Music

Katie Pruitt often sings about being an outsider in her own community. I’m sure she’ll find plenty of kindred spirits in Salt Lake City, a place where many of us come to exhale. On Tuesday, April 16, 2024 we can all take a collective breath and welcome Pruit and Jack Van Cleaf to the Urban Lounge for a night of soothing folk-rock vibes. 

Pruitt teased us with her early-release single “White Lies, White Jesus, and You,” a rockin’ mantra about shedding a toxic, hateful religion, while still embracing her own spirituality. Her much anticipated sophomore full-length album, appropriately titled Mantras, dropped on April 5, just in time for lucky Salt Lake audiences to hear it live. 

Pruitt, a Georgia-bred singer/songwriter emerged on the Nashville music scene in 2019 with her Grammy-nominated debut record Expectations. The critically-acclaimed album featured the Fleetwood Mac-esque title track and the ethereal torch song “Out Of The Blue.” In the intervening years she packed a punch with covers of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s “Ohio,” Neil Young’s “After The Gold Rush,” and Lucinda Williams’ “Something About What Happens When We Talk.” All three songs afforded Pruitt an opportunity to showcase her off-the-charts vocal range.

On Mantras, Pruitt takes her introspective songwriting to new heights as she explores complex relationships with family, religion, and her own mind. It’s a full circle journey from self-sabotage to self-compassion. She dismantled the negative self-talk by writing phrases of encouragement and repeating matras in the mirror. The song “Worst Case Scenario” is about not giving in to your fears. Pruitt notes that if you’re going to entertain the worst case scenario you might as well consider the best case while you’re at it.

Pruitt blends her Nashville alt-country-folk sound with rock and pop undertones. The single “All My Friends” is a catchy number based on a Christian Wiman poem about witnessing friends change their beliefs while searching for themselves. She sings: “A new mantra every other week / All my friends are finding new beliefs.” 

I first saw Pruitt when she opened for The Milk Carton Kids at The Commonwealth Room in 2022. I look forward to seeing her headline, with a full band.

Opening is transcendental folk singer/songwriter Jack Van Cleaf. Dualtone Records will release his 2022 debut album Fruit From The Tree on vinyl for the first time, complete with two additional tracks. His 2022 slow-burning single “Rattlesnake” garnered over 10 million streams on Spotify. The music platform lists Van Cleaf as a 2024 “Artists to Watch.”  We will be doing just that at the Urban Lounge.  

Who: Katie Pruitt w/ Jack Van Cleaf
What: Mantras Tour
Where: Urban Lounge
When: Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Info: https://www.theurbanloungeslc.com/

As Low Cut Connie’s frontman Adam Weiner put it, “you make Monday feel like Saturday.” Indeed it did. The State Room hosted two dynamic bands to help celebrate the venue’s 15th Anniversary on Monday, April 1, 2024. They both raised the roof.

Most opening acts ease you into the evening, but Fantastic Cat came with the energy of an encore performance. The New York-based power quartet took the stage (their first time playing in SLC) and immediately rocked the house with “C’mon Armageddon.” The four players rotated instruments and lead vocals on every song. The drummer shifted to the bass, and the bassist took over lead vocals. The guy who I thought was the lead vocalist moved to acoustic guitar while the previous singer took up the drums and the acoustic guitarist went electric. If you weren’t paying attention you’d think The State Room was pulling an April Fools prank. Yes, Monday felt like a Saturday.

Fantastic Cat played several songs from their masterful, debut album The Very Best of Fantastic Cat (2022) including: “Nobody’s Coming to Get You,” “New Year’s Day,” and “Wild and Free.” They then performed their radio-ready new single “All My Fault” from their upcoming album Now That’s What I Call Fantastic Cat due for release in early June and took their high-energy performance to another level on “The Gig” and “Oh Man.” They ended their lightning fast 9-song set with the unreleased gem “Goodnight My Darling.”  I wanted more.

Fantastic Cat described themselves as: CSNY or The Traveling Wilburys, if none of them were famous. I would add The Band to that mix. Their debut record feels like a compilation from a long-established career, but they’re just getting started. I hope they return to Salt Lake City very soon.

Between the opener and the main act, The State Room served cake to celebrate their 15-years as the Intermountain West’s premier live music venue.

