The name Matthew Lillard might not be easily recognizable to most of you, although his film resume is a pretty impressive one. Through the years, he’s starred in movies like the original Scream as one of the killers, and more recently he was the man who George Clooney’s wife was cheating on him with in the Oscar-winning The Descendants.
For those of us of a certain age and certain indie sensibility, though, Lillard will always be best known as Stevo from SLC Punk. And the funny thing is, it turns out most of the world outside of Salt Lake City thinks of him that way, too.
“That movie more than any other I’ve ever done of the 50 I’ve made has really connected with kids all over the world,” Lillard said in an interview Friday. “Kids in Egypt have come up to me and told me how much that movie meant to them.”
Filmmaker Matthew Lillard on the set of Fat Kid Rules the World.
Lillard is coming back to Salt Lake City Saturday with the Vans Warped Tour to promote his directorial debut, Fat Kid Rules the World, an indie flick based on a novel by K.L. Going about a suicidal high schooler who is saved by an unlikely friendship and an introduction to punk rock at just the right time in his life. Fat Kid Rules the World premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. Rather than be inundated with distribution offers from Hollywood studios, though, Lillard found the offers lacking and decided to try and do something entirely different in terms of getting people to see the movie.
Part of that is barnstorming across the country with the punk-rock summer camp known as the Warped Tour, where Lillard will meet and greet the kids in person who are much like the kids populating the stunningly accurate garage-gig scenes in his movie.
“When we won the Audience Award, we kind of thought, ‘Here we go, Hollywood is going to get on board,’ but that didn’t happen,” Lillard said. “The Warped Tour goes out and plays to one million kids every summer, and this movie is for those kids, with a similar sensibility to SLC Punk.
The process of making Fat Kid Rules the World started for Lillard 10 years ago, when he provided the voice for the audio book. He was so struck by the story of a high school outcast finding punk-rock salvation that he immediately called his manager and began the process of acquiring the rights to the book to make a movie.
“I didn’t have a great high school experience, and junior high sucked,” Lillard said. “I found myself really relating to this kid in a very real way.”
It took nine years of struggling to finally get the ball rolling on making what Lillard now calls “the crowning glory of my entire professional career.” And while it was hard to get money to make the movie, and hard to then actually make it, and now hard getting it in front of audiences, it’s an experience that he wouldn’t trade for anything.
The passion comes through in the film, which I had the opportunity to view before talking to Lillard. The movie is packed with humor and genuine drama courtesy of the “Fat Kid” Troy Billings’ (Jacob Wysocki) drug-addicted friend and savior, Marcus (Matt O’Leary), and his domineering but surprisingly supportive dad (Billy Campbell). The small moments when you see how being exposed to a punk-rock show, or meeting a cool girl at a gig for the first time, changes Troy for the better are excellent.
Also excellent? The original music, provided by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who was also a big fan of the novel.
“He was one of the single biggest influences on the film,” Lillard said. “I found myself sitting there, trying to convince him to do the music for this movie with no budget, and he was sitting there trying to convince me why he should do the music for this movie with no budget. He saved some scenes in the movie.”
Matt O’Leary (left) and “Fat Kid” Jacob Wysocki rocking out in a scene from Fat Kid Rules the World.
Besides the Warped Tour, Lillard is pursuing another unusual distribution method via the Web. People are enouraged to visit the Web site TuggTheFatKid.com, and in every city where enough people sign up to see a screening, Lillard will send the movie to be shown. It’s basically crowd-sourcing for movie distribution, and he hopes kids introduced to Fat Kid at the Warped Tour will go home and start gathering friends who want to see the movie. (There’s already a screening set up for Wednesday, June 20, in Salt Lake City, so go hit that link and sign up for tickets to the show).
If they’re smart, that’s just what they’ll do. Fat Kid Rules the World deserves to be seen by punk rockers young and old–and especially kids who don’t know they’re punk rockers just yet.
The Vans Warped Tour is in Salt Lake City Saturday at the Utah State Fairpark. Show starts at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are available at the gate and via Smith’s Tix outlets.
