When multi-Grammy winning rock icon Melissa Etheridge comes to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre, she likes to bring along friends. This year’s co-headlining companion is folk-rock-country superstar Jewel. SLC music lovers can catch this must-see show at Red Butte Gardens on July 29, 2024.
In the mid-1990s a handful of records, all by female artists, sat in my stereo’s multi-disc CD player on constant rotation (that’s how we “streamed” music back in the day). Melissa Etheridge’s Yes I Am, Jewel’s Pieces of You, Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill, and Joan Osborne’s Relish shaped my musical tastes then and remain among my favorites, almost 30 years later.
A tour-de-force rock and blues artist, Melissa Etheridge ignites her signature power ballads with hard-driving guitar licks and a raspy, soulful voice. In the late ‘80s she gained underground success with her self-titled debut album. Compared to Tina Turner and Janis Joplin, Ethridge won her first Grammy in 1992 with the single “Ain’t It Heavy.” She enjoyed massive commercial success in 1994 with two chart-topping singles “I’m The Only One,” and “Come To My Window,” and a second Grammy for her fourth record, Yes I Am. Her follow-up multi-platinum selling record Your Little Secret produced the mega-hit “I Want To Come Over” and established Ethridge as one of the decade’s premier rockers.
In the midst of her battle with cancer and aggressive chemotherapy in 2005, she ignited the Grammy stage with the performance of a lifetime. Her live rendition of “Piece of my Heart ‘‘ showed the world she could beat cancer and keep on rockin’. In 2006, she received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “I Need to Wake Up” featured in the documentary film An Inconvenient Truth.
Jewel. Photo credit Dana Trippe Photography.
Jewel began life in rural Alaska on a homestead without running water. As a teen she left the frozen frontier to study opera in Michigan before busking her way onto the San Diego music scene. In California, her hardscrabble folk songs got her noticed, a record deal followed, and her debut album Pieces of You launched her into the pop stratosphere. The record produced three commercial hit singles: “Who Will Save Your Soul,” “You Were Meant for Me,” and “Foolish Games.”
Fun fact: Jewel was born in Payson Utah before the family moved on to Homer, Alaska
In addition to selling over 30 million albums worldwide, Jewel is an accomplished author having published five books, including her 2015 New York Times best-selling memoir, Never Broken. Jewel has released 13 studio albums, including her latest release Freewheelin’ Woman.
This show is sold out, but plans can change for ticket holders, so stay vigilant and lookout for available tickets from trusted sources.
Yonder Mountain String Band/ Railroad Earth/ Leftover Salmon (8/15). Three amazing acts for under $60. Wow!
Gipsy Kings featuring Nicolas Reyes (8/20)
Pink Martini featuring China Forbes (8/27)
Lukas Nelson w/ Talia Keys (8/28) I won’t miss this one!
The Airborne Toxic Event w/ Tyler Ramsey (9/5)
Keane w/ Everything Everything (9/8)
Jesús Aguaje Ramos and his Buena Vista Orchestra (9/9). I’ll be there!
Crowded House (9/18)
Rodrigo Y Gabriela (9/24)
Who: Melissa Etheridge and Jewel What: Co-headlining show Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre When: 7/29/2024 Tickets and info: https://redbuttegarden.org/concerts/
In 1966, two 18-year-old gas station attendants were kidnapped in Kearns and stabbed to death. The bodies of Steven Shea and Michael Holtz were discovered stripped of their clothing in a remote location. The brutality of the crimes caught Salt Lake residents off guard. “It wasn’t that we didn’t have robberies and murders in Salt Lake City at the time,” says Salt Lake Police historian Steve “Duffy” Diamond, who passed away in 2015. “It was the harsh nature of these killings that got the attention.”
On a wintry night of that year, two men—Myron Lance and Walter Kelbach—were drinking at Lally’s Tavern on the west side of Salt Lake City, on the corner of 400 South and 900 West, now a vacant brownstone. The bartender was chatting with them about the two bodies that had been found.
“The bartender (Lloyd Graven) said something like, ‘I wish I had the guys who killed those kids right here. I’d teach them a lesson,’” says Diamond. “Lance and Kelbach told him he had his chance, brought out their guns, and started blazing away.”
Fred Lillie, 21, James Sisemore, 47, and Beverly Mace, 34, were gunned down that night at the bar. Lance and Kelbach emptied the register and fled. They were captured later that evening at a police roadblock. The investigation uncovered that they had killed Shea and Holtz and that, before the tavern shootings, Lance and Kelbach had shot a cab driver, Grant Strong. The final body count was six.
“It was like sitting in a foxhole at the battlefront,” Graven told The Salt Lake Tribune in 1966. “He turned on me and shot point-blank. The concussion of the shot knocked me down. He leaned over the bar and shot at me lying on the floor. How he missed, I’ll never know.”
