saltlakemusic
Gavin's Struggle to Remain Interesting · 34 days ago
Utah’s Gayest Bar No Longer a Secret
.
my sister made this badboy in Broderbund’s Paint Shop Pro or something
With my pimphand strong from constant stroking of the scene’s metaphorical wiener, I forwarded that out of town promoter’s suggestions and ideas to the trashbin with an enthusiastic “Click.” After a close call while investigating the local underground scene, however; I decided to travel the path of least resistance. I was accosted in a local underground parking lot (ironically) by Asian gang members, they had katana blades, I think they were Asian. “THAT’S SO RAVEN!” I screamed as they cut me to near ribbons with their locally made and manufactured blades and later refusing to be interviewed. Local underground enthusiasts like these don’t seem to understand the unlimited local power of the underground Gavinverse. Sometimes, as I gaze at my reflection during my semi-weekly shave, transforming myself into an Esper, soaring above the cities underground, I search. Combing the shadows for that one groundbreaking, out of control interview. As I look to the West I see the rescinding flames of dusk, the phoenix rising from daylights fallen embers beyond the vanity, and from it’s ashes: A shaving lubricant locally known as “Barbasol.”
Gavin: Barbasol, you have been in the local shaving scene for some time now, but were manufactured in Dublin, Ohio. You appeared in several commercials in the late nineties, and even sister Dottie Dixon, a local alternative celebrity faux character from the underground scene in Salt Lake City’s underground nightlife elite makes numerous references to your connection with the LDS alternative contempory underground missionary scene. Tell us a little about that?
BBS: Beard Buster BARBASOL, thick & rich shaving cream. Original.
Gavin: So how is it you came to be such a household name in the Utah local shaving scene?
BBS: Barbasol Original Shave Cream’s rich, thick lather moisturizes and lubricates even the toughest beard for a clean, close, comfortable shave. Its special formula and quality ingredients make Barbasol Beard Buster America’s premium shave cream.
Gavin: If you remember our last blog interview what seems like forever ago, well in retrospect I think its safe to say that you were struggling under the pressure, is that right?
BBS: Contents under pressure. Do not puncture or incinerate. Do not heat for warm lather or any other purpose. Do not keep where temperature will exceed 110 degrees. Keep out of reach of children.
Gavin: Ha ha, Oh we will. Do you have any other advice for the readers out there in the local Utah underground nightlife shaving and alternative missionary buzzword web jazz producer bicycle scene who are interested in a close, comfortable shave?
BBS: Wash face with warm water. Leave Wet. 2. Shake can and hold upright. 3. Press top to release lather. For best results use gentle strokes with a sharp razor to avoid irritation. Rinse the blade often during shaving.
Gavin: Anything else you want to plug?
BBS: www.barbasol.com
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NUMBS, Mark Dago, The Womp Rats · 42 days ago
The World
Earthburn Records 2010 Music Sampler
Numbs certainly have extended their roots in Utah, and hip-hop in general. I received the new Earthburn Music’s “The World” tarot disc in the mail the other day which, much to my delight, contained not only samples of the forthcoming new 2010 Numbs album, but two equally exciting spin-off groups with the same Numbs members (Shanty, Mark Dago, Gunner, and Rooster) we’ve come to know and respek! The two new projects “Mark Dago” and “Womp Rats” satiate a geek’s need for innovative concepts, littered with Star Wars references, 8-bit plugins and digital delay. Shawn Murphy (Shanty) seems to take more of a producer role in 2010, and his pro activeness is audibly missing on all three projects. So was this a good listen, or more of the same ol’ shiz from these Provo boys? Keep reading to find out.
Numbs in 2010 is all about wild west references and 4/4 breaks being prevalent but not outstanding.Although the overall flow seems sluggish, much of the topical fleetiness and tangents present on previous albums gives way to concise utilitarian conversation. There seems to be a mental calm and wise demeanor worn on all 3 Mc’s (could it be because they are pushing 30+ years old?) in this album. Each song contains its own unique theme: one is dub-oriented, the other is true hip-hop. The bond holding each beat together is…FUNK?! I find that interesting for some reason. This new format seems to encompass just enough progressiveness to enhance a very solid, very present Numbs foundation of extremely positive, extremely real microphone mechanics. I hope and expect that will never change. Its clear that on this newest Numbs creation that both MCs and beatsmiths are mindful of both new and old fans of Numbs, as well as aging hip-hop purists in general.
Mark Dago’s solo stuff is much more innovative and melodic than Numbs. I’m glad its been isolated to its own project too, especially since the very first song “Get Steady” illustrates the difficulties in trying to fuse his unique cadence with melodic beats. The scale and progression on this one song conflicts disastrously with the natural pitch of Dago’s voice. Otherwise: great stuff, but its a pretty big problem for an opening track for a brand new project. “Alright” is a perfect example of how a carefully chosen melody can mate well Dago’s cyclic tones, almost the exact opposite of the “Get Steady” result. Lyrically speaking: Dago’s is a passionate MC with obvious New Jersey ties but willfully acknowledges his preference for the worker bee, western mindset. He’s very real and fun, the kind of MC everyone wants to collaborate with.
Womp Rats is an concoction of Numbs gabber and Shanty’s “Aerotank” period, in which he explores the world of digital beats and riffs. I daresay this might be the first documented Shanty experimental hip-hop we’ve ever heard. Sadly, the track “Superrats” might be the only noteworthy track on this, what seemed a quickly thrown together section of the sampler, but somehow I can see how its effectiveness at getting people excited to hear the full album when it drops this winter.
