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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.

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Review: Collective Soul at Utah First Credit Union Ampitheatre

By Music

Collective Soul and Live combined forces at Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre in West Valley City on Sunday (7/13/2025) and it was the kind of stuff 90s rock dreams are made of. Both bands rolled out their extensive catalogs, leaning on equal parts nostalgia, familiarity, and staying power. Considering it’s been at least two decades since either experienced peak popularity, it’s hard to believe songs like ”Lightning Crashes” or “All Over You” or “Where The River Flows” have been around as long as they have. No matter. All still count as ear candy. 

It bears mentioning that it’s hard to pin down either headliner’s influences. It’s a good thing. They don’t feel like shadows of anything that’s preceded them, and each lays claim to a defiantly original sound and voice. Perhaps that’s why we’re still filling up seats to see them continue to do what they do well, for as long as they continue to share. Both bands shared new music, too, so there’s no immediate danger of either going away anytime soon. 

Opening the night was Canada’s Our Lady Peace, who proved in 30 minutes or so that they could have easily served as a third headliner. Still, time constraints and what-not. Maybe they’ll come back for a longer visit? “Superman’s Dead” sounds as good as it ever did.

All in all, no notes. I would 100% sign up to ride that ride again. When you wake up the next day and discover you have Live’s “I Alone” or Collective Soul’s “Shine” lodged in your brain, you just know it’s going to be a good day. It somehow bodes well for future greatness. 


Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Review: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

By Music

Lyle Lovett And His Large Band played (and sang and collectively swayed) at the Sandy Amphitheater on Wednesday (July 9, 2025) and it immediately felt like an invitation to have a reverential experience. That’s not even solely because they opened the night with a couple gospel numbers that included a rousing take on “I’m A Soldier In The Army of the Lord” and a powerful “Pass Me Not O’ Gentle Savior” (though it didn’t hurt matters). It felt holy because of the great care and tenderness everyone had about the show they were putting on.

Every time a member of Lovett’s band had a chance to solo was also a chance to stop time. All 15 musicians on stage would turn to become their closest audience. One spotlight would shine while the stage darkened. The audience noticed that kind of attention, too, responding as doubled-down devotees of those they came to see. They’d forget to talk and breathe for long seconds at a time. With a lot of moments like that throughout the two hours and change that Lovett and all the rest spent with us, we couldn’t help but leave feeling lighter than before, more grateful, refreshed, and unburdened than we originally did. 

Photo credit Elyse George

As a musician who’s been at this racket nearly five decades — and with some in his band likely doing it at touch longer — Lovett had a lot of songs to sing, but he had anecdotes to unload as well. As a father of a couple of eight-year-old twins, it seems a lot of his music’s been directly inspired by his experiences with his kiddos (“Pants is Overrated,” for one). Other Lovett favorites made it to the set list, too, including “If I Had A Boat,” “Cowboy Man,” “That’s Right (You’re Not From Texas),” and “Nobody Knows Me” and a string of others.

Perhaps this gets said more and more the further down the road we get, but the kind of show Lovett and his very large band do doesn’t get to exist much anymore (not outside of, say, Branson, MO). It’s a throwback to a generation and time that feels kinder and gentler, and that’s a nice place to be. And while few do what they do anymore, fewer still know how to. May Lovett’s train run long. May he continue crafting tales out of his own life, being the genuinely tenderhearted sort he is. With some luck, it’ll catch on like a bushfire. 



Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Rhiannon Giddens at Red Butte

Preview: Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue

By Music

Here’s my recipe for a delicious summer evening: Take a warm summer night, add a lush garden, and stir in the sounds of a string band dancing through the mountain air. Then grab your fancy picnic baskets and head to Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, for a spectacular evening of front-porch rockin’ music from Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue. 

Collaborating with The Old-Time Revue marks Giddens’ much-anticipated return to her North Carolina roots and the old-time music tradition that launched her career. A 2x GRAMMY winner, Giddens also received the Pulitzer Prize in music for her opera “Omar,” and a MacArthur “genius” award for reclaiming African American contributions to folk and country music and weaving together music from the past and present. She is also a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist with a classically trained soprano voice.

