Tag Archives: Slug Magazine

Capturing the Moment with Michael Kunde

Photo: Chad Kirkland

Michael Kunde is a professional commercial and advertising photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. His work and personal talents take him both across the United States and internationally. Some of his clients include Adobe and Chrysler. Apart from an impressive commercial portfolio, Kunde also boasts personal photography work that includes unique takes from his travels. Some of his more distinguished work contain his striking themes, such as those found in rural areas of the United States….

Read the full article at @SLUG Magazine!!

The Toxenes – Double Creature Feature

The Toxenes

Double Creature Feature

Killjoy Records

Street:11.17.2019

The Toxenes= The Baby Shakes + The Cramps + The Horror Pops

The Toxenes are a rock ‘n roll trio from Minneapolis. They have previously released a single (2017) and a cassette album Electric Shock (2018). Double Creature Feature is their first LP on Vinyl. For those fans of rockabilly notions riding on garage, all infused with punk-rock messiness, this record is for you. Listening to this record is like binge watching a whole season of sounds. It’s got 18 grooves fully loaded with sugar and doused with rock ‘n roll vinegar.

Read the full review at @SLUG Magazine!!

Art Against Doom: Using a Visual Medium to Inform us of Climate Change


By Eric U. Norris [[email protected]]

Some of you may have noticed, but we’ve been living with an anvil-like chandelier looming over us by a thread that we either refer to as “climate change,” “global warming” or “the impending doom of life on earth as we know it!” Whether you choose to ignore it or not, it is there, and people like Nicholas Kuzmack and Kady Newland are attempting to inform everybody of the current and future effects of climate change through the first in what will be a series of art events under the moniker Art Against Doom……

Read the full article published by @ SLUG Magazine!!

Ex Hex – It’s Real


Ex Hex
It’s Real
Merge
Street: 03.22
Ex Hex = Heart + Joan Jett and The Black Hearts

Good lord, it feels as though it’s been ages since Ex Hex released their debut album, Rips in 2014. It’s safe to say that record was nothing short of a marvel that carved out a niche in the vastness of contemporary music. Not only did Rips blend familiarity with freshness, but it was composed with the nitty and delightfully catchy gritty elements of glam infused rock n’ roll. Listening to it, I could hear an album that almost begged for the nostalgia of Suzi Quatro or Bonnie St. Claire. Now, four years later, Ex Hex deliver something entirely different with It’s Real.

Read the full album review published by SLUG Magazine!

The Boys Ranch

(L–R) Wren Kennedy, Samantha Dickens, Denney Fuller, Ian Francis and Conor Flynn. Photo: Matthew Hunter

On Nov. 16, SLUG Magazine presents SLUG Localized featuring The Boys Ranch, The Poppees and Say Hey at Urban Lounge. This evening will celebrate some of Utah’s finest surf, pop and rock n’ roll acts. Get ready to twist, shout and do the barracuda. SLUG Localized is sponsored by Uinta Brewing, High West Distillery, KRCL 90.9 FM and Spilt Ink SLC.

The Boys Ranch were founded by Denney Fuller and feature the talents of Wren Kennedy, Samantha Dickens, Conor Flynn and Ian Francis. Prior to forming the group, Fuller performed for years—including with Joshy Soul and The Cool—and has always carried a deep affinity for rock n’ roll, most notably for songs such as Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs’ “Wooly Bully” and The Ventures’ “Wipe Out.” Feeling electrified by these tunes, Fuller says, “They make me wanna get wild and run around the house.”

As a group, The Boys Ranch share a wide range of influences. Everything from The Clash to bossa nova, from Prince to The Beatles whet their creative appetites. Fuller says, “I really dig early rock n’ roll as well. Del Shannon, Roy Orbison, Bo Diddley and Little Richard are just great.” However, the band that prominently stands out for The Boys Ranch are The Kinks. “They are the blue-collar Beatles, in my opinion,” says Fuller. “They just have way too many dang good songs, and played exactly the way they wanted to play.”

Dig the full article on The Boys Ranch published by SLUG Magazine!!

The Poppees

(L–R) Cody Rigby, Moo Rudolph, Sully Swoboda, Andres Mitchell and Michael Cuenco. Photo: Matthew Hunter

On Nov. 16, SLUG Magazine presents SLUG Localized featuring The Boys Ranch, The Poppees and Say Hey at Urban Lounge. This evening will celebrate some of Utah’s finest surf, pop and rock n’ roll acts. Get ready to twist, shout and do the barracuda. SLUG Localized is sponsored by Uinta Brewing, High West Distillery, KRCL 90.9 FM and Spilt Ink SLC.

