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Sep 20
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Review: Buddy Guy–Damn Right Farewell tour w/ Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

By Arts & Culture, Music

Buddy Guy appeared at Red Butte Garden for the last time on Monday, September 11, 2023. The 87-year-old Bluesman walked out on stage in his signature polka dot outfit (his mother loved polka dots) and assured us that he could play all night. To reassure us the blues will remain in good hands, he included Christone “Kingfish” Ingram as part of his Damn Right Farewell tour. He opened with “Damn Right, I Got The Blues,” from his Grammy-winning album of the same name. For his second song, he played “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man,” an enduring classic by his mentor Muddy Waters (and written by the prolific songwriter Willie Dixon). 

But, before he decommissioned his tour bus, he offered up one final lesson in blues history. The stories he told in between songs gave us a glimpse of those important moments—including one where Mick Jagger refused to do the American TV program Shindig unless they brought on Muddy Waters too. Much to Jagger’s horror, the show staffers had never heard of Waters (the Rolling Stones owe their name to one of his songs). White American audiences knew nothing about these Chicago Blues titans the British were imitating. Guy then played another Waters song “She Nineteen Years Old.” 

The blues standards continued when Guy lit up the crowd with “Fever,” a 1950s hit for Little Willie John that Guy covered in 1968, followed by “I Let My Guitar Do The Talking.” It certainly did. 

Photo by Patrick Webster

The music lesson was just getting started. I struggled to keep up with the barrage of blues classics he added to the mix. He jammed with “ I Just Want To Make Love To You,” yet another Dixon-penned classic covered by everybody including Waters, Etta James, and Foghat. Tucked into his guitar licks, he interjected a few bars of Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” and “Purple Haze,” before finally landing on Bobby Rush’s “Chicken Heads.”

After the thrilling ride, we still had a ways to go. Guy launched into “Drowning on Dry Land,” and moved through another medley with  “Cheaper To Keep Her.” Afterward, he set his guitar on an instrument storage case, and using a drumstick as a slide, played the signature riff of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love,” which morphed into an excerpt of the Talking Heads’ “Take Me To The River.” 

For the rest of the evening, Guy hit us with a dizzying mix of blues standards that blended seamlessly. He started with John Lee Hooker’s “Boom Boom,” which melded into Jimmy Reed’s “You Don’t Have To Go,” and ended with Junior Wells’ “Love Her With A Feeling.” I even caught a few lines from Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House” that served as a musical exclamation point. 

Kingfish Ingram and Guy’s son Greg joined him on stage to close out the set with an instrumental guitar jam and bid a final goodbye to the Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre. This was our last chance to see the blues legend before he winds down his life on the road. Though based on the success of his 2022 record The Blues Don’t Lie, and a recent duet with Ally Venable on “Texas Louisiana,” we probably haven’t heard the last of him.

Photo by Patrick Webster

Chicago Blues is alive and well in the hands of the next generation. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, who opened the show with “She Calls Me Kingfish,” is a case in point. He played “Fresh Out,” a 2019 song he recorded with Buddy Guy, and a teaser, “Midnight Heat,” a new song from a soon-to-be-released live album he recorded in London. A full band, featuring drums, bass, and keyboards, accompanied his guitar mastery. For me, the highlight of his terrific six-song set was “Empty Promises,” with its cross-generational bluesy guitar wail that blended “60s psychedelic soul with modern Southern blues. Ingram, at age 24, is one of a growing number of young guitar masters, both male and female, who will carry the blues torch deep into the 21st century.

Who: Buddy Guy w/Christone Kingfish Ingram

What: Damn Right Farewell tour

Where: Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre

When: Monday, September 11, 2023

Info: www.redbuttegarden.org

Sep 19
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Behind The Scenes With Natosha Washington of Repertory Dance Theatre 

By Arts & Culture

When Repertory Dance Theatre choreographer Natosha Washington came up with the title for her two-part performance Say Their Names, she was unaware of its use as a rallying cry to bring attention to victims of systemic racism and racial injustice in the U.S. “In the past, I have stayed away from anything that was politically charged,” says Washington. But it was 2018 when every night’s top news story was about police brutality or another innocent black person killed by officers. For Washington, the danger came especially close to home. “We had a cousin in Georgia who was gunned down by police—innocent,” she says. “And I could not properly function without addressing it in my body and addressing it in the studio with the dancers—which is technically how Say Their Names came to be.”

Repertory Dance Theatre
Repertory
Dance Theatre. Photo credit Sharon Kain

In 2020, while developing Part II, Washington says, compared to 2018, “I felt like my experiences, or the things that I’ve been sharing, were suddenly being valued, but it took it being publicized for people to actually hear what I had been saying my entire adult life.” She summarized the feeling with a quip to a friend, “I feel exceptionally black lately.” Washington had also become more engrossed in equity in the workplace. “I think it’s important to make sure that you are sharing space with people who look and think differently than you,” she says.

As the work continues, she’s noticed a need to also surround herself with people who do share some of the same experiences. “And I am needing that and craving that more than I ever have.” 

Which brings us to I AM. 

I AM, choreographed by Washington for RDT’s 2023 season, is the spiritual sequel to Say Their Names, parts I-II. In discussions with RDT Executive Director Linda Smith and Development Director Nicholas Cendese, Washington wanted broaden the idea of Say Their Names. “And this idea of sharing who I am and my experience as a black woman in the state of Utah.” 

