Music

The indie-pop band Train laid down some groovy tracks at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Monday, July 31, 2023. The multi-Grammy Award winning septet opened their 20-song set with “AM Gold,” a new song with a vintage disco vibe. From the first few notes, the packed-in crowd rose to their feet and abandoned their charcuterie for some singing and dancing. 

Next they played “Meet Virginia,” the band’s first commercial hit, and added a very cool medley of Steve Miller’s “The Joker.” Frontman Pat Monahan sported a Meet Virginia t-shirt, then peeled it off, band members added their signatures, and tossed it into the crowd with a bunch of other tees (Monahan might have missed his calling in the NFL. He achieved quite a 30-yard spiral from rolled up shirts.) By the third offering, “If It’s Love,” members of the crowd were waving their phone torches. It wasn’t even dark yet! 

Monahan clearly knows how to work a crowd. Train came to the Garden with a well-constructed, interactive show full of surprises (and a little concert chum.) 

They offered a few verses of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lot of Love” to get our attention, before launching into a sparkling rendition of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.” Monahan brought out his 11-year old son Rock to help him with “Save The Day.” The kid can sing! He stayed on stage with his dad for a few verses of Journey’s “Faithfully” which morphed into “Calling All Angels” before reverting back for one more stanza with Rock sounding like an adolescent Steve Perry. Later, the family affair continued when Monahan’s 14 year-old daughter, Autumn joined him on stage for a sweet duet of “Bruises.”

During “Save Me, San Francisco” the band blanketed the crowd with beach balls of various sizes, turning the Garden into a pool party. The band moved into the homestretch with their familiar hits, “Play That Song” and “50 Ways to Say Goodbye,” before spicing up “Hey, Soul Sister” with a few verses of Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love.” For their pre-encore finale they ended with “Drive By” followed by a closing chorus of “Hey Jude.” I really liked how they paid homage to vintage songs by blending them into their now classic hits.

They didn’t depart the stage before the encore, they just asked if they could stay and do a few more songs, as if the crowd really needed to think about it. For our bonus, we got a stunning version of “Hotel California” with guitarist Taylor Locke donning an oversized red double necked guitar (a throwback to Jimmy Page). A hillside of phone torches lit up the Garden for the grand finale, “Drops of Jupiter.” 

Monahan is an energetic frontman backed by an exceptional cast: Locke on guitar, Sakai Smith and Nikita Houston provided amazing backing vocals, Hector Maldonado on bass, Jerry Becker on keyboards and Matt Musty on drums. The Train crew never missed a beat. I hope we can get them back at Red Butte Garden next season. They’re definitely worth a repeat performance.

Thunderstorm Artis opened the evening with a stellar 11-song solo set. A 2020 runner-up on NBC’s The Voice, he showed us his booming, vocal prowess with a nice blend of originals and reworked covers. He paired down each song to a shortened radio-edit version beginning with “Summertime” and his original “Oh, Little River.” He performed a lovely rendition of Bill Withers “Ain’t No Sunshine,” delivered a soulful interpretation of the Beatles, “Blackbird,” luring the crowd away from their picnics and chit-chat. His original composition “Stronger” showed off his growing skills as a songwriter. I really enjoyed his version of Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up.” His rendition showcased his vocal range as did “Stand Up Eight,” a fine new single, and Leonard Cohen’s epic “Hallelujah.” Artis has a golden voice and a bright future. I’d love to see him with a backing band at an intimate venue like The State Room.

Was it bad karma for a guy named Thunderstorm to sing “Ain’t No Sunshine” on an overcast evening? I swear I felt a drop of rain. Artis has a magical voice, but he doesn’t control the weather. Thank goodness. The clouds passed us by and we enjoyed another perfect summer salt Lake concert at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre.

Who: Train w/ Thunderstorm Artis

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Monday, July 31, 2023

Info: www.redbuttegarden.org

Local roots rockers, The Medicine Company, are set to release their second full-length album Risk It For The Biscuit. To celebrate, they’re hosting a record release party on August 4, 2023 at The State Room.  

The Medicine Company are Bryant Adair (vocals), Mac Wray (guitar), Chandler Seipert (guitar), Fisher Huish (bass) and Connor Gerson (drums). Since the release of their self-titled debut album in 2021, the band’s been working out new material during live shows before laying down the fresh tracks. The band recorded the album in their own jam space before finalizing the mixing and tracking with Mike Sasich at Man vs. Music Studio in Salt Lake City. The first single from the new record, “Mr. Chuckles,” is set for release on August 1st and just ahead of the full album release on August 4th. So look for it on your favorite streaming service. 

