In case you don’t know, Crucial Fest is a heavy music festival of sorts that serves as a way for Salt Lake City and the majority of Utah for that matter, to showcase all the amazing and heavy bands the state has to offer. Crucial Fest has been going on for four years now, hence the clever title of this review, with each year seeing the festival attracting bigger and heavier names from surrounding states. This year’s Crucial Fest featured one of the best lineups so far, with several, bigger-name acts along with a plethora of Utah’s best, local talent. The festival began in the middle of the week on Wednesday June 4th and ran through to Saturday June 7th. With so much heaviness our B.G.M. coverage crew consisting of Isaac, Nate, Dan, and myself decided we better hold off on attending until Friday and Saturday in order to save our ears and souls from total damnation (I know we’re lame), but once the weekend began we totally immersed ourselves in the awesome and distorted glow known as Crucial Fest Four. – Jon
June 6th, Bar Deluxe:
Kowloon Walled City – Holy shit! Let me preface by saying this… Of the countless concerts I see a year, there have only been two performances thus far in 2014 that I have been this excited for. I will unabashedly admit that although I am a huge supporter of Utah’s local heavy music scene, there was not a band that I wanted to see more this year. When Kowloon Walled City were announced as part of the 2014 Crucialfest line-up I about cried (the most sludgiest, acidic, hardcore tears humanly possible, of course!). The San Francisco based Kowloon Walled City (who took their name from the former densely populated and un-governed settlement in Hong Kong) is a band that truly transcends genres. While the band’s slow/heavy dynamic, harsh/composed vocals, earth-shattering distortion and flawless tempo transitions have earned them the label as a “sludge” band, their 2012 release Container Ships was actually inspired by their interest in shoegaze bands such as Swervedriver, Hum, and My Bloody Valentine and further more bands who draw inspiration from them like M83 and Autolux. The references may not be incredibly apparent when listening to the LP, but it is more about how it made them feel while recording. I digress…
The band did not fail to live up to all the hype I had built for them in my own head. Singer/Guitarist, Scott Evans was incredibly on point (even apologizing for leaving his voice at the prior night’s show, I beg to differ sir!) The clean/heavy riffage nailed with help from Jon Howell, and the inconceivably thunderous rhythm section seeing Jeff Fagundes on percussion and Ian Miller on bass all added up for what has easily been my most memorable performance of the year. The dudes in KWC do not release new music often and during our fanboy-ish conversations with the very gracious Evans, Allen, and Miller, they assured us that it would be a slow process for emergence of new material. So I was beyond delighted to be able to see them play a new song mixed in the set. The only criticism I have was I did not get to see them play my favorite KWC song “You Don’t Have Cancer.” After telling the guys that had they played it, I would probably have defecated on myself. Somehow in the moment, I thought this was the magical argument that would have seen them march all their gear back on stage to play the track as an encore solely for me, haha. They laughed and said it was on the playlist and it was a last minute decision to change it up.
Kowloon Walled City does minimal touring and rarely plays shows outside the Bay Area. They are headed on a small string of East Coast dates… So if you get the chance, DO NOT MISS THESE GUYS LIVE!!! – Isaac
Helms Alee – I had been waiting to catch Helms Alee live for some time now and was beyond stoked to see that they would be a part of Crucial Fest this year. The bands latest album Sleepwalking Sailors, has been on constant rotation ever since it came out in February of this year. Well all my waiting to see Helms Alee’s live show was worth it. This band absolutely slayed live, Ben Verellen’s guitar playing was fierce and soared all over the place and Dana James bass tone was absolutely legit, but the highlight was watching drummer Hozoji Mathes0n-Margullis’ crazy and unique drumming style. Mathes0n-Margullis was like a less hairy and more controlled version of Animal from the Muppet’s! Another killer aspect of the show was witnessing how intricate the bands vocal work is with Verellen adding in the pirate like howls and wails and the female’s of the group countering with chant like dual vocal harmonies. These vocals are one of the more interesting elements of Helms Alee’s sound, but it’s something that needs to be witnessed live to truly appreciate the complexity of the arrangements. The band played second to last in this showcase and was given a bit longer set time than the other bands half hour sets, which I was grateful for because it gave them an opportunity to play a a variety of songs from their entire discography. After the show I stalked Verellen outside of the bathroom just so I could introduce myself and tell him how awesome his band was. So Ben if your reading this sorry for being a creep, but thanks for being so nice, hahaha! Also, shout out to the all three band members for hanging around the entire next day and checking out all the other bands’ sets. I love it when bands support each other. – Jon
Eagle Twin – For a great number of Utahns, we are well aware that we are a deeply misunderstood state and do not get the credit we deserve for many aspects of it’s culture (or counter-culture rather). Ask most people who have gone to live beyond the land of Zion and they will tell you, at first mention of where they are from they are usually met with an “Oh, I am so sorry for you.” In truth the joke is on them.. We may noy be catching up to some of the larger more progressive cities in many ways, but Utah has seen an incredible swell of counter-culture in every aspect of artful outlet imaginable. There is so much to be proud of here… One of these being the especially talented Eagle Twin. The nationally recognized duo, composed of Gentry Densley and Tyler Smith are a true force to be reckoned with and these two musicians are treasured by the local heavy music, scratch that, music community in general. I have not personally had a chance to meet either member, but you mention their names to anyone who has and you will hard pressed to get them to stop ranting how nice of guys they are. During Helms Alee’s set, the wires on drummer Hozoji Mathes0n-Margullis’ snare broke free and within a second of jokingly asking anyone for a spare snare, Smith was on stage with his equipment in hand.