That’s kind of what I’m feeling overall from earthburn, they’ve teased just enough with this sampler to get me excited about at least some of what their doing. What comes out of the speaker is undeniable progress, be it slow. Numbs have been around and in the zone for some time now, and although I’m hearing good things, when measured against their earlier albums with Gabe Martinez there’s not a whole lot of change to speak of, in some ways they’ve even gone backwards. When they do try to shake things up like on their 2007 release Nfinity, disaster strikes. So now every member of the group has their own pet project and avenue for growth, while Numbs keeps doing what they’ve done from day one, but doing it better one day and one positive message at a time.
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Warsampler · 142 days ago
This article contains basic principles and applications of the warsampler keyboard and Warriorbox sampler software. If you are already familiar with the warsampler, and want to get started by downloading the free software click here. If you are a musician and you wish to contribute samples and/or keyboard configurations to the newest version of Warriorbox, contact saltlakemusic.com at gmail.com. If you wish to submit a warriorbox version 1 feat Cloud Warrior remix click here.
The warsampler is useful in that it adds physical manipulation to otherwise intangible software. It requires separate production of the samples, whereas traditional samplers can record and play. That doesnt mean this device cant write music, but because it requires ready made samples it becomes less convenient than some other devices. Finally: the Warsampler is composed of everyday materials, costing virtually nothing.
Warriorbox software is the simplest form of Warsampler usage. Written in a scripting language originally created in Delphi, Mac users will need a Windows emulator to run it. When you open the program your keyboard becomes a sample trigger. In the window header you will see “Config A”, in this mode the samples have been arranged for optimal finger manipulation and looping. Pressing pageup/pagedown will toggle “Config B”. In this mode the samples are arranged ontologically, and are all one-shots. To play sample(s) without holding down the key: simply start the sample, making note of the letter or #, and then change modes while it is still playing. To end the sample, simply press and release the same key again in the appropriate mode.
Although laptops are ideal consoles to run Warsampler software, laptop keyboards are confined and less percussive than their desktop counterparts. Even many new desktop keyboards will limit the number of samples that can be played at one time, therefore; older keyboards with responsive keys tend to work best for beginners. When you become comfortable with one type of keyboard surface, try another. Try different elevations, sitting and standing. Employ straps, harnesses and stands if necessary, this will help you develop a style of your very own.
to download warriorbox 1.0 click here
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Hulk vs The Incredible Hulk · 283 days ago
Jennifer Connely the movie vs Liv Tyler the movie. Better yet, who could calm down Hulk quicker in a giant green penis eating contest? In this review we take a traditional comic book nerd stance against two of Marvel’s most successful films, and try to figure out ultimately what might happen in the Hulk tried to have sex with scientist Betty. The results might amaze you. Hulk (2003) was a highly decorated film nominated for 8 Academy Awards (i hear those are worth like tens of dollars). With a lineup of Danny Elfman, Jennifer Connely, Jennifer Connely and Jennifer Connely. This movie can seemingly not lose. Then five years later a much more pragmatic take, the Incredible Hulk (2008) raised the bar for comic book films yet again, with a dynamic story arc reminiscent of the first but clearly standing free of aesthetic style and even physics of the first. Stay with me.
Hulk (2003)
In this movie scientist Dr. Bruce Kirschner or something (Eric Bana), leads a team of contracted pioneer scientists in NOT battlefield applications, but “practical” applications of a special artificial enzyme called “nanomedz”. Nanomeds are stupid, and nobody thought that through, but it sounded really cool at one time…ok moving on. His girlfriend and co-scientist and super fucking sexy Jennifer Connely um, Betty, struggle to meet a deadline to prove to their constituates that their petmedz can help heal lizards and goats and shit, i dunno. They are doing science stuff and computer images are flashing and shit goes down and of course, Bruce Kirschner or whatever his name is, rushes in to help and for some reason feels compelled to take the brunt of the gamma rays to try and save his buddy, who doesnt even thank him. His friend and several other so-called friends kindof float in and out of the first half hour of the picture doing sciency stuff that my buddy Brian probably knows all about but i have no idea…but it looks way cool.
Bruce somehow survives the accident, somehow the petmedz worked and they helped heal him, even though fucking sexy Dr. Betty cries and shes like “but they have killed everything we used them on” or something, damn she’s stupid, i love it. For a scientist, Dr. Science lady walks REALLY REALLY slow. She also wears high heels at the lab which is cool too, come to think about it she really isnt essential to this part of the story whatsoever, anywho. Eventually we discover that Bruce Kirschner is actually the JANITORS SON! (Nick Nolte) David Banner reveals himself. He’s been sifting his once adopted sons trash and trying to recreate his work at home on poodles and pitbulls using a bong and a broken glowstick. It worked tho, you gotta hand it to him he’s a crazy ol bastard.