Low Cut Connie (LCC) is the perfect band to invite to a musical party.  Immediately electrifying the crowd, LCC took us on a madcap rock ‘n’ roll thrill ride. They kicked off their massive 22-song set with “Let It All Hang out Tonite”.  The band’s frontman, Adam Weiner, embodies a larger-than-life stage persona on stage (think Elton John meets Billy Joel at a Jerry Lee Lewis house party).  But it’s his backing band that takes LCC’s piano-driven rock to the summit. Guitarist/fiddle/vocalist Abigail Dempsey and backing vocalist Amanda “Rocky” Bullwinkel put a soulful charge into the music and complemented Weiner’s flamboyance with their own burlesque energy. On “Death and Destruction” the ensemble shook the rafters before moving seamlessly to “Private Lives” and “Rio.”

They featured new material from their album Art Dealer including ”Sleaze Me On,” “Big Boy,” and “Are You Gonna Run?” before playing the melodic chorus of “Full of Joy” from their 2011 debut record Get Out The Lotion. After LCC’s signature tune “Shake It Little Tina,” the band took a break while Weiner played a short piano solo set which included a homage to Lou Reed with ”Sweet Jane.” Reed’s musical influence is palpable on Art Dealer, so “Take Me To The Place” fits perfectly alongside a Reed classic. When the band returned they entered the homestretch with the big guns “Revolution Rock ‘n’ Roll,” and “Boozophilia.” If there was still any dust on the rafters it disappeared with the ground swelling encore “Whips and Chains.”

This much fun at a Salt Lake City concert—and all on a Monday night— will surely be outlawed during the next legislative session!  What a fitting celebration for The State Room’s 15th Anniversary show. Over the past decade and a half, how many of us have left the venue in complete awe of the talent they bring to Salt Lake City? Monday night was no exception…. and the cake tasted pretty great too.

Who: Low Cut Connie w/ Fantastic Cat
What: The State Room’s 15th Anniversary show
Where: The State Room
When: April 1, 2024
Info: https://thestateroompresents.com, https://lowcutconnie.com/ , https://www.fantasticcatband.com/

Don’t be a fool and miss Low Cut Connie’s high-octane rock ‘n’ roll show on Monday, April 1st. The State Room will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary (can you believe it?) To make it memorable, the supergroup Fantastic Cat will be opening. And there will be cake! 

Low Cut Connie, a Philadelphia-based risque, rockin’ sextet, is the alter ego of frontman/pianist/lead singer/songwriter Adam Weiner (even his name is suggestive). Their piano-forward, all original work takes you on a journey across the musical spectrum from boogie-woogie reminiscent of Little Richard with “Shake It Little Tina” to “Diane (Don’t Point That Thing At Me),” a song that could easily find a home on an early Elton John record like Tumbleweed Connection or Honky Chateau. Their music is vintage-styled “old time rock ‘n’ roll” played with 21st century pizzazz.

Fun fact: At a stadium show in Philadelphia a few years ago, Sir Elton John told the crowd that he was really into the Philly band Low Cut Connie. How’s that for a royal endorsement?

Clearly influenced by the sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll musical era, Rolling Stone magazine described their sound as “70s Stones (but dirtier), the New York Dolls (but tighter) and Jerry Lee Lewis (but Westerberg-ier.)” Low Cut Connie’s 2017 single, “Revolution Rock ‘n’ Roll,” feels like a 1972 throwback with its Lou Reed-like vibe mixed with a tasty slice of Humble Pie. 

They’re touring in support of their new album Art Dealers. My favorite song from the record is “Are You Gonna Run.” It sounds like a long lost Jackson Browne track from his 1977 The Pretender album, except it’s fresh and new (and Low Cut Connie). Imagine if the B-52s dropped musical bombs on the Rolling Stones. From the sonic ashes would rise “Whips and Chains,” a rock banger that I can’t wait to see them play live. The new album is packed with plenty of bawdy, piano-driven rock ‘n’ roll with a few soulful ballads interspersed.

I had my first Low Cut Connie experience at Denver Day of Rock about six years ago. They were scheduled for a 45 minute mid-afternoon time slot, and well before most concert goers had reached their Mile High. Low Cut Connie instantly got the party started with their funky upbeat rock ‘n’ roll and their interactive stage show. Frontman Adam Weiner knows how to work the crowd and draw you in with his dynamic persona. Even if you’re not familiar with the songs, he’ll have you singing along.

Another fun fact: Weiner got his start in music by playing the piano on New York City’s gay bar circuit (there’s gotta be a racy joke in there somewhere.)

