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Mar 16
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‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ Recap: Season 2 Reunion

By Arts & Culture

After a wild, up-and-down Season 2, the cast of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City gathered on a gloriously tacky winter-wonderland set to dig into all of this season’s juiciest drama. The women watched the final episodes, including Lisa’s explosive hot mic moment, hours before taping the reunion, so emotions were raw and every cast member came in with several chips on their shoulders. With a full season behind us, Andy and a host of viewers (including a Twitter user hilariously named “ugly adjacent,”) asked the questions that have been on everyone’s minds. Let’s dig into, in the words of Heather Gay, this “real, fake and fucked up” reunion with 10 takeaways.

1) Hi baby gorgeous! 

After 21 truly unhinged episodes, pretty much every cast member had drama to reexamine or dirty laundry to air out. It was surprising, then, how much screen time was dedicated to Lisa—she was the undisputed center of gravity of this reunion. Everyone besides Lisa’s longtime friend Jennie had a bone to pick with her, and she spent what seemed like hours backed in a corner, forced to defend herself. Plenty of the criticism was justified, especially about the hot mic rant (more on that later), but I left feeling a little sorry for Lisa—she is far from the only one with bad behavior worth addressing! Still, the Lisa Barlow show had plenty of iconic moments. She is forced to explain why she compared Heather to a Lego and gets in a fight about whether she only rents yachts for Instagram pictures. She comes prepared with printed iMessage screenshots to defend her case—and pulls out reading glasses when she’s really ready to share the receipts. And in one of several litigations over Lisa and Meredith’s friendship, Andy tells Lisa that her support of Meredith is “not landing with her” and she protests, “okay, it is landing with me.” Lisa IS the main character.

2) The bad weather report

So much has changed between Seasons 1 and 2, but all I got from Heather and Whitney during these episodes was an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Just as in the Season 1 reunion, the cousins focused almost all of their energy on taking down Lisa. Heather lands some solid burns—she calls Lisa “a caricature of some teen magazine she read in 8th Grade that says ‘how to be a cool mean girl’”—but for the most part their crusade just made me tired. These three seemed to be on better terms by the end of this season, their rivalry always felt convoluted anyway and Heather and Whitney spent hardly any time talking about the (more interesting) things they got up to this season. 

3) Lisa Barlow does not care when the cameras are rolling

You would think that after reality TV cameras caught you calling one of your closest friends a “fucking whore” behind closed doors, you would be quite sensitive about the right time to share your thoughts while mic’d up. Lisa, though, has a thrilling disregard for when the cameras are (and aren’t) rolling. Though the cast is discouraged from talking to each other during breaks, she can’t resist apologizing to Meredith for her hot mic rant. She also, hilariously, explains that her rage came from a rumor that Meredith had made fun of her house. (Hell hath no fury like a woman who is sensitive about her recent remodel.) Meredith is in no mood for quick forgiveness— the wounds are still too fresh. Later, she goes to hug Heather and Whitney in between takes and the three makeup (ish) when Heather says her intentions were to defend, not attack, Lisa. This is…certainly not what happened on camera, but there’s still a glimmer of hope for these three fan favorites to set aside their differences.

4) Meredith engages

After a Season 1 where Meredith was best known for “disengaging” whenever a fight got interesting, she came into this season ready to stand up for herself. From her long-simmering anger at Jen and Lisa to her inexplicable defense of Mary, Meredith had some explaining to do during the reunion. In easily the most sympathetic appearance of the entire cast, she explained that her strong emotions this season sprung from the death of her father and other family issues she wasn’t comfortable sharing on camera. She appeared to be genuinely shaken up by her difficult year, and her statements were a reminder that these women aren’t just TV characters—they’re real people experiencing real pain. (Plus, she got the chance to use her lawyer skills to carefully build her case against Lisa, which was a lot of fun.)
    

5) All hail Andy Cohen

As a Real Housewives newbie, forgive me for what is likely an extremely basic observation: Andy Cohen is very good at this. He asks extremely probing questions with just enough tact to get the answers he wants. He pushes the right buttons to extract drama, but mediates the fights before they boil into unbridled chaos. And he’s genuinely, off-the-cuff funny. Hosting this marathon of a reunion can’t be easy, and Andy shows that there is real skill in making reality TV this stupidly addictive.