Eric Bana’s eyes get real big in this film and he makes these awesome pouty face, angry face, pouty face, angry face excersizes (see below)
to save another paragraph lets just say Nick Nolte plays a great Nick Nolte and Sam Elliot plays a good Sam Elliot, eventually maybe or maybe not gets killed by Hulk, no spoilers in this bitch yet. Hulk is a good interpretation of the comics, but not only that, a good enterpretation of comic book graphic styles in general. Whats really unique about Hulk is that it explores the character of Hulk as a psychic being, something only few comic writers bothered exploring, but Ang Lee was able to communicate volumes in a single dream sequence quite effectively. The patchwork of the story is pretty sad, evident when the Hulk starts dreaming and in the dream is David Banner. Its not meant to make sense really, and its a pretty easy story with rather simple characters, and the film makers really managed not to fuck with a good thing when they made this one.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
This film takes place in a separate reality from the first, but 3-5 years later from the timeline indicated in the first film. In this film Bruce Banner (Ed Norton) has escaped Betty’s Dad, General Ross, and fleed to Brazil where he works in a bottling company. We quickly see some foreshadowing as Bruce sits during the opening credits in Jui-Jitsu class, trying some breathing excersizes, monitoring his heart rate. He communicates with an anonymous “Mr. Blue” on the interweb, trying to find a cure for his gamma radiation problem (which we know very little about), under the alias “Mr. Green” get ready because this film is chuck full of Hulk anecdotes, everything from the “Youre making me angry” puns to the stretchy pants physical comedy, the rule is as follows: if it doesnt cost money, we’ll put it in the film. Ross tracks him down after some of his blood falls in a soda pop (gross and Stan Lee drinks it) they dont bother explaining how they are able to track him down from the soda, but Liv Tyler is in this and, per my opinion, her breasts are immaculate butterface reminds me of Steven “Burnt Lips” Tyler. I’m shallow, moving on.
Ross forms a special team of disposal army guys to go in and get their asses kicked by Bruce Banner because he’s old and incompetent and Ahab-esque. All he wants to do is to use more of Bruce Banner’s soda pop blood to create an army of indestructable angry killers. Thats all. But Bruce is bein stingy and makes his way back to the US to try and cure himself, and in the process runs in to his old lab partner sexy as hell Betty herself. Much more is explored between said lovers, and Bruce Even tries to insert weiner here but retracts when his weiner alarm reaches critical levels. What a dumbass, split her in half she’ll dig it! I kid I kid. But no really it would be a one-time dream come true before she drowned in green goo 45 seconds later.
So to save another paragraph, Tim Roth plays the predecessor to Abomination, melo-ridiculously over ambitious Emyl Bronski, one of Hulk’s lamer adversaries. Bringing the only glimmer of respectable acting in the film, but consequently spends as much time being animated, and far less present, than Edward Norton, Roth gets an A+ in special Ed (see Liev Schriber in XMen Origins: Wolverine, for parallels). He also brings to the table a posture and upper build like a jewish boy with skoliosis, even after spraypaint is applied. I will venture to say they could not have casted a better actor for such a terrible role. I take it back. If they wouldve casted Ian McKellan as Ed Bronski then it would have been what i just said.
The Truth about Jennifer Connely being so fucking sexy
Why couldnt Eric Bana hulk try that same funky biznass with Jennifer Connely Betty? Eric Bana hulk was actually cattle prodded and punched in the face by wormy army guy Talbot to the point of unconsciousness, and Eric Bana Hulk just refuses to change. Ed Norton Hulk takes 22 hour naps because he’s so scared he might raise his heart levels. Theres alot that goes on to a character when one comic book writer takes on the mantle of another writer, certain implications exist and you have to be sensitive to those. While its understandable that certain concepts are fun to tweak and/or even destroy, there are certain qualities we already expect from the comic book or cartoon hulk. In this regard, both movies are only slightly guilty of said liberties, and notably so for us comic book nerds.
Eric Bana Hulk recieved a genetic mutation from his father, a result of testing the same dangerous gamma radiation experiments 30 years earlier on himself. Not until he is injected with the Nanomedz is his power realized. The unique ability to absorb gamma rays allows his petmedz to become active without killing him. Edward Norton Hulk may or may not be trying to cure this same aforementioned “nanomedz” but instead trying to cure himself of the mutation his father gave him maybe? Neither film does a good job of going beyond the “lab experiment gone wrong” superhero scenario. And so what? Its supposed to be Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde.
Speaking of which, Eric Bana Hulk portrays a much deeper, more complicated “Hulk scenario” in which it is explained by nurse hot as fuck that the nanomedz are causing the transformation as a result of trying to heal “emotional” scars. While making little or no sense its an interesting twist, and a noble but failed attempt at transfering a difficult comic book concept onto the screen. Similar failed attempts occur in Edward Norton’s Hulk, as Bruce Banner tries ever cheesily to walk the streets a lone walker man, hiding his face behind a baseball cap. I’ve seen good films with Ed Norton but he’s just too pretty to pull this off. The kindof grimey street walking scientist Bruce Banner turns into comes off as a spoiled, paranoid tourist at best, and just has too much energy and not enough cool.
Eric Bana Hulk has several levels of angriness: pissed, pissed off, and whoa that dude is so pissed. Each time he gets angrier he grows by another 50% or so, and seems to have more and more power in every imagineable way. This fulfills the fundamental Hulk theology in which the only way to beat him is to stop pissing him off. Ed Norton Hulk better fulfills the Mr. Hyde theory in the sense that Banner does NOT enjoy the transformation, and wants to destroy it altogether, becoming his own worst enemy. This is in opposition to the Eric Bana Hulk, which hates the transformation but loves the feeling of power, which satisfies a very abstract but still psychological presense.
While the dogma might be fundamentally different, the stories run along side eachother quite well, in a circle that leads nowhere fast. In both films the Hulk finds himself a god in a world where the only person who can stop him is his girlfriend, and this is where the audience can feel the psychology, the so called turmoil. Kudos to Eric Bana for giving it a good run with the tortured damaged scientist smartass. Whereas Edward Norton pretty much just…plays a good Edward Norton. After two films its hard to expect anything more than some elastic Eric Bana faces or Ed Norton casuality, and certainly some disposable badguy that flickers in and out of the story, from the next.
