gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon. People seeing the renderings thought they were “cool” and probably would attract skiers, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. UDOT says it’s happening. Locals can expect construction for parking, avalanche sheds, towers and a whole lot more, but that is years—decades even—away. In the meantime, there will be “enhanced” bus service, which gondola opponents hope will go a long way toward easing traffic congestion. More importantly, there will be a massive lobbying campaign as voters put pressure on lawmakers not to fund the $728 million project that will benefit private companies at the top of one mountain. Resorts up Big Cottonwood and Parleys canyons are on their own, as are costly transportation needs throughout the state. Also, traffic and population is bound to grow over the years so problems will persist—even with a gondola. But if you’re into “cool” like Disneyland, this may be the place. CW

STREETS

BY BENJAMIN WOOD

Space Invaders

If I had a dollar for every time I heard complaints about construction on 300 West, I’d have enough to buy a new ebike, maybe something with suspension this time. It’s been a slog and, according to the city, it’s finished!

Last Friday, I checked it out at 2 a.m. and again at 10 a.m.—because that’s the kind of thing you do when you live in Salt Lake City and don’t just visit for a few hours. To be clear, the work isn’t done. One block still has (or at least had then) a median-shaped hole in the ground and private development continues to spill onto the asphalt. But the lanes are open, meaning 300 West is back to being a five-lane surface highway, albeit now with space for human bodies.

Did you know that before this project, 300 West did not have a consistent sidewalk, let alone space for cyclists? That meant that for decades, the message from our government to anyone outside a private vehicle was, “Get lost! or Get dead.” Think two years of construction is bad? Try a lifetime of hostile indifference from the built environment.

Walking is a very good thing—the more people who do it, the better literally everything works. But if you want people to swim, you have to build a pool, and if you want people to walk, you have to build a decent sidewalk.

Utah’s sidewalks, generally, suck ass. In many cases, they’re nonexistent, and that’s before we talk about how businesses force pedestrians to cross a parking lot to reach their door.

What’s particularly interesting about the 300 West redesign is how it didn’t take space from drivers. There were five lanes before and there are five lanes now—plus a cycle track, sidewalks, safe crossings and landscaping. On-street parking was removed, but it’s a pretty good trade when you consider the ocean of free stalls at the big-box stores.

Insufficient space is not what prevents us from improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists—we haven’t bothered because it’s not seen as necessary. On 300 West, a complete reconstruction with major utility improvements added complexity to the project, but other corridors could undergo a meaningful facelift with little more than paint.

Depending on the block, State Street has up to nine vehicle lanes. Each lane is 12 feet wide but needs only be 10.

If UDOT re-striped each lane to 11 feet, it could add a four-foot bike lane on each side of the road, with a 6-inch buffer.

Certainly not ideal—but cheap, easy and quick. It wouldn’t change a single thing about how drivers use the street, while making a vast improvement over conditions that expect cyclists to simply go somewhere else. But UDOT’s plans for State don’t include bike lanes ever, so I’ll be spending my money at Main Street businesses and—thanks to the recent roadwork—on 300 West. CW

A two-way cycle track has been added to the west side of 300 West, with no reduction in vehicle travel lanes.

BENJAMIN WOOD

Surgical Instrument

BalletNEXT’s Solo Strings finds inspiration in applying new sounds to compositions.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Dancer/choreographer Michele Wiles— founder and artistic director of Park City-based BalletNEXT—makes it clear that she’s inspired by music, which isn’t exactly surprising for someone working in the world of dance. But more specifically, in the case of her latest work, she’s inspired by the different ways that music can move people based on the instrument it’s played on.

The title of the program Solo Strings proves to be very descriptive, as each of the three individual works on the bill finds the dancers accompanied by a soloist on a stringed instrument—cello, classical guitar, and harp. Not all of the pieces being played, however, were originally intended for the instrument being used. And that variation provided a different way of approaching the dance’s creation.

That’s the case for the last of the three works, works composed for piano, including Philip Glass’s Metamorphosis Two. According to Wiles, she saw a TED Talk featuring a harpist performing Metamorphosis

Two, and the sound sparked her imagination.

“When I hear the harpist play the music, it almost sounds more ethereal, like a music box,” Wiles says. “[Dancers] all take ballet class to piano music. You’re more into the beauty and the flow than the technique aspect. … It’s not like, ‘Ugh piano, that drives me crazy.’ But you move a different way when you hear a different

instrument. It takes me to another place.”

Being moved by the specifics of music extends throughout the program, including the opening work “Different Homes” by choreographer Brian Reeder, which was originally performed by BalletNEXT in 2013 when the company was still based in New York. It’s set to cello works by Benjamin Britten, which Wiles describes as “some of the best, I think, music ever composed for a solo cellist.” The dance arose from a challenge Reeder gave to himself: that the dancers should never touch hands.

“It creates a flow,” Wiles says, “but it also creates a little bit of tension, because you never actually connect at the hands. It’s like one of your senses has been taken away. … When you don’t have that connection, you have to kind of twirl around each other and do different things. It creates a different dynamic.

The evening’s middle work, meanwhile, takes its inspiration from Brazilian street music, performed by Utah guitarist Sophie Stanley—and Wiles thinks of its placement between the other two works on the program as way to introduce a lighter component, while applying classical technique to a sound most often associated with tango or salsa. “It’s music I love choreographing to, because it’s so kind of happy and care-

free,” she says. “It’s a summer breeze—or kind of a sorbet.”

Juxtapositions are a large part of what Wiles finds creatively interesting. When asked if she prefers to put together programs that feel similar, versus pieces that have contrasting elements, she says, “I like the bouncing off of each other. … [In the final work], three pieces of that are somewhat alike. Then you create a different sound, but of the same genre, and create more intrigue.”

Mixing things up is part of what keeps any artist excited, and BalletNEXT demonstrates that by presenting not just more impressionistic works like the Solo Strings program, but the great narrative pieces of the ballet canon. There are already different creative muscles that need to be stretched when using dance to advance a story, but that challenge becomes greater when—as is the case for the presentation of Don Quixote that BalletNEXT performs on July 19—you try to condense the familiar story into an hour-long version.

“I have to pick out the right things; we can’t narrate word-for-word from the book, but come up with our own narration to carry an audience through,” Wiles says. “Picking the right highlights, that has been the challenge—and an enjoyable

challenge. … And then I can go off into my contemporary music, non-narrative land. I think one feeds off the other. The dancers I have really love doing both.”

Solo Strings will be presented to audiences with free tickets on a donation-recommended basis—and that choice is representative of Wiles’ commitment not just to her own multi-faceted creativity, but to making sure dance is vital and supported going forward. “Especially for classical ballets, you’ll go to these major companies, and … by the time you spend tickets for the whole family, you’re talking $1000 or more. I want to bring this accessibility to the kids, because I’m building an audience for ballet in the future.

“[At a performance of The Sleeping Beauty] there was one little boy, he had his play binoculars, falling in love with the Lilac Fairy. If I can spark that love, then this art form will move on.”

BALLETNEXT: SOLO STRINGS

Park City Library Jim Santy Auditorium 1255 Park Ave., Park City Thursday, July 20 6:30 p.m. Free, donation recommended balletnext.com

Mental Health: Mind Matters @ The Leonardo

It’s evidence of societal growth that many subjects that once used to be shameful secrets can now be discussed openly, and with a goal of helping people lead full lives rather than pretending they don’t exist.

Mental health stands significant among such subjects, as struggles with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation and more are increasingly treated with the same seriousness as physical maladies, and those who experience such conditions are offered help and support. The evolution of how we think about and deal with mental health is among the subjects addressed in Mental Health: Mind Matters, a new exhibition running at The Leonardo, developed by the Science Museum of Minnesota.

Mind Matters explores a wide range of topics associated with conditions that, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, affects as many as 18% of Americans. Through hands-on and interactive experiences, it explores what it’s like to live with mental illness, how these conditions were treated in the past, and what resources exist to help those who deal with them. According to Science Museum of Minnesota president/ CEO Alison Rempel Brown, “It brings awareness to the realities of mental illness and our history in treating it, and … provides a safe, reflective place to have honest conversations about it—with our family members, or classmates and our community.”

Mind Matters runs at The Leonardo (209 E. 500 South), now through Oct. 1. Admission to the special exhibit is included in museum general admission ($8$12). Visit theleonardo.org for ticket information, as well as museum operating hours. (Scott Renshaw)

SCIENCE MUSEUM OF MINNESOTA

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Native American Celebration PowWow

In the most recent Supreme Court session, many people expected the worst from a case involving adoptions of Native American children—a story connected to the long, disturbing legacy of children being separated from their tribes of origin in order to be “civilized.” While that decision did ultimately have a positive outcome for Native people, its mere existence was a reminder that the legacy of colonization still carries wounds. It has always been important that Utah’s Pioneer Day celebrations, recognizing the arrival of a specific group of white settlers to this valley, are juxtaposed annually with Utah’s Native American Celebration in the Park Powwow & Festival, as a reminder that this was the place for many people thousands of years before Mormon settlers came.

On Monday, July 24, from noon to 10 p.m. Liberty Park (600 E. 900 South) hosts the 29th annual powwow and festival. It is primarily a cultural celebration, with music, dance and drum offerings contributing to an overall goal of cultural preservation. Groups representing tribes throughout the country participate in the formalized dance and drum offerings, with New Mexico-based Blue Medicine Well serving as the 2023 host drum group. The festival grounds will also feature a wide range of vendor booths, traditional food, arts & crafts presentations and plenty of kid-friendly activities, all making for an event that is as entertaining as it is informative.

At press time, the entertainment headliner is not yet set, but the evening performances will lead into a laser light presentation from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Visit nacippowwow.wixsite.com/naciappowwow for full schedule and participant updates. (SR)

ESSENTIALS

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Sundance Local Lens

Utah has the great fortune to host the Sundance Film Festival every year, but one of the advantages of being the festival’s home is that the chance for that festival experience extends beyond 11 days in January. This summer, the Sundance Local Lens series presents several free indoor and outdoor screenings of films from the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, including live Q&A’s with members of the film’s creative team.

The programming kicks of Wednesday, July 26 at 9 p.m. at Red Butte Gardens Amphitheatre, with the U.K. documentary The Deepest Breath, about free-diver Alessia Zecchini and her attempt to break a world record with the help of safety diver Stephan Keenan. Also featured are the sciencefiction satire The Pod Generation (July 27, City Park, Park City); the documentary Kokomo City, about trans sex workers (July 28, Broadway Centre Cinemas); the fantastical action-comedy Polite Society (July 28, City Park, Park City); the maternal horror tale birth/rebirth (July 28, Broadway Centre Cinemas); Plan C, about activists for providing abortion medication, with director Tracy Droz Tragos (July 29, Megaplex Gateway); Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, with director Joe Brewster (July 29, Megaplex Gateway); and the low-key romantic drama Fremont, with actor Anaita Wali Zada (pictured; July 29, Megaplex Gateway). In addition, a special panel discussion for aspiring filmmakers about “Pitching Your Project” will be held Friday, July 28 (location TBD).