6) There’s Something About Mary

While viewers already learned weeks ago that Mary Cosby skipped the reunion, essentially giving up her spot on the show, the other cast members discover in real time that Mary won’t be showing up. Upset by the show’s treatment of her church and her racist comments towards Jennie, Mary refuses to come and defend herself. That doesn’t stop the cast from discussing her general rudeness to the other cast members, Meredith and Mary’s friendship and, most importantly, the allegations that she runs a cult. Even Meredith is uninterested in fullheartedly defending Mary, and without Mary there to respond for herself, the questions surrounding the series’ most confounding figure are left frustratingly unanswered.

7) The other elephants in the room

Mary isn’t the only person whose presence is needed at the reunion. Lisa and Whitney rehash the catering drama from Angie’s fundraiser (ugh), which is essentially useless without Angie there to explain herself. Uncomfortably, the women also discuss the relationship between Mary and Cameron, a friend of Lisa’s and a former Faith Temple member who passed away after appearing in this season. Considering his death, I think both Bravo and the cast should have avoided talking about him altogether. I strongly agree with this Tweet that says the long-suffering sprinter van driver Kevin should have been invited to tell his side of the story. This poor man has been through so much!

8) Jennie’s first (and last) reunion

Part one begins with a disclaimer that the discovery of Jennie’s racist comments on social media, and her subsequent firing, happened after the reunion was filmed. In a richly ironic moment, Jennie spends a large chunk of time discussing Mary’s anti-Asian comments and racism more broadly. Of course, Jennie’s own (stupid!) opinions don’t discount the real racism she experiences, but it’s cringeworthy to hear her preach that she and Mary should support each other as fellow people of color knowing her own anti-Black comments. After Andy shares that Mary doesn’t believe that Black people can be racist, Jennie says, “Everyone is capable of being racist.” She really walked right into that one. 

9) The Real Husbands of SLC 

Justin, Sharrieff, John, Duy and Seth (virtually) all joined their wives for the reunion, and they were mostly left unscathed in a charming appearance. Even Seth, who I usually find obnoxious, comes across well, and says he acted like “an ass” to distract Meredith from her grief. Justin is asked about a lawsuit against LifeVantage, the MLM he works for, so maybe there will be more legal drama even after the Shah trial. John…is there. Everyone gives Duy the side-eye as he tries to explain why he suggested bringing in a sister wife to have more children, but we won’t see him again, so whatever. Sharrieff gets the toughest questions—he’s asked if he knew anything about Jen’s alleged fraud and money laundering, which he denies, and he is directly asked about rumors that Jen has cheated on him. Sharrieff’s comments are unlikely to quell suspicion about Jen’s businesses (or his own involvement and knowledge), but he is easy to root for. He’s charismatic, he advocates for Black men to go to therapy and he seems determined to stick by his wife for better and (definitely) worse.

10) Law & Order: Shah Unit

Let’s cut to the chase: the only real surprise in this reunion’s treatment of Jen’s fraud charges is that it took until Part 3 to truly dig into it. She continues to deny that her business practices were illegal. (Duh.) Any time the questions about her case get too specific, she hits Andy with a lawyer-approved “no comment.” (Double duh.) And because Jen always pretends to be contrite for about two minutes before self-sabotaging, she spends a good part of the reunion sniping at her two closest allies, Heather and Lisa. (The biggest duh of all.) Jen does her damnedest to turn her arrest into a case study of racism in the criminal justice system, and while this is certainly an indisputable fact, she is, to put it mildly, not the best messenger for this important issue. Jen still seems resistant to any sort of plea deal, and her trial has been postponed until July, which could very well be after Season 3 wraps up filming. 

Relive season 2 of RHOSLC with our weekly recaps and see our archive and track the Real Houswives Journey around Salt Lake City.

Mar 15
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Small Lake City Reprise: Fur Foxen

By Music

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I called Steph Darland to talk about his music. The first thing he said to me was, “Let me put you on speaker so I can talk with my hands.” Steph, guitarist, and Amber Pearson, cellist, form the duo Fur Foxen, a group that started out playing small gigs at coffeehouses like Alchemy and is now a favorite in Salt Lake clubs.

