Discover Salt Lake magazine’s music section. Here you’ll find previews and reviews of upcoming local concerts and performances in Salt Lake City, along the Wasatch Front and Back, and around Utah to help you discover great live music and events.
Who: Charley Crockett Where: Granary Live When: 6 p.m. What: Granary Live doesn’t get nearly enough love. CAAMP is coming. So is Railroad Earth. This week they’ll host one of my top picks: Charley Crockett. If you haven’t listened to his 2022 album The Man From Waco, a) you still have lots of time to correct that mistake and b) follow it up with his show. The guy’s released 10 albums since 2015, believe it or not, so there’s plenty to choose from. If this is the direction ‘new country’ is headed, I’m here for it.
What: If four decades in the business, a string of gold records, and at least 14 onstage musicians aren’t enough for you, what more do you need? Had a rare opportunity to catch up with Mr. Lovett at home in Texas and in the middle of six straight weeks of shows for the musician. He’s as nice a guy as you probably believe he already is. “I’ve been lucky to work with the same core group of musicians for years now,” Lovett told me. “Every time we come back from a break, we can always pick up right where we left off, so we’re never starting from scratch.” Watch for our preview article coming soon.
Who: Common w/ Utah Symphony Where: Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater When: 7:30 p.m. What: The Symphony’s done this before and they’re doing it all over again. Andy why not? It’s a winning formula. After offering a memorable night out with Amos Lee not so long ago, the symphony is returning to back another powerhouse — Common — and they’re taking the show outside. Grab a blanket and flee the heat to the Park City mountains for one of those one–of-a-kind type experiences. Did you know Common’s the first rapper to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar too? Now you do.
Who: 4AM Vinyl Presents: Folk Hogan Where: 353 W. Reed Ave (Salt Lake City) When: 6 p.m. What: 4AM Vinyl exists as the brainchild of a local music lover who wanted to give the local talent in our state a brighter spotlight by pressing their songs to vinyl records. Their first one already came out, and it features a couple guys who know how to draw a crowd (Daniel Young, Timmy The Teeth), and plans are already in motion for lots more. 4AM has started sponsoring backyard shows, too. If my math is right, this one’s just their second, and they’ve picked Folk Hogan as their hometown heroes du jour.
Tickets: Free (donations suggested)
July 12 (Saturday)
Who: EarthGang Where: Gallivan Center When: 6 p.m. What: Salt Lake’s Twilight Concert Series begins officially July 12 with EarthGang out of Atlanta, one of only two remaining shows in the series that still have tickets left to sell. EarthGang’s music is newer to these ears than everything else on this list, but the songs make me move. Their flow makes me smile. This is Southern hip hop at its finest. JMSN and Bad Luck Brigade open.
Who: Ben Kweller Where: Urban Lounge When: 7 p.m. What: While the name may be familiar — he was an on-again, off-again staple in this city years ago — Kweller hasn’t toured for a bit. When his son passed, he wrote about it, and his new album celebrates a life cut short. The first single released (featuring MJ Lenderman) is called “Oh Dorian.” Kweller shared more in a recent press release: “I took the approach of: I’m actually talking to a really great friend I haven’t seen in a while — and I can’t wait to hang out again,” adding that he wrote the song, in part, for Dorian’s high school friends who still come and visit his grave. “He’s not really gone. I’ll see him again.”
Who: Sierra Farrell Where: Library Square, 200 E 400 S When: 5 p.m. What: Short story time: I once volunteered for the Ft. Desolation festival in Torrey just so I could see Sierra Farrell do what Sierra Farrell does. In a short space of time, her relentless touring, incredible music and attention to detail (those! costumes!) have caused us all to like bluegrass a whole lot more. She’s what you get when you combine a younger Dolly Parton with a pint-sized female Post Malone. It makes for an infectious vibe. Don’t show up late. Local Ogdenite Sammy Brue opens, and if you saw his Justin Townes Earle tribute earlier this year, you already know the kind energy that guy carries with him.
Who: Built to Spill Where: Urban Lounge When: 7 p.m. What: The hottest act to ever come out of Boise. One of the most memorable parts of this year’s Kilby Block Party. No stranger to Salt Lake City. Fan of long, delicious, drawn-out guitar solos. Built to Spill is all of these things, and there’s a reason we have them back as often as we do. We really like what we hear, every time.
Step one on thriving at the Red Butte Outdoor Concerts? Get the Tommy Bahama chair.