All screenings are free to the public, but registration is required to reserve tickets for those with limited availability. Visit sundance.org/local-lens for a full list of screening titles, dates and times, and to reserve tickets. (SR)

Senior Engineer sought by Target Enterprise, Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT) Participate in the full s/ware dvlpmt life cycle. Reqs Master’s deg in Comp Sci, Engg, or closely related & 3 yrs exp in engg incl 2 yrs exp contributing to all parts of the s/ware dvlpmt & deployment lifecycle, incl dsgn, dvlpmt, documentation & testing; providing application support & maintenance; participating in code reviews & dsgn discussions; & using Java, Spring, JavaScript, jQuery, Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka, GitHub, Postgres, Mongo, JIRA, Confluence & Agile. May telecommute from any location in the U.S. Target offers eligible employees & their dependents comprehensive health benefits & prgms, incl medical, vision, dental, life insurance, 401(k), employee discount, short term/long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays & paid vacation. Pay range: $112,299-$150,800 / yr. Apply at jobs.target.com or Target.Recruitment@Target.com, ref. ID: R0000292733.

Principal Engineer sought by Target Enterprise, Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT) to provide tech’l guidance & leadership for s/ware engineers across multiple teams. Reqs Bach’s deg in Comp Engg, Comp Sci, Electronic Engg, or closely related & 10 yrs post-baccalaureate, progressive exp in s/ware application dvlpmt incl 5 yrs exp w/ providing tech’l leadership for s/ware engineers, analyzing & interpreting business reqmts, creating tech’l specs, analyzing existing application systems, investigating & adopting new technologies, participating in production support, creating data pipelines & using Java, Python, Linux, Oracle, MySQL, continuous integration/ continuous delivery (CI/CD), Eclipse IDE, Jprofiler, Servicenow, Hadoop, machine learning & UML. Position incl a telecommute benefit w/ in commuting distance of Target Utah office, as directed. Target offers eligible employees & their dependents comprehensive health benefits & prgms, incl medical, vision, dental, life insurance, 401(k), employee discount, short term/long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays & paid vacation. Apply at jobs. target.com or Target.Recruitment@Target.com, ref. ID: R0000292743

MUSIC ����

the ISSUE ISSUE

Smaller towns sometimes have a small-town complex, that sense that the grass is always greener in a bigger city that has more of this, or better that. But when it comes to local music in Utah, there’s no reason at all to feel like you’re somehow missing out, whether you’re one of the amazing people who creates that music, or the fans who love to listen to it.

The ���� Utah Local Music Issue is a chance for us to get specific about it—not just “oh wow, Utah is great,” but “here is all the greatness.” In this issue, you’ll find a primer on some of the best singers, songwriters, musicians, rappers, DJs and more offering fresh, exciting work to audiences in Utah and beyond. We’ll give you an artist’s-eye-view on our best local music venues, and why you should be heading there to check out your favorite bands. You’ll get a peek into the perspective of why artists feel compelled to make music in a music-industry landscape that’s changed so much in re-

cent years, as well as how they try to get their songs out into the world. There’s even a special spotlight for the local metal and hardcore scene, and a roundup of studios where musicians can record professionally.

Creation of any kind is a labor of love, and it’s our turn to love them back. To all of the people helping to create the musical soundtracks of our lives, we salute you. Local music has never been better, and we hope our readers will come along on the journey to understanding why.

Scott Renshaw Arts & Entertainment Editor

DJ ROSS ONE AT THE GATEWAY

JOSH SCHEUERMAN

TAKE note

Utah bands and musical artists that you’ll want to lean into right now.

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson�cityweekly.net �emileelovesvinyl

OK,no one will confuse Salt Lake with musical strongholds like Austin or Nashville. Still, we do have a rich music scene, filled with rather brilliant singer/songwriters and bands that call Utah home.

Indeed, it turns out that SLC is a nurturing place for musical talent. In a smaller market like ours, it’s easier for musicians to connect, find gigs, play and jam together—and ultimately support each other. Salt Lake also boasts a wide range of performance venues, and the gods do smile upon us by bringing to our stages a wealth of national touring acts, all serving to feed the soul of local musicians.

Limiting this list of noteworthy local musical artists to just 15 is a daunting task. The scene is brimming with talent, and everywhere you look, you’ll encounter new and exciting groups to listen to. If I were talking to someone new in the area, though, this is a list of musicians I’d tell you about to get started. But don’t be shy about adding to this list by asking friends and colleagues who they listen to locally, and where they catch them performing. In no particular order, here are some amazing musicians to check out in the area.

Rachael Jenkins

Do you want something that will leave you in an existential crisis? Rachael Jenkins’ music is just the ticket! For real, the girl can sing. Originally from Syracuse, Utah, the indie singer/songwriter uses her beautiful, technically impeccable voice in combination with heartfelt lyrics and an acoustic guitar that will hit you hard. With each listen, you’ll discover another small bit of musical delight. Her first released single, “untitled,” has gained huge popularity, amassing over 2.6 million streams on Spotify alone. Jenkins can be found playing solo shows with just her and her trusty guitar—or, at times, with a band accompanying her, adding some fullness and a new way to experience her music. Jenkins is the perfect performer to see if you’re looking for an intimate, impactful show. IG @rachiichachii

Cera Gibson

Cera Gibson is known as many things: singersongwriter, comedian, social commentator, daddy. Based in Salt Lake City, this electrifying singer pushes the envelope and creates beautiful and poignant synth pop tracks that stick with you. Her latest single, “Daddy,” is a technical powerhouse while still being a sexy and fun time, delving into the intimacy of relationships and letting one’s guard down. Gibson puts on electrifying shows and hopes that 2023 is bigger than ever when it comes to putting out new music and playing live shows, so stay tuned. IG @ceragibson

Leetham

It was an incredible year for Salt Lake pop artist Leetham in 2022. They launched a debut self-titled album that has no skips—it’s a fun and intriguing collection with good variety. Leetham put the songs together, keeping enjoyment in mind; the album is perfect for a get-together of good friends, so if you put it on in the background, the night will be a good one. Leetham followed up their debut album with their latest single, “Empty,” a song about “celebrating loneliness” according to the pop singer. It’s a catchy-yet-introspective song perfect for any playlist. IG @leethamofficial

Scott Lippitt

Singer/songwriter Scott Lippitt put his heart and soul into his latest album, Insight in Time. The pandemic hit hard for all of us; during this time, the local indie musician compiled the most emotional body of work he’s ever created, finding the meaning in life again. The album has a lot of highs and lows, taking you on a touching ride of sadness, hope and finding peace. It’s a journey of learning to be OK again. Lippitt has since followed up with the single “Better Friend,” a light and summery tune fit for the hot months. With twinkling plucked guitar, bouncy drums and a guitar/piano solo, “Better Friend” is a departure from Lippitt’s usual melancholic sound but still an incredible listen. IG @scott_lippitt_music

Cherry Thomas

If you have a hankering for beautiful pop/ R&B tracks, Cherry Thomas is your girl. The Ogden singer/songwriter demonstrates incredible technical virtuosity with her voice, and her songs are beautifully produced, creating a satisfying wall of sound that you won’t want to leave. Her latest song, “BARBEDWIRE,” is some of her best work, reminiscent of R&B and pop of the early aughts—perfect for any playlist. Thomas has spent years covering other artists’ songs, but hearing her originals is an absolute treat. She’s working on more entrancing tracks to share with listeners, which will hopefully drop soon. facebook.com/CherryThomasOfficial

The Snarlin’ Yarns

If you need a fix of folk, Ogden’s The Snarlin’ Yarns are here to provide. Made up of a unique array of players who come together to create an amazing balance of folk, bluegrass and intricate storytelling lyrics, the band boasts performances that are always rock solid, and seeing them perform is like coming home. They’re like your favorite comfort food that your mom makes. The Yarns released their latest album, It Never Ends, in early 2023, and it’s chock full of fun, but you can also hear the love and care that went into creating the album. The close-knit group have a strong connection with one another and care deeply about each other, and that shines through on the album.

IG @thesnarlinyarns

RACHAEL JENKINS

CERA GIBSON

LEETHAM

SCOTT LIPPITT

CHERRY THOMAS

THE SNARLIN YARNS

JADE CROMAR

BEN MORGAN COURTESY PHOTO

MARISSA MOONEY JACOB SWANER RACCON MOTEL

26 Fix, aka Erika Goodwin, is making a splash in the local music scene with her first solo project, creating intriguing psychedelic tracks that will have you hearing and understanding more as you hit play again and again. This year is set to be a big one for 26 Fix and her fans, as the singles she’s been releasing lead to a concept album about a girl who chokes on a pickle and dies; each song comes from the perspective of the various characters in the story. One of her best tracks, “A Pickle,” takes place from the perspective of the devious vegetable and is hard not to put on repeat. Seamlessly blending psychedelic vibes with live instruments at her shows, Goodwin makes the experience one not to miss. IG @26fix.26fix.26fix

The Plastic Cherries

The Plastic Cherries came together based on their love of retro gear and the sounds of yesteryear. Formed by couple Shelby and Joe Maddock as a hobby during the pandemic, it’s turned into so much more. The couple recruited friends to form a full band and began creating nostalgic music perfect for fans of bands like Fleetwood Mac. Their latest single, “Lovers on the Run,” is a road trip song for modern misfits, emphasizing their love for ’70s rock while being heartfelt and earnest. Catching The Plastic Cherries live is a blast, because you’ll probably encounter their dedicated fanbase, the Moon Unit, who show up at shows dressed up and ready to have a good time. IG @theplasticcherries

The Mellons

When you think of music in SLC, it’s hard not to think of The Mellons. They’ve taken over with their delightfully retro yet decidedly fresh take on baroque psych-pop, a fun perspective on life after a difficult few years. Their debut album Introducing ... The Mellons! was recorded largely at multi-instrumentalist/ producer/Mellons member Dennis Fuller’s No. 9 Studios in SLC. Many of the songs are inspired by the longing for a connection through the pandemic, so now that they’re able to get out and play, they have a lot going on with their set. There’s an impressive complexity to their music that’s still enjoyable by the everyman. Plus, the retro sound and fun outfits donned by The Mellons make for an experience you won’t soon forget. IG @themellonsmusic

Suchii

Bubblegum pop artist Suchii made the move to SLC during the pandemic after quitting his job to pursue music, and we’re glad to have him! He hit the ground running in 2022, releasing a couple of singles before his debut EP Summer on Venus. The EP shows an excellent range from the young pop artist. His song “White Angel” is a chill pop track that doesn’t necessarily have a deep meaning; it’s just about partying and having a good time. On the other hand, the EP has the track “Fila Fila,” a beautiful tribute to the love in your life. Suchii wanted to make a love song, but he wanted to make it for everyone. Each chorus of the song features different pronouns—“he,” “she” and “they”—so that anyone can sing and dedicate it to their crush. IG @suchiisound

Little Moon

Little Moon are out here making Utah proud. The group recently entered into NPR’s Tiny Desk series, and wowed the judges with their single “wonder eye.” “[The song] incorporates the idea of multiple deaths,” lead vocalist Emma Hardyman shared with NPR.

“I think it took the physical death to help us realize that death is really happening all the time—be it past versions of ourselves, old held beliefs, old judgments, even. And to that extent, we’re always grieving as well, which was also eye-opening.” Hardyman is joined by fellow locals Nathan Hardyman, Bly Wallentine, Bridget Jackson, Chris Shemwell and Grace Johnson. Seeing a local act on such a huge platform is amazing, and we can’t wait to see where the group goes from here. IG @little.moon.music.