Eagle Twin was given the honor of closing out the night’s stacked showcase and took the stage somewhere between midnight and 1 AM. The duo took their spots and Densley let the crowd know that he had picked up his new aluminum-necked guitar just for the occasion and right then jumped right into their set. Eagle Twin surely had a two part mission that evening: 1. To oblitarate what was left of everyone’s eardrums; and 2. Bewitch and mesmerize the crowd with their unique brand of psychedelic, blues/jazz-influenced, doom-metal. They completed that mission with flying colors. Between Densley’s gruff, brooding vocals recounting their mythology of crows and serpants, as well as his immaculate and soul-crushing guitar skills and Smith’s precise and remarkably powerful percussion, Eagle Twin filled the stage with just two people better than most bands of four or five. I was so enchanted by the show, that I barely noticed the drumstick that flew straight from Smith’s hand at 90 MPH and hit me square in the jugular!
(The band rocked so damned hard, my camera wasn’t able to successfully capture any of the magic that happened during their set. Sorry!) – Isaac
June 7th (Day Show), The Shred Shed / Wasted Space:
Light/Black – I’m embarrassed to say it, but I’ve never been to see a show at The Shred Shed. It’s probably due to my extreme (and irrational) aversion to watching live music without beer. The prospect of seeing Light/Black on such a beautiful spring day, though, was more than enough motivation to get me out braving the uncharted waters of an all-ages venue. When I arrived (to be honest, late, but only a few minutes into Light/Black’s set) it became apparent that I was a fool for not coming to The Shred Shed sooner. It’s a positively wonderful place for shows. It’s a lot sunnier than I expected, but most of all the room and the system both sounded crystal clear.
Light/Black were amazing too. Levi Lebo’s guitar work is well-known in this town for it’s ambition, but on this particular day the group was treating us to quite a bit of new material and I can tell you the riffage has reached new and exciting levels. My only qualm was that I couldn’t hear Danielle Mariott’s guitar or Carri Wakefield’s vocals as clearly as I would have liked. It could have been the mix, but I got the sense that modesty on the part of the players might have played a role as well. I might be wrong, (and I usually am) but if there is some truth to what I suspect, I hope these two women know that their adoring fans would love nothing more than to see them shine like the rock goddesses they are.
In any case, humble or not, this group still managed to blow back the 17 hairs I have left on the top of my skull. Their music has a majestic quality that washes over you like a summer breeze just before it knees you in the gut … but you know, in a good way. I could have watched them play all day, but with strict time limits on set times they stopped all too soon for my liking. Ahhh, such is Crucial Fest. – Dan
I just want to add in that drummer Joshua Asher is a serious heavy hitting beast on the kit. Thanks! – Jon
INVDRS – The Bearded Gentleman and I strolled over to Wasted Space and on the way there we bumped into my buddy, Phil White (vocals). We hugged and exchanged pleasantries and I asked him what he was up to, “we’re playing a show later,” he said. I grilled him about what time they went on and he told me, but not before giving me some (well-deserved) shit, “you should totally write about it, dude,” he said laughing.
Clever boy!