I first got a taste of The Medicine Company’s Americana at The Fort Desolation Music Fest down in Torrey, UT earlier this summer. And now I want some more. Their sound draws from the trippy, hippy jams of the Grateful Dead to the more nuanced indie-rock of Wilco. There’s also a bit of Frank Zappa-like vocals and maybe a touch of The Band and Lou Reed in their sound too. When I talked with lead singer Bryant Adair about the band’s influences, he listed The Grateful Dead, Wilco, Zappa, The Band along with The Beatles, Dylan, Black Sabbath, Steppenwolf and more modern acts like All Them Witches, Graveyard, The White Stripes, and The Black Keys.

They perform all their own music, but if you like their musical influences you’re sure to like what they’ve created. From their solid debut record The Medicine Company, I particularly like “Buckaroo” and “Rusted in Misfortune.” For their forthcoming record they’re cooking up plenty of fresh new favorites. Spoiler Alert: I have it on good authority they’ll play their new record in its entirety and throw in some of the older stuff too. In the meantime check out this link to their psychedelic funk jam Mr. Mojo Workin (Live at The Rio Theatre).  

Co-headlining is alt-country artisans Triggers and Slips. Their 2022 release What Do You Feed Your Darkness? evokes all the twangy brogue and high-lonesome pedal steel moan you want in a country record. Frontman, Morgan Snow, proves a masterful singer and storyteller in this stellar record. “You Did It To Me Again,” a duet featuring Lilly Winwood, is as fine a song as anything currently charting. With three full-length albums and an EP under their belt, Triggers and Slips can draw on a growing catalog of folky, country rock songs to delight audiences. Here’s a cool video of “Natchez Trace” from 2019 to whet your appetite.

Cherry Thomas will open the show with her blend of soulful R&B. Thomas, an O-Town singer/songwriter, released two new singles last year: “Barbed Wire” and “Blue Hour.” Most recently, she played the Progressive Stage at the Fort Desolation Fest at Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey, UT. You can find Thomas gigging all along the Wasatch Front.

The Medicine Company’s vocalist Bryant Adair told me that the band’s goal from the outset was to headline The State Room – like the name implies, one of the best rooms in the state. They are grateful for Morgan Snow’s support and they wanted to show their appreciation by co-headlining with Triggers and Slips. Cherry Thomas, someone who they consider to be one of the most talented singers in the valley, had been one of their first picks to share the stage with them on their big night.

Join The Medicine Company on Friday, August 4, 2023, for their record release party and enjoy a night of locally procured indie-rock, alt-country, and R&B. I’m pairing the evening of Utah-based music with a tasty Golden Spike Hefeweizen from Uinta Brewing. Cheers!

• Who: The Medicine Company w/ Co-Headliners Triggers and Slips and Cherry Thomas opening
• What: The Medicine Company’s Risk It For The Biscuit album release party
• Where: The State Room
• When: Friday, August 4, 2023
• Tickets and info: https://thestateroompresents.com

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Make sure to stock up on that particular chickpea dip, your favorite adult beverages, and the appropriate festival chairs for Train’s show at The Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on July 31, 2023. But, you may not be spending much time in your Tommy Bahama, since the band will surely keep you on your feet, dancing to their iconic hits. 

Even if you can’t name the members of the band, you know their music (almost word-for-word.) 

The San Francisco-based, Grammy-winning pop-rockers scored 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 over the past few decades. In 1998, the band released their self-titled debut record that featured the indie-rock hit “Meet Virginia.” Then came their mega hit in 2001, “Drops of Jupiter” which earned them their first two Grammys. Has it been 22 years since that song’s release? Admit it–you still turn it up when it comes up on commercial radio. Their third record produced the hit “Calling All Angels.” In 2009, the band released the multi-platinum selling Save Me, San Francisco and the international #1 hit, “Hey, Soul Sister” and other top 40 hits with “If It’s Love” and “Marry Me.” Their 2012 album California 37 included the top 10 smash “Drive By.” 

“Hey, Soul Sister” with its opening ukulele riff is tailor-made for that souvenir ukulele you bought in Hawaii years ago and never played. If you missed the ukulele craze (or made sourdough instead) during Covid,  it’s time to dust it off and practice before the show. Here’s a quick tutorial video.

Fun fact: “Hey, Soul Sister” continues to reach new milestones with 1.2 billion streams on Spotify.

The band’s not resting on its past success. Last year they released AM Gold, a full-length album of original songs styled with a retro AM radio flair that proves Train is still on the tracks. 

