NKOTB in WVC!

[Concert Review] On Saturday, Nov. 15, the New Kids on the Block played a two-hour show at the E Center in West Valley City to a mixed audience of 30-plus-year-old moms and their pre-teen and teen daughters.

Although some of the singing was off-key, the first of the boy-band generation didn’t disappoint their audience. The live show featured a series of hits from the new-New Kids album, The Block and, of course, all of their classic hits from the early '90s.

Mid-show the men of NKOTB disappeared, only to pop up in the middle of the floor seats doing a small in-the-round performance on a stage just slightly bigger then the piano it held as a series of screaming middle-aged women rushed the tiny, turning stage.

Although the fab five from Boston certainly don't appear to be Kids anymore, they can still dance, and Jordan Knight even performed "Baby I Believe in You" with a wide-open, white button-down shirt as many of their fans from the ‘90s, now in their 30s and 40s, screamed and cried with delight.

After a 15-year hiatus from touring, the New Kids on the Block are continuing their reunion tour into January 2009 and still feature their original members, Jordan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, Jonathan Knight and Danny wood. (J.T. Mackenzie)

Preview: The Vincent Black Shadow

[Music] It's a long way to the top if you want to rock & roll in dark, poppy fashion. For Vancouver's Vincent Black Shadow, the lengthy journey out of obscurity began with the band assessing its talents in relation to popular acts My Chemical Romance and The Used—groups who employed the type of dramatic theatrics VBS infuses in their own eclectic sound.

The female-fronted act lived largely in the shadows even after releasing their debut, Fear's In the Water (2006), but with the new El Monstruo its members make a strong case for audiences to wake up to a hard-riffed blend of punk, metal, jazz and classical-fueled compositions—songs that help them stand out in the eyeliner-obsessed demographic.

The album has received widespread critical acclaim from print and television outlets, coverage that’s well-deserved (though it doesn’t hurt that lead singer Cassandra Ford resembles Christina Ricci, either).

Ford sings in a style comparable to Gwen Stefani’s fierce pipes during No Doubt’s heyday. Fun, confident and completely catchy, her voice lifts songs like “Fear’s In the Water, “Broken,” and “Control,” to complement melodic guitars and keyboards. Those songs, however, fall short of brilliant. El Monstruo’s track listing demonstrates the band’s marked improvement.

In 2008, VBS signed to Beef Records but distributed El Monstruo independently on their website, TVBSMusic.com. A bold move, yes—but it paid off.

El Monstruo takes the same formula that drove the group’s debut effort, but ups the volume and energy. Dramatic strings and heavy guitars appear on songs like “They Still Want You” and “Don’t Make Me So Mad,” giving the band a polished and mature sound.

The band deserves credit for going out on a limb and releasing it themselves. Currently, they act as managers, public relations specialists, promoters and, oh yeah, rock stars.

As for their live show, well we know they’ve learned from some of the best. The Vincent Black Shadow has toured with bands such as Joan Jett, Bif Naked and Snow Patrol. Now on their second headlining tour, the band takes its energetic show to Salt Lake City tonight at Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, KilbyCourt.com.



(Jonny Glines)

David Byrne: Live Review

[Music] "When an angel fucks a whore," Park City goes wild. At least, when David Byrne is delivering the news in his distinct, persuasive voice. The former Talking Heads frontman greeted his Utah audience Saturday night with a head-to-toe white uniform to complement his shock of white hair.

Accompanied by three backup singers, two percussionists, a bassist, keyboardist and three interpretive dancers, Byrne soared through a seamless set of material culled from his work with Brian Eno, both 27 years ago with My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts and the 2008 (now) digital-only release Eveything That Happens Will Happen Today (physical copies will be shipped to stores later this year).

Byrne stepped onstage following a lengthy introduction by the evening’s organizer who preached to the choir, encouraging the sold-out crowd dominated by liberal baby boomers to vote for the maverick—in Utah, that is. Which is to say, Obama.

The concert, held in the Eccles Center—which doubles as Park City High School’s auditorium—at first received a rather modest response from audience members who are apparently accustomed to behaving themselves. After two or three songs most of them realized who they’d come to see—a man who has never played by the rules and continues to march however he pleases to the most unexpected beats of his own drum.

And so bodies began popping in and out of seats, at first resulting in the occasional hushed “sit down!” until the whole room stood to salute Byrne and Co with wild, varying interpretations of dancing.

