Cash'd Out, Far East Movement, Cowboy Mouth, Crash Test Dummies, John Flanders & Double Helix, Retribution Gospel Choir
Live: Music Picks Jan. 6-12
By Dan Nailen
Cash’d Out
Cash’d Out is more than your typical tribute act, mostly due to the endorsement of Bill Miller, one of Johnny Cash’s best friends and the guy who owns and runs JohnnyCash.com, a website dedicated to all things Man in Black. Cash’d Out deals mainly in Cash’s early Sun Records work and his legendary live performances at San Quentin and Folsom prisons. With more than 100 Cash tunes in their repertoire, there’s little doubt you’ll hear your favorite Cash cut at some point during the evening, whether it’s “Ring of Fire,” “A Boy Named Sue,” “I Walk the Line” or “Jackson.” A Bar Named Sue, 3928 S. Highland Drive, 8 p.m., $5
Friday Jan. 7
Far East Movement
Los Angeles quartet Far East Movement might be the ideal pop stars for this moment in history. Far from content to simply record and release songs, the group tries to remain active online “25 hours a day, eight days a week,” via a weekly web radio show, daily blogs posted to their website and video webisodes they shoot on the road. They named their album Free Wired in celebration of this always-on approach to music-making and marketing, and filled it with songs that bounce between hip-hop and electro-pop—perfect for either getting a club grooving or for selling all manner of Far East Movement products. Their infectious energy and hits like “Girls on the Dancefloor” and “Like a G6” led Lady Gaga, N.E.R.D. and Jay-Z to ask Far East Movement to open shows for them, and now the guys are fast becoming fashion icons to boot, thanks to their omnipresent sunglasses and distinct preppy-meets-go-go style. The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, 7 p.m., $20 advance/$25 day of show
Saturday Jan. 8
Cowboy Mouth
You gotta love a band that encourages its audiences to wear costumes, just as New Orleans party-starting stalwarts Cowboy Mouth does on each of its annual “Rock & Roll Mardi Gras” jaunts. There’s nothing that can enhance one of Cowboy Mouth’s typically unhinged live shows better than the freedom that comes with masquerading unrecognized in something silly. This winter marks the quartet’s 16th Mardi Gras road trip, and they’re releasing an EP of New Orleans classics, Because The Marching Bands Will Roll, to coincide with the trip. Dash Rip Rock are also on the bill. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $15 advance/$17 day of show
Crash Test Dummies
When the Crash Test Dummies first blew up on the strength of their earworm of a hit, “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm,” I had a friend who swore the Canadian folk-rockers were about to blow up globally, to U2 proportions. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but the band led by sonorous-voiced Brad Roberts keeps on chugging along, despite a recent five-year round of writer’s block. He’ll be joined for this show by long-time Dummies Ellen Reid and Stuart Cameron. Eccles Center for Performing Arts, 1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City, 7:30 p.m., $18 to $65
Sunday Jan. 9
John Flanders & Double Helix
Whether you’re a jazzbo or not, chances are you’ve been entertained by longtime Utah composer and performer John Flanders, along with the remarkably pliable band of players that make up his long-time cohorts Double Helix. They are an omnipresent force on Utah’s music scene. Best known for his sax work, Flanders includes dalliances on piano and Wurlitzer on his new album, The Go Between, which he’s celebrating with a CD release party this weekend. As those familiar with Flanders and Co. might expect, the new collection of original material eschews sonic boundaries in favor of a voracious approach to music-making, biting off chunks of Latin, swing, funk and fusion along its 12-song path. Guest appearances by guitarist Mike Miller and pianist Mitchel Forman add some flavor, and the recording also marks the last jazz work of the late longtime Utah piano force Wayne Christiansen. Egyptian Theatre, 328 Main, Park City, 6 p.m., $12 in advance/$15 at the door/$20 for cabaret seating
Tuesday Jan. 11
Retribution Gospel Choir
Here comes the regular; Alan Sparhawk was just in town a couple weeks ago with his other band, Low, and now he’s back with his decidedly louder, noisier, but no less dramatic trio Retribution Gospel Choir. Together with bassist Steve Garrington and drummer Eric Pollard, Sparhawk is able to cut loose with this band in ways he never does with slowcore pioneers Low. Part of it is simply the dynamics of playing with different, younger musicians, and part of it, Sparhawk says, is that “there’s a level of musicianship these guys have that’s beyond my understanding.” Self-deprecation aside, in Retribution Gospel Choir Sparhawk has found an outlet that’s thrilling for both Low fans and newcomers into straightforward, three-piece indie-rock. Peter Wolf Crier is co-headlining the current tour. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $10
Coming Up
Uncle Lucious (Jan. 13, Downstairs, Park City), Kevin Hart (Jan. 14, Abravanel Hall), Steve-O (Jan. 14, Wiseguys, West Valley), Guster (Jan. 14, In The Venue), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (Jan. 17, Sheraton City Centre), Adrian Legg (Jan. 18, The State Room), The Civil Wars (Jan. 20, The State Room), Fol Chen (Jan. 21, Kilby Court), The Stone Foxes (Jan. 21, Sidecar Bar, Park City), Toubab Krewe, Infamous Stringdusters (Jan. 21-22, The State Room), People Under the Stairs (Jan. 22, The Urban Lounge), Buckcherry, All That Remains, Hellyeah (Jan. 25, Great Saltair), Rebelution, Iration, Orgone (Jan. 27, The Depot), Tennis (Jan. 27, The Urban Lounge), Junior Brown (Jan. 28, The State Room), RJD2 (Jan. 28, The Urban Lounge), Little Dragon (Jan. 29, The Urban Lounge), Slash (Jan. 29, The Depot)
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