MUSIC PICKS AUG 15 - 21 

• EMG
• Mavis Staples

Park City Song Summit @ Cannons Village Amphitheater 8/15-17
The Park City Song Summit returns for its third annual event for three days of live performances, programming and wellness. This unique festival is not only a love letter to the power of songs, but an inclusive space to talk about mental health, representation, social equity, recovery and more of the everyday inner workings of musicians and songwriters. Each day has plenty to choose from, including meaningful panel discussions, activities and music. The Canyons Village Amphitheater will host evening shows from artists like Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, Eric Krasno & Friends, Larkin Poe, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, My Morning Jacket and the iconic Mavis Staples. Staples doing "The Weight" with The Band on The Last Waltz remains one of the all-time highlights of music for me—thrilling, gorgeous, full of soul, longing and a humanity so deep it almost brings me to tears. Mavis' blues moan after "but my friend can stick around" is simply one of the best noises any human being can make. Her spiritual truth and power is so strong it can almost make me a believer. And if you listen very closely to the very end of "The Weight" you'll hear her whisper "beautiful"....which it absolutely is. A spine tingler, even after a thousand listens. Timbre to the max. Be sure to check the entire schedule at parkcitysongsummit.com and catch these musicians at the Park City Song Summit at the Canyons Village Amphitheater in Park City on Thursday, Aug. 15 - 17. Passes for the event vary and can be found at tixr.com. (Mark Dago)

• Via Band Website
• Australian Pink Floyd

The Australian Pink Floyd Show @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre 8/16
With the notable and high-profile exceptions of their one-off Live 8 reunion (2005) and release of an album compiled from decades-old outtakes (2014's The Endless River), Pink Floyd ceased operations in October 1994. It has been three decades since the group toured, but the enduring legacy of Pink Floyd and its music lives on. The band's active years—1967 to 1982, and then 1987-1994—yielded many blockbuster albums, best-known among them 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon and 1979's The Wall. Countless bands around the world have added Pink Floyd's songs to their own repertoire, but an Adelaide, Australia-based group took things several steps further, launching a Pink Floyd tribute band. A pair of early breaks—being championed by music journalist Glenn Povey, and being invited to play at the birthday party of none other than Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour—catapulted The Australian Pink Floyd Show into the big league, a status they've maintained and cultivated ever since. Today, TAPFS has been together longer than the group to which it pays tribute. With a sound and visual presentation carefully crafted to recreate the experience of a Pink Floyd concert (albeit with a flying kangaroo instead of a pig), TAFPS brings the music of the iconic group to concert audiences around the globe. The group comes to Salt Lake City Aug. 16 at 7 p.m.; tickets for the all-ages concert are $41 and up and can be purchased via concerts.livenation.com. (Bill Kopp)

• Bethany Vargas
• The Marías

The Marías & Automatic @ Library Square 8/16
The Marías have long held loyal listeners captive, erupting on the scene with their 2017 EP Superclean, Vol. 1, solidifying their global star-power status when featured on a 2022 Bad Bunny single, and tantalizing indie ears once again with their new 2024 album, Submarine. Masterfully mixing a flavorful blend of the confectioner's glaze of a sweet sound similar to '60s girl groups with a bitter although far from unpleasant tang of modern indie "sadgirls" such as Faye Webster and Mitski, The Marías have carved a space for themselves in popular music that is contemporarily timeless. And, while it's rare that an opening act can go toe-to-toe with a long-established headliner, some might be more excited to see Automatic hit the stage. An incredibly fresh take on the post-punk scene, the three-piece brings an android-like edge to a newly popular soundscape that is anything but robotic—let's just say it was Brat-coded far and long before Brat even dropped. Don't know what I'm talking about? Neither do I: see them both at the all-ages Twilight Series Concert, Friday, Aug. 16. Doors at 5 p.m. Tickets can be found at 24tix.com. (Sophie Caligiuri)

Beach Boys @ Red Butte Garden 8/18
It's hard to imagine a more perfect prospect for summer. After all, the Beach Boys have always epitomized an eternal quest for sun, sand and surf. Moreover, they represent the American dream, and the quest for innocence, optimism and eternal youth. Brian Wilson was a genius of legendary stature, and back in the day, the music he made found even the Beatles looking on with a mixture of admiration and envy. Wilson's masterpiece Pet Sounds was ranked by Rolling Stone at number two on its list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time," in addition to placing the band itself at Number 12 on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time." Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, they were honored with The Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award as well. Sadly, the original band is no more, due to the tragedy and turmoil resulting from the premature passing of brothers Dennis and Carl Wilson and the on-again, off-again family friction that beset the band practically from the beginning. These days, Brian's cousin, co-writer and eternally young frontman Mike Love claims the name and positions himself prominently on the marquee. Nevertheless, he proudly carries on the group's fabled legacy alongside Brian's original touring replacement Bruce Johnston, and a new generation of musicians that effectively share the Beach Boys' classic catalog. Fun, fun, fun? You bet! The Beach Boys' Endless Summer Gold Tour comes to Red Butte Garden on Sunday, Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $62 (garden members), $67 (nonmembers) at redbuttegarden.org. (Lee Zimmerman)

• via Beatport
• Pavel Petrov

Pavel Petrov @ Soundwell 8/21
Pavel Petrov's journey into electronic music began in the rich cultural tapestry of Eastern Europe, where techno reigns supreme. Petrov was inspired by the underground electronic beats in the local Bulgarian clubs of the '90s, which drove him to turn his passion for music into a career. The journey to become an international DJ has included the release of his song "EXE," which was inspired by a venue of the same name in Sofia, Bulgaria. For techno purists, the repetitive four-on-the-floor beat and existential lyrics like, "My origin defines my reality/ Its meaning, its function / Without memory of the past, there would be no language, no relationships, no identity...Who am I?/ My identity forms the contrast/I am the things that make me different." It's as pure techno as you can get! Tracks like "Adapt" and "Reflections" bring nostalgia for the techno of past decades. Another favorite is "Generation" with a vocal sample from the cult classic film "Fight Club." On Wednesday, Aug. 21, LNE Presents is bringing DJ Pável Petrov to Soundwell. Doors open at 8 p.m. General admission for the 21+ show costs $16 at tixr.com (Arica Roberts)