Loom 

Last year, Salt Lake City’s Loom hit up Portland natives Prize Country to record a dual 10-inch release. The resulting Clutches scored both bands significant radio play and critical acclaim. Loom also selected Stumptown to develop their debut EP Anglers, working with Interlace Audio house engineer/producer Kris Krummett for two stretches, returning home after one session when singer Josh Devenport came down with a nasty flu that no amount of whiskey and lemon, Throat Coat tea and myriad over-the-counter remedies could quell. And, while the slight delay in the recording process put a damper on things, it’s safe to say Loom wasn’t too bummed about coming back to Utah. Portland might have some great bands and engineers, but it’s the Beehive State that truly rocks.

“Salt Lake City has one of the best music scenes in the country,” says guitarist Mike Cundick, adding that residents need to step up to the plate to sustain the thriving community. “If you want music and art to continue to thrive and be a part of your life, you need to support it. Just pay the damned five bucks at the door. It won’t kill you.” Loom’s founding members Cundick, bassist John Finnegan and drummer Jarom Bischoff started experimenting with their sound in summer 2006, penning tracks for their first EP. During this period they sought out other musicians to contribute and break free from the standard idiom of a rock-trio, eventually finding violinist Kim Pack whose acute sounds set their tone apart from most of the Utah rock. Over time, the band went through several singers who, in one way or another, just didn’t fit the bill. Finally, though, they found themselves a perfect fit with Devenport, who proved not only to be the perfect frontman for the band, but also a helpful hand in creating a standout live experience.

In 2007, Loom joined local label Exigent Records to release Angler, an impressive five songs that sounded like little else coming out of the SLC. Over the year, the group continued to evolve both musically and visually, transforming from a local hardcore fixture into a finely tuned quintet accompanied by extravagant light shows timed to every snap on the snare—a spectacular showcase they introduced on sporadic cross-country tours.

The new album Selva Molhada encompasses both the old and the new into a concrete full length that takes lessons learned from their prior works and interlinks them with fresh cuts. Frantic-paced tempos and cutting strings show off Cundick’s true skills at the axe, while the near heartattack rhythms on songs like “Pockets” and “Weaving” give you only a sample of blistering sounds Bischoff and Finnegan can produce on a live set. The hallowing vocals on “Eons” cry out to the listener, almost commanding and encouraging you to join in uproar. And Pack’s violin? Her intricate harmonies bring a different level of passion and warmth to the already impressive set. By the time the last of 10 songs fades, you realize Selva Molhada isn’t just a good record—it’s a musical must-have.

Loom recently hit the road for an ambitious tour of the states in The Crucial Greaser, an attention-grabbing bus that runs on used vegetable oil. Loom will briefly return to Salt Lake City to for a proper hometown CD release show along with I Am the Ocean and Breaux. Tickets are $7 and include a copy of Selva Molhada. The group will stick around for a few days before leaving town for a twomonth tour with I Am the Ocean—showing other cities how it’s done in the 801.

LOOM
Loom House
227 W. Paxton Ave (1170 South)
Saturday May 2, 7 p.m.