Mishka, Chiddy Bang, Indigenous, Sleepy Sun, Delta Spirit & Mountain Goats
Live: Music Picks June 10-16
By Dan Nailen
Mishka
We just had an Italian reggae superstar roll through Utah in Alborosie. Now we have another unusual reggae story courtesy of Mishka, who, if anything, is proof of the power of cross-marketing. In 2009, he won a “Best New Artist” award from iTunes, for whatever that’s worth; I had no idea iTunes gave awards. He also was a “Pick of the Week” at Starbucks. He just became the face of surf-culture fashion company O’Neill, and his new album Talk About is a product of Matthew McConaughey’s record label (again, who knew?). Mishka’s music? Happy, summery, inoffensive reggae. Carlos Cornia open the show. The Star Bar, 268 Main, Park City, 9 p.m. $12
Friday June 11
Chiddy Bang
Electro hip-hoppers Chiddy Bang have struck a chord with their remixed and re-imagined takes on modern alt-rock songs like MGMT’s “Kids.” The duo’s breakout EP, Opposite of Adults, garnered enough attention to land them a major-label record deal, and suddenly they find their tour schedule filled with monster-sized festival stops like Lollapalooza, Glastonbury and Reading. First, though, they’re making the rounds of club venues with a lineup that also includes The Pack, XV and 2AM Club. W Lounge, 358 S. West Temple, 9 p.m. $8
Saturday June 12
Indigenous
As a child growing up on the Yankton Indian Reservation in South Dakota, Mato Nanji was given a lesson in the blues from his music-loving father, who filled the house with the sounds of B.B. King and Buddy Guy and taught the kids how to play various instruments. Nanji took to the guitar and formed Indigenous with his siblings, earning raves among the blues tastemakers in the late ’90s and early ’00s before splitting up in 2006. Nanji kept the Indigenous name and found new musicians to back his version of Stevie Ray Vaughn-style rocking blues. His latest project, though, is an all-acoustic solo reworking of several tunes from the Indigenous catalog. Cory Mon and the Starlight Gospel open the show. The State Room, 638 S. State, 9 p.m., $15 advance/$20 day of
Sleepy Sun
For a lot of bands, it seems an eclectic approach is merely an excuse for a lack of focus. Not so with Sleepy Sun, a surprisingly (given their genteel moniker) muscular Bay Area collective that seamlessly blends raucous guitar rock with sugary, slightly twangy vocal harmonies and assured pop moves. They’ve opened for the likes of American grunge pioneers Mudhoney and flavor of the month Brit-poppers Arctic Monkeys, but judging by the sound of Sleep Sun’s new album, Fever, they won’t be opening for anyone much anymore. Lookbook, Ramblin Trio and Sonic Massacre are also on the bill. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $7
Tuesday June 15
Delta Spirit
One can never accuse Delta Spirit of being impatient. The process that concluded with the release of the band’s new album, History from Below, was a slow, laborious one, as singer/guitarist Matthew Vasquez made clear: “It’s been three years straight of touring off our last record, so most of the songs were written in hotel rooms and tested in front of an audience. We spent six months of this last year making a record that sums up three years of growing up.” That last record, Ode to Sunshine, garnered the band a fast-growing following that includes My Morning Jacket’s Bo Foster, who signed on to co-produce the new set, working with the band in the same studio Tom Waits has used for the past 20 years. The result is an album that could very well keep Delta Spirit on the road another three years. Ezra Furman and Romany Rye open the show. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $12
Wednesday June 16
Mountain Goats
Mountain Goats leader John Darnielle has been hailed far and wide as one of America’s great lyricists, and if you need proof, consider the work he did on the band’s most recent album, The Life of the World to Come. The songs all take their names from the Bible verses that inspired them, and Darnielle fills the songs with Biblical poetry and imagery, at the same time maintaining that the work is less a profession of his own faith than a lyrical experiment of sorts. It’s a lush, thoughtful album by an excellent wordsmith. The Beets open the show. The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m. $15
Coming Up
The Aggrolites (Club Sound, June 17), Cash’d Out (A Bar Named Sue, June 17), Jerry Joseph (The Urban Lounge, June 17), Eddie Money (Sandy City Amphitheater, June 18), Josh Ritter (The State Room, June 18), Bob Log III (The Urban Lounge, June 19), Cake (Library Square, June 19), Henry Rollins (The Depot, June 19), Lou Barlow, Sarah Jaffe (The Urban Lounge, June 19), Cage the Elephant (The Depot, June 20), Powerman 5000 (Club Vegas, June 21), Local H (The Urban Lounge, June 21) CocoRosie (The Urban Lounge, June 22) Concrete Blonde (The Depot, June 22) Portugal. The Man (Club Sound, June 23)
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