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Concordance · 288 days ago
1h86335
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=520
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-5063-music-local-cd-revue-death-by-salt-vol-4.html
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-4383-being-will-sartain.html
http://www.last.fm/music/1h86335
http://www.myspace.com/1h86335
http://www.myspace.com/1heart6335
http://media.switchpod.com/users/circus/iheart6335.mp3
http://www.amazon.com/Exumbrella-Records-Advertisement-No-1/dp/B000QQZVES
A Balance of Power
http://www.myspace.com/balanceofpower01
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8WbGmgZH24
Afro Omega
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=6785803
http://www.myspace.com/afroomega
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Afro-Omega/119069741207
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3CGTmadg-s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hznn6IWQdpw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkqFCP5LLBU&feature=player_embedded
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/afroomega
Anthony Vanvranken
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=120
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-4756-cd-revue.html
http://www.last.fm/music/a.vanvranken/+tracks
http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/pelpp+and+a.vanvranken/+tracks
http://www.myspace.com/avanvranken
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teVTh8XpQFo&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycGSZyrgCjM&feature=player_embedded
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/slugmag2
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/avanvranken2
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/avanvranken3
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/avanvranken
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/blog-1402-a-vanvraken-cosm.html
A O D L
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=366
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=405
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=346
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-5063-music-local-cd-revue-death-by-salt-vol-4.html
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-4720-local-cd-revue.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0kyACNrimE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W8M3J6fj3M
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-5063-music-local-cd-revue-death-by-salt-vol-4.html
http://www.cdbaby.com/Search/YW9kbA%3d%3d/0
http://redlightslc.com/Red%20Light%20Sound.html
http://www.archive.org/details/rive048
http://euc.cx/toulouse/archives/2004/01/26/94_the_aodl_way.html
Aye Aye
http://www.myspace.com/ayeaye2
http://www.xmission.com/%7Emjb/astar/music/SlyAye-HigherGround.mp3
http://www.xmission.com/%7Emjb/astar/music/AyeAye-Sarah.mp3
http://www.xmission.com/%7Emjb/astar/music/AyeAye-SourgrapeBlues.mp3
http://slugmag.com/article.php?id=1201&s=undefined
http://forestgospel.blogspot.com/2008/02/aye-aye-saint-delay-and-golden-god.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3dN6OB40OA
http://media.switchpod.com/users/circus/ayeaye.mp3
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-1843-music-local-cd-revue-aye-aye-lionfish-the-upstarts.html
http://cityweeklymusic.blogspot.com/2009/02/cwma-showcase-woodshed.html
http://www.archive.org/details/MichaelBiggsAyeAyebandinNorthSaltLakebackyard
Band of Annuals
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=1509
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=1277
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=1250
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=831
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=1758
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-6799-2009-city-weekly-music-awards.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv7GZME26fg&feature=player_embedded
http://www.inthisweek.com/view.php?id=310629
http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/#/pages/Band-of-Annuals/8851402887
http://www.myspace.com/bandofannuals
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJxrj_dgznY&feature=player_embedded
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18039868
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrH1laNhGCU&feature=player_embedded
http://archives.nodepression.com/2008/05/space-in-numbers/
http://archives.nodepression.com/2008/10/band-of-annuals/
http://inyourspeakers.com/content/interview-band-annuals
http://bandofannuals.blogspot.com/
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/BandofAnnuals
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/annuals2
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/annuals4
http://twitter.com/bandofannuals
http://www.last.fm/music/Band+of+Annuals
Blackhole
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=915
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=678
http://www.slugmag.com/article.php?id=554
http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/article-4322-low-riders.html
http://www.myspace.com/myblackhole
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Points of Interest · 307 days ago
Welcome to Salty Town
Here is the article which explains the ghetto ass map i created which serves as a sort of geographic representation of how we perceive as a network of business’, patrons, and musicians a snapshot of this day in 2009. This is a bit overly specific, but it usefully highlights a few persons, places, or things in Salt Lake that we figure makes up what might constitute a “music scene.” Notably, the situation of music in this region changes day by day and can be interpreted in different ways, so its expected to receive updates at least once a year, preferrably in the fall.
Snapshot: 9-26-09
View Salt Lake Music in a larger map
At the bottom you’ll find a link to download the map of the Salt Lake Valley with corresponding “points of interest” laid out. For the sake of the article, we are defining points of interest as places musicians would find useful in some way. If you’d rather simply navigate the links we included (which are also highlighted on the map), more power to you. Each point of interest has traits identifiable by icons listed in the next paragraph. The Salty Town map, and these icons were made in like five minutes, so back the fuck off Michealangelo. If you find a way to make it better click the contact button Cheech. You dont see you beloved links here yet because I havent uploaded them, but rest assured they will be so awesome when i do. They overshot us R2, buzz droids!
Otherwise, enjoy these links categorized with their own set of cool icons you might find amazing. If you are tempted to eat your screen because of the badass graphics you are about to see please resist, get back on track. Stay with me Wedge.Again, you dont see these links because i havent uploaded them yet. Whats wrong with me? Cant i do anything right? Maybe by tonight. Coo?