You’ve survived your first Utah winter. That thing with UtahisRad83 fizzled, but at least you had a snuggle buddy. Time to get out into the Utah summer, which, duh is all about the shows at Red Butte. Red Butte Garden’s Outdoor Concert Series kicked off in May and you’re probably wondering what all the fuss is about. Here’s our guide to Red Butte with pizzazz.
An expensive way to drink in the park with 3,000 of your close, personal friends. Plus, a live band!
How do I get tickets?
It’s a simple 25-step process. Buy a membership to Red Butte Garden (wait, you didn’t do that?). This will allow you to wander the gardens any time you want. You will never do this. But it’s nice to think about. “No Mom. I have to buy the membership to get my Pat Benatar tickets before everyone else. I can go to the garden whenever I want—and it’s SO pretty there. Can I get Dad’s credit card?”
But really, how do I get tickets?
Painstakingly review the season announcement. Then, membership card in hand, log in and keep hitting refresh. Be advised: Red Butte people are the same ones who get up at 3 a.m. to go to Alta on a powder day.
How much?
A lot. First. There’s that membership to the garden you won’t use to get in line for early ticket sales with every old head from 1995. Then, well who knows? $70+ a show? Oh, also, your wine-cracker-hummus-olive-cheese-and-wine budget is blown.
So what happens there?
The people-watching at Red Butte is très magnifique. You’ve got the Botox set dancing like no one’s watching and their silverback venture capitalist man friends in fedoras and Tommy Bahama gear, pretending they like to dance. Then there’s you. Just drink your Barefoot Merlot, dear, and wonder why you didn’t major in finance or whatever it is these people do.
What about the line?
Yeah, that’s a thing. There are all these people ostensibly without jobs who show up at like 10 a.m. to just kick it. By the time you take your dog out to pee after your barista shift, you’ll be way, way back. When the gates open and line snakes down, you’ll emerge into the amphitheater to find a sea of giant space-hogging blankets. Stand there forlornly with your massive cooler, Costco chair and chickpea dip and just wade in.
How drunk are these people?
Larry is a little wobbly and isn’t respecting the sovereign nation of YOUR BLANKET. Yeah, he’s going to stumble into your cheese plate.
What’s the band?
Who cares? Red Butte shows become a blur of cheap wine and hummus.
But for real. Red Butte Garden Shows are a mainstay of summer in Salt Lake. To find out what you’re missing visit redbuttegarden.org.
Top Shows to See
June 22 — Tash Sultana. A singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, engineer, producer and multi-instrumentalist. This “one-person band” is not like anything you’ve seen before.
July 27 — Christone “Kingfish” Ingram + Samantha Fish. The blues duo have teamed up for their “Gone Fishin’ Tour.” Expect some searing guitar solos and genre-blending blues, rock and soul.
Sept. 14 — OK GO. Known for their elaborate live video performance format, this four-member power group is an act you don’t want to miss.
Broncho played to its excited Salt Lake City fans at the Urban Lounge on Wednesday, June 18, easily the sweatiest concert of 2025 so far. Newsflash? Utah summer is in full effect.
After a short film replaced an opening band — one that felt not unlike a discovered cologne commercial hailing from another universe, then set on a terrifying loop — the Oklahoma-based indie rockers took the small stage and immediately got down to business. The job at hand: creating and maintaining a vibe. Amid a lot of smoke and a maximum dose of reverb, the four members — Ryan Lindsey (guitar, vocals), Ben King (guitar), Penny Pitchlynn (bass), and Nathan Price (drums) — were fully invested in giving the crowd an experience. No banter. No stories collected from their travels. They came to share what they’d created, song after song in the band’s growing catalog, only pausing for seconds in between each, performing favorites like “Class Historian,” “Think I Pass,” and “Funny.” It also bears mentioning that Lindsey, in the right kind of light, looked like a young Bob Dylan, and he was just as serious and intense as that fascinating curmudgeon usually is.
Was their music shoegaze? Hypnotic dream pop? A gauzy throwback to yesteryear? A brighter nod to Beach House? And, well, do answers to those questions matter? Perhaps it’s better not to label what they are or what they’re doing. Just know that if you were there and among the stalwarts, the gently bobbing dancers, the lovers folding themselves into one another and choosing to stay impossibly close despite the heat, the atmosphere Broncho shared was strong. The vibe they brought with them held. And if you closed your eyes and gave in, everything about the show felt as it should. It 100 percent made sense.