Mel Soul

Singer/songwriter Mel Soul paints beautiful and, at times, heartbreaking images with her soft, powerful music. She creates music as a solo act, as well as in a group called Mel Soul and the Heartbeat—honestly, you can’t go wrong listening to either project. Whether you need music to sooth the savage beast or want to listen to an artist who has felt the same pains as you, look no further than Soul’s music. One of her most recent and hardhitting songs, “Desperation,” has all of the above: beauty, tragedy, longing, alluring imagery. It’s a good place to start, but it’s worth exploring her entire catalog. IG: @melsoul90 and @melsoulandtheheartbeat

Spirit Machines

SLC rockers Spirit Machines were catapulted into the public eye in 2020 with their unique song blending two classic rock tracks: “Sober” by Tool, and “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. As the internet

is wont to do, many were vocal about their dislike of the mashup, but honestly, it’s badass; Tool themselves approved of the song on their Instagram back when it was rising in popularity. Since then, Spirit Machines have played plenty of shows and are currently in the studio putting together more of their addicting soul/rock fusion to share with listeners. They also have a song in the upcoming DLC for Cyberpunk 2077, so, keep your ears open for their song “Candy Shell” in the game. IG: @spiritmachines

No Such Animal

No Such Animal brings a seasoned rock sound for being a group of young kids. Listening to their catalog will make you think the group has been together for decades instead of just a few years. It blooms with exciting, addicting tracks that will have you headbanging for days. Their first full album, Painted Faces, dropped in 2022, followed by fan favorite singles like “Witches in Salt Lake City” and “Afraid to Die.” Do yourself a favor and go out to see No Such Animal, and throw up some horns in support. IG: @nosuchanimal.theband

The Rubies

The Rubies are synonymous with bad-ass rock bands in the SLC area. The trio’s fun-loving pop/rock tracks are perfect for hanging with your friends or soaring down the highway with the windows down. The group hit the scene in 2019 and have catapulted in popularity—for good reason. Their most recent singles “You Can’t Hide” and “Picture This” are a pure joy to listen to but scrolling back to earlier work is equally enjoyable. Their most popular track (on Spotify, at least) is “Something You Should Know,” a slow ballad that really showcases vocalist Colette Macfarlane’s pipes. Catch The Rubies playing around northern Utah or while they’re out on tour—you won’t regret it. IG: @therubiesband CW

SUCHII

LITTLE MOON

THE PLASTIC CHERRIES

MEL SOUL

THE MELLONS

SPIRIT MACHINES

NO SUCH ANIMAL THE RUBIES

IAN KELLEMS

DALLIN SHELDON

COURTESY PHOTO

GIA HARRIS

@ALCAUTER.PHOTO

ROBIN PENDERGAST

BRADEN KRAM @JARQOR

HANNAH GULBRANDSEN

WHY MAKE MUSIC?

Six local artists and ensembles on their urge to create.

BY LEE ZIMMERMAN comments�cityweekly.net

The stereotypical image of the starving artist holds true even in these days—not only for those who create their artistry on canvas, but also those who make music. It seems that now, more than ever, musicians find it hard to make ends meet. Day jobs and side hustles are common, and those who do decide to focus entirely on their craft are often dependent on today’s various fundraising platforms to offset the expense involved in putting out their product.

So why be a musician in the first place, when earning a living and paying the rent are often at odds with the output involved? In search of answers, City Weekly asked several local artists to tell us what motivates them to persevere.

Rapper, poet and singer Cassie Houston, aka The Pho3nix Child, said it was their life as a black, queer female growing up in Salt Lake City that inspired their desire to share their struggles and uncommon experiences with their listeners. “It is also very important to me to represent women and otherwise feminine folks in hip-hop and hip-hop culture, being that it’s inherently anti-female and [anti-]feminine and homophobic in ways,” Houston said. “I look forward to continuing to inspire others to be their authentic selves, and to tell their real stories—the good and bad, the beautiful and the ugly.”

Houston went on to say they consider themselves a poet more than a musician. “My poetry was my main form of expression from elementary schools throughout high school,” they recall. “I was always intimidated by hip-hop culture because of the genre’s highly misogynistic and overly sexual undertones. However, I was lucky to be born into a family of musicians and visual artists. They inspired me to do music even though I originally hesitated because I didn’t just want to be labeled as a ‘female rapper.’ I chose to be a musician to finally be able to showcase my poetry and bring my artistic persona to life.”

Talia Keys and The Love convey similar sentiments. An activist and musician, Keys, for over a decade, has built a loyal fanbase from within the Salt Lake City club scene. She’s also toured coast to coast, playing in all types of venues, and for an array of festivals and events.

Her efforts are a reflection of a past journey involving identity and influences, an individual take on the customary role of the rock ‘n’ roll troubadour who traditionally sings songs about struggle and triumph.

Positioned at the helm of various bands, Keys has opened for such bands as Indigo Girls, Lukas Nelson and The Promise of The Real, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Michael Franti and Thievery Corporation. Keys’ current band The Love consists of Dave Brogan (ALO) on drums, Ryan Conger (Joe McQueen Quartet) on keys, Josh Olsen on bass and Lisa Giacoletto on backing vocals.

“I’ve played in various projects for almost 15 years,” Keys says. “I’m inspired by life, humans, traveling and making memories. Music has led to many great experiences and also to some not-so-great ones. The rewards are worth it, if you keep at it. Making fans and friends for a lifetime and inspiring other women, queer folk or kids to be themselves is another big reward.

“Why be a musician? Because I feel as if I was put here to do what I do: Connect my heart to my art and share it with the world.”

“Being a musician is more than just making music.It’s about telling a story and giving people a place to feel heard and welcome,” singer/guitarist Felipe Moya of the Ogden-based band Imag!nary Friendz insists. “It’s about making people feel less alone and more connected. It’s a chance to relate to people on more than just a surface level. It’s an unadulterated way to express love and empathy.”

Imag!nary Friendz was born from the challenges presented by the global COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020. “We had lost our jobs, and a lot of our social life and we needed a new outlet,” Moya explains. “The three of us immediately caught fire. We started to learn covers and soon after that, we started to write our own songs. We worked through emotions and conveyed them through the music. We found inspiration from each other and the experiences we each were going through, feeding our art and our relationship as a band.”

PHO� NIX CHILD

TALIA KEYS

IMAG!NARY FRIENDZ

RESONOMICS SAY IT BACK DEL LAGO

ADAM SANDBERG

SAM CRUMP

WAYNE YOUNG

MIKE MCDONOUGH DAVID KINGSBURY

Ogden-based hip-hop artist, lyricist and rapper Resonomics has been making his music over the course of the past 20-plus years, resulting in the release of approximately 50 songs in the interim.

“The songs I write are inspired by events I’ve experienced throughout my life, things I have observed and even fictional stories that I’ve made up,” Resonomics explains. “Hip-hop, to me, is about the art of storytelling, and the real talent lies in how you shape and tell the story. I also like to integrate humor in almost all of it, because I love to make people laugh.”

Still, he insists, there’s more to it than that. “The rewards of creating this music, for me at least, are in the creative process,” Resonomics continues. “I find it highly therapeutic to write songs and create music. After a long writing session, I actually feel exhausted and sleep like a baby. After completing a song that’s fully mixed and mastered, I listen to it over and over in a ‘looking back at your lawn after you mowed it’ kind of way.”

“One of the best feelings in the world is when someone tells me they got my punchline or figured out my double-entendres. I get high off that. To me, it’s better than getting paid. … When you ask me, ‘Why be a musician?,’ it’s about more than simply wanting to. It’s almost as if I have to do it. Otherwise, I’d sit and dwell on how I’m not doing it and start getting anxious. I keep getting this overwhelming feeling that I need to look back at the lawn I just mowed.”

Dezmon , the lead singer of the band Say It Back , expressed similar sentiments. His best friend killed himself during a confrontation with police at the end of 2021, and it was that tragedy that led to the band’s inception.

“Our first song, ‘Dreaming,’ was written right after my friend’s death, and it describes the struggle I went through after losing my best friend,” Dezmon explains. “Life experience is our biggest inspiration. Our lyrics are filled with stories of trauma, heartbreak and hope. We also find inspiration in the stories shared by other musicians and their art.

“For us, being musicians gives us a chance to express the things that can be difficult in everyday conversations. It is our opportunity to tell our story and express it through the raw emotion of music. Our movement in live performances also expresses that desire, and every time we perform we put our souls into it.”

The band played its first show last December, Dezmon says, and “it has been quite the journey since. The rewards have been amazing. We have had fans reach out to us after hearing our creations, telling us that they found purpose and hope in our music. Seeing lives change, even in small ways, of those who hear our message and find hope in our songs has been the biggest reward.”

That personal perspective also resonates with the band Del Lago. They describe themselves as consisting of “a convicted Danish thief on drums, a Neanderthal on guitar, a sadomasochistic bassist and a sweet little cherubic singer that all just want to make music that they’d wanna listen to.”

The band initially got together for weekly jam sessions and then realized the rewards of devoting one day each week to pure escape. “Some people go to bars, carnivals and arcades, but we’ve got all the games, drinks and clowns in the basement where we rehearse,” they suggest.

It’s a combination of humor and happenstance that provides their motivation to make music. “It’s the fame, the money, the fast cars and designer drugs. We don’t have any of those things, of course, but that’s what Pitbull tells us the rewards would be. Unfortunately, it’s become part of our identity. At this point, if we stopped being musicians, we wouldn’t be much else.” CW

LET THE ALGORITHM HIT ’EM

Local DIY-ers share their ‘power-ups’ for connecting their work with audiences.

BY MARK DAGO comments�cityweekly.net

It’s hard to imagine not discovering new music. There are so many choices, and just as many new artists that you can find online via music streaming services of your choice. The thing that differentiates between Spotify, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram becomes the game of music discovery.

Whether the discovery is based on algorithms or human curation, musicians have multitude platforms to get their creations to fans, and listeners have all kinds of ways to find their next new favorite. Utah can claim its fair share of successful musicians. Music-lovers in the Beehive State are enthusiastic to lift up new and interesting artists, and local music makers understand that.

What social media is today is not what it will be tomorrow—it’s an evolving medium. If you think you knew what it was a few months ago, it has already changed.

Sure, songs blowing up as a side effect of an online challenge, game or other activity is fun at the moment, but if you want to get your work out there in a way that people can find it, focusing on building relationships and human connections with fans are the best “power-ups.”

Power-up: Authenticity Boost—We live in a unique place, and the art you create should reflect that. You don’t have to—nor should you—compromise your music and what is within that music. The honesty and vulnerability expressed in your songs will resonate with audiences. People want you to be yourself.

Songwriter/musician Josaleigh Pollett (IG:@brosaleigh) notes: “I’ve been chronically online for too long, and I just share a lot of myself and my process and my passions. I try to be real—I don’t post something I don’t care about, my TikTok is for me to mostly share other people’s albums that I’m enjoying.

I don’t do any of it for clicks. I do it ... to find people that like the same music I do and maybe connect [them] with mine in the process. For my career, it’s been a matter of connecting with people that like the same music that I do. If we’re obsessed with all the same bands, it is more likely that they might like the music I make! I follow bands and labels I enjoy on social media—mainly Twitter and Instagram, and just regularly talk about what I create and how I create it in addition to all the music I love that I can’t shut up about. Sometimes people listen to my stuff, sometimes they don’t. But if they do, it’s more likely that they’ll enjoy it if we like the same things already.”

Power-up: Genre-fluid Transformation—The borders between music genres have blurred, and the ways that people consume music, make records and collaborate have evolved. Finding an audience for your art when it is genre-less, cross-over or niche could be challenging to commoditize or market. Still, there is no wrong way to make music. Full stop.

Adam Sherlock, Spy Hop’s director of learning design (IG: @deepdivefilmschool) says: “To engage growth, it’s about creating, iterating, engaging with the audience in a number of different ways. Trickling out work over time can be cool, but difficult if you want to release a proper album. It can be hard to picture who your actual audience is. You can strive for an audience, but who your work might actually resonate with is always a bit of a mystery. On platforms like Instagram and TikTok, it is again about the idea of over-saturation. The state of access today is a double-edged sword, too. While it means the average consumer of art is bombarded with content, it can be difficult to sift through the noise to find the right work. It can also mean that when you find the good stuff, you can really plunge down into a rabbit hole with no end, which is super-exciting. The ability to be niche these days is easier than ever.”