In I AM, Washington creates sections that invoke a spectrum of her experiences. The section photographed for Salt Lake magazine channels “a number of ways of loss, not just death, but loss of relationship, loss of community, loss in any way you can think of it,” she says.  “Another section will play with this idea of religion.” Washington was raised Mormon in Georgia, but the section in I AM references multiple Christian faiths and nondenominational beliefs. 

The section also plays with religious stereotypes, an aspect Washington collaborated on with the dancers, who shared some of their personal experiences. “I could not ask for a more exquisitely beautiful group, as dancers and human beings, to work with. I feel like the story that we are creating together is going to be that much more palatable and beautiful and tangible for the audience,” Washington says. 

Washington admits, “Modern dance is weird. As a modern dancer and somebody who got her degree in modern dance, I can say, it’s weird stuff.” 

Weird, yes, but not inaccessible. “We’ve got to build a community, so why don’t we create stuff for the audience that they can relate to? And for me, that is through storytelling—talking about you through dance.”

Sep 18
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Beltex Meats: The Art of Whole Hog Butchery

By Eat & Drink

Photo Cali Warner

“Charcuterie was my gateway drug” is a sentence I never expected to hear. But in the case of owner and head butcher Philip Grubisa, cured meats led him to learn the intricacies of butchery and to the eventual launch of Beltex Meats. Nine years and multiple awards later, this neighborhood butcher shop offers a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look into whole animal butchery and why it is essential. After taking a break due to the pandemic, Beltex is again offering intimate full-hog breakdown classes. So, of course, I signed up.

“I’m always shocked that people want to show up at a class like this,” says Philip. “I love what I do. But I don’t think it’s some glorified thing. I’m always surprised people not only want to come to class but also that they show up with enthusiasm and energy. We might have an engineer or an architect come. People from all walks of life want to learn about butchery.”

A Slice of Education Mixed With Hands-On Butchery

Classes are small and intimate—no more than ten people, plus Phillip and a couple of other butchers there to support the hands-on portion of the class. Things kicked off with one of the Beltex signature charcuterie boards, and now I firmly believe that all things educational should start with something to snack on. 

In the center of the room, laid out on the table, is half a hog, complete with the head. “We do that on purpose,” Phillip says. “It is part of educating people and showing respect for the animal. We aren’t hiding that this is an animal that was alive once. People are far removed from that most of the time. They go to the grocery store, see meat in packages and don’t acknowledge where it comes from.”

Photo Cali Warner

Initially, we all gave the center table and the main attraction a wide berth, forming a giant horseshoe around the butcher block. Which is pretty typical, apparently. “Everyone stands far away at first. Maybe they are nervous or haven’t seen something like this before,” says Phillip. “Then, as you talk to the class, you make it relatable. I might say,’ You like pork chops, right? You love bacon, don’t you?’ This is where that cut comes from. And people move a little closer. As the night goes on, as I’m cutting and explaining, interest is growing, and everyone moves in and encircles the hog, which is a good sign. And, by the end, they get hands-on. And people will pick up the saw and feel what it is like.”  

Phillip stands behind the table to provide background and education about the decreasing art of whole-animal butchery. He starts talking about the pig itself, pointing out musculature and where different cuts of meat come from. Next, he talks about the lack of waste they produce at Beltex Meats—using everything from the fat, trim, organ meats and even the bones. 

Heritage & pastured meat is seasonal 

The most challenging thing to educate customers about? The seasonality and limitations of whole animal butchery. “We live in Utah. We have a high desert climate, and we get snow that will coat the ground and our grasses for months,” Phillip says. “So pastured animals aren’t necessarily eating green grass all year. If you want a great local heirloom tomato from your farmer, you won’t get it until the end of August. We have to think of pastured grass and ruminant-eating animals as having a season. They should be thought of equally as we do an heirloom tomato.”

Another frequent question is, “Why don’t you have more…pork chops/chicken today? A picnic butt or that sausage I liked?” Phillip explains, “What is in our case changes daily because we’re butchering every day. We get pork, beef, chicken, lamb, butcher it, and then start selling it all. We save the trim, and on Thursday, we make sausages. But we are a 900-square-foot neighborhood butcher shop. Once we are out, we are out. There are only so many pork chops on a pig. And when you are committed to getting in whole animals, it limits what you sell.” Sometimes people compare the experience to a full-sized grocery store, where pork chops or “pasture-raised” chickens are endlessly available and can be ordered from a large-scale production facility en masse without worrying about everything else that comes attached to the birds or the chops. “We only get local pastured chickens from June to the beginning of October. That’s it.”

Photos Cali Warner

A use for everything 

Phillip shows us the types of fat on a pig and describes how they are used for different things in different culinary traditions. For example, the soft fat is found around the belly. It’s much softer and renders at a lower temper. It isn’t great for high-heat cooking, but it can be used in pastry dough—like the dough for the Jamaican hand pies they make in the shop. The hard fat is found along the back of the animal. Hard fat finds a home in the salami they make at Beltex Meats. Fat is needed that can hold up to the lengthy drying and fermenting process without rendering. Then there is the leaf lard found around the kidneys and loin, which gets rendered for cooking fat. Every bit is used. 

Getting hands-on

Part of the class is an anatomy lesson; the other is very practical—a study in using knives. Phillip starts with key cuts—taking the hog from a hefty 110 pounds to more manageable pieces. He showed us how to find the joints and the spaces between the ribs. There was a saw involved at one point. Everything was done with complete respect for the animal. “When people walk into class, we have the head up front. I do that on purpose,” he explains. “I think it is something people should see. This isn’t just meat. It had a face. Let’s show it a little respect.”

