CITY WEEKLY

BY WES LONG








BY WES LONG
BY CHRISTOPHER SMART
So Wilson, listen, the Democrats have a problem— branding. You know what pops to mind when you hear the word “Democrat,” and the pundits say these days it isn’t so good.
But it’s complicated. Remember the old saw: “I don’t belong to any organized political party—I’m a Democrat”? They can’t just do something like Coca-Cola and say, “we’re The Real Thing.” Still it would be better than their unofficial slogan: “We’re Not Them,” referring, of course, to the fascistic Donald Trump Party.
The Republicans have always been much better at branding—they’re not afraid to play fast and loose with the facts: “Republicans are the party of freedom;” “Do unto others before they do unto to you.” There’s another old saw: “Democrats bring knives to gun fights.” Unlike Republicans, Dems just don’t have a flair for weaponizing language. Remember these slogans? “Where’s the beef?” “Feel the Bern.” “When they go low, we go high.” Not exactly exciting.
But now that Trump’s poll numbers are in the crapper, Dems have an opening. And just forget about, “Build Back Better.” Where’s Bill Clinton when the Dems need him? They need something like, “Keep Your Eyes On The Prize,” although that didn’t help Hillary.
Well Wilson, “Tired of the bullshit, vote Democratic,” is on the right track but “Eggs $1—Gas $2,” is getting warmer. “Eat the rich, vote Democrat,” probably goes a little too far, but it’s the right spirit.
How about, “We all do better when we all do better”? You sure can’t mistake that for a Republican slogan.
Trump’s Cabinet: First 100 Days Were Best in History Poll after poll shows Americans aren’t happy with what’s happened in the first 100 days of Trump 2.0. But the man
who would be king likes to be flattered and his cabinet is up to the task. Here are some intercepts from Signal that might be from a cabinet meeting.
Attorney General Pam Bondi—Mr. President, I can’t believe how great your first 100 days have been. We’ve rounded up hundreds of people with brown skin and shipped them off to El Salvador without so much as asking “do you have a green card?” And we’ve stopped the flow of fentanyl into this country, saving 248 million lives, which isn’t bad when you consider there are 350 million Americans.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—There is leadership and there is leadership, and Mr. President, you are the best leader since Genghis Kahn rode into Macedonia and you’ve done it without camels or belly dancers, even though belly dancers would be nice.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Thank you Mr. President. Thank you again. Did I tell you you’re great? We’re making the country healthy thanks to you and McDonald’s. We can conquer measles and COVID-19 simply by eating right, including lots of lime popsicles.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—Mr. President, you are so fantastic. I think of you every time I get new lingerie from Victoria’s Secret. Thanks to you, I get to travel to important places and wear a different outfit each time. People tell me they love me ... oh, and you, too. They love you more, Mr. President, a lot more. Tons more.
Mike Lee: Let Them Eat Cake
Utah Sen. Mike Lee does not have hair like Marie Antoinette, although he would look nice with a beehive hairdo. Like the last queen of France, who married Louis XVI just before the French Revolution, Mike Lee lives in a rarified bubble where the exigencies of the great unwashed are nowhere to be seen or heard.
Marie Antoinette was infamous for many things, but perhaps best known for her retort when she was told people were going hungry and had no bread. “Let them eat cake,” she quipped. Like the queen, empathy is not Mike Lee’s strong suit.
Washington D.C. may not be the Palace of Versailles, but Lee manages to live in a make-believe world where the only people going hungry are those on diets. Utah’s senior senator and self-described constitutional expert now wants
to cut the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—known as food stamps—which could push one million Americans into poverty and hunger. But of course, they can always eat cake or Big Macs.
Lee’s been on a tear as of late, introducing legislation called the “Restraining Judicial Insurrectionists Act of 2025,” which would put commie judges in their place. On X, he posted that we should eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), PBS, NPR, FEMA, the Federal Reserve and leave NATO, the U.N. and the World Health Organization. Who needs ‘em—then we can give the rich tax cuts.
Postscript—That’s a wrap for another beautiful spring week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of megalomaniacs who want to be pope so you don’t have to. Well Wilson, maybe we shouldn’t even mention the AI-generated post shared by President Donald J. Trump, which depicted him wearing the pope’s regalia. For real, the president of the United States posted on Truth Social an image of himself in a pope suit.
WTF! Imagine what would happen if Barack Obama did that. Not that he would—but if he did, the MAGA mob would come with shotguns and a rope.
The image of Pope Donny came a couple of days after a reporter asked Trump who he would like to see become the new pope. “I’d like to be pope,” Trump said. “I would be my number one choice.” Was he joking? Haha.
Earlier, Trump’s bosom buddy Sen. Lindsey Graham called on cardinals to keep an open mind about selecting Trump as the new pope. Soooo funny.
Vice President J.D. Vance, himself a Catholic, said he was cool with Pope Donny. Of course, Vance was photographed with Pope Francis just before the latter’s death. Some wondered aloud if the veep had killed him. On Saturday Night Live, Colin Jost quipped: “If Trump really wants to be pope he should stay away from J.D. Vance.”
You could be right Wilson, if there is a hell, there’s got to be a special place for Trump. On the other hand, maybe he is Beelzebub. CW
Private Eye is off this week. Christopher Smart’s weekly Smart Bomb column is available online at cityweekly.net.
Mixed media, murals and painting are among visual art opportunities in SLC this month.
BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw
Holly Rios: I’d like to return this body @ Utah Museum of Contemporary Art For more than 60 years, the Playboy brand has been a fascinating and often troubling part of American culture, even as the 21st century has seen the idea of magazinebased pornography become almost quaint. Yet Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (UMOCA) artist-in-residence Holly Rios still finds much about Playboy that’s relevant to modern ideas of body image, if for no other reason than the sheer quantity of material produced over the years. Rios views that material through an interesting lens in her new exhibition I’d like to return this body, considering it as a kind of data set that “programs” us in the way to think about the female form.
“For this specific body of work, I think I got more fixated on the magazine because it’s so much more insidious than contemporary sources of pornography,” Rios notes in an interview on the UMOCA website. “Now you can hop online and see whatever you are looking for; there’s an intentionality to that. You make a decision to see it. Playboy as a magazine was a kind of gateway to porn. It was always right on the line—they had enough articles and jokes and current events that people could ‘buy it for the articles.’ But through that ‘middle ground’ posturing, it created a kind of neutrality that is dangerous in this context. They were able to pose themselves as a really ‘sex positive’ and progressive entity, while leveraging women’s bodies as a powerful capitalist tool.”
Holly Rios’ I’d like to return this body runs through May 31 at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (20 S. West Temple). The opening reception takes place Wednesday, May 14 as part of the 2025 Annual Gala Art Auction, including DJ music and cash bar, supporting UMOCA’s education and artist-in-residence programs, among other work. Visit utahmoca.org to RSVP for the reception and for regular gallery hours as well as additional exhibition information.
Stigmas are still sometimes attached to mural art, ranking it as somehow “lessthan” because it occupies public places. Yet anyone who has been in South Salt Lake’s industrial zone understands how vibrant and remarkable this work can be, with an outdoor canvas that grows richer by the year. And thankfully, a celebration of that work comes to the city every year by way of the annual Mural Fest.
For 2025, new work is showcased by artists including Angie Jerez, Fabian Ray, GOMAD, Mantra, Michael Murdock, Osiris Rain, Peggy Flavin, RISK, Sandra Fetingis, TOOFLY, Wingchow and DAAS. Events kick off on Thursday, May 8 with the annual
National Mural Awards Ceremony, an allages event celebrating artists from around the country, and featuring a moderated panel and Q&A session including some of this year’s participating artists; attendees will also be eligible for free tickets to Kilby Court Block Party and the Grid City Music Fest. On Saturday, May 10, from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., you can make your way through the mural route to see the new work and meet the artists. This community celebration will also include live music, food trucks, interactive art experiences and more.
The Mural Awards Ceremony takes place at the Commonwealth Room (195 W. 2100 South) beginning at 6 p.m. on May 8; the Mural Festival on May 10 can be found in the South Salt Lake Creative Industries Zone (approximately Main St. & Bowers Way). Visit themuralfest.com for additional event information.
Lizzie Wenger: From Where We Stand @ “A” Gallery
Love of nature can emerge from many places; for Salt Lake City-native artist Lizzie Wenger, it was born from loss. After the death of her father when she was just 12 years old, Wenger turned to Utah’s outdoors as a place of both grieving and heal-
ing, developing a love of biking, canyoneering, climbing and hiking during that process. Now, more than a decade later, we can also see the impact of developing a relationship with that environment in her visual art, as “A” Gallery presents the debut solo painting exhibition for Wenger, From Where We Stand
The stylized landscapes in this show (“Turning to the Sun” is pictured) depict a range of locations, from mesas and canyons to lakefront vistas, in a style that’s sometimes described as “psychedelic cubism.” The result isn’t merely a photorealistic representation of a particular place, but a fusion between that place and the artist’s relationship with it, emerging in unique color palettes and waves of geometric shapes that take on an almost hypnotic quality. These images are both playful and powerful in evoking the desert southwest as a vibrant, living ecosystem, the kind that can infuse its life into those who visit.
Lizzie Wenger’s From Where We Stand shows at “A” Gallery (1321 S. 2100 East) now through May 16 during regular operating hours (Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.). Visit agalleryonline.com to see additional images and for further exhibition information. CW
Sammy Obeid
American-born Lebanese-Palestinian comedian Sammy Obeid came out of college as a Business and Mathematics major. Nevertheless, a finance career apparently wasn’t in the cards once he turned down a gig at Google to pursue his possibilities as a comedian. Fortunately, despite some early setbacks, he eventually scored success.
Aside from hosting the unusual Netflix comedy/reality series 100 Humans and appearing on such shows as Last Comic Standing, America’s Got Talent and Conan, he became known as a marathon man of sorts when he set a world record streak of performing live comedy lasting 1,001 nights in a row, garnering coverage in Time, L.A. Weekly and The New York Times in the process The “1,001 Arabian Nights of Comedy” ran from Dec. 26, 2010 to Sept. 21, 2013, breaking the previous record on Day 731. He then set other records by becoming the first comedian to perform on the Food Network’s Throwdown! with Bobby Flay, and becoming the youngest member of both the “CoExist Comedy” and “Axis of Evil: New Generation” comedy companies. His kudos were further compounded when his debut album, Get Funny or Die Trying, was named “Best Comedy Album of 2013” courtesy of iTunes. And as founder of his own KO Comedy enterprise, he obviously knows whereof he speaks when offering unsolicited advice. No doubt he’ll share some of that funny philosophy at this upcoming gig.
Sammy Obeid performs a 21+ show at Wiseguys Gateway (190 S. 400 West) on May 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $40; visit wiseguyscomedy.com to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Lee Zimmerman)
Dan McClellan: The Bible
We all know that we live in polarizing times, and one of the significant factors in that polarization comes from folks who are certain about what their religion’s scripture tells them. But what do those same people really know about the Bible’s instruction on some of the most controversial issues of our time? Do those who base all of their behavior—including their voting—on the unerring Word of God, and try to end a debate on that basis, truly understand what those words are?
