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The challenge of reporting on QAnon By Angela Fu

Embedded Within a Mass Delusion

CONTENTS COVER STORY

EMBEDDED WITHIN A MASS DELUSION The challenge of reporting on QAnon By Angela Fu

Cover art by Derek Carlisle

5 PRIVATE EYE 12 CINEMA 13 A&E 16 MUSIC 25 DINE 30 COMMUNITY

2 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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OPINION

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STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS Executive Editor JOHN SALTAS News Editor JERRE WROBLE Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Music Editor ERIN MOORE Listings Desk KARA RHODES

Contributors KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, ANGELA FU, MIKE RIEDEL, ALEX SPRINGER Production Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER

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SOAP BOX The Scoundrel’s Last Refuge

Read Katharine Biele’s Jan. 21 “Women’s Choice Under Siege” opinion column. She’s right on. It’s amazing to me how our Republican friends have no problem or trouble in trying to restrict women’s constitutional rights granted by Roe v Wade but raise holy hell and the patriotic last refuge when anyone talks about gun restrictions, limiting money as free speech in campaign contributions, or being asked to wear a mask for health reasons among other issues. Scoundrels they are. JH THOMPSON Ogden

@SLCWEEKLY

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“Thai Rollers,” Alex Springer’s Feb. 4 dining review

The best part about ChaiYo Thai Togo is how good they are at to-go orders! Packaged to perfection every time. The food is yummy, too. @INFINITYPHOTOROB Via Instagram Oh, baby! I will go next week. Thanks for letting me know about this place. @JCTROUT72 Via Instagram

“Mulligan Mike,” John Saltas’ Feb. 11 Private Eye column

[Senator Mike] Lee is an embarrassment. What’s even

@SLCWEEKLY

more embarrassing is that he keeps winning reelection. @LIMINAL_GUTI Via Instagram He must be looking down at his CTR ring and taking it far too literally. @VALENTINEONTHELINE Via Instagram Love the Princess Bride reference! Mike Lee ... not so much. ALICIA GEESMAN-PRITCHARD Via Facebook Mike Lee is a strict constitutionalist, just like Christians are strict interpreters of the Bible ... until they are confronted with parts they don’t like. CHARLES PALMER Via Facebook

We are talking about the man who ran on a platform on “fiscal responsibility,” but his campaign slogan was “I’m opposed to paying back the debt we owe!” FELIPE NAVARRO Via Facebook The people of Utah consistently pick their own worst embarrassment. Then they vote him into office, so he can embarrass them before the entire world. MIKE SCHMAUCH Via Facebook

“Let’s Play” Christopher Smart’s Feb. 11 Smart Bomb column This is a rollicking read! CATHY MCKITRICK @CATMCK Via Twitter

THE BOX

What was your first job and how old were you? Mary Caputo

I was a 14-year-old carhop at Cowan’s Frostop on 3300 South. Before that, I was 11 or 12 babysitting four children (one in diapers) for 25 cents an hour!

Scott Renshaw

At 17, I started working in a movie theater. It’s possible that experience had some influence on my future choices.

Carolyn Campbell

I was 16. My first job was selling circus tickets over the phone. How crazy is that?

Doug Kruithof

At 16, I was a busboy/dishwasher at Bonanza Steakhouse, unless you count my early teen Saturdays and summers of torturous masonry labor working for my dad.

Ben Wood

I worked at a fish farm down the street from my parents house when I was 14. It was a perfect job, aside from the smell.

Kelly Boyce

Golden Jade Euro Asian Bistro—Chinese/pizza place. The cutest busboy ever from the age of 15-18. Did some landscaping and babysitting in my earlier teens. Shhh.

Billy Palmer

I was 12 years old and delivering newspapers in West Valley.

Jerre Wroble

Too many to name. But *one* highlight at age 12 was working with my friend Julia on “The Neighborhood Roundup,” a mimeographed sheet with the latest gossip, recipes and bad jokes in a two-block radius. We went door to door collecting the “news” and maybe a nickel for each issue. A total money loser, so we soon went back to babysitting. Little has changed.