Photo Cali Warner

And then we are told to step up, glove up, and get ready to help. Everyone is a little slow to the table and a little cautious with the knife. Here’s the thing, you can’t be cautious or timid when it comes to butchery. The things I didn’t think about or realize before were practical details. The biggest surprise is that butchery is a workout. It isn’t easy. You are handling 100+ pounds of *ahem* dead weight. There is lifting involved. A pork leg alone weighs around 32 pounds. The head is surprisingly heavy. 

When it comes to cutting, knives dull fast. Phillip tells us that there was no point in getting expensive knives for butchery—they lose their shape and break no matter what as they constantly run into bone. We had to take breaks to hone our knives (and rest our hands, which got sore).  Another surprise was that a bow saw is used for cutting through bone and between joints. It doesn’t take as long as I would have assumed.

Phillip and two other butchers, Steven and Ian from the Beltex team, are there to supervise us. They dole out assignments, showing us how to remove the skin in sheets, work around hip sockets, follow the natural shape of the muscle, and trim silverskin. The extra bits go into a bin for sausage. Cleaned bones are set aside to make bone broth. The skin will get rendered and then fried into chicharrones. After a few minutes, everyone is busy, and all the timidness is gone. But it is still hard. Physically hard. We are probably butchering things (in the other sense of the word), but the Beltex crew is encouraging and generous in answering questions. We are proud of ourselves. Mission accomplished. 

At the night’s end, we walked away with several pounds of meat, a story to tell, and, more than anything, an appreciation for the care and craft that goes into the meat case at Beltex. 

Beltex Meats offers their 3.5-hour whole hog butchery classes several times a year. The cost is $160 and includes food, instruction and pork to take home. Check beltexmeats.com and Instagram @beltexmeats for information on when the classes will be offered. 

Sep 15
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Utah Dance: A Preview of Fall 2023

By Arts & Culture

One of the most readily made arguments in Utah is the economic one. The pandemic took its toll, of course, but the industry began to recover in 2021. The Utah arts and culture sector represented an $8.1 billion industry in 2021, 3.6% of the state’s GDP and 65,696 jobs (according to Americans For the Arts Action Fund). But the arts in Utah represent more than just the economic contributions. A report by the Utah Culture Alliance (UCA) shows the arts are in Utah’s DNA. We attend more live cultural events and create more art than any other state. And art improves lives. There are benefits to experiencing a multitude of perspectives through participation in the arts. Performing arts, at their core, are ways to tell our stories. Sharing our stories allows us to connect and be understood and, in turn, understand others.

We could all probably use a little more understanding, connection and empathy in our lives. Plus, it’s fun! Get out there, take in a concert and enjoy a dance performance Utah!

Ballet West

Venues: Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre— Salt Lake City
Ballets: Dracula, Firebird and The Nutcracker
Tickets: balletwest.org

Ballet West is kicking off its 60th season with a ballet that is becoming a Utah favorite. Dracula (Oct. 20–28), with a musical score by Franz Liszt, is mysterious, spooky and dramatic, and—oh yeah—it features flying vampires and pyrotechnics. Ballet West follows that with magic, creativity and bombastic pomp. The program includes Firebird (Nov. 3–11), an original piece choreographed by Ballet West’s founder Willam Christensen and set to the sweeping score by Igor Stravinsky, along with a ballet set to John Philip Souza’s Stars & Stripes and the world premiere of Fever Dream, a dream-like ballet by long-term company artist Joshua Whitehead.

Ballet West is home to America’s first and longest-running version of The Nutcracker (Dec. 8–27), produced by its founder Willam. Photo courtesy Ballet West

Repertory Dance Theatre

Venues: Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center—Salt Lake City
Concerts: I AM and VENTURE
Tickets: rdtutah.org

Celebrating 58 years of revolutionary modern dance, Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT) presents a season with the theme of “community.” This season, RDT acknowledges diverse voices and applauds the common attributes humanity shares while respecting our differences. RDT’s season concerts at the Rose Wagner begin with I AM (Oct. 5-7) by local choreographer Natosha Washington. The premiere of a new 75-minute evening of dance expands upon Washington’s work in Say Their Names, part I (2018), which explores racial divides and human connectivity. Washington’s new iteration promises to deliver an evening of personal storytelling and inspiration through the interplay of her choreography, RDT dancers and guest performers from the Salt Lake community.

Repertory
Dance Theatre. Photo credit Sharon Kain

VENTURE (Nov. 16–18) is the result of RDT’s commissioning three artists who were part of its past REGALIA choreographic competition events: Rachel Barker (Regalia 2020 competitor), Shane Urton (Regalia 2022 competitor) and Ruger Memmott (Regalia 2023 winner). Additional premieres include a new work by internationally acclaimed Katarzyna Skarpetowska. Special guest performers from RDT’s Prime Performance Workshop will present choreography developed by Meghan Durham Wall, who explores movement and the aging body.

Ririe Woodbury Dance Company Nikolais’ Liturgies and Tensile Involvement. Photo credit Fred Hayes

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company

Venues: The Jeanne Wagner Theater at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center— Salt Lake City
Performances: Groundworks
Season Tickets: ririewoodbury.com 
Individual Tickets: saltlakecountyarts.org 

Groundworks (Sept. 21-23) launches the Company’s 60th Anniversary performing season. The special performance celebrates the Company’s co-founders, Shirley Ririe and Joan Woodbury, in a retrospective tribute. The program also celebrates Alwin Nikolais, whose groundbreaking choreography played a pivotal role in the formation of Ririe-Woodbury. Guest dancers from BYU’s dance department will join the Company dancers for Nikolais’ Liturgies and Tensile Involvement. Additionally, Artistic Director Daniel Charon will restage his elegant, On Being (2021), which highlights the beauty of the Company dancers. The performances boast dynamic visuals that explore multimedia dances created over many eras of dance-making.  