Lance and Kelbach were convicted and sentenced to death in April 1967. (Lance chose the firing squad; Kelbach decided he would hang.) But in 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional, and their sentences were reduced to life in prison. After the verdict, the duo gave a startling prison house interview for NBC.
Walter Kelbach with an unknown woman. Photo courtesy of the Sale Lake City Police Museum.
Lance said, “I haven’t any feelings toward the victims.” Kelbach added, “I don’t mind people getting hurt because I just like to watch it.”
After capital punishment was reinstated, the state again sought the death penalty for the duo, but a Fifth Circuit Court judge rejected the state’s arguments because of the case’s age.
“They were without remorse,” Diamond says. “They were so cold-blooded. It shocked everyone.”
Extra! Extra! Extra!
In 1968, Lance attacked a prison guard with a sharpened spoon. In that same year, the duo escaped with seven other inmates but were captured in Idaho. During the ’70s, Kelbach attempted to adopt a younger, male parolee. His request was denied. Lance died in prison in 2010 of natural causes. Kelbach passed away in 2018 after serving 51 years.
Adult recess should always include wine. At least, that is what Kirsten Fox from Fox School of Wine believes. Almost every Friday night, her team of talented and knowledgeable wine educators open the doors for recess at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City. But stuffy and stiff, is the opposite of what you’ll get. “Many people have the impression that wine classes are probably very serious and intimidating, and they avoid them,” says Miss Fox. “Our classes, based on our company’s motto, are first fun, then tasting and then learning. Since our focus is on fun, we try to make a class that is appropriate for anyone from a new drinker all the way up through about an advanced beginner to an intermediate wine enthusiast.” Each class has a unique theme, and a “professor” to guide you through the five wines you’ll taste.
The ‘Saints and Sinners’ tour covers Salt Lake City history. Photo credit capture haus/ Cali warnerLearn from the Sommelier. Photo credit capture haus/ Cali warner
Kirsten is a Certified Executive Sommelier, and has years of experience in wine education, but her goal has always been to create a comfortable and approachable atmosphere to enjoy wine. Part of the approachability in her wine classes is to pour wines that are both readily available in the state-operated liquor stores, and also to feature bottles that come in under a $40 price point. “These are approachable, non-luxury wines that you can use to learn more about wine and wine regions. They’re also not ones that will break the bank.” Which means if you find one you love, it is easy to get a bottle or two.
Fox School of Wine offers classes, tours and tastings. Learn more at foxschoolofwine.com. Photo credit capture haus/ Cali warner
In addition to Recess on Main, Fox School of Wine also hosts white-glove private history and wine field trips that masterfully pair a respectful sense of place with a tip of the glass. The Saints and Sinners tour covers Salt Lake City history and the Mines and Wines tour takes guests through Park City. These tours are for groups and must be booked privately in advance.
At the end of the day, Fox School of Wine is all about community. “There are so many connections that happen between a bottle of wine and friends at a table,” says Fox. “The social connection from sharing an experience over a bottle of wine or a class with other people that like wine, it’s invaluable, especially these days when we’re all trying to find ways to connect with each other.”
On Tuesday, July 16, 2024 Slash took us on a tour of Blues roots from 1920s Mississippi Delta to Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s electrified sound that would later give us rock ‘n’ roll (and punk) and sprout other branches like folk, country, funk, hip-hop and R&B. Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre provided the perfect portal for the mad hatter himself, to usher us down the musical rabbit hole that is the Blues.
Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival, which stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality, N’ Tolerance, brought fans together to celebrate the spirit of the Blues and support marginalized communities. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales goes to The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child.
Jackie Venson started the celebration with a modern take on the Blues with “Keep On,” a disco-delic rhythm and blues tempo interspersed with electrified guitar riffs. With Rodney Hyder on drums and Venson’s guitar magic, the duo delivered a big sound. On “Next Life” she again blended psychedelic disco, funk, and R&B into a fresh mix while her wailing guitar kept us close to her musical origins. For me, the standout number, “Rollin’ On,” oozed old-school blues.
Venson is an innovative artist modernizing and reinterpreting blues music for a new generation. She ended her lively five-song set with “Always Free” leaving the sun-soaked audience wanting more.
Photo by Colleen O’NeillPhoto by Colleen O’Neill
Samantha Fish continued the musical romp and shifted directly into fourth gear with “Kick Out The Jams,” a homage to the late ‘60s band MC5, a precursor to punk rock. She grabbed her cigar box guitar and thrilled us with her original composition, “Bullet Proof.” Fish comes from Kansas City and now hails from New Orleans, but her musical style is a modernized take on the countryfied offshoot of Delta Blues known as Mississippi Hill Country Blues. Regardless of the origin, her stage presence and guitar mastery is pleasingly hypnotic. She breathed new life into early ‘60s soul with “Somebody’s Always Trying.” Slash joined her on stage for her final mesmerizing number “I Put a Spell on You.” Her electrified four-song, 30-minute thrill-ride of a set ended much too soon.
