Year
I'm not going to lie—putting together this Local Music Issue was tough. How do you tell a major metropolitan area's story in an all-encompassing fashion? How do you do justice to all the subcultures, stylistic niches and underground scenes that make Salt Lake City great—all while adhering to a strict word count? How do you choose one artist, one local institution or one behind-the-scenes mover and shaker over another?
Once I let the pressure go, everything started to flow. A feature about a 40-year light-and-sound veteran who's manned the boards at all your favorite festivals flowed into a look behind the crucial role that merchandise plays for local bands on the rise. One producer dropped some knowledge about working with fast-rising Utah rappers, while another raved about the safe space created for local drag queens to strut their stuff. We also dug into the City Library's Hear Utah Music repository for local music—which seems like it's been around forever even though it just started last year—and we explored the dark corners of rock 'n' roll with a Utah native who was gone forever but returned last year to spice up local nightlife. Still feeling we weren't casting a wide enough net, we also absorbed the wisdom of hard-working women on both ends of the age and genre spectrum. We hope you'll enjoy their tips on how to hustle as much as we did.
Most of all, we hope this issue will remind all of City Weekly's readers about the particular kind of magic SLC's music scene exudes right now. Whatever your preferences and wherever your heart lies, there's a community out there waiting for you. If they're anything like the people I've met in my short time here, they'll probably welcome you with open arms, too. Find your people, find your sound and find your inspiration—that's all there's left to do, and we hope this Local Music Issue helps in some small way.
—Nick McGregor,
Music editor
ON THAT HUSTLE
TIMELESS STYLE
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
CRITICAL GOODS
10 TIPS FOR MUSIC BIZ LONGEVITY
HAIL! HAIL!
NOT ABOUT THE MONEY
SUPERIOR SOUND