We have even more fall arts previews for the Utah Opera and Symphony, here!

Sep 15
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Review: Caitlyn Smith The Great Pretender Tour with Brandon Ratcliff

By Arts & Culture, Music

Caitlyn Smith has a fascinating story to tell. On Saturday night, she invited us along on her journey from a small town in Minnesota to Nashville’s Music Row. With dreams of becoming a performer, she soon found the doors to the recording industry fortress were locked. She eventually settled for “Plan B,” as she called it, to write songs for other artists.  

Smith opened with “High,” a song she wrote with (and for) Miley Cyrus who recorded it in 2020. She took us back to 2013 and a late-night writing session with her (now) husband that yielded “Wasting All These Tears,” a platinum-selling hit for Cassadee Pope. Smith then played another hit, “Like I’m Gonna Lose You,” a song Megan Trainor and John Legend turned into a Billboard #1 chart-topper.

Smith, in the third trimester of her pregnancy, played with great passion as she moved from keyboards to acoustic guitar, dazzling us with her catalog of remarkable music. She told us that despite her Plan B success as a songwriter, she still longed to perform her own songs. After another run at the Nashville record labels, she finally received her first “yes” with her appropriately titled song “This Town Is Killing Me.” After several years of grinding it out, she finally landed a recording contract. 

Caitlyn Smith. Photo by John Nelson

Smith has since recorded three full-length albums. Her latest record, High & Low, earned her an Academy of Country Music (ACM) award nomination for New Female Artist of the Year. An odd category, considering her decade of success in country music. 

With a limitless vocal range and an arsenal of beautiful genre-fluid songs, she played us a nice selection from her impressive catalog. She soulfully crooned “Before You Called Me Baby,” the first track from her 2018 debut album Starfire. She played “Mississippi,” a song from her new album that features superstar Garth Brooks on backing vocals. For Saturday night’s version, opener Brandon Ratcliff served as a fine stand-in for Brooks. Smith covered Brooks’ “Tacoma,” except Smith actually wrote it, so technically she covered herself. I really liked the country-pop gem, “I Can’t,” from her 2020 release Supernova and her 2023 single “Lately,” a catchy and relatable tune about missing family and friends during the pandemic.  

Near the end of her set, she performed a medley of Carole King’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” in homage to artists who inspire her. She covered both songs so well, I wished it wasn’t a medley. Finally, she stepped down to the floor to serenade her new (and old) fans with “Contact High.”

What an amazing night communing with an incredibly talented artist who connected with her audience in a very personal way. I was lucky, along with a few other fans, to meet and listen to her play two tunes from her new album before the show. These kinds of magical nights don’t happen often, but when they do, it’s usually at The State Room.

Brandon Ratcliff opened the evening with the aptly titled “Family Business.” He’s a rising Nashville artist with his own story to tell. Born into the American roots music tradition, his mother, aunt, uncles, and grandfather were members of the Grammy-winning bluegrass band, The Cox Family. He often toured with the family band as a child, but always ended up back home in rural Louisiana. His 2023 album, Tale of Two Towns, catalogs his personal journey from a small town to the Nashville Metropolis. He played us an acoustic version of some of the record’s highlights, including the title track, “Grow Apart,” and “Where I’m Coming From.”  He played 10 songs in all and even tossed in a fun rendition of Michael Jackson’s “The Way You Make Me feel.” He ended his fine set with “Always Moving On.” Ratcliff is an artist on the move, and it was a pleasure seeing him at this early stage in his career.

Who: Caitlyn Smith w/ Brandon Ratcliff

What: The Great Pretender Tour

Where: The State Room

When: Saturday, September 9, 2023

Info: thestateroompresents.com

Sep 14
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September and October Events in Utah

By Community

The Wasatch Range is about to shed its summer foliage in favor of a brilliant sunset hue, fall is here! Finally, we can enjoy the outdoors mid-afternoon and make the best of the fleeting season. To help you do so, we’ve compiled a list of events occurring this September and October in Utah. Happy fall y’all. 

September 

Astronomy Festival 
Sept. 15 – 17 
Hovenweep National Monument 

Hovenweep National Monument in southestern Utah is celebrating 100 years of its monument status this year! The International Dark Sky Park is hosting a special celebration featuring astronomy programs and events. 

9th and 9th Street Festival 
Sept. 16
Liberty Park 

Due to road construction in the 9th and 9th neighborhood, this year’s street festival will be held at Liberty Park. Enjoy kid-friendly activities, music, food, art and vendors at the one-day event starting at 10 a.m.

Utah State Fair 
Sept. 8 – 17
Utah State Fairpark 

The theme for this year’s State Fair  is Dream Makers. Inspired by the thousands of individuals who dream of taking home a blue ribbon for their handmade art, homegrown agricultural products and animals. 

Fan X Salt Lake
Sept. 21 – 23rd 
Salt Palace Convention Center 

The pop culture and comic convention returns to Salt Lake, and is expected to draw another hundred thousand visitors over three days. Find more information on booths, panels and experiences at their site. 

Oktoberfest 
Now through Oct. 15
Snowbird 

Oktoberfest features activities, live music, vendors, traditional Bavarian fare and of course over 50 varieties of beer. Enjoy the fresh mountain air with a brew in hand, what could be better? 

