SLUG Magazine

Stephen Cope of Officer Jenny opens up about their upbringing, musical inspiration, their journey of self-discovery and their newest release, God of Death, in this episode of SLUG Soundwaves.

Growing up, Cope was influenced by his LDS upbringing. In his southern California household, Cope would look-forward to attending BYU and serving on a mission. However, when they returned from their mission, Cope started diving into their own mission of self discovery. Mormonism is something that shapes Cope’s work and they incorporate it in with themes like loss of faith, gender exploration and being born again into their identity.

“Officer Jenny” was a name that started as a joke among friends, but upon further thought, Cope realized that it would be a great name for a project that wasn’t dedicated to anything specific. This malleable name inspired by a Pokémon character encourages Cope to experiment with different aesthetics and to play with concepts. “As far as it being conventionally female name, I really like it because it creates room for gender neutrality and femininity,” they say. “When people hear my voice or see me, they project this masculinity and male gender onto me. Officer Jenny removes those expectations.”

Cope discusses Provo’s culture, especially among the music and alternative communities. In a scene full of cis-male figures, Cope notices that they do stand out in the crowd. “Folks in Salt Lake City tend to be more immediately interested in my music,” they say. “The straight-dominated Provo culture doesn’t really understand,” they say, “I think I say ‘fuck’ too much for people in provo.” However, the tight-knit counter-culture that lives within Provo makes for an easy experience when it comes to meeting other queer artists and socially aware mormons who try to combat oppression in the Church.

God of Death is available to stream and purchase on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and their Bandcamp page: officerjenny.bandcamp.com.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

In anticipation for his set during CrucialFest 7, hip-hop artist LongShotSAM (Sam Chanthalisay) talks about the early beginnings in his creative journey, how his culture shaped his work and as an individual growing up in North Logan, and how he got his name on the Crucialfest 3 and Crucialfest 7 setlist.

When SAM was young, his older brothers influenced him a lot. “I was the youngest of four boys,” he says. “I was always the tagalong and doing whatever they were doing.” This led him to find one of the most influential songs of his career, “Dear Mama” by Tupac. “I could just relate to it so much because I was so close to my mom,” SAM says. “I just remember how powerful and how talented he was in that song, and it inspired me.”

Being a minority, rap and hip-hop gave SAM something that he could relate to. Since a lot of people from his hometown were into extracurricular activities and participating in hobbies that he and his family couldn’t afford, SAM found comfort in coming home to his music. “My parents didn’t really have the time or the money to sign me up for those things,” he says, “but picking up a pencil and a notebook is free. So, I gravitated towards music and art.”

SAM also mentions how his childhood friend,  Bryan Harris, introduced Jarom Bischoff to SAM’s music. Bischoff would eventually give him the chance to have is first performance ona  Crucialfest 3 stage. Once Jarom heard the Extra Curricular EP, he liked it, which lead to SAM performing in this year’s fest. “I’m coming prepared with heat,” he said. “If it’s a 15-minute or a 30-minute set, no matter what they give to me—I’ll be ready.”

From creating his own cover art to building and creating his own home studio, SAM’s rap game is growing alongside of him. Be sure to catch him performing Crucialfest 7 this weekend on Sunday, Sept. 3, at The Gateway. For more information on LongShotSAM’s performance on Sunday or more information on Crucialfest 7, visit crucialfest.com.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

Tarot Death Card came together by a chance tarot reading. Singer Chloe Muse tells of Tarot Death Card‘s development, late-night recording sessions and their hard-earned spot playing Crucialfest 7 at Metro Music Hall on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m.

It all began with a tarot card reading in 2015. After jamming for a few days, four new friends were presented with multiple powerful cards, which made for high hopes for the future that awaited them. The death card, which inspired the band’s name, is a symbol for rebirth and change that happened in the group’s past. All of these cards’ messages were arrows pointing forward for the group, and once they got the reading, they continued to play music and find their sound in their living room.

When they realized that they jibed together as a band, they rose with the moon, which often is a critical component of the band’s story. “In the night is when we felt so much power and juju and inspiration,” Muse says. “It was weird. None of us could function like normal humans during the day.”

