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Buzz Buildings
Welcome these exciting venues to the Utah live music scene.
By Parker S. Mortensen

As SLC grows, so do the opportunities to hear music and go out dancing. A few great new venues are trying to make the most of their fresh status.

The Block
After months of renovation, The Block opened in August 2019 as a wide open, hollowed out industrial space adorned with hanging plants and mood lighting. The aesthetic sticks the landing with low ceilings and support beams on bare concrete floor. Most notably, The Block boasts a Funktion-One point source sound system—the same system used in famous clubs like Berghain in Berlin or Space in Ibiza. "The acoustic output of our speakers is very responsive and detailed," says Bobby Ward of The Block. "You are able to have a conversation with the person next to you while still getting the full range of sound."

Though it's clearly tailored for club, house and really any kind of party music, The Block is interested in becoming a more general venue—hosting all types of events from creative arts to birthdays and weddings, and offering hourly rates, Ward says. At The Block's "Body Heat" event in January, they provided a backroom for merchants to sell custom jewelry and tchotchkes. As it was BYOB, there were no drinks sold, but perhaps the night was better for it: Less typical clubby sloppiness as the night went on.

The Block is gearing up to host SIAN, Michelle Sparks and Juheun on March 14, which is a huge get for Salt Lake and anyone looking to dance a night away. Local techno artist XINZO DE LIMIA—who just released an album in January—opens. 625 S. 600 West, theblockslc.com

Envelop SLC
Though Envelop has been around Salt Lake since late 2018 in the form of pop-ups, it wasn't until mid-2019 that they settled on their permanent venue in the Marmalade district. Envelop is unique in its focus on creating "immersive listening experiences" that use spatial audio tools to create a space where music exists omnipresently within a room. Thirty-two speakers combine with an ambient lighting system to surround the audience and center them in the experience—and while that experience can be live music, the venue shines as a chill listening party atmosphere, too. Envelop just finished a night of The Flaming Lips' seminal Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, and this Friday the 13th they'll be playing Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Starting as a non-profit in San Francisco, they've since deployed many pop-ups, and while they continue to do so, Salt Lake is its only other permanent location outside the Bay Area. "It's been so inspiring for us to feel the community support of Envelop SLC," executive director, co-founder and musician Christopher Willits says. "Immersive listening is a profound way to unite with others and enjoy great music within a new sound experience." At the very least, the opportunity to experience revered albums with others in an unconventional space calls back to a time before headphones and personal listening devices, a time many of us never experienced but may yet pine for.

The audience is permitted to lie down if they desire, to stretch, close their eyes or watch the light show. You control your listening experience, and this setting is especially appealing for those of us who love to go out to listen to music, but can find it hard to stand the length of a set or two or three. 660 N. 300 West, envelop.us/slc-events

• The Carbon Architects
• The Monarch

The Monarch
Since it opened in June of 2019, The Monarch has become a hotspot for all kinds of events in Ogden's Nine Rails district. While it serves well as a music venue (classical folk and jazz group Quarteto Nuevo plays April 2), the building's history makes it a versatile venue. Built as an enclosed parking garage in 1929 (before concerns about ventilation arose during World War II), it was designed by Leslie S. Hodgson, who was architect for many of Ogden's more iconic structures, such as Peery's Egyptian Theatre.

The venue encompasses three main areas: The Royal Room's wide open space makes it ideal for music, but also weddings—really anything for which you might want to elegantly host a crowd of people. Contrast that with the Atrium, which is a wide corridor that houses artist studios and conference space, though with enough leftover room for workshops and strolls. Lastly, the Upper Deck area features "Monarch in Moda," a mural of monarch butterflies that emphasizes the black-and-white spots on monarch butterflies' wings, alluding to the Optical Art movement of the '60s.

On April 3 The Monarch continues its hosting of this year's series of Van Sessions, a live music event where artists are invited to perform inside and in front of a 1987 Dodge Xplorer camper van parked inside The Monarch. This round features Paddy Teglia, Andrew Wiscombe and Snarlin' Yarns starting at 7 p.m. Beyond its music offerings, you can feel The Monarch's personality through its sheer range of events, from art classes to public gatherings. Ogden Mayor Mike Caldwell will speak at a lunch program March 12 regarding the city's economic growth and development. Classes on acrylic painting run every Tuesday and Wednesday through April 8, and MoveMeant Collective will perform, through dance, the story of an addict's journey to recovery in "Untangle" April 10. 455 25th St., Ogden, 801-893-6604. themonarchogden.com