Festa Italiana 
Sept. 16 – 17 
The Gateway 

Hosted at the Gateway Plaza, the Festa Italiana offers a taste of authentic Italian cuisine and culture. Festival highlights include arts & crafts booths, historical displays, street performers, live Italian entertainment and food. 

Taste of Montage in Deer Valley 
Sept. 20
Montage Deer Valley 

Enjoy an evening of dining, live music and gallery pop ups overlooking the surrounding peaks of Deer Valley. 

Psychic Fair
Sept. 20 
Golden Braid Books 

Experience individual readings from a gifted psychic, shop metaphysical goods and mingle with the community. 

Gem Faire
Sept. 22 – 24 
Mountain America Exposition Center 

Browse hundreds of unique and rare gems at the traveling Gem Faire. Wire wrapping classes, jewelry repair and sizing are also available. 

Sugar High Sweet Expo 
Sept. 23
Mountain America Exposition Center 

Over 60 Utah dessert and sweet shops come together for this once a year expo. Discover fabulous bakers and talented decorators while you browse their interactive dessert displays. 

Flights n/ Bites at the Leo: Harvest 
Sept. 28
The Leonardo 

Guided by Wine Academy of Utah sommeliers, guests sip wine alongside goat cheese, grilled fish and other seasonal dishes. 

Zion Canyon Music Festival 
Sept. 29 – 30 
O.C. Tanner Amphitheater

The 13th annual Zion Canyon music festival features two stages, a vendor village and plenty of beer and wine. Musical performaners include The Brothers Comatose, Groove Session, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band and more. 

Cornbelly’s at Spanish Fork 
September and October 

Cornbelly’s September Sunflower Fest features over a million blooming sunflowers and plenty of family-friendly activities. Once the sunflower season ends, visit in October for a pumpkin patch, illuminated sculptures, hay rides and more. 

October 

EMCO paranormal Con 
Oct. 13 – 14 
Museum of San Rafael

The 3rd annual Paranormal Con is back hosted by the Museum of San Rafael. The family-friendly convention has yet to announce its full lineup. 

Annular Eclipse Viewing 
Oct. 14 
Various Venues

On October 14th, a ‘ring-of-fire eclipse’ will sweep across North America. Many of Utah’s National Parks are expecting a wave of astronomy enthusiasts. Learn more of what to expect, and the full eclipse zone here.  

Fall on the Farm
Oct. 12, 13 – 14 
American West Heritage Center 

The American West Heritage Center transforms into Fall on the Farm starting Sept. 22. Visit Fridays and Saturdays in October for haunted hollow. The Fall Harvest festival occurs Oct. 13 and 14, and Barnyard Boo will take place on Oct. 12. 

Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point 
Oct. 16 – 21st 
Thanksgiving Point’s Ashton Gardens 

The 50-acre gardens will be adorned with imaginative scarecrows built and submitted by the community. Visit on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday for additional activities, vendors and food. 

BOOTanical Fall Festival 
Oct. 18 – 30 
Red Butte Garden 

Red Butte Garden transforms in October into a fantastical Halloween world. This year’s theme is Oaklore Academy, an enchanting school of magic that welcomes visitors to attend classes in potions, spells, cryptozoology and more. Various Bootanical activities will be hosted throughout the week. 

Strut Your Mutt 
Oct. 21 
Liberty Park 

Support Best Friends Animal Society and raise funds for animals in need at the Strut Your Mutt in Salt Lake. Dress up your pup for added Halloween fun!  

There’s plenty more beer and wine festivals happening this fall, discover them here!

Sep 14
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Review: Los Amigos Invisibles Cool Love Tour w/ Senxao

By Arts & Culture, Music

My Spanish is limited to ordering a beer and asking directions to the bathroom. So, lucky for me, the Venezuelan dance band, Los Amigos Invisibles, demonstrated that good vibes are universal, and a funky dance beat requires no translation. My favorite band growing up as a kid was the Rolling Stones, and honestly I had no idea what Mick Jagger was singing about half the time with his thick British brogue. But, I loved the music anyway (probably a good thing I didn’t comprehend most of the lyrics.)  

The show started late, but it was worth the wait. Senxao, a local six-piece Latin party band, consisting of a lead singer, guitar, bass, keyboard, drum and bongo, kicked it off with a lively set of about a dozen songs, mostly covers of Latin favorites from across the region. 

Senxao Photo Credit Alban Jeset

Special thanks to Rodolfo, a Venezuelan now living in Roy, for putting the music into context for me. Most opening acts don’t get the crowd’s undivided attention, but Senxao’s charismatic lead singer had the mostly Spanish-speaking patrons beaming. They played songs popular among Millenials from Cuba, Venezuela, and Mexico. The crowd joyously danced and sang along.

Los Amigos Invisibles opened their expansive, 21-song set with “Amor,” a crowd pleaser with some English lyrics, and a funky retro disco beat tailor made for the roller rink. The next song “Yo No Sé” continued the disco beat, but with a more bossa nova flair. What I enjoyed the most about the music is that it constantly changed. Unlike some club music with a monotonous beat, Los Amigos Invisibles moved the groove from Jazzy funk to disco while retaining the Latin and Caribbean styles. 

They played a few teaser tracks where they hit the first few bars of Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” then moved on to “Tuyonama.” For me, the connection between the two was lost in translation. On the next song, they played the keyboard intro to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” then played “Vivire Para Ti.” I think they were just messing with me. They played a portion of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” with a momentary riff of “Billie Jean” before settling on the catchy singalong “Cuchi-Cuchi.” Even I could join in for that one, mostly.

