SLC Underground: Music

Salt Lake City is not the city that comes to mind when people think of underground music. But in reality, it is home to a flourishing and creative independent music scene that brings together people from many different backgrounds and lifestyles. There are a variety of genres present here including indie, punk, ska, rap, metal, and jazz. Some of the more prominent bands in Salt Lake that you might know include Hot Vodka, Sculpture Club and Brain Bagz.

These scenes attract fans and people who are passionate about the music and give a lot to keep these scenes going and keep the venues open. Some venues include Kilby Court, The Underground, The Beehive Social Club, Vague Space, The Loading Dock, and various house venues.

Despite these venues being a bit far away from Skyline, a night spent at a local performance will leave anyone entertained. All of these venues are all ages and provide spaces for local artists to perform, and kids to participate in the music scene.

Live shows are the heart of the scene and can be intense or relaxed, depending on the bands that you see. But live music will always surprise you and give you an experience that you never have quite had before.

Being in a low lit venue packed with an exciting band can be an awesome experience, a few feet from the band playing and the music rumbling through your body, it’s sure to leave you with an appreciation for the music.

Another integral part of Salt Lakes music scene are the stores that distribute local artists, promote, hold shows and support bands. Record shops like Raunch Records, Diabolical records, and Graywhale have been open for years and provide a space for artists to advertise shows, sell tapes, records and hang out.

At Skyline, there are students that play in bands and support local music. One student from Skyline who plays in a band is Myles Varga, the singer of the punk band Hus.

He enjoys the local music scene and says that it is “Good in that there are lots of different local bands and artists, so the scene is diverse”. He cites one of the main struggles for bands is the “small audiences that attend these shows”. If any of these things interested you, go to some local venues and find out when the next shows are.