Indie-Rock the Vote

[Politics] Looks like Ralph Becker has done his research regarding the next generation of voters. Instead of sticking to basic fund-raising dinners for rich liberals, he's going after an often overlooked portion of Salt Lake City's population: the indie rockers. On Saturday Oct. 27, Becker will appear at Kilby Court, hoping to endear fans of Menomena (see video) to his cause. It's not yet clear whether he plans to lose 30 lbs to fit into a pair of skinny jeans/cords. Be on the lookout for the odd man out. He could be the right man for mayor.



(Jamie Gadette)

Like a Strolling Stone

[Art] There's nothing particularly admirable about visiting 10 Salt Lake City galleries in two and a half hours on Gallery Stroll night. There have been months like July where my stops were fewer, but the longer stay at each one -- like the 15 minutes I spent absorbing just one of Wynter Jones' remarkable paintings at Art Access -- was a necessary trade-off. Quantity time vs. quality time: the essential challenge of the busy 21st century urbanite.

But for an arts editor, sometimes aiming for a broad sampling is the right course of action. Some months I don't make it out of downtown, which this month might have meant missing Annie Kennedy's fascinating, unconventional mixed media works. Her Mormon upbringing -- particularly end-times thinking -- informs many of them, including an interpretation of "The Second Coming" that turns baked paper, olive oil and grape juice into a contemporary Shroud of Turin. And if you think art can't save your life -- literally -- you haven't imagined a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit turned into a wall-hanging quilt, with beef jerky and dried fruit turned into floral patterns and ibuprofen stitching the perimeter.

"A" Gallery, on 21st East, might also have been given a pass on one of those downtown-centric months, and then I would have missed abstracts like Dave Adams’ “Desire Followed Her As Birds,” the bright oils bursting out of the aluminum surface almost three-dimensionally. And my sniggering inner adolescent would have been denied Brent Godfrey’s more representational suggestion of post-masturbatory release, sort of evident even without the title “Eruption.”

Even downtown is getting harder to keep up with, as new galleries like Saans join the stroll itinerary. Located next door to Kayo Gallery on East Broadway, Saans debuted with Capree Kimball’s two evocative photographic series: the bubbling, distorted, tactile black-and-white portraits of “Beauty and Decay,” and the popping colors of women immersed in a bathtub, one representing each of the Seven Deadly Sins. I had to pry myself away to make time for Art Access (an eclectic mentor/protégé “Partners” exhibit), Rio Gallery (the sound portraits of “Salt Lake Audioptic,” profiled in next week’s issue) and Palmers Gallery (a juried group show, but also the best and biggest buffet spread of any gallery on a regular basis). Hey, a 10-gallery stroller’s gotta keep up his strength. (Scott Renshaw)

Pissin' in the Wind

[CITY] The last few days over on Mullentown.com discussion has been rather lively about our crybaby Salt Lake City mayor for life, Rocky Anderson. By way of review, Mullentown.com is my personal blog, and not to be confused for the whole other wild and free voice I get to express here at CW Blog.

I heard Rocky a good bit on radio and TV last week, with reporters going all ga-ga over the prospect he might run for a third term. That's only if the November election comes down to the two candidates he finds most distasteful--Jenny Wilson (who happens to be my stepdaugher) and Dave Buhler. Wilson is currently leading in early polls, followed by Buhler. Neither of them is Rocky's hand-picked candidate. That would be Republican businessman Keith Christensen, who has raised more than a half-million dollars but can't seem to find a political base.

Rocky was going on, as always, about the good work he's done for the city. He says he spends plenty of time here doing the heavy lifting as mayor. I'm guessing, though, if he needs a couple of campaign issues to run on should he decide to jump in the race I'll suggest this one:

You know all those Main Street planter boxes Rocky lobbied the City Council for a few years ago? He finally got them in place. They're beautiful all right--sprouting colorful annual flowers and sprucing up an otherwise grim stretch of urban decay.

Only problem is, they smell like piss. Someone is using them as a public urinal. Who? Homeless guys? Drunks stumbling out of Murphy's late at night? Who knows? I've never actually seen anyone taking a leak on them, but I know what my nose knows. It's especially enticing to walk past a planter box at 3 in the afternoon on a 100+ degree day, if you get my drift.

Our mayor is prancing around New York right now, protesting Bush and Cheney and giving interviews to leftie talk shows. If he could just give an order to drop a few urinal cakes in the planter boxes, all might be well on our little patch of Main Street paradise. (Holly Mullen)