Reporter's Notebook 

• Courtesy Photo

Here are a few different tidbits of SLC music news and notes, starting with a decidedly outdoors vibe.

Snowbasin Announces A Summer Fest: Every time that we believe the summer festival and summer music series calendar is complete, another announcement arrives. The one arriving in our inbox this week is especially nice, with a wide variety of sounds arriving in Snowbasin (3925 E. Snowbasin Road, Huntsville) from June and July. A mix of local, regional and national performers is slated to appear at affordable ticket prices.

The lineup for Blues, Brews & BBQ reads like this: June 19, Mothers of Mayhem and Kris Lager; June 26, Cam Gallagher & Tasty Soul and Diggin' Dirt; July 3, Herban Empire and The Burroughs; July 17, Aaron Davis & The Mystery Machine and New Orleans Suspects; July 24, Andy Frasco and Let's Ride Brass Band; and July 31, The Snarlin' Yarns and Curley Tyalor & Zydeco Trouble. In each of these cases, the first band listed plays from noon-2 p.m., with the second performance running from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Tickets for the Blues, Brews & BBQ series run $10 for a day's ticket, or $75 for a season's pass. Details can be found at snowbasin.com. After a pause in programming for August and September, the SnowWiesn Oktoberfest takes place at the same venue all through October, with a classic Germanic bent.

While We're Talking Fests...: The Utah Beer Festival, which is affiliated with the City Weekly, is coming up on Aug. 8 - 9. At this point, bands and DJs are planned, with Two Old Guys the first act on the announcement list. More information will arrive via utahbeerfestival.com.

In Praise of Urban's Outdoor Shows: On June 3, the New Orleans indie rock band Motel Radio played a Backyard Show at Urban Lounge, with support from local acts Drusky and Dad Bod. It was a) a very sympathetic lineup, with the groups super-well-chosen as a package; and b) seemed the right choice for an outdoor gig, as a much-louder bill played the night away inside. As I'm still on a tour of local venues, the inside of Urban Lounge was already well-known to me, but the outdoor situation there was a totally different experience. And, to be quite honest, it's a really, really nice spot for a spring/summer/fall show. With perfect temps and a cool-looking moon, Motel Radio's mellow rock was the perfect soundtrack to a fun evening. If you already know that the Urban Lounge's backyard rules, forgive this newbie's gushing. Great spot for a show, really.

On the Topic of Dad Bod...: In the second slot that evening, the locals of Dad Bod mentioned that they'd released a music video that same day, for the single "Pastels." It's a fun view, showcasing the group as solid musicians and top-notch basketball players, too. You can find that slice of chilled-out indie at YouTube, with links to all of their recent work at: linktr.ee/dadbodband.

Speaking of YouTube: Consider this sub-entry both a tip and request for tips. Living with a Salt Lake native who's back in the city after a couple of decades away means that I get to hear about the good old days. A few drive-arounds have at least given me a sense of where certain places were—places like the Cosmic Aeroplane and the Speedway. A new name's entered the list: The Palladium.

After discussing this '80s dance club via some barstool chatter the other evening, a quick trip to YouTube indicated that there's at least a little bit of history floating around about this club, which existed in Sugar House from 1985-89. A cable access show called Palladium Dance Party is at YouTube, in the form of a handful of edited clips, currently around a half-hour's worth. Palladium Dance Party was the kind of show that existed in a lot of larger cities in the 1980s, a sort of offspring of shows like American Bandstand and the contemporary of shows like the USA Network staple Dance Party USA (1986-92; R.I.P.). Featured in these 1986 clips: a lot of dancing, which you'd expect from the title, but also a bit of live, local music and lip-syncing to hits of the time. If you've not seen someone perform Laurie Anderson in perfect period attire, you're only a click away from that sight. Simply search "Palladium Dance Party" on YouTube. Speaking of which, if you were part of that scene, do us a solid and send a note via: music@cityweekly.net.

More Music from Mr. Miller: Lloyd Miller's developed a great kinship with the local label FountainAVM and a new recording has arrived from that partnership. His latest work, ORIENTATIONS - 1960-2021, is described as "collection of recordings from the incredibly prolific and equally enigmatic artist Lloyd Miller, whose life and studies in Near and Middle Eastern music spans generations. Unearthed from Miller's own library and painstakingly transferred from tape by FOUNTAINavm founder Adam Michael Terry, this collection of unreleased songs span from 1960-2021 and tracks Miller's journeys through the Middle and Near East, where Miller lived as an educator and Iranian Prime Time television host. Following two incredibly well received albums—one with the Heliocentrics and one as a trio that was released by FOUNTAINavm in 2020—this is an intimate sneak peek into Lloyd Miller's work and life." You can purchase physical copies at Elevator Jazz Gallery, inside King's Peak Coffee (412 S. 700 West Suite 140), or you can find online buying options at fountainavm.com.