Colorado’s Leftover Salmon will play the 49th Annual Utah Arts Festival in Salt Lake City on Thursday, June 19, one of just four planned musical headliners scheduled to play throughout the weekend. Others include Robert Randolph, Souls of Mischief, and MV Caldera. We caught up with Drew Emmitt, one of the band’s original members, while he was at home in Crested Butte, CO. Our conversation included his 35 years in the band, hearing his songs covered in Japan, the power of the Grateful Dead, and the magic of Sam Bush.
Can you share what makes you love doing what you do?
Well, we have a great time. Every one of us loves getting on stage together and playing music. And, honestly, our fans have allowed us to do this for the past 35 years.
Did you ever dream you would be doing it basically all your life?
I don’t know if we thought of it that way, especially not Vince and me, the band’s two original members. We came up with this goofy name and threw it together as a fun band to play Crested Butte and Telluride. Playing in ski areas, not just bluegrass festivals, sounded fun. It was a way to get out and start playing more. We never expected anything beyond that. Nobody’s more surprised than us.
And you have a brand-new album that just came out, right?
Yeah, Let’s Party About It came out a few weeks ago.
We recorded it in November in Nashville, Tennessee. We wrote it together as a band, the first time we’ve ever done that. We rented an Airbnb out on the beach in Wrightsville, North Carolina. We met with our friend Aaron Raitiere, a great Nashville songwriter. He helped us formulate the tunes, conduct pre-production, and assist with writing. We did so much preparation that we were able to bang it out in four days. Everybody played a part, and that’s reflected on the record. It doesn’t feel like we pieced it together. I love that it has a very live feel to it.
Do you play differently when you play a festival than when you’re touring?
Every time we step on stage in front of a big crowd, it energizes us. At festivals, you always have that feeling when you’re playing; you’re wondering if these people have ever heard these songs before, and there are those who do, too. It’s an interesting couple of worlds to be tightrope walking across, but that makes it exciting. Some people know your tunes, and those who haven’t heard them before. Either way is exhilarating.
I’ve heard excellent bluegrass coming out of Japan, a place you wouldn’t quite expect to hear it, but the internet makes the world a smaller place.
I wrote a song called “Valley the Full Moon ” years ago. If you Google it, you’ll find a band in Japan playing and singing it word for word. It blew me away. It’s obvious they don’t speak English, but they learned how to play and sing it very well. It was a huge compliment.
Do you feel like you live more in the bluegrass world or the jam band world?
Both. We wanted to play festivals and tour, and we figured out how to do both simultaneously when, before, you could only do one or the other. You could only be a bluegrass band or a rock band.
Growing up, I played a lot of lead guitar. When I was a teenager, I started playing the mandolin. When this band started, I had been playing bluegrass for a while, and I put down my electric guitar. But when we started 35 years ago, I picked up the electric guitar again, and I’ve been able to play both, which is a dream.
Are you a better mandolin player than Sam Bush?
Oh, hell no. He’s the master. He’ll always be my main mandolin inspiration. I’m OK with the fact I can’t quite do what Sam does because nobody else can. Nobody sounds like him. There are a lot of great mandolin players out there, and I can name many of them, but there’s nobody like Sam. He’s the one. I have other favorites, but Sam’s definitely the king.
Have you been influenced by the Grateful Dead at all?
We cover a little bit of the Grateful Dead. It’s common for bands to do, but we definitely have been influenced a lot by them. Jerry Garcia was in a jug band before the Grateful Dead, an old-timey band called The Warlocks. He was obviously a banjo player, and he played pedal steel. They had David Grisman and Vassar Clements on the recordings. They covered some Peter Rowan songs. And, of course, Old & The Way greatly influenced the bluegrass world. For many years, it was the highest-selling bluegrass album in history.
The Grateful Dead had great songs. With Robert Hunter’s help, they could take those tunes and jam them out, which has been the blueprint for many bands. But when I think about the Grateful Dead, it’s much more than jamming. They were defined by great, great songwriting.
After three and a half decades, what’s left to do in your career?
I don’t feel we’ve done it all by a long shot. Personally, I have a long way to go to get better. As a musician, I’m constantly practicing and working on being a better songwriter and singer. There is no goal other than to keep growing, experimenting with new music, and seeing where it all leads. And we would love to tour more places around the world. We’ve been to Europe a couple of times and want to go back, and we’d love to play in Japan and Australia. We want to get out, see more of the world, and play to crowds that haven’t heard us yet.
And what, pray tell, is your favorite place to play in the world?
I always have to say Red Rocks [Amphitheatre] is the best. We played there a few weeks ago, and it was magical, as always. As far as places we’ve played, nothing beats it. Nothing is that cool.