Giddens and The Old-Time Revue represent a remarkable collaboration with talent from diverse  American musical traditions. Joining Giddens on stage will be her old Carolina Chocolate Drop collaborator, Justin Robinson, and the celebrated multi-instrumentalist Dirk Powell, longtime bassist Jason Sypher, guitarist Amelia Powell, and bones player and rapper Demeanor.

What Did the Blackbird Say to the Crows, her new album recorded with Robinson, is a fiddle-and-banjo celebration of the wonderful complexity of American Roots music. The record features a mix of North Carolinian instrumentals and traditional songs, many learned from her late mentor, the legendary North Carolina Piedmont musician Joe Thompson. Thompson was one of the last musicians from his community to carry on the southern Black string band tradition. Rhiannon Giddens & The Old-Time Revue pay homage to that legacy and shepherd it into a new era. 

Blending many of the tributaries of Americana, including blues, folk, country, Cajun, hip-hop, and African styles, Giddens and company breathe life into old-time roots music, keeping it alive and relevant in the 21st century. 

Click HERE for a video of Paul Simon and Rhiannon Giddens singing “American Tune.”

Opening is Sunny War (a.k.a. Sydney Ward), a fresh voice for these complicated times. She mixes the poetry of folk with the angry defiance of punk and the hard realities of blues to create a rootsy pop sound that’s whimsically sharp. 

Click HERE for a fun video of Sunny War’s “Walking Contradiction.”

  • Who: Rhiannon Giddens &The Old-Time Revue w/ Sunny War
  • What: Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series
  • Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
  • When: Wednesday, July 16, 2025
  • Info and tickets: redbuttegarden.org 

Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Interview: Catching Up with Lyle Lovett

By Music

Lyle Lovett is busy doing all he loves.

I was lucky enough to talk with the decorated singer-composer while he was at home in Texas recently and enjoying a day off. He’s touring almost nightly with his infamous Large Band throughout July and, with a crew and band totaling 30 altogether, he’s quick to admit it’s like moving a small village every time they uproot from one city and head to the next.

Still, it’s the lifestyle he and his group are accustomed to. Lovett’s been with his Large Band since 1988, allowing the collective to play his songs in concert the very way they recorded them.

“It took a couple years before I could afford having a band [of that size] on the road with me, but now I have the full range of possibilities at my fingertips,” Lovett says.

Put another way, it allows the background singers and sax players and multiple guitarists (and pretty much everyone else) plenty of freedom when it comes to genres. Some songs are better expressed as country tunes, while others are best stripped down and done acoustically. Still others demand a full horn section.

Whatever is warranted at the time, chances are they’re able to tackle it, and with a fair amount of panache. Besides, he’s had some time to get really, really great at this: Lovett’s been in the business of creating and playing songs since 1976. Next year marks 50 years since he started.

“Playing live is what I will always love to do. When you play for people who support you and come to your shows, you know they want to be there. What could be better than that?”

He’s a fan of music, period. He enjoys surrounding himself with musicians who are free to improvise whenever they see fit. Night after night, they’ll change songs when Lovett least expects it, and he’s the only one who gets to hear how they transform with every performance; he likens that to having the best seat in the house, getting to listen to and be inspired by a group that’s both smart and talented at what they do.

“I’ve never approached my career stylistically. I think of myself as a songwriter, giving voice in the best ways possible to each song,” Lovett says. “And I want to give everyone in the ensemble a chance to play, too. When the show’s over, I want the audience to feel like they know everybody on stage, not just me.”

Playing a wide range of genres came from habits that started early in his life. Lovett grew up in Houston, and was often glued to the radio and absorbing whatever stations came in clearest. When he wasn’t doing that, he dug through his parents’ records, albums by time-tested greats like Ray Price, Glenn Miller, Ray Charles, and Nat King Cole. And when they gifted him a record player that played 45s, he built out his own library of Elvis Presley, Beatles, and Rolling Stones records, a collection he still has and cherishes.