The first thing I asked Steph about was the band’s name: Fur Foxen. Why? I couldn’t see what his hands were saying, but his unexpected answer was, “I love alliteration.” “Our previous band was a trio called Harold Henry. And I’m obsessed with foxes—my house is filled with images of foxes. Foxen is the old English plural for fox.”

Finally, we talked about the music.

Steph started playing the guitar when he was 23, but even more than gaining facility with the instrument, he’s interested in writing songs. “I write about six to ten songs a month,” he says. “They’re not all good, but they are a kind of therapy.”

Raised in Amarillo, Texas, he moved to Dallas but had a tough time breaking into the music scene there. His day job at Whole Foods is what brought him to Utah, where he found a more open and yet tightly knit musical community. He and Amber host the Foxhole Sessions, a podcast of local bands for small, intimate audiences that foster community as well as sharing music. 

“I don’t come from a musical family,” says Steph. “I don’t listen to a lot of music and what I do listen to is all over the board. Of course, I like singer-songwriters.” And he says, “The more raw the capture the better. Authenticity is something you can’t hide in music. It’s not about proficiency. You love it because it’s real.” — Mary Brown Malouf

See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.

Mar 14
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A Pot for Every Plant: The Moody Cactus

By Lifestyle

Unlike some trends that emerged during the pandemic lockdown (RIP sourdough yeast starter), buying more and caring for houseplants seems to have persisted into 2022. Gardening saw a 18.7% increase among Americans from 2019 to 2020, and all of those plants aren’t just going to go away (unless you couldn’t keep them alive, of course). For all those new plant parents, if your babies are still going strong (or just hanging on) into 2022, it might be time to upgrade their pots to a piece of art as visually pleasing as the plant itself.

From her small home studio in Salt Lake City, artist Sydney Phetmisay creates softly pigmented concrete planters and flower pots. They come in an array of shapes and colors, invoking their namesakes, like dried apricot, desert cactus and prickly pear.

Phetmisay sells her creations under the moniker The Moody Cactus, inspired by her love of house plants and the need to create colorful homes for them. Even in the dreariest of winter months (or lockdown), a potted indoor plant is a way to invite vibrant nature into your home. Phetmisay also makes concrete trays of all sizes and exciting shapes (rippling waves and arches as well as circles and ovals) and unique decor and accessories for your home, like plant propagation stations, ornaments, shells, card holders. Her work is subtle, soft in texture, but instantly recognizable.

The benefits of using a concrete planter pot include their durability, especially compared to other materials like ceramic or terracotta. They are also weather-resistant when compared to other planters. They provide insulation for the soil, as well, so it will stay a little warmer than soil in a regular pot.

Brick-and-motar store Thyme and Place, a Salt Lake City gardening boutique, also carries The Moody Cactus planter pots, and they can help you with your other repotting needs. Young, faster-growing plants may need to be repotted every 6 to 12 months. On average, mature plants should be repotted less frequently than young plants, just about every few years, or as needed. Look for roots showing, excessive leaf loss or yellowing.

Phetmisay herself is slated to complete a BS of Chemistry in the Spring of 2022, then looks to pursue further education in fine art. themoodycactus.com

Mar 10
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Let’s Track the RHOSLC around Utah

By Arts & Culture

We’ve been watching carefully with a cynical eye the places and spaces the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (RHOSLC) go to as locations and backdrops for the show’s main purpose: shade-throwing fights. Thus far, we’ve seen a lot of fast-food pit stops from Lisa Barlow who calls herself #fastfood queen, been underwhelmed by the unglamorous home of Whitney Rose in Day Break and nodded approvingly at a few local restaurants stops, like Handle and Table X. (We also suggested places that Lisa could find good local food instead of Taco Bell.) Along the way though, we kind of started losing track of the and spaces so we started this map so we could all play along at home.

Read More: Real Housewives of Salt Lake City

Mar 08
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Small Lake City Reprise: Alan Michael

By Music

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Morning at the Rabbit Hole might as well be midnight: The gas lamps flicker, barely lighting the dim corners. It seems an apt atmosphere for Utah jazzman Alan Michael, who cradles his gleaming saxophone as he talks about the jazz that is his life.