See the full Utah Arts Festival Music lineup here.
A habit we appreciate: when touring bands make a point of visiting, both regularly and frequently. It’ll be a familiar sight when Patterson Hood and the rest of the Drive-By Truckers play Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. After all, it’ll be their third or fourth time to do so, long enough to pick out their favorite spots. Their connection to these parts dates back to 2000, when the Zephyr Club thrived.
“And it’s probably cliche to say because every touring band loves the place, but we like eating at Red Iguana,” Patterson says from his home in Oregon. “We all love it, and there’s a good reason for that.”
Patterson hails from rock royalty: his dad is David Hood, longtime bassist of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (aka The Swampers) and a member of the Alabama Hall of Fame. David has played on his son’s solo records and even recorded a still-unreleased album with him and members of the North Mississippi All-Stars. It included Jim Dickinson, one of his dad’s peers, who’s played with the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and Elvis Costello.
Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers. Photo Credit – Jason Thrasher
Talking about his dad is a real source of pride for Patterson, as he acknowledges he’s played on some of the most incredible albums ever recorded. His dad also has excellent taste.
“My dad’s record collection influenced me more than anything else musically,” Patterson says. “I’d tell my mom I was headed downstairs to do homework when he was still at work, and instead, I’d put on headphones and raid his records, just spend endless hours doing so.”
The Drive-By Truckers are bringing familiar faces with them this go-round (Deer Tick) and some that are decidedly less so (Thelma and the Sleaze). That’s code for gently nudging you to show up on time.
According to Patterson, you won’t want to miss any of the three.
“Thelma and the Sleaze are an all-women, three-piece punk rock band that rock balls,” Patterson says. “Really good, really fun.”
WHO: Drive-By Truckers w/ Deer Tick, Thelma and the Sleaze
WHEN: Tuesday, June 17, 2025 (Doors: 5:30, Show: 6:30)
When Triggers & Slips’ frontman Morgan Snow was growing up, he and his older brothers spent their days and nights camping and fishing, hunting and barbecuing. No matter what the activity was, their soundtrack was always predetermined: all Waylon Jennings, all the time.
Snow’s band, Triggers & Slips, will perform a tribute night of Waylon Jennings’ music at The State Room on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at 8 p.m.
That music became ingrained in him as he grew older and became a musician in his late 20s. When his band of 15 years started prepping for their Waylon Jennings tribute show months ago—gathering dutifully to rehearse a couple times a week—they already knew 10 of his songs by heart. By the time they play Sunday, they’ll have doubled that number, landing on ways of channeling all the grit, attitude, and character of the late Grammy-winning country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist, and finding ways of making his songs their own.
Their mission in paying tribute to Jennings is two-fold: helping those who love his music remember how incredible it was while allowing those who’ve never heard his songs to understand how iconic that music ultimately still is.
“The sad reality is, if you turn on the radio, you’re unlikely to hear any Waylon,” Snow says. “The opportunity for people to hear a single song is next to none. You have to seek him out or know what to be listening for,” Snow says.
The concert was initially set to happen at The Garage on Beck, now defunct after 17 years. It’s where Snow was in January when he decided this long-considered tribute finally needed to happen. The light bulb moment that set it in motion was simple enough: he discovered Waylon “Hoss” Jennings’ 88th birthday would happen on Father’s Day, June 15. It’s the same day he needed to make this happen.
Tributes aren’t new territory for Snow. He was attached to nights of music celebrating Justin Townes Earle and Bob Dylan earlier this year and even did a countrified take on the Alice in Chains catalog in 2019, spending over six months practicing to get it right.
But Sunday’s show will likely feel more personal than those others. One reason: when he started writing music, his songs came out sounding like Waylon songs. That was hardly planned for, but it wasn’t a huge surprise, either: Waylon is, after all, one of his biggest musical influences. Sometimes the late singer even pays visits to his subconscious.
Snow wrote a song called “Old Friends” in 2012, the result of a dream he had where he found himself on Waylon’s tour bus. They were joined by Snow’s recently deceased buddy, too, who was killed in Iraq. It made sense, as that friend had taught him guitar when he lived in Myrtle Beach. The bus was either going to Heaven or Hell or both. Snow says the song had a Waylon vibe; the recording sounded like how he believes he would have done it.
“It’s authentic what they were doing then. There’s never going to be another Willy [Nelson] or Waylon. That era is done. It’s not possible to recreate it,” Snow says. “But we can still be inspired by them. They can remind me to keep finding ways of continuing to be me and allowing that to find its way into the songwriting.”