Eric Granato

Delivering the afternoon edition of the Deseret News in Millcreek. I suppose I’m a lifelong paperboy.

Paula Saltas

I was 13 and worked for the Granite School District watching the locker rooms at Granite High School while swimming lessons were going on so no one would steal anything. I’d have to walk over to the District office close by so my mom could drive me home. Most boring job I ever had. On the side, I would iron my dad’s shirts for 10 cents each.

HITS&MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

MISS: More Gun Fun

We’re going to train the dogs, but not the gun nuts. And we’re going to require that women watch some video about abortion, but not require a short video for concealed-weapon holders. If anything, Utah legislators know who butters their bread. It’s not the dogs— or the women. West Valley City Republican Sen. Daniel Thatcher’s SB38 K-9 policy requirements made it through the Legislature, requiring police dogs to be certified and trained—you know, because they can bite. You might think this means that police reform is on the table. Not necessarily. Languishing are two other bills, one that creates an oversight commission and another that would require timely releases of bodycam images. And because lawmakers don’t trust women to make informed decisions, a bill will require an online course about abortion procedures. Not the case for anyone who wants to hide a weapon on their person. They don’t need any training at all.

HIT: Ranking & Switching

You may have heard of the glacier that broke off in India, killing 31 and leaving 165 missing. Well, it’s India-R-Us in the world of climate change. And there’s more. “Precipitous declines of sea ice are writing a new narrative for the polar marine environment,” say organizers of On Thinning Ice: Modeling sea ice in a warming climate. “Earth’s sea ice covers can tell us a lot about climate change— they are canaries in the coal mine.” You can hear Ken Golden, professor of mathematics, speak about the modeling that predicts what will happen in the next 10 to 100 years. Golden has ventured to the Arctic and Antarctic for his startling research and will speak about how we address these fundamental issues. Virtual, Thursday, Feb. 18, noon, free/register. https://bit.ly/370zeky

All About Bears Ears

Wondering what all the fuss is about in this remote and expansive area? The King’s English presents David Roberts: The Bears Ears—A Human History of America’s Most Endangered Wilderness as he talks about his book with New York Times journalist John Branch. The Bears Ears National Monument in southeastern Utah, created by President Obama in 2016 and eviscerated by President Trump in 2017, contains more archaeological sites than any other region in the United States. “This wilderness, now threatened by oil and gas drilling, unrestricted grazing and invasion by jeep and ATV, is at the center of the greatest environmental battle in America since the damming of the Colorado River to create Lake Powell in the 1950s,” organizers say. Virtual, Wednesday, Feb. 24, 6 p.m. Free/register: http://bit.ly/3d0GKzr

State of Indian Nations

During the same week as the president delivers his State of the Union address, the president of the National Congress of American Indians presents the State of Indian Nations address to members of Congress, government officials, tribal leaders and citizens and the American public. You remember, those Native Americans whose lands were settled by the United States’ European ancestors? Each year, this address outlines the priorities to advance tribes’ nation-to-nation relationship with the United States. Many Americans, including policymakers, don’t understand the unique political status of tribal nations, that they govern their own lands and communities. The State of Indian Nations 2021 can help you understand. Virtual, Monday, Feb. 22, 12:30 p.m., free. http://bit.ly/2Zp0RzA