This weekend features a slew of roots-rock music dominating the agenda, from free shows from local faves to powerhouse performers helping support the Utah Arts Festival. Check out a few suggestions for your perusal:
- The Folka Dots, Jewish Community Center, Thursday, 7 p.m., free
Still haven’t seen Salt Lake City’s rootsy crew The Folka Dots? Here’s a chance to see the quintet do the harmonizing, twang-filled thing they do so well for free, at an inviting spot with an amazing view of the Salt Lake Valley. They’re playing outdoors at the Jewish Community Center, and there will be food and beer available–just remember to bring your sunglasses, and prepare to enjoy a sunset to some of the finest locally produced tunes Utah has to offer.
The Folka Dots headline a free show at the Jewish Community Center Thursday, and open for Neko Case Saturday at Library Square.
- The Moondoggies with The Mighty Sequoyah, Kilby Court, Friday, 7 p.m., $10
The Moondoggies are a criminally underappreciated Seattle roots-rock band with an admittedly terrible name (admit it–you’re thinking surf band when you hear a name like that, right?) and a serious Neil Young jones. They’ve played to small audiences in Salt Lake City in the past; the last time I saw them was at Schuba’s in Chicago, and they managed to fill that room for some killer tunes. Here’s hoping the comfy confines of Kilby encourages the Moondoggies to keep coming back. Click that Moondoggies link up above and you can download a free, mostly acoustic live show from the band to sample their sound.
The Moondoggies headline Friday at Kilby Court.
- Roy Kay Trio and The Rhythm Combo, W Lounge, Friday, 8 p.m., $5
In a show originally slated for the now-slightly-charred Garage, Seattle’s rockabilly crew The Roy Kay Trio is now going to throw down their hot mix of traditional root-rock, country and bop at a venue a little more used to bass-heavy club tunes, the W Lounge. That won’t keep the Roy Kay Trio from getting the crowd moving and grooving on the well-shimmied dance floor downtown. The band is joined by Utah’s own Rhythm Combo.
The Roy Kay Trio headline a night of rockabilly and roots music at W Lounge Friday.
- Neko Case and The Folka Dots, Library Square, Saturday, 7:30 p.m., $30
For anyone who’s ever seen and heard Neko Case perform–whether with pop-rock crew New Pornographers or leading her own country-rock bands–asking them to check out the big-voiced belter isn’t a hard sell. If you’ve never seen Case run through songs from her excellent catalog like Furnace Room Lullaby and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, well, you’re simply missing out on one of the best voices and songwriters working today, regardless of genre. Get it together and check her out for this fundraiser for the Utah Arts Festival. Hit that link up above and get some tix while you can.
Neko Case headlines the Summer Solstice Concert Saturday at Library Square.
- The Henry Clay People with Motion City Soundtrack, In the Venue, Monday, 7:30 p.m., $22
Two years ago, The Henry Clay People’s debut Somewhere on the Golden Coast landed on my desk when I was music editor at Salt Lake City Weekly, and the somewhat unhinged set of singalong anthems became one of my favorite albums of 2010. I’m happy to report that the band’s full-length follow-up being released on June 26, Twenty-Five for the Rest of Our Lives, is just as rambunctious a collection. The band is opening for the power-pop dudes in Motion City Soundtrack on Monday, and you’ll want to make sure you’re there on time for The Henry Clay People, a band with a sound that lands somewhere between Titus Andronicus, Built to Spill and Meat Puppets.
The Henry Clay People are in the middle of a Monday night triple-bill at In The Venue.
The Del McCoury Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed together at Red Butte Garden Sunday night.
Sunday night, two of America’s legendary groups got together for a rare concert at Red Butte Garden. The Del McCoury Band–a brilliant bluegrass crew led by a former member of Bill Monroe’s band–and New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band made an album called “American Legacies” in 2011, and they occasionally get together for shows–only five in 2012, so the show at a chilly Red Butte Garden amphitheater was a real treat.
I reviewed the show for Salt Lake City Weekly, and you can go check out the full review at the City Weekly Website.
John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch is such a transcendent piece of rock and roll theater that it must be daunting for anyone to tackle.
You have to find a killer band to deliver the backbone of the show–a set of great songs that veer from straightahead rock to power ballads to epic, tempo-shifting, long narratives. You have to find a perfect person to play Yitzhak, Hedwig’s vocal sparring partner and a major presence in the story. And, of course, you have to find someone capable of inhabiting Hedwig, an East German-born transsexual glamorpuss with serious rock and roll chops and an amazing story to tell.
