Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CWMAs Saturday 2.7: Club Vegas
Final night of the showcases, and while most people made their way up to Park City, I took a detour down the street and headed over to Club Vegas for the hard rock closer.
Speaking of which, the band immediately made their presence known kicking the crowd with the double bass and commanding vocals that could only come from Chopper. Wasting little time on small talk the group pounded their way through the set as if they were on a mission to enlighten and deafen you at the same time. Commanding the stage in only a way that would make Iggy Pop applaud, they cranked out songs off their first album, giving a performance that demanded your attention from start to finish. This was another band in all these shows that I hadn’t seen perform live before, and nothing else I can type up here could equal the awesome set I saw. Blackhole isn’t a group, it’s a goddamn experience. Go watch them at Burt’s this week and see what I mean.
Closing up shop was the ever high pitched thrash that is Cave Of Roses. Putting on a show that you could only get if you went across the pond to Ruisrock, this metal group cleaned house with a musical barrage of both complex and old-school death metal. Songs like “Scent of Flesh” and “Creature” blasted through the sound system, as Rhett’s vocals poured through the sea of loyal fans who stayed all the way to the end just to see them. Finishing off with a good eight minute number that left the audience roaring, the seven year veterans showed they could hold their own on any billing. With such a long standing and a loyal following, it’s strange that the band only has a couple of demos floating around. It would be nice to see what their vision of a full-length would be.Fitting ending to the CWMAs for me. Get your final votes in before they shut down. Even if you didn’t vote, please tell me you got out and saw at least one show. Just one? And to pimp my own stuff out for a moment, check out interviews with both Blackhole and Cave Of Roses this Tuesday on my blog, along with pictures from this show. Many thanks to the CW staff who put up with me, my jokes, and took many a photo with me for no reason. (Gavin Sheehan)
Speaking of which, the band immediately made their presence known kicking the crowd with the double bass and commanding vocals that could only come from Chopper. Wasting little time on small talk the group pounded their way through the set as if they were on a mission to enlighten and deafen you at the same time. Commanding the stage in only a way that would make Iggy Pop applaud, they cranked out songs off their first album, giving a performance that demanded your attention from start to finish. This was another band in all these shows that I hadn’t seen perform live before, and nothing else I can type up here could equal the awesome set I saw. Blackhole isn’t a group, it’s a goddamn experience. Go watch them at Burt’s this week and see what I mean.
Closing up shop was the ever high pitched thrash that is Cave Of Roses. Putting on a show that you could only get if you went across the pond to Ruisrock, this metal group cleaned house with a musical barrage of both complex and old-school death metal. Songs like “Scent of Flesh” and “Creature” blasted through the sound system, as Rhett’s vocals poured through the sea of loyal fans who stayed all the way to the end just to see them. Finishing off with a good eight minute number that left the audience roaring, the seven year veterans showed they could hold their own on any billing. With such a long standing and a loyal following, it’s strange that the band only has a couple of demos floating around. It would be nice to see what their vision of a full-length would be.Fitting ending to the CWMAs for me. Get your final votes in before they shut down. Even if you didn’t vote, please tell me you got out and saw at least one show. Just one? And to pimp my own stuff out for a moment, check out interviews with both Blackhole and Cave Of Roses this Tuesday on my blog, along with pictures from this show. Many thanks to the CW staff who put up with me, my jokes, and took many a photo with me for no reason. (Gavin Sheehan)
Thursday, February 5, 2009
CWMA on PCTV and other Acronym Shenanigans
For all three or so readers who subscribe to PCTV, I'll be joining host Ori Hoffer to chat about the City Weekly Music Awards. Top 30 nominee Paul Jacobsen and the Madison Arm will also be performing live on the show. You can check them out again on Saturday at the Star Bar. For a complete schedule of CWMA events this weekend, click here.
And enjoy this video
(Jamie Gadette)
And enjoy this video
(Jamie Gadette)
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
CWMA Videos!
We're so close to entering the 21st century, but you're still going to have to click here to see the cool videos we took at last weekend's City Weekly Music Awards showcases. Share them with your loved ones.
(Jamie Gadette)
(Jamie Gadette)
Monday, February 2, 2009
THIRD TIME'S A CHARM (?)
I'm a little late to the party, but hey, at least it's still a party, right? If you didn't catch it, you missed out on one hell of a show last Saturday. I know there's a lot of shows left, but this is going to be one difficult night to top.
LOOM opened the show with a barrage of lights and intensity, and it's apparent that this band loves nothing more than playing music. It's refreshing to see that kind of thing in a day when so many bands are merely looking for a way to get paid. I'd never seen LOOM play live before, but the buzz around them has been building steadily over the past year, and I'm glad I finally got a chance to see what they were all about. They have such a unique sound and every instrument is utilized to its full potential, that nothing ever comes across as a gimmick. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.
SUBROSA was up next and this was another band I'd never seen live. Unlike the night's opener however, I'd never even heard them. I'd heard of them, and they're another band with a bit of buzz around the city, but I'm always skeptical when it comes to both hype and buzz. Those two things lead to expectations, and sometimes those expectations are unattainable no matter how good a band might be. Luckily for me (and SUBROSA for that matter), they are good and lived up to all my expectations. The dueling violins is a great asset to have, and anyone that's ever said ladies no nothing about heavy music obviously hasn't been treated to a set by this band.
One band left, and they saved the best for last.