—KATHARINE BIELE

Send tips to revolt@cityweekly.net

Humans vs. Lee W

hen Utah became a state—after years of holding out over the issue of plural marriage—our first senators were Frank Cannon and Arthur Brown. It’s too bad we’ve forgotten about Brown. Years after his Senate term, he was shot by his mistress and died four days later of his wounds. Why can’t we have Utah senators like that anymore? I’d trade Brown right now for 10 Mike Lees. Cannon and Brown were Republicans as have been all but five of Utah’s senators. Hard to see, right? Many people remember Sen. Thomas Kearns who left his imprint all over town, including a stint as owner of The Salt Lake Tribune. His beautiful Kearns home is now our Governor’s Mansion on South Temple. Some folks also recall Sen. Reed Smoot who served into the 1930s. He is often credited as being one of the persons most responsible for making the Great Depression even more depressing, thanks to his namesake Smoot-Hawley Act that placed onerous tariffs on thousands of goods. Frank Moss was the last Utah Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate. He was a notable supporter of Medicaid and of our national parks, and he was a visionary leader when it came to toy, product and poison safety. For those good reasons and others, his name graces the top of the Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse on the corner of 400 South and Main. A block west of that building, the Orrin G. Hatch U.S. Courthouse sadly stands at the corner of 400 South and West Temple. It’s fair to claim that Moss has his name atop the better building. The Hatch building is an abomination, much in the form of the career of Sen. Hatch himself. Hatch served alongside Sen. Jake Garn, the former Navy pilot who is remembered for his spaceflight aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1985. Somewhere over Micronesia, Garn famously lost his lunch. I never knocked Jake for puking in space. I puke at the thought of it, so he’ll always one up me on that score. Garn also lent his name to one of Salt Lake City’s iconic bands of the era, Jake in Space. That’s as kind as history can be to Jake Garn. Garn’s Senate tenure is sandwiched between that of Sen. Robert Bennett, who served after him, and Sen. Wallace Bennett who served before him and delivered Garn a bit of seniority when he retired from the Senate early. The father and son duo represented Utah for 41 years. That seems incredible until you realize that Hatch—who campaigned on a pledge not to serve more than three terms—served 42 years all by himself. Both Bennetts will be remembered more fondly than Hatch will, primarily on the virtue of not being terrible people, more in tune with public service than being a servant to publicity. Utah is currently blessed with two senators who will be ledgered into future history books—but for entirely different reasons. On the good side of history will be Mitt Romney. On the bad side will be Mike Lee. Enough has been written about the spines of both to write novels. However, history doesn’t remember if people are likable or honest; rather it remembers them for what they do. Donald Trump fully understands that. He told a supplicant or interviewer—I don’t recall which—that he couldn’t care less how history remembered what kind of person he was, because by then, he’d be dead anyway. Lack of a conscience is a trait of tyrants, misogynists, liars and thieves. It is apparently genetic. Of our two senators, it is only Romney who exhibits that he has a conscience. Mike Lee is like a baby Trump, a transactional opportunist above all else. His fundamental nature is to drill down on something entirely arcane just so he can show off his brilliance, never mind how others are affected. You saw that when he solely blocked passage of a bill that would have developed national museums for Latinos and American women at the Smithsonian. He said he did so for unity. No one on the planet except Mike Lee saw it that way. But, he had to make his point. He did it again last week when he declared the Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump to be unconstitutional. Never mind that a who’s who of American jurisprudence felt otherwise. Worse, Lee is also an absolutist. Remember Utah’s first two senators? Brown died gloriously, while Cannon, the son of an LDS apostle, went on to reject Mormonism, especially because of its absolutism and interference in politics. If you are a Utah non-Mormon, you know what that means—you will always be regarded as wrong and no matter how sane the policy—if the LDS Church wants the opposite, the opposite will be served. On that subject, Cannon wrote a book titled Under the Prophet in Utah in which he describes the embodiment of hierarchal Mormons such as Mike Lee as “[persons who] live under an absolutism. They have no more right of judgment than a dead body. Yet the diffusion of authority is so clever that nearly every man seems to share in its operation and feels himself in some degree a master without observing that he is also a slave.” That’s right. Mike Lee is so blind to what he is that he can’t see that he is also what he opposes. The judgment of Mike Lee—barring those persons who are as blind as he—is that he is a terrible human being. So much so that a group has formed to unseat him in 2022. The group has the apt name of Humans Against Mike Lee. A more perfect name could not have been chosen. Look for them on Twitter. If you count yourself as a human, join in. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net.