Onstage dancers, who could have proved distracting, fell in lockstep with Byrne’s quirky aesthetic and infused added spunk to the already festive evening, particularly during the brilliant, slightly unnerving “I Feel My Stuff.”

Byrne wrapped up the night with material from Talking Heads’ heyday, including “Once In A Lifetime,” “Take Me To The River” and “Heaven.” He closed out the night—three encores later!! Way to step up and surprise a touring band with your unexpected enthusiasm Park City!—with the predictable, but always pleasurable, “Burning Down The House.”

“Some things sure can sweep me off my feet.”

Indeed.

Here's a clip of "I Feel My Stuff" live at Austin City Limits. Pretty much a carbon copy of last night


(Jamie Gadette)

Symphonic Shinedown

[Live Music] Their Wednesday concerts across the street from the City Weekly office at the Gallivan Center have been doing just fine with no assist from us or anyone else, but The Blaze 97.5's show tonight is headlined by Florida rockers Shinedown with a little help from ... the Utah Symphony? The Blaze's Big Rog explains:

"This should be a one-of-a-kind performance from Shinedown ... We were able to scrape together a 10-piece string orchestra, featuring members of the Utah Symphony, to play some songs with them. They’ve never done this live before and I’ve never really seen anything like it except on award shows. If we can pull it off, it should be pretty special."

The Blaze 97.5's big turnouts for these shows is somewhat special, too, considering that the station had its longtime frequency 94.9 (what's there now ain't The Blaze, not matter what they imply) yanked from under it and had to scramble to a new number recently--judging by last week's crowd, the switch didn't make a dent.

A little Shinedown, doing a fine cover of Skynyrd's "Simple Man":



(Bill Frost)

Live! Lita! Luchagors!

[Live Music] Actually, her name's Amy Dumas--"Lita" was her rasslin' name when she was with the WWE. God and Vince McMahon forbid us from calling her by her old corporate-held handle.

Dumas' band the Luchagors are an Atlanta punk-metal band with furious hooks and energy to burn, evidenced by tracks like "White Boy" and, well, "Burn," from their self-titled indie release. Tonight, they make their first-ever Salt Lake City stop on one of Utah's notoriously difficult Monday nights, tearing up Burt's Tiki Lounge, with local openers the Swamp Donkeys.

If wrestling/punk/sweaty rawk grrrls fans don't come to this show, bartender/molder of young minds Barndogg says that we're all a sorry-ass lot who may as well just give up and go to John Mayer and Colbie Calliat. Fightin' words, for sure. (Bill Frost)

Imaad Wasif & RTX: Tonight!

[Live Music] You might know Imaad Wasif from his work in Alaska!, Folk Implosion and, recently, backing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Or you might just know him because you read City Weekly. Either way, you should get on down to Urban Lounge (241 S. 500 East) tonight to see the man with his band Two Part Beast. Here's a clip from the new album:



and here's an incredibly awkward interview with the Folk Implosion on MTV's 120 Minutes, a sort of how-NOT-to primer on intelligent band interviews



(Jamie Gadette)

Pump Up The Volume

[Music Review/Preview] Man oh man, did Dead Meadow kill last night or what?! I must have looked like a burned-out lunatic closing my eyes and rocking back and forth against the window where I could best feel the vibrations. It helps that the Los Angeles-based stoner/psych-rock trio brought no less than 10 Orange Amplifiers to kick out their heavier-than-hell jams. The ragtag virtuosos played an ear-splitting mix of new material off their latest release Old Growth (Matador) and older jams, including one of the first tracks they ever wrote. They dedicated the latter song to Iota's Oz, their SLC brother in arms who cozied up against the giant Orange stack, banging his head in appreciation. The crowd--which included a lot of super young hippie chicks gyrating in not-always rhythmic motion--rushed the stage before the show and remained there with giant grins and blissed-out expressions til the bitter end. Bitter only because Dead Meadow had to keep on rollin.

All that after two killer sets by Pink Lightnin (who offered to play more all-ages shows if the kids want them) and the Furs, who are tighter than ever. If you're reading this and feel like a road trip, the Furs are hitting the road today and heading to Vegas. Maybe you can tag along.

For those who'd rather stay in the city, this weekend is crazy packed with awesome shows. White Denim and Tapes 'N Tapes play one side of In the Venue while Atmosphere drops new material on the other side. Brilliant booking guys!

Also tonight, Destroyer plays The Urban Lounge and Cavedoll joins Simple Shelter for a multi-media extravaganza at Trapp Door.

Tomorrow, check out Matt Hopper and The Roman Candles, also at Urban with Drew Grow and Dead Horse Point.