Utah resident Dan McClellan—a Biblical scholar who has taken his expertise to social media, and the popular Data Over Dogma podcast—wants to dig deeply into those topics with his new book The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues. With the same layperson-friendly sensibility he brings to his online presence, McClellan addresses how to interpret the actual scriptural position (or maybe even the complete absence thereof) on topics ranging from abortion to homosexuality, from the role of women to justifications for slavery. Is there actually a Biblical warning about an antichrist and the satanic number “666?” Does God tell you hitting your kids is just fine? The answers might be more complicated than you—or any self-proclaimed Christian—realizes.
Dan McClellan visits First Baptist Church (777 S. 1300 East) to discuss The Bible Says So in an event sponsored by The King’s English Bookshop on Wednesday, May 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35, and include a hardcover copy of the book. Register via Eventbrite at kingsenglish.com. (Scott Renshaw)
For many years, the spring slot on the Ballet West season calendar has been occupied by the annual Ballet West Choreographic Festival, offering a chance for patrons to experience new work by choreographers from around the country and around the world. In 2025, however, the company is taking the opportunity to focus on innovation born a bit closer to home, as the company’s own dancers offer up world-premiere work of their own creation in the Works from Within program.
While the specific dancers and works selected were not available at press time, Ballet West artistic director Adam Sklute offers some encouragement to potential attendees about what they’re likely to experience. “Our Works from Within program is an opportunity for our company dancers to create choreography on company dancers,” Sklute says in an interview. “The whole process is fascinating. They start by workshopping it on our second company; I select anywhere from three to five ballets, and those ballets will be part of the actual Works from Within program. Our company dancers are incredible creative minds. And each one of them, in the past, has come up with fascinating and unusual takes on classical ballet choreography.”
Ballet West’s Works from Within runs at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center (138 W. 300 South) for five performances, Wednesday, May 14 – Saturday, May 17 at 7:30 p.m., and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, May 17. Tickets are $50; visit balletwest.org or saltlakecountyarts.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)
Health taking a bit of a dip? Stressed or ill at ease? Dissatisfied with your present appearance? Well, we all experience these from time to time, and it’s to satisfy such needs and meet such goals that the day spa was created in the first place. Whenever you need to get away or find a quality care treatment, our readers recommend these local sages of personal soundness:
Salt Lake City’s indie booksellers carry on the tradition of pioneer bibliophile James Dwyer.
BY WES LONG
comments@cityweekly.net
Ken Sanders is not one to make a big fuss. Still, a golden anniversary is no small accomplishment in any profession.
“I created and co-owned Cosmic Aeroplane Books and Records beginning in 1975,” the veteran bookseller told City Weekly. “I have [now] run an open shop in Salt Lake City for 50 years.”
Getting his first taste of the trade by “wheeling and dealing” comic books in grade school, Sanders formally entered the bookselling field with jobs at Sugar House’s Central Book Exchange, the Collectors Book Store in Hollywood, California, and Sam Weller’s Bookstore in Salt Lake City.
And after all this time, his love for the books and the people still remain his greatest enjoyments about the job. Indeed, they are what keep him going.
“You have to have an intellectual curiosity and the blessing of this business is you learn something new every single day,” Sanders observed.
What’s more, customers routinely thank him and his staff for their work in operating Ken Sanders Rare Books, now located within the Leonardo Museum downtown (209 E. 500 South).
“I’m grateful for that,” he said of the compliments. Sanders would be even more grateful if all such wellwishers bought something on the premises, rather than turning to online marketplaces. It costs money, after all, to hold and maintain a stock of cheap and mediumpriced books on top of the rent and utilities involved with running his store.
“I would be way better off by downsizing to an online warehouse somewhere and selling only the expensive books,” he admitted. “Will I be in business a year from now? I can’t honestly tell you.”
With all the risks and sacrifices involved, why does Sanders keep this unique space open? Why do any of our local booksellers, for that matter?
The perspectives will of course differ, but perhaps they share some kinship with what motivated Utah’s very first known bookseller, James P. Dwyer (1831-1915).
“The older generation will not need to be told who James Dwyer is,” remarked John Henry Evans for the Improvement Era back in June 1911. “For the other day I asked one of them, whom I merely happened to meet, whether he knew anything about Mr. Dwyer. ‘Know
anything about James Dwyer!’ he exclaimed, ‘I should think I do! Who doesn’t?’”
Born in 1831 at Bansha, Tipperary County, Ireland, to Martin Dwyer and Catherine Powers, James Dwyer emigrated with his family first to Canada and then New York. Devoutly religious, Dwyer had initially prepared for ordination as a Catholic priest before being baptized as a Latter-day Saint in 1855.
A lover of books, in search of a direction for his life, and apparently a frequent sight at local shops, the young Dwyer reportedly commented one day to a New York bookdealer about the sorry state of the latter’s establishment. Almost every evening, Dwyer related, he would hear customers ask for books that he knew to be on the shelves, but that shop clerks were unable to find.
“You have no system in the arrangement of your books,” Dwyer reportedly said. “Now, if you’ll lock me in here Saturday night, and let me stay here till Monday morning, I’ll arrange these books so that you can find any book in ten seconds.”
The offer was accepted, and the bookdealer was said to have been so pleased with Dwyer’s organizational efforts that the young man was made head clerk on the spot.
“In one and the same moment,” Evans wrote of the event, “he had found a good place and his life’s work.”