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | 5

You may argue about the role of racism in the United States, but there is no doubt that communities of color suffer most from disparities in health care. Reckoning With Race and Medicine in 2020 and Beyond features Dr. Damon Tweedy, an associate professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine and a staff psychiatrist within the Durham Veteran Affairs Health Care System who has written about the intersection of race and medicine. His book Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine made The New York Times bestseller list in 2015. Virtual, Friday, Feb. 19, 12 p.m., free. http://bit.ly/3q9tuMV

@JOHNSALTAS

| CITY WEEKLY |

Racial Bias in Medicine

BY JOHN SALTAS

Like a virus, the Inland Port continues to grow, even though port authorities pinky-swore it wouldn’t happen. Now, they are seeking to build a second rail yard. “Our tax money shouldn’t go to increasing our air pollution, and further victimizing communities that already suffer from the worst air pollution on the Wasatch Front,” wrote the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. The idea, floated by SITLA leader David Ure in a Salt Lake Tribune story, would be to clean up an old landfill for a rail line. This at the same time that HB297 proposes creating a new water authority board “in the same mold as the Port Authority Board, that would boost the chances of forcing all Utah taxpayers to fund the wasteful, absurd idea of the Lake Powell Pipeline,’ UPHE says. If the inevitable pollution isn’t enough to make you choke, the secrecy of these boards “governing in the dark” should be.

Climate Change Is Here

PRIVATE EY

MISS: Inland Port ‘Virus’ Spread

IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

Voting in Utah: So many ask, “Why bother?” because the Rs have it. Still, there are some competitive races in municipalities, and one bill on the table could help candidates find a majority mandate while, in the past, voters often got someone who won by a simple plurality. In fact, there are two bills afloat proposing ranked-choice voting, a concept that’s catching on throughout the country. The one likely to pass allows municipalities to opt in to a pilot program that lets voters rank candidates they like best-to-less. Meanwhile, Rep. Jordan Teuscher, R-West Jordan, wants to make it harder for voters to switch parties before a primary because that’s what many did before the latest gubernatorial election. Teuscher might be surprised some are even talking about making them vote R in the general.

CITIZEN REV LT

6 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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Embedded Within a Mass Delusion The challenge of reporting on QAnon

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | 7

Though QAnon has only recently started making national headlines daily, some reporters have been monitoring the movement for years. CNN reporter Donie O’Sullivan is one of them. During the conspiracy theory’s early days, he kept tabs on it but didn’t do much reporting out of concern that CNN’s global platform would spread the theory. “Where is the tipping point of ‘Yes, there is something happening on the internet, and yes, some peo-

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The tipping point

ple are engaging,’ but by us covering it, are we unintentionally giving it more oxygen?” O’Sullivan said. Brandy Zadrozny, an investigative reporter at NBC News, faced a similar dilemma. She first heard about QAnon from her reporting partner Ben Collins in November 2017 but didn’t publish her first article on it until 2018. The appearance of QAnon supporters at Trump rallies in 2018 made Zadrozny realize that QAnon was not just another conspiracy theory, but something that needed coverage. “It’s when conspiracy theories move from online to IRL that we sort of feel like we need to explain who these people are that you might be seeing on your TV,” Zadrozny said. “What we don’t want people doing is seeing the stuff either in real life or on television and then googling it when there’s no responsible journalism out there on it.” Several other reporters pointed to the 2018 Trump rallies as the moment when they realized that QAnon could grow into something much bigger. The sudden rise of the movement shortly after the start of the pandemic was another clear inflection point. These days, because QAnon beliefs have become so widespread, there is not as much concern that simply covering the movement will further amplify it. Rolling Stone culture reporter EJ Dickson compared it to the dilemma reporters initially faced while covering Trump. “Trump has the biggest platform in the world, and media and newsrooms were grappling with whether or not they were amplifying his message by covering the crazy and horrible things he said,” Dickson said. “But at the same time, he already had the biggest plat-

someone calling themselves Q posted a Trump quote about the “calm before the storm” on 4chan, a notorious online message board. Since then, QAnon has rapidly evolved as new followers join and more niche theories develop. Followers have taken their beliefs into the real world, sometimes in violent ways. Most recently, some QAnon believers took part in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. A growing number of journalists are tracking QAnon, reporting on everything from the way social media algorithms help spread conspiracy theories to the people who lose loved ones to the movement. With each story, they debate whether their reporting will contribute helpful information or simply amplify the movement. Their goal is to make readers—lawmakers, tech companies, the general public—understand the gravity of the problems QAnon poses. “Online conspiracies and disinformation are no longer a fringe internet quirk, but something that has a huge bearing on real life,” Spring said. “The riots at Capitol Hill … very starkly exposed how much damage these conspiracies online can really do.”