The Poppees were born out of the withering petals of The Artificial Flower Company and blossomed as a band refreshed, renewed but familiar to the senses. They breathe life into a new era of jangly indie rock by evoking a concoction of 1960s harmonious Monkees-esque tunes that warm their listeners with a fuzzy daze of sweetened-eggnog-induced psychedelia. Their music is perfect for a tonic lounge or dimly lit speakeasy. They are, however, not to be confused with the 1970s power pop group of the same name. These Poppees are Andres Mitchell, Cody Rigby, Moo Rudolph, Sully Swoboda and Michael Cuenco. Rigby says, “Like a plant that grows and loses its leaves, we, too, grew into what we are now.”

Read the full article on The Poppee’s published by SLUG Magazine!!

We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher, and The Last Stand Of A Band That Mattered

We Are The Clash: Reagan, Thatcher, and The Last Stand Of A Band That Mattered
Mark Andersen and Ralph Heibutzki
Akashic Books
Street: 07.03

This is a book that matters. Authors Mark Andersen and Ralph Heibutzki take the history of the turbulent political struggles of the 1980s and combine with the legendary fall of The Clash. In this historical context, We Are The Clash examines the Cold War world on the brink of nuclear holocaust, the British Miner strike with the emergence of Margret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan’s neo-liberalism (the British, free-market-oriented definition of the term) and it’s subsequent effects on lives of the members of The Clash.

Such a tale is a bold one, since We Are The Clash takes on a broad outlook on how political upheaval intervenes in the fluttering nature of pop-culture. While steeped in political history, the book draws on the intentions of the “only band that mattered” while providing several interesting analyses of why the band ultimately folded. Throughout We Are The Clash, the narrative mainly focuses on the chaotic rebuilding of The Clash without founding member Mick Jones, but with Joe Strummer (and Bernie Rhodes) firmly in the driver’s seat.

Read the full Book Review published by SLUG Magazine!!

The Blankz – White Baby/Sissy Glue 7″

The Blankz
White Baby/Sissy Glue 7”
Slope Records
Street: 07.13
The Blankz = Devo + The Epoxies + The Spits


Born in 2017, The Blankz are a vibrant electrical current of pogo-inducing madness. Together, they are Tommy Blank (vox), Jaime Blank (guitar), Andy Blank (bass), Johnny Blank (drums) and Nikkie Blank (synthesizer), who also fronts The Darts. They are from Phoenix, Arizona, and like their state, they are hot but not bothered. Their debut record, the White Baby/Sissy Glue record, is a lethal combination of orgasmic weirdo pop infused with the sensibilities of raucous punk rock.

Check out the full album review published by @SLUG MAGAZINE!!

The Terrorsurfs – Mutant Surfin’ Trash

The Terrorsurfs
Mutant Surfin’ Trash
Sharawaji Records
Street: 02.23
The Terrorsurfs = The Boys Ranch + The Phantom Four + Dick  Dale

The tenacious surfing garage rockers The Terrorsurfs are back with their new album Mutant Surfin’ Trash. Like their other releases, fans can easily expect some consistency in The Terrorsurfs’ style. It’s the grittiness of The Cramps twisting through the vivid wild sounds of The Trashmen. Think of it as a soundtrack for a Quentin Tarantino film, like a contemporary Kill Bill Vol 1 or Pulp Fiction, but with the desperation of Robert Rodriguez’s Once Upon a Time in Mexico.

Check out the full review of Mutant Surfin’ Trash published by SLUG Magazine!!

 

The Devils – Iron Butt

The Devils
Iron Butt
Voodoo Rhythm
Street: 12.15.17
The Devils = Das Clamps + Brain Bagz + Guitar Wolf

The Devils embody the definitive sound of desolation and chaos. Theirs is a style that is nothing short of a symphony meant for utter human annihilation. Their new album is called Iron Butt, and there’s plenty of sex, sin and rock n’ roll. Charming name aside, the absolute primitive noise within these grooves reveal nothing less than a nod toward a sure mental collapse. This is thanks to a chainsaw massacre guitar, death-stomping drum beats and blood-curtailing vocals. For the unaware, The Devils are from Naples, Italy, and they descend from blues-driven, wall-of-fuzz punk rock madness and Ken Russell’s 1971 B-movie of the same name. Think of them as the face-melting garage punk demon offspring of The Cramps’ incestuous relations with The Gories.

Dig the full album review published by SLUG Magazine!!