Keb’ Mo’ is a living link to the seminal Delta Blues that traveled up the Mississippi River and across the expanse of America. His multi-Grammy-winning post-modern blues style crossed many sub-genre tributaries. He started his nine-song set with “Somebody Hurt You” before funkin’ it up with “Government Cheese.” For me, the highlight of his remarkable set came when he grabbed his shiny National resonator guitar and harmonica and did some fine old-style blues pickin’ on “Suitcase,” “Am I Wrong” and “She Just Wants to Dance.” Accompanied by a full band, Keb’ Mo’ blended the sounds of struggle from the rural South of the 1920s with the urban beats of injustice today. He ended his set with “I Remember You.”
Photo by Colleen O’Neill
The show traveled full circle: from the modern style of Jackie Venson to Samantha Fish’s electrified middle, and Keb’ Mo’s blend of the old and new. Slash and his band brought us home. They tackled Bukka White’s 1940 Delta Blues classic “Parchman Farm Blues.” Their rendition was full-throttle rock ‘n’ roll with keyboardist Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis taking lead vocal.
Slash just released a remarkable new album Orgy of the Damned. On this project, he reworks a dozen blues and rock classics into his musical style (with a great selection of guest vocalists). The new album is a perfect vehicle for this festival. Slash gave us 10 of the album’s 12 songs starting with Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor,” a Chicago Blues standard. For this show Tash Neal sang lead vocals while accompanying Slash on the driving guitar riffs. I really liked their rendition of “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” with Neal on lead vocals and “The Pusher” featuring Andreadis on vocals. Slash really showed off his blues guitar skills on “Stormy Monday.” Though I must note on the new record Beth Hart provides the vocals for the remake. At the Garden Andreadis took lead vocals and he’s no Beth Hart, but did a fine job nevertheless.
They ended their robust 13-song rockin’ blues set with their rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Stone Free” and encored with an electrified version of Dylan’s folk classic “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry.”
Slash put together a fine crew to celebrate the Blues (and all the other genres that grew from its seed). It truly was a music festival packed into a perfect evening at the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. And as always the sound crew did an amazing job.
As a fun post-script, my wife and I left for Denver the following morning and we ended up meeting Jackie Venson, her drummer Rodney Hyder, and their team at the airport as they were boarding the same flight to Denver, the next stop on their tour. I’d love to catch Venson again at an intimate venue like The State Room. I already have tickets to see Samantha Fish later this month in Phoenix on her headlining tour. You can never get too much of a good thing.
Who: Slash, Keb’ Mo’, Samantha Fish, and Jackie Venson What: Slash S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival: A Celebration of the Blues Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre When: Tuesday, July 16, 2024 Info: https://redbuttegarden.org/concerts/
Summer is in full swing and we have compiled a list of local events happening this week for you to enjoy. From Pioneer Day celebrations to outdoor movies and bar trivia, the city is as lively as ever. For even more events this week and throughout the month, visit our community events calendar!
Monday 07/22
What: Days of ’47 Rodeo Where: Utah State Fairpark When: 07/22 at 4:30 p.m. The world’s only gold medal rodeo returns to the Fairpark this summer from 07/19 to 07/24. On night three of the rodeo, attendees can enjoy a petting zoo, pony rides, food trucks, vendors and exhibits no admission ticket required. Then, starting at 6 p.m., the main event begins with live music, drone and firework shows and more.
What: 2024 Float Preview Party Where: Mountain America Expo Center When: 07/22 at 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Meet the creators and technicians behind the 2024 Days of ’47 Parade floats before the general public. Vote for your favorite and enjoy entertainment, live bands clowns and more.
Tuesday 07/23
What: Night Star Jazz Orchestra Where: the Gallivan Center When: 07/23 at 7 p.m. A family-friendly events that includes free ballroom dance lessons and a vibrant fun atmosphere of live jazz music.
Wednesday 07/24
What: Pioneer Day Drone Show Where: Liberty Park When: 07/24 at 10 p.m. Celebrate pioneer day with a mesmerizing drone show that doesn’t pose a fire risk. The unique fusion of technology and artistry is fun for all ages and is free to attend. Food and beverages will be available from vendors throughout the park. The show begins at 10 p.m.
What: Pioneer Day at Layton City Where: 437 N Wasatch Drive, Layton When: 07/24 at 10 a.m. Layton has put together a packed program of festivities all Pioneer Day. Highlights include a food truck rally, craft stations, and the annual Electric Light Parade beginning at 10 p.m.