BC reporter Marianna Spring was sitting outside enjoying a pint with one of her friends last summer when she got hit by her first QAnon pile-on. Messages and threats flooded Spring’s phone, accusing her of eating babies and of being a Satanic pedophile. Spring, a specialist reporter covering disinformation and social media, stayed up until 3 a.m. that night, blocking accounts until the deluge of harassment slowed. When she woke up, more messages awaited her. “I think it was then that I really realized what QAnon is, the scale of this movement, the cult-like nature of it, and how it was beginning to become a bit of a big deal here in the U.K.,” Spring said. QAnon—the baseless conspiracy theory centered on the idea that prominent Democrats and Hollywood celebrities are cannibalistic, Satan-worshiping pedophiles—has exploded in popularity over the past year. It has gained traction in the United States among former President Donald Trump’s supporters, and its ideas have spread abroad. A December 2020 NPR/Ipsos poll found that 17% of respondents said they believe a “group of Satan-worshipping elites who run a child sex ring are trying to control our politics and media,” and 37% said they did not know whether the statement was true. “QAnon really exploited the fear and confusion surrounding the pandemic, and also the political division surrounding the election, and even the nationwide racial justice protests,” said HuffPost senior reporter Jesselyn Cook, who covers disinformation. “2020 was a perfect storm.” The conspiracy theory originated in 2017 when

By Angela Fu

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AP PHOTO

The U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. was breached by thousands of rioters — including some QAnon supporters — during a "Stop The Steal" rally on Jan. 6 in support of President Donald Trump.

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8 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

form in the world, so it was sort of like you were turning a blind eye to it if you didn’t cover it.” “I think the same argument could be made about QAnon,” she said. “At this point, the horse is already out of the barn. It is already a problem.”

Tracking the movement

QAnon may have started on 4chan, but content related to the conspiracy belief has spread to most of the major social-media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Though there are a few core tenets accepted by most QAnon believers, there exist many more niche sub-conspiracy theories, each with their own small following. Many describe QAnon as a “big tent” because so many different conspiracy theories are associated with the movement. Sometimes, people support and spread QAnon-associated ideas without realizing those ideas are part of the conspiracy theory, further complicating matters. For example, the hashtag #SaveTheChildren, which is ostensibly about preventing child sex trafficking, is linked to QAnon. To track all these conversations, some journalists monitor the social-media sites and internet forums where QAnon theories are spread and shared. Daily Beast politics reporter Will Sommer, for example, keeps a list of 30 to 40 right-wing blogs, forums and other websites that he searches through once a day. He also regularly skims a list of Telegram groups. “You’re like a big whale, and you just swallow as much as you can, and you have to filter it out through your baleen,” said Sommer, who is working on a book about QAnon. “You want to spot the trends, and you want to spot things that are being repeated over and over. And so, in that case, I have to just consume huge amounts of it to spot these connections.” That work has gotten more difficult in recent weeks as social media platforms start to crack down on QAnon content. Twitter, for example, has removed more than 70,000 QAnon accounts. Zadrozny used popular journalism tools to monitor QAnon. She used to keep TweetDeck open with a Twitter list of QAnon accounts. She also had a CrowdTangle dashboard for pages related to the conspiracy theory and a YouTube