Venues
New Song Underground 859 s. 800 e. Salt Lake City UT. 84102
Kilby Court 748 S. Kilby Court, SLC, UT 84101 (801)364-3538
Urban Lounge 241 s. 500 e. Salt Lake City, UT. 84102 (801)746-0557
Liquid Joe’s 1249 E 3300 S, Salt Lake City, UT (801)467-5637
Burt’s Tiki Lounge 726 S State St, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801)521-0572
Club Vegas 445 s 400 w Salt Lake City, UT. 84101 (801)364-8347
The Woodshed 60 E 800 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801) 364-0805
The Dawg Pound 3550 S State Street, Salt Lake City, UT (801) 261-2337
Five Monkeys 7 E 4800 S Murray, UT 84107 (801)266-1885
The Avalon 3605 South State Street, Salt Lake City, UT (801)266-0258
Slowtrain 221 E Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT (801)364-2611
Nobrow Coffee & Tea 315 e. 300 s. Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801)364-3448
High Point Coffee 1735 w 7800 s West Jordan, UT 84088
Beehive Tea Room 12 w. Broadway Salt Lake City, UT. 84101
Club Edge 615 n 400 w. Salt Lake City, UT. 84103 (801)755-6389
Huka Bar 151 e 6100 s. Murray UT. 84107 (801)281-4852
Hookah Lounge 268 S Main St Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801)521-4442
The Depot 400 w South Temple Salt Lake City, UT. 84101 (801)355-5522
Mo’s Bar and Grill 358 S West Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801)359-0586
Zanzibar 679 S 200 W, Salt Lake City, UT (801)746-0590
Library Square 210 E 400 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801)524-8200
Other Venues
The Fifth (Bountiful) 980 N 500 W Bountiful, UT 84010 (801)295-9983
Muse (Provo) 151 N University Ave Provo, UT 84601 (801)377-6873
Brewskis (Ogden) 244 25th St Ogden, UT 84401 (801)394-1713
Star Bar (Park City) 268 Main St, Park City, UT 84060 (435) 615-7588
Slug Magazine 351 Pierpont Ave # 4B Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801)487-9221
City Weekly 248 S Main St Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801)575-7003
In Magazine 4770 S 5600 W Salt Lake City, UT 84118 (801)204-6500
Electronic Publications
The Salt Shaker
Provo Podcast
The Local Landing
Gavin’s Underground
The Awkward Hour
Merchants
Positively 4th Street Music 249 e. 400 s. Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801)531-8181
Graywhale CD 208 S 1300 E Salt Lake City, UT 84102 (801) 583-9626
Mechanized 511 W 200 S # 140 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801)521-5979
Slowtrain 221 E Broadway Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (801)364-2611
Communications
KRCL 90.9 1971 W North Temple Salt Lake City, UT 84116 (801)363-1818
KBER 101.1 434 Bearcat Dr Salt Lake City, UT 84115 (801)570-5237
Utah FM.org 380 W 200 S, Suite 101 Salt Lake City, UT 84101 (801)878-0506
PCTV PO Box 2877 Park City, UT 84060 (435)649-0045
Print Version
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Bump Machine · 350 days ago
The bump machine will help tell you what to think and when to think it. Every two weeks (and/or as needed) a new set of bumps will carry you into a new era of melancholia. If bump machine goes away in six months please preserve your tears in a jar to be used as evidence in a later bump series. To promote your event on the bump machine just get in touch with us on Myspace.com or Facebook. Feedback is appreciated.
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Nolens Volens "Nolens Volens" · 397 days ago
A FUN SUMMER ALBUM
Nolens Volens’ newest party pizza appropriately titled “Nolens Volens”, remains loyal to older stuff while cutting ground with improved methods and tools. The same colorful sort of of sound bits collected for Sound Has Let Us Down, set a starter of paint on the pallette to mix with, creating a beautifully quilted piece of music Americana. Spanish Trumpets on #4, “Mezzokind” each song built upwards from a distinct half or split second anthem. Each song is methodical and easy to enjoy on a primitive level. Long, drawn out crescendos, introductions and finales made it an exciting but not orgasmic listening experience. From the first to last moment: the craftsmanship of composition and live accompaniment, full of moogy, macintosh voiced athleticism, “Nolens Volens” rebuilds faith in an underwater society our fathers dreamed of. Also, if you hold the cd artwork up to a light with the inner cover facing you it looks quite awesome. Elitist Nick Foster and Non Non remixes are complimentary to Andrew Glasset(Nolens Volens) and the album’s overall sonic theme. All of these artists can lift drum beats like weights. Even the cover art is like staring into the sun.
http://www.billygoatdatabase.com/
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Virtual Reality: Virtually Delete Yourself · 703 days ago
Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence
Reg Barclay, a popularized character in the popular 90’s science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, has more than a few neuroticisms which brings his character to life. For one thing, Reg is autistic; he’s socially challenged and unable to communicate verbally with his fellow crew members, impeded consistently by an annoying stutter that even 200 years in the future, medical treatment is apparently unable to fix. Reg is also a low ranking computer programmer, whose idea of an exciting day is staring into a computer screen in a lonely corner of the spaceship’s engineering deck, making little or no contact with the ship’s crew. Finally, in addition to being an overly sensitive recluse, Reg is addicted to a fantasy world he uses to escape reality using a holographic room called the” holodeck,” which is more typically used by crew members to simulate pleasant vacations, whereas Reg uses this computer generated world as a compensator for his many insecurities and personality flaws. It’s no wonder that Reg is addicted, since in this fantasy world Reg can feel the things he so desperately needs in his daily life, he can simply alter reality to whatever he wishes, becoming an important ship’s captain, an outstanding lover, anything he wants. But when it comes time to return to work at his station, Reg has to face the reality as known by the average, run of the mill computer programmer.
During the 1990’s Reg represented a growing public interest in an explosive new technology called Virtual Reality, which is best described as immersive computer generated stimulation where the user is posited in an computer generated world, and provided means to interact with objects in this place. In 1995 a british investor specializing in computer entertainment, foreseeing the awesome increase in public interest in VR dropped millions of dollars in a small firm in Palo Alto, California called Virtuality(II), in hopes to marry the growing technology with the growing multimedia trends portrayed on television and movies (Lawnmower Man (IV), a movie starring Pierce Brosnan depicted VR technology as a medium to unlock psychic powers innate in humans through advanced learning techniques) which would result in major capital gains for those who pioneered such research and development. This, however, proved not to be the case.
