Logan's music scene to grow in 2014

The music scene in Logan is expected to grow in 2014, according to local musicians and music business managers.
Tim Moes, the manager of Logan's Why Sound Studio, said that the new year will be a call for new musicians to step out.
"These things come in waves," Moes said. "Our scene is kind of in a lull right now, so it's due for a bounce back."
"I think the local music scene is as strong as the bands in it," said Adam Brown, the drummer for local act My New Mistress. "It takes hard working bands to make a great scene."
"There are a lot of bands working hard in the music scene right now," said Robert Linton, the booking manager for Logan's Why Sound music venue.
"There are so many passionate musicians and great songwriters who are playing shows here," Linton said. "Cache Valley has some great artists who have stuck around for a long time. It also has some great young musicians pushing their work forward."
"I'd like to see more high school bands evolving and coming out," Moes said. "It can really help promote and revitalize the music scene."
"The scene will only grow as more people are doing music everyday," said Taylor Wilson, the lead singer for local band little Barefoot. "Logan is full of talent and it's only growing."
"Even though there's a lot of fluctuations, everybody in the Logan scene works together to make it thrive," Linton said. Linton will be releasing a solo album spring of next year.
"The music scene will grow in 2014 because there's too much talent brewing out here for it to spill over," said Eddie Lion, the lead vocalist for Logan-based band Once the Lion. Once the Lion plan on releasing an album in the first half of 2014.
There are also 2014 album releases expected from local acts Racecar Racecar, Benton Wood, Sarah Wood and little Barefoot.
Linton said The Melatonins, a new punk band from Logan, will be doing their first shows in 2014. He also said local solo artists Julie Perry and Curtis Wardle have been working with other musicians to start their own group projects next year.
Why Sound has eight concerts scheduled before December ends, all of which include local artists.

Josh & Gary getting their music and their message heard

Josh & Gary are a Logan-based hip hop duo composed of Josh Baxter and Garyn Bennett. They are currently recording new songs, working on music videos and promoting their music as much as they can.
"The band's number one priority is to put as many songs out as possible and getting people to hear our music," Bennett said. "We just want everyone to hear what we have to say."
"We like to write songs about just being yourself and not letting other people get in your way as far as what you want to do," Baxter said. "We shoot for a really positive vibe. It's good music that everyone can enjoy and relate to."
Baxter said that the band's music really "branches out" from the local norms. "Some people are scared of being different here in Cache Valley, but it's something that we're proud of. Not too many artists who share the same sound."
Bennett said that there isn't a specific genre attached to their music. "We just try to make good vibe music and we want everyone to like it."
"Our music sets a good mood with really its catchy tunes and melodies that anyone could chill or relax to," Baxter said.
Josh & Gary don't have any physical music releases to purchase at the time, but they have songs available to listen to online for free, with more coming soon. "Money would be nice, but for now we're focused on getting our names out there," Bennett said.
The duo said they're also focused on filming their own music videos. Their first music video is for their track "Feel Right" and will be released on Dec. 25.
"Good quality recordings are important, but I definitely think videos are going to help us out quite a bit," Bennett said. "Putting up a video on YouTube is what people want to see."
Josh & Gary's first music video is for their track "Feel Right" and will be released on Dec. 25. They are currently working on more videos, all of which are filmed by Salt Lake City media design artist Jordan Wheeler.
Josh & Gary's songs are available for download on their soundcloud.com website. By the end of November, their songs surpassed 20,000 plays on the website.
The duo said they will start focusing on doing more concerts and working on a mixtape at the beginning of next year.