Opening the show is Thunderstorm Artis, from Oahu, who may be familiar to those who were glued to the NBC show The Voice during the pandemic. Artis became the contest’s runner-up during the show’s 2020 season. Last year his song “Stronger” appeared on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. A multi-instrumentalist with a powerhouse voice, Artis’ music crosses many genres including folk, rock, soul, and country. 

Fun fact #2: Artis is the son of Ron Artis, a Motown musician best known for playing keyboards on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

Who: Train w/ Thunderstorm Artis

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Monday, July 31, 2023

Tickets and info: www.redbuttegarden.org

When the gates opened, the mad dash for the best real estate on the lawn began. Blankets spread, beverages poured, and picnics arranged, the fans were ready. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Deer Tick didn’t disappoint the Red Butte Garden revelers. On Saturday, July 8, they shared tried and true favorites alongside fresh, new sounds with the packed audience. Both bands have recently released critically-acclaimed albums that will undoubtedly reshape their set lists.

Deer Tick opened the evening with a 10-song set, equal parts new and old. The Providence, Rhode Island roots rockers just released their first album of new material in six years. Emotional Contracts proved worth the wait. They opened their set with “If I Try To Leave,” a ripping new number with a ‘70s retro rock sound. Deer Tick fans who wanted to hear older stuff were pleased with “Ashamed” from 2007 and “Hope Is Big” from their past catalog. But, I think the new material owned the night. “Forgiving Ties,” “Running From Love,” and “Once In a Lifetime” map their artful musical progression. They ended their set with ”The Real Thing,” a tailor-made show-closer with its building drum beat, guitar distortion, culminating with emotionally strained vocals. Those wanting more will be happy to know that Deer Tick will be headlining at The Commonwealth Room in November.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit were on a mission: to highlight Weathervanes, their newly released record. Nearly half of their 19-song set was dedicated to that material. They started with “Save The World,” a new tune about an old problem–uncontrolled gun violence. The up-tempo “King of Oklahoma” explored the human cost of opioid addiction. Isbell is in top form as a lyricist and storyteller, weaving together a fresh batch of material about humans struggling against changing social headwinds. 

Photography by Moses Namkung, @mosesnphoto

The crowd at this sold-out show expected to hear lyrical ballads alongside some good old-school rock ‘n’ roll. Isbell and the 400 Unit delivered. “Last of My Kind” and “Cast Iron Skillet” were some of my favorites country tunes. “Miles” gave Isbell and lead guitarist Sadler Vaden the room to stretch-out and rock. Isbell turned over the keys temporarily to Vaden who brought thunder to the mountain with “Honeysuckle Blue,” a song by Vaden’s former band Drivin’ n’ Cryin’.

The show also commemorated the ten-year anniversary of Isbell’s breakout album, Southeastern. They played “Stockholm” and ended the show with the record’s major hit “Cover Me Up.” The crowd of three thousand stood in rapt attention while Isbell belted out “So, girl leave your boots by the bed we ain’t leaving this room ‘till someone needs medical help or the magnolias bloom.” Isbell’s voice carried across the amphitheatre while the crowds sang along.  

For their stirring encore the band reassembled for the Grammy-winning roots-rock hit, “24 Frames” and the acoustic tune, “If We Were Vampires.” For the grand finale they ended with the fresh new rocker “This Ain’t It.” Well, actually, it was it. Time to pack up our picnic gear and head home. It was another great summer night on the mountain. 

Who: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit w/ Deer Tick

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Saturday, July 8, 2023

Info: www.redbuttegarden.org

A thunderstorm threatened to wash out the sold-out Indigo Girls show at Red Butte Garden on Monday, July 3, 2023. But, the brief shower didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the Indigo Girls’ impassioned, and largely female fanbase who packed the Garden. Swifties of a certain age.

Clear skies greeted the opening performer, Garrison Starr, who began her solo, acoustic, nine-song set with “Dam That’s Breaking,” then appropriately “Just a Little Rain.” She played her timely latest single, “Fireworks,” a slow burning tune she recorded with the Milk Carton Kids. The starting line “It’s almost the 4th of July, scary how quickly time goes by” fit perfectly in her set. 

Starr recently released a series of soulful singles from a forthcoming record, Garrison Starr and The Gospel Truth. On Monday night she played a spirited version of Claude Ely’s traditional gospel, “Ain’t No Grave.” The crowd erupted when Indigo Girl Emily Salier joined Starr on stage for “Hallelujah, Come Together,” a yet-to-be- released song they co-wrote. Starr ended her show with her stirring 2019 release “Better Day Comin’.” Starr is an accomplished songwriter with a powerful voice. I’d like to see her again with an accompanying band in an intimate venue like The State Room. She has a growing catalog of great songs that’s worth a listen.

