2009 City Weekly Music Awards 

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Charmed, I’m Sure
If Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang ran a record label, it would probably be something like Eden’s Watchtower Records. Eden’s catalog—which features acts like gypsy songtress Eliza Wren, astral shoegazers DulceSky and alt-country all-stars Patsy, Ohio—will charm you faster than the Charlie Brown Christmas special. EdensWatchtower.com (Jenny Poplar)

Still Mourning Amythest Wristrocket?
Dry those tears, because the Elemental are the 21st century reincarnation of one of Utah’s finest and most memorable local bands. Imagine, in your mind’s ear, Jesus and Mary Chain-like instrumentation wedded to impressive vocals and top-notch songwriting. MySpace.com/ElementalTheMusic (Jenny Poplar)

A Joyful Noise
Palace Of Buddies features lots of drumming, lots of humming and plenty of maddening, smack-in-the-chest energy. They’re a two-man noise act for those who like a dash of melody and sonic direction mixed with audio chaos. MySpace.com/PalaceOfBuddies (Jenny Poplar)

He Makes It Look Easy
Michael Sasich is a triple threat—musician, recording engineer and sound man—who makes every show at Bar Deluxe into a main event rather than simply background noise for drinking. Considering the wide variety of artists that hit the stage, Sasich’s work definitely deserves some high praise. Also, if he is feeling really nice, some nights (when I’m working the door), I get to fidget with the little buttons that make things sound nice. I’m one lucky bastard. (Dominique LaJeunesse)

The Man Behind The Curtain
It’s often hard to find anything nice to say about Happy Valley, Utah County, except for perhaps this: No matter how stuffy and suffocating the air might get south of the point, the music scene always stays fresh and vibrant. Praise be to Corey Fox. Without his undying love of promoting the scene via the likes of Buffalo Fox and the venue Velour, Provo would have long ago found itself deaf to the intoxicating siren sounds of the outside world. 135 N University Ave., Provo, 801-818-BAND VelourLive.com (Jacob Stringer)

Extreme Bathroom Makeover
I really don’t want to disinfect myself when I get home from the bar. Restrooms play an integral role to the clubgoing experience, so kudos to The Urban Lounge for checking off one of my biggest fears of dying in their john by doing a complete bathroom overhaul on the facilities complete with toilets guards on which I’m proud to plant my ass. That’s right—The Urban Lounge: now with 90 percent less cooties. 241 S. 500 East; MySpace.com/TheUrbanLounge (Dominique LaJeunesse)

Best Way to Lose Your Hearing
Want to go deaf in style? Look no further than The Come Down whose hypnotic psychedelic noise inevitably has you shouting “What?” after the band is done playing. Their first show made my chest rattle, and other ones have rendered patrons unable to rudely talk over the band because they can’t get a word in edgewise. It’s worth checking out. Salt Lake City rarely offers sounds this uniquely ear-splitting. MySpace.com/ColourSoundMusic (Dominique LaJeunesse)

Summer Breeze, Makes Me Feel Fine
Outdoor venues are not an option during the cold, cruel winter months. So sieze the warm days (and nights) of summer at Red Butte Garden. You can pack up a picnic complete with wine and blankies and sit back amongst the beautiful scenery listening to Wilco, for example. No matter where you sit, the sound comes through with perfect clarity. Is it July yet? RedButteGarden.org (Dominique LaJeunesse)

Scratching The Surface
Skinned Elbow Records: Not since the heyday of Life Sentence has Salt Lake City had a local label committed to showcasing the best talent in Utah hardcore. With the recently released xReflectx album, an EP from Ogden’s One Clean Life and a forthcoming Dogwelder 7-inch (remember those?), Skinned Elbow is off to a great start. MySpace.com/SkinnedElbowRecords (Trevor Hale)