Since it’s The State Room’s Crystal Anniversary (crystal being the symbol for a 15-year anniversary) they’ve sweetened the show by adding Fantastic Cat to the lineup to make it the Monday night party of the year. Fantastic Cat is a supergroup consisting of four well-established singer/songwriters: Don DiLego, Anthony D’Amato, Brian Dunne, and Mike Montali. The four formed a harmonizing quartet and released their debut full-length album in 2022 wryly titled The Very Best of Fantastic Cat. The troupe moves seamlessly from retro rock to alt-country, Americana to indie-pop. “C’mon Armageddon” has a Dylan-esque quality while “Amigo” reminds me of Wilco. The pounding piano riffs on “New Year’s Day” pair perfectly with a Low Cut Connie show. In 2023, Fantastic Cat released a celebratory cover of Wings “Band On The Run” to commemorate the song’s 50th year. They also recorded a fine version of Warren Zevon’s final track “Keep Me in Your Heart” to mark its 20th anniversary and Zevon’s passing. 

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the State Room’s 15th Anniversary. The now venerable venue opened on April 1, 2009 with a memorable performance by Stanley Clarke. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago, but most of the time it feels like yesterday. The second performer to grace the stage in 2009 was Jason Isbell (and he’s done pretty well since then.) Let’s trade our favorite memories of mind-blowing shows we’ve seen there. I’ll start: I will never forget standing 20’ away from Lucinda Williams when she played in 2017. Which superstars did you see when they stopped at the State Room along their journey to Grammy-winning success? 

In addition to two amazing bands rockin’ the night away, The State Room will be selling a specialty run of posters designed by Gabby Hunter (see a sample of her work here.) There’ll also be giveaways and the aforementioned cake! Come spend your Monday at our city’s finest musical home.

Who: Low Cut Connie w/ Fantastic Cat

What: The State Room’s 15th Anniversary show

Where: The State Room

When: April 1, 2024

Info: https://thestateroompresents.com

Whenever KRCL and The State Room join forces, the end result is usually an unforgettable Salt Lake City concert. We had such a memorable evening on Friday, March 8, 2024 when Margo Cilker and her band delivered an amazing 16-song set. Touring in support of her flawless new album, Valley of Heart’s Delight, Cilker opened with the record’s first track “Lowland Trail,” a catchy country-folk tune with a fresh West Coast vibe.

Cilker delighted the crowd with a generous portion of new material from her latest critically- acclaimed record. “Keep It On A Burner” and “Beggar For Your Love,” and many other tunes, stayed in my head all week. A master songwriter, she took us on an emotional road trip to a diner in “Santa Rosa” New Mexico, and on to “Tehachapi,” then to “That River,” a song inspired by a long journey across the Great Basin.  

Despite only two full-length albums to her credit, Cilker’s built a significant catalog. She’s filled both records with so many great tunes that you forget she’s a relative newcomer. I really enjoyed “Mother Told Her Mother Told Me,” “Crazy or Died,” “Sound and Fury,” and “Steelhead Trout.” Her style is country-folk with a western edge. It’s outdoorsy, pack-the-Subaru-and-head to-the-hills kind of music.

As a bonus, she went old-school with “Delta Dawn,” a song famously recorded by some of the great artists of the 70s, including Bette Midler, Tanya Tucker, and Helen Ready. Cilker’s version was certainly a hit with me. To close out her set she reached further back with a cover of Ian Tyson’s obscure country waltz, “Road To Las Cruces,” a place my wife and I know well. 

As a West Coast incarnation of Lucinda Williams, Cilker and her band create a big sound with just four instruments (I’m sure it would be hard to fit more players in their van). I would love to see her with a full orchestra, especially keyboards, fiddle and banjo. 

Jeremy Ferrara opened the evening (and did double duty as guitarist in Cilker’s band) with mellow, somewhat psychedelic folk. He started off with “Come and Go,” a song from his soon-to-be released album Darkness is A Bright Sound. The Salt Lake City audience got a preview of his new material, “Reason,” “Morning Light,” and the album’s title track. He entertained the audience with his upbeat fingerpicking in “Sing Until I Die,” played his most popular song “Fictional,” and ended his quick, nine-song set with the catchy “Paint Me Blue,” a great new single he released in January.

Thank you KRCL and The State Room for bringing great new artists like Margo Cilker to Salt Lake City’s concert community. You make our city a cool place to live.

Who: Margo Cilker with Jeremy Ferrara
What: Valley of the Heart’s Delight 24 Tour
Where: The State Room
When: Friday, March 8, 2024
Artist Info: https://www.margocilkermusic.com/, https://jeremyferraramusic.com/

Femme As Folk: Book More Womxn is a new multi-genre music festival series featuring women, transgender, and nonbinary musicians every Friday and Saturday in March at Lighthouse Lounge in Ogden.