The Indigo Girls, a Grammy-winning duo, grew to a septet for this performance. The 7-piece ensemble started their mammoth 23-song set with “Howl At The Moon,” a new song that fits perfectly within their long catalog of folk-rock favorites. Next came “Power of Two,” a crowd pleaser that turned into an impromptu singalong. Throughout the night you could hear a legion of adoring fans, in their “Emily and Amy” t-shirts, shout affirmations. The audience rose to their feet for energetic singalongs and then listened intently to quieter ballads. Their loving attention to the performers filled the Garden with a warm and welcoming vibe.

I enjoyed their run of songs that featured their eclectic sound. With “Shed Your Skin” they showed their rock ‘n’ roll chops then moved seamlessly to “Country Radio” before blending the two genres with a new song, “Shit Kickin’.” 

An energetic version of “Shame on You” got the crowd on their feet and singing. In a truly magical moment, the band departed the stage and left Amy Ray alone with her guitar for a captivating rendition of Dire Straits, “Romeo and Juliet.” Soon after, they cut loose with “Tether.” “Kid Fears” received collective approval and they then ramped up toward “Galileo,” the set finale. They encored with “Share The Moon” and Garrison Starr returned to the stage for a collective singing of “Closer To Fine.”

In addition to the duo’s two guitars and beautifully blended vocals, the accompanying band provided greater depth with a fiddle, bass, keyboards, drums, and an additional guitar. The natural acoustics at The Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre also aided in a joyous evening of great music. There’s no better way to spend a Monday night than a picnic in the Garden with the Indigo Girls and their spirited fans. 

Who: Indigo Girls w/ Garrison Starr

What: Long Look Tour

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: July 3, 2023

Info: www.redbuttegarden.org

Summer is in full swing and what better way to celebrate than a picnic in the Garden with Jason Isbell. The singer/songwriter (and former Drive-By Trucker) and his band, the 400 Unit, bring their country/folk/rock blend of Americana to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Saturday, July 8, 2023. 

Isbell, a four-time Grammy winner, pens lyrical slice-of-life vignettes about the trials of everyday life. His often hardscrabble characters come alive in his music as they face complex struggles like addiction, depression, inner demons, and loss of innocence. Like Springsteen, who writes about his working-class roots in suburban New Jersey, Isbell draws from his rural North Alabama to tell his stories with a country flair. He mixes sappy, southern sentimentality with raw, unadorned, pragmatism. The result is hard-edged, yet congenial.  

Playing within the broad-category of Americana or roots music, Isbell doesn’t cross any particular rubicon, instead he straddles the fence with folksy ballads as he moves effortlessly between rock and country. On his Grammy-winning hit single “24 Frames” Isbell delivers a sound reminiscent of the Georgia indie-rock of the ‘90s with lyrics that tackle the fleeting nature of life and how it can change in an instant. He sings “You thought God was an architect, now you know, He’s something like a pipe bomb ready to blow.” On “Cover Me Up,” now a country standard, Isbell penned a beautifully romantic ballad without losing sight of the complicated nature of relationships.  

Isbell and the 400 Unit are touring in support of their just-released album Weathervane. Like the title suggests, the music on this well-crafted new record moves like a cool breeze between ballads and country rock. The weather vane feels like a barometer for life’s shifting winds. The thematic arc in the song “Cast Iron Skillet” suggests that past beliefs (like not washing a cast iron skillet), may be outdated thinking. The song weaves a story of a family torn apart by inherent bigotry. When a white girl finds love in a boy with smiling eyes and dark skin, she is disowned and banished. Isbell sings “she found love, and it was simple as a weather vane, but her own family tried to kill it. Don’t wash the cast iron skillet.”

The 400 Unit’s tight performance provides Isbell the musical canvas for his expressive lyricism. “Middle of the Morning” is a great, soulful track with a Van Morrison vibe. The uptempo country-funk tune, “This Ain’t It,” leaves room for Isbell and Sadler Vaden to trade guitar licks in an old-school southern jam. “Miles” closes out the remarkable record by taking us on a 7-minute musical journey. It begins with a Neil Young/Tom Petty/Mike Campbell-styled strut that leads us toward a trippy detour down Abbey Road. 

Fun fact: Isbell’s band the 400 Unit was named after a psychiatric ward in his hometown. 