When Tarot Death Card received their invitation from Crucialfest, they were taken completely off-guard. “As far as I knew, the past six years of Crucialfest [have] been metal,” Muse says. “When I started to read the invitation in more detail, it was, ‘We want to expand the reach of Crucialfest’ … I was shocked at first, but then I was really excited.”

Tarot Death Card are constantly releasing new albums and accumulating singles to compile into another official EP. “I think our sound has evolved so much,” Muse says. “We recently picked up a BPM, and it totally changed our sound from what you hear on the Moon EP.” By releasing at least one song a month, Tarot Death Card are constantly improving and adding new elements to their sound.

Tarot Death Card kick off Crucialfest 7 on Friday, Aug. 31, at Metro Music Hall with the One More Time Daft Punk tribute, at 7 p.m. For more information on Tarot Death Card, check out their Facebook page: facebook.com/Tarotdeathcard

Find all information on Crucialfest 7 at crucialfest.com.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

In anticipation for her performance on Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Craft Lake City DIY Festival next weekend, Katya Murafa discusses her musical upbringing, the schooling she pursued to perfect her craft, her influences and how excited she is to return to the festival after her performance last year.

Murafa’s first experience was when she was 4 years old. Her Russian parents would listen to disco and Italian pop music, which was big inspiration for young Katya Murafa—and her parents definitely noticed. A few years later, she would start going to a specialized school at age 7. “I had to go through a week of grueling tests to be accepted,” Murafa says, “because musical education is taken very seriously in Russia.” During this time, her teacher told her that she would be a good fit for playing violin, and once she started playing for her school’s orchestra, she was hooked. When she was 15, Murafa would move on to music college in Ukraine, and two years later, she would move to America.

It wouldn’t be long until Murafa needed to add something new to her sound. “I was bored with myself,” she says. After receiving a loop station as a gift and leaving it in the box for a couple years, Murafa decided that it was time to turn over a new leaf and learn how to work her new (intimidating) piece of technology. “I had to tell myself: You learned how to play violin. You learned how to play piano. You learned how to speak English. You can do this,” Murafa says, “It took me five minutes to figure it out.”

Now, Murafa is playing for the Salt Lake Symphony and working with Salt Lake’s bellydance community. When she was approached by her hand-drummer friend, Quinn, they immediately started working on a bellydancing project. “There’s just something about playing an instrument and people expressing themselves to the music you play,” Murafa says. “It’s always inspiring and motivating to share art together on the same stage.”

With the DIY Festival coming up quick, Katya reminisces about her performance at last year’s festival: “I loved the experience,” Murafa says. “It was one of the best festivals I’ve ever played at. I was very excited to be able to repeat it.”

Katya Murafa will be performing her 30-minute set at the DIY Festival on Saturday, Aug. 12, on the KRCL stage at 7:30 p.m.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

Tolchock Trio guitarist/singer Ryan Fedor‘s birthday surprise could have been a birthday train wreck. For his birthday, his wife organized a Tolchock Trio reunion show for the band—who hadn’t played together since 2013—which was initially a surprise … but practice. Fortunately, once the cat got out of the bag, Tolchock Trio has been practicing and will be fully prepared for their reunion show.

In this episode, Fedor talks about Tolchock Trio’s history, from the very first practice in 2000 to when they disbanded in 2013, the band’s influences and also shares his feelings about the big names they’ve played with.

Since Tolchock Trio had been attending shows at Kilby Court, they decided to take their first step and try to play there. They then would be exposed to the noisy, loud music scene that they found they could fit into. “When we first started this band, we kind of had a mission statement,” Fedor says, It was My Bloody Valentine meets Wilco, which is totally weird because they don’t go together at all. We wanted a textural, drone-y thing, with bits of country and folk licks.” This unique foundation would lead the group towards different influencers like Blonde Redhead, Pixies and Built to Spill, all of which would become evident in their first album.

