7 October Shows On Our Radar

5X Grammy-nominated New York-based saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin performs at Kingsbury Hall on Thursday, Oct. 23. Photo courtesy of Lakecia Benjamin.

Who: Hot House West Jazz Festival
Where: Woodbine
When: 1-7 p.m.
What: Jazz starts in the afternoon and leads directly to an afterparty at Drift Lounge next door in the evening. There will be good food and plenty of Fisher Beer. When I spoke with Nathan Royal, Hot House West executive producer AND organizer of this first-of-a-kind event, he said plenty, this included: “We just want to have a great party around music (specifically, swinging jazz music) and not take ourselves too seriously. Music is so good at creating that vibe. It loosens people up, almost like alcohol.”

Who: Durand Jones & The Indications
Where: The Depot
When: 7 p.m.
What: It wasn’t DJ Ebay Jamil Hamilton on The Afternoon Show (KRCL) who put Durand Jones on my radar, but he’s directly responsible for keeping the singer and his band stuck there. I wasn’t exactly certain I liked the new album Flowers — the band’s very reason for their current tour — but I heard enough tracks off their most recent album playing on the radio waves that I changed my tune. It’s hard to argue with a sound that hearkens to another time completely.

Who: Alex Caldiero w/ Theta Naught
Where: Utah Museum of Contemporary Art
When: 7:30 p.m.
What: This’ll be a special night. Caldiero has been performing Alex Ginsberg’s “Howl” every five years since 1995, often with local band Theta Naught. This year marks the 70th anniversary since the first public reading of the poem, and Caldiero says it’ll be the last time he recites the poem. It’s free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required, as space is limited. See you there?

Who: Josie-O & The Big Six
Where: Orem Public Library
When: 7 p.m.
What: This is the honest truth: anytime Melissa Chilinski does anything, it’s a knockout performance. It is an extra special treat when she flexes her country twang, however, and includes other Salt Lake heavy hitters like Daniel Young and Dylan Schorer in the mix as her backing band. It’s just that much easier to buy tickets. Mark my words: there will be square dancing in the aisles.

Who: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Where: The State Room
When: 8 p.m.
What: Somewhere between out loud manifesting and having some very active melatonin-fueled dreams, I saw myself singing backup for Black Joe Lewis somehow. I was a backup singer, owning up to a soultastic voice that knew how to blend with its eyes closed. Dreams don’t always come true, but Lewis comes around every now and again, and it’s worth seeing what he has in store. His BITCH I LOVE YOU sticker is stuck on The State Room’s wall, and is always good for a surprise smile each time the wandering eyes find it.

Who: Murder By Death – Farewell Tour
Where: The Depot
When: 6 p.m.
What: It’s both a beautiful and sad thing to see a popular band decide it wants to move on to its next chapter. Their final album’s been released. This tour’s been hailed as the band’s very last. They’re having their most successful tour ever and yet? They’re excited to see what comes next. I spoke with frontman Adam Turla about his decision. Watch for his insights later this month.

Who: Lakecia Benjamin
Where: Kingsbury Hall
When: 7:30 p.m.
What: The UtahPresents series snagged a winner when they managed to get Lakecia Benjamin to visit us this month. She was here a couple of years back as part of a larger collective but now we’ve the chance to experience all she can do given the entirety of the spotlight. The 5X Grammy-nominated saxophonist is very much a moving target, playing all over the world at any given festival at any time of the year, but I did have a chance to chat with her during some rare downtime and spoiler alert? It was every bit as delightful as I expected it’d be. Watch for that interview in the next couple of weeks.

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