Power-up: Tangibility Upgrade— No format ever truly dies. Cassette tapes inherently have that feel of the ephemeral, the experimental, the stuff that you’re not sure if you’re going to like, but you put it on anyway. There is still a market for physical copies of music and that market isn’t limited to just CDs and vinyl LPs—cassette tapes are booming. Digital “ownership” is just a long-term rental.

Far Out Cassette Club creator Nick Anderson (IG: @ faroutcassetteclub) says: “In my opinion, DIY and cassettes go hand-in-hand. It was basically the first physical format where regular people could easily record their own audio and produce their own tapes. So, in my mind, those two things were inseparable. Cassette tapes are cheaper than vinyl to buy and produce, so it’s a good merch option for local bands and also a more affordable way to build a physical music collection. Half the fun of owning physical albums is the collectability aspect and physically holding the music and seeing it on your shelf and engaging in the whole listening experience. I have tape that was designed to be played for babies or children as they sleep that just has soft music and people whispering positive affirmations. Lots of sounds of nature tapes. A tape of someone’s answering machine messages. And if anyone needs a cheap cassette player or help getting into tape collecting, I’d be happy to help.”

Power-up: Extreme Vision—The combination of film and music is one of the most powerful types of communication we have available to us as humans. Music videos are eventful ways to get attention to you and your music. They are also one of the most effective ways to engage fans. Lean into that DIY energy—cheap and cheerful is the way forward.

Composer/producer Andrew Colin Beck , who sings and plays guitar with the Mellons (IG: @themellonsmusic) says: “The Mellons have made a few videos, and I feel like we are pretty used to working with shoestring budgets. The video for ‘Salad Made of Butterflies’ is actually the first video that we hired an artist other than ourselves to create. Usually we take care of as much of the production design, concepting, directing, editing, etc., as we can. The animation was done by a friend of the Mellons: Victor Blandon (of Cool Banana). Victor, or ‘VHS Vic’ (IG: @vhsvic), is a filmmaker and musician who lives in Salt Lake City. I had been wanting Vic to do a video for my music for a couple of years—finally the planets aligned and dreams became reality. I feel like he captured the soul of the song: chaotic, strange, tense and hypnotic. I think some of the most fun times we’ve had as a band have been during the video productions we’ve worked on.”

Power-up: Super Reach— Blow the entire world’s mind by starting out with stripped-down performances and leveling up to engagement that rivals late-night talk shows. The best ideas are the simplest, and the heart and soul of a live set is one that is intimate. Momentum will organically flow; follow it where it leads.

Musician Bly Wallentine of trippy pop/folk/ambient Little Moon (IG:@blywallentine) notes: “Emma (of Little Moon) put together the whole Tiny Desk video. It was so fun going to DC and filming. We were all just like, ‘Wow, this is happening, huh?’ That was a major vibe through the whole tour—like, is this real? Everyone at NPR has been incredible. Kind, generous, welcoming. Deep homie energy. They’ve done so much work to support us, and we are so appreciative. We’ve got a record that’s basically complete, and we’re engaging with labels and management. So, say yes to everything that makes you feel intensely alive, even if it takes you to unfamiliar places, places with new images and ideas and language. Create music you love in ways which are life-giving, fun, connective and authentic. Appreciate every moment of it. Failure is at the root of success. It’s all a treat. Life will surprise you if you let it.” CW

IN THE STUDIO Local

places to record your music.

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson�cityweekly.net �emileelovesvinyl

We live in a time when recording at home is easier than it probably has ever been. People have access to technology and programs that enable them to create DIY music without the help of a professional studio. That said, there’s something special about going into a place with top-notch equipment and pros who help your vision come to fruition. The following sampling of local studios are worth checking out to help make your musical dreams come true.

Audio House

Locations in West Valley City and Provo, 385-800-1836, audiohouse.fm

Audio House was formed to capture creativity. “Learning to express myself and process my emotions through music was absolutely life-changing—but capturing those expressions and sharing them was always a challenge,” said co-founder and CEO of Audio House Tyler Gibbs. “I could never get the sound quite right, and I felt misunderstood and underrated each time I shared my recordings with someone. Not only was I frustrated with continually feeling this way, I knew other musicians felt the same way, and I was determined to change it.”

Gibbs teamed up with Todd Tran and AJ Vanzeben, and the rest was history. The Audio House studios are selfserve and bring in great reviews. “The profound impact we have had on students, hobbyists and professionals alike is driving this dream forward as we continue to improve and fine-tune the self-serve recording experience,” Gibbs said.

While the idea of a self-serve can seem intimidating, it’s worth a try for Audio House’s fair price-point at $10 per hour. “Professional engineers can still help in ways that a self-serve system can’t,” said Gibbs. “But, gaining a portfolio of good music while also gaining the vocabulary, skills and reputation that you need to feel confident is the best way to start.”

Funk Studios

445 N. 700 West, Suite 101, North Salt Lake, 385-424-0778, funkstudiosutah.com

“Funk Studios was the vision of songwriter and composer Jim Funk’s decades-long aspiration to offer premium gear and pristine audio quality to recording artists. Our studio will provide a location for professional work of all types,” says Funk Studios’ website. “We offer a 1,300-square-foot soundstage—outfitted with both state of the art digital gear and near-priceless vintage analog gear—and a Pro Tools system capable of handling the most complex tracking demands. Funk Studios has been in the works for years, stemming from owner Jim Funk’s desire to provide exceptional recording services in a world-class facility. In 2015, Jim hired studio designer Jerry Steckling to make plans repurposing an industrial warehouse into what would become Funk Studios.”

June Audio

39 W. 200 North, Provo, 801-802-6403, juneaudio.com

“Situated in the heart of downtown Provo, the new space was built directly behind a turn-of-the-century pioneer home that houses several production studios,” the website for June Audio states.

“The two new rooms offer total flexibility, able to accommodate any type of project—large enough for a full orchestra and small enough for an intimate solo session. The equipment is top-rate, the instrument selection is extensive, the rooms are comfortable and sound amazing, and the staff will put you at ease and take care of your every need. The outdoor courtyard, artistic touches, stocked lounge and being within walking distance to countless restaurants and shops make the time outside the studio just as enjoyable as the working hours.”

Aggressive Audio

84 S. Tartarian Circle, Bountiful, 801-845-6616, aggressiveaudio.com

Aggressive Audio offers a professional and quality experience, but they also offer a unique opportunity to attend a master class with locals who have been around the block with creating/recording music. These classes allow you to learn how pros get that crispy sound you may be on the hunt for. There are 12 spots per class, and the next one takes place Aug. 17-20. There’s a fixed price of $278, allowing you to learn the correct approach to making your recordings the best they can be.

Audio Inn

1519 Major St., SLC, 801-441-0719, audioinnrecording.com

“Audio Inn Recording … was created by Eric Lo and Colin Cronin. The musicians teamed together to create a recording studio with better customer service and recording quality, as well as more reasonable rates, setting out to restructure how studios operated,” according to Audio Inn’s website. “Launched in 2015, its mission is to focus on the experience, and its 2,000 square feet of recording space is designed to make you feel at home. By partnering with Old Growth Tone, a boutique manufacturing company, Audio Inn Recording is able to offer affordable rates without sacrificing quality, and is the only studio in Utah to offer vinyl manufacturing services.”

Ignite Studios

1005 S. 300 West, SLC, 801-999-8249, ignitestudios.com

Ignite Studios is a one-stop shop for pretty much any recording needs. You’re able to record audio and video here as well as fully produce a podcast. Ignite also features video production and green-screen photography. “Just south of downtown Salt Lake City, an unassuming brick building houses the area’s most innovative recording studio,” their site says. “With reasonable hourly rates for music recording, video production and podcast creation, Ignite is a top area destination for studio services, such as recording, mixing, mastering and post production of digital media.”

Key Recordings

1468 S. 1650 East, Ogden, 801-430-3694, key-recordings.business.site

“Key Recording aspires to be the world’s leading music production company by producing great music for everyone and by helping artists make the great music that they wanna make, because that’s what makes them who they are,” the site says.

“We believe that creativity is in every person and different in every person, making each and every individual unique. Key Recordings wants to give you the opportunity to create amazing music ... and help you get it out to the world. Key Recordings strive to inspire people to chase their dreams and to never give up.”

As this list shows, there’s no shortage of places to record your work and make your musical dreams come true. Find a studio that matches your vibe, and get creating!

FUNK STUDIOS’ BOARDS

AN ARTIST RECORDS AT AUDIO HOUSE

TALES from the PIT

Villain vocalist Trent Falcone on 30 years in the SLC metal/hardcore scene

BY EMILEE ATKINSON | eatkinson�cityweekly.net | �emileelovesvinyl

Metal as a genre has a long, storied and epic history. Dedicated bands keep it alive and thriving, especially in local communities. SLC is no different—there are bands scattered across the state who deliver their versions of hardcore music that you can lose your voice and injure your neck to.

Local hardcore/metal Villain features veterans of the scene who came together as a super-group to “not only pay homage to their influences and predecessors, but to cast off any bonds that might hold them to the past, and to define their own path forward,” according to their Bandcamp page. “Not hardcore and not metal, Villain exists comfortably in both camps, and in spaces well-beyond.”

Their most recent single, “Time Takes Everything,” is everything a hardcore/metal fan could want. It starts with some eerie, oldfashioned vocal clips that lead into a somber guitar track and eventually turn into ripping vocals and driving guitar with strumming and pulsing bass. There’s not really a moment during the track where you won’t stop headbanging throughout the song. Luckily for fans, there’s more new music on the way, “Time Takes Everything” is “the first single to Chapter 4,” according to their Bandcamp page, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, vocalist Trent Falcone shared more about Villain and how much they love the SLC metal scene.

City Weekly: How and when was Villain formed?

Trent Falcone: Trent Falcone: The band was a concept in 2013, and came to life a few years later.

Why metal/hardcore? What does the genre mean to you?

We’re all veterans of the Salt Lake hardcore scene, and we talked about doing a classic oldschool band that would have the sound and style of the bands we all grew up on. All the

members of the band are massive music fans, and love many different artists and genres. We wanted to play music that we love while repping the SLC scene that raised us.

What’s the best feature of the local music scene, especially with other metal bands?

To just be here still and playing music after 30 years is amazing. We’ve played with some of our heroes and made a lot of friends over the years.

The SLC hardcore scene is perhaps the best it’s ever been with so many talented and amazing bands. We’re just proud to be a small part of it.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen in a mosh pit?

There’s been too many to mention over the years. I now only observe from the back of the venue, or from the stage, thankfully. Ha. The pit is a young man’s game.

Are there any upcoming projects you can share about?

We’re currently recording our fourth EP. We released a new single, “Time Takes Everything” in April, with more new music coming soon. We’re also playing Oct. 8 at The Complex with Cavalera and our friends in Social Stigma. Plus, another big local show is in the works for November that will feature some of SLC’s biggest hardcore bands from the past.

What should people know about Villain and your music?

After all these years playing music together, it’s still as much fun and heartfelt as it’s ever been.

And we want to thank the “Villain Mob” for having our backs for nearly a decade and supporting our music. The people who come to shows, sing along, buy the merch and listen to the music are all part of the family. Now and forever.

Check out Villain and their legendary catalog before they hit us with some fresh tracks, and don’t miss them when they’re out playing for the hungry masses in SLC.