channel following QAnon creators. “Now, it’s harder. Now, we’re talking about Discord chats. Now we’re talking about audio chat rooms. Now, we’re talking about Telegram channels,” Zadrozny said. “So it’s just being extremely online, having a billion tabs and following these people as they are moved into more niche platforms.” To ensure that they are accurately identifying major trends, some reporters check their findings with researchers who spend more time in QAnon spaces. They also rely on former QAnon believers for tips and track the posts of QAnon influencers, who help set certain talking points. Those talking points are “extremely well organized,” said O’Sullivan. He said it is fairly easy to identify the conspiracy theory of the day because it will spread across QAnon spaces. O’Sullivan saw the spread of QAnon talking points in real time on Jan. 6, when he covered the riots at the U.S. Capitol. As people left the Capitol grounds, he asked them about the violence that had taken place earlier that day. They told him antifa had been responsible. “As people were coming down, they were saying, ‘Oh, the violence, the destruction—that was antifa.’ And this is from people actually walking, leaving the place,” O’Sullivan said. “That was notable to me because at that point, the conspiracy about antifa and left-wing agitators and Trump supporters not actually being responsible for this destruction was spreading online. It was just remarkable how quickly in unison people can get behind the baseless talking points.” In addition to tracking QAnon chat rooms, Cook said she spends a lot of time “reverse engineering” conspiracy theories. Once she identifies a viral piece of mis- or disinformation, she works backward to understand where it came from, who promoted it and why. “With so many of the conspiracy theories that we saw this past year, the first mention of it on Twitter would be from a QAnon account. Or you would look on 8chan or 8kun, and you would see two people spreading this before it reached Twitter and before it reached Fox News and before it went viral,” Cook said. Spending a lot of time reporting on QAnon and absorbing outlandish conspiracy theories can take its toll, Dickson said. Journalists risk becoming desensitized to the

Child Lives March outside Netflix in Hollywood, CA, on Sept. 19, 2020. QAnon followers have hijacked the anti-human trafficking hashtag #SaveTheChildren.

AP PHOTO

AP PHOTO_MATT ROURKE

A protester holding a QAnon sign waits in line with others to enter a 2018 campaign rally with President Donald Trump in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

theories. She pointed to the recent news about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, as an example. Though many were surprised to hear that Greene thinks “Jewish space lasers” caused wildfires in California, the news did not shock Dickson as that theory is in line with what many QAnon followers believe. “It’s sort of like putting a frog in slowly boiling water. You become very acclimated to the discourse and things become less and less surprising to you,” Dickson said. “I try very hard to sort of unwind at the end of the day, spend time with my family, talk to people who aren’t part of a mass delusion to sort of try to rid that from my brain.”

Avoiding amplification

Reporting on a conspiracy theory responsibly takes extra sensitivity and precaution. When they’re identifying stories, many reporters avoid treating the movement as a spectacle and repeating the latest bizarre conspiracy theory. They instead try to identify tangible impacts, which helps them avoid amplifying smaller theories. “Instead of just noting that QAnon believers are believing in ‘X thing’ and have pinned all their hopes on this date, I’ll try to find something about how QAnon believers are advocating for violence or if they’re organizing on a specific platform and causing problems,” said Ali Breland, a disinformation reporter for Mother Jones. “They’re things that can ideally, hopefully be resolved if there’s attention to them or things that are useful information for people.” The language journalists use matters, too. Insider digital culture reporter Rachel Greenspan said she avoids referring to QAnon as a “group” since it does not have a leadership hierarchy or formalized rules. Rather, it is a belief system. “We want to make sure we’re not using language like ‘a member of QAnon’ because that’s actually giving it way more power than it even has,” Greenspan said. She also tries to be very specific in her reporting. When she reports on a smaller, niche conspiracy theory, she does not ascribe the belief to all QAnon followers but instead contextualizes it within the larger movement. Though many reporters have interviewed QAnon followers in the past, some try to avoid doing so. Naturally, some

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | 9

QAnon in the Beehive?

ment of clarity for some as the promised “storm”—when Trump was supposed to declare martial law and round up and execute Democrats—never came. These shifts raise questions on how best to report on former believers, and it’s an issue Greenspan has been thinking about lately. “There’s a fine line you have to tread between humanizing and empathizing with these people who have been manipulated basically by a cult in a way, versus like, OK, but these are also people who have supported something that accuses innocent people of being a pedophile,” Greenspan said.

