Meet the Locals

As a part of my job, sometimes it is my responsibility to find local bands to open for some of our shows. I'm trying to get to know more of what the local scene has to offer, and so far I've come across some really great stuff. I think it would be a shame if I didn't encourage others to check it out. With that in mind, I've decided to make this "Meet the Locals" a semi-regular feature on my blog. Hopefully it will give me more incentive to reach out and find more local talent while providing new entertainment options for my eight dedicated readers. Today I will feature three bands from three genres, but I can't promise three every time in the future. For most of these bands, the only way to hear their music is to visit their myspace page. I realize that shows like "To Catch a Predator" have given myspace a bad name, but it is pretty cool that one website hosts profiles and 3 to 7 songs from 98.66% of bands in the world. If you want to hear what a band sounds like, typing www.myspace.com/bandname will usually answer your question in a matter of seconds.


Band Of Annuals
band of annuals myspace
One of the more talented bands to come out of Salt lake, it is nice to see that they are enjoying some level of success. As stated in previous posts, I've been really into alt country lately. If you need a good sampling of fantastic alt country, look no further than Band Of Annuals.


Alaska And Me
alaska and me myspace
I think these guys are half in Utah and half in Arizona most of the time from what I can tell, but I will claim them. The Format have apparently called it quits. If you are looking for a new indie pop band to fill the void, you can't go wrong with these guys.


The Playdead Movement
the playdead movement myspace
I will always love a soft spot in my heart for punk rock, but I think my taste for new bands is getting more astute. These guys have a street sound, and like their idols (Rancid, Operation Ivy, The Clash) they have figured out that good song writing is just as important as nailing your muttered vocals. They put on as good a show as I've ever seen from locals, and will be performing at the Rancid show in September.

I hang with Robots

Sometimes my time at work is spent animating robots that are programmed to advertise upcoming shows. These times are precious and cherished, and when they are over I just wish they would return.

Apparently animated gifs don't work in blogger. If you really want to see it in action, visit the postfontaine myspace page.

Relax... It's Priceless

My friend Brad helped me gain appreciation for awesomely bad local advertisements when we were roommates in college. I just wanted to write a quick thought about a couple of classics, one new and one old.

If you've recently driven southbound on I-15 between 7800 and 12300 South, you've probably seen a billboard for Sandy City which states, "Relax, you're in the 34th safest city in America." That's right, 34th. I'm not a writer and I've never taken a specific marketing class, but I am pretty sure that somewhere in your marketing education you learn that 34th just does not sound good. Can you imagine a water cooler conversation like this...

"Hey Joe, how are your (insert sports team name) doing?"

"Fantastic! With the win last night, they moved up to 34th!"

There are a lot of cities in America, so 34th probably isn't that bad. I just can't imagine that somewhere along the line during all the planning process for the billboard that someone didn't suggest saying, "Relax, you're in one of the safest cities in America."

The second instance is found in a classic radio jingle. It is promoting a local copy machine middle-man company, Les Olson Company. For those of you who were able to catch this year's Super Bowl on T.V. in Utah, you were treated to the entire song including a music video with the jingle's star. It was as if the Les Olson people saw the Toby Keith wannabe singing his song for Big-O Tires, and said "now that's a commercial." It was truly something to behold, and it got me laughing way more than all of the multi-million dollar comedy duds of the day. The best part of the jingle is the part right before the chorus. She sings with all the feeling and emotion of an E.F.Y. soft-rock star, "Where good service isn't expensive, it's priceless."

I can see what they are getting at, but it's all wrong. To me the phrase suggests that Les Olson Company is a place where good service is a rare commodity. It isn't expensive (something that is available but costly.) It is priceless (something that is so rare, you can't associate a monitary value to it.) So it is a place where good service is incredibly rare.

I know they are all around, what are some other awesomely bad slogans?

Sometimes There's No Official Ad

Sometimes when we do a show for a "smaller" band there is not an official poster or "admat" as we call it in the business. That leaves it up to me to make one up. It's always a fun proposition, but I'm always a bit rushed for time. Here's one I put together today. It's for a Japanese hard rock/psychedelic band called Boris.