Crossing the west to join his fellow Mormons, Dwyer reached Salt Lake City in the early 1860s by ox team and married Sarah Ann Hammer (1843-1897) soon thereafter. They ultimately had eight children before Dwyer’s subsequent marriage to Jane Thomson MacKenzie (1840-1924) following Hammer’s death.
Opening a newsstand on the corner of West Temple and First South—roughly where the Salt Palace Convention Center stands today—Utah’s first bookman had at last arrived.
Bookselling dates as far back as the introduction of printing itself, but it was in the 19th century that the seeds of bookstores, as we know them today, began to develop.
“Our concept of a modern bookstore didn’t really exist then,” Ken Sanders explained. “Almost every early publisher was a bookseller out of necessity.”
Sanders noted that the arrival of a printing press to the Salt Lake Valley in 1849 was an important start, but ongoing paper supply shortages throughout the 1850s complicated the production of newspapers and largely limited the publication of books—to say nothing of establishing places that specialized in selling them. It wasn’t until George Q. Cannon’s commencement of the Cannon & Sons publishing company from his home in 1866 that Utah’s book culture got a significant shot in the arm.
In those days, books were but one among many provisions that a local concern offered its public, as at Orson Hyde Elliott’s (1842-1909) wholesale fruit shop, Charles Savage and George Ottinger’s art emporium, John Kelly’s (1824-1883) bindery and David O. Calder’s (1823-1884) music store.
Such appears to have been the case with Dwyer’s “Railroad News Depot” when it took up residence in the Old Constitution building near First South and Main Street, which, according to one 1865 notice, offered trout and seeds along with stationary and periodicals. From here, the enthusiastic Dwyer supplied Salt Lakers with newspapers, magazines, sheet music and literature as quickly as could be brought into the Territory.
“The Dwyer book store in those days was a busy scene just after the stage drove up,” Evans recalled.
“Long rows of boys with nimble fingers folded papers and passed them along to the seller. Usually also there was a long row of customers, stretching out of doors and along the street for half a block, as at the theatre window, each taking his turn.”
Through Dwyer’s auspices, local readers had a reliable source for their favorite reading materials, such as the New York Fireside Companion, Harper’s Weekly, the Atlantic Monthly and the New York Ledger. But his shop was much more than merely a purveyor of print—it was a cultural and literary hub.
“[Dwyer’s] shop was the center of news—the focus for village debates and discussions,” historian Leonard Arrington once recounted to the Intermountain Booksellers Convention in 1982. “Dwyer himself was a walking compendium of knowledge on the contents of almost every book in his store. If he could not find time to read a book himself, he would make a gift of it to another person who, he hoped, would report back to him of its contents.”
Midvale’s new pizza spot pays homage to a classic piece of local cinema.
BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer
If you’re a millennial who came of age in Utah, then there’s a good chance The Sandlot is somewhere in your cinematic schema. Whether it was a film you watched over and over with your siblings or simply the origin of all your friends’ best trash-talk zingers, it was arguably the Napoleon Dynamite of the early ‘90s. One of the reasons The Sandlot has a special place in our hearts is because a lot of it was filmed in Midvale, a fact that hasn’t been lost on The Bambino, Main Street’s new pizza parlor. If this is your first time hearing about this wood-fired pizza joint, I only have one thing to say: You’re killin’ me, Smalls.
The restaurant’s name is pulled from the admiration the film’s scrappy protagonists have toward Babe Ruth, whom they call the Great Bambino. It’s a clever way to combine an Italian name with Midvale’s film history, which is a stylistic theme that the restaurant carries throughout its entire aesthetic. The interior space is decorated with vintage photos of historic Midvale along with plenty of Sandlot swag. As charming as the space is, you can’t help but be distracted by the gorgeous, white-tiled pizza oven behind the counter.
As if that ponderous oven wasn’t a dead
giveaway, wood-fired pizza is the name of the game at The Bambino. A lot of the pies take their names from Sandlot characters–for example, The Wendy ($20) is a sweet and spicy combo of smooth burrata and the smoky, spreadable sausage known as ‘nduja. I talked a bit with coowner David Gardiner about the menu’s nods to The Sandlot, and he hinted at a secret menu with pies inspired by each of the film’s characters.
For my purposes, I was dead set on The Spud ($18). Ever since I tried the New Haven from the now-defunct Nuch’s–may it rest in peace–I have grown fond of a potato pizza, and The Spud is exactly that. Instead of sauce, it’s topped with smashed new potatoes, a four-cheese blend, crispy pancetta and some shallots.
It’s a fantastic pizza with its foundation firmly built around the crust. It’s a textbook thin-crust affair, though it holds up well to the selection of toppings.
It’s got a nice flavor, too–just a hint of yeast with a lovely char from the wood oven. The flavor combos on The Spud work very well together, though I did find myself wanting a bit more potato. I loved the pancetta and shallots, however. It’s a great pizza for those times when you’re craving something a bit unconventional.
Of course you can’t really go wrong with getting pizza at The Bambino, but I’d also encourage lunchtime visitors to check out the restaurant’s list of portafoglio sandwiches. They also make good use of The Bambino’s signature wood-fired pizza dough, which is folded and then stuffed with tasty sandwich fillings.
I went with Gardiner’s recommendation and ordered the Mortazza because mortadella and I have been having a moment lately. In addition to the thinly sliced Italian deli meat, this sando is smeared with lemon nutmeg ricotta, crushed pistachios, plenty of arugula and shallots. I always like making a new addition to my sandwich repertoire, and
this is definitely one for the books. The mortadella is just right and it perfectly grounds the sandwich. From there, the lemon nutmeg ricotta is absolutely divine–I would put this on every sandwich if I could. The ricotta’s creamy texture works beautifully with the mortadella and arugula, and it’s got just enough acid from the lemon to contrast with the meat’s salty richness. The pistachios definitely put things over the top–the crunchy texture played against the smooth ricotta, and the subtle flavors really ramp up the lemon and nutmeg.