Of course, he’s from New York City. But he moved from that jazz habitat to Utah in the mid-nineties at the urging of his wife, Shannon. “She wanted out of the city and loves the mountains,” he says.

He loves them too, so he exchanged the jazz scene for the natural scenery. But, “I still get back there,” he says. In fact, he recently returned from the city where he went to have the mouthpiece of his sax reshaped.

He has a whole other life and a different name in New York. There, he uses his real name, Alan Michael Braufman. “Here, I was always calling up and talking to a receptionist who couldn’t understand “Braufman.’ So I dropped that and changed it to Alan Michael a year ago.” He also plays a different kind of music in New York—still jazz, but more experimental, edgier. It’s the kind of music he made his name with, ever since playing with the Psychedelic Furs, among other bands.

That sound doesn’t play well with audiences here, but he loves the music he does play with his quartet, Friday and Saturday nights at the Bayou and as often as possible at the Rabbit Hole, a space downstairs from Lake Effect where Kelly Samonds books jazz. “It’s a listening room, not a loud jazz room,” says Michael. “I’ve learned not to mind talking; if the music is good enough, they’ll be quiet and listen, unless they’re drunk. Kelly won’t allow a synthesizer here. He’s a purist, so there’s no amplification. Michael also plays at the Garage, Jazz Vespers at First Unitarian Church and Jazz at the Gallivan but Rabbit Hole is one of the only places in Salt Lake City where he plays his own music.

Indian Navigation Company put out an album in 1975, Valley of Search, that focused on Michael’s avant-garde jazz. Out of print now, copies sell on eBay for $150. There are plans to reissue the album, but, remember, jazz (like most music) is always best live. —Mary Brown Malouf

See more Small Lake City Concerts here. Salt Lake Magazine’s Small Lake City Concerts were produced by Natalie Simpson of Beehive Photography and Video.

Mar 07
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WholesomeCo Offers Free Medical Cannabis Delivery Service to Salt Lake City

By From Our Partners

Cannabis Delivery? In Utah?! 

Following the Utah Medical Cannabis Act enacted in 2018, cannabis has become extremely accessible for Utahns with qualifying conditions. WholesomeCo, a medical cannabis pharmacy located in West Bountiful, now offers delivery to 99% of patients across the state of Utah. WholesomeCo has created an online ordering and delivery service that meets requirements set by Utah lawmakers. After following the steps to obtain a medical cannabis card, patients can conveniently receive orders right to their door, for free! As the only licensed pharmacy in Utah offering free statewide delivery, WholesomeCo strives to make medical cannabis accessible for anyone who needs it. 

Delivery order process for WholsomeCo medical cannabis

The Medical Card Process  

Want to experience the convenience of WholesomeCo’s online ordering services for yourself? There are over 40,000 Utahns with a medical card using cannabis to treat a variety of conditions and improve their quality of life. As of now, there are 16 medical conditions approved by the Utah legislature that allows patients to be treated with medical cannabis. The first step is to meet with a qualified medical provider who will determine if cannabis is the right option for you. Try our locating feature to find a QMP near you! Next, register with the State by visiting id.utah.gov. After you have created an account, log in to evs.utah.gov with the same username and password and begin the patient application process. Your medical provider can assist you with any of these steps. 

Simplifying and normalizing the process of using medical cannabis is one of WholesomeCo’s top priorities. The pharmacy has implemented an instant verification for medical card holders. Once you have met with a qualified medical provider and completed the registration process, WholesomeCo can instantly verify your medical card online. You are then eligible to shop and utilize the free delivery service! 

Safe, Reliable, Wholesome Delivery

Medical cannabis can be a tricky product to distribute due to its seed-to-sale tracking system. Luckily, WholesomeCo’s co-founder and CEO, Chris Jeffery had past experience building an online ordering system similar to what WholesomeCo needed. Prior to the establishment of WholesomeCo, Jeffery co-founded a company called Order Up, a food delivery service similar to Uber Eats. WholesomeCo facilitated their goal of cannabis delivery by working with the Utah legislature to create an interface that interacts directly with consumers, while being overviewed by state regulators. The system is now used to safely deliver medical cannabis to patients, ensuring the right products for a patient’s personal needs. Additional requirements of the service include background screenings for drivers, discreet delivery vehicles, GPS monitoring and security systems. These regulations help guarantee products are kept safe until they reach the doors of Utah medical cannabis patients. 