What: Pioneer Days at This is the Place Heritage Park When: 07/24 at 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The annual celebration of Pioneer Day returns to This is the Place Heritage Park complete with a parade, panning for gold, art and craft project and more. Find tickets here.
Thursday 07/25
What: Thursday Trivia Where: Scion Cider When: 07/25 at 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Scion’s weekly trivia event begins at 7 p.m. Grab a burger nextdoor at C9 market and settle in with a cold pour of local or national cider.
What: Yvie Oddly Meet & Greet and Book Signing When: Under the Umbrella Bookstore When: 7/25 at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Meet legendary drag performer Yvie Oddly as she speaks about her new memoir All About Yvie: Into the Oddity.
What: Party on the Plaza Where: Trolley Square When: 07/25 at 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The summertime plaza series returns to Trolley Square featuring the Utah Fringe Festival, live music, food trucks and a beer garden from Moab Brewery.
What: Cottonwood Heights Butlerville Days Where: Butler Park When: 07/25-07/27 Butler Park transforms into a weekend-long carnival to celebrate Pioneer day. The three-day event features vendor booths, food trucks, carnival rides, firework shows, a parade and more.
Friday 07/26
What: Liberty Park Outdoor Film Series Presents: Robot Dreams Where: Liberty Park, East Side of the Park When: 07/26 at 8 p.m. The Utah Film Center another exciting lineup of curated cinematic stories that is free and open to everyone. This Friday’s film is Robot Dreams, a film about a lonely Manhatten Dog that decides to build himself a robot companion.
What: A Chappel Roan-Inspired Sing-A-Long Where: Ember SLC When: 97/26 at 5 p.m. Celebrate queer femininity, girly music and community at this Femininomenon sing-a-long. Dress up in your favorite Midwestern Princess fit and enjoy a night of dancing, along with local artists, food truck and more.
Saturday 07/27
What: Girl Dinner pop-up series | Where: Publik Coffee Roasters, S W Temple St. When: 07/27 at 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Experience an immersive dining pop-up cooked and curated by female chefs. You can also enjoy an array of vendor booths from nail art to piercings, tattoos and jewelry.
What: July Maker’s Market Where: Second Summit Hard Cider When: 07/27 at 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Visit Second Summit for an artisan market, live music and food trucks. This is a 21+ event.
What: Wasatch Wildflower Festival Where: Snowbird When: 07/27 Held annually, the Wildflower Festival celebrates the beauty and ecological diversity of wildflowers in the Wasatch Mountains. Visit from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to enjoy a self-guided wildflower walk hosted by Cottonwood Canyons Foundation.
What: Urban Arts Festival 2024 Where: The Gateway When: 07/27 – 07/28 Utah’s largest free art festival features over 90 artist booths selling one-of-a-kind pieces for yourself and others. Guests can also enjoy a live mural painting, a car exhibit, and a pop up skate park.
Sunday 07/28
What: Blue & Brews Where: Snowbasin When: 07/28 at 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Snowbasin’s Earl Lodge Patio offers one of the best settings for live music with a beautiful backdrop, local brews and delicious summer food. July 28ths show features Angie Petty + The Truth, and headliner Shamarr Allan.
The first visual impression Iceland makes on visitors is that of a craggy, volcanic rock draped in a lush mantle of moss-green lichen. The lichen is fragile and posted signs warn tourists to stay on designated paths, lest their stray footfalls damage the century-old heaths. Perhaps this demonstrates the double-edge of the tourism boom to the land of fire and ice. Much of Iceland’s beauty draws crowds because it is wild, singular, ancient and untouched by humans, but the more people visit Iceland, the less likely it is for it to remain so. Tourism has become Iceland’s primary export in the last decade, with more than 2.3 million visitors expected this year. To put that in perspective, there are fewer than 400,000 total residents in Iceland. It’s a small country with limited infrastructure to support large crowds outside of the capital city of Reykjavík. An industry has formed around the increased travel, and, while Iceland is welcoming, that welcome wears thin when visitors are disrespectful.
The author and Sam Sabine at Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon. An arm of the glacier is visible in the distance. Photo credit Michael Porter.
A Week in Iceland
There were four of us. My brother (the photographer) and I (the writer) and our partners (the producer and the artist). We had a week in Iceland and wanted to see and experience as much as we possibly could. We rented a car and hit the road—the Ring Road, to be specific, a road that travels Iceland’s entire coast. We would need at least another week to circumnavigate the whole island, but one week took us from Reykjavík on the west coast to the Eastfjords on the east coast, with all of the beauty of the Southern region—Vatnajökull (Europe’s biggest glacier), basalt waterfalls and black sand beaches—in between.
Pro Tip: Before you set off, look into renting a wireless hotspot to stay connected on the road. Despite the remoteness of some of the areas we visited, we almost always had internet service.