Fedor also dives into the attitude of the Trio (which often included four or five members at a time), “We’ve always wanted to be provocative,” Fedor says, “We were okay with playing very noisy or drone-y, because that’s what we like.” Playing the role of the provocateur always worked for Tolchock Trio, because they were comfortable with being confrontational. “Whenever I hear an established band do that, I really respect it,” Fedor says.

The weirdest thing about this show isn’t the surprise of it all, but it’s the urge to play a show again. “There’s a longing to play these songs again,” Fedor says. “When they asked me to play this show, I was already in a place where it was pulling at me.”

Tolchock Trio will be playing a compilation of their greatest hits at Urban Lounge on Friday, Aug. 4.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

Influenced by bands such as Neko Case and Sera Cahoone, local folk artist Josaleigh Pollett mixes Pacific Northwest vibes with raw, Utah talent in her upcoming album, Strangers, which releases July 8. Strangers is a revival of Pollett’s 2014 EP, this time with new tracks, a local record label and a troupe of talented musicians (Carson Wolfe, Genevieve Smith, Jory Caroll, Spencer Howe, Sydney Goodwill, Kat Day Romney, Harvey Day, Joe Kingston and Casey Romney), who beautifully pair with Pollett’s earthy vocals.

Having grown up in Ogden with talented parents, Pollett’s musical career started early, around the age of 8. “My dad taught music lessons out of our house,” she says, “so I lucked out with that. But as far as writing my own stuff, I was a pretty young teenager doing that.” Pollett started recording at the age of 14 through GarageBand, writing and playing songs that she felt matched the same tones as the bands she would see at Kilby Court, where eventually she started playing shows. “I honestly think I was about 15 when I played there,” she says. “Which I still have no idea how I did that.”

Pollett eventually moved to Seattle, accompanied by sweetheart Jory Caroll. “He’s also a musician,” says Pollett, “so he saw the appeal of the Pacific Northwest, and we wanted to go out there together.” However, Seattle proved to be a place that was missing something that Utah always had: the feeling of home. “I just thought, ‘We could be back home,’” says Pollett. “We could afford a much cheaper house. We could get a yard and a garden and things that were important to me that I didn’t realize had been important to me until that point.” And so Pollett and Caroll moved back to Salt Lake City. “The music scene here has always been so encouraging and warm and welcoming to me,” she says. “I had just wonderful support from so many different people.”

When Lavender Vinyl opened in Ogden, they asked Pollett if they could release her album. “I thought, maybe I could revisit these songs from 2014,” says Pollett, “and create something with this community that I’d been such a big fan of.” Pollett’s friends, such as Wolfe and Smith, started sending her potential additions to her songs: guitar riffs, cello harmonies and added vocals. “I was just totally flattered and amazed that somebody would want to do that with something that I wrote,” says Pollett. “These people that I knew that were great musicians liked these songs enough to kind of come up with these new ideas for them—I thought, ‘Well, maybe these are the right songs.’” Pollett gathered some of her closest musician friends, and they started live-tracking Strangers together inside of an airplane hangar at the Ogden airport. “Each time was just the most fun experience,” she says. “Even though we were getting so much done and [were] so productive, we were just having a great time. We were laughing and joking and freezing our asses off.”

The song you’ll hear on this track is “Ghost,” one of Pollett’s few songs that she had written during her time in Seattle. Don’t miss the release show for Strangers at Funk n’ Dive Bar on Saturday, July 8, where Pollett will perform along with Taylor Ross Wilson, Goose Chase and Fort Defiance. If you can’t make it out to Ogden, no worries—on July 9, Josaleigh Pollett and her full band will be playing at none other than Kilby

Combining the atmospheres of dreampop, post-punk and art-rock, local band Indigo Plateau are preparing to drop their EP, The Heights, with a flurry of symphonic soundscapes. Indigo Plateau comprises members Evan Pack (guitar, vocals, keys), Michael Paulsen (guitar, noise, vocals), Andres Escobar (bass) and Ian Francis (drums, drum machine), who are prepping for their EP release at Kilby Court on June 28.

