It seems nearly every review I’ve read of local band Shark Speed compares them to the Seattle-based indie group Minus the Bear. And for the most part, it’s a comparison I get. I hear the strong similarities, for example, between Shark Speed vocalist Thayne Fagg and Jake Snider of Minus the Bear. Both bands also [...]

I have a theory that I have cultivated over the past few years and propagated to just about anyone within earshot. It goes something like this — culture (and specifically American popular culture) runs in 20-year cycles. Think about it. Approximately 20 years after a certain style of music or trend or fashion was first [...]

In my last Video Dose, I argued that most modern videos are indebted to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” in one way or another. About the same time that article was being posted I also realized that every video I had highlighted had been from the 80s. So, in order to change things up and simultaneously point [...]

Vampire Weekend’s second album Contra was released on January 12th, almost two years (to the date) after the release of their self-titled debut.
Contra starts off with exactly what we’d expect from a Vampire Weekend trip to the beach. And it’s true, “Horchata” basically treads the same cracked pavement and sand that swept so [...]

People who’ve read this site somewhat regularly since its inception have probably garnered that I don’t throw my hat in the ring with the local folk-haters. By contrast, I love folk music and particularly Provo’s unique brand of indie-folk that increasingly populates our venues. I know some wish for “more rock and roll” in our [...]