Virtuality created a new arcade game in which the user wore a helmet that sent visual images to the user, who could turn their head and see a three dimensional environment, and use a variety of methods to maneuver through the computer generated scenery, typically by leaning forward on a small stationary platform, or using hand-held joysticks. At 30,000 dollars per machine these games were a significant investment for even the most lucrative arcade store owner; the average price passed onto the consumer to play being roughly one to five dollars per minute, access was limited to an older audience with a heftier penchant for video games, and a loftier disposable income than the average arcade-going kid. What Virtuality would quickly discover, is that this sort of audience simply didn’t exist, and that their expensive games were extremely prone to malfunction and required high maintenance, and within two years of their conception, and after releasing less than a dozen titles for their console, including less than popular titles like Pac-Man 3D, Dactylmania, and Alphaworld (the more popular and violent first person shooter game produced which involved two users playing interactively trying to shoot unimpressive enemies like flying eyeballs), Virtuality filed chapter 11. Almost as quickly as the VR trend had appeared, it vanished with nothing but a few crappy video games and an army of broke investors to show for it.
Morton Heilig, had he been alive to witness it, might’ve warned investors against the danger of getting swept away in media trends. Heilig created a similar financial Frankenstein in 1962 called Sensorama, which enabled the user to sit down in an immersive multi sensational experience of riding a motorcycle through the streets of New York City. The user strapped on 3d glasses which supplemented visual immersion, small blowers shot air out at strategic times to give the illusion of feeling accompanied by rumbling handlebars that seemed to react according the cinematography, and even typical motorist odors were emitted by small pumps near the users face. Despite it’s creative innovation, Sensorama, like it’s postern Virtuality, found no audience and quickly died out without making a dime.
Although VR seems to have squelched into nothingness since the 1990’s, headstrong gaming manufacturers continue innovations with multimedia, this time around with a renewed skepticism in consumer appeal. But although VR seems to hit the general public hardest in the form of games, this is only the proverbial “tip of the ice burg,” and although not too many video gamers latched onto the limited appeal of VR, the United States government was quick to solicit those responsible for the growing technology and became extremely willing to fund further research, not in the game medium this time, but in three very diverse applications which are still being used and developed by branches of the Armed Forces and by the National Aeronautics and Space Institute to this day.
The Battlefield Augmented Reality System, or BARS, represents a culmination in virtual reality resulting in all too economical application of the same technology developed by Heilig in 1962. Not to be confused with the more simplified VRBS system which trains green recruits in field combat using the same gaming principles found in flight simulators, the BARS is a system which the Naval Research Laboratory in DC hopes will empower soldiers in a way which will change the entire idea of urban warfare, by equipping them with a transparent heads-up-display which is able to project critical data overtop of tangible objects. A soldier equipped with BARS might be able to see a well-hidden sniper superimposed onto their visual field based on the feedback of from other BARS units, combined with satellite data and other contributing inputs. The BARS prototypes, or at least those that have been declassified dating back as far as 1997, relied on technology that prevented real world application; the ability of the unit to synchronize positions and therefore project images accurately required a finite space, a square room filled with active sensors. New technology has enabled geo-synchronization on an entirely new level, predictably reducing the size of the units to small backpack and a helmet. The advantages a soldier equipped with this backpack include literally seeing through objects that the enemy cannot, never getting lost in mazes of urban rubble by following visual aids which coordinate with instant external inputs, and continuously updating information being fed onto the display such as textual data, maps, and virtually unlimited technical data which requires nothing on the part of the user to obtain. It should be noted that BARS is not fictional, but indeed very real technology which could prove to change the outcome of urban combat in years to come.
Not all perpetual applications of VR are violent in nature. Reg Barclay, the fictional autistic computer programmer we spoke of earlier, designed Holodeck personalities that satisfied higher needs as well. One particular instance proved extremely embarrassing for Reg when the ship’s captain intruded on his romantic holodeck fantasy with the beautiful Counselor Troi. Although we may blush to imagine what the future of virtual reality holds in terms of sexuality, perhaps a day will come when cyber-sex becomes so indistinguishably real that it will influence our arousal in the same addictive manner that it influenced Reg Barclay. Teledildonics is a field of VR in development which is aims to make it’s product economical by limiting it’s personal application to only those who lack a sexual desire, which means almost no adult can fail to see the appeal of virtual sex. “Josey,” a student at the University of Utah, and a member of the Utah chapter of the liberal group AASG, American Artificial Sexuality Group, told the magazine Hustler in a recent interview “We’re on the verge of a sexual revolution; masturbation is no longer looked down upon in our society, in another decade cybersex could be the same way.” He argues unabashedly that masturbation is a necessary part of sexual development, and although there’s is a significant risk for addiction, cybersexual play allows people access to a safe and typically healthy method of experimentation. As cybersex becomes more sophisticated and immersive, it could continue to build on this growing medium of sexual experimentation, and create a new brand of social deviants like Josey and Reg Barclay with a less traditional sexual preference.
