NIGHTMARE ON 13TH ZOMBIE PARTY, Friday-Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m., $20
I was an Air Force brat, and I moved all around the country growing up. And I can definitely say I’ve never run across a state with a bigger obsession with Halloween and haunted houses than Utah. When I was new to the state as a high school kid, I was introduced to the phenomena by friends who would pile us all into a car for a drive to various SLC scare spots. Little did I know that people kept right on going to haunted houses well past their days of using them as an excuse to get extra-close to a date. Nightmare on 13th, on the corner of 300 West and 1300 South, has been around for years, and they are opening for their Halloween season this weekend with a Zombie Party and the introduction of three new “nightmares” taking over the haunted house this year: NetherBeast, Cirque du Fear, and Zombie Apocalypse. From my past experience, expect evil clowns, familiar faces like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees, and other assorted silliness geared for maximum frights per minute. For this weekend’s Zombie Party, costumes are encourages, but I suppose that goes without saying.
DAVE ALVIN, THE STATE ROOM, Friday, 9 p.m., $20
Dave Alvin is one of America’s music treasures. Not only is he a dynamic songwriter and excellent guitar player; he is also a one-man encyclopedia of music history. I’ve had the chance to interview Alvin a few times, and there are few artists as engaging to talk to, about any number of topics. Whether you’re talking about his legendary roots-rock band The Blasters, his brief stint with X in the ’80s, or his long-running solo career, Alvin is always a worthy listen. A quote he has prominently displayed on his Web site says it all: “There are two types of folk music: quiet folk music and loud folk music. I play both.” His latest album, Eleven Eleven, is a fine example of just that.
- Dave Alvin headlines Friday night at The State Room.
LOVE, LOSS, AND WHAT I WORE, SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY, Thursday-Sept. 30, times vary, $30
This should be a treat. The Salt Lake Acting Company is teaming up with the Salt Lake City Junior League for a fundraiser in support of that organization’s “Women Helping Women” program, which helps women transitioning into the workforce from a variety of trying circumstances. The show Love, Loss, and What I Wore was co-written by Nora Ephron and her daughter Delia, and it tracks the stories of five women who reflect on their clothes and how their wardrobes were part of the important moments of their lives. Playing the five parts is a rotating cast of local lady luminaries, so depending on what night you head to SLAC, you might find a local newcaster, a politician, a DJ or a businesswoman taking part.
Brittany Restrepo, Janice Jenson, Jessie Marker, Colleen Baum, Brenda Van der Wiel, Josie Fife, Ellesse Hargreaves, Annette Wright, Lu Prickett and Penny Pendleton are some of the participants in the Love, Loss, and What I Wore fundraiser at Salt Lake Acting Company.
I made my way to the Utah State Fair Monday night for the first time in a few years, hoping to find some funky fare beyond the much-publicized fried Jell-O. While I didn’t run across anything particularly noteworthy–at least food-wise–I found myself once again enraptured by all the glorious weirdness that comes with the fair each fall.
Crusty-looking carnies? You bet! Games offering players NO chance of winning? They’ve got ’em. A circus-style freak show with genetic mutants? Oh yes.
And beer, glorious beer! I found myself briefly wondering why I can’t buy a beer at the Warped Tour that stops at the fairgrounds every summer, but I can for the family-filled state fair, but I didn’t wonder for long. Instead, I gladly paid my $7 for a large Bud Light (hey, I didn’t say it was GOOD beer), and made my way around to see what’s up in 2012.
Like the always groovy ferris wheel, offering a pretty stunning view of the sunset Monday night if you got there on time. I did not.
After throwing down that first beer, I went hunting for sustenance. While fried Jell-O wasn’t in the cards, I was happy to see local businesses I actually patronize involved with the fair, like Moochie’s and Siegfried’s deli. But who are we kidding? When I go to the Utah State Fair, I’m looking for one thing, and one thing only:
While the fair CAN be all about gastrointestinal experimentation and derring-do, it’s not ALL about food. There are games to be played, and fun to be had.
I’m not sure this guy doing a rectal exam on the mechanical bull has quite the right idea. But maybe he paid extra for the pleasure.
I don’t have children myself, but the next “game” I ran into seems like a brilliant idea. Kids love being inside a giant gerbil ball. Parents (I assume) love putting their kids inside giant gerbil balls. Talk about your win-win.
Of course, no trip to the fair can be over before visiting the freak show. It’s always a highlight for me, and while I won’t spoil what’s in store for those of you yet to visit the fair this year, I’ll say that they don’t call the giant frog “Big Dick” for nothing. A “menu” of this year’s attractions:
Saturday night’s Art Meets Fashion event at Red Butte Garden was, if memory serves, the first time I’ve ever watched a runway show.
You’re shocked, I know.
The event run by Heidi Gress and Anne Cummings of SLC firm (a)perture marketing is an effort to showcase local artists and fashion designers while raising money for a good local cause at the same time. This year’s version was a fundraiser for Red Butte Garden’s new water conservation garden, and included grub from local restaurants, one garden holding an art show called Metamorphosis, which featured several artists delving into the concept of creation and destruction, live music on the Red Butte amphitheater stage, and the aforementioned runway show.