“I’ve always had this strong desire to express myself creatively,” says Pack, “but for the longest time, I never really knew how to express that [or] what avenue to take.” Around 11 years old, Pack started getting involved in theatre, loving the type of expression and outlet that the theatre offered. However, Pack wanted to find a way to feel that similar sense of expression through his own stories. “A little bit later in life, I discovered the music that really spoke to me … post-punk music and post-rock,” he says, “stuff that really, I felt, told a story musically the way that I was maybe used to telling a story.” Pack started writing and playing guitar, eventually meeting Escobar and Paulsen in high school—which is when the music started to really “take shape.”

A little over a year ago, Indigo Plateau played their very first show. “We have grown a lot since then in a lot of, I think, very important ways,” says Pack. “First of all, we’ve kind of ‘trimmed the fat,’ and seeing what works, what doesn’t work. Specifically, in a performance setting, because performance is an important aspect of this band.” The bandmates aim to create a specific “universe” during their shows, and they want to share their music with as many people as possible. In fact, Indigo Plateau are currently planning a West Coast tour to share their music and connect with other artists in the region.

One thing that really draws the Indigo Plateau members together is their need and passion to create. “Ever since I’ve been conscious or aware, I’ve always been trying to create things, and music has now become my main medium,” says Pack. “… It’s been really nice to not just have it be an insular thing or an individual thing, but to combine that innate desire and that innate necessity to create something and be able to combine that as four individuals [to make] something a lot greater than what we could do on our own.”

Setting out to record The Heights, the band wanted it to feel textured. For numerous reasons—including loving the other local records that have come from them—Indigo Plateau decided to record with Mike Sasich at Man vs. Music. “One of my favorite things on the EP is on the last song; there’s an organ,” says Pack. “We actually went out to a church building in the Avenues and recorded a pipe organ, and it sounds really, really cool.” Listeners can expect to hear piano samples, drumbeats, layered and textured sound recordings, and synth. Though The Heights is an EP, it’s 25 minutes long and complete with a clear, personal storyline that’s told throughout the EP.

The song you’ll hear on this podcast is “The Heights.” Indigo Plateau will be releasing their debut EP, The Heights, at Kilby Court on June 28, alongside local bands Quiet Oaks and New Shack. This show is all ages and doors open at 7 p.m. Entry is a $5 cover charge. You can find out about other shows on Instagram at @indigoplateauslc or at facebook.com/indigoplateau

In this episode, Kate Anderson, the lead vocalist of Winter Grain, opens up about the release of their self-titled EP. She dissects her experience working with Bear Creek Studio and shares some stories that inspired her songwriting along the way in anticipation for their album listening party on June 7.

It all began at Anderson’s place in Sugar House. She and her band were throwing some ideas around, got lost in conversation and fell on the subject of recording. “The only thing we could boil back down to was going into recording,” Anderson says. “Our friend asked me where I would want to go in the dream-spectrum of things and I pointed at the wall to Brandi Carlile’s The Firewatcher’s Daughter and I said, ‘There. I think that’s the dream’.” It only took one email to Bear Creek to get them in the studio and working with in-house producer Ryan Hadlock. “Before we knew it, we were working with two grammy-award-winner studios, and we couldn’t be more pleased,” Anderson says.

When the project first started coming together, Tim Neu and Anderson wrote a song that they consider one of their most authentic songs, “Solitary Trees.” After flying black hawks for a while Anderson moved to Salt Lake City to fly lakotas, “I moved here for the aircraft and it was a very lonely experience,” Anderson says, “I didn’t know anybody and I was reading a lot of old literature at the time. I read across Winston Churchill quote that said, ‘Solitary trees, if at all, grow strong,’ and I really connected with it at the time.” When it came time to work, she knew this song came from an authentic place.

