Music

The free-thinking Avant Vespers series cycled through its seventh edition on Friday, Dec. 7 at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Provo. Composer, performer and BYU professor Christian Asplund originally birthed the series in his basement before expanding into St. Mary’s beautiful performance space last spring. On Friday night, Neil Thorncock’s pipe organ prelude to “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” rang out beautifully before Asplund joined Erik Matthew Larson and Steven Stallings in their We Free Kings avant jazz trio, which includes elements of funk, free improvisation and prog rock. Stay tuned for a full feature previewing Avant Vespers 8 in early January.


Rock ‘n’ roll paradise awaits on Tuesday, Dec. 11 at The Urban Lounge, where locals The Boys Ranch, Slick Velveteens, Jacob T. Skeen and DJ Nix will gather for a night of foot-stomping fun. The Boys Ranch specializes in surfy guitar riffs and thick grooves, while Slick Velveteens hearken back to the ‘70s amalgamation of punk, glam and garage rock. Get the party started with sharp-dressed, blues-inspired one-man band Jacob T. Skeen and don’t miss DJ Nix’s vintage spins in between sets.


Dutch DJ and producer San Holo skewers EDM stereotypes by taking center stage on lead guitar while dance-heavy sets sync behind him. Plus, dude is decidedly humble, titling his debut record Album 1, even as said album accumulates millions of listens on digital streaming platforms, hitting #1 on the iTunes electronic chart. Before the Wednesday, Dec. 12 show at The Complex, put your ear to the ground and find out more about openers Taska Black, Duskus and Eastghost, as all represent viable future strains of dance music.

Looking for a more rock-friendly outing that still skews digital on Wednesday, Dec. 12? Don’t miss Portland duo The Helio Sequence celebrating the 10th anniversary of seminal album Keep Your Eyes Ahead at The Urban Lounge. Mixing guitar riffs and keyboard loops and pre-programmed drum patterns, the record marks a late-2000s nadir of electronic-leaning post-rock. Locals Indigo Plateau deliver a dream-pop opening statement New York City’s Wild Pink epitomize a similar strand of thinking-man’s exploration.



Speaking of thinking, Oakland hip-hop duo Zion I’s 2000 album Mind Over Matter is a underrated classic, welding hyphy Bay Area beats with Golden Age streams of lyrical genius. Thank goodness Live Nite Event’s Lyrically Lifted series presented by DJ Juggy brings these West Coast icons to town for a little consciousness raising on Thursday, Dec. 13 at Soundwell. Scenic Byway and Burnell Washburn open the show.


Finally, on Friday, Dec. 14, jittery indie rock energy takes over Kilby Court with Tacoma punks Skating Polly in the headlining slot. Comprised of stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse and their brother Kurtis Mayo, these youthful ragers will have Kilby Court rocking with tunes from their recent album The Make It All Show. Providing bicoastal support is Massachusetts’ Potty Mouth, an all-female punk trio that operates in the same shouted, conformity-smashing vein as Skating Polly. Their 2018 single “Camelot” says it all: “I got my brain trained/ I got my body framed, shaved, and fried/ Everybody says I'm looking great.”