Krossanesfjall mountain in Southeast Iceland. Photo credit Michael Porter.
No.1 Lava Fields and Hot Pools
The Keflavík International Airport is in a southwestern region of Iceland called the Reykjanes Peninsula, which means many visitors’ first stops are roadside outlooks over endless moss-covered lava fields, geothermal pools and hiking trails in the shadow of a volcano. The Blue Lagoon hot spring is a popular spot for visitors straight from the airport for obvious reasons. Who doesn’t want a hot soak, mimosa and mineral face mask after a nine-hour flight from the States? However, all of that geothermal fun comes at a cost. Recent eruptions and seismic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula have put some areas on alert and closed popular tourist destinations.
Pro Tip: If Blue Lagoon is closed due to volcanic activity at the time of your visit, continue to Reykjavik for an introductory soak at Sky Lagoon
The famous “Rainbow Street,” painted in celebration of Reykjavík Pride. Photo credit Michael Porter.
No. 2 Reykjavík nightlife
With a 6 a.m. arrival at the airport and a few hours spent at the hot springs, get to Reykjavík just in time to check into the hotel or vacation rental, clean up and head out to enjoy the local sights, dining scene and nightlife. (You could attempt a power nap, but we recommend powering through until bedtime to acclimate to the time zone.) Music fans can time their trip to Reykjavík for Icelandic Airwaves (Nov. 7–9, 2024), an international genre-bending music festival held in venues across the city. Stop by Hallgrimskirkja, a church designed to look like Iceland’s basalt cliff formations and the statue of Viking Leifur Eiríksson. Keep an eye out for Laugavegur, a pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare lined with cafes, shops and bars, and Skólavörðustígur, an easy street to spot given it is painted in Instagram-worthy rainbow color blocks.
No. 3 Chasing waterfalls
The road east from Reykjavík, through the Southern region, will take you past fields of stout Icelandic horses, ancient Viking turf homes and some of the most stunning waterfalls in the world. Urridafoss is one of the largest waterfalls in the world by volume, but it’s typically far less crowded than the two waterfalls down the road. Gljufrabui is a waterfall hidden among “troll caves” a short hike from the towering waterfall Seljalandsfoss. Just down the road, you’ll find the rather impressive Skógafoss. Closer to the glacier Vatnajökull, the hike to the basalt column waterfall, Svartifoss, is well worth it.
Pro tip: Another can’t-miss hike is the trail to Fjaðrárgljúfur Canyon near the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Imagine volcanic rock walls, softened with tufts of grass and moss, collapsing into sheer rock faces to the swirling cerulean water below.
Natural basalt columns frame the waterfall Svartifoss in Vatnajökull National Park. Photo by Michael Porter.
No. 4 Vík sightseeing
You will know you’re in Vík when you spot Vík i Myrdal Church, a nearly 100-year-old white church with a red roof, rising on a hillside above the town. Many come to visit nearby Reynisfjara Beach, a beautiful black sand beach with basalt columns and caverns and a dangerous reputation. The quick, powerful ocean waves will damage camera equipment and knock over inattentive people, sometimes dragging them out to sea. Vík is also home to my favorite Icelandic coffee shop, Skool Beans (skoolbeans.com), which, as the name might suggest, took up residence in a renovated yellow school bus. If he happens to be in, be sure to say “Hi” to the manager, a ginger cat named Jeffrey. The coffee drinks are also very good.
No. 5 Glacial exploration
There are two glacier adventures we recommend booking in Iceland: a kayaking excursion on the glacial lagoon and a glacier hiking expedition. Navigate around icebergs in Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and meet some curious seal pups, who, according to our guide, are all named Gustav. While we saw some people struggle to maneuver in crampons with ice picks and traverse atop the glacier Vatnajökull, if you’re able, I still recommend it…and sipping straight out of the rivulets (created from the immense pressure from the ice) is about the purest water you’ll ever taste. Unfortunately, the glacier is disappearing. In the last 30 years, Vatnajökull has shrunk by at least 150 square miles due to climate change. Before you go, make sure to get a group photo at Diamond Beach, a black sand beach that earns its name from the sparkling chunks of glacial ice that wash up on shore.
No. 6 Eastfjords
Our final stop is the town of Seyðisfjörður in Eastern Iceland, perhaps most famous for its church, Seyðisfjarðarkirkja. The cobblestone path to the church at the center of town is painted in rainbow colors, and the town alone is worth a visit for its understated charm, abundance of murals and scenic beauty. While in the Eastfjords, end your trip at the unparalleled Vök Baths—remote geothermal pools that border the lake Urriðavatn. Locals will cheer you on as you take the polar plunge by jumping into the chilly lake after a soak in the hot pools.
Aurora Borealis over Hvolsvöllur, Iceland. Photo by Michael Porter.