The episode is brought to a close with one of Anderson’s oldest and favorite songs “The Wall.” Almost cut from the EP completely, this song has a special place in Anderson’s heart. “So many influences have gone into this song across the board, and I’m glad it’s found new light in this way,” Anderson says. Winter Grain will debut at the Clark Planetarium’s dome theater on June 7 at 8 p.m., and keeping up with them is made easy via their Instagram: @wntrgrain.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

In anticipation of the release of their new EP, I Don’t Like Being Honest—coming in early June on Red Bull Records—Provo native Cristal Ramirez opens up about her band, The Aces. She shares stories on the band’s origins, shares inspiration behind their lyrics and dives into what it means to be a band of women in the music industry.

It all started when Cristal was 11 years old and Alisa Ramirez (sister and drummer) was 9. They started their band with longtime friends McKenna Petty and Katie Henderson. After writing songs on pianos and guitars and asking for a bass guitar for Christmas, the girls got their wheels turning. “It gives you time to figure out what you want,” says Ramirez. “Now, we’re 21 and we’re really confident in what we want and the direction we’re going.”

Ramirez discusses how their lyrics come from personal experiences and how important it is to them that they’re short and to-the-point. While elaborating on the lyrics from “Stuck,” Ramirez mentions that they try to describe “desperation” by lyrically and melodically (portraying feelings together as a band.)

As an all-female band, there are definitely little things that stand out to them. Ramirez touches down on the skepticism people have toward all-women bands, and by being conscious of the people they choose to have on their team, The Aces have managed to create a supportive atmosphere where everyone believes in them encourages them to grow. “There’s this expectation that women can’t organically play music,” Ramirez says. “We feel strongly about being representatives for women.”

Multiple songs are featured throughout this episode, however, the emphasis falls on The Aces’ new single “Baby Who.” It’s a little taste of what’s to come for their release in June and is the first song they recorded after signing on to Red Bull Records. “Baby Who” is available to stream on Spotify as well as Apple Music. Keep up to date with The Aces on their Facebook: facebook.com/acesmusic.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.

Local progressive metal band The Ditch and the Delta will release their first full-length album, Hives and Decline, on Battleground Records on May 12. Elliot Secrist (guitar/vocals) shares the meanings behind the band’s lyrics and background story on The Ditch and the Delta’s growth over time.

Secrist’s lyrics place himself in his music, adding to the band’s political tone. “I don’t think you can remove personal life from politics,” says Secrist. “…I drink more whiskey than any human should ever drink, but I still care about the planet and people. I care about people dying. I care about war. I’m anti– systems that give some people a lot and take away life for others.” Some of their content even covers the controversy from #gamergate, where college students Zoë Quinn, Brianna Wu and Anita Sarkeesian stood up for female representation in video games but were then targeted with harassment including doxing, threats of rape and death threats. When Sarkeesian spoke at a college in Utah and it received bomb threats, the school took no measures to ensure that she would be safe, including refusing to check for guns at her speech. “These women [were] being threatened, and their families [were] being threatened just for wanting more representation in their world, which is gaming,” says Secrist. “The song ‘Fuck on Asphalt’ is about angry boys … that are so vicious, so dangerous online, but if you meet them, who knows what they’d be about?”

Also, The Ditch and the Delta’s music always, in one way or another, directly connects to Utah—either the dominant or counter culture. “Growing up in Utah, it’s hard to remove myself from Utah,” says Secrist. “And everybody that lives here understands the love and hate of living here: wanting to leave but also the beauty of it and the amazing people that are here.” Between political statements, progressive metal thrills and a badass sound, The Ditch and the Delta is standing up for social justice in creative and head-banging–worthy ways.

The track you’ll hear on this podcast is “Mud.” Don’t miss The Ditch and the Delta’s album release show on May 12 at the Beehive Social Club (666 S State) at 7 p.m. with Crow Killer, Despite Despair and Die Off. The first 20 people to show up get a record for only $10. The show is $5 and all ages. You can check out The Ditch and the Delta’s music at theditchandthedelta.bandcamp.com or follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/theditchandthedeltaslc/.

Thanks for listening to SLUG Soundwaves.

SLUG Magazine’s mission is to provide an honest journalistic alternative to mainstream coverage of arts, music, events and lifestyle. SLUG adds value to lifestyle through community engagement. Available in print and digitally on SLUGmag.com.