Even though the temperature dropped dramatically once it got dark, as Red Butte is wont to do, the event was remarkably smooth, and an excellent place to see SLC’s fashion-forward community come together and show off their duds. And I’m not just talking about the designers showing their work; the attendees used the night to sport everything from tuxedos to t-shirts, and dresses both ornate and minimalist–as in minimal coverage, and I’m sure some of the women had to run for the car as it got cold a couple hours into the night.
A few observations from the perspective of a fashion neophyte (I was one of the guys in a t-shirt):
– The skinny jeans some of the male models were wearing wouldn’t cover ONE of my legs, even if you combined the material of the entire garment. Talk about painting on your pants.
-Grass makes for a tough walk in high heels. The runway show was actually done on the grass, over a trail of rose petals, and it made for a sweet space. But I was watching the women in high heels, and I saw some ankle twists that made me sore just by seeing them. Hope they had ice packs backstage.
– Bulleit bourbon=delicious. I already knew that, but somehow it tastes better outside, in a garden, watching hotties strut around.
-Chris Vanocur, local news dude, looks good in a suit. Again, already knew that. But he had some CRAZY shoes going–I should have taken a picture.
-The designers involved–Sophie St. Claire, Beckett & Robb, Heggy Gonzalez, Shelly Huynh and Nephi Garcia–gave me a new appreciation for their form of art. I’m not going to suddenly start popping my collar or trying to stuff myself into those skinny jeans, but kudos to all of them, along with the organizers. I’ve been to a lot of benefits in this town, for all manner of causes, and this one certainly stands out as one of the more unique nights out in Salt Lake City.
Now, a few photos of the affair:
The runway for Art Meets Fashion, during Nephi Garcia’s line.
Two of Shelly Huynh’s dresses, using real flowers and foliage.
Cocktail time!
Who knew SLC had a fashion media posse?
With the arrival of the Utah State Fair, you know fall is just around the corner. That’s just one of this week’s highlights. Check it out:
UTAH STATE FAIR, UTAH STATE FAIR PARK, Thursday-Sept. 16, $10 for adults/$7 for seniors over 62 & kids 6-12
One of my favorite things about Utah, and its been true since I first visited in the mid-80s, is the Utah State Fair. Granted, it’s not dramatically different than most state fairs, but I love discovering what new, unnatural use for deep-frying that some entrepreneurial soul has come up with (Oreos? Beer? Mac & Cheese?), and checking out the inarguably lame carnival games that I just KNOW I can beat, no matter what the odds. The rides have gotten better through the years, but quality of live musical acts has gone backwards. Not that long ago, I saw Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and Destiny’s Child at the Utah State Fair; this year, the biggest music offerings are Wilson Phillips and Blues Traveler. Yikes! Thankfully, the rodeo offers far more excitement than Sheena Easton or Lonestar. And, of course, there is always a fine selection of freak-show-quality livestock. See the six-legged cow! The world’s largest rat! Who knows what it will be this year? I just know that I’ll be there to find out.
THE UTAH SYMPHONY PERFORMS THE SONGS OF BILLY JOEL AND MORE WITH MICHAEL CAVANAUGH, ABRAVANEL HALL, Friday-Saturday, 8 p.m., $29-$59
At the risk of losing any credibility I might have as a music critic, I’ll cop to being a Billy Joel fan. Hey, show me a kid who grew up on Top 40 radio in the ’70s and ’80s who isn’t–at least as a guilty pleasure. And after seeing the Utah Symphony perform the songs of Michael Jackson at the Deer Valley Music Festival this summer, and the tunes of Queen last summer, I’m game for seeing them tackle the considerable catalog of the New York piano man. Singing the songs will be Michael Cavanaugh, a Tony-nominated vocal powerhouse who was personally selected by Joel to star on Broadway in Movin’ Out, the jukebox musical of Joel’s tunes from a few years back. Two sets of Joel classics, plus some songs by The Who and Elton John, should make this a pretty loose night at the symphony compared to most.
ART MEETS FASHION, RED BUTTE GARDEN, Saturday, 6 p.m., $35 students/$50 GA/$100 VIP
Looking for an excuse to glam it up and support a great cause at the same time? Here it is. The annual Art Meets Fashion show this year is a benefit for a new water conservation garden at Red Butte Garden, and the party takes over a piece of one of Salt Lake City’s most beautiful spots for a fashion show, art show and cocktail party Saturday night. Not only will you be privy to the latest looks coming from SLC’s own designers; you’ll also have the chance to peruse and buy artwork by 15 of Utah’s best contemporary artists while sipping drinks and noshing on bites from some of the city’s best restaurants. Not a bad little way to spend a Saturday night.
Art Meets Fashion is Saturday at Red Butte Garden.
OLD 97s/THOSE DARLINS/RHETT MILLER, THE URBAN LOUNGE, Saturday, 9 p.m., $20
I’ve always considered Old 97s more pretty than gritty, and pretty doesn’t really work quite as well in the realm of roots-rock. But after years of seeing the Dallas band deliver stellar live shows over and over again, I’ve come around on the band named after a Johnny Cash tune. Lead singer Rhett Miller is a damn fine songwriter–check out his solo albums if you can, as he’ll be doing some of that material at this show as well–and the whole band has a chemistry that can only come when a band has been playing together for a long time. Old 97s have almost 20 years together under their collective belt, and last year’s The Grand Theatre, Vol. 2 showcased a group that’s only getting better with age.
The Old 97s headline Saturday at The Urban Lounge.
Daniel Nailen 