Nick Manning's upcoming recital maybe his last in Logan

Nick Manning, a guitar performance major at Utah State University, will be having his senior recital 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Why Sound in Logan. This will be his final performance before graduating from Utah State.
After graduating, Manning plans on getting his master's degree, but isn't sure where that will be yet.
"Unfortunately here in Logan, a lot of people come here for school and get good at their music, then they leave right when they're getting good," said Mike Benson, an accompanying saxophonist for the recital. "So these recitals are your chance to hear them at their best while they're still here. This might be Nick's last show in Logan."
Manning's performance will be a showcase of all he's learned from his guitar studies at Utah State.
"When I first started at Utah State, I thought I was a good guitar player," he said. "I feel like the more I learn and the further I get, the more I realize that I don't know anything."
The first part of the recital will be Manning performing solo classical guitar music. He'll be playing jazz music for the second part of the show with accompaniment from other Utah State performance majors.
"You won't be hearing lame jazz," Manning said. "I'm trying to push myself to the limit for this show and I hope it turns out well."
"It's really high quality music compared to what you might expect," Benson said. "You'll get the best from both worlds of guitar music."
Along with Benson, the other accompanying musicians will be Jaron Putnam, Thomas Pratt and Nick Miner. All musicians have performed with each other throughout their time at Utah State.
"Music is important to me, it's right up there behind religion and family," Manning said.
Manning attributed much of the guitar skills he's learned over the years to Corey Christiansen, the director of Utah State's guitar program.
Admission to the recital is free of charge.

Why Sound food drive: Helping those in need

Logan music venue Why Sound will be hosting its annual food drive Friday at 8 p.m. Donations of clothes, blankets and nonperishable foods will be accepted to help serve local families in need.
In addition to collecting donations, there will be a concert with performances from local artists. The event was arranged by Kitty Fuller, a local community-activist who has ran this food drive annually for the last four years.
"I really wanted to get involved with helping out in the community while getting other people involved too," Fuller said. "Music is a great way to bring people together, so that aspect should make the experience even more enjoyable."
"We try to make it a fun event that people can attend, but the main event for sure is to bring the donations to help families," said Robert Linton, the booking manager for Why Sound.
All food donated to the food drive goes to the Cache Food Pantry. Any clothes or blankets that are given will be distributed to local needy families.
"This is a hard time of year for some families out there," Fuller said. "I've known people in those kind of circumstances and I know that we can all help out at least a little. This is an opportunity to do that."
"We have some great artists playing, however all the donations really do support help a good cause," Linton said. Linton and Fuller worked together to promote the event and find artists to perform.
"This sounds corny, but it's all about everybody loving each other and helping each other out," said Julie Perry, a musician who will playing at the food drive for her second time Friday night. "It's cool that I'm playing this particular event because I feel like that's what my music is about."
Along with Perry, the lineup for the concert includes Perry, Megan Simper, The Rompstompers and The 3 Suns.
Admission to the concert is $5. Anybody who comes to the show with a donation of food, clothes or blankets gets a dollar off at the door.
Attending the concert is not required for those who would only like to make a donation.

September Say Goodbye working on new, better album

Logan-based alternative rock band September Say Goodbye is currently working on its first full-length album at Tuesday Sound Studio in Logan. The album is being engineered by the studio's owner, Danny Rash.
The band's only other studio release was their 2011 EP You're Lucky it's the Weekend. The band members said they've made a lot of changes since then.
"The new album's a lot grander than the EP," said Colin Geslin, one of the band's guitarists. "We've added another guitarist, which adds a whole new layer to the music. This album's a bigger thing and the lyrics are bolder. We've gotten a lot more used to each other."
"It's kind of been a Frankenstein of ideas," said Preston Jurinak, the band's new guitarist. "Somebody brings ideas to the table and we figure it out together."
The members of September Say Goodbye said they still need to finish writing songs for the album and that they're about halfway done with the recording process.
"We've definitely progressed," said Zach Garner, the lead vocalist for September Say Goodbye. "There isn't just one person doing all the writing; it's collective work."
"I can say what we're working on now is way better than what was on the EP," Geslin said.
The album doesn't have a title yet, but the band plans on finishing recording early in 2014.
The band will be headlining a show at Why Sound this Saturday at 7 p.m. They will be playing at least one song from their upcoming album.
"You're getting the full, deep experience when you see us live," Jurinak said."You'll feel more of that energy when you hear the new full-length album."
Local acts Once the Lion, Burn the Gallows and Derek Simmons will also be performing at the show. Admission is $5 at the door.

