MUSIC PICKS: OCT 6 - 12 

• Tristan McKenzie

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Acid Dad @ Urban Lounge 10/7
For the first time in two long years, the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are heading on a North American tour, with SLC on their list of cities. Even though the band has been unable to tour, they've kept busy with two album releases in that time. Their latest, Night Gnomes, is the fifth studio album for the Australian psychedelic rock band. Formed in 2014, the band started jamming together in an old barn, creating music they describe as "an energetic mess of color and tone." Not the first band with an off-kilter name, the Psychedelic Porn Crumpets haven't offered much explanation for it other than the fact that it's amusing, which it certainly is. Psychedelic Porn Crumpets joins up with Acid Dad for this extensive tour. Acid Dad has a new single out entitled "Get Me High," a song that takes listeners on a journey of trying to get back on track after a loss. The band takes the term independent to new heights; along with releasing their music independently, they've also built their own guitars as well as a studio to record their music. Sadly, their studio was lost in a flood in 2021 during Hurricane Ida, which ended up being the main catalyst for writing their latest single. "Since our studio was destroyed by the Hurricane Ida floods, our music has been heavily influenced by the nature of water," the band told GratefulWeb in September. Catch these two acts on Friday, Oct. 7 at Urban Lounge. Doors for the 21+ show open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 before the show, and $22 the day of. Find tickets at theurbanloungeslc.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Melt-Banana, Wand @ The Beehive 10/8
For about three decades, Melt-Banana have been creating their unique form of rock and roll, with 10 studio albums that fans across the world have been able to enjoy. The Japanese duo formed in 1993, and haven't slowed down. They've been described as noise rock, grindcore, no wave, but according to Melt-Banana, it's best to listen to their music and see for yourself. Throughout the summer, the duo has been touring Europe, but as the fall sets in, they're embarking on a fall tour entitled, re:boot tour USA 2022. While the band hasn't put out any brand-new music since about 2013, there's still that 30-year catalog available to entertain the masses. Joining Melt-Banana are L.A.-based psychedelic rock band Wand, with a new album releasing late October called Spiders in the Rain. So far, two singles from the new album have been released, offering listeners a taste of their new work. Their previous albums have been fraught with dismal subject matter, but there's been a lot happening in the world that fits that aesthetic. Their 2017 album Plum dealt with death, breakups and the shock of the 2016 election. "It really helped to have all of us together, because in the end, when all this shit was going down, we were kind of all that we had," singer Cory Hanson told Stereogum in September 2017 when the album was released. Melt-Banana and Wand plays The Beehive on Saturday, Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $20 in advance and $25 the day of the show and can be found at 24tix.com (EA)

• Island Records

Skip Marley @ Soundwell 10/9
Beloved reggae artist Skip Marley visits SLC as part of his North American fall tour. Though well-known as the grandson of reggae pioneer Bob Marley, 26-year-old Skip has made a name for himself in the genre as a talented young artist, steadily releasing music since 2016 including two new singles in 2022. His latest, "Jane," is an infectious end-of-summer song featuring afropop artist Arya Starr. According to American Songwriter, the track is deeply connected to nature. "I'm speaking of the planet but you can apply it to a woman. There's that perfectness and naturalness," Marley said in August. His other single from earlier this year, "Change," is a little deeper, calling listeners to change their mindset about society. "It comes from looking around in this world and changing our lives," he said in the same article. "It can be little. It can be small, but I'm talking about the whole world, humanity in general needs a change in the road we're on now. How much longer can we live this way with the footprint we've left, the way we treat the earth." The single has also been used to spread the message of Marley's philanthropic work with the World Wildlife Fund and International Anti-Poaching Fund, helping to spread awareness of animal poaching and exploitation. Skip Marley will be at Soundwell on Sunday, Oct. 9. Tickets for the all-ages show are $20 and can be found at soundwellslc.com. (EA)

Blood Red Shoes, Mz Neon, 26fix @ Kilby Court 10/11
British rock duo Blood Red Shoes have been busy this year; from their personal endeavors on separate continents, to their sixth full-length album released in January, Laura-Mary Carter and Steven Ansell know how to keep the creative juices flowing. Because of the pandemic, the duo had to find other outlets besides music to sink their teeth into. Carter started a podcast called Never Meet Your Idols, while Ansell began writing and producing for musical artists. Eventually, the two came back together to record Ghosts on Tape once the world calmed down a bit from the pandemic. "This album is really about us asserting ourselves as our own little island," Ansell told Original Atlanta this month. "We have made an entire career out of being told what we are 'not', of being rejected, of not fitting in, and this album is us deliberately pushing into all of our strangeness, emphasizing all of the things that make us different." Multimedia artist Mz Neon joins the duo in Salt Lake, bringing her trans femme sexuality to an already alluring show. Mz Neon doesn't hold back with tracks like "Pussy Stick," "Cop Fucker," and "Alpha Bitch." Opener and SLC artist 26fix has been releasing singles as a build up to a new album next year. Catch this intriguing show on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $18 in advance and $20 the day of the show. Grab tickets at kilbycourt.com. (EA)

• Nicola D_Orta

Patrick Watson, Book on Tape Worm @ Commonwealth Room 10/12
Inspiration for new music comes from everywhere; lately a lot of that inspiration comes from the pandemic and being stuck in one place for a long time. Patrick Watson's latest album Better in the Shade draws inspiration from a few places, especially with the track "Height of the Feeling." The new music video reflects how jarring it is to return to social activities as restrictions from the pandemic lift, according to Watson. "It was a perfect and hilarious choreography. The two parts of the video represent the playfulness and intimacy we had all been lacking. Like the video, the song has two polarizing readings: It is whimsical yet also speaks to the dark insecurity of losing love," Watson told Live4Ever this month. In addition to the pandemic fueling Watson's creativity, he also drew from books that impacted him, including Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson, The Waves by Virginia Woolf, and Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin. Joining Watson are Book on Tape Worm, a chamber pop band from Provo. According to the band's website, "Their sound combines cinematic arrangements with lyrical narratives to create a soundtrack for both the familiar and the fantastical. Mixing sweetness and grandeur, their songs explore the nature of time, loss, and the ghosts (both living and not) that haunt our closest relationships." These two artists will play well off each other on Monday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ up show are $31-$45 and can be found at thestateroompresents.com. (EA)