I totally should have written about them too, except I accidentally missed their show. Also, for some reason I can’t seem to recall the name of his band right now, but I think they’re called INVDRS. Oh well. I will say this: they have a most impressive collection of amplifiers, a museum really, that they haul on stage. It creates a sound so mighty that they tend to blow the power several times during a typical set. Some of the so-called “heavier” outfits in this town might be satisfied with the tone of one Sunn Model T with a full stack. Not INVDRS! Their motto: “Why stop at 1 when a baker’s dozen allows you achieve the much sought after brown sound?” I couldn’t agree more. Some like to spend the numerous pitch black silences anxiously waiting for someone to flip the circuit breaker, but I use that time to cherish the bells ringing my ears while I wipe the shit out of my pants. What a shame I missed them play–those bells are so pretty. – Dan
La Verkin – In any case, from there we went to Wasted Space and saw La Verkin. Rumor has it that this might have been their last show and I hope it’s a lie, because they were awesome. I spent most of their set marveling at their drummer (Clayton Binks). A man who has the craziest drumming style I’ve ever seen and sounds like he would have been just as comfortable playing with James Brown as he is playing in a rock band. La Verkin definitely take the prize as Salt Lake’s most batshit group. They sound like a nihilistic Gang of Four, looking for a fight. Their bass player, Ben Dodds, has somehow dialed in his tone to the exact frequency where it rattles a gentleman’s testes. The lyrics are about god-knows-what and frankly I’m afraid to ask, but Pete Makowski’s delivery is somehow frightening while giving me the giggles. I may have a bit of a schoolgirl crush on him too, but I’ll never tell. The only thing for certain is that I head banged, with all 17 of my hairs flailing to and fro–and I’m not the sort of person who does that. – Dan
June 7th (Night Show), Urban Lounge:
American Sharks – Are a tight little band from Austin, Texas, which took the stage before Big Business and Red Fang. The band’s live set comes across as a Motorhead tribute with a Cramps-style vocal approach (which differed somewhat from the tone of their debut album American Sharks). They played a great show, quickly breezing through all of the songs on their debut. I enjoyed the show immensely, but couldn’t help thinking how cool American Sharks would be with a few more ideas to pump up their energetic yet brief tunes. The best moment of the colorful set was no doubt the performance of the last and longest song on their album, “11:11.” I can’t wait to see what these guys have in store once they start fleshing out more tunes. – Nate
Big Business – It was only a couple months ago that I reviewed a show in which Big Business had opened up for The Sword. In said review I admitted that I had only very minimally listened to any of their music before the show. I have to be honest and say it here and now… Truth be told, their set that night was very hard for me to get into. On top of being unfamiliar with their music, there were definitely other factors at play. They were sandwiched between two of my favorite bands and whoever had manned the soundboard for their set did them a huge disservice. It just didn’t sound great. Don’t get me wrong… By the end of their performance my interest had been piqued. I went home and listened to just about everything the band has released and have been eager to see them again.
Their set for Crucial Fest was a testament to everything Big Business is all about. They play hard, scream loud, and don’t take themselves too seriously. Not only did Big Business set sound flawless… Half the fun was listening to the band’s wise-cracks between songs. Just before the performance of their last song (the epic “Lonely Lyle”) bassist/vocalist Jarred Warren and guitarist Scott Martin traded joked about how disappointed the crowd was going to be with the night’s headliner Red Fang do to their extreme alcohol intake. And during the close of said song Martin stripped himself of his Red Fang t-shirt to reveal an identical and extremely undersized tank top, Warren pulled his shirt over his head in a Beavis-fashion and as the two began chanting for minutes on end while drummer Coady Willis beat the ever-living shit out of his drums. The set came to a conclusion with both Warren and Martin on the floor and Willis crowd-surfing through the venue.
Needless to say, these dudes have won me over. – Isaac
Red Fang – Out of all the sets I saw at Crucial Fest, the regular Joe pranksters that make up Red Fang contributed probably the most satisfying performance of the weekend as the band executed its super crisp brand of sludgy hard rock. Red Fang’s workman-like show generated enough energy at around 1:00 am on a Saturday night to provoke the mostly bearded SLC Urban Lounge audience into establishing the first mosh pit I had seen during the entire festival, nearly rivaling the John Candy vs. bad-ass babes’ mud wrestling battle in Stripes. Suffice it to say that Red Fang killed the show- that their no-frills delivery of tunes like “Malverde” and “Prehistoric Dog” maintained this middle-aged fat guy’s interest during the hour-plus, early morning set is a testament to the strength and precision of Red Fang’s tunes and made for the perfect swan song for Crucial Fest 2014. – Nate
This years Crucial Fest was easily the best one so far. The festival keeps getting better and better. Super stoked to see what the Crucial Fest Five’s line-up consists of next year. One things for certain though, the B.G.M. crew will be in attendance for sure. Long live Crucial Fest!! – Jon