Opening the show is Deer Tick. No, not the blood-sucking, Lyme Disease carrying parasite that infests the New England woods every spring and summer. It’s Deer Tick, the very cool alt-folk-indie-rock band from Providence, Rhode Island (my old stompin’ ground.) The band is touring in support of their latest album Emotional Contracts. The first track, “If I Try To Leave,” is a toe-tapping rocker with a retro-styled riff (circa ‘72) and a modern verve. “Forgiving Ties” is also reminiscent of a jukebox favorite from the ‘80s that you’ve just recently rediscovered. It’s a fine record start-to-finish and I’m looking forward to hearing a nice mix of old and new.

Fans wanting more than an opening set can catch Deer Tick again on Friday, November 3, 2023 at The Commonwealth Room where they’ll be headlining. 

Who: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit w/ Deer Tick

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Saturday, July 8, 2023

Tickets and info: www.redbuttegarden.org

I have been to my share of concerts at Red Butte Gardens. Something about this one hit different. On its face, it was a sold-out Red Butte Gardens Outdoor Concert Series show, packed wall-to-wall with the standard Pendleton blankets, Tommy Bahama low-back chairs and Yeti coolers, but the audience hadn’t turned up for a concert—they’d turned up for a sabbath. They were here to gorge their souls on the fiery words and rock and roll of two women who are unapologetically themselves and double-dare others to be the same—Elle King and Melissa Etheridge.

Before I get too into the concert, I feel I must address a crime committed against Melissa Etheridge. One that I almost predicted. At Monday night’s concert, as I stood in awe of Etheridge absolutely shredding on a 12-string guitar, I remarked to my partner that it was obscene how many “best of” music lists on which she’d been left off. Now, as of Wednesday, we can add one more to the pile. 

Rolling Stone was already sashaying into tricky territory by trying to narrow down “The 50 Most Inspirational LGBTQ Songs of All Time,” but when they left off Etheridge’s “Come To My Window,” even Etheridge took note, tweeting out, “Dear Rolling Stone…was it something I said?” 

Etheridge released “Come To My Window” in 1993, on her Yes I Am album, around the same time she came out publicly as a lesbian. The song, with its potent imagery and palpable yearning, earned Etheridge the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and it still deserves all of the play it gets today. “I don’t care what they think / I don’t care what they say / What do they know about this love anyway?” Is still as resonant a line for people seeking non-hetero relationships as it was 30 years ago. 

Elle King kicked off the night with the announcement to the audience that she had just bought new jeans in Salt Lake City. A point she later followed up on by posing to the audience, “I know what you’re thinking—she may have got some new jeans today but has she acclimated? No.” And went right into the song, “I’m Not Drunk, I’m Just Drinking.” In the middle of which, she quipped,  “When you factor in the altitude, that first drink is sinking in.”

That exchange exemplifies King’s casual and loose style, warming up the crowd with that and well-known jams like “Ex’s & Oh’s,” coming right out of “Chain Smokin, Hard Drinkin, Woman.” After a cover, she told the crowd, “That deserves a shot because you sat through that,” a pun off of the next song: “Worth A Shot,” a new song from her 2023 album Come Get Your Wife. The songs from the album take a more country swing from King’s previous, rock-centered studio albums, Love Stuff (2015) and Shake the Spirit (2018). King herself seems to be leaning more that way, judging by the countrified version of “America’s Sweetheart” (originally a boot-stomping rock anthem off Love Stuff) that she performed at Red Butte.

King’s set wasn’t all fast and loose, taking a more thoughtful turn as the sun started to set. She performed another song off of her new album, “Lucky,” which is the sort of reflective, aching-but-ultimately-triumphant retrospective that we expect from musical artists after performing for more than a decade. “Now that we’re in our emotions, let’s stay there,” King said, following that up with another new song, “Love Go By,” a soulful track from Come Get Your Wife.

King was back to her raucous, irreverent self by the end of the set, performing her new album’s lead single “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”, recorded as a duet with country artist Miranda Lambert, for the encore. Red Butte Gardens was a stop on the tour of Elle King’s new album, Come Get Your Wife. 

Melissa Etheridge is all rock and roll—all black hat, leather pants and jacket. She plays lead guitar on her songs—alternating between six and 12-string guitars seamlessly—while still absolutely wailing. At 62-years-old, it’s possible her expressive voice has only gotten more raw and powerful with time. She opened her set with “Your Little Secret,” the title track off of her 1995 album. 

Etheridge covered “On Broadway,” a wink to the fact that her theatrical memoir of Etheridge’s life will be staged on Broadway later this fall. Etheridge says the song is also a throwback to the days she used to “play lounges and dream.” 