Director Jerry Rapier thankfully has a near-perfect Hedwig in Aaron Swenson, the actor who played the role to much acclaim during Plan-B’s previous productions of the show in 2003 and 2005. In the new production appearing at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre, Swenson is awesome, performing the role with the perfect mix of humor and emotion, a rock-solid German accent and a powerhouse voice that delivers songs like “Tear Me Down” and “Origin of Love” so well that you’ll be scrambling to buy the soundtrack after you see the show.
Swenson has to do a lot of heavy lifting through Hedwig and the Angry Inch, from leading the excellent rock band on stage (Camden Chamberlain and Van Christensen, Adam Overacker and Dave Evanoff) to delivering what is virtually a 90-minute monologue as he tells Hedwig’s story. At the production I saw, Swenson also had to nimbly react to some drunken audience members shouting at him during the show, and he wrapped in some local humor to his story as well, taking good-natured jabs at the Egyptian Theatre’s Randy Barton and his long-winded introduction of the show, as well as some of the room’s funky decor.
Swenson’s excellent performance was matched by Latoya Rhodes in the role of Yitzhak. Rhodes was able to powerfully convey her character’s emotions without using words, via facial expressions and physical movements around the stage. The complexity of the Hedwig/Yitzhak relationship came through loud and clear via Swenson and Rhodes’ chemistry–and when Rhodes let loose on her vocals, it became obvious she is an actress to keep tabs on just for the chance to hear her sing again.
Latoya Rhodes as Yitzhak (left) and Aaron Swenson as Hedwig in Plan-B Theatre Company’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre, running through June 17.
If you’ve never seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch (or if you’ve only seen the thrilling film version), take the opportunity when you can. You’ll laugh throughout at the witty one-liners Hedwig throws in throughout her story, you’ll find yourself rocking out to an excellent batch of tunes, and you’ll be touched by Hedwig’s love stories, and jealousy of her former protege Tommy Gnossis. It’s a brilliant night of theater and an awesome concert rolled into one 90-minute burst, and it’s hard to imagine a more winning night out.
Plan-B Theatre Company’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch runs through June 17 at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre. Check out the Plan-B website for tickets and showtimes.
(all photos by Rick Pollock)
One sure sign of a great pop song is when it’s still stuck in your head the morning after you hear it at a show.
So it goes with Neon Trees’ “Mad Love,” one of the standout tracks from the Provo band’s sophomore album, Picture Show, and a highlight of their sold-out show at The Depot Friday night.
“Mad Love” is one of those songs with a hook so sticky, you’d swear that you’ve heard the song before. And while I’d heard the album version many times before Friday’s show, the live take on it, featuring an excellent vocal from singer Tyler Glenn (as well as a verse taken by drummer Elaine Bradley), was transcendent.
The same can be said for the show as a whole. Even if the dance-pop of the Neon Trees isn’t up your musical alley, there’s no denying the potency of the band as a live entity. The collective energy of Glenn, Bradley, guitarist Chris Allen and bassist Branden Campbell makes every Neon Trees show a worthy endeavor for both diehards and more casual fans, and that energy will surely help the band navigate the changing tastes of the pop world in the future.
Moving back and forth between songs from Picture Show and their debut breakthrough Habits, Neon Trees knocked out a stellar show to an adoring mix of kids on The Depot’s main floor and 21+ folks lurking in the balcony. A dance party is pretty much inevitable when Neon Trees start playing, and songs like “Teenage Sounds” and “Everybody Talks” from the new album, and “Love and Affection” and “Animal” from Habits had the audience enraptured.
Picture Show has only been out for two months, so Neon Trees are just getting started on their work supporting the new album. If they are this tight at the beginning of the tour, you can only imagine how great they will be playing and performing after a few months on the road. And if their experiences together fuel a new collection of songs as solid as the ones the band has released to date, Neon Trees might be playing sold-out “homecoming” gigs for a long time.