Northern Lights
The optimal season for viewing the Aurora Borealis in Iceland is September to April, with the Winter Solstice—the coldest and darkest time of year—at its peak. For the best chance to see the Northern Lights, stay outside of more populated areas. For instance, renting a cabin in Hrífunes Nature Park, outside of Vík, is perfect for viewing the Auroras and stargazing. During our visit in late September, we went our entire road trip without a whiff of the Auroras until our final night there. They emerged after midnight above our vacation rental near the village of Hvolsvöllur, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Reykjavík. For the Aurora forecast, visit auroraforecast.is.
What to Eat
Street food and fresh, pre-made convenience store fare in Iceland are a step above what one might expect in the U.S. We became hooked on an Icelandic soda made with fish collagen, Collab(collabiceland.is). The elderflower-lime flavor with caffeine is a personal favorite. Hot dogs are kind of a thing, and many villages will have a hot dog truck or two. Fish soup and lamb stew are both staples, and soup is a satisfying way to warm up and fill your belly after a day outdoors in the wind and rain. Our favorite lunch spot we happened upon by chance at a combination cafe/art gallery in Hvolsvöllur called Eldstó Art Cafe/Restaurant (eldsto.is).
You may arrive at this year’s 24th of July parade at what you assume to be right on time, lawn chairs in tow, ready for the grand marshal’s whistle and the drum majors’ first beat. You are too late. You’ll be relegated to a patch of dirt near Liberty Park, while the primo spots are already filled with enthusiastic daughters and sons of Utah pioneers who have shown up ready to play…12 to 16 hours before go time.
This parade, after all, is part of the emphatically celebrated anniversary of the Latter-day Saints’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley. Few states have such a rich history that it warrants an official day off and a parade of this magnitude.
Snagging key parade spots, and the modest revelry that ensues up and down the town’s main drag, may not be unique to Utah. We all love a parade, after all. But the vibe around 6 p.m.-ish, and on into twilight’s last fading on the 23rd, is essential Utah.
First, there are the teens, up late with a good excuse for prowling. But “prowling” is too sinister a term. These are the Archie-comic, suburban-parallel-universe versions of the bridge-and-tunnel crowd. You’ll meet a fleet of good-natured Davis County teens, enjoying nothing more intoxicating than Mountain Dew and a pass to be out beyond curfew, thrilling in the “big city.” While mom and dad (and vast extended families) dutifully GUARD THE SPOT with elaborate systems of coolers, lawn chairs and Honda generators, the young crowd is free to roam. Besides, if Mom and Dad are not physically there, the Holy Ghost stays up late tonight (this is Pioneer Day Eve, after all).
Next, there are the Bible Bangers. Limited most often to the “protest zone” just off Temple Square, this ragtag fleet of Jesus Freaks and End-of-Timers is set free to carry its fire-and-brimstone message to the gathered throngs. Everyone is up all night. What time is it? Half past John 3:16.
Combine those earnest, mostly LDS-mission-bound teens from the suburbs, all hopped up on sugary sodas, with wild-eyed prophets representing The Lord Savior Jesus Christ “hisself” on one long Rocky Mountain Las Ramblas, and now you’re in Utah, baby.
And by 2 a.m., after the SLCPD has shooed away the antagonists in the debate over the Trinity, it’s proper family time. Bring on the card games, laughter and a shared goal to enjoy the dawn’s early light, to cheer on the marathoners as they enter the city and to anticipate the Grand Marshal’s whistle—which means salt water taffy for all!
On Thursday, Musicians of the Utah Symphony shared a letter from composer John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park), supporting the preservation of Abravanel Hall.
The planned Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) downtown development of a Sports, Entertainment, Culture and Convention (SECC) District has made the future uncertain for the famed symphony hall, which is also the home to the Utah Symphony. Neither Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, Salt Lake City officials nor SEG have given definitive answers as to what their current development plan will mean for the hall.
While the fate of Abravanel Hall hangs in the balance, an unofficial coalition, including the Musicians of the Utah Symphony, continues to coalesce to urge Salt Lake County to preserve the hall in its current location.
The newest member of their ranks is John Williams, the widely celebrated composer of such film scores as Star Wars and JAWS. In his letter, Williams recounts his experiences conducting at Abravanel Hall and celebrates the Utah Symphony as one of the finest orchestras in the United States.
“Abravanel Hall, with its elegant design and splendid acoustics, is a crown jewel in the cultural life of Salt Lake City,” writes Williams. “It is an iconic landmark of which all your fellow citizens can and should be justly proud. It must be preserved for future generations to enjoy.”