Years to Come

Though Trump is out of office, the conspiracy theory continues to retain believers, even among the highest levels of government. In addition to Greene, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, has voiced support for QAnon. “There seems to be hope or a belief that QAnon is going to fade away now that Trump is out of office,” Cook said. “This movement has roots in so many other disinformation groups, and it’s not going anywhere. It’s something that we’re going to be dealing with for years to come.” Several journalists said they hope their reporting on QAnon will make people take it seriously. In their interviews with people who have lost loved ones to the conspir-

What does QAnon mean to you? Do you see its imprint in state politics and state government?

Utah state Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy

Rep. Andrew Stoddard represents District 44—which includes parts of Midvale, Murray and Sandy—at the Utah Legislature. Growing up in Salt Lake Valley, Stoddard graduated from the U of U and earned a law degree from BYU. He now works as a Murray city prosecutor and is past chair of the Midvale Community Council and a longtime victim advocate. After assuming office in January 2019, he was re-elected in 2020.

Wearing a “Trump Won” mask, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., arrives on the floor of the House to take her oath of office on opening day of the 117th Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Greene has expressed support for QAnon in the past.

I understand QAnon to be a conspiracy theory fueled by anonymous internet posts on sketchy websites that has attracted many far-right people as followers. Thankfully, I have not seen that in our Legislature. I know that it’s around in our state politics because my congressman, Rep. Owens, has seemed to show some support for these ideas. And I know there are a lot of people that share QAnon beliefs because I have heard it from people, even in my own district.

How did your constituents feel about you filing a bill to impeach Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes after he called into question the presidential election results of other states?

I’ve actually gotten a lot of support from my constituents. It has been hard to parse

AP PHOTO_ERIN SCOTT

AP PHOTO_CHRIS TUITE

followers are hostile towards journalists, who they see as part of the Satanic cabal, and the information they give journalists is unreliable. But issues also arise when QAnon followers seek out media coverage, which they believe legitimizes their beliefs. “A big message in the QAnon community is basically the idea of why are you giving so much attention if it’s not real?” Zadrozny said. “Because if not, if it wasn’t right, then why would the media care about a stupid conspiracy theory? It’s this sort of circular logic.” Dickson said she avoids naming QAnon influencers, many of whom have profited from the movement, so as not to unwittingly lead more people to them. She also tries not to interview active followers as she does not find them helpful. “These are people who are embedded within a mass delusion,” said Dickson. “They believe what they believe, and what they believe is wrong. And it’s not going to help your audience or anybody really to understand this phenomenon by highlighting that.” Naturally, any reporting on a conspiracy theory must also be accompanied by rigorous fact-checking. O’Sullivan breaks down what is false at the beginning and the end of an interview. Similarly, Greenspan debunks every conspiracy theory she references in a story. As time passes, some QAnon believers will likely ditch the conspiracy theory. Inauguration Day brought a mo-

COURTESY PHOTO

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10 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

A QAnon supporter marches in route to the Supreme Court during the Million MAGA March protest regarding election results on Nov. 14, 2020, in Washington D.C.

acy theory, reporters get a “front row seat”—as Cook puts it—to the wreckage QAnon can cause families. The problem is so widespread that grieving family members have created online support groups. “When I talk to people who have close people in their lives who have become really, really, really invested and devoted in QAnon, they’re describing pain at losing a person. These conversations are generally about grief,” said MIT Technology Review senior editor Abby Ohlheiser. ”I never get used to those conversations. Those are always hard every time.” QAnon’s reach extends beyond fraying relationships. Its influence on the Stop the Steal movement and the Capitol Hill riots has proved it has implications for people’s trust in American democracy. And so, according to Sommer, the question QAnon poses is this: What happens to a country when a huge percentage of people buy into a delusion and leave reality? “Unfortunately, what happens is we see at the family level, people getting alienated from their families. We see people committing crimes, murders and terrorism. Then we see things like Marjorie Taylor Greene getting into Congress,” Sommer said. “I think that is my biggest question, or what I hope (my) reporting helps grapple with.” CW

This article was originally published on Poyntor.com on Feb. 9, 2021. It is published here with permission.

out the calls, texts, emails, etc., from constituents, but from those I have been able to identify, it definitely leans more toward support. It has been really a weird process, though. I have gotten an insane amount of responses, even having one person show up to my house! I understand that people are passionate about the 2020 election, but a lot of the feedback I have gotten did not get past the initial headline to see why I want an investigation.