VILLAIN

VENUE MENU

Local music artists celebrate the places they love to play.

BY MARK DAGO COMMENTS�cityweekly.net

The best way to experience music is live and in person, and Utah is home to some of the most unique venues around. With numerous options including standing-room-only clubs, midsize rooms, theaters and arenas, it’s a daunting assignment to narrow down the best live music haunts in the Beehive State.

Everyone has their favorites, so we asked several local musicians for their recommendations. Here’s a selection of some of Utah’s best live music spots, with personal reflections from artists who have played there.

Aces High Saloon (1588 S. State, SLC, aceshighsaloon.com) 21+

Showcase: The best in heavy metal, punk and outlaw country.

Halee Jean of Hoofless (IG: @hoof_less_):

“Recently, we’ve had the most wonderful experience playing at Aces High Saloon. We came into the feeling like we might be the odd band out, but we were met with a great welcome by the bartenders, the sound person, the other bands and the patrons! Aces is known for being a punk and metal bar, but one of the most punk things about it is that everyone is welcome.”

The Beehive (666 S. State, SLC, thebeehiveslc.com) All ages

Showcase: An inclusive, welcoming, safe and sober space with a community-centric vibe.

David Payne of Red Bennies (IG: @red.bennies):

“Old-school setup where the fine art of rock ‘n’ roll is in effect. Door guy, sound guy, big room, punky/ trashed walls. It’s all-ages, so a smarter generation is in the mix. Delicious vegan restaurant in the front. Best sounding room in Salt Lake City if you play on the floor.”

The DLC at Quarters (5 E. 400 South, SLC, quartersslc.com) 21+

Showcase: A retro arcade that’s loads of fun— with video games, pinball and live music.

Ash Bassett of Rotten Boy (IG: @rottenboyslc):

“The DLC has a very cool atmosphere. I love that shows feel semi-private but still attract folks who came to Quarters for the arcade. Additionally, you can pop out between bands for a round of a Ninja Turtles BeatEmUp or pinball. They have some very skilled audio engineers, the staff are Real Ones™️, and of course, we love the iconic back-lit cassette wall—all the rage for musician’s profile pictures. And the green room—it’s very cozy.”

Fairyland

(House venue in Millcreek, DM for address, IG: @fairylandexists) All ages

Showcases: Mainly punk and alt-rock bands play here and occasionally host touring bands.

Cecil Opaline of PK Opal/Body Horror (IG: @ pk.opal): “My experience at Fairyland was great, it felt like a group of very like-minded people for me. People invested in DIY, counterculture and in creating a unique space that isn’t predominantly cis men. It’s a venue that doesn’t just feel tolerant of queer and trans folks but actually stands in solidarity with them.”

The International (342 S. State, SLC, internationalbarslc.com) 21+

Showcases: A bar/lounge that encourages artistry and touts the city’s most creative lighting set-up.

Jeremy Devine of Levelor/Goldie and the Guise/ Cool Banana (IG: @jeremdevine): “My favorite venue to play right now is The International. Having an accessible, artist-focused venue right in the heart of downtown is really exciting. They also have: Locally sourced arcade games; giant goose lamp; disco balls; mirrors to make sure you look good when you’re playing; lewd log; old photo booth; great T-shirts.”

UTAH’S BEST BURGER!

Kilby Court

(741 W. Kilby Court, SLC, kilbycourt.com) All ages

Showcases: Salt Lake City’s longest running allages venue. The DIY, garage-style atmosphere encourages close artist-crowd interaction.

Fischloops (IG: @fischloops): “Kilby Court has great sound due to the small scale of the room. It also has some of the most eclectic booking, genre-wise, whether local or touring bands. The fire pit is a good hangout spot. That and the merch room is fresh.”

Metro Music Hall

(615 W. 100 South, SLC, metromusichall.com) 21+

Showcases: Mid-size concert hall with a diverse selection of live music, drag shows, LGBTQ+ celebrations and more.

Alan Orellana of Musor (IG: @musorband): “Metro Music Hall has brought some of my favorite bands like The Black Angels or Ty Segall and Freedom Band. They bring more underground and alternative music, bands that usually play loud music. The people that work there are very friendly. I always have a great experience at Metro.”

The State Room

(638 S. State, SLC, thestateroompresents.com) 21+

Showcases: Caters to live music lovers with an intimate experience unrivaled in Utah.

Greg Midgley of Triggers & Slips (IG: @timechimp): “Great sound. The best venue in town for a listening

crowd. I’ve played the State Room with Triggers & Slips, Bronco and The Rubes. Some of my favorite shows here have been JD McPherson, WITCH and Son Volt. Always a great time at The State Room.”

The Urban Lounge (241 S. 500 East, SLC, theurbanloungeslc.com) 21+

Showcases: The best in local and big-name touring artists in a cozy-intimate setting.

DJ Chaseone2 (IG: @chaseone2): “Urban has always been home court for me. I probably know that room better than any other place in town. Their staff are the best, and if they’re not behind the bar, you can catch them performing live on stage. I’ve never been nervous playing on that stage, or off stage when we used to use the Pac-Man arcade game for a table.”

Velour Music Gallery (135 N. University Ave., Provo, velourlive.com) All ages Showcases: A space that engages audiences to encounter a range of art, genres and sounds. Rhymetime of House of Lewis (IG: @rhymetimerapper): “House of Lewis has always considered Velour our favorite club. They’ve been supportive of us since Day 1. The absolute best crowd reaction we’ve ever received was opening for Froggy Fresh there. Everything seemed to align that night, and the cheers from the audience were deafening. Years later, people still come up and tell us how much they loved that show.” CW

KILBY COURT

3754 WEST, CENTER VIEW WAY, WEST JORDAN LUCKYSIRONDOOR.COM

TAKE A SHOT

BY JOSH SCHEUERMAN | �jscheuerman

UGLY VALLEY BOYS AT HANDLE BAR

BLUES TRAVELER CONCERT AT RED BUTTE GARDEN

JASON ISBELL AT RED BUTTE GARDEN

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES AT SALT LAKE CITY’S TWILIGHT CONCERT

M�� AT OGDEN’S TWILIGHT CONCERT SERIES

Go Focaccia Yourself

Mastra Italian Bakery Bistro indulges American Fork with homemade focaccia and pasta.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

Like most kids growing up in the suburbs, I came to appreciate Italian food by way of Chef Boyardee. Those initial doses of canned ravioli helped me develop a deep and enduring love of the Old Spaghetti Factory out in Taylorsville, which was often the site of our little league football post-season dinners. I was lucky enough to have two older brothers go LDS missions to Italy, and they brought back a few old country recipes that introduced me to the wonders of a good Bolognese sauce.

My recent visit to Mastra Italian Bakery Bistro woke up a lot of these memories. It’s been a while since I’ve tried an Italian restaurant that continues to enhance my understanding of this beloved cuisine like this new American Fork restaurant.

I suppose my initial draw to Mastra came when I saw them boasting housemade focaccia on their social-media pages. Focaccia is a near-perfect food wherever it turns up, so any place that whips up their own loaves of crisp and chewy focaccia every day was quite tempting. After a quick perusal of their menu, I found a plethora of dishes that one doesn’t often find at your average local Italian joint; the Lasagna al Pesto Genovese ($19.55) and the Papardelle Salsa di Noci ($17.25) were particularly intriguing.

Mastra occupies a cozy space within one of the many commercial strip malls in downtown American Fork. It manages

to pull you into its Italian bistro and bakery concept—you’ll forget all about that Del Taco across the lot once you’re inside. It’s hard for a place to nail the balance between bakery and bistro, but Mastra does so nicely. The fact that their pasta is made onsite helps, because nothing quite says bakery and bistro quite like homemade pasta.

While the temptation to jump into the main courses is definitely strong, I’d suggest starting out with some of their fresh focaccia. You’ve got a few varieties to choose from, and the normale ($4) is the purest of the group—just crisp, golden edges hiding a bed of pillowy dough that imparts a subtle flavor of olive oil. It comes to the table warm, and there are few joys in life that compare to biting into a freshly made slice of focaccia.

There’s not harm in sticking with the normale, but if you want to get adventurous you can try the focaccia meditrina ($5.17) with cherry tomatoes baked into the dough, the focaccia cipolle ($5.17) with onions, or the focaccia alle olive ($5.17) that comes with olives baked in. There’s really no wrong answer when it comes to their focaccia; just make sure you get one of these lovelies to kick off your meal.

I was also quite fond of their caprese burrata e rucola ($13.80) as a starter. On a hot summer day, the combination of fresh, cool tomatoes and a creamy dollop of burrata cheese lands quite nicely. Not only is this summery dish dynamite on its own, but it gives you plenty of stuff to scoop onto your focaccia—you ordered some, right? Good. They also have a caprese with buffalo mozzarella ($14.95) if you’re after something a bit different. I was going to snag that, but they had run out of buffalo mozzarella by dinnertime. As this is a place that doesn’t throw the word “artisan” around like wallpaper, some of their housemade ingredients do run out toward the end of the day. The mains are gorgeous in that simple, woke-up-this-way kind of beauty. The Fettucine al Ragu Bolognese ($17.25) is a

great example of this. On paper, it’s simply homemade fettuccine noodles topped with a healthy dose of Bolognese ragu. What you might not know is that this particular Bolognese is made with four types of beef and pork, along with some imported Lambrusco wine. Considering all the Bolognese I’ve eaten in my life, it’s rare to have this traditional meat sauce give me pause, but they’ve pulled it off at Mastra. My primary gripe with Bolognese is that it’s often too salty, but their process at Mastra is balanced and delicious. Each bite melts in your mouth in a way that keeps you chasing the flavor with every subsequent bite until you’re just looking at an empty plate.

For fans of pesto, the Fusilloni al Pesto Genovese ($18.40) is a great counterpart to the pesto lasagna I mentioned earlier. The homemade fusilloni pasta is the MVP of this dish; its al dente texture and frilly composition help scoop up all that lovely pesto so you’re getting vibrant flavors with each bite. This comes sprinkled with some pecorino cheese and pine nuts, and it’s a lovely illustration the simple deliciousness that makes Italian food so special. The lasagna, of course, is the main event at Mastra. Their Genovese lasagna is a local rarity, so I’d recommend that above all, but their Bolognese lasagna ($17.25) is a delight as well.

Every so often on the local food beat, I come across a restaurant that feels like they’re on to something big, and I think I can apply that feeling to Mastra. With a keen sense of how to squeeze every last ounce of flavor from their rustic Italian dishes, I can see this place moving on to great things in the near future. CW

ALEX SPRINGER

1048

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com

Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC

avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Midnight Especial- Dark Mexican Lager

Bewilder Brewing

445 S. 400 West, SLC

BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap: Mango Goze

Bohemian Brewery

94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Chappell Brewing

2285 S Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115 chappell.beer

On Tap: Climax Cream Ale - nitro

Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com

On Tap: Purple Rain - Marionberry Helles

Desert Edge Brewery

273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap: Munich Lager

Epic Brewing Co.

825 S. State, SLC

EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Experimental IPA #2

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com

On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!

Grid City Beer Works

333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Cask Nitro CO2

Helper Beer

159 N Main Street, Helper, UT helperbeer.com/

Hopkins Brewing Co.

1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Guava Sour

Kiitos Brewing

608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Nitro Look Up!

