MUSIC PICKS JUN 13 - 19 

• Thomas Jimenez
• ACRAZE

ACRAZE @ Sky SLC 6/13
Acraze-y DJ you don't want to miss is Charlie Duncker—also known as ACRAZE. The Staten Island-based artist went from performing as an opener at local clubs to heading sold-out shows within a year, showing that Duncker has talent, luck and hustle. His House edit of the 2006 R&B song "Do It To It" by Cherish became a hit in 2021; the single has over 12 billion global streams, and is frequently sampled by DJs across festivals and nightclubs. Three years later, it's still the perfect House song for summer. However, ACRAZE isn't just a one-hit wonder. Check out his set with songs like "Believe," featuring the sensational House music artists Goodboys; his newest hit "Runny Nose," featuring producers Pickle and NKY; "Take Me Away," sampling another well-known '00s song, "Pocketful of Sunshine," by Natasha Bedingfield; and "Heard It Like This,'' featuring hip-hop duo Joey Valence and Brae. Welcome the heat of a June night in Utah and see ACRAZE at Sky SLC on Thursday, June 13 hosted by LNE Presents. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $20 at tixr.com (Arica Roberts)

• Courtesy Photo
• Richie Furay

The Richie Furay Trio @ Egyptian Theater on 6/14-15
In the ongoing history of popular music, one criterion applied to measure an artist's stature is their role in the creation of important or influential groups. Guitarist/songwriter Richie Furay checks that box not once, but twice: He co-founded both Buffalo Springfield and Poco, both pioneering groups in establishing and popularizing the hybrid musical form known as "country rock." Furay got his professional start as a member of the house band at New York City's legendary Cafe Au Go Go; from there, he moved to the West Coast and launched Buffalo Springfield. Today, the membership of that group reads like a rock who's who: Furay, Stephen Stills and Neil Young were founding members. After that band split, Furay and Jim Messina teamed up with other like-minded musicians to form country rockers Poco. With that group, Furay wrote many classics including "Kind Woman," "Pickin' Up the Pieces" and "Good Feelin' to Know." After leaving Poco in 1974, Furay scored a Top 40 single with "Fallin' in Love," a hit for the Southern Hillman Furay Band. A string of solo releases, but Furay then retired from music to become pastor of a church in Denver; in the years since, Furay has balanced both music and spirituality. Buffalo Springfield was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, and a career-spanning documentary, Through It All: The Life and Influence of Richie Furay is nearing completion. The Richie Furay Trio will appear two nights—Thursday, June 14 and Friday, June 15—at the Egyptian Theatre. Tickets start at $35 at parkcityshows.com. (Bill Kopp)

• Mandee Johnson
• MC Chris

MC Chris @ Quarters/DLC 6/15
My first experience with MC Chris was on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and after that when Sealab 2021 was on the air. Since I was a Star Wars fan, hearing his song "Fette's Vette" back in 2001 proved that Christopher Brendan Ward IV was more than a new jack at emceeing. "The way I look at it is that I love rap and I grew up on it," Chris told HipHopDX.com. "It kind of saved me during my adolescence. Like, it was something that made me so happy, and all I really want to do now is do right by it." Chris specializes in a genre of hip-hop music dubbed Nerdcore. The term was coined by MC Frontalot in 2000, and could have pigeonholed most of the current mainstays in the game. However, the breadth of the music doesn't seem to have a ceiling on those who were raised on The Goonies, G.I. Joe and Public Enemy. And ... I will point you to MC Chris' 2006 Dungeon Master of Ceremonies as definitive proof that you should not skip the skits. If you have been going to his gigs since DJ John, then you know great shows, awesome crowds ... and that it's always a great time. If you have never been, what are you waiting for? Crunk Witch opens. Catch these artists on the "I Thought The Last Tour Was The Last Tour" tour at The DLC on Saturday, June 15. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $16, and can be found at quartersslc.com. (Mark Dago)

• Kim Black
• Iron & Wine

Iron & Wine @ The Union Event Center 6/18
Sam Beam—who operates under the stage name of Iron & Wine—is well familiar with what it means to incorporate atmosphere and ambiance. Over the course of a 20-year career, he's created a spectral sound characterized by ethereal arrangements and mesmerizing melodies, making every album alluring, intriguing, subtle and yet seductive. A former Miami school teacher, he's expanded his efforts to include various casts of collaborators, although he still retains an enigmatic presence that bonds subtlety to substance. It's an elusive approach, to be sure—perhaps best described as music of a nu-folk variety, all tender melodies gleaned from a decidedly progressive stance—yet those melodies are unfailingly lovely, literate, sensual and seductive. Those who have yet to be fully exposed to Beam's work would be well-advised to check out the recent soundtrack Who Can See Forever, a collection of standout songs from Iron & Wine's extensive catalog, before quickly moving on to Beam's latest opus, the recently-released Light Verse. A conceptual piece, it features a calm and caressing cinematic sweep combining elegy and illumination. Also plan to witness Iron & Wine in concert in order to fully appreciate the mesmerizing mystique that Beam and company prove so consistently capable of creating. Iron & Wine with special guest Amythyst Kiah brings the Light Verse 2024 Tour to the Union Event Center at 8 p.m., Tuesday, June 18. Tickets cost $42.50 plus fees, GA only, at ticketmaster.com. (Lee Zimmerman)

Glass Generation, Still Fighting God, Vaseline (The Band), Cataract @ The Beehive 6/19
Summer is for a lot of things—one of the most important being going to concerts and rocking your face off. If you don't know where to go to do that this week, look no further: This show will especially appeal to those who love to headbang to emo/alternative/punk rock vibes. Glass Generation brings their version of West Coast emo to SLC for an exciting show, with local favorites on the same bill. Glass Generation's most recent EP Never Better is a high-energy, all-out fun time that's perfect for any summer playlist. Joining Glass Generation is SLC's own Still Fighting God. They are, "a band of emotionally powerful people, SFG began in a dimly lit bar, at a table strewn with half eaten pretzels and empty glasses in SLC, Utah," according to their BandCamp page. "SFG's goal is to make music we like, defeat the forces of evil, and find the holy grail," the bio continues. SFG is just as fun as they make themselves sound in their bio. Their debut EP Purgatory Inc. is a body of work that any punk fan can get behind, featuring callbacks to the classics while also feeling fresh, lively and new. Vaseline (The Band) recently debuted their first single as well, titled, "Logan didn't buy me oatmeal cookies. (Hate song)," and it's one you need to hear for yourself. Last but not least on the bill is Cataract, another SLC group who know how to bring the noise. Come rock out on Wednesday, June 19 at The Beehive (7 p.m). Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 and can be found at 24tix.com. (Emilee Atkinson)