WHAT: Waylon Jennings Tribute Show
WHO: Triggers & Slips, w/ special guests J-Rad Cooley, Dylan Schorer, Kate LeDeuce, Jerry Cochran, Rick Gerber, Michelle Moonshine, Megan Blue + others
When Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen paid Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden a visit on Sunday (June 8, 2025), part of Bingham’s 17-date All Night Long Tour, his wide-eyed fans did everyone on stage a solid by selling the night out. They also wore a lot of cowboy hats and/or boots because, well, both tend to match a country music show nicely.
It’s safe to assume that many of the assembled audience had first discovered Ryan Bingham from the popular Kevin Costner vehicle Yellowstone (AKA Cowboy Falcon Crest). Bingham, who is also an actor, played Walker, a hang-dog ranchhand and itinerant barroom troubadour, who became one of the series’ most popular secondary characters.
Opting to play two complete sets of music instead of bothering with an opener, fans got even more than what they bargained for, and that’s always a good-to-great thing. Bingham casually made his way through older favorites (“Jingle and Go,” “Bluebird,” “The Weary Kind”) as well as songs so new they’ve yet to be recorded (and his “Americana” deserves to be played on the radio already). Looking a little like Matthew McConaughey’s kid brother and owning up to a similarly easy Texas grin, Bingham and the rest of his players were in great spirits, which had a ripple effect on all attending.
Is it OK to end a review with a request? (It’s got to be because I’m about to do it.) The locals deserve a whole night of music from The Texas Gentlemen whenever their next time rolls around. They’re a more than capable backing band—not unlike the Heartbreakers sans their late Tom Petty superstar—and pointing a spotlight in their direction would more than prove that. And whatever tour manager takes me up on that suggestion will find that out for themselves. Music gods, make it so.
The 17th Annual Ogden Music Festival is the closest we’ll come to Woodstock on the Wasatch. Blue skies and great vibes greeted the festivarians who gathered to celebrate three glorious days of peace, music, and the multifaceted roots of Americana.
The gala featured 26 performances, a second-line-style parade, jam sessions, workshops with featured artists, and nearly 24 hours of music. The Ogden Music Festival is the signature event of The Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music (OFOAM), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance our community’s quality of life through music. They’re also dedicated to getting musical instruments in the hands of our kids and developing the next generation of musicians and music lovers.
It’s a tall task to boil down such a mammoth affair into a short review. Let me start with recognizing the OFOAM leaders and volunteers who put on an amazing and well-run event. Bravo!
The festival began on Friday, May 30, 2025, with five eclectic acts. Salt Lake City’s own Hot House West Swing Orchestra kicked off the weekend with “I’m an old cowhand,” a 1930s classic. The 14-piece western swing and gypsy jazz orchestra dazzled us with a dozen high-energy tunes covering everything from Bing Crosby to Patsy Cline and included original compositions like “Saguaro Serenade.” Melissa Chilinski joined the orchestra as a guest vocalist, and her Pompe n’ Honey bandmates took the stage for the final number, “Side Saddle” complete with a trippy Lawrence Welk-inspired bubble machine.
Photo by Jay Blakesberg.
The music never really stops at the Ogden Music Festival. When one main stage act ends, another begins. “Tweeners” keep the music flowing during the interludes when roadies (always dressed in black) ready the stage for the next performance. Megan Blue delivered a fine bluesy solo set once the Hot House West’s bubbles dissipated and before the next act plugged in.
Pokey LaFarge, sporting a slicked back pompadour, delivered a fabulous 75-minute, 12-song rock-a-billy tent show revival set. Grooving to all that retro-coolness, the audience rose to their feet and communed with the musical spirits conjured by LaFarge and his band. He opened with “So Long Chicago” from his stellar 2024 release Rhumba Country. He reached back into his deep catalog with “Get It ‘Fore It’s Gone,” “End of My Rope”, and “Fine to Me.” He closed his set with “Something In The Water.” Though not the headliner, the crowd demanded more, and he encored with “La La Blues.”
Primera Linea, a youth band from Havana, Cuba, travelled the furthest to entertain us. They blended Afro-Cuban funk, hip hop, and New Orleans-style jazz into a short but energetic “tweener” set. It warmed my heart to see the next generation of artists expanding the Americana songbook.