Have you spoken to AG Reyes since you filed your bill to impeach?

I have not. I am assuming he does not want to speak with me.

You’re a Democrat representing parts of the Salt Lake Valley formerly thought to be Republican strongholds. Why did you decide to run?

I was feeling really down after the 2016 election and felt like I needed to do something. That next year I ran, unsuccess-

fully, for Midvale City Council. After that run, some friends that I made during that process approached me about running for this seat. I looked at the past few elections for this district and felt like it was ready to flip back, so I went all in.

Any words of comfort/unity for those who don’t believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election?

Losing elections is hard. I have had candidates I supported lose, and I have even lost myself. But there is something about coming together as neighbors to make a better community—regardless of who won—that can have an incredible ripple effect. It is really disheartening to me when I see people say there is no hope in uniting this country. There has always been tension in our democracy, and we have to learn to find success independently of it. And that success starts at the neighborhood level and then works its way up. CW

—BY JERRE WROBLE

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FILM REVIEW

Two-Minute Warning

CINEMA

A late tonal shift is the only thing wrong—maybe—with the acidic I Care a Lot.

ow much can a movie be messed up by its last two minutes? That’s not a purely hypothetical question I ponder, as I consider the merits of I Care A Lot. On the one hand, it’s a terrifically acidic black comedy for the vast majority of its running time, poking into dark corners of the peculiarly American brand of relentless, amoral pursuit of financial success that haven’t really been mined previously. And on the other hand, it concludes on a note of moralism that seems out of synch with everything that had come before. What, exactly, is this movie trying to tell us about chasing the ugliest interpretation of the American Dream? Our (anti-)heroine is Marla Grayson (Rosamund Pike), owner of a company that provides guardianship services for seniors who are no longer able to care for themselves. At least, that’s the version that Marla promotes to the rest of the world. In fact, her operation is mostly a long con game, collaborating with long-term care facilities and doctors to wheedle control of the assets of wealthy “clients,” then draining their accounts dry and working the legal system while family members fight for access. The ideal target for someone like Marla is a “cherry” like Jennifer Peterson (Dianne

NETFLIX

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

Wiest)—financially secure, seemingly with no living family members, and an easy target for Marla’s doctor/conspirator (Alicia Witt) to gin up evidence that Jennifer is no longer able to take care of herself. Unfortunately for Marla, her information isn’t entirely accurate, because Jennifer does have family. And that family (Peter Dinklage) is “Family” in the more dangerous, popularculture sense of the word. The icy heart at the center of I Care a Lot is Marla herself, and Pike is perfect in the role. As she already proved in Gone Girl, Pike has a gift for conveying a lethal brand of ferocity. Decked out in a severe blonde bob and dagger heels, Marla presents to the world as an almost stereotypical version of the corporate bitch, yet there’s something distinctive about Pike’s ability to make Marla scariest in her absolute fearlessness. A lot of that comes from the character as written, and writer/director J Blakeson bakes into Marla’s backstory an angle that makes for a different arc than the set-up would you lead you to expect. Instead of this manipulator of the old and helpless getting a comeuppance once she faces an adversary

as brutal as she is, we get at how hard it is to shake Marla. That’s a function of being a woman accustomed to threats of violence, and a gay woman on top of that, with such a poisoned relationship with her own mother that she effectively responds to a threat against her mother’s life with “be my guest.” There’s nothing brand-new about noting the overlap between organized crime and cutthroat capitalism, but I Care a Lot tangles that idea up with sexism and homophobia to explore how being even more sociopathic to get a seat at the table can feel like a perfectly rational choice. Blakeson directs with a terrific sense of style, particularly during an extended montage that turns Marla’s exploitation of Jennifer’s assets into a demonstration of almost machine-like efficiency. Much of the second act evolves into a crime thriller, and it’s quite satisfying on that level, following Marla and the mysterious adversary played by Dinklage trading the upper hand on the way to an intriguing resolution. Except that it’s not actually the resolution. It’s only possible to tiