SLUG Mag Soundwaves

When Mason Runs Through of Wounded Knee moved to Montana to work on a reservation, he was starved of the opportunity to share his music in live performance—but not for lack of trying. After two bad experiences trying to play his brand of socially conscious, Americana folk, he considered calling it quits and selling his gear. Thankfully, through collaboration with drummer Nick Hansen, Runs Through...

For Kyrbir Is-p-, front man of Purr Bats, growing up gay in mid '80s Utah Valley meant living with an ever-present sense of doom. … read more The post Episode #330 – Purr Bats first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

In anticipation of SLUG's February Localized Reunion show, Brice Obuko of Telepanther recounts his memories of various Salt Lake venues as they once were 20 years ago. … read more The post Episode #329 – Telepanther first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Once he got clean, Jade Whitlock's old band, Prozac, seemed to him like a childish portrayal of drugs and alcohol. His life wasn't like that anymore, and so the band dissolved, he took a break, and, eventually, found the means to start making music as Spirit Prison about his newfound stability. … read more The post Episode #328 – Spirit Prison first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Horrible Penny's first album, Shades of Green, channels lead vocalist Alllyson Katana's romantic voice—young and thoughtful, worthy of being spoken and heard.  … read more The post Episode #327 – Horrible Penny first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

With a new single and currently over half a million streams on Spotify, Acacia Ridge's lead vocalist Christian Mayfield talks about what went into their debut album and the way they've managed to successfully navigate the opaque waters of Spotify's algorithmic promotion. … read more The post Episode #326 – Acacia Ridge first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Ben Ra's journey—from making his own beats in 2012 to entering the Salt Lake scene, from releasing a popular single to, eventually, falling into burnout—has all become a sturdy foundation for the talented artist, one whose creative aspirations lie outside of just music. … read more The post Episode #325 – Ben Ra first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

The Waldron Brothers formed after an upbringing spent playing live music with their family band. Their psychadelic sound grows from that past, but it also distinguishes them from their young work through its emphasis on self-reflection. … read more The post Episode #324 – The Waldron Brothers first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

The Cold Year's newest album Prey for Me isn't a critique of religion so much as it is a conversation about it, one that lyricist and guitarist Matthew Skaggs finds therapeutic. … read more The post Episode #323 – The Cold Year first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Teilani's first EP, Tama, speaks to the complicated experiences of being a person of color and queer, but perhaps most significant for Teilani is its unabashed expression of gay love, affirming his own need for love songs specific to the queer experience. … read more The post Episode #322 – Teilani first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Loclyn Torres discusses her journey to vocal performance, the ethos behind her band Seeking Tragedy, and finally how a vocal minority of the metal scene's deference to tradition requires women to work twice as hard.  … read more The post Episode #321 – Seeking Tragedy first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

It's been ten years since Pilot This Plane Down's last album. Chris Clement and Sean Miller talk about reuniting for Crucialfest 9 and the comfort of being together again. … read more The post Episode #320 – Pilot This Plane Down first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Jazzy Olivo describes the two years from 2015 to 2017 as the years of silence. It was time for her to return to her cultural and sonic roots and listen again, this time more intently. From this silence, Olivo has built her own soulful, fusion sound. … read more The post Episode #319 – Jazzy Olivo first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

After realizing how much they each liked each other's work, Ashleigh Bassett, Val Brown and Russ Wood decided to form Breakfast in Silence. Maybe punk, probably emo, the band will accept labels from soul punk to "deconstructed emotive yardcore." … read more The post Episode #318 – Breakfast in Silence first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Though they've only been together for about a year, Moodlite have developed an impressively versatile range of sound. … read more The post Episode #317 – Moodlite first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Insta-Gramo-Phone, the latest release by Salduro, is made for Instagram, forcing the group to embrace the platform's constraints and create something they never would have imagined.  … read more The post Episode #316 – Salduro first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

I Buried the Box With Your Name have just released their first album, To Change, and it's a wild release from an unassuming group.  … read more The post Episode #315 – I Buried the Box with Your Name first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Having played the main stage at Utah Pride Festival, Mason Comstock of Rebel Rebel caps out Pride month with some thoughts on the event and its place in our queer communities.  … read more The post Episode #314 – Rebel Rebel first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

After being steered away from a musical career at a younger age, Jeff Dillon eventually found his way back home.  … read more The post Episode #313 – Jeff Dillon first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Devin Moore discusses how the band's collective musical education has created an alternative rock sound heavily influenced by blues, jazz and a whole lot of funk.  … read more The post Episode #312 – Rose Colored Roots first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Benton Wood believes the experienced formation of Ugly Boys paved a foundation that has poised them for the big time. … read more The post Episode #311 – Ugly Boys first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

VHS Vic (Victor Blandon) is a stop-motion animator whose penchant for puppetry has evolved into Cool Banana, a muppet-rock band centered around theatrics and onstage characters. … read more The post Episode #310 – Cool Banana first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Now off the heels of their debut album, Spectator, Mitch Winter muses about what has made MMEND successful and how a sibling dynamic affects the band. … read more The post Episode #309 – MMEND first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Dave Crespo has long shepherded SPO, a rock band with a ’90s feel. He has translated it from Boston to SLC upon moving to Utah, and offers a newcomer's perspective on playing music in a new locale. … read more The post Episode #308 – SPO first appeared on SLUG Magazine .

Picnics At Soap Rock is the brainchild of Chazz Pitts. In this episode, he discusses his organic aesthetic growth into Picnics At Soap Rock. … read more The post Episode #307 – Picnics At Soap Rock first appeared on SLUG Magazine .