Cimafunk and his band La Tribu (Spanish for The Tribe) headlined the evening. Cimafunk, a multi-Grammy-nominated artist and musical mixologist, blends Afro-Cuban funk, American retro soul, Latin rock, and hip hop to create a diverse and highly danceable sound. Though I don’t speak Spanish, I am fluent in funk and the universal language of soul. The crowd didn’t need any translation either. They abandoned their low-back chairs and turned the space into a ground-shaking dance party. Cimafunk brought out the members of Primera Linea to jam alongside him on “Me Voy,” ramping up the energy and giving the kids a wonderful moment to shine on stage with the master musicians. The remarkable evening ended with a spirited version of Parliament’s “Give Up The Funk.”
Rumor has it that the U.S. Geological Survey, the folks who detect earthquakes, might have noticed the seismic activity coming from Ogden Friday night. But we will never know, since a certain Ketamine-infused maniac fired all the weekend staff (joking, not joking).
Saturday’s noon to nearly midnight showcase started with Mariachi Fuego, an 8-piece mariachi band decked out in their splendid regalia. They set a festive tone for a warm afternoon embrace of roots-based music.
With a jam-packed schedule of artists on the docket, I had a full bingo card of must-see favorites.
Margo Cilker topped my list. Since reviewing her March 2024 show at The State Room, I’ve been eager to see her again. Her style is country-folk with a West Coast edge. It’s outdoorsy, pack up the Subaru and head to the hills kind of music. She opened with the catchy “Low Land Trail” followed by “Barbed Wire (Belly Crawl)” and “Tehachapi.” On her fourth number, she took us on a journey in a “‘64 Mercury Comet.” I hope she records this lovely coming-of-age banger on a future album. She managed to squeeze in a dozen songs in an hour, including “Keep it on a Burner.” Cilker is a rising star, and I hope she finds her way back here next year (if not sooner).
John Craigie with the Coffis Brothers. When Bob Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival back in 1965, his fans called him a traitor. Craigie didn’t get the same reaction in Ogden. Fans were delighted to hear his electrified music. (He did, however, play a song called Judas.) Craigie usually dazzles audiences as a solo performer armed with his acoustic guitar and his comedic wit. But this summer there’s less standup and more music. Joining him on his tour is the five-piece Coffis Brothers band, who make his finely-crafted tunes pop (and rock). They opened with “Damn My Love” and followed it with “Part Wolf.” Craigie records his songs with multi-instrumental backing, so hearing the larger production of a full band didn’t seem out of place. He gave the band a break and did “I Wrote Mr. Tambourine Man” solo. When the band returned, they performed an unexpected cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer.”
“I Am California” included captivating guitar and keyboard solos that enhanced his signature tune. He ended the show with a rockin’ rendition of “Nomads.”
Craigie and the Coffis Brothers returned on Sunday for another full set (with 80% different material). On their final festival run, they closed with a spirited version of “Laurie Rolled Me a J.” These two performances were a true festival highlight.
New Dangerfield is a relatively new quartet that is reinvigorating the black string band tradition. I particularly enjoyed their original organic “Put No Walls Around Your Garden.”
Nashville’s Newest Bluegrass Ambassadors East Nash Grass just won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s New Artist of the Year award, so of course, the OFOAM crew had to bring them out to our festival. They uplifted the crowd with their 11-song set of fresh-cut grass.
Sister Sadie is a six-piece, all-female band that blends bluegrass with ‘90s country. Their performance of “Let The Circle Be Broken,” the latest single from their upcoming album, created the most powerful musical moment of the festival. The beautifully harmonized tune about breaking the cycle of generational trauma and abuse received a standing ovation from the crowd for its sheer beauty and the courage it took to play it.
Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives headlined the Saturday show. Stuart is a country music legend, multi-Grammy winner, and inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He started his career at thirteen years old touring as a mandolin player in Lester Flatt’s band. He later joined Johnny Cash’s band as a guitarist before moving on to a highly successful solo career. Stuart draws on a depth of musical influences and styles to produce a beautifully rich, timeless sound. He opened with a hard-driving retro country number, “Tear The Woodpile Down.” His country music fans were delighted with “The Whisky Ain’t Workin’.” They played a cool surf rock instrumental, “Space Junk,” and the rockin’ “Tomahawk.” They flawlessly mixed genres through their impressive 18-song set and encored with a surf rock guitar jam before ending with the trippy Doors-esque “Space.” Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives were the perfect headliner for the festival. He connects the dots from many of the genres that make up American roots music.
The great vibes continued on Sunday with local grassers Theoretical Blond, who welcomed festivarians with their uplifting sound just as the morning caffeine started to kick in.