Level Crossing Brewing Co., POST 550 So. 300 West #100, SLC LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Kolsch

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap: Golden Sproket Wit Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com

On Tap: Mango Tajin ( she’s a spicy #) & Cherry Noir

Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/

On Tap: DOPO IPA

Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com

On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com

On Tap: It’s Complicated Sour

Proper Brewing

857 S. Main, SLC

ProperBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Whispers from Krakatoa - Helles Lager with Habanero and Mango

Proper Burger: Sour RangerBlackberry and Lemon Sour

Proper Brewing Moab

1393 US-191 Moab, Utah 84532

On Tap: Angus McCloud- Scottish Ale

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com

On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com

On Tap: Munich Dunkel

Red Rock Kimball Junction Redrockbrewing.com

1640 Redstone Center

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap: Lone Ranger Mexican Lager

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations

RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Identity Crisis Session West Coast Hazy Cold IPA – the name says it all!

SaltFire Brewing

2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Deep Dive Series

Hefeweisen 5% draft Deep Dive Series Mid-Mountain

Juicy Pale Ale 5% Draft Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: Kiss Whoever You WantPride Month IPL

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com

On Tap: SCION Strawberry/ mango - 7.1%

Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek https://secondsummitcider.com

Shades Brewing

154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer

On Tap: Hellion Blond Ale, an ode to Ellie, manager at Shades on State

Live Music: Thursdays

Shades On State 366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com

On Tap: Hellion Blond Ale, an ode to Ellie, manager at Shades on State

Karaoke: Wednesdays

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/squatters

On Tap: Thorny Pucker Raspberry Sour

Squatters and Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West

SLC UT 84115

Utahbeers.com

On Tap: Squatters & Kiitos Collab: Ginger Rye Lime Sour, 5% Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi, UT

StrapTankBrewery.com

On Tap: Spirit World Saison - Grid City Collaboration Sour Saison/ Wine Hybrid

Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT StrapTankBrewery.com

On Tap: Spirit World Saison - Grid City Collaboration Sour Saison/ Wine Hybrid

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com

On Tap: Yacht Rock Juice BoxJuicy IPA

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC

TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Noční Czech Dark Lager (NABA ‘23 Silver Medal Winner)

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week

BEER NERD

Templin Time

Spotlighting two very different, uniquely flavored new beers

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

TF/Roadhouse - Superdelic Kush: This collaboration beatween Wyoming’s RoadHouse Brewing and the Templin Family Brewery seeks to create a fruity IPA with moderate alcohol and big cannabis-like dankness. Straight from the can, this is deep orange and quite hazy. The head has plenty of staying power and leaves nice lacing on the glass. A lot of pungent and floral aromas emerge, plus papaya, mango, apricot, peach and melon, with dankness and woodiness in the background. All of those ripe fruit aromas are balanced by the green dank notes. I also get a hint of green bell pepper on the back end.

This beer is quite a dichotomy: Up front, it’s peachy, smooth and fruity, while the finish is super-resinous pine, wood, pith and dry, long-lingering bitterness. Also, lots of grapefruit flavors— from the rind, pith and flesh—coming through. It’s definitely interesting, and it totally works. It’s also cool that the beer is structured this way, because it’s really different compared to most other IPAs that I have had. Rife with reefer from front to back, the cannabis-like infusion that this beer represents comes through stronger than expected. Its aggressive fruitiness buffers and supports the hops on the way to a long and piquant bitterness of pine resins, hemp oil and dispensary. It’s creamy, appropriately carbonated and has a bit of an oily, slightly chewy mouthfeel. The body works well for this type of tropical hazemeets-West Coast IPA. It’s certainly a well-made beer, as with everything that I have had from these two breweries.

Verdict: Easy to drink with well-hidden alcohol, making it sessionable. The pleasant hop profile and light mouthfeel make

it quite enjoyable. I could easily have a couple of these, and I hope they decide to bring this one back again regularly.

TF - Blueberry Pancakes: This Imperial Pastry Stout was aged in High West Whiskey Barrels for 13 months, and it seeks to mimic the flavor of blueberry pancakes—maple syrup and all. With all of these ingredients, I wasn’t sure this stout would work. But while I have the tendency to scoff at the notion of bourbon barrel-aging pastry stouts, my curiosity was also piqued, because I’ve learned to never doubt TF Brewing.

It pours black with a tawny, tar-like margin. The mocha-stained honeycomb appearance precedes an aromatic display that starts roasty like dark coffee, fruity with grilled berry, but also with the bourbon-y nuances of oak, caramel and vanilla. Burnt sweetness picks up from there, as the first sip is of sugarsweetened espresso, molasses and a redolence of campfire.

As the stout seeps into the tastebuds, the middle palate brings a rich roast character. Dark roast coffee, charred woods, black walnut and cocoa take turns dominating the session, while the overcast of blueberries offers a fruity, vinous and robust twang balancing the scant sweetness that’s left. Broadly bitter on the finish, any hop character is easily disguised as coffee- or cocoa-derived bitterness. Softer coconut, vanilla and caramel from the barrel bring an oaky, nutty complexity to the spicy finish.

Verdict: Full-bodied but never viscous or oily, the beer features ample carbonation to break up the malt creaminess, facilitating a dry, smokey and slightly ashy finish. It’s an arid stout that uses the complexity of the barrel and fruit for balance, softness and spice—perfect for jammy cobblers or bread pudding.

Blueberry Pancakes dials in at 12.0 percent ABV, and doesn’t taste like it, so keep that in mind as you enjoy it from its 16-ounce can. Superdelic Kush has a much more manageable 6.8 percent ABV and can be purchased at Roadhouse’s brewery along with TF’s brewery. It comes in 16-ounce cans as well. As always, cheers! CW

MIKE RIEDEL

MIKE RIEDEL

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Utah Restaurants Honored by Wine Spectator

Wine Spectator recently announced its regional award winners, and we have plenty of local color on the list this year. Every year, Wine Spectator evaluates thousands of restaurants across the country, and there is quite a bit of recognition for Utah on their list of 2023 award winners. Some longtime winners—like 350 Main Brassiere in Park City and Log Haven—scored some more accolades this year, while the newcomers include The Capital Grille, N. Spencer’s, Yuta and the downtown phenom Urban Hill. Ever since Utah started getting recognized by Wine Spectator, we’re seeing more and more locals make this list. Congrats, Utah!

Pie and Beer Day 2023 at Beer Bar

There will be many Pie and Beer Day celebrations to choose from this holiday season, but the bash they throw at Beer Bar (161 E. 200 South) is among the biggest and most entertaining. This year, Beer Bar will be hosting 25 breweries along with pie from 25 local restaurants and bakeries, which equates to around 10,000 slices of pie by their estimation. Not only will this be a great place to celebrate pie & beer, but the event will also benefit the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. The event takes place on July 24 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Holy Water Opens

Speaking of pie—with the substitution of coffee for beer—a new coffee shop called Holy Water Coffee (712 E. 100 South) recently partnered with Pie Fight (937 E. 900 South) to create the sugary, caffeinated power couple we all deserve. There’s no denying that the combo of coffee and pie is a surefire hit, but when you add the passionate baristas of Holy Water with the magic of a Pie Fight hand pie, you’ve got something altogether spectacular. Let’s also not overlook the emphasis on grab-and-go here—savoring coffee and pie together is nice, but who has time for savoring anymore? We gotta get our pleasures on the go, and Holy Water is here to help.

Quote of the Week: “A boy does not have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn’t like pie when he sees there isn’t enough to go around.” –E.W.

Howe

Nuclear Options

In honor of Oppenheimer, a roundup of movies about the dawn of the Atomic Age.

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer (opening in theaters this week) tells the story of Dr. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist who oversaw the development of the atomic bomb for the U.S. military during World War II. Given the significance of that event on the rest of the 20th century, however, it’s not surprising that this isn’t the first film to deal with events surrounding that historic gathering of scientific talent. Here’s a look at just a few of the others, and where to find them.

Fat Man and Little Boy (1989): The story of the Manhattan Project got one of its more complete—if somewhat fictionalized— cinematic tellings in this historical drama from co-writer/director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields). It’s structured mostly as a battle of wills between the U.S. Army commander in charge of the Los Alamos site, Gen. Leslie Groves (Paul Newman), and Oppenheimer (The A-Team’s Dwight Schultz), focused on Groves’ concerns about Oppenheimer’s leftist politics and his extramarital affair with card-carrying communist Jean Tatlock (Natasha Richardson). It’s a little weird tonally—best exemplified by the various motifs employed by composer Ennio Morricone—with a bit too much focus on a composite scientist character played by John Cusack and

CINEMA

Dern). Still, it does a solid job of capturing the fundamental conflict between scientists weighing the moral consequences of their actions, and a military establishment that—when it comes down to the chance to get a powerful new weapon—reduces the matter to Groves’ demand of “Give me the bomb. Just give it to me.” Streaming free via Pluto.tv.

The Day After Trinity (1981): Director Jon Else’s documentary—narrated by Paul Frees—takes a fairly streamlined approach to chronicling Robert Oppenheimer’s life, focusing almost exclusively on the Los Alamos efforts, featuring plenty of Oppenheimer’s contemporaries and colleagues in circa-1979 interviews explaining how the Manhattan Project came together. That means far less time spent on Oppenheimer’s youth, early research and postLos Alamos run-ins with objections to his Communist sympathies, which provides a bit less potent context for the scientist’s regrets and attempts at promoting arms control. It’s nevertheless a vital piece of source material, to the extent that many of the quotes included here ended up being used by the authors of the Oppenheimer

The Atomic Café (1982): This fascinating documentary from co-directors Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader and Pierce Rafferty takes on the early years of the Atomic Age in America (approximately 1946 – 1960), with an eye to how official sources tried to shape public perception, making use exclusively of propaganda films, news footage, interviews and other contemporaneous material, including the occasional politically-themed popular song. While the filmmakers do provide an editorial point of view—for example, juxtaposing government stories about the lack of danger to residents of the Marshall Islands after nuclear testing with footage of actual victims—it’s mostly compelling as a portrait of how the country tried to process this seismic societal shift, as manipulated by the media and the Truman and Eisenhower administrations. As disturbing as it is to see members of Congress openly advocating for, say, tactical nuclear attacks during the Korean War, it’s perhaps even more compelling to realize how discon-

nected the popular imagination was from the reality of the existential dangers the world faced. Streaming free at Plex.tv.

Infinity (1996): Matthew Broderick’s one and only feature directing effort to date—with a screenplay by his mother, playwright Patricia Broderick—finds him playing physicist Richard Feynman in a narrative based on his oral memoirs. Mostly, it’s a fairly soppy romantic drama centered on Feynman’s relationship with his first love, Arline Greenbaum (Patricia Arquette), and her struggle with a disease that keeps resisting definitive diagnosis. Eventually we get to Feynman’s involvement with the Manhattan Project, while Arline is at a hospital in Albuquerque, and there’s a somewhat unique vibe to watching a more human side of the people working at Los Alamos, including Feynman overseeing a bunch of wide-eyed young students. Melodramatic though it may be in its slow march toward tragedy, it is a reminder that the scientists on the Manhattan Project were also dealing with other life stuff. And if you’re looking for a movie where someone explains a chain reaction by using olives, you’ve got that too. Streaming free via Tubi and Pluto.tv. CW

biography American Prometheus (itself the source material for Nolan’s Oppenheimer). Streaming free via YouTube.