Deann Armes, founder and editor at The Ogdenite, says: “We have amazing musicians in Ogden, and Utah, but like most communities women, trans, and nonbinary artists are underrepresented. I challenged Paddy Teglia, entertainment manager at Lighthouse Lounge, to book more womxn-led bands every weekend in March (It’s Women’s History Month) and he agreed. I also wanted an opportunity to raise money for Rock Camp SLC because they are literally opening doors for hundreds of marginalized kids.”

Armes added: “We need full equality in the Ogden Music Scene, and everywhere. It should be the norm, not for just a month; this series will show that it’s possible. Now we just need the community to come out, enjoy the shows, and celebrate with us!”

Here’s the dream lineup–and worth a short road trip. I have a few shows already picked out!

• 3.1 DoomCupcake, Floatinground
• 3.2 Talia Keys & The Love
• 3.8 Somebody/Anybody, She Cock With A Vengeance
• 3.9 Pepper Rose Band, Spirit Machines
• 3.15 Carrie Myers & The Proper Way, OrcaMind
• 3.16 DJ Suzy, Che Zuro
• 3.22 Fur Foxen, The Backyard Revival
• 3.29 Ginger and The Gents, Salduro
• 3.30 Standards and Substandards, Korene Greenwood

All shows start at 8 PM, doors at 7 PM. $10 cash or card at the door. All proceeds are for the artists and Rock Camp SLC.

Listen to the Femme as Folk playlist on Spotify!

Who: The Ogdenite Presents Femme As Folk: Book More Womxn

What: Multi-genre Ogden Music Festival featuring women, transgender, and nonbinary musicians

Where: Lighthouse Lounge in Ogden

When: Every Friday and Saturday in March (excluding March 23, 2024)

Info: https://www.theogdenite.com/events

The State Room is an incubator for award winning artists like 2024 Grammy winner Allison Russell and the Grammy nominated duo War and Treaty. That trend continues with Margo Cilker. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience this rising star on Friday, March 8, 2024 at The State Room. 

Cilker is touring in support of her fantastic new album Valley of Heart’s Delight, an album Rolling Stone lists as #5 on their pick of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2023. Her stellar sophomore release, a travelog for a wandering spirit, delights this fellow gypsy rambler.  Don’t let the title of the record’s first track, “Lowland Trail,” fool you, it’s an elevated musical experience from start-to-finish. With plenty of peaks and no valleys, the album’s songs of self-discovery and adventure invites the listener to go along for the ride. Just put it on the turntable (or streaming platform) and let it play out. 

Cilker stokes my wanderlust with “I Remember Carolina,” a rhapsodic road song that would make James McMurtry proud. She breathes poetic life into each stop in her journey like “Went on a bender in Bozeman/ Sobered up in Hamilton/ Fell in love with a fisherman, but it was catch and release.”  

“Keep It On A Burner” is a searing torch song with inflections of brass that conjures up notions of a New Orleans Second Line. On “Beggar For Your Love” Cilker delivers a whimsical and well-constructed tune mixing in the strum of an acoustic guitar with a piano, organ, bass, drum, and at the right moments, a subtle pluck of the banjo to pull on your heart strings. With elements of country, folk, and rock, there are no flaws on this 11-song musical adventure.

Much like they did in the 1960s with blues music, the British have already discovered Portland Oregon-based Cilker as an important American roots artist. The Americana Music Association UK (AMA-UK) nominated Valley of Heart’s Delight for International Album of the Year. Her stunning debut album Pohorylle also received an AMA-UK nomination in 2022. 

The Portland-based acoustic folk singer/songwriter Jeremy Ferrara opens the show. His soothing, mellow vibes will deliver the audience into the right, collective headspace for an evening of great music. His new album Darkness Is A Bright Sound is set for release in late March. Salt Lake audiences will get an early preview of his ethereal and dreamy folk offerings.

KRCL is presenting this Salt Lake city concert, so you know it’s gonna be great.

Fans of Lucinda Williams, Eilen Jewell, Gillian Welch, James McMurtry, Justin Townes Earl, Sierra Ferrell, or Nikki Lane will want to discover this exciting new artist.

Who: Margo Cilker with Jeremy Ferrara

What: Valley of the Heart’s Delight 24 Tour

Where: The State Room

When: Friday, March 8, 2024

Tickets and Info: https://thestateroompresents.com/state-room-presents/margo-cilker

It was an evening of music by Petty by many—and more. The State Room hosted an all-star lineup for a sold-out 30th Anniversary celebration of Tom Petty’s Wildflowers on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 in Salt Lake City. A menagerie of singers and musicians from The National Parks, Neon Trees, Fictionist, and The Hollering Pines joined other great local artists to perform Wildflowers in its entirety and then rocked the night away with other Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers hits. 