Fretless, a Canadian string quartet, featured the ethereal vocals of Madeleine Roger. As festivarians sat under a scorching sun with cottonwood snow falling all around them, Fretless played tunes that conjured up mental images of both an Appalachian holler and an Irish peat bog. Their cover of Bruce Cockburn’s “Wondering Where The Lions Are” transcended space and time. As the haunting sound of a cello played, two violins and a viola wailed as Roger’s otherworldly voice sang the lyric “some kind of ecstasy got a hold of me.”
Lone Piñon, a string band from New Mexico, blended styles such as Cumbia, Bolero (and so much more) into a masterful set that reached from North to South America and to the Caribbean, highlighting the Latin roots of Americana music.
AJ Lee and Blue Summit closed out the 17th Annual Ogden Music Festival as the Sunday headliner. Their blend of spirited California grass served as a sonic exclamation point on the wonderful and diverse three days of music. Opening with “Hillside,” they played many fan favorites from their hefty catalog, which included “Seaside Town,” “City of Glass,” “Tear My Stillhouse Down,” and “Bakersfield Clay.” I particularly enjoyed their rendition of New Riders of the Purple Sage’s “Glendale Train.” It had all the psychedelic undertones of the original but with a punchier tempo. They also covered Sheryl Crow’s “Soak Up The Sun,” which captured the essence of the day. They ended their set with “Lemons and Tangerines” and returned for a remarkable encore with a beautiful version of Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and ended the fest with “To Mine.”
Throughout the three-day festival, we enjoyed the contributions of the mostly local “tweener” contingent of artists who played between main stage setups. The length of each tweener set depended on the speed of the transition, but the quality of their performances never wavered. So thank you to Megan Blue, Primera Linea, Dylan Clough, The Last Wild Buffalo, Pepper Rose, Debra Fatheringham, Cooper Lavallee, Finch and the Magpies, Love Juliet, and Riley Rawlins for keeping the great musical vibes going all weekend.
The Ogden Music Festival is a music lover’s dream. The crowds are right-sized to bring in marquee acts, but small enough to keep it intimate and approachable. Festivarians can see award-winning musicians in all their on-stage glory and then jam with them, up close and personal, at “Jam Camp.” The festival runs like a well-oiled machine, and the vibe is always joyous.
Mark your calendar. The 18th Annual Ogden Music Festival runs from June 5-7, 2026. There will be a variety of ways to participate: Camping, a single-day outing, or grab a full three-day pass. This year, the Sunday ticket cost $25 for 8 hours of great music and fun activities. Follow them at www.ofoam.org. Early bird tickets usually go on sale in December. It’s the perfect Christmas gift for the musician or music enthusiast in your family.
Who: Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music (OFOAM) What: 17th Annual Ogden Music Festival Where: Fort Buenaventura (Ogden) When: May 30, 2025- June 1, 2025 Info: ofoam.org
Who: Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre When: 7:30 p.m. What: Any chance you’ve seen 2009’s Crazy Heart with Jeff Bridges (aka everybody’s favorite)? It was my gateway drug to Ryan Bigham’s genius. He wrote the movie’s theme (“The Weary Kind”), and that song alone has all the power in the world to get stuck in your head for days (weeks?) in a row. It led to album buying and Bingham liking/loving. As for The Texas Gentlemen, that’s another story entirely, and they’re worth their own time in the spotlight. Consider this night a twofer, folks. Extra bangs for all of your precious bucks.
Who: They Might Be Giants Where: The Depot When: 8 p.m. What: If you snagged a ticket to either of their two Salt Lake City shows, count those lucky stars 1-2-3, my friends. It’ll be a hot time in ye olde time machine. From the band’s site: “We are doing favorites and new stuff, along with very different old stuff. With 85+ songs now in active repertoire, the shows change radically from night to night, and there is a different album in the spotlight every night. This tour is a full-on celebration of all things They Might Be Giants. 8-piece band. 3 horns. 2 sets. It’s ‘An Evening with’ so it starts early, with no opener. Doors at 7, we are on stage at 8.”
Tickets: SOLD OUT!!
Thursday, June 12
Who: Bloc Party Where: Union Event Center When: 6:30 p.m. What: What goes around, comes around, and when it comes to solid muzak, that’s a welcome thing, maybe the most welcome. It wasn’t many years ago that Bloc Party was playing small but powerful shows at In The Venue downtown. The fact they’ve graduated to a much larger space to match their enormous sound is cause for celebration, not to mention getting the chance to revisit some of their greatest hits (and songs like “Helicopter,” “Banquet,” and “This Modern Love” are so worth the revisit).