“And when I started first grade at a Lutheran school, singing in the choir was a big part of every day, trying to sing in tune and keep pitch. I always looked forward to it,” Lovett says. “It felt as much fun for me as recess.”

While Lovett can’t pick a favorite song he’s written — each occupying unique periods throughout his life — he doesn’t hesitate at picking favorite singers. Randy Newman and Paul Simon are standouts. So are Guy Clark and Michael Martin Murphey and Jackson Browne. Their songs offer deep insight into their humanity, he says, undeniable connections between what they have created and paired with their authentic singing voices. 

When asked about using AI to help write music, he’s quick to say he’ll steer clear. He’s not even remotely curious to hear what a music generation assistant might do with his voice or writing. In the same breath, it strikes him as funny that he’s lived long enough to even have a conversation about it, and to see it beginning to happen.

AI won’t be creeping into anything he or his band does, though, and that feels right.

“No matter how accurate computers are, I’d rather listen to a real person and know the song came from them, rather than listening to an interpretation,” Lovett says. “There’s something about that human connection and feeling that is important, and I much prefer it.” 

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band play Sandy Amphitheater on Wednesday, July 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.


Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Review: Charley Crocket at Granary Live

By Music

Charley Crockett rolled into Salt Lake City on Wednesday (July 2, 2025) at Granary Live and everyone within earshot was better off for the long visit. In addition to those who ponied up and actually paid for admission, his songs invited their share of curious rooftop watchers, too. And the higher up their roofs actually were, the better their views of the eventual hazy sunset were. Scenery with a soundtrack. A midweek double win.

While the concert had all the polished bravado of a shiny Vegas show  — Crockett’s larger-than-life name was all in lights behind him and also painted in red across his tour bus, challenging you to ever forget it — he also took time to get more intimate, too. Often, it was just him and his acoustic guitar on the stage, drawing you in with tales likely plucked from his own life, favorites like “Welcome to Hard Times,” “$10 Cowboy,” and “I Need Your Love.”  

Crockett’s visit was an ample excuse for Utahns to wear their favorite cowboy boots and hats, nearly mirroring the Texas singer, no matter what level of cowboy/cowgirl they were. While his music appears to transcend the genre it mostly belongs to — there’s a lot of soul and maybe even an occasional touch of R & B in there if you listen hard enough — defying easy categorization is a plus. It increases how we see him and what he’s able to create in the future. In short, Crockett is hardly a one-note talent or success, and he proved that with every song he performed. 

Photography by Matt Dippel | @gorgeouscornchip


Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lakre magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

shows in Utah

8 Hot July Shows in Utah

By Music

July 3 (Wednesday)

    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.  

    Tickets 

    July 9 (Wednesday)

      Who: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band
      Where: Sandy Amphitheater
      When: 7 p.m.

      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.

      Tickets

      July 11 (Friday)

        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.   

        Tickets

        July 12 (Saturday)

          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. 

            Tickets

            July 14 (Monday)

              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.”  

              Tickets   

              July 17 (Thurs)

                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.  

                Tickets

                July 23 (Wed)

                  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.  

                  Tickets


                  Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

                  Screen-Shot-2023-06-15-at-1.15.22-PM

                  How To: Red Butte Outdoor Concerts

                  By Music

                  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.  

                  What is it? 

                  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.


                  Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

                  Broncho Brings the Fire

                  By Music

                  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.


                  Read more of our music coverage and get the latest on the arts and culture scene in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

                  Utah Arts Festival Headliner Leftover Salmon on Dreams, Touring and the State of Bluegrass

                  By Music

                  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.

                  • WHO: Leftover Salmon
                  • WHAT: Utah Arts Festival
                  • WHEN: Thursday, June 19, 9:30 p.m.
                  • WHERE: Library Square, Salt Lake City (200 East 400 South) 
                  • Tickets and info: uaf.org


                  Read more of our music coverage and find all our Kilby Block Party reviews. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

                  Interview: Patterson Hood of Drive-by Truckers

                  By Music

                  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.

                  Drive-by Truckers - Patterson Hood - Red Butte
                  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)
                  • WHERE: Red Butte Garden
                  • TICKETS AND INFO: TICKETS


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