Neon Trees, The Depot, Friday, 7 p.m., $20
Provo’s Neon Trees are making the rounds in support of their new sophomore album, Picture Show, another solid set of ’80s-tinged dance-pop. The band’s 2010 debut, Habits, took them all over the world, and its follow-up could strike a similar chord with the masses, potentially taking the quartet around the globe–again. That makes this 16-and-older gig at The Depot an ideal chance to see Neon Trees on a club-sized stage before they hit the road for far-flung destinations. Nico Vega, The Devil Whale and The Blue Aces open the show.
Provo’s Neon Trees headline The Depot on the band’s tour in support of its second major-label album, Picture Show.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Egyptian Theatre, Friday, June 8, through Sunday, June 17, $20-$30
Six inches forward, five inches back! Plan-B Theatre Company fires up a revitalized production of the best damn rock opera about an East German transsexual lead singer ever. It’s the 10th anniversary of Plan-B’s original production of the show, a play that won an award for Best Theatre Production by City Weekly. This time, the show goes on the road to Park City’s classic, classy Egyptian Theatre–where you can enjoy a beer while you rock out with your, um, well, you know how the saying goes.
The raucous story of a transsexual rock star, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, plays at Park City’s Egyptian Theatre from Friday, June 8, through Sunday, June 17.
18th Annual Art in Pilar’s Garden benefit, Pilar Pobil’s house (403 E. 8th Ave), Friday-Sunday, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., $10
For a mere sawbuck, you can join one of the Utah art community’s definitive events, and you can do it in a stunning environment right in The Avenues. Spanish-born painter Pilar Pobil has been hosting art shows/fundraisers in her garden for 18 years now, and the mix of original work, refreshments and fellow attendees makes Art in Pilar’s Garden a must-go at least once in your SLC life. Every bit of the $10 entry goes to help Art Access Gallery provide art to underserved communities, and you’ll see a show of works by Pobil and other artists while you nosh on food provided by Rico’s. Hop to it.
One of artist Pilar Pobil’s paintings reflecting her home country of Spain. Her annual garden benefit runs Friday, June 8, through Sunday, June 10.
Urban Arts Festival, SLC Arts Hub (663 W. 100 South), Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., $5
The Utah Arts Alliance is throwing its second Urban Arts Festival at its brand-spanking-new SLC Arts Hub space, three acres that on Saturday will be dedicated to three stages for live performances, graffiti-art displays, skateboarding space and all manner of hands-on artistic opportunities. Even if you don’t want to try your own hand at silk-screening or graffiti, you can check out bands and DJs, a poetry slam or some break-dancing competitions while you support a vital arts organization in the community.
The Urban Arts Festival runs all day Saturday, June 9, at the SLC Arts Hub.
Heavy Metal Shop 25th Anniversary Party, The Heavy Metal Shop, Sunday, 4-8 p.m., free
Even non-headbangers have nothing but respect for Kevin Kirk, owner of The Heavy Metal Shop. The mere fact that he’s kept his shop open for 25 years, through moves, changing music trends and the onslaught of online music-buying is reason to celebrate with Kirk and his friends, with a live soundtrack provided by Michael Dean Damron, the Kottak and Cleveland Acoustik Attack and an acoustic set by Jake Johnson. What better way to celebrate a Sunday afternoon than with the man who’s been peddlin’ evil since 1987?
Kevin Kirk in The Heavy Metal Shop, celebrating 25 years in business with a free party on Sunday, June 10.
Bonus Pick!
Del McCoury Band and Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Red Butte Garden, Sunday, 7 p.m., $40
No way I’m letting a weekend go by without singing the praises of this show, a pairing of two national treasures on one bill at the best music venue in the state. In the Del McCoury Band, you have arguably the best bluegrass band on the planet, a traditional crew led by Del, a one-time member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, and featuring his son Ronnie–a ridiculously talented mandolin player. With Del and the boys is Preservation Hall Jazz Band, namesake group of the legendary New Orleans venue, and a remarkably pliable crew capable of delving into all sorts of jazz music–or any other style you can imagine. You might not think old-time twang and Big Easy brass should mix, but the album the two groups made together indicates different. This show could be the sleeper treasure of the summer at Red Butte Garden.
The Del McCoury Band/Preservation Hall Jazz Band show Sunday, June 10, could be one of the sleeper favorites of summer at Red Butte Garden.
Daniel Nailen 