In-home medical cannabis delivery from WholesomeCo

Next Stop, Salt Lake City!   

WholesomeCo has worked hard to expand their unique and convenient online services. The pharmacy is excited to offer free, same-day delivery options all along the Wasatch front and to many other locations throughout Utah. 

WholesomeCo is there to help each Utahn along their health and wellness journey, even those who may not have the ability to utilize in-store, pickup or drive-thru shopping at their West Bountiful pharmacy location. Think medical cannabis could be right for you? WholesomeCo offers free consultations with expert, doctorate-level pharmacists to help start your medical cannabis journey! Schedule your consultation here today. 

Times available for delivery in the Salt Lake City area are as follows: 

Open days/times:

  • Monday-Saturday: 11-1 p.m., 1-3 p.m., 3-5 p.m., 5-7 p.m.
    • Order same-day until 3 p.m. 
  •  Sunday: 11-1, 1-3 p.m. (place order by 10 a.m.)

Mar 07
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Dan Reynolds’ LOVELOUD Fest Returns for 2022

By Arts & Culture, Music

Organizers of live-music festival LOVELOUD announced the artist lineup and date of the festival Monday. After taking two years off because of the pandemic, LOVELOUD is happening this year on May 14, 2022 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City.

The festival benefits organizations that support LGBTQ+ youth, such as Encircle, The Trevor Project and Equality Utah. 

Imagine Dragons frontman, Dan Reynolds, founded the festival and will headline the daylong event this year. LOVELOUD is the culmination of Dan Reynolds’ confronting the LDS Church’s treatment of LGBTQ people as well as his own beliefs, which is the subject of his 2018 documentary Believer.  

Neon Trees, a group that got its start in the Provo music scene, will also perform. Tyler Glenn, Neon Trees frontman, has been vocal about his own journey as a gay man and ex-Mormon (see his solo album Excommunication). 

Filling out the LOVELOUD lineup is The Aces, an indie group that also came out of the Provo scene, WILLOW, a pop-punk musician and child of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, locals ​​Mat & Savanna Shaw and Brazilian singer-songwriter Anitta.

Tickets for the event will go on sale Wednesday, March 9, at 10 a.m. on the LOVELOUD website, loveloudfest.com. 

Check out Salt Lake magazine’s reviews of LOVELOUD 2018 and LOVELOUD 2019 and the Dan Reynolds’ documentary Believer (2018).  

Mar 07
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Twilight Concert Series 2022 Lineup Announced

By Music

The Twilight Concert Series is returning to Salt Lake City’s Gallivan Center this summer, revealing just some of its 2022 lineup Monday. This is the 35th year of the concert series, which endeavors to present a diverse range of artists and musicians—some well-established, some up-and-coming—with every lineup.

 “Twilight has been an integral part of Salt Lake City for 35 years now, and we can’t wait to present this incredible season,” says Felicia Baca, the Executive Director for the Salt Lake City Arts Council. “The 2022 Twilight Concert series features a lineup which is diverse, exciting, and is sure to be a season with something for everyone, contributing to the vibrancy and vitality of Salt Lake City and making it the best place to live, work, and play.”  

While more artists are yet to be announced, this is the current Twilight Concert Series 2022 Lineup:

According to organizers, the 35th-year celebration will cultivate a sense of belonging to local communities by attracting attendees from all over Utah and neighboring states, stating, “This year, the concert series will not only support the local creative economy of musicians but it will also contribute to the economic recovery of other industries downtown such as local restaurants, businesses and venues that have been impacted due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.” 

  • Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten and Julien Baker
  • Sharon Van Etten
  • Cuco
  • The Decemberists

Twilight Concert Series 2022 season tickets are on sale now at 24tix.com. $10 individual show tickets go on-sale March 8 at 10 a.m. Set an alert on your calendar, because tickets usually sell out very quickly.

Find more music and concert coverage in our Arts & Culture section, and subscribe to Salt Lake magazine for our latest print issue.