And last but not least, motherfucking M.I.A. at The Depot, Sunday!! This show has not sold out ... yet. Get in while the getting is good.


(Jamie Gadette)

Does It Offend You? No, Not Really

[Music/Review] Generally when I am on the prowl for music, I get annoyed by the employees’ musical picks blasting on the record store’s stereo. It’s usually too damned loud (get off my lawn!). Of course, there’s an exception to every rule, as I discovered while browsing Graywhale recently. I found my feet tapping to an unfamiliar sound. I honestly don’t do this often but I asked the employee what he was playing. He informed me that Does It Offend You, Yeah? was rocking my socks off. I’m glad I heard their music first because that name has hipster bullshit written all over it.

I picked up a copy of You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into (which I didn’t, really), took it home and immediately started tracking down the band’s whereabouts tour wise. I found that they were located in the UK, but just for me, they decided to come to Urban Lounge on May 9. I am pretty selfish when it comes to new music discoveries and usually not hip enough to catch everything that has come my way in time, so selfishly, I always hope a band is under wraps before I catch them for the first time. After that they can have as many fans as they want.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? were on the bill with Laserfang and Yo! Majesty. Laserfang, I am ashamed to say, I have not seen enough since their bassist moved and they restructured the band. This is especially embarrassing because my roommate Shane “Awesome” Asbridge doubles as their frontman. They were so amazing and had all of the elements that I long for in rocking out: keyboards, amazing drums, and of course, the vocals. From now on, I’m going to make Shane serenade me to sleep every night.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? went on stage as scheduled, (what? weird!) but I had camera issues so I stepped outside to give old ma a call. My mommy fixes things: Shattered dreams, cameras, and boys teasing me. As she gave me detailed instructions I was confronted by two such boys asking me what I was taking photos for. I said an article, and kind of got mocked by them asking if the supposed article was my blog. I am sooo going to blog about them later.

The Urban Lounge is ideal for these types of shows, especially on a Friday night when the downtown bar is right on the cusp of being too packed, but not so badly that I want to cry and blog about it. The energy of the crowd was amazing, the sound of everything right on track, and I was still able to get my beers in a timely manner.

Urban eventually did grew to near capacity without me noticing (thanks beer) and everyone was crammed up to the front of the stage and en route had a run in with someone’s cigarette—my concert war wound for the night. It beat the usual—someone spilling a pitcher of beer on me.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? were actually much better live than on their album. They are an orgy of sound that compares to VHS or Beta, Bloc Party, Daft Punk, and a dash of LCD Soundsystem. If you like all that stuff, than you will love this band, if you don’t then fine don’t love them.

What made their set even more impressive is that this music is normally done by pre-recorded tracks, DJs and then some singing to top it off. These guys went all out organic to make the sounds they did and played all of their instruments without the bulking of pre-recordings to come to their rescue.

For their future albums, my constructive criticism: play zero slow songs so hard and so fast that yer fingers bleed. That is how I like them the best. And I will tell them that next time we are out shopping or having lunch.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to catch Yo! Majesty, I heard a lot of people were there to see them as well, (thanks beer AND Pina Coladas earlier) but in way sometimes when you go to a concert and you just saw something that is seemingly untopple, I just want to end scene and bask in what I just witnessed. So begins successfully my summer of oh so many concerts. (Dominique LaJeunesse)

No (Pre) Show

[Music] How is it that Jucifer, one of my favorite bands/forces of nature, is playing in Salt Lake City tomorrow night and I'm just hearing about it today? Way to promo, Broken Todd's and/or Relapse Records.

The two-piece Athens band (Amber & Edgar Livengood--the Satanic flipside to Jack & Meg White) have released a new album, L'Autrichienne, which we also didn't receive; let's just say it's great. But, even if you do have a copy, live Jucifer is unrecognizable from recorded Jucifer, anyway: Onstage, it's all about volume, volume, volume! Amps to the ceiling, all cranked to 11, feel the thud. It's a show where earplugs and a helmet are recommended.

Jucifer plays the Broken Record Bar & Grill (1051 S. 300 West) Wednesday April 23, guessing 'round 11 p.m. Even if you don't go, you'll probably be able to hear it from wherever you are. Here's a video taste; imagine it 86 times louder:


(Bill Frost)

No Show

[Music] So apparently Yeasayer didn't play as scheduled last night at In the Venue. According to one anonymous user, club officials failed to inform the public ahead of time that the band would not be appearing. This is all news to me. Does anyone know why the group didn't show? Anyone care to share their experience at the club? (Jamie Gadette)

Liars, No Age & A Whole Lot Of Sweat

[Music] Better late than never, right? The following is an account of the Jan. 31 Liars/No Age show as told by our ace A&E stringer, Jacob Stringer, who put into words a more eloquent version of my review: "They rocked the shit out of us!"