High expectations for Starry Night benefit concert

Local musicians will be performing with each other next Friday for Starry Night, a benefit concert put together by Utah State University's Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. The show begins at 7 p.m. at the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Performance Hall on Utah State's campus.
Musicians include music majors at Utah State as well as locals who perform frequently. They will be performing Christmas songs in a wide variety of musical styles.
Joe Hill, vice president of Alpha Tau Omega and signature event chairperson for Starry Night, said that all the performers are talented at the different musical styles they'll be performing.
"I can say with confidence that it will be a highlight of your holiday season," Hill said. "It's a high-caliber event and it's something really worth coming to."
This is the second annual Starry Night concert. Last year's event was arranged by Hill and a friend of his, and was held at a smaller venue.
"A lot of people came out last year and there was a great response for it," said Alex Tirado, a guitarist who will be performing at Starry Night. "The performance hall this year seats about 500 and we're hoping to sell out every seat."
"You don't see a concert of this nature very often," Hill said. "It's very eclectic in nature. There's something in there for everybody."
Tickets are $7 and all proceeds go to Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome, also known as RODS Racing. RODS Racing is a charity that helps facilitate the adoption of orphans with Down Syndrome from other countries into the U.S.
"The price of $7 to get in is something that's very worth the event that you're paying for, if not to help out the worthy cause, just for the enjoyment and entertainment factor," Hill said.
"We strive to make this as high class of an event as possible for a wonderful organization to bring in the Christmas spirit," said Ben McKinnley, charity selector for Starry Night and chaplain for Alpha Tau Omega, a Christian fraternity.
"It is really going to be great," said Caitlin Willey, a vocalists who will be performing that night. "It's a bunch of friends getting together, singing songs and getting into the Christmas spirit. I think the audience will really feel part of that."
Semi-formal dress is required for attendance. Tickets are available now on the event's Facebook page, via the link from seatadvisor.com.

Sarah Olsen talks about new album

Logan singer-songwriter Sarah Olsen recently finished working on her new album and ordered CD copies of it on Thursday. The album, Steal Away, is scheduled to be released in January.
The album was recorded at Why Sound Studio in Logan with mixing and engineering done by Tim Moes.
"I'm really proud of this album," Olsen said. "I put a lot of my soul into it; writing the songs, especially."
"When I recorded, I got to see and hear and feel her music," Moes said. "My appreciation for it only grew more."
Olsen wrote the music and lyrics for all 13 songs on the album. She said she tries to be a lyrically confessional songwriter.
"Sadly, a lot of the songs are about break ups," Olsen said. "That's what I was doing at the time and I felt like I needed that time to cope. Writing songs and performing them is really helpful to me."
Olsen recorded her first album in 2010 and said she loved working on it, but came into the Steal Away production with more direction. "On this one, I feel like I knew what to do and I was really able to articulate what I wanted."
Some of Olsen's musical influences are William Fitzsimmons, Jason Mraz and Sting. The album mostly sounds like acoustic-based folk music.
"I try to write music that isn't entertainment," she said. "I want it to be something explorative that the listener can examine. I hope it sounds therapeutic."
Olsen did the lead vocals and played guitar for Steal Away. She recorded with six different guest musicians for the album. All artists who worked on the album are currently attending Utah State University.
Moes said the production took about three months to complete with scattered recording sessions. "I think it came out really good," Moes said. "She's an awesome singer and great songwriter."
Olsen's next scheduled show is on Dec. 3 at the Chase Fine Arts Center's Black Box Theatre at Utah State. It will be her showcase performance before graduating from her music therapy major.