Pleasure, although not always sexual in nature, seems to be the major motivator in non-violent applications of VR. Dr. Bruce Blumberg, head of the Media Laboratory at MIT, developed a new sort of VR application in 1999 called “Silas.” Silas is the name of a dog created in yet another immersive computer generated world, this one much more sophisticated than that predecessors. Users can interact with an enormous variety of objects in this virtual world, but none are so complex and interactive as Silas T. Dog, who displays all the intense emotional needs and behaviors as a real dog. If the user pays attention to the hampster, Silas becomes jealous and tries to redirect their attention. If the user abuses the animal, it shrinks out of sight and will be reluctant to approach the user until trust is restored. Here’s a completely different type of application of virtual reality grounded in research, which finds it’s funding necessitated through social psychology. Silas, while appearing like another video game, is far from just another form of interactive entertainment. The user quickly understands this when they hold still for too long and the dog loses interest, or when the user pretends to throw the ball and quickly hides it behind their back and watches the dog scramble to discover the discrepancy, then returns to the user with curiosity. Silas exhibits intelligent behavior, the same seen in real animals, and although the graphics transmitted to the user haven’t reached the immersive authenticity of a Holodeck simulation, the latent social interaction between the user and the program feels no different than the user interacting with a real dog.
Silas represents the newest offspring of technological trends of the new millenium: artificial intelligence. Again gaming platforms are making development practical by sponging funds from special interest investors to perpetuate their research, and again the game industry represents only the very tip of the iceburg. The MIT robotics lab is making major headway in the area of cognitive science by using social interaction with their heuristic machines. “Kismet,” a talking head robot fully equipped with facial expressions and programmed for interactive response requires a technician to supply social stimulation on a regular basis, otherwise it’s working memory slowly fills up with useless data, weakening the desired responses they’ve worked so hard to elicit from the machine. The system that makes up Kismet’s senses allows it to observe and imitate the behavior of others, and although it’s brain is only barely beginning to show the signs of a refined “intelligence,” it exhibits the genuine appearance of interactive personality similar to that of Silas, except Kismet exerts it’s augmented personality into an existing reality, and Silas requires augmented reality in order to exert it’s personality.
AI personalities like Kismet require the interaction of real people in order to learn, which brings us to the final redemptive application of VR: virtual sensation. The same equipment needed to help real people like Reg experience things that they normally couldn’t experience, undistinguishable sensation leading to positive responses that normally wouldn’t exist, can be used inward on the same technology that helped make it possible, and maybe eventually make it better. Kismet and Silas may be two artificial personalities which are very healthy for each other. After all, how many possible scenarios could a small talking head in a laboratory experience? In a virtual world robots like Kismet can experience unlimited opportunities, and therefore create a world of responses without physical limits. Reg Barclay, the fictional holodeck addict, eventually overcame his addiction by finding confidence grounded in achievements in the real world after which his character faded quickly to the background, until he reappeared many seasons later when the ship encountered a strange alien race which threatened the entire crew, Reg stepped up to the task of being a hero and used the holodeck in extremely inventive ways which used virtual reality as a medium for manipulating the ship’s computer.
Reingold, Howard: Virtual Reality (1991. New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.)
Blumberg, B: Old Tricks, New Dogs (1996. PhD Dissertation, Mass. Institute of Technology lab.)
Simon Julier, Dennis Brown, Yohan Balliot, Lawrence Rosenblum: Augmented Reality as an Example of a Demanding Human-Centered System (EC/NSF Advanced Research Workshop, 1-4 June 1999.)
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Batman the Dark Knight Review · 709 days ago
The Dark Knight
I can do this, and I’m not even high. I dont need to be high to write about or watch this 2 1/2 hour thrill ride: the second installment of the new Batman trilogy: The Dark Knight. This one deserved a review to say the least. I’m not going to do what everyone thinks I’m gonna do and freak out! In fact, you may be surprised about more than a few things I say about this movie, the first “thing” being that this movie is alot too long for my taste. Even If you aren’t a big fan of comic books, Batman, Heath Ledger, splosions, all that doesn’t matter. The Dark Knight brings to you to the very basics of DC brand, Biblical style storytelling: Hero vs. Villain. While the medium and mode remains true to the first installment, Batman Begins, a fresh new perspective on the Gotham Police Department introduces engrossing new elements and characters inaccessible by its predecessor. In addition: as the movie title indicates, The Dark Knight holds true to the stereotypical 2nd act of traditional theater, in which the condundrum reaches its absolute pinnacle, leaving audiences biting their nails in anticipation for the finale. It is certainly Dark, dark like Dikembe Mutumbo dark. As district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) succinctly puts it “The night is darkest just before the dawn.” Lets examine.
If you didn’t already know. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is a rich tycoon, the heir of Wayne Enterprises, who carts around ballin hot babes in his Maserati by day, but at night he uses his wealth and influence in a very different way: he fights crime. How does he do it? With his alter-ego: the Batman. When Bruce was a young boy he was playing in the garden behind his father’s mansion and fell down a sinkhole and into an underground cave. There he was the unfortunate witness to a cavalcade of frightened bats, who in turn: seriously frightened him. His parents were killed shortly by a robber named Joe Chill in an unfortunate mugging gone awry (or did it?), and Bruce Wayne swore to use his inherited power and influence to avenge their death. With his surly British butler Alfred (Michael Cane) and his resourceful inventor Luscious Fox (Morgan Freeman), and a powerful conglomerate corporation at his fingertips, Batman/Bruce Wayne sets out for justice in Gotham City, mothafuckin vigilante style. WHAM!