She hit some of the most moving and driven of her songs from the late 80s and throughout the 90s. About halfway through the set, during “Crazy For Me,” all of the members of the band ripped out some old-school rock solos, something that punctuated almost every song in the set—a masterclass in rock and blues guitar. During the encore, “Like The Way I Do,” not only did Etheridge lead the song on her 12-string, but take a turn on the drums (she pulled out the harmonica throughout the night, too). 

At one point, she implored the audience, “Be strong, speak true, choose peace and only love.” The words could be a motto for Etheridge’s repertoire of raw emotion—sometimes gut-wrenching, sometimes explosive, sometimes wry but always real. 

Melissa Etheridge set list:

• “Your Little Secret,” Your Little Secret (1995) 
• “No Souvenirs,” Brave and Crazy (1989)
• “Royal Station 4/16,” Brave and Crazy (1989)
• “I Want to Come Over,” Your Little Secret (1995)  
• “On Broadway” (originally by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller)
• “Crazy For Me,” Never Enough (1992)
• “Born Under A Bad Sign,” Memphis Rock and Soul (2016) (originally by Albert King)
• “Chrome Plated Heart,” Melissa Etheridge (1998)
• “Come To My Window,” Yes I Am (1993)
• “Bring me Some Water,” Melissa Etheridge (1998)
• “I’m The Only One,” Melissa Etheridge (1998)
• “Like The Way I Do,” Melissa Etheridge (1998)

Grammy-winning duo Indigo Girls are hitting the road as a 7-piece band this summer that includes a stop at The Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Monday, July 3, 2023.

Amy Ray and Emily Salier emerged out of the Atlanta music scene in the late 1980s as the folk-rock duo Indigo Girls. Their 1989 self-titled major label debut album featured the Dylan-esque, poetic hit “Closer to Fine.” That landmark tune has endured the test of time. Their break came, in part, due Tracy Chapman’s success who, a year earlier, released a mega-hit, the edgy folk single “Fast Cars.” Chapman made female-led folk cool for a new generation and opened a door for others to walk through. 

Georgia, especially Athens, became an incubator for hot new indie artists like REM in the latter part of the ‘80s. In fact several members of REM, including frontman Michael Stipe,  played on the Indigo Girls debut record. The album won a Grammy in 1990 for Best Contemporary Folk Recording and launched their career. They actually were nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy but lost out to Milli Vanilli (ouch!), who later vacated the award after they were exposed as frauds.    

The Indigo Girls would go on to release 10 hit singles and 16 studio albums over their 35-year career (seven gold, four platinum, and one double-platinum). In 2022, Ray and Salier were inducted into the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.

In true folk tradition, the duo marries folk music with political activism. The Indigo Girls have long been involved with LGBTQ advocacy, immigration reform, death penalty reform and Native American rights. They’re co-founders of Honor the Earth, a non-profit dedicated to the survival of sustainable Native communities, Indigenous environmental justice, and green energy solutions.

The duo are touring in support of their 2020 release Long Look. It’s been five years between album releases, but there are no cobwebs to dust off their music. Their sound is as crisp as ever and songs like “Howl At The Moon” remain ageless. They’ve stayed true to their sound and songcraft and their voices blend as beautifully as they did 35-years ago. This is a quintessential Indigo Girls record with everything that’s made them enduring folk icons. For this tour they’re playing as a seven-piece band. I can’t wait to hear their orchestral sound resonate across the beautiful amphitheatre. 

Opening the show is Garrison Starr, a Grammy-nominated gospel-infused singer with a powerful voice and an equally powerful message of redemption and survival in a world of misguided piety. She recently released four singles from a forthcoming album Garrison Starr and The Gospel Truth.  “Shame The Devil,” “Oh My Soul,” “It’s Alright” and a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave” find her reclaiming her gospel/Americana roots and removing the evangelical Christian chain from around her ankle. 

Who: Indigo Girls w/ Garrison Starr

What: Long Look Tour

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: July 3, 2023

Tickets and info: www.redbuttegarden.org

The third annual Fort Desolation Fest was a destination festival, as promised. The event kicked off on June 8, and provided a perfect blend of awe-inspiring landscapes and fantastic music. Festival goers like me, could spend three days exploring the Capitol Reef National Park area and three nights kicking up the red dirt to the sounds of an incredible lineup of musical artists at Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey.

The music started in the late afternoon with two active stages, the Progressive Stage where artists warmed up the crowd between headliners, and the main stage where the marque acts played. The music carried late into the night on a third “after-hours” stage that welcomed surprise guest performers for an intimate jam in the campsite area.