For dessert, it’s easy to skip over to Setties, a small bakery and ice cream shop that shares its space with The Bambino–I’d highly recommend that you do. Setties offers specialty paletas ($4) which are like house-made popsicles, but its secret weapon is the macaron ice cream sandwiches ($9). I tried the lemon curd, which was a perfect way to end my meal of rich and savory flavors. The ice cream wasn’t overly sweet, but it did have the right amount of lemony tartness to punctuate my meal in just the right way.
Not only does The Bambino pay homage to a classic piece of local cinema, but it’s doing so in a very adorable and accessible way. The space is gorgeous, and it’s given me a new respect for Midvale’s historic Main Street. I walked around for a bit to let my food digest, and I was struck with the fact that it felt like the type of Main Street you’d encounter in Cedar City or Torrey. Whether you’re coming to check out a local show at The Pearl or just in the mood for some excellent pizza, The Bambino has you covered.
2 Row Brewing
73 West 7200 South, Midvale
2RowBrewing.com
On Tap: Piney Peaks “West Coast IPA”
Avenues Proper
376 8th Ave, SLC
avenuesproper.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Bewilder Brewing
445 S. 400 West, SLC
BewilderBrewing.com
On Tap: Pink Boots - Pink Pony Pilz
Bohemian Brewery
94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale
BohemianBrewery.com
NEW Releases: Kölsch, German Pale Ale,
On Tap: Munich ‘Dunkel’, California ‘Steam’ Lager
Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele
BonnevilleBrewery.com
On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale
Chappell Brewing
2285 S Main Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84115 chappell.beer
On Tap: Playground #13 - Hazy Pale with Lemondrop and Sultana
Corner Brew Pub Sugar House 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ wasatch
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager
Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Desert Edge Brewery
273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com
On Tap: High Pressure Haze, Hazy Pale Ale
Epic Brewing Co.
825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com
A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week
Etta Place Cidery
700 W Main St, Torrey www.ettaplacecider.com
On Tap: Wassail Cider, Pineapple Passion Fruit Session Mead
Fisher Brewing Co.
320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com
On Tap: A rotation of up to 17 Fresh Beers!
Grid City Beer Works
333 W. 2100 South, SLC
GridCityBeerWorks.com
On Tap: Cask Nitro CO2
Helper Beer
159 N Main Street, Helper, UT helperbeer.com
Hopkins Brewing Co.
1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com
On Tap: Friendly Introduction Pale Ale
Kiitos Brewing
608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com
Now with a full bar license & draft beer cocktails!
On Tap: Fonio - 100% gluten free beer; Schwarzbier
Level Crossing Brewing Co.
2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake
LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: El Santo Mexican Lager
Level Crossing Brewing Co.,
550 South 300 West, Suite
LevelCrossingBrewing.com
On Tap: Fruit Bat Sour Ale
Moab Brewing
686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com
On Tap: Arnie (Co-Lab with 2 Row brewing): cream ale base with Lychee black tea and fresh pasteurized lemon juice.
Mountain West Cider
425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com
On Tap: Lavricot Bloom
Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA
Ogden Beer Company 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenBeerCompany.com
On Tap: 11 rotating taps as well as high point cans and guest beers
Park City Brewing 1764 Uinta Way C1 ParkCityBrewing.com
On Tap: ALES for ALS - 5.0% hazy pale
Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com
Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan Prodigy-brewing.com On Tap: 302 Czech Pilsner
Proper Brewing/Proper Burger 857 So. Main & 865 So. Main properbrewingco.com
On Tap: Steamy Wonder Rye Steam Ale
Proper Brewing Moab 1393 US-191, Moab properbrewingco.com On Tap: Blizzard Wizard Hazy Pale Ale
Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com
On Tap: Gypsy Scratch
Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Munich Dunkel
Red Rock Kimball Junction 1640 Redstone Center Redrockbrewing.com
On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier
RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com
On Tap: Mild and Free British Mild (last call)
Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations
RoostersBrewingCo.com
On Tap: EL Doce Mexican Lager
SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com
On Tap: Punch a Nazi Pale Aleon draft and cans to go
Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com
On Tap: FOG LIGHT - JUICY IPA
Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com
On Tap: 2 Towns Cider - Bad Apple Imperial Cider - 10.5% ABV
Second Summit Cider 4010 So. Main, Millcreek secondsummitcider.com
On Tap: Sangria Cider 6% ABV
Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake
ShadesBrewing.beer
On Tap: Fresh Hop IPA (with homegrown local hops)
Shades On State 366 S. State Street SLC Shadesonstate.com
On Tap: Six Wheat Under Hefeweizen; Black Cloud Lager
Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George SGBev.com
Squatters Corner Pub –Valley Fair 3555 Constitution Blvd, West Valley City squatterscornerpub.com
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Acapulco Gold Mexican Lager
Squatters Pub Brewery / Salt Lake Brewing Co. 147 W. Broadway, SLC saltlakebrewingco.com/ squatters
On Tap: Salt Lake Brewing Co. Castaway Coconut Nitro Porter
Squatters and Wasatch Brewery 1763 So 300 West SLC UT 84115 Utahbeers.com
On Tap: 20 beers with 12 rotating small batch releases: Black Tea English Porter, Hazelnut Brown Ale, and more! Small Batch Series Release: Back Abbey Double Belgian Ale
Strap Tank Brewery, Lehi 3661 Outlet Pkwy, Lehi, UT StrapTankBrewery.com
On Tap: “Blood For Ra” American Sour with Tart Cherry and Vanilla; “Pineapple Haze” Hazy IPA with Pineapple Strap Tank Brewery, Springville 596 S 1750 W, Springville, UT StrapTankBrewery.com
Plenty of local bands take the stage at the huge music festival that is Kilby Block Party.
