Buzz Blog

Hello to all you canyon-closing, boot-wearing, salt-spreading, shovel-carrying, coat-donning, can't-believe-it-snowed-in-April enthusiasts! --- Okay, seriously, it's really getting annoying to hear these words from longtime locals. “It snowed in April! I can't believe it happened, it was so warm yesterday, and now there's snow! It's supposed to be spring-” Shut up! I could understand this kind of talk from someone who has lived here for less than a year, but this has happened SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW! Once is a freak occurrence of nature, twice is a coincidence, seven officially makes it the norm. You live in a mountainous region notorious for odd weather patterns, with several ski resorts less than 30 minutes away, and you're shocked it snows in April? Just ... shut up. In lieu of a 337 Wall update, here's one of the pictures I didn't get to use in my interview with DesNeiges Gregory.

Most of the news we had today was already covered by CW'sRachel Piper and Stephen Dark yesterday, namely It Gets Better visiting BYU and the coming closure of Frosty Darling, so today is going to be mostly events. And we're going to kick it off with a show happening down in Provo tonight. Did you know Provo has its own Bicycle Collective? Yeah, it's a pretty cool little shop, and if you're a city traveler I highly recommend supporting them. Tonight they'll be throwing a special fundraiser show for the Collective to help keep the lights on and the doors open. Several bands will be at the shop playing an all-acoustic set, including Ferocious Oaks and Desert Noises! Head on over and help out this essential part of the community.

Tomorrow over at The Garage, Mr. Jesse Walker, DJ extraordinaire and the man behind New City Movement, will command the room for a six-hour Bunny Hop -- several DJs, special guests, an egg hunt and more, all to celebrate Easter in style. Why spend it doing the same ol' or focusing on the bad when you can party with some of SLC's finest? Head on over and enjoy the show.

Starting on Monday, Muse Music Cafe will be the home of another fantastic Battle Of The Bands competition. Much like Velour's bi-annual competition, four bands a night will take over the stage, playing 45-minute sets for your votes. The winners from every night will compete in the finals on Saturday night for prizes. These events are usually packed and draw tons of attention for everyone involved; I highly recommend you go be a part of the experience. Check out a list of the bands below.

On Thursday night, The Hive Gallery at Trolley Square will feature a brand-new showcase: Bloodless -- a collection of works from some of Utah's best tattoo artists from various shows and locations. The artists who have confirmed as of today are: Phil Lambert, Craig Secrist, Shae McAfee, Chris Rose, Daniel Walker, Eric Sager, Austin Jones, Bonnie Seeley, Alex Guy and Ben Martinez. It should be a very interesting show. For your viewing pleasure, I include a small example of Phil Lambert's work.

This Friday (yes, the 13th) will be the absolute takeover of Bar Deluxe by the Underground Gypsy Cabaret. If you haven't seen one of these shows, you might want to drop by just to check it out. These guys go the extra mile beyond belly dancing, throw in a pole, some fire, swings and some added bonuses I won't mention because you should just go see it -- all with a live band to back them up. That's right, no CD player hiding in the corner. You can see a list of performers on the poster below.

Next Saturday, the group Revolution United will be throwing a community-helping event called Trash 4 Chalk. The goal is to get as many people as possible to help clean up parts of the community as spring starts to bloom, and then chalk their sidewalks with messages and artwork that best represent their area. At the end will be a big BBQ over at Liberty Park for those who participated. Check it out and get involved.

Later that night, the Wasatch Roller Derby will be putting on one of the most anticipated matches of the season. The Black Diamond Divas will go head-to-head vs. the independent recreational league of The Red Rockettes. Every time the Rockettes get involved there's always a little competition to show who is best, but, as always, it's all in good fun and for charity. Get your tickets while you can!

Next Tuesday, April 17, The Rose Wagner will play host to the Raw Couture Fashion Show, the annual fashion show put together by the fashion wing of SLCC, featuring work completely created by the talented hands currently in the program. It's both a chance to see the program display its finest designers, not to mention get a look at what may be big around town in years to come, as many of Utah's current designers have gone through this specific program. If you love fashion, you would do well to attend.

Moving on to next Friday, there will be several events of the artistic nature that play off of Gallery Stroll. The first will be The Bad Art Show at Kayo Gallery. Essentially, some of SLC's most prominent names go out of their way to make exceptionally bad works. Think Elvis on velvet kind of bad. The show is always a must-see as it's an interesting look at what certain artists view as bad art.

While you're over on Broadway, a few blocks west will be The Happy Accidents Project. Many younger people may not know the genius that is Bob Ross, but many of us older folk (above the age of 25) remember being bored at home on a Saturday and flipping through the channels to find the bearded painter showing you how to do exceptional works of art with very little paint on The Joy Of Painting. This showcase will display 11 artists trying to paint along with Bob for two episodes, with the work on sale afterward. Just the thought of watching them create these with him is worth checking it out.

And then over on 400 South at Blonde Grizzly we see its first solo showcase in a while, as Kat Martin takes over the room for her exhibition Granny's Attic. If you haven't become familiar with Martin's works by now, you might want to, as she puts her own spin on discarded works that 20 years ago would be gracing some office as generic waiting-room art. What's more, she'll do custom orders!

Two weeks from now will be a pair of events worth noting, the first being the annual Queer Prom. To be very blunt, there are a lot of dances at schools around the state where LGBT students aren't allowed to go unless they attend with a straight date. There are even a few schools who wrote it up in their school's constitution. So for those who cannot attend their official dances, the Utah Pride Center throws a one-night bash at the Main Library. This year's will be on April 21. Click this link here for more info on this year's prom.

And then finally, the Junction City Roller Dolls will have a bout in two weeks, as an inter-league battle will pit the Hilltop Aces against the Railway Banditas. The league's season is heating up and this may very well be a prelude to the season closer. Head on up to Layton and catch the state's biggest league in action.

As for the blog: Over the next couple of weeks, you're going to see the word “theater” pop up a lot, as we look at two plays and an arthouse. We'll head to a show for some band interviews, check in with another stand-up comic and we'll chat with the latest derby league to come along. At least, that's the plan -- who the hell knows what will go down over the next two weeks? As always, we'll see what happens.

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