His letter reminds Salt Lake City of Abravanel Hall’s cultural and historical significance. Williams recorded “Call of the Champions” there, the musical theme for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, with the Utah Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Members of the Utah Symphony responded with their admiration for Williams and gratitude for his support. Utah Symphony Concertmaster, Madeline Adkins, says, “The iconic American composer and conductor John Williams has had the opportunity to perform in all of the world’s top concert halls. It is an honor for Utah that he considers our magnificent Abravanel Hall to be among the finest—Maestro Williams has a true generosity of spirit, and we are so grateful for his support as we endeavor to preserve this beautiful space for future generations to enjoy.”
The preservation of Abravanel Hall has already garnered the support of the Utah American Institute of Architects, who stated emphatically, “Abravanel Hall is not a disposable building. It is not replaceable. And it is beloved.”
The members of Salt Lake City’s Planning Commission also agreed, recommending to the City Council and the Mayor that Abravanel Hall be preserved in its current location.
A petition bearing tens of thousands of signatures is also online, calling for Abravanel Hall to be saved.
For their part, the Musicians of Utah Symphony and the coalition of supporters of preserving Abravanel Hall are asking members of the public to contact their Salt Lake County Council and City Council representatives and urge them to save the hall.
John Williams’ full letter in support of preserving Abravanel Hall:
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, I knew Maurice Abravanel, whom I admired greatly both as a person and as an artist, and I’ve been privileged on many occasions to conduct in his namesake concert hall in Salt Lake City, where I recorded my musical theme for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games with the Utah Symphony and your magnificent Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and where I conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra on several visits to your great city. Abravanel Hall, with its elegant design and splendid acoustics, is a crown jewel in the cultural life of Salt Lake City. It is the home of the Utah Symphony, unquestionably one of our country’s finest orchestras. And it is an iconic landmark of which all your fellow citizens can and should be justly proud. It must be preserved for future generations to enjoy. In our fast-moving technological age, great music performed by world-class orchestras before live audiences is a vital thread that binds us to our cultural past and to our collective future. This simply wouldn’t be possible without temples of music like Abravanel Hall. I urge you to preserve and protect this artistic treasure.
If ever there was a chef dedicated to cooking only using wood flame, it is Chef John Murcko. His passion was born of necessity. “Over 20 years ago, I bought some land surrounded by a national forest around Escalante, Utah,” he explains. “There was no power to the land because it was so remote, and there was no gas or anything. I didn’t want to go the propane route, and I decided to go with wood for my cooking.” From there, he started experimenting with different types of wood and imparting different kinds of flavor into food. He finally landed on digging long trenches and would build a big fire with different types of wood until they broke down into a glowing bed of coals. How’s that for preheating?
Photo credit Blake Peterson & Panic Button Media
His passion led him to open Firewood on Main in Park City, a restaurant that prepares the entire menu over wood fire. On the menu, you’ll find nods to the open fire and the natural results: smoked bread, roasted romesco, smoked trout and, of course, a curated range of meats. All cooked in the open flame. Ingredients are locally sourced whenever possible. But at home in the great outdoors, Murcko likes to wrap food in foil or stuff a squash with filling and nestle them deep into the coals to roast.
Anyone who plays with fire and food in the great outdoors seems to be a master tinkerer at heart. They like to experiment, tweak, adjust and build. Murcko is no exception. “I love to build things,” he says. “I started building different things to cook on. I created a spit, put different turkeys and chickens in it and tied meats to it. And, wow! Those were some of the best-flavored turkeys I’ve ever had in my life.”
One of the biggest differences in cooking over coals and flame? It isn’t the technical cooking you learn in culinary school. It is more intuitive. “Working with these types of primitive cooking methods, it’s a lot of feel and touch,” says Murcko. “In working with the more natural style of cooking rather than more of a science-based cooking. So it takes your hand, feeling how warm something is.”
When it comes to his style of outdoor cooking, Murcko has some insider knowledge to share for the novice. First: Get organized beforehand. “I always try to build myself tables where I can put my mise en place and keep it up out of the cooking area and off the ground. You’re setting yourself up with workspaces out of the dirt. I always look for big stumps to create little workstations and tables.” It makes for an organized outdoor kitchen and a methodical spot in the chaos of the uncontrollable things that can happen while cooking outdoors.
Chef Murcko encourages experimentation when cooking meals over open coals and flame, but planning ahead is paramount. Photo credit Blake Peterson & Panic Button Media
The second tip: Build a cooking space where you can add and take away coals to control the temperature. “The temperature of cooking outdoors is constantly changing. It’s not controlled,” says Murcko. “We can go from hot to cool pretty quickly. So whenever we do a big dinner somewhere in the mountains with a group of people, I’ll cook trench-style.” The fire will be built up and then reduced to coals in a dug out trench to keep it out of any wind. “I always have a spot that I call the fire feeder,” he adds. “Where you’re keeping a fire going and breaking out the coals.” Those fresh coals can be fed into the rest of the trench to maintain heat at any time during the cooking process. So, keep the fire going.