The organizers put together a 20-act program with a spectacular cast of performers from across the musical spectrum. No matter your musical taste, the festival had something for everyone. Here’s a rundown of my magical moments.

Best of the 2023 Fort Desolation Fest

Jamestown Revival 

This folk duo’s majestic harmonies radiated off the red rocks for a visual and auditory experience that left me feeling a deep, hypnotic bliss. Backed by a full band, their beautifully synchronous voices blended into10 finespun songs that left me wanting more. They opened with “Crazy World (Judgement Day),” a chilling song, reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel, but with a modernized, western flair. The kismet between music and landscape continued with “Young Man,” the title track from their latest album. Then it was time to kick-up some dust with “Revival,” and move into full hoedown mode, especially when Dan Reckard temporarily abandoned his piano for a sax solo. Stoking the crowd’s energy, Zack Chance and Jonathan Clay led us in a singalong with “California (Cast Iron Soul)” before transitioning to a soulful “Midnight Hour.” They finished with “Prospector’s Blues” from their 2021 EP Fireside With Louis L’Amour-A Collection of Songs Inspired By Tales From The American West. 

Fun fact: Jamestown Revival’s first album, Utah, was recorded in a cabin in the Wasatch Mountains in 2014. 

Houndmouth

As I expected, this Indiana-based alternative rock and blues band delivered a high energy performance. They opened with “Las Vegas” and alternated nicely between fan favorites and deeper cuts. With a repertoire of catchy, easy to sing along tunes like “Honey Slider” and “Darlin,’” Houndmouth are the perfect festival band (of course they are pretty awesome indoors too). Fans of the show Succession may relate to the song, “Cousin Greg.” No, not that cousin Greg. Houndmouth wrote the song long before the series aired, but a fun coincidence (and good timing for the band), nonetheless. I also enjoyed “For No One” and “Comin’ Round Again.” They ended their awesome set with “Sedona” and the crowd joined in with the chorus  “I remember, I remember when the neon used to burn so bright and pink. A Saturday night kind of pink.” Indeed, and it was only Friday.

Morgan Wade

I wondered if Morgan Wade, one of country music’s fastest rising stars, with plenty of twang in her voice, and backed by a major record label would be “cookie-cutter country.” Nope! She’s a different kind of country–Gen Z raw and certainly devoid of vapid and formulaic, country-kitsch. Her body art and grit put that stereotype to rest. Her songs touch upon struggles with depression and unmet expectations. She embodies the edginess of Miley Cyrus, but in a more authentic way and without the buckets of Hannah Montana money to fall back on. In fact, she sang Cyrus’s “Bad Karma” and it felt at home in her setlist.

She radiated with rebelliousness and irony in her Kiss concert t-shirt, camouflage pants and strumming a pink acoustic guitar. Her country twang, at times, seemed paradoxical to her dark, introspective ballads. On “The Night (Part 2)” she sang with a hip-hop inflection. She rocked it out with “Mend” and the wonderfully melodic “Take Me Away.”  She electrified her performance both in guitar and tempo when she jumped in her time machine and started strumming a familiar tune with the opening line “Josie’s on a vacation far away.” She rocked out The Outfield’s 1986 hit “Your Love” and then blended it with Rick Springfield’s 1980 hit “Jesse’s Girl.” It was a beautiful, retro moment. Those songs somehow felt authentically hers despite the fact they hit the airwaves a decade and a half before she was born. She gave both tunes, with similar chord progressions, a new life. She should record and release them for a new generation. She finished up with her Billboard Hot Country Top 40 hit “Wilder Days.” I see nothing but blue sky and open roads ahead for this innovative new country artist.

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

Harper added the exclamation point on the festival as the final headliner. The multi-Grammy winner and genre-blender guided listeners on a journey through rock, blues, and soul gospel–sometimes within a single song. Opening with an acapella “Below Sea Level,” he then rose to what some have called his James Taylor-meets-Bob Marley moment with “Burn One Down,” his pro-marijuana anthem. From the occasional whiff of skunky herb in the night air, the song seemed to resonate with the crowd. Next, Harper took us from reggae to rock with “Glory and Consequences,” a ‘90s REM-styled jam, carrying the audience on a magic carpet ride. “Steal My Kisses” featured Innocent Criminal percussionist, Leon Mobley who switched between the back-of-the-stage bongo to the upfront beatbox (cajon) solo. Harper delivered an innovative and psychedelic, blues soliloquy with his lap steel guitar like he was channeling Jimi Hendrix. I didn’t think the instrument could do that!

