MUSIC PICKS JAN 4 - 10 

• @alexajardine
• Swerved By Blondes

Swerved By Blondes, Comply or Evict, Subterra @ Kilby Court 1/5
There's a lot happening music-wise as we enter 2024. The cold weather and inversion are steadily creeping in, but that doesn't put a stop to the epic shows happening nearly every day around town. If you're itching to start the new year off right with some excellent rock shows to headbang to, this is your chance. This bill is loaded with rock favorites from SLC, and there's no doubt it'll be an incredible time. Swerved By Blondes is at the top of the bill, and will hopefully be playing plenty of tracks from their newest album Pick Me Girls. Each song on the album has an incredible, infectious energy that any rock fan can enjoy. Also on for the evening is Comply or Evict, who celebrated their most recent release I'm Not As Drunk As You Think I Am! back in September. The opening track on the EP, "Angel and Devil," has quickly become one of their most streamed songs, and rightly so. The new EP is Comply or Evict at their best: loud, hard and showcasing a sound way beyond the years of the young rockers. Fans of '00s or '10s hard/alt rock will feel right at home listening to this group. Last but not least is Subterra, who have a few songs out so far, but are off to a good start. They also fall into the alt-rock category, so it's hard to go wrong if you're looking for more of that sound. Come rock out on Friday, Jan. 5 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10, and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Night of The Gripe @ the International 1/5
The delight of music comes best in spaces where one is no longer an outsider, no longer an observer. You (yes, YOU!) are now part of Night of The Gripe. Night of The Gripe is a dark comedy-themed music event featuring performances off of the beaten path. Currently on its third iteration, this opus features several acts including GRGL, a blackened doom-metal duo. Loud, distorted, slow, covered in arsenic, chlorine and COVID, this is the sound of the future. You'll also catch Poor Form, an unknown entity who likes to talk and sing, in constant crisis but delivering its sermon with a smile. Is it dead? Rotten Musicians roll with irreverent experimental trap pop that's mildly entertaining but not very good for everyone. And there's DJ Wet Bread, who is widely known for her bland personality and tactless grifting. She draws repulsion even from her own family, who can't bear her presence due to her whirlwind of psychological issues that taint her every interaction, leaving behind a trail of shattered relationships. You should know with absolute certainty that these acts will never be on top-40 radio or in heavy rotation on [insert television programming here], or perhaps they are just one catchy tune away from stardom or blaring from frat houses. Who knows? This is an experience set to air life's gravest grievances; to get the Gripe is to catch it. Catch these artists on Friday, Jan. 5, doors at 9 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are free at internationalbarslc.com. (Mark Dago)

• Sander Nagel
• Afrojack

Afrojack @ The Marquis Park City 1/5
The saddest part about New Year celebrations is that, eventually, the party has to end. If that bums you out, don't fret, because there's plenty more fun to be had to curb that post-holiday party comedown. This weekend you can catch legendary Dutch DJ and producer Nick Leonardus van de Wall, better known as Afrojack. This is also a good chance to experience big room house-style EDM in the new Park City venue, The Marquis. The influence van de Wall has had on EDM across Europe can't be overstated, and lovers of electronic music won't want to miss the experience of his live sets firsthand. Afrojack has been active in the professional EDM scene for nearly two decades, but his passion and work ethic for electronic music actually started when he was only 11 years old. By age 14, he was playing at local clubs, eventually releasing his first single "In Your Face" in 2007. A mere three years later, he released his most famous song, "Take Over Control" featuring Eva Simons. The well-known lyrics, "I want you to take over control / Plug it in and turn me on," have been sampled in almost every top DJ set for over a decade. Come bump along with fellow house music lovers on Friday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m. Be sure to make it early to support the openers, local DJ duo Z & Z, at The Marquis Park City. Tickets cost $60. Go to www.lnepresents.com (Arica Roberts)

• Tim Mosenfelder
• The Pharcyde in 1993

The Pharcyde @ Metro Music Hall 1/6
The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde has never gone out of rotation after a friend accidentally left it at my house back in '92. It's one of the few albums that transcends the genre into "greatest of all time" territory, touching on moods and subjects that any rapper even slightly worried about image or street cred wouldn't get anywhere near. "Oh Shit," "4 Better or 4 Worse," "Soulflower" and the beyond-brilliant, happily melancholy "Otha Fish" are all stone classics. Their second and most commercially successful single off that LP, "Passin' Me By," perfectly captures the frustration and pain of young unrequited love. It's unbelievable. Ever since seeing the video for that song on Yo! MTV Raps, I haven't been able to stop listening to, and still play it at least a dozen or so times a year. "In a way, Pharcyde can be put into the one-hit-wonder category, but I think it's a little more than that," member Fatlip told Spin in 2012. "'It (Passin' Me By)' feels like an anthem. Like, it's never gonna go away. I love hearing it in clubs. I love seeing people react when it comes on. And I never get sick of performing it." Come on out and celebrate what is sure to be a special night with these L.A. rap icons. Blacc E, Dumb Luck + Zac Ivie and DJ Juggy open. Catch these acts at Metro Music Hall on Saturday, Jan. 6. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $32 at 24tix.com (Mark Dago)

• Griffin Lotz
• Daniel Donato

Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country @ The State Room 1/9
The term "Cosmic Country" was originally coined to describe the music made by the late great Gram Parsons, the man who helped accelerate the melding of rock and country courtesy of stints in The Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, as well as on his own. Daniel Donato references his own music the same way, and though he's appropriated it for his own purposes, it's certainly fitting. The Nashville-based singer, songwriter and guitarist proves that point with his critically-acclaimed new album, Reflector, a collection of 15 original songs conveying the same spirited sound that originated with Parsons and other icons of Americana music—Dylan, the Dead, Merle, Waylon and Willie. "I think Cosmic Country is a tale as old as time," Donato stated in a press release that accompanied the new album. "It's yin and yang in a musical form. It's three chords and the truth, and then on the other side, it's exploration and bravery. I really went through a lot of years of grinding, and still am, to achieve this sound which is a vehicle for my personality... the personality is a vehicle for my soul." It proves that what once was old is now new again, and given Donato's down-home twang, indelible influences, a predominance of pedal steel and, most importantly, his own unfettered enthusiasm, he makes it clear that he is, in fact, the real deal. Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country performs a 21+ show at The State Room at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Tickets cost $29 at tix.axs.com. (Lee Zimmerman)