The story begins at a sea change in Gotham. An evil crime syndicate led by gangster Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts) finally seems to be within the reach of the legal system. The gung-ho district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) has such a strangle hold on Moroni’s gang there’s more than a few upstart zoot suits after his scalp. Batman cant just sit this one out. Even though he and everyone else knows Dent’s got this one covered, there’s what we call a “Mole” or two or twenty or fifty within the Gotham PD. Just as detective Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), in a bold co-op with Harvey Dent, is about to seal the deal: someone tips off Maroni. His accountant flies the coop out of the country with all that dirty skrilla these G’s use to make their evil little world’s go round. So Batman sets out on a little vacation to bring back this dirty accountant and bring down Maroni’s little corner store crime syndicate for good.
Sounds pretty cut and dry right? No Mr. Clean, theres a twist. Aha! Suddenly a “new” character emerges. One of Maroni’s biggest enemies offers him a truce and an incredible deal. Not just any deal: he offers to kill the Batman, who every Hat in Gotham knows will inevitably bring down everything Maroni has worked so hard to achieve. This “new” character is The Joker (Heath Ledger) a truly twisted, obsessive, psychopath who seems to absorb pleasure from any and all chaos which happens around him. His name comes not only from his cavalier demeanor and jolly existence in the face of death and destruction, but also because a smile has somehow been permanently sliced into his face, leaving disfiguring scars which he decorates with clown makeup.
With both sides of the board set, the battle for Gotham city begins, and The Joker immediately puts the Batman in check. Wanna-be vigilantes who dress like Batman (wearing spraypainted hockey pads) begin to fear for their lives first, then the small fish mobsters and mormons (including Maroni and his thugs). Before long, no citizen of Gotham is safe, not even the police force can protect them. Hell, even the police are afraid to leave their homes. The finger inevitably points back at Batman himself, after all: he brought this whole god awful mess about to begin with when he started this war of the masked crazy people, right? Will the people of Gotham give in to this psychotic terrorists demands? Can the Batman really protect them in this seemingly endless war against an invisible opposition? You will be shocked and genuinely entertained when these and more questions are answered. But I’m not going to answer them here, you’ll have to see it yourself.
Lets get down to brass tacks. Was this a good movie? Yes I think it was. There’s very few things the creators of this amazing film (Johnathan and Christopher Nolan) did wrong, but so many wonderful things they did right. As far as comic book interpretations go: this movie hits closer to the mark than any other comic book movie in existence. Ie. The Joker: his entire body was not white like the comic book version, he didn’t utilize the same green hair and eyebrows the original did, he didn’t even swing a cane or necessarily even stand or move like the comic book version. So why do I call this a perfect interpretation? Because the designers of this character looked into what the original designer intended when they created the joker. A disturbing, scary clown devoid entirely of fear and remorse. Thats the part Heath Ledger played, he was able to instill those same emotions into the audience that the original character did in the comic books, using scarcely similar methods. His insanity is so admirably powerful, it becomes his strength. He doesn’t even need the kindof muscle power and skills Batman has because he has no fucking conscience whatsoever. As soon as he is left alone with a man or woman of weaker demeanor he instantly enslaves their mind like a juggernaut prison inmate enslaves a new arrival’s but thole.
Lets shift focus off the Joker and go to Two Face aka Harvey Dent. Another true embodiment of the comic book archetype. A character so cleverly played and well written he may as well been the star of the fucking movie, I shit you not. According to Jim Gordon, the boys down at the precinct called Dent “Two Face” because of the way he was able to sweet talk the citizens, then in his next breath brutally pursue his enemies by any means necessary. This is all before he becomes his alter ego with the face that looks so gross and so cool that its really hard to even look at. One point in the movie Dent is so desperate for answers he pulls a suspect aside and points a gun to his head, flips a coin “heads: you die, tails: you live.” Mind you, this is the same man the newspaper call “Gotham’s White Knight.” You, the audience eventually realize that Dent was actually Two Face all along, but it required him to lose everything, to fall completely from grace and into the depths of emotional hell to finally realize his purpose in life: To live or die at any moment based entirely on chance. Like the Joker, his uncontrollable nature and sheer insanity alone gives him his power.
You dont really have to love the comic book to love this movie either. Batman brings along his usual array of new gadgetry, which is his trademark. The writing is so full of miniature story arcs which run in and out of each other so categorically and thoughtfully its almost beyond the level of graphic novel, and into the realm of novel novel. Some of these miniature stories within the stories are a bit repetitive and dry, almost inserted as some sort of novelty or tribute. And while the movie as a whole is grossly entertaining and packed with the perfect mix of love, hatred, combat, technical jargon, sympathy, ambiguity, helplessness and hope, the delicate balance of that mix hinges more and more on the reaction of its less important characters to the actions of our more important characters. Ie. the citizens of Gotham are a little too easily manipulated at times by the Joker to be believable, but thats just necessary for the story to come full circle, and its well worth it! For example: The police officers themselves so quickly turn on their once honored protector: The Batman, and its almost like a 5 minute turnaround from “love him” to “fuck him!” Its entirely necessary to the plot, but entirely unbelievable at the same time. Even Batman at one point crosses the line between “protector” and “big brother” then jumps back into his ethical jammies as quickly as he got out of the pool. These things kindof sucked, but were easy to overlook when you look at the movie as a whole.
The next Batman movie will be under incredible pressure not to suck. The first two movies have been so impressive, and created such an amazing buzz that I’m almost positive it will go in a negative direction. At some points during this movie I even LOL’d, it was written so well. There still were some fight scenes in this movie but not as many and not as cool as the ones in Batman Begins. Its like the first one was Ninja Turtles and this one was Law and Order on speed. The Rachael Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) character really sucked and SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT I’m glad the bitch is dead SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT. Sorry I had to do that but you know we take pride here in ruining some, but not all, of the good parts for you.
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