BY SOPHIE CALIGIURI comments@cityweekly.net
Ushered in with the May Queen’s sweet breeze comes Utah’s premier alternative claim to fame: Kilby Block Party, in its sixth rendition, at the State Fairgrounds—this time, over the course of four days rather than the usual three (May 15-18). And while there are certainly some celebrated international headlining acts (including the ever Utah-elusive new wave inventors New Order and the legendary French electronic duo Justice), the unique and diverse cast of local artists are also certainly something worth cheering for.
LEVELOR (Thursday, 5/15): Self-proclaimed “dirtgaze” SLC-based outfit LEVELOR combines Duster, Moose and Narrow Head-esque chord progressions and muted melancholy lyrics to produce tunes that are as close as you can find in Utah to the Ireland-inspired wall of sound that made ‘gaze music famous in the first place. Cleaner than My Bloody Valentine but dirtier than Slowdive, LEVELOR is sure to appease the senses of even the biggest shoegaze snob.
Josaleigh Pollett (Friday, 5/16): Famous local music collaborator Josaleigh Pollett will play the stage Friday, performing their soft and gorgeous melodies. Clearly utilizing a variety of instrumentation and mixing/mastering strategies, each Pollett song feels fresh, frequently incorporating folk, indie and even electronica musings to create a very individualistic blend of sound. Similar to Purity Ring or Regina Spektor, Pollett’s art pop isn’t one to miss.
Melancholy Club (Friday, 5/16): Like the name implies, Melancholy Club dwells in the
realm of emo rock, bringing a cutting edge to the more traditionally recognized Midwestern sound. With a late ’90s/early aughts voice, Melancholy Club has taken Salt Lake by storm with the fresh air they breathe into the timeless tradition of confessional punk made hearty in the suburbs. Channeling classics like Sunny Day Real Estate and Taking Back Sunday, Melancholy Club draws a fresh mark on the SLC scene.
Cardinal Bloom (Friday, 5/16): An indie band of the lazy Saturday stroll variety, Cardinal Bloom lives lively and fits perfectly in the more modern indie sound, messing around and about with playful romantic gestures and coasting, breezy melodies. Made for fans of flowering fields paired with the sounds of Dayglow and Royel Otis, the Utah-based band plays the perfect soundtrack to what looks to be a delightful, sunshine spring.
Hurtado (Saturday, 5/17): Salt Lake City’s long-time indie darlings Hurtado are another midwest emo inspired group, exploring the more lo-fi side of the multifaceted genre, evocative of celebrities of the sound such as Modern Baseball and American Football (gooo, sports!). Sweetie-core progressing chords overlaid on top of a steady rhythm with lyrics exploring the more yearnful side of the human psyche bring an overall honeyed sound to the mountains and valleys.
Marshall Van Leuven (Saturday, 5/17): Come closer and listen softly to the quietly intimate songs of Marshall Van Leuven. Conducting a gentle stream of sound similar to that of Jakob or Strawberry Guy, Utah’s own Marshall Van Leuven doesn’t shy away from the sugared side of life, carrying on with the timeless tradition of head-in-the-clouds, skatingly rhythmic romance songs.
Over Under (Saturday, 5/17): Off the back of the release of two new 2025 singles, “Memory Lane” and “All in My Head,” Over Under made a splash across the states after touring with fellow locals The Backseat Lovers. The modern indie soft-psych
band bridges the gap for fans who want longer, intricate plays without feeling completely overwhelmed by the jam-band psych style. Fans of Low Hum and Drugdealer will find themselves enchanted by every song Over Under has to offer.
Molotov Dress (Sunday, 5/18): Salt Lake City’s post-punk four-piece Molotov Dress marry instantly recognizable vocals with tight and easily discernible bass lines, layering advancing melodies on top in a blend evocative of the European swagger that makes post-punk sing. One can find elements of Parquet Courts, Uranium Club and Squid in this Molotov cocktail, an exquisite egg punk feast for your ears.
Elowyn (Sunday, 5/18): Strong, fierce and clear vocals define Elowyn’s sound, with elements of the thumping mystic blended
in all the while. Those who gravitate toward late 1990s-2005 divorced mom rock such as Poe and Garbage’s more strippeddown work will rejoice once they open their ears to Elowyn’s lyricism and musicianship on full display at Kilby’s Sunday stage.