Friends and locals show support at Noah-palooza

A concert took place 6 p.m. Saturday night at Why Sound in Logan in benefit of Noah Sparks, a high school senior from Preston, Idaho who has recently been severely injured from a car wreck.
Admission was $5 and all the money raised from the show went to the Sparks family to help their financial situation. Michael Sparks, father of Noah Sparks, said he was hoping for a big turnout in regards to moral support.
"Noah's pretty excited about it," he said. "He doesn't think about the money end of it, he's thinking about the social end of it. He likes the idea of all his friends getting together and having a party for him."
Noah Sparks has been hospitalized for the last month with a broken spine and will be in the hospital for at least another two months. He was unable to attend, but he's a music enthusiast and a guitarist himself.
The concert, also known as "Noah-palooza," was arranged by Dayne Teigeler, a local music fan and personal friend of the Sparks family.
"Knowing members in bands and having connections in town with Why Sound, I thought I could throw it together," Teigeler said. "It's not only for a good cause, it's a type of involvement."
"Noah likes the music aspect of it and this is something he's been anticipating," Michael Sparks said. "It's not really a fundraiser, it's an event."
The first band to perform at Noah-palooza was a group of Noah Sparks's friends who have played guitar with him throughout high school. Michael Sparks said this was the first time the group has ever played onstage for an audience.
"It feels good to be able to do something for Noah," said Sage Dursteler, a guitarist from the group. "It's a really good opportunity for us too, because we're getting our work out there."
Local bands Resistor Radio and HilKat Johnson also performed at the concert, by invitation from Teigeler. "Everybody's got their challenges," he said. "We just need to try to work with each other and make each other better."
Teigeler video-recorded parts of the show and sent them to Noah Sparks throughout the evening. There was a poster and a drum head displayed that audience members could sign for Noah Sparks to keep.
Teigeler said there were approximately 30 people in attendance, including about 10 people visiting from the Sparks's hometown. He also said an event like Noah-palooza is likely to happen the same time next year.

The Red Light Commandos "come together" and find their sound on debut EP

Logan-based band The Red Light Commandos released their first album last Saturday.
The album is a self-titled EP, mixed and engineered by Why Sound's studio manager Tim Moes. Most of the recording was done at Why Sound Studio in Logan.
"They're starting to come together as a band," Moes said. "In the studio, I could see the cohesiveness starting to develop."
Everyone in The Red Light Commandos has differing, unique musical influences. The band's bassist Colton Anderson said that combining these influences is what makes the EP particular.
"We still apply it together and make it all meld with our sound," Anderson said.
Even though this is The Red Light Commandos' first physical recording release, members of the band have recording experience with separate projects that have different sounds.
"We're trying to make completely original music, which is really hard," said Sammy Pond, the lead singer for the band. "I feel like we're really getting our own sound on the EP. We're becoming more original and sounding more like ourselves."
Pond wrote the lyrics to all the songs on the EP and said most of the music was written by the band's guitarist and distinctively youngest member, Josh Mikesell. Their collective sound has often been compared to alternative and progressive rock artists Incubus and The Mars Volta. 
"The guitar style is very technical; it's not so radio-friendly," Pond said. "It's more of an acquired taste that grows on you."
Pond said that he tries to display strong imagery in his lyrics. "My writing style is more developed than on any other CD I've put out; it's a lot more personal" he said. 
"I was happy with this project," Moes said. "They're a really talented band. They work really well together as agroup and they've gotten really solid."
"Now we have something we can sell at shows," Anderson said. "Hopefully that turns into making more CDs."
The Red Light Commandos have already sold some copies of their EP with an album-release concert at Why Sound last Saturday. The band has music available digitally on its Facebook page and on soundcloud.com.

My New Mistress release debut album at concert in Logan

Local band My New Mistress released its first studio album on Friday with a concert at Why Sound in Logan.

The concert started at 7:30 p.m. It was headlined by My New Mistress and included performances by local bands Once the Lion, The Romp Stompers and Chucks.

“It was phenomenal,” said Adam Brown, the drummer for My New Mistress. “It was one of the best local shows I’ve seen in a long time. Great crowd, full house, everybody was into it; good atmosphere.”