Wildflowers was Petty’s second solo album (without the Heartbreakers) and a 15-song classic that yielded a few radio hits. Nate Pyfer (Pinguin Mofex) delivered a crowd-pleasing version of “You Don’t Know How It Feels,” a now-familiar Petty classic. Robbie Connolly (Fictionist and The Killers) gave us a rip-roaring rendition of “You Wreck Me,” probably the most enduring radio chart-topper on the album.

There’s a difference between a cover band that imitates an original work and a cover song that reinterprets a seminal piece of music and takes it someplace new. Friday night’s Wildflowers tribute ensemble achieved both. Led by Paul Jacobsen and his amazing house band, the evening started with Scott Shepard (Book on Tapeworm) who offered us a bewitching version of the title track. 

It’s when we got to the record’s deep cuts when the troupe shined (the hits pretty much speak for themselves.) Some stand-out performances included David Burchfield’s (David Burchfield and the Fire Guild) “It’s Good To Be King.” On a side note: Burchfield and guitarist and pedal steel extraordinaire Dylan Schorer played a memorable set the night before at The Commonwealth Room’s Cosmic Hootenanny.  

Dominic Moore shook the rafters with “Honey Bee” while Debra Fothereringham nailed the ethereal folk essence on “Don’t Fade On Me.” Karl Strange (The LoveStrange) delivered a searing rendition of  “Cabin Down Below” and Mick Rudolph (Seaslak) rocked “House In The Woods.”  

The first set ended with Ryan Innes’s soulful version of “Wake Up Time,” an underappreciated tune, lost at the end of a lengthy album. Innes used his powerhouse voice to bring the song center stage. That’s the beauty of a well-chosen cover. Artists can breathe new life into an old song. As the song’s lyric goes: “You might find the forest there in the trees.” Innes certainly uncovered the song’s complex emotional timbers. 

After a short intermission, the ensemble returned to rock the night away with a barrage of singalong Petty classics. The master of ceremonies and show organizer, Paul Jacobsen, took lead vocals on a spirited version of “The Waiting.” The packed house of eager listeners marveled at Goldmyth’s take on “Don’t Do Me Like That.” Stuart Maxfield (Fictionist) got us all singing with “Refugee.” Another highlight among many was Porter Smith (Lantern By Sea) and Marie Bradshaw’s (The Hollering Pines) psychedelic performance of “Don’t Come Around Here No More.” Bradshaw also soared on “Learning To Fly.” Former Hollering Pines drummer and master singer/songwriter Daniel Young sent the venue’s disco ball spinning on “Running Down A Dream.” 

In all, the crew played 15 songs from Wildflowers and another dozen Petty hits. The whole ensemble, nearly 30 artists, crowded the stage for the finale with a couple of hundred adoring fans joining in the chorus of “Free Falling.”

The evening featured an overload of talent with great contributions from Michelle Moonshine, Joey St. John, Brady Parks, Tyler Glenn, Peter Breinholt, Libbie Linton and a host of others.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the contributions of the all-star band. The 7-piece troupe of musicians, all from different bands, embraced the herculean task of learning all 27-plus songs and arranging them to suit the various performance styles within the rotating cast of lead singers. So thank you to Paul Jacobsen, Aaron Anderson, Dylan Schorer, Braden Campbell, Scott Wiley, Brian Hardy and Debra Fotheringham for living up to the cliche “the hardest working band in showbiz.”

The magical evening was led and held together by the band leader (ringleader?) Paul Jacobsen who thoughtfully introduced musicians and shared song backstories. Not only did we enjoy an evening of great music, we got to see so many of our locally-based artists showcase their talents. 

Jacobsen also led last year’s incredible Neil Young tribute and I hope he continues the tradition. Hey Paul. Here are some suggestions for tribute or anniversary shows we’d love to see you arrange. Next year Born to Run turns 50 (Born in The USA is 40 this year). Let it Be turns 55 (Let it Bleed is 55 this year). Blood on the Tracks turns 50, Jagged Little Pill will be 30 (American Idiot just turned 20.) And there must be some occasion to pull together an evening of music by Fleetwood Mac. 

And as always, a huge shout out to The State Room for hosting such incredible music.

• Who: An All-Star Lineup 
• What: Wildflowers and Heartbreakers: The Songs of Tom Petty
• Where: The State Room
• When: Friday, Feb. 9, 2024
• Info: thestateroompresents.com

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