Photo credit Alban jeset

Not lost in translation was “Disco Anal,” I’m sure that’s a risque title in Spanish too. Musically, the song has a cool throwback sound that would be perfect as the theme song for the Spanish version of the ‘70s TV show The Love Boat. The crowd enjoyed the retro vibe too. I thought the naughty lyrics continued with “La Vecina,” maybe it was the funky soul sound, but the title actually means “the neighbor.” The crowd loved it and the phones came out, so maybe that neighbor was a bit naughty.  

The band entered the homestretch and rocked the house with their fan favorites “Mentiras” and “La Que Me Gusta,” the latter echoing an ‘80s Hall and Oates feel (think “Maneater”).

What a fun night and a great vibe. I’m glad the Commonwealth Room brought in two terrific Spanish-language party bands for the whole community to enjoy. I got to dust-off my dancing boots while also expanding my definition of Americana.

Who: Los Amigos Invisibles w/ Senxao

What: Cool Love Tour

Where: The Commonwealth Room

When: Thursday, September 7, 2023

Info: www.thestateroompresents.com

Sep 13
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Utah Opera and Utah Symphony: 2023 Fall Preview

By Arts & Culture

There are many ways we can argue that the arts matter and why we should support them. 

One of the most readily made arguments in Utah is the economic one. The pandemic took its toll, of course, but the industry began to recover in 2021. The Utah arts and culture sector represented an $8.1 billion industry in 2021, 3.6% of the state’s GDP and 65,696 jobs (according to Americans For the Arts Action Fund). But the arts in Utah represent more than just the economic contributions. A report by the Utah Culture Alliance (UCA) shows the arts are in Utah’s DNA. We attend more live cultural events and create more art than any other state. And art improves lives. There are benefits to experiencing a multitude of perspectives through participation in the arts. Performing arts, at their core, are ways to tell our stories. Sharing our stories allows us to connect and be understood and, in turn, understand others. We could all probably use a little more understanding, connection and empathy in our lives. Plus, it’s fun! Get out there, take in a concert and see an opera show or a symphony in Utah!

The Little Prince
from Utah Opera. Photo courtesy Utah Opera

Utah Opera

Venue: Janet Quinney Lawson Capitol Theatre—Salt Lake City
Operas: Puccini’s La Bohème, Rachel Portman and Nicholas Wright’s The Little Prince and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro 
Tickets: utahopera.org

With some of opera’s best-known music, Puccini’s La Bohème (Oct. 7–15) tells the story of four struggling bohemians living together in Paris whose lives are changed forever one freezing night. Later in the season, audiences will have a chance to enjoy the delightful characters from the beloved children’s storybook The Little Prince (Jan. 20–28) on the opera stage and laugh alongside the hilarious antics in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (March 9–17).

For those who can’t get enough opera, the opera hosts talks one hour before each performance, with Utah Opera Principal Coach Carol Anderson, to learn more about the production, and, following each performance, audience members can join Utah Opera’s Artistic Director to discuss the production in the Capitol Room.

Behind the Scenes at Utah Opera

The Utah Opera’s costume department is celebrated for a reason. Many operas require the team to design and construct individual and sometimes elaborate costumes from scratch. For instance, last season’s production of Donizetti’s The Daughter of the Regiment required 46 brand-new costumes to be fully built by Utah Opera’s costume department. Costume Designer Linda Pisano—alongside the talented artisans of the costume department—brought their vision to life from nearly 300 pages of detailed research and drawings. Before the actual design work can even begin, the designer has to be extremely well informed about the production—taking into consideration the time period and the opera director’s vision. The designer then creates artistic renderings of the costumes to provide an overall vision to the looks. Once renderings are approved, the designer creates incredibly detailed technical drawings of each piece. Once these drawings are finalized, the costume department then creates mock-ups from low-quality fabric, making adjustments and eventually turning the mock-ups into patterns. Then, it’s time for final cuts (out of the expensive fabric this time) and stitching together—both by machine and by hand—the finished costumes.

Utah Opera Costumes

Costume Designer Linda Pis

Utah Symphony

Venues: Abravanel Hall—Salt Lake City; Noorda Center for the Performing Arts—Utah Valley University, Orem
Programs: Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, Celebración Sinfónica, Beethoven’s Grand “Emperor” Piano Concerto, Itzhak Perlman, Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, Beethoven’s Ninth, Audra McDonald, Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Appalachian Spring. (Check the Utah Symphony schedule online for more even more programming and special events.) 
Tickets: usuo.org

The Utah Symphony presents “A Season of Storytelling” for the 2023-24 season. This new season introduces the audience to a wide range of stories and characters and their captivating musical tales through the raw storytelling power of a live symphony orchestra. The season’s narrative begins with Antonín Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony (Sept. 15–16), inspired by the storytelling of Native American and African American music, in a program with Utah native Aubree Oliverson as soloist in Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. 
On the schedule are expert storytellers like Itzhak Perlman (Oct. 14), the reigning violin virtuoso performing the iconic musical scores of John Williams, and Broadway performer and star of HBO’s The Gilded Age Audra McDonald (Nov. 10–11). The symphony has also invited 15 renowned conductors to bring their visions to the Masterworks programs for this season, including Creative Partner David Robertson. Robertson has crafted three distinct and imaginative concert experiences designed to excite existing audiences and attract newcomers. His first program will deepen audiences’ understanding of Beethoven’s Ninth (Nov. 3–4), paired with the semi-staged final act of Berg’s opera, Wozzeck, based on the true and brutal story of a tragic contemporary of Beethoven.