“There’s been wonderful support tonight,” said Robert Linton, booking manager for Why Sound. “It’s good to bring people together, not only for the music, but to promote the new CD.”

The album is a self-titled, five-song EP that was recorded at Secret Sidewalk Recording Studios in Salt Lake City with producer Matt Winegar.

Winegar has been recording for over 20 years and has worked with artists such as The Aquabats and Primus. He is currently producing an album with Salt Lake City-based band Royal Bliss.

“It’s not only our baby, it’s his too,” said Doug Callahan, My New Mistress’ bassist. “He got his hands on every inch of this project. He was a great person to have on our team.”

“We really spent our time trying to get a good recording done on the release,” said Jeremy Harper, the band’s lead singer and guitarist. “We tried to get the best quality EP.”

Harper wrote the lyrics for the songs on the album. “A lot of the inspiration is from relationships, life experiences or just not giving up on things,” he said.

The band members said they recorded the five songs that represented them best for the EP. “I think it’s really good work,” Brown said. “We put something together that we’re all proud of and the songs are catchy. I have little kids and even they sing along with the songs when I play it at home.”

Callahan said his favorite song from the EP is “Adam from the Bible (Don’t Give Up)” because it gets him pumped up. Harper’s favorite track is “Benson.” “It’s quite a bit different than anything I’ve recorded over the years in other bands I’ve been in,” he said. “This one really turned out like I envisioned it in my mind.”

The album is currently available digitally on online music-streaming services like Spotify, iTunes and Amazon MP3. “It’s available digitally pretty much everywhere; you can find it somewhere,” Callahan said. On Nov. 19, physical copies will be available to purchase on Amazon.

“These guys are a great band,” said Linton, who has watched My New Mistress perform at Why Sound multiple times. “It’s fun to see them finally reach the point where they release a new album. It just shows their progression as a band.”

“We’re a new band; it’s not like we’re the biggest thing since sliced bread,” Harper said. “We’re just getting started, getting our feet wet and trying to get our music heard.”

“We’ll continue writing more songs; we’ve got some that still need to be recorded,” Brown said. “While we’re doing that, we’ll try to do some more shows. We’re trying to get some out of town.”

The next scheduled My New Mistress show is on Nov. 30 at The Venue in Salt Lake City. After the holiday season, the band plans on touring through Idaho, Nevada, Arizona and possibly more states.

Bronze Museum take break from recording to play at Beats for Bonnie

Logan band Bronze Museum will be playing a concert with other local artists tonight to support Beats for Bonnie, a local charity event. The show will be at the Lundstrom Student Living Center on Utah State University’s campus and starts at 7 p.m.

Beats for Bonnie is one of many events scheduled throughout the month for the Beards for Bonnie benefit. Beards for Bonnie is a fundraiser ran by Utah State students that raises money to help a student’s mother, Bonnie Telford, pay medical bills for her Stage 3 breast cancer treatments.

“We believe it’s a good cause,” said Nathan Dukatz, the drummer for Bronze Museum. “We actually passed up a different show to do this one.”

Bronze Museum has been taking a break from shows for writing and recording. “It hasn’t been much of a break; we’ve been busier than ever,” said the band's guitarist, Devon Smith.

The band is working in the studio with local musician and producer Benjamin Wilson and plan on releasing a four-song EP some time next year.

“We’ve recorded three demos before, but this is going to be the best one,” said the band's bassist, Conor Flynn.

“It’s sounding really good,” Dukatz said. “Once we get this done, we hope to do more shows and get more involved with the music scene.”

Bronze Museum has a radio show with Utah State’s student radio station Aggie Radio every Wednesday at 2 p.m. The show is called Morning Museum in the Afternoon and focuses on playing music from local artists as well as live acoustic performances of their own music.

Beats for Bonnie was organized by Taylor Telford, daughter of Bonnie Telford and events scheduler for Beards for Bonnie.

“It’s going to be really fun,” Taylor Telford said. “It’s a really cheap way to have fun and donate to a good cause.”