Harper blended rock and soul on an amazing rendition of  “Diamonds On The Inside.” Then he slowed the tempo for an unexpected cover of Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” that reminded me more of the Eddie Berman version, a slower, folkier cover of the Boss’s anthem. Either way, he nailed it. Our musical journey ended with some retro funk and soul on “Mama’s Trippin’.”

Shout Outs

Pixie and The Partygrass Boys closed out the Ogden Music Festival on the prior Sunday and opened this festival on the following Thursday. Pitching on three days’ rest (I can’t resist a baseball metaphor), they brought their A-game to Torrey.

Other main stage openers, Parker Millsap and The Brothers Comatose, brought great energy and set the pace for their prospective nights. Pixie and The Partygrass Boys and The Brothers Comatose also did double-duty and jammed on the after-hours stage.

Progressive Stage 

Between main stage set-ups, a troupe of performers played on the smaller, Progressive Skee Ball stage (Yes, Skee Ball). Set up on vendor’s row, the stage folded out of an airstream trailer, adorned with the familiar insurance company spokeswoman, Flo looking down on the action and a SkeeBall arcade where festival goers could win Progressive branded t-shirts and other swag. Despite the carnivalesque setup, the stage featured exceptional Utah artists. The standouts included Lee Rafugee, J Rad Cooley, The Medicine Company, and Paul Jacobsen (all Salt Lake City based). Ogden’s Cherry Thomas played a fine set too. The Medicine Company are hosting an album release show at The State Room on August 4th and Cherry Thomas will join them. I’m looking forward to hearing a longer set from these fine local artists.

I appreciated the amount of local talent the festival organizers featured this year. Maybe next year they could invite some area breweries, like Moab, Silver Reef Brewing, or Zion Brewery to join the party. I’d love to sample some of Southern Utah’s craft beers next time I’m red rockin’ it at Cougar Ridge.  

What: Fort Desolation Fest

Where: Cougar Ridge Resort in Torrey, UT

When: June 8-10, 2023

Info: https://fortdesolation.com/fest

Red Butte Garden, I missed you! My first concert of the outdoor concert series didn’t disappoint. Blue skies and mild temperatures greeted Gov’t Mule in a two-set evening of rockin’ blues at The Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. Tie-dye, concert t-shirts, and testosterone abounded. 

Allman Brothers Guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody formed Gov’t Mule in 1994 as a side project. They added drummer Matt Abts and in 1995 released their self-titled debut album. Since then, the “Mule,” as they’re affectionately known by their fans, has emerged as a quintessential southern rock and blues jam band, playing festivals across the globe. With a dozen studio records and nearly as many live albums to their credit, Gov’t Mule is best experienced live since their eclectic setlist changes with each performance. They mix homespun tunes with selected covers to create an evening of freewheeling, southern rock. 

Opening their first set with “Traveling Tune,” they filled the mountain air with thunderous southern rock. For a quartet, Gov’t Mule builds a wall of sound with just a guitar, bass, drum and keyboard. Haynes, a guitar master (as one would expect from an Allman Brothers guitarist), led us throughout the night with his commanding licks. They followed up their opener with “Mule,” before moving to their first cover, Van Morrison’s “I’ve Been Working.” 

The evening’s stand-out original songs included “Banks of the Deep End,” “Thorazine Shuffle,” “Blind Man in the Dark,” and “Revolution Come Revolution Go.” They also featured some great new material off their soon-to-released album Peace…Like A River.  Sounding like a long-lost song from a Yes album from the early ‘70s, “Same As It Ever Was” is a great new tune with a vintage vibe. Their latest single “Made My Peace” also has a decidedly retro ‘70s sound. Fans of classic rock looking for something familiar, yet fresh should check out the Mule’s latest offering.

A Gov’t Mule show wouldn’t be complete without an extended instrumental jam of a rock or blues classic. What better song to honor than Link Wray’s 1958 experimental distortion hit “Rumble.” The song, once banned in some markets due to claims it promoted juvenile delinquency, proved to be the perfect vehicle for a jammy jaunt down south–’70s style.

For their encore, the band returned to the stage for an amazing rendition of John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero.” They even managed to work in a signature jam at the end.  

What a perfect evening at the Garden to enjoy ‘70s-style southern guitar rock played by masterful performers. As always, the sound and sight lines were flawless. 

Who: Gov’t Mule

What: An Evening with Gov’t Mule

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: June 13, 2023

Info: https://redbuttegarden.org/concerts/