This season, Utah Symphony introduces the series “Masterworks Magnified.” For three “Masterworks” performances, audiences will enjoy added elements such as video projections and special lighting, conversations with the performers and lobby activities on theme with the concert. The first is Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, in a program with Franz Liszt’s eerie Totentanz, performed by audience-favorite pianist Joyce Yang, and Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre—a bone-rattling finale sure to summon spirits for Halloween (Oct. 20–21). 

Utah Symphony. Photo courtesy of Utah Symphony

Encore!

Utah Symphony’s “Films in Concert” series has the symphony orchestra playing live the score of a film as the movie plays on the big screen for the audience. It’s a fun and accessible way to enjoy the Utah Symphony through the music of well-loved films. The 2023-2024 Films in Concert series includes Marvel Studios’ Black Panther In Concert, Sept. 8–9; Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2 In Concert, Oct. 26-28; Disney’s Frozen In Concert, Dec. 21-23; Casablanca, Feb. 9-10, 2024.

We have even more 2023 Fall Arts previews, like theater, here!

Sep 13
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Brava! Encore! A Preview of Salt Lake’s Fall 2023 Theatre Season

By Arts & Culture

There are many ways we can argue that the arts matter and why we should support them. 

As an aside, there are as many as 1,000 arts, culture and humanities nonprofits in Utah. Of those, around 300 of them are performing arts organizations (according to data aggregated by CauseIQ). So, no, this performing arts fall season preview is by no means definitive or exhaustive. While we focus on the seasons of some of Utah’s top professional performing arts organizations, we encourage people to not overlook the seasons produced by your local city and county arts councils, especially if you’d like to get more involved in your community through the performing arts. With that, as they say—on with the show!

Nazlah Black (left) as Sandra and Melinda Parrett as Annie in the Utah Shakespeare Festival’s 2023 production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Photo courtesy Karl Hugh

One of the most readily made arguments in Utah is the economic one. The pandemic took its toll, of course, but the industry began to recover in 2021. The Utah arts and culture sector represented an $8.1 billion industry in 2021, 3.6% of the state’s GDP and 65,696 jobs (according to Americans For the Arts Action Fund). But the arts in Utah represent more than just the economic contributions. A report by the Utah Culture Alliance (UCA) shows the arts are in Utah’s DNA. We attend more live cultural events and create more art than any other state. And art improves lives. There are benefits to experiencing a multitude of perspectives through participation in the arts. Performing arts, at their core, are ways to tell our stories. Sharing our stories allows us to connect and be understood and, in turn, understand others. We could all probably use a little more understanding, connection and empathy in our lives. Plus, it’s fun! Get out there, take in a concert and see a show at a Salt Lake theater!

Utah Shakespeare Festival

Venues: Randall L. Jones Theatre and Anes Studio Theatre—Southern Utah University, Cedar City 
Plays: Emma The Musical, The Play That Goes Wrong, Timon of Athens and Coriolanus 
Tickets: bard.org

The Utah Shakespeare Festival is celebrating its 62nd year. Three of them will close by September 9, but the other four will be playing through October 7. The charming musical Jane Asten’s Emma The Musical, and the hilarious The Play That Goes Wrong—both in the Randall L. Jones Theatre—as well as two of Shakespeare’s lesser-known plays—Timon of Athens and Coriolanus in the Eileen and Allen Anes Studio Theatre—run through October 7, 2023. For more information, please visit bard.org.

Timon of Athens and Coriolanus are of particular interest because they are rarely done. The last time the festival did Timon of Athens was 30 years ago and that’s the only time they have ever done it…until now. Coriolanus is another rarely-produced Shakespeare play. These two shows are both directed by Lisa Peterson, whose show Good Night, Oscar on Broadway features Sean Hayes who just won a Tony Award for his performance.

Salt Lake Theater
Can I Say Yes to That Dress? Photo courtesy SLAC

Salt Lake Acting Company

Venue: Chapel Theater—Salt Lake City
Plays: Can I Say Yes to That Dress?
Tickets: saltlakeactingcompany.org

Salt Lake Acting Company’s (SLAC) mission is to engage and enrich the community through brave, contemporary theater. Their 2023-2024 season is full of regional premieres and brand-new productions that audiences won’t find anywhere else.  The season kicks off with the world premiere of Can I Say Yes to That Dress? (Sept. 27–Oct. 29) by Sarah Shippobotham, which was workshopped in SLAC’s 2022-23 New Play Sounding Series. The play centers around a single middle-aged woman, stuck in a wedding dress changing room, questioning her life choices. 

Pioneer Theatre Company

Venue: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre—University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Plays: Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, The Rocky Horror Show
Tickets: pioneertheatre.org

The Pioneer Theatre Company (PTC) has two really great offerings this fall. Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is a recent adaptation by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor) that was commissioned directly by the Agatha Christie Estate. The show runs September 22—October 7, 2023. 
For fans and newcomers alike to the cult classic, attending The Rocky Horror Show is a singular experience. PTC has previously presented The Rocky Horror Show in concert format, but this year—in honor of the cult glam rock musical’s 50th anniversary—PTC is giving it a fully-staged production. This show has a shorter run around Halloween, October 20—31, 2023. 

Salt Lake Theater
PTC’s Caroline Innerbichler, Tony Nominee Kevin Cahoon, and Andrew Durand. Photo courtesy BW Productions

Encore!