Bronze Museum will be performing as well as Logan-based acts Racecar Racecar, Rope and solo artist Taylor Wilson. Following the live acts, there will be a dance party with music provided by local DJs Mathis Farnsworth and Alex Moser. Admission is $3 and the event ends at midnight.

“I love going to concerts and seeing local bands,” Taylor Telford said. “I also love dance parties, and I wanted to make this the kind of party I would go to.”

The next Beards for Bonnie event is a bake sale on Saturday at 9 a.m., which will be held on the corner of 200 N. and Main Street outside the Cache County Corporation building.

The Wasatch Fault release debut album

Local band The Wasatch Fault released its first album on Oct. 24. The album is titled The Wasatch Fault and was recorded by Sandy-based producer Robert LeCheminant.

The band is partially Logan-based, with three of the band’s four members living in Salt Lake City and one in Logan. They’ve been a band since October of last year.

The recording for the album was done at a house in Orem. Aaron McCuiston, the drummer for The Wasatch Fault and the band’s sole Logan member, said the recording process took about five months.

“I got all of my tracks done within five or six hours,” McCuiston said. “The rest of the recording, as far as bass guitar, guitar, effects and mixing, took another couple of months.”

"I previously played in a band with the drummer,” LeCheminant said. “He’s got to be one of the best in the state.”

“It’s the first good album I’ve ever been a part of,” said Tyler Gilvarry, lead singer and guitarist for The Wasatch Fault. “This is the first thing I’ve actually put my entire heart and soul into. I’m very proud of it.”

LeCheminant is currently a member of a Salt Lake City band called L’anarchiste and said he’s fairly new to recording music. He did all the recording, producing and mixing for the record. “They gave me a lot of creative control and I feel like the end product turned out really well, so I can't thank them enough for trusting me that much,” he said.

Gilvarry and McCuiston originally formed The Wasatch Front after being in a band together previously. “We were talking about starting a new project and setting the bar higher for ourselves, as far as melody and rhythm goes, and made it a little more complex,” McCuiston said.

All songs on The Wasatch Fault were written by Gilvarry except for “Monster Falcon,” which was written by McCuiston.

Gilvarry said his lyrics were influenced by Taoist teachings and transcendentalist poets like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. “It’s about the more positive aspects of metaphysical things,” he said. “Being outside and going on hikes in the Wasatch mountains influences a lot of stuff as well.”

Two tracks on the album, “Demon Angel of Honesty” and “Baker’s Chocolate,” were written about David Charles Baker, a man from the Salt Lake City area who was arrested last fall after placing fake explosives on his driveway. “’Baker’s Chocolate’ is a song we play at every show, it’s very special to us,” McCuiston said.

McCuiston and Gilvarry said some bands that influence their musical style include The Dodos, The Dismemberment Plan and Modest Mouse. “I don’t think there’s a bunch of stuff in the Utah music scene that sounds like we sound,” Gilvarry said. “It’s good for people who like who like good, loud, aggressive indie rock.”

The band has pressed 50 CD copies of its self-titled album and has sold 15 so far. “We know the best thing for us to be doing is to play as many shows as possible and advertise the shows, because we usually get a high volume of traffic on our website after a show,” McCuiston said. “We’re hoping for the best as far as word-of-mouth goes, with people sharing links online.”

“We usually get 20 to 30 people at a show,” Gilvarry said. “We’re still kind of new, but we’re steadily growing a bigger following.”

The Wasatch Fault will be performing at Why Sound in Logan on Thursday, sharing a bill with Logan-based band Racecar Racecar and Salt Lake City’s And I, the Lion. McCuiston said he and his band plan on playing nine songs from The Wasatch Fault. “It’s going to be very good show and we’re going to go all-out,” he said. The show starts at 8 p.m. and admission costs $5.

The Wasatch Fault’s debut album is $5 for a physical copy. The album is also streaming online for free on the band’s bandcamp.com website.