A common mistake? Going too far in the other direction. “You can overheat your fires,” says Murcko. “When they overheat, it causes char and burning. Or people will cook directly over the flames, touching your meats or vegetables, making it bitter. So cook more in a cool section rather than a direct flame.” Which requires patience, letting the wood break down into a warm, glowing bed. “This is where you have to have patience and not rush things because you have to allow the fire to work at its speed. So that can take prep time of a good hour and a half just to build the right fire,” he adds. “People try to rush that because the guests are arriving or they want to eat. If you rush it, you could essentially burn the outside of the food, but the inside would be raw because you just have extreme flame, not steady heat.”
If you’re brave, you can even cook directly in the coals themselves. Just the food, the heat, and a shovel to bury things and pull them out again. Murcko suggests harder vegetables: “What I really love is putting whole vegetables in that have a harder outside or a shell that I can remove and then eat the center. Like, cabbages are amazing.”
Chef Murcko cooks fish on a plank, nailing it in place, over an open flame. Photo credit Blake Peterson & Panic Button MediaPhoto credit Blake Peterson & Panic Button Media
Squash, beets, carrots, peppers, and potatoes all work well. For softer vegetables, like cauliflower, you can put them in a seasoned stainless steel colander. You can even cook a steak directly on hot coals that will sear the outside.
One of Murcko’s specialties is cooking whole filets of salmon outside. “In Scandinavia, they’ll nail a piece of fish to a board and put it next to a fire,” he says. “I do that with a cinder block to angle the wood, and then I’ll have a fire burning in front of it for indirect heat.” Murcko will baste it, rub the fish down with different types of chili and spices, and squeeze citrus over it while cooking. “It’s one of the juiciest fishes you ever had. I think that’s a great method. I do it with wooden pegs to hold the fish in place.” He does recommend using a filet with the skin on to help hold the fish together as it cooks.
In mid-November, Murcko often invites all his chef friends down to his property to pre-game Thanksgiving dinner. Since most resorts open around Thanksgiving, it is a last chance to gather and cook together. Every chef pulls out the stops and makes a dish.
“We did everything outside. It grew to a size of just under 50 people one year,” he reminisces. “And all these different chefs were cooking inside this 30-foot-long pit full of coals. Some were using cast iron, buried. Some chefs were roasting vegetables. Some were cooking over a grill grate. Some used the rotisserie we built. We had everything from duck to 20 different side dishes that were all built and all cooked over open flames.”
Now, that sounds like the type of Thanksgiving dinner I want an invite to.
If You Go…
Firewood on Main 306 Main Street, Park City You can visit Firewood on Main in Park City seasonally. firewoodonmain.com
If I see a product outthere that says it’s ewg-verified. I don’t even worry what’s in it,” says Baylee Relf, Master Esthetician and founder of DIME, a Utah-based beauty company. Now Relf has the distinction of having her own products verified by the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C. non-profit that advocates for transparency, clean ingredients and sustainability in personal care products.
“It requires a lot of testing and new transparency changes,” says Jocelyn Lyle, EWG’s Executive Vice President of Mission and Partnerships on verified status. “It can sometimes take a brand twelve months to go through the program. You have to change your packaging for full disclosure.” The EWG also flags ingredients it deems potentially unsafe or irritants so consumers looking for “clean” beauty products have a place to start.
At a panel at The Lounge at La Caille, Relf and Lyle, along with Muffy Clince of Ulta Beauty, addressed some of the misconceptions about the clean beauty trend. Clean does not necessarily mean natural. DIME, for instance, uses both natural and synthetic ingredients. “The marriage of the two is what provides results,” says Relf. “Clean products should be efficacious. There are a lot of really harsh products out there that will show you results quickly, but it’s at an unhealthy pace for your skin. Where clean products are going to show you a little more gradual results, it’s such a much healthier pace for your skin.”
“A lot of advice we hear is ‘just go fragrance-free,’” says Lyle. “But that is not EWG’s point of view. There are clean and safe fragrances, and there are fragrances out there that are fully transparent.” But it’s more rare. “The dirty little secret of the fragrance industry is it’s really hard to find a fragrance house that will even tell the brand what’s in it.”
In addition to the lack of transparency, Relf started to notice that perfume can cause a lot of issues for people, like skin irritation and headaches. “Our formulators worked really hard to create a low-allergenic profile fragrance.” The result is DIME’s Seven Summers perfume, now EWG-verified.
“I would say, brands going to this level of certification and making this effort to have a clean fragrance formula, it’s still very unique,” says Clince.
Unique, perhaps, because the founders of DIME seem to have a particular obsession with ingredients. Co-founder and Bayley’s husband Ryan says, “Our pillow talk is about ingredients.”