This season is Pioneer Theatre’s 62nd, and the overarching theme for the season is “Journey.” The Salt Lake theater is inviting audiences on seven unique journeys while celebrating some of their own recent journeys. The company saw Shucked, which had its world premiere at PTC last fall, become a beloved 9-time Tony-nominated Broadway hit. Just days after the run concluded at PTC, the official Broadway run was announced for spring 2023. According to PTC, this marks the first time ever that a Utah-based theater served as an out-of-town tryout for a Broadway musical.
Now, the upcoming journey (literally) will see PTC expanding into a new space! Next spring, they will inaugurate a new, secondary theater space—the Meldrum Theatre in the historic Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse—with the Utah premiere of the Tony-winning The Lehman Trilogy. A mere 400 feet from Simmons PMT, the new modern 380-seat venue will serve as a mid-size theater for contemporary pieces and new plays that benefit from a smaller, more intimate space. 

Tuacahn Center for The Arts

Venue: Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre—Ivins
Plays: Tarzan, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Hunchback of Notre Dame 
Tickets: tuacahn.org

High above the Tuacahn stage, the bells of Notre Dame resound as if through the famed cathedral in 15th-century Paris. The Hunchback of Notre Dame showcases the Disney film’s beloved score as well as additional songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The Hunchback of Notre Dame runs through October 20. The modern musical remake of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is making its regional premiere at Tuacahn. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory runs through October 19. Tuacahn promises a spectacle of set production and special effects with their performance of Tarzan. The musical features the heart-pounding score by Phil Collins. Tarzan runs through October 21.

Salt Lake Theater
Jonathan Wagner as Willy Wonka and the 2023 cast of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Encore!

Not just a unique venue for stage plays, Tuacahn Outdoor Amphitheatre hosts regular concerts under the stars. The Southern Utah locale allows for outdoor concerts into late fall when it is too chilly for outdoor venues in the Wasatch Front. Here’s a look at Tuacahn’s 2023 Fall Concert Season:
Siva Pasefika—Oct. 25 / Night Ranger—Oct. 26
STYX—Nov. 2–3 / Andy Grammer—Nov. 4
The Jets—Nov. 9 / Josh Turner—Nov. 10
Hotel California—Nov. 11 / GENTRI—Nov. 16–17
A Carpenters Christmas—Nov. 18

Sep 12
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Salt Lake Magazine’s September/October Social Pages

By Community

Promontory Club Summer Beach Club Re-Opening

June 22, 2023

Promontory Club, Park City’s most luxurious private club community, has completed a two-million-dollar renovation on its Beach Club this summer. Members gathering at a Grand Re-Opening celebration on June 22 loved the new upgrades and offerings of one of Promontory’s most popular and unique summer amenities.


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  1. Janice Thoman and Bobbi Williams    

  2. Katharine Lauer, Janice Thoman, Tori Trombley Williams, Kristin Bryson    

  3. Sol Gasparik and BJ Christianson    

  4. Deborah Edelstein, Natalie Greenwald, Bruce Greenwald, Philip Edelstein    

  5. DJ Dolph   

  6. Rendering of The Hills Clubhouse

Relative Space Premiere

June 22, 2023

Relative Space debuted to a full house and standing ovation at Liahona Theater for the Community in Pleasant Grove on June 22, 2023. The audience included notable Tony, Grammy, and Emmy award winners who traveled to Utah to get a first look at the rock musical developed by top-tier Utah theater talent. The show will now embark on the process to get on Broadway with industry readings this fall in New York. Relative Space’s Lead Producer Van Dean is a Broadway veteran of Grammy and Tony award winning musicals and President of Broadway Records. Music is composed by 16-year-old Warner Music Group recording artist Kjersti Long who is a new Utah resident.


  1. The Relative Space team: Janine Sobeck Knighton (dramaturg), Melissa Leilani Larson (playwright), Joshua Long (co-director), Shelby Gist (co-director), Jeremy Long (producer) 

  2. Relative Space actress Liz Golden and playwright Melissa Leilani Larson   

  3. Salt Lake City-based influencers Carter Fish (@carterfish) and Morgan Rhodes (@morganclairerhodes)

  4. Warner Music Recording Artist Kjersti Long and Grammy Award-winning songwriter and vocal coach Wendy Parr    

  5. Courtney Dillmore and guests  

  6. Tony and Grammy Award-winning producer and Relative Space Lead Producer Van Dean

Visit Salt Lake Bestows Second Annual SALT Awards

June, 2023
Photos by Visit Salt Lake/ Sean Buckley

Hospitality employees provide vital support for Salt Lake County’s visitor economy and Visit Salt Lake recognized the stars from the industry


  1. Visit Salt Lake team: Tony Coppola, Director of Services and Events; Julie Rhoads, Vice President of Services and Events; Kaitlin Eskelson, President and CEO; Krista Parry, Chief Development Officer   

  2. Ted and Faith Scheffler (for Casey Bard’s award for Log Haven)   

  3. Clay Partain, Executive Director of Sports Salt Lake and Tyler Gosnell, Visit Salt Lake’s Chief Brand and Marketing Officer    

  4. Mary Crafts, Emcee, Former Board Chair and Legacy Board

Ogden Contemporary Arts Opening of Artist Eric J. Garcia’s Aim High

May 5, 2023
Photos courtesy of Venessa Castagnoll, OCA

The show opened with Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll and the unveiling of a community mural project at The Monarch in conjunction with the exhibition.


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