Years and years ago, I saw Form of Rocket's first show when both Peter and Curtis played guitar and a guy named Ryan sang. I bought a demo (that I still have by the way), listened to it and knew these guys were on to something. I saw them a handful of times at local spots like Kilby Court and Area 51 (where they opened for Botch), but as the years went on and they started playing more and more bar shows, I stopped going. I loved the band, but hated driving home smelling like I'd just rolled around in a giant ashtray. With the new smoking ban, this would be my first chance to see one of the best Salt Lake Bands of all time in more than half a decade. FORM OF ROCKET took the stage and I remembered all the reasons I loved them in the first place. Tyler and Ben are one of the most dynamic rhythm sections around which leaves the guitarists more than enough room to create the bands signature sound. They played with more heart and energy than I ever remembered, and left everyone in that bar cheering for more.
FORM OF ROCKET definitely earned the headlining spot, but every band deserves every vote they get. Like I said, this night will be hard to top.
(Trevor Hale)
LOOM opened the show with a barrage of lights and intensity, and it's apparent that this band loves nothing more than playing music. It's refreshing to see that kind of thing in a day when so many bands are merely looking for a way to get paid. I'd never seen LOOM play live before, but the buzz around them has been building steadily over the past year, and I'm glad I finally got a chance to see what they were all about. They have such a unique sound and every instrument is utilized to its full potential, that nothing ever comes across as a gimmick. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on.
SUBROSA was up next and this was another band I'd never seen live. Unlike the night's opener however, I'd never even heard them. I'd heard of them, and they're another band with a bit of buzz around the city, but I'm always skeptical when it comes to both hype and buzz. Those two things lead to expectations, and sometimes those expectations are unattainable no matter how good a band might be. Luckily for me (and SUBROSA for that matter), they are good and lived up to all my expectations. The dueling violins is a great asset to have, and anyone that's ever said ladies no nothing about heavy music obviously hasn't been treated to a set by this band.
One band left, and they saved the best for last.
Years and years ago, I saw Form of Rocket's first show when both Peter and Curtis played guitar and a guy named Ryan sang. I bought a demo (that I still have by the way), listened to it and knew these guys were on to something. I saw them a handful of times at local spots like Kilby Court and Area 51 (where they opened for Botch), but as the years went on and they started playing more and more bar shows, I stopped going. I loved the band, but hated driving home smelling like I'd just rolled around in a giant ashtray. With the new smoking ban, this would be my first chance to see one of the best Salt Lake Bands of all time in more than half a decade. FORM OF ROCKET took the stage and I remembered all the reasons I loved them in the first place. Tyler and Ben are one of the most dynamic rhythm sections around which leaves the guitarists more than enough room to create the bands signature sound. They played with more heart and energy than I ever remembered, and left everyone in that bar cheering for more.
FORM OF ROCKET definitely earned the headlining spot, but every band deserves every vote they get. Like I said, this night will be hard to top.
(Trevor Hale)
PCTV: The Devil Whale
CWMA Top 30 performer The Devil Whale will perform live on Park City Television tonight. If you happen to have access to that channel, tune in. If not, we'll try to get some footage posted some time this week. Huzzah! In the meantime, here is some golden oldie video of the band playing at Velour last summer.
(Jamie Gadette)
(Jamie Gadette)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Monk's, Punks!
The City Weekly Music Awards Showcase at Monk's started off with a bang. By the end the first night of the festivities had turned into a dance party.
Laserfang opened with an ominous synth drone, not surprisingly since they had three on stage, banks of keyboards resembling the command center of some musical starship. (Not "Starship" as in "We Built This City...";) They went into a kind of Radiohead disco groove, with a long build-up before Shane Asbridge kicked in with lyrics, and a bit of a Thom Yorke resemblance. It was a dance number, with heavy bass as well as percussion. This band is clearly all about dancing.
Stephen Chai's melodica and sax added a jazz vibe. A number with disco shuffle beat and shimmering piano sounds went from vocal chorus into a rock break, then downbeat. The sax, on top of funky guitar added a 'no-wave' ambience like the funkier Talking Heads stuff. They ended with a flourish with a full-on new wave disco groove.
Then The Furs. The Furs are like Brian Jonestown Massacre without Anton Newcombe's psychodrama. Bassist Matt Hill and guitarist Bryan Mink are dressed all in black like the Velvet Underground, Hill even adding a scarf and dark glasses. It's tempting to call drummer Stephanie Marlow the Mo Tucker of the equation.
After several ballads they commence a slower, feedback-ridden dirge. They seem to work into their full-bore set gradually. Even the Velvet's trademark bored look seems to play ironically now, layers of irony on top of irony. The Furs only played a half hour, but left the audience happy. Their 'less is more' set list contrasted with their sonic approach of 'more is more.'
The Purr Bats round out the evening, donning orange Native American robes and headdresses, except for singer Kyrbr in schoolboy outfit and headdress. Kyrbr has been a familiar voice in Salt Lake music with all his projects over the years, and the sound brings many flashbacks from the Moroccan. His schoolboy whine with a touch of bravado is perfect for their music.
Kyrbyr is right out on the floor with people dancing; stomping and flailing his arms at times like disco aerobics. Dave Payne brings the keytar, keyboardist Jesse Winters and drummer James Acton are both Ether alumni, Derwood wields the bass and Terrence Warburton is on guitar for a real ensemble. The combination of all this is a rhythm that's positively tribal. They are so energetic they have to pause in between songs simply to catch their breath.
Some of their lyrics go way back to the days of Puri-Do in the early 90's: "I met a boy from BYU/he keeps me in his mouth." They conclude with the 60's garage rock beat of "Floozy" and finally a full-on disco number complete with video game noises. By the end of the evening the whole room is moving. It's been the kind of evening when you go home and your clothes are sweat-soaked.
The games are on!
(Brian Staker)
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