Who:Gillian Welch & David Rawlings Where: Capitol Theatre When: 7:30 p.m. What: One of the greatest parts about seeing Gillian Welch and David Rawlings perform is how little they tend to focus on the unnecessary. There is no light show. There (usually) isn’t a warm-up band. Whether you’ve seen the duo live or watched any footage surrounding their current tour, it’s all about their harmonies. Those are what’s on display. The duo is so good together that it’s hard to tell where one voice starts and the other stops. It makes for a magnificent sound, one of the best in the music world. If you pick just one show to head to this month, I gently urge you in this direction. Fingers crossed that Gillian does a little clogging, too.
Who: Weird Al Yankovic Where: The Maverik Center When: 7:30 p.m. What: He’s retired from making albums (or so he says), but Weird Al is still bringing all his weirdness out on tour, where it belongs. This night promises to be Bigger and Weirder than anything he’s done previously. Reminds me of a time I pressed a friend of mine who lives in Vegas, asking who was the best act he’d ever seen on the Strip (and he’d seen plenty). Without hesitating, he shared that Weird Al was his number one. It’s a lot of parodies, sure, but it’s also frequent costume changes, dancing, production, etc. The songs are goofy, but that spectacle’s extra shiny. His Utah date has been mostly sold out for a minute, but it’ll be worth it if you can land a seat at this one. Especially if he dons his “Fat” suit.
Who: James McMurtry Where: Commonwealth Room When: 8 p.m. What: McMurtry is one of the more familiar faces in these parts, and we welcome him any time he cares to pass/amble through. He’s a storyteller on all levels, one of the most verbose singer-songwriters still creating tales worth telling. It’s a feat in itself that he can remember so many verses and lyrics. McMurtry shares his writing secret: “You follow the words where they lead. If you can get a character, maybe you can get a story. If you can set it to a verse-chorus structure, maybe you can get a song. A song can come from anywhere, but the main inspiration is fear. Specifically, fear of irrelevance. If you don’t have songs, you don’t have a record. If you don’t have a record, you don’t have a tour. You gotta keep putting out work.”
Who: Modest Mouse Where: Ogden Amphitheater When: 7 p.m. What: Part of the Ogden Twilight series, this is one of the more sold-out shows on this list (it seems to be trending, that), and for a few very good reasons. Modest Mouse is still one of the hardest-working bands there is; they’re playing more than half the dates in the month of June alone. Also, they remain one of the best bands to see live. Period. Isaac Brock doesn’t know how to give less than 1500 percent, and that has a glorious ripple effect on his audiences. Did I snag a ticket before they all went away? No, I did not. And I’ll have to think long and hard about the errors in my ways.
For bonus points, pay these shows visits too: The Detroit Cobras (6/11, Urban Lounge), Trevor Hall w/ Fruit Bats (6/13, Granary Live), Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (Capitol Theatre, 6/14), Waylon Jennings Tribute Show (6/15, State Room), Drive-By Truckers w/ Deer Tick (6/17, Red Butte), Polyrhythmics (6/28, Commonwealth)
Trampled By Turtles paid Salt Lake City’s Red Butte Garden a visit on Thursday, May 29, 2025, and it felt a lot like perfection. As just the second band to play Red Butte’s stacked Outdoor Concert Series this season, the bluegrass folkers from Duluth, Minnesota, landed here on one of the best weather days in eons. Spring’s getting stretched out this year, so it was cool, never cold. It was warm at times, but never too hot. Goldilocks weather. Add some banjo, hands blurring fast as they play the mandolin, voices made to harmonize together, and that’s a good recipe for happiness. The band was feeling it too; frontman Dave Simonett remarked halfway through, “This is the best time I’ve ever had in Salt Lake City … and I’ve been here lots of times.”
The sold-out crowd got to enjoy a more than generous 24-song set that included favorites like “You Never Let Me Down,” “Right Back Where We Started,” “Whiskey,” and “Wait So Long.” And while their discography is riddled with plenty of originals, even their choice of covers last night deserves mentioning. Their twangy take on “Wild Horses” was fittingly apropos — and it invited the swaying, the singing along, the old-school familiarity. When a bluegrass band decides to take on “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead, though, that’s something else. We noticed. We pulled out our phones to capture a bit of it. We paid close attention as they paid tribute. They made it their own but did right by Thom Yorke and the rest of the boys simultaneously.
Same time next year, guys? We’ll save you a spot. After last night, you’re in.
Full photo coverage and gallery by Natalie Simpson, Beehive Photography. Instagram @BeehivePhotoVideo