Poolhouse (Sunday, 5/18): Salt Lake’s indie three-piece Poolhouse combines soft, borderline pop vocals and melodies with a slightly more driving rhythm section and discontented lyrics to make a mix that is almost undefinable. Somewhat similar to Peach Pit and Boy Pablo, Poolhouse emphasizes all the things that make indie music so catchy that it’s contagious. There are plenty of acts to behold at Kilby Block Party 6, and tons of excitement for the big acts stopping by. But don’t miss these local acts in all their splendor. CW
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For the past six years, Kilby Block Party has transformed downtown SLC into a hotbed of incredible music, beautiful weather and eager showgoers. Early May has not only signified the beginning of better weather and a rapidly-approaching summer, but has become synonymous with this incredible extravaganza. The festival runs for four days this year instead of the traditional three, and you can get a jump-start on the fun with this kickoff party on May 9. At the top of the bill is Wilbere, who brings their sincere and thoughtful indie jams, always captivating the crowd. Lonely Heights is also joining the party, their catchy riffs sure to get you up on your feet. Coming to visit from Idaho, Anyone Awake will complement the lineup with their alt/indie sound that’s hard to forget. Last and never least, Lovingly Clad will make this lineup perfect with their charming indie sound. While Kilby Block Party officially spans the four days, there are a bunch of adjacent shows like this one to add to your enjoyment. There’s no way you can be bored with all of the shows coming up. Come kick off KBP week on Friday, May 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 in advance and $17 at the door. Grab tickets at 24tix.com. See feature preview of locals on the KBP bill on p. 22. (Emilee Atkinson)
BY ROB BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19)
Just for now, you might benefit from moderating your intensity. I am pleased to see how much good stuff you have generated lately, but it may be time to scale back a bit. At least consider the possibility of pursuing modest, sustainable production rather than daring to indulge in spectacular bursts of energy. In conclusion, dear Aries, the coming days will be a favorable time for finding the sweet spot between driving ambition and practical self-care. Your natural radiance won’t have to burn at maximum brightness to be effective.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20)
Classical ballet dancers often seek to convey the illusion of weightlessness through highly stylized movements. Innovative Taurus choreographer Martha Graham had a different aim, emphasizing groundedness. Emotional depth and rooted physicality were crucial to her art of movement. “The body never lies” is a motto attributed to her, along with “Don’t be nice, be real.” I recommend you make those themes your guides for now, Taurus. Ask your body to reveal truths unavailable to your rational mind. Value raw honesty and unembellished authenticity over mere decorum.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20)
Gemini photographer Margaret Bourke-White (1904–1971) was a trailblazer. She was the first American woman war photojournalist, the first professional photographer permitted into the Soviet Union, and among the first to photograph a Nazi concentration camp. She was consistently at the right place at the right time to record key historical moments. She’s your role model in the coming months. You, too, will have a knack for being in the right place and time to experience weighty turning points. Be vigilant for such opportunities. Be alert and ready to gracefully pounce.
CANCER (June 21-July 22)
“Each negative word in a news headline increases clickthrough rates,” writes Joan Westenberg. “Negative political posts on social media get twice the engagement. The system rewards pessimism.” She wants to be clear: “Doomsayers aren’t necessarily wrong. Many concerns are valid. But they’ve built an attention economy that profits from perpetual panic. It’s a challenge to distinguish between actionable information and algorithmic amplification, genuine concern and manufactured outrage.” Westenberg’s excellent points are true for all of us. But it’s especially important that you Cancerians take measures to protect yourself now. For the sake of your mental and physical health, you need extra high doses of optimism, hope and compassion. Seek out tales of triumph, liberation, pleasure and ingenuity far more than tales of affliction, mayhem and corruption.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)
Bees are smart. The robust and lightweight honeycombs that they create for their homes are designed with high efficiency, maximizing storage space while using the least amount of hive resources. Let’s make the bees’ genius your inspirational role model for the coming weeks, Leo. It will be a favorable time to optimize your own routines and systems. Where can you reduce unnecessary effort and create more efficiency? Whether it’s refining your schedule, streamlining a project or organizing your workspace, small adjustments will yield pleasing rewards.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)
In 1971, Virgo poet Kay Ryan began teaching English at a small community college. Though she wrote steadily, working hard to improve her craft and to publish several books, she never promoted herself. For years, she was virtually unknown. Finally, in 2008, she flamed into prominence. In quick succession, she served as the U.S. Poet Laureate, won a Pulitzer Prize and received a $500,000 “genius grant” as a MacArthur Fellow. Why am I telling you about Ryan’s long toil before getting her rightful honors? Because I believe that if you are ever going to receive the acclaim, recognition, appreciation and full respect that you deserve, it will happen in the coming months.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)
Libran author Diane Ackerman’s work combines an elegant poetic sensibility and a deft skill at scientific observation. Ackerman is lyrical and precise, imaginative and logical, inventive and factual. I would love for you to be inspired by her example in the coming weeks. Your greatest success and pleasure will arise as you seek to blend creativity with pragmatism. You will tend to make good decisions as you focus on both the big picture and on the intimate details. PS: If you immerse yourself in the natural world and seek out sensory-rich experiences, I bet that you will inspire a smart solution to an achy dilemma.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)
Scorpio-born Sabina Spielrein (1885–1942) was one of the earliest known woman psychoanalysts. Now, in the 21st century, she is increasingly recognized as a great thinker who got marginalized in her time because of her feminist approach to psychology. Several of Spielrein’s biggest contributions were Scorpionic to the core: She observed how breakdowns can lead to breakthroughs, how most transformations require the death of an older form, and how dissolution often serves to stimulate creation. These will be useful themes for you to ruminate about in the coming weeks. For best results, be your deep, true, Scorpio self.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)
In the middle of his art career, Sagittarian painter Paul Klee (1879–1940) was drafted into the German army to fight as a soldier in World War I. Rather than fighting on the front lines, he managed to get a job painting camouflage on military airplanes. This enabled him to conduct artistic explorations and experiments. The metal hulls became his canvases. I am predicting a comparable opportunity disguised as an obstacle for you, Sagittarius. Just as the apparent constraint on Klee actually advanced his artistic development, you will discover luck in unexpected places.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)
“To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else,” wrote poet Emily Dickinson. I often feel that truth. As much as I would love to devote 70+ hours a week to creative writing and making music, I am continually diverted by the endless surprises of the daily rhythm. One of these weeks, maybe I’ll be brave enough to simply give myself unconditionally to ordinary life’s startling flow and forget about trying to accomplish anything great. If you have ever felt a similar pull, Capricorn, the coming days will be prime time to indulge. There will be no karmic cost incurred.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)
David Bowie was a brilliant musical composer and performer. His artistry extended to how he crafted his persona. He was constantly revising and reshaping his identity, his appearance and his style. The Ziggy Stardust character he portrayed on stage, for example, had little in common with his later phase as the Thin White Duke. “I’ve always collected personalities,” he quipped. If you have ever felt an inclination to experiment with your image and identity, Aquarius, the coming weeks will be an excellent time. Shape-shifting could be fun and productive. Transforming your outer style may generate interesting inner growth. What would be interesting ways to play with your self-expression?
