MUSIC PICKS: JULY 22 - 28 

• P.J. Guinto

Scheissters release Was ist Scheissters?
The answer to that question is a raucous post-punk act that we're lucky to call local. Scheissters recalls the playfulness of bands like Ought in their earlier stage, employing the kind of post-punk rawness that sounds off-the-rails, but is actually by necessity pretty tightly controlled. They lean into zaniness thematically, too, with songs like opener "Dada," which rips and roars with unbridled energy where the main refrain is all-band shrieks of "DADA!" among split English-German lyrics that angrily spew over norms, and their deconstructions. It is hard to know what is going on, but the title allows one to take comfort in not studying it too closely. The same can be said for the following track. On all of Was ist Scheissters?, drums strike with precision, speed and dexterity, and guitar lines slither energetically and intelligently, just as often as they make sounds that guitars do not usually make. The stand-out on the four-track EP, though, is "Strawberry Water," the kind of song that has you hanging on every note, thanks to singer Noah Taube's vocal acrobatics of scorn, mockery and grief as he paints the tragic picture of American consumerism. The song builds ominously and slowly with low bass and stormy drums, as Taube sings, "You want what they have / they want what you have! .... If you want it / go and get it / you don't have enough? / you wanna get more stuff?!" His haunting recitation of the affirmation of greed we've all heard in our own heads is sickeningly close to the real thing ("you work hard, you do your time, you pay your taxes / you've earned this, you deserve this"), and is topped off fittingly by a hoarse, threatening count off of iPhone versions. Find links to Was ist Scheissters? and keep up with these anti-capitalist kings on Instagram at @scheissters.

Blue Skies Concert Series Dates
While the name of the Covey Center's mid-summer series may not be quite true with these red, smokey skies we've been having, the music it offers at it will be pleasant enough to make one imagine clear blue skies. The series brings great local music plus snacks to Utah County residents for free every Wednesday, and the artists on the horizon are not to be missed. Up soonest is The Penny Candies and Cherish DeGraaf on July 28, with the former bringing "New Orleans flair" to their indie pop sound, and the latter quality being one they share with local solo artist Cherish DeGraaf. Following that on Aug. 11 is Michael Barrow & The Tourists, who will be performing on the heels of their freshly released second album, Clover, which came out July 23. They'll be followed by Mac Wright & The Generous and Brock Pate on Aug. 25, Super Cover on Sept. 8 and Jordan Jacobsen, McKay Hatch and Steven Fogamomi on Sept. 22. All performances start at 6 p.m. at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. Visit provo.org for more info on these and other events.

• Kellie Wright

Rebel Rebel, Null and Knuckles at The Beehive
Here's a celebration of both an anniversary and some firsts. Rebel Rebel are in the former category, and will be celebrating their 5th anniversary as a band at The Beehive on Saturday, July 24. Rebel Rebel specialize in a polished kind of garage rock that benefits greatly from vocalist Mason Comstock's charismatic, almost-country singing style—he stops short of twang, but he's got soul. The band has two EPs under their collective belt in 2017's The Gospel Truth and 2018's SNAKES. Comstock also plays drums in one of the other bands on the lineup, Knuckles, who will be playing their first live show ever. It turns out that Knuckles is in the same boat as Null, whose debut EP 2 for flinching was reviewed in City Weekly when it came out a few months ago. While it may be hard to believe that fresh new acts came out of the pandemic, don't forget that it was a creative time for musicians stuck inside with themselves, or just their pod of musical friends, and so for bands like Null and Knuckles to be playing their first shows ever? Not that surprising. A special occasion for all three bands, this event is only $5, with doors at 7 p.m. and show at 7:30 p.m. Visit facebook.com/thebeehiveSLC for more info on this and future Beehive events.

• James L. Bass

Park City Institute Summer Dates
Not to be confused with Park City Live, local non-profit music machine Park City Institute's got a whole bunch of artists lined up to entertain audiences through the rest of the summer. The closest date on the horizon is Justin Moore on Saturday, July 24, one of the past decade's freshest country music stars. Moore has achieved three number-one records in his time in the country spotlight, and with his 2019 album Late Nights and Longnecks in tow, he'll show PCI just how he shines. He'll be followed on July 30 by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, a NOLA-based contemporary swing and blues seven-piece who will surely bring some Southern flair to this Western state. On Aug. 10, The Robert Cray Band will take the stage, with Robert Cray at the center, of course. The winner of five Grammys, Cray and his band will bring their signature fusion of blues, pop and gospel. The summer wraps up on Aug. 21 with more country music, this time by way of Marty Stuart. Stuart is a stalwart of the industry, active since the early '80s and so much so that his 2003 breakout album was titled simply, Country Music. At this PCI date, he'll bring his hefty catalogue and perform acoustically, a treat not to be missed for any of his fans. Visit parkcityinstitute.org for info and tickets.

Orville Peck at Sandy Amphitheater
Somehow, surprisingly, the Orville Peck show that's coming to town isn't sold out (as of press time). This despite the popularity of the queer, masked singing cowboy, whose upcoming date on July 23 seems to be the talk of the town, at least in the circles of yours truly. I have theories as to why this is, mostly involving the venue space. This show's happening at Sandy Amphitheater, and if you've seen dates at Sandy Amp before, the arrival of Peck on that stage may seem a bit odd. With so many artists out on frantic tour in 2021, there's too many out of the gate for all of them to land at the venues they might normally occupy; Orville Peck, for example, has a history with Sartain and Saunders venues. Thus, the overflow is directed elsewhere to less-typical venues. That's not to knock Sandy Amp's past rosters, because they were still diverse between their family-friendly offerings and their big-name touring acts, but the Postfontaine-partnered venue is seeing a slight pick-up in artists like Peck coming in. Popular names like Melissa Etheridge, Shakey Graves, King Crimson with the California Guitar Trio and Modest Mouse will all be stopping in later this summer, as well. As for Peck, tickets are still available at press time for this upcoming Friday show, and run between $30 - $90. This is an all-ages event. Visit sandyamp.com for more info on this and other shows.