By Emilee Atkinson

The Dead South @ Red Butte Gardens 7/20

It’s hardly surprising that a band that calls itself The Dead South—and whose members dress like Pennsylvania Quakers, ultra-Orthodox Jews or gunslingers just back from Boot Hill—would make music that’s decidedly out of the ordinary. On the other hand, this Saskatchewan-based Canadian combo are equally adept at tapping tradition. That’s one reason why they’re recipients of two Juno Awards, our northern neighbor’s version of the Grammys. Formed with the intent of creating a blustery bluegrass band, they’ve managed to develop a style that pushes at the parameters of a vintage sound, even while embracing their eccentric image. After all, any band that names its latest albums Easy Listening for Jerks Part 1 and Easy Listening for Jerks Part 2 is clearly capable of demonstrating what’s best described as an insurgent attitude. Likewise, an earlier EP dubbed The Ocean Went Mad and We Were to Blame might seem to say it all. The band once referred to themselves as “Mumford and Sons’ Evil Twins,” an apparent bow to their tenacious tone and darker demeanor. Nevertheless, there’s something to be said about a band that tugs at the roots and then entangles them in their own bizarre way. One might say that’s how The Dead South actually manages to come alive. The Dead South with special guest Corb Lund perform at Red Butte Garden (300 Wakara Way) at 7:30 pm on Thursday, July 20. Tickets cost $50 for Garden members, and $55 for the general public. Go to etix.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

The

THURSDAYS

FRIDAYS DJ FRESH(NESS)

SATURDAYS POKER @ 2PM DJ DELMAGGIO

SHARK SUNDAYS POOL TOURNEY HOSTED BY JARED AND TANNER

MONDAYS REGGAE MONDAY WITH DJ NAPO

WEDNESDAYS KARAOKE

TUESDAYS

By Emilee Atkinson

Over Under, Dad Bod, Sunhills @ Kilby Court 7/22

If you’ve had a bad week and need to let loose with some rad local bands, this is the show for you. SLC group Sunhills have been consistently putting out dreamy, reflective tracks over the past few years, garnering them a dedicated and enthusiastic fanbase. The young group captivates listeners with their laid-back vibe and reflective songs. One of their most popular singles, “You Love Me ’Cause You’re Bored,” is relatable in the most painful way if you’ve ever been crushing hard on someone and they just don’t feel the same. Joining the lineup are local indie-rock favorites Dad Bod, who have been charming Utah and beyond since 2018, releasing fantastic music including their 2021 album Pastels and their most recent single “By the Little Things.” Dad Bod will always leave you wanting more, and then they’ll be there with more for you to listen to. Heading up the bill for this incredible local lineup is Over Under, who are unveiling their debut EP. Over Under have been busy touring and sharing their music, so it’s exciting to see the group have a definitive collection of tunes for listeners to press play on and get lost in. Come see Over Under share their debut EP with friends Dad Bod and Sunhills on Saturday, July 22 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 and can be found at kilbycourt.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Jimmy Eat World & Manchester Orchestra @ The Complex 7/23

Jimmy Eat World’s Clarity is a modern classic that I discovered years after its release. Back in 1999, when the LP dropped, the band was given complete creative control by Capitol Records, and I really believe it to be one of the indie scene’s most influential records. However, Jimmy Eat World is much more than that emo staple, or its 2001 breakout single “The Middle.” “We worked too hard to be branded part of a trend, because when that’s not cool any more, you’re not either,” Jim Adkins told The Guardian in August 2022. “I get it. You need to call this world of ‘young person’s rock bands’ something.” Recently, they covered Manchester Orchestra’s “Telepath” ahead of their highly anticipated co-headline tour. Manchester Orchestra paid homage as well with a stunning version of Jimmy Eat World’s “Table for Glasses.” And look, when it comes to Manchester Orchestra, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child is still their best, easily. Andy Hull will never top that album lyrically or emotionally. But A Black Mile to the Surface is about as close as they’ve gotten to that level, and is like an evil twin of Simple Math. The Amplified Echoes tour is a true co-headlining affair, with the two groups taking turns closing the shows. Maybe the encore will be an amalgam of both? Middle Kids open. Catch these acts at The Lot at The Complex on Sunday, July 23. Doors open at 5 p.m.; show starts at 6 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $44.50 and can be found at thecomplexslc.com (Mark Dago)

MUSIC PICK S

By Emilee Atkinson

Locate S,1, Bly Wallentine, Tomper @ DLC 7/24

Unique and provocative, Locate S,1 is back with a new album that “pulls from wildly disparate references and textures to survey the history of American pop music,” according to her Bandcamp page. “Like Carly Simon soundtracking an Adam Curtis documentary, the album trades in dramatic juxtapositions across its kaleidoscopic ten tracks.” Wicked Jaw is a multi-layered and complex body of work that tackles difficult topic through the lens of “experimental sophistipop.” Like for many, the pandemic did have a hand in the creation of this album by Locate S,1, Christina Schneider. “Wicked Jaw both is and isn’t a pandemic album,” the album’s Bandcamp describes. “The dystopic terror of COVID-19 is an omnipresent touchpoint in the songs, which Schneider began writing in the summer of 2020, but the virus functions as a gateway for interpersonal analysis and reflection. What does it mean to be an American in the 21st century? What does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to be a survivor?” Locate S,1 is joined by some of SLC’s own sophisticated and talented artists Bly Wallentine and Tomper. Wallentine is well-known for their unique sounds as well as producing for other locals. Contemporary pop duo Tomper round out this incredible bill. Come get lost in some interesting music on Monday, July 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $12, and can be found at 24tix.com. (EA)

Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles @ Eccles Theater 7/26-27

While the Fab Four has been broken up since 1970, and only two members remain alive, there’s still a chance to experience some of their influential music live.

Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles is a fun, family-friendly, colorful show that allows show-goers to experience The Beatles in a way that they would never be able to otherwise. The tribute band is comprised of members who have loved the iconic lads from Liverpool, and are heavily influenced by their music. They recreate the live experience with love and passion, but while there’s artistry in the recreation in the songs, there’s just as much present in the design of the production. Rain dons iconic outfits from different eras of The Beatles, and the stage is decked out with decorations and light effects that make it a surreal and beautiful event. Come out and experience decades worth of incredible music at the Eccles Theater July 26 and 27. Tickets for the all-ages show range from $35-55 and can be found at live-at-the-eccles.com. Don’t miss your chance to travel back in time and experience some of the biggest hits from this legendary band. (EA)

JIM GIANNATTI

Jimmy Eat World Rain

free will ASTROLOGY

BY ROB BREZSNY

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

Your deep psyche will soon well up with extra creativity and fertility. I hope you will tap into these gifts. You should assume that you will be more imaginative and ingenious than usual. You will have an enhanced ability to solve problems with vigor and flair. In what areas of your life would you love to erupt with a burst of reinvention? Which of your habits might benefit from being cheerfully disrupted? Give yourself permission to change whatever bores you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

My teacher Paul Foster Case said the color yellow is midway between warm, exciting red and cool, calming blue. “Yellow has an equilibrating influence,” he wrote. “It stimulates the finer functions of the brain, is of assistance in developing alertness and discrimination and helps to establish emotional balance.” According to my astrological analysis, you should emphasize this hue in the coming days. If you call on yellow to help strengthen the qualities Case describes, you will place yourself in sweet alignment with cosmic rhythms.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

Because I enjoy joking with you, I am tempted right now to give you one of the following nicknames: Fidgety, Twitch, Jittery, Quivers or Shakes. But I will take a more serious tack. Let’s instead see if we can influence you to slow down, stabilize your rhythm, get really steady and secure and stand strong in your power spot. Would you consider adopting any of the following nicknames? Anchor, Unshakeable, Sturdy, Rock Solid, Staunch, Steadfast, Resolute.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

The sometimes overly clever author Oscar Wilde said, “When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers.” I reject that warped view of reality and assure you it will have no bearing on your life in the coming weeks. If you formulate your prayers with care and discernment, they will lead you to rewards, not problems. Maybe not the exact rewards you imagined, but still close to your hopes and helpful in the next chapter of your life story. (PS: No sloppy, lazy, careless prayers, please. Be precise and clear.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Leo theologian Bernard McGinn defines mysticism as “the consciousness of the immediate presence of God.” In other words, people having a mystic experience are filled with a visceral sensation of the divine intelligence. It’s not just an idea or concept; it’s a deeply felt communion infused with intimate tenderness. You Leos will be more likely than usual to have such contact in the coming weeks—if you want it. If you don’t want it, or don’t believe it’s real or don’t think it’s possible, well, then, you can of course resist it. But why not give it a whirl? There’s nothing to lose, and it could be fun.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Here’s a parable for you. Once upon a time, there was a woman who could read the future in the night sky. She regarded the planets and stars as her divine informants. On one moonless evening, she took a walk down a dirt road near her home. It was so dark she could barely see 2 feet ahead of her. Oops! She should have brought a flashlight. Lost in wonder, she gazed up at the heavenly bodies, watching and listening for revelations they might have for her. Then one of the lights, the planet Saturn, whispered, “Stop and look down, friend.” The woman turned her eyes from the sky to the ground just in time to find she was two strides away from stepping into a deep, muddy hole. What’s the moral of the tale? Here are some possibilities. 1. Sometimes the heights provide useful information about the depths. 2. Soaring visions may help you tune in to practical details. 3. To become aware of important facts you’ve overlooked in your daily rhythm, consult your higher mind.

LIBRA

(Sept.

23-Oct. 22)

A Libran writer I know received many rejection notices when he launched his career. I was amazed at how undaunted he was. In fact, he was the opposite of undaunt-

ed. He taped copies of his rejection notices to his bedroom wall. Seeing the evidence of his failures motivated him. It drove him to improve his writing and churn out even more articles. It fueled his search for a wider array of publications that might host his work. During the fourth year of this approach, luck and fate turned in his favor. Within the next eight months, 12 of his pieces appeared in print. My muses tell me, Libra, that you need to hear this story right now.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

The cartoon character Bart Simpson is one of the stars of The Simpsons animated TV show. According to him, “Life is a paradox. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” While that principle may sometimes be true, I believe you will be exempt from it in the coming weeks. In fact, I suspect you will be as free as it’s possible for a human to be of grueling contradictions, frustrating oppositions, clashing truths and paralyzing contraries. There’s a good chance you will also outwit and avoid annoying incongruities and silly arguments. Congratulations in advance, Scorpio! Take full advantage of this phase of simple clarity.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

The dragon has appeared in the myths and legends of many cultures. Europe, China and Mesoamerica are just a few places where the fire-breathing flying reptiles have fascinated the human imagination. In some traditions, they are dangerous and predatory. In China, though, they have been harbingers of good fortune and symbols of great power. Emperors claimed the dragon as their special emblem. In assigning the dragon to be your soul creature, Sagittarius, I am drawing from Chinese lore. What would you like to accomplish that would benefit from you having access to fierce, dynamic, indomitable energy? Call on the dragon for help and power.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

“There is a world of people who will love you for who you are,” writes author Cheryl Strayed. “A whole, vibrant, fucked-up, happy, conflicted, joyous and depressed mass of people.” In the coming months, one of your prime tasks is to specialize in communing with these folks. Make it your intention to surround yourself more and more with interesting, imperfect, ever-changing life-lovers who appreciate you for exactly who you are—and who inspire you to grow more and more into the full idiosyncratic glory of your authentic self.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

What psychic or prophet is most popular with A-list celebrities? I can assure you it’s not me. Few of my millions of readers are world-famous. What about the planet’s most scientifically accurate astrologer? Who might that be? It ain’t me. I don’t regard astrology as a science, and I mistrust those who say it is. In my view, astrology is a mythopoetic language and psychospiritual system that nurtures our souls and helps liberate us from our conditioning. We shouldn’t try to get “scientifically accurate” information from it. Now, I encourage you to do what I just did, Aquarius. Have fun telling people who you are not, what you don’t believe in and which goals you aren’t interested in pursuing.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

To come up with your astrological reports, I study the positions of the sun, moon and planets in relation to your sign. That’s the technical part of the work, the framework within which I unleash my intuition and imagination. To augment this work, I meditate and pray, asking higher powers to guide me in providing useful information for you. I often consult books written by my favorite astrology writers. (Currently reading Steven Forrest’s The Elements Series.) I also ask my deep mind to slip me info that might not be accounted for by traditional factors. How about you, Pisces? How do you do the work that you love and care about? Now is a good time to take inventory and make necessary adjustments.

