WEEKEND UPDATE: June 26th & 27th

It’s the weekend and, as such, the next two nights will undoubtedly be marked by thousands of college students sitting in their apartments, repeating the same tired refrain: “There’s nothing to do in Provo.”

While Provo isn’t exactly a bustling metropolis of nightlife, it certainly isn’t dead. There are cool things going on — you just need to know where to look. This is where we at Rhombus want to step in and offer you some advice. We’ve included below a list of some awesome, Rhombus-approved activities going down in the Provo/Orem/SLC area this weekend, as well as some must-avoid schlock that will do nothing but turn your nubile, young brains to mush.

So please peruse our merry list and check back next week for more delectable weekend exploits. And remember — if you still find yourself sitting on the couch this weekend, it’s not our fault.

WEEKEND UPDATE: June 26th & 27th

MUSIC

The Good:
Chris Merritt | Friday, 8:00 p.m., Velour Live Music Gallery (135 N. University Ave., Provo), $7
Contrary to popular opinion, Chris Merritt isn’t god in human form. The Merritt worship in Provo seems to have reached a record high in recent years and unnecessarily so. Don’t get me wrong: he’s a fine artist and certainly better than most alternatives. But the fact remains that his entire shtick is a shameless aping of Ben Folds. Given young Mormons’ natural proclivities for piano-based pop songs, the match was inevitable. However, regardless of the hype, Merritt is a legitimate artist with some great songs. (I challenge anyone to try and listen to “Dance Karate” without shaking their groove thing.) His Friday night show at Velour was especially booked by the venue’s owner, Corey Fox, as a rare solo show, featuring just the artist and his piano. Merritt billed the performance as an “intimate, sit-down, storyteller-type show” on his blog. As such, it won’t be a regular, standing-room-only show. There will only be about 150 seats available so, if you choose to attend, go early.

The Vibrant Sound (with RuRu and Marlee & Hayley Hernandez) | Saturday, 8:30 p.m., Velour Live Music Gallery, $7
This may very well be the local concert of the summer. Serving as the album release party for the Vibrant Sound’s new disc, Downtown, the show is sure to be packed with good tunes and fun times. To take it up even another notch (as if the much-anticipated VS disc wasn’t enough), folk phenom Isaac Russell, a.k.a. RuRu, will also be playing and — I’m not exaggerating here — you need to be there. Your musical salvation depends on it. Big things have been happening for young Isaac recently and the kid is going places, so take the opportunity to see him for pennies while you can. McKay Stevens has put together a top-notch lineup for his band’s long-awaited album release and Velour will undoubtedly be rocking all night. If you do only one thing this weekend, this should be it!

The Bad:
The Cab | Friday, 7:00 p.m., Kilby Court, $12
I can only imagine two things worse than seeing the Cab perform live: a) seeing Boys Like Girls perform live (July 7th! Oh no!), or b) being slowly beaten to death with my own arms. Enough said. Stay far, far away.

FILM

The Good:

Away We Go | Broadway Centre Cinemas (111 E. Broadway, SLC), Rated R
Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara
Directed by Sam Mendes | Written by Dave Eggers & Vendela Vida
Good independent films don’t come to Utah very often. Just a few weeks ago, I was bemoaning the fact that Away We Go wasn’t playing anywhere in the state on its opening weekend. My prayers were answered. This heartfelt indie flick has been receiving rave reviews and it’s easy to see why, given the ingredients. Mastermind Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Revolutionary Road) is in the director’s chair, working from the first original screenplay penned by perhaps the finest writer of our generation, Dave Eggers. Throw in a dynamite cast of outstanding actors and it’s easy to see why Away We Go has myself (and others) so excited.

The Bad:
Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen | All Theatres, Rated PG-13
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Robots, Explosions, etc.
Directed by Michael Bay | Written by Ehren Kruger & Roberto Orci
I will confess that I haven’t seen the second installation of Transformers yet and have no intent to do so. If the first Transformers film weren’t bad enough to convince you of the sequel’s complete and utter stupidity, just soak in what our good friend Roger Ebert (not the most discerning of critics) had to say about this monstrosity:

“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” is a horrible experience of unbearable length, briefly punctuated by three or four amusing moments. One of these involves a dog-like robot humping the leg of the heroine. Such are the meager joys. If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.

Yikes. But really, what else did you expect? It is Michael Bay…