MUSIC PICKS AUG 22 - 28 

• Sacha Lecca for Rolling Stone
• Shaq

Shaq's Bass All-Stars @ Granary Live 8/22
Shaq is back in town! In case you missed his performance at Sky SLC earlier this year, he's gracing us with another dubstep performance this weekend. Yes, you read that correctly: NBA Legend Shaquille O'Neal—aka DJ Diesel—throws down bass sets as heavy as his vintage dunks. Check out his full album Gorilla Warfare if you don't believe it. This time, Shaq will be accompanied by the DJ duo Yellow Claw going back-to-back with Flosstradamus as part of the "Bass All-Stars" tour. Dutch duo Yellow Claw (Jim Taihuttu and Nils Rondhuis) are known for their mix of trap, hip-hop, dubstep, hardstyle and moombahton, and are worthy of the title "All-Star" having been successful in the EDM game for over a decade. Check out their 2015 album Blood for Mercy as well as their newest album, Never Dies, released in 2020. Flosstradamus (Curt Cameruci) is a Chicago-native DJ and producer who has also been a long-time trap and hip-hop EDM artist. With this lineup, expect the Granary District to be busy and loud. It's fun to see these outer areas of downtown grow and become hubs for the arts and community. Don't miss out on "the biggest DJ in the world," and don't miss out on supporting local artists Fransis Derelle, Bastion and Mvdness. Doors open at 6 p.m. for this all-ages event hosted by LNE Presents. Tickets cost $30 at granarylive.com (Arica Roberts)

• David Black
• Khruangbin

Khruangbin @ Granary Live 8/24
Khruangbin deserve their plaudits as a truly inspirational three-piece of talent. Laura Lee, Mark and DJ create lovely, original music that is difficult to pigeonhole. Eastern surf/dream pop? Sci-fi Santo and Johnny? Psyche-funk-rock, possibly? But with large chunks of 1970s TV test card library music as influence? Whatever the method, the band makes music for themselves—and happen to now find themselves in the spotlight. "When we started Khruangbin, it wasn't about trying to be a certain type of band," Laura Lee told Exclaim in April. "While, especially in pop, you could probably advise a formula, I think when you're seeking unique, integrous originality, you almost have to make your own." They've dialed in their formula so perfectly, and it's a great formula. They've managed to pull off the dream of every guitarist: Fit a band around your desire to simply play genre-crossing instrumental guitar music, sometimes just an entire track of solos, and actually get people to listen to it. And like all bands/artists specializing in laid-back grooves, they may be only one advertisement away from being regarded as seriously uncool. That would be a pity, as their live performances and musicianship deserves a better fate. While I love the material the band creates on their own, their work with Leon Bridges showed that adding an additional element can really pay off. Khruangbin absolutely hit the spot for me, whatever "the spot" is. Peter Cat Recording Co. opens. Catch them on the "A La Salsa" tour at Granary Live on Saturday, Aug. 24. Doors at 6 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $57.50 can be found at tixr.com (Mark Dago)

• Maria Jose Govea
• Bikini Kill

Bikini Kill @ The Union Events Center 8/25
Do you want revolution—girl style, now? Well, I've got news for you: It's swiftly on its way to the greater Salt Lake area on Aug. 25. Legendary riot grrrl punk rock outfit (or swimwear?) Bikini Kill will bring a summer storm to Utah on their highly anticipated headlining tour following the spring release of Kathleen Hanna's highly regarded memoir Rebel Girl. Famously putting the "F" and "U" in the Feminist Punk scene, the band brings unbridled energy, activism, and a tasteful pink and black color palette to an alternative scene that sometimes feels like it is in dire, maybe even desperate, need of a feminist and queer makeover. With innumerable hits and an overall impressive discography under their belt, Bikini Kill is representative in equal measure of a specific, important previous time in music history, and this volatile, contemporary moment we find ourselves in. The Salt Lake City all-ages show will be a triple bill, with support from Cheap Perfume and Blisster. Doors open at 6 p.m., music begins at 7 p.m., and tickets can be found at theunioneventcenter.com. (Sophie Caligiuri)

• Autumn de Wilde
• Pink Martini

Pink Martini ft. China Forbes @ Red Butte Garden 8/27
Founded in 1994 by Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini has carved out a unique niche for itself in the world of music. The large and ever-expanding group combines many genres of music—from pop to classical to ethnic styles—and delivers it all in an exuberant, engaging and multilingual manner. A Pink Martini concert experience is a musical travelogue, taking the audience on a trip that celebrates the varied musical character that defines humanity. Key to Pink Martini's appeal is the fact that the group—which features up to a dozen instrumentalists and an equal number of singers—presents music in many languages other than English. The group began in Portland, Oregon in 1995; over the years, members have come and gone, but Pink Martini's vocal and instrumental firepower allows the group to tackle most anything it wishes. The group has 14 albums to its credit, with titles displaying that variety: Non Ouais!: The French Songs of Pink Martini (2018) and Besame Mucho (2019) are among their recent collections. Pink Martini often collaborates with outside vocalists as well, including Rufus Wainwright and The Dandy Warhols' Courtney Taylor-Taylor. Unsurprisingly, the group's music has been featured in a wide array of television programs and movies, including Better Call Saul, Sherlock, Parks and Recreation, Nurse Betty and many others. Pink Martini comes to Red Butte Garden Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 7:30 p.m.; tickets for this all-ages show are $52 at etix.com. (Bill Kopp)

• Michael Hyatt
• X

X @ The Depot 8/28
X marks the spot, and in the case of the band called X, the spot is the stops they're making on their current sojourn. The band's iconic line-up—singer Exene Cervenka, bassist and vocalist John Doe, drummer D.J. Bonebrake and guitarist Billy Zoom—are carrying their revered reputation forward courtesy of a tour and new album, both dubbed Smoke & Fiction. Having set the standard for America's punk ethos almost 40 years ago, they've recast themselves as anthemic rockers with a penchant for early Americana. Not that they've mellowed, by any measure; Cervenka and Doe remain one of rock's most dynamic duos, the single most charismatic couple since Paul Kantner and Grace Slick piloted the Jefferson Airplane to its highest heights. Even a cursory listen to such iconic X albums as Wild Gift, Under the Big Black Sun, More Fun in the New World and their homage to the city that birthed them, Los Angeles, makes the case that X is indeed one of the most important bands to emerge from California's counterculture underground. On their website, the members were asked what audiences might expect now. "It's the best time for X right now," Cervenka replied. "We're just gonna keep doing it, and we're never gonna be able to stop." Bonebrake concurred: "All I can say is the band sounds better now than it did 30 years ago." Clearly, this is a band that operates at an "X-treme." X brings their "Smoke & Fiction" Tour to The Depot on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $35.25 - $53.50 at concerts.livenation.com. (Lee Zimmerman)