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It’s
that time of year again. Time for every locally owned business owner
to get ancy, for select media to clear their desks, and for any
politician who screwed up royally to bite their nails off.
For
the majority of people in Utah, when they think of places to see
fantastic art, South Salt Lake probably doesn't come up in their top
five all that often.--- But to the cultural elite and many of
the artists who call Salt Lake City their home, it's one of the best
spots to be in. Poor Yorick Studios has been doing well for years now
with their bi-annual studio showcases.
The
current generation of internet users have dozens upon dozens of
options in front of them for conversations and associating with the
world beyond their desk.
This
past Thursday I got a chance to attend the CD release party for The
Greatest Flow On Earth Vol. 1, mixed by the hosts of KRCL’s
Friday Night Fallout show, Roots Rawka and DJ Che. Sushi and
hip-hop, how can you go wrong? --- If you’re a fan of
rap, hip-hop, even reggae, this is definitely a CD to check out.
Featuring just a taste of Utah’s finest at their craft, the album
shows that there's more to local hip-hop than the tired
repetitive playlist you hear on U92. Performing live at
the Circle Lounge on State were many of the artists who contributed
tracks to the album, along with mix tracks from Che himself. I
got a chance to ask both men some questions about the album and other
topics, and snap some pictures of the party and performances.DJ
Che & Roots Rawkahttp://www.myspace.com/rootsrawka1Gavin:
Tell us a little about yourselves.Rawka: My name
is Tevita Ilamanu Hoko, a.k.a. RootsRawka, a.k.a. RootsSkyWalker,
a.k.a. RootsLeonidus.
On
Thursday I was able to make it out to the CD Release Party for "The
Greatest Flow On Earth" over at the Circle Lounge. ---
But due to a few complications I haven't been able to get the
interviews up yet. As soon as I get those I'll have them posted
with photos and more info. I already have a plan on what I want
to do as far as stories go this week, but as usual we'll see what
happens. There's a lot going on here at the end of March and
it's tough to pick.On
a side note, mostly for the purposes of humor but also because I'm
slightly irritated, I'd like to point out that I'm sick of seeing
chainlink in downtown SLC. With the exception of maybe Sandy,
chainlink is everywhere. There are homes in West Valley City
that are almost completely surrounded and wrapped in it. It's
become the human version of chicken wire. It's ugly, it snags
people's clothes when they just walk by it, it's useless as security
without razor-wire along the top. Living downtown, I loved the
idea that I could walk for several blocks and never see this stuff.
Now it's starting to appear in places up here because of
construction. It may be the geek in me talking, but it is 2008,
you'd think we could have made a decent and affordable force-field by
now.
Last
month I went up to the Tower Theater and covered their Open
Mic Night film festival. This week we’re talking
to one of the winners of the festival. Amanda Stoddard took in
her short film called “Float
My Boat”,
a music video for local band The
Mollies,
and walked away with the Judge’s Choice award. I got a chance
to talk with her about the making of the film, Open Mic Night,
projects she’s currently doing, and a few other questions here and
there for the winning director. All to the majestic sounds of
speeding cars going 55 off the light on South Temple during lunch.
What’s with you people?!?
I
pulled up the calendar for Wednesday dates and threw the imaginary
dart at The Urban Lounge's show this week. But as I grow older
and my eyesight starts to leave me like an ex, I looked at the
following week's show. I went and found out it was a
totally different show with three different acts. Not
wanting to be a jerk (even though I'm a jerk anyway, but not that big
of a jerk) I stayed anyway and covered it because that night was
a hip-hop show, and I hadn't been to one in a while. I was not
disappointed, and actually very thankful I caught this show instead.
Probably won't be as thankful when my vision is so blurry that it
appears like I'm looking through a stained window, but let's move
on.--- With DJ LaMont, DJ Cee playing tunes throughout the
night, we got to see rapper Padrino and his brother Pablo Patron
(special shout out to on stage dancer Talido and guest performer Mz. Malicious), ska-hop band Scenic Byway, and the self described
"hip-hop funkrock jazz" sound of Funk & Gonzo.
I took some pictures and chatted with all three acts.Pablo Patron and
Padrinohttp://www.myspace.com/padrinosjamsGavin:
Bit of a small crowd on hand tonight, what did you think of
it?Padrino: You know sir, any crowd, is a crowd.
Is
it just me or does it feel like local radio isn’t trying this year? As if throwing up it’s hands and admitting defeat, most of the
stations (regardless of format) have pretty much made a statement
that they’re either going corporate out of ratings lack or staying
with what they’ve got to keep what little they have.
Just
one year ago Red Light Books started off as one of the new stores to
open up along the Broadway Strip. Replacing a dead storefront
area of downtown that once used to be half of a antique dish store.
Ever wonder where your grandma used to get her plates that would have
that decorative blue trim? That's where. When the store
went bankrupt and left, Red Light moved on in.--- One year
later business is good, in-store shows are frequent, and the future
for the place looks brighter than ever in that lovely shade of
red. Did I mention the yellow carpet is gone? Pretty
good for a bookstore that sells mostly alternative
literature in a conservative environment. By opening up to
the underground culture as opposed to trying to fit the
standard, Red Light has turned itself into a local cultural hub
that shows no signs of stopping. And that's just after one
year. I went in and snapped some photos and asked some
quick questions for store co-owner Tia Martinez about the store one
year later.Tia
Martinezhttp://www.myspace.com/redlightbooksGavin:
How does it feel hitting the one
year mark?Tia:
I am amazed at all the support from the underground community in
SLC. I am blessed, this is hopefully one of many more years to
come.Gavin: For those who don't know the full story,
tell us how Red Light Books came about.Tia:
Me being stubborn and Jared unconditional support and love for
me.Gavin: Fair enough.