It was questionable at best that the show would even happen. There were all sorts of unforeseen forces at work apparently trying everything within their powers to keep the No Age / Liars tour from ever getting off the ground.

First, Liars frontman Angus Andrews just happened to throw his back out something awful just before they were to head off on the road. But, since, as he put it, he didn’t want to be the one responsible for killing everyone’s fun, Andrews pulled himself up by the boot straps, determined to deliver the goods—even if that meant he would be sitting for a good portion of the show.

Then there was the snow. According to an aspirated Dean Spunt, the singer/drummer half of the No Age duo, they barely made it to Salt Lake City due to a harrowing trip down from the lands of Idaho. But still, as he busied himself setting up his gear, getting ready to open for the Liars, he couldn’t help but just be happy to finally be on tour, and out of the van.

Perhaps it was that pent-up frustration and relief from having faced perilous road conditions to even make it to The Urban Lounge on Thursday, Jan. 31 that added something extra to their energy and mystique—guitarist Randy Randall never even taking off his faux fur-lined parka. In any case, it was definitely Salt Lake City’s treat as No Age charged through a set that include a mix of both tracks off of their critically celebrated Weird Rippers and their forth coming Sub Pop release Nouns.

Even though most fans of the Liars are on board with never quite being able to pin down where these guys are going to go next with their sound or look, things this time around seemed even more precarious. Andrews had hinted at this tour being different due to his limited motion capabilities, even poking fun at the fact that maybe now he could focus on singing since he obviously couldn’t be doing his standard cartwheels and such on stage. And within minutes of hitting the stage I quickly understood why Andrews typically spends most of his time writhing and ranting about.

Looking around at all the people crowded within two feet of a seated Andrews provided ample more fodder; even while debilitated, the sheer driving beats and sonic wailing of the Liars couldn’t help but propel most into uninhibited motion.

Sure every once and awhile Andrews couldn’t help but stand up and belt through a couple of tunes, but really it didn’t matter. With or without a strong back and sitting or standing painfully erect, in any case the Liars delivered the goods they have built their reputation on as one of the better live acts around. If not the various roadblocks they have already come face to face with, it is truly hard to imagine what could possibly stop these guys. (Story by Jacob Stringer; blogging by Jamie Gadette; photos by Benjamin Stringer)

DV8, Well-Done

[News] Last night, longtime downtown SLC concert/dance venue DV8 burned down. The joint opened as Cartoons Comedy Club in the early '80s, later becoming DV8 dance club with the occasional band and, eventually, one of the hottest alt-rock venues of the '90s: Tool, PJ Harvey, Elastica, Primus, the Rev. Horton Heat, Garbage and countless others played DV8 regularly; Pearl Jam made their Salt Lake City debut there. Even during an awkward phase as Club Xscape in the '00s, the place still hosted some great shows--and, even better, didn't host a scheduled concert by Canadian douche-rockers Nickelback because the band said the place "wasn't big enough, eh."

DV8 has been closed and empty for years, but your local TV news had no clue: Last night, you could forgive West Valley-based ABC 4 for not knowing anything about the Downtown West Temple area (at least they knew the Capitol Theatre was around there somewhere), and Fox 13 was too busy with important American Idol news, but KUTV 2? They're two blocks away and the only possibly endangered nearby businesses they could name were the Salt Palace and the Marriott Hotel. These are your downtown neighbors, Caffe Molisse, Mynt Martini, Benihana, etc. Do KUTV employees ever go anywhere downtown between the studio and the parking garage? (Bill Frost)

Another Reason to Go to the Gallows (Show)

[Music] British punk rockers are so punk, Disney doesn't want them. Gallows play Avalon on Wednesday, Jan. 30.



(Jamie Gadette)

Still Very Closed

[Just a Reminder] The hallowed Zephyr Club in downtown Salt Lake City has now been closed for four years, two months and change. The building's still standing; nothing new has moved in. It's not like SLC is hurting for live music venues (more SLAMMys tonight and tomorrow, shameless plug), but could someone at least rip it down or turn it into mini-condos so we don't have to be reminded of what a great joint we lost on Halloween 2003? Thanks. (Bill Frost)