(Feb. 19-March 20)
The Voynich manuscript is a famous text written in an unfamiliar script filled with bizarre illustrations. Carbon-dated to the early 15th century, it has resisted all attempts at deciphering its content. Even Artificial Intelligence has not penetrated its meaning. I propose we make this enigmatic document an iconic metaphor for your life in the coming weeks. It will symbolize the power you can generate by celebrating and honoring mystery. It will affirm the fact that you don’t necessarily require logical explanations, but can instead appreciate the beauty of the unknown. Your natural comfort with ambiguity will be a potent asset, enabling you to work effectively with situations others find too uncertain.
Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes.
Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.
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This issue—and all issues—of City Weekly gives readers ideas for the best places to dine, both affordable and highend. To me, it seems like a new restaurant or bar is opening every day along the Wasatch Front, and I can’t keep up with all these options.
If you haven’t made reservations yet for this year’s Mother’s Day dining, you may be out of luck. My twins live out of state, so I get calls and flowers each year.
Mother’s Day isn’t just a U.S. concoction to boost sales of greeting cards, candy and flowers. It’s been around in some form since Ancient Greeks and Romans honored goddesses like Rhea and Cybele.
According to Wikipedia, early Christians celebrated “Mothering Sunday,” when families would return to their childhood congregations and/or visit with their mothers.
Hallmark’s website notes that the official holiday of Mother’s Day is celebrated every second Sunday in May, and that its origin is often attributed to the efforts of Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) in the early 1900s.
Jarvis never had her own children, but organized Mother’s Day celebrations in her church. She then expanded her efforts by writing to newspapers and government officials around the country asking that Mother’s Day be established as a national holiday.
She may have gotten the idea from Julia Ward Howe, a social justice advocate who issued a Mother’s Day Proclamation 30 years earlier in 1870, which stated in part:
1. Low-lying region
5. Building girder
10. Petition
13. The big screen?
14. “A Confederacy of ___” (John Kennedy Toole book)
16. St. crosser
17. Property purchased with Qatari currency?
19. Pickleball divider
20. Hit the buffet
21. “Boo-___!”
22. Regretted
24. Words to a song
26. Shared billing for Etta and Celine?
31. “___ & Greg” (late ‘90s sitcom)
33. Extremely successful, in Variety
34. Singer Lily
36. Military packaged meal, for short
38. Granola grain
39. Performed in front of a pharaoh?
43. Pretty great
44. It may be original
45. “C’mon, please?”
46. Defunct channel that aired “Felicity”
49. Elegant detail
51. A pleased 500e, maybe?
53. Paul of “Breaking Bad”
57. “The Wire” character
58. Tajikistan, for short, once
60. Wondrous feeling
61. Mellow like cheese
63. Food served up for some rock Kings?
67. Tattletale
68. Of the lower back
69. Like some sporting equipment
70. “The Amazing Race” network
71. Photographer Arbus
72. Extremely
1. All over the web
“Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears! We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says ‘Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance of justice.’”
Howe was the author of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and worked with widows and orphans during and after the Civil War. She was a huge proponent of peace around the world.
It’s not just a U.S. holiday, either. In India, during October, Hindus honor Durga, the goddess of mothers. In Ethiopia, at the end of the rainy season, families gather in honor of mothers. In Mexico, moms are typically honored on May 10 every year. In most Arab countries, Mother’s Day is celebrated on March 21 and, in Indonesia, it’s on December 22 in remembrance of the first Indonesia Women Congress—held in 1928 on that day. n
But according to Hallmark, Americans spend billions of dollars on Mother’s Day cards every year—it’s the number one gift. Another fact: Men spend more and give more gifts on Mother’s Day than women.
It’s estimated there are 2.2 billion mothers in the world, with 85.4 million mothers in the U.S. alone. There are plenty of options to buy cards or perfume for mom and grandmom and over 17,000 florists in the country, if you opt to celebrate motherhood this coming weekend.
12. Understand
15. “Yertle the Turtle” author
18. Chinese fruit
23. Tokyo’s former name
25. Without doing anything
27. Household cleaning chemical
28. Johnny of The Smiths and Modest Mouse
29. Giraffe’s relative
30. Forget-me-___ (certain flowers)
32. “No ifs, ___ , or buts”
34. Waimea Bay greeting
35. Group including Wordsworth and Coleridge, based on their location in England
37. “Behold!” to Caesar
39. Hiking trail
40. Word at the end of a French film
2. “Jaws” town
3. Cake component
4. Prefix that follows giga, tera, and peta
5. Notion
6. Another nickname for Dubya
7. Sinus doc
8. 2010 health legislation, in brief
9. London length
10. Crash, for one
11. The night before
41. 1962 John Wayne film set in Africa
42. New Age Irish singer
47. Typing speed acronym
48. “___ means!”
50. Diagnostic image, for short
52. Psychoanalyst Sigmund
Last week’s answers
Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.