Promotion Specialist(Draper, UT)

ACROSS

1. Squander, as cash

5. J. Edgar Hoover Building org.

11. Milk carton amts.

14. ____ fide

15. Drove

16. One-eighty

17. *It has a stem and a black head

19. NAACP co-founder ____ B. Wells

20. Sunak who took over as British P.M. in 2022

21. Soft mineral powder

22. Super uptight

23. “Reckon so”

25. In a little bit

27. Skip out (on)

28. Ointment amount

31. Heavenly beings

32. Bygone Mach 1 breaker, in brief

33. Inclusive acronym that was nominated for the American Dialect Society’s 2020 Word of the Year

35. Jury ____

36. *2022 Oscar winner for the documentary “Summer of Soul”

38. NSFW stuff

40. Virtual greeting

41. Karaoke need, for short

44. Shushes

46. “Good” cholesterol initials

47. Lower layer of the earth’s crust

48. Turmoils

50. Pesters, Chihuahua-style

52. Mogadishu-born supermodel

53. Mandatory college courses, in brief

56. Dispensary fill

57. Do more than nudge

58. Instruction to start playing ... or a phonetic hint to the starred clues

60. Inc., in France

61. #49 on the periodic table

62. Wrestler/actor John

63. Fabric measures: Abbr.

64. Uses a Zoom alternative

65. Paradise

DOWN

1. Cookout entree, in brief

2. Adams and Alcott

3. How kebabs are cooked

4. Artist nicknamed the “Pope of Pop”

5. ____ Kwon Do

6. Offended

$20K for … Someone

First-time home buyers or folks who haven’t owned a home in the past three years should be jumping up and down now that the Utah Legislature has launched a $20,000 loan program for qualified buyers. But it’s not as wonderful as it seems.

First, only 2,400 qualified homebuyers will be able to get the funds through the First-time Homebuyer Assistance Program.

Second, you can’t buy a home that costs over $450,000.

7. Active Sicilian volcano

8. April 1 victims

9. “You ____!”

10. Suffix with ox- or chlor-

11. *The Spice Girls, e.g.

12. How current events may happen?

13. Some mattresses

18. “____ the season to be jolly ...”

22. Bicker

24. Falco with four Emmys

26. A 2009 Los Angeles Times crossword clue for this answer was “Available from Netflix, say” (haha!)

29. Semicircular

daughter, Rashida Jones

45. William who co-wrote “The Elements of Style”

47. Neaten (up)

49. Like a dive bar

51. Naval VIP

54. *Rapper with the album “Amplified”

55. Elisabeth of “Cocktail”

58. Prefix with gender

59. Ambulance letters

Last week’s answers

Third—and this is a biggie—you can only buy a newly constructed home. This requirement was lobbied by developers and may not help that many people wanting to live in certain areas. There’s very little new affordable construction going on in rural areas of the state and almost none close to downtown Salt Lake City, except for a few townhomes.

When searching the WFRMLS for new construction properties in the Salt Lake Valley, a whopping 37 show up under $450,000, and all are town homes. Townhomes may be great for some, but often they rely on staircases that prevent differently abled persons and seniors from buying one.

Utah County had 74 properties, with only two home subdivisions (not townhomes) in Eagle Mountain and Spanish Fork. Davis County had a mere nine available, again, all townhomes.

Washington County also had nine properties, mostly townhomes, with a few one-level homes available in Hur ricane. Summit County has no prop erties that fit the requirements and Wasatch County has one newly con structed home in Daniel for $160,000.

Many builders do not list their prop erties on an MLS, so buyers have to drive around or hunt and peck on the interweb to find other options.

Plan and prepare advertising and promotional material to increase sales of products or services, working with customers, company officials, sales departments, and advertising agencies. Monitor & analyze sales promotion results to determine cost effectiveness of promotion campaigns. Coordinate with the media to disseminate advertising. 40hrs/ wk, Offered wage: $51,397/year, Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing / Management or related required.

Resume to CUPBOP CO Attn: Yeiri Kim, 12184 S Business Park Dr, #C, Draper, UT 84020

SUDOKU X

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers

1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

Townhomes are similar to condos in that some have HOA fees for exterior insurance, water, sewer and grounds maintenance. Depending on the subdivision, you may or may not own the land underneath the unit. They are a great housing alternative for some because they are more affordable and offer a “lock and leave” lifestyle if the exterior landscaping is paid for in a monthly fee. The most common floorplan is a living space above a two-car garage, with the kitchen, great room, half bath and laundry on one level and the other bedrooms/baths on another.

If you think you’ve found housing that fits the rules for the program, your first step is to get pre-approved with a participating lender to get creditqualified. The $20,000 loan is 0% interest with no monthly payments, and can be used toward the down payment and closing costs or to buy down the mortgage interest rate. When you refinance or sell the property, you have to repay the amount borrowed or 50% of the home equity.

For more information on homebuyer assistance, contact a local mortgage broker who can qualify you and spell out the numbers for you. I don’t sug

gest internet brokers, as they may not be familiar with the program. And check out utahhousing.org. n

BY THE EDITORS AT ANDREWS MCMEEL

It’s a Dirty Job ...

... but it wasn’t his job. Still, Beirut Report journalist Habib Battah got his hands dirty on a recent flight from Paris to Toronto, Canoe reported. “An hour into the transatlantic flight ... I kept smelling something gross and couldn’t figure it out,” Battah wrote on Twitter. While investigating, he discovered a large, “wet to touch” stain on the floor around his seat. The strap of his backpack, which was under the seat, was soaked in it, and a flight attendant only gave him some wipes to clean it up before “casually (noting) a passenger had hemorrhaged on a flight before ours,” Battah said. He said the Air France staff were shocked because a crew had removed the seats after the previous flight’s incident, but apparently hadn’t cleaned the bloody carpet. “This is not a customer service issue—it’s a biohazard ,” Battah wrote. “There is fresh human blood on your aircraft.”

Oops

The Presbyterian Ladies’ College in Croydon, Australia, a private girls’ school, recently had egg on its face after drone footage captured the suggestive shape of a new garden bed on the campus, The Sydney Morning Herald reported on July 5. The garden was designed by an architectural firm; a school staff member said that as they considered the placement of chairs for the garden, they “sent a drone up to take pictures. At a certain angle from up high, the garden ... took on a phallic shape which was unintended and unexpected. As a result, the architects made some alterations which were completed within 72 hours of the drone pictures.” One unidentified former student said, “The immediate response was laughter ... Photos have been circulating among the school as memes, saying, ‘Oh, good morning’ and various kinds of jokes.”

The Golden Age of Air Travel

On July 2, as an American Airlines flight prepared to depart Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one passenger had a massive change of heart about her trip, The Dallas Morning News reported. The woman rose from her seat and headed to the front of the plane, yelling and pointing toward the back, “I’m telling you, I’m getting (expletive) off, and there’s a reason why I’m getting (expletive) off, and everyone can either believe it or they can not believe it. ... That (expletive) back there is not real. And you can sit on this plane and you can die with him or not. I’m not going to.” The TikTok user who posted a video said the outburst delayed the flight by three hours, as passengers were forced to deplane and reboard; the woman was not arrested and, in fact, got back through security. American said the passenger was “met at the gate by law enforcement and removed from the flight.”

What Could Go Wrong?

Alef Aeronautics has announced that the Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the startup’s flying car, the Model A, to fly for purposes including research, development and exhibition, United Press International reported. The California company calls its invention a vehicle takeoff and landing aircraft, or VTOL, which can drive and park like a normal car. While it is not certified (yet) for public road travel, the company says the FAA’s OK will place it closer to “bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute ... This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars,” said CEO Jim Dukhovny.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

Chandler, Arizona, taxidermist Rachel Lewis, 38, has found her niche in the world of preserving dead animals: She makes piggy banks out of stillborn piglets. Metro News reported that Lewis, a former hairdresser, took a taxidermy class four years ago and just came up with the piggy bank idea in May. “Most of my specimens I get from local farms around me,” Lewis said. “I feel like they get to live a second life ... it’s kinda cool.” She called her process “labor-intensive,” involving hollowing out the

insides and adding a pork ... er, cork plug. “I have a larger pig that I plan on doing as a piggy bank, too,” she said. She also hopes to make objects with jewelry boxes and “secret stash” compartments.

Inexplicable

Michael Banks, 36, told Brevard County (Florida) sheriff’s deputies that he decided to go “car surfing” after he left a Home Depot store on July 5 in Merritt Island, Click Orlando reported. Banks allegedly climbed on top of a van, then jumped from it onto a Nissan truck, an SUV, a Jeep, another SUV and a sedan, causing damage to each vehicle in the neighborhood of $1,000. He faces two counts of criminal mischief and was held at the county jail.

Questionable Judgment

The Greater Muscatine (Iowa) Chamber of Commerce and Industry is apologizing after a controversial Fourth of July parade entry drew heated responses, KCRG-TV reported. The parade entry consisted of a man on horseback, leading a woman on foot dressed in Native American attire. The woman had a rope tied around her hands. “The group (submitting the entry) stated that their intention was to pay homage to the Cherokee Nation on how unjustly they were treated,” read a statement from the GMCCI, but “the entry does not represent our community.”

Recent Alarming Headline

Carol Dillin of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is trying to get to the bottom of a nighttime visitor that keeps banging on her back door, waking up her family. KFOR-TV reported on July 6 that Dillin’s security cameras have captured a flying object that may be a bat or a large moth; all of her attempts to block or scare the animal away, including plastic owls and a scarecrow, have failed. “I thought somebody was hitting baseballs against the house. Then it started sounding like basketballs,” Dillin said. Micah Holmes of the state wildlife department said his money is on a moth. “This is a good year for moths because it’s been pretty wet,” he said. “This is the time of year they’re out and trying to mate.” Meanwhile, Dillin has decided to take the ultimate step: “We have a guy coming Friday morning to give us an estimate” to close off the porch, she said.

Bright Idea

The long lines at Wimbledon are legendary, but Jesse Besse, 28, from South London and her flatmates came up with a plan to make the wait ultra-comfy. The Mirror reported that the friends brought their living room sofa with them and set it up in the queue, enjoying Pimms and strawberries. “The queue is part of the tournament, so you have to sort of expect you’re in for the long haul,” Besse said. “We arranged for our other friends to pick it up when we got near the front and it’s back safe and sound in the lounge now.” Even better, Snug, the company that makes the sofa, got in touch and paid for the group’s tickets. Score!

Field Report

Emma Tetewsky, 31, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, went missing on June 26, WBZ-TV reported, and her family were frantic to find her. On July 3, a group of hikers at Borderland State Park in Eastland called police after hearing a woman “screaming for help in a swamplike area,” officials said. Tetewsky was found in “thick brush and swamp” about 50 feet off the trail, where she said she’d been stuck for three days. “We did initially try to pick her up, but the weight of her on top of our body weight sunk us further,” said Easton police officer Corey McLaughlin. “It took me 20 seconds to get my feet out of the mud,” added officer Jason Wheeler. Tetewsky’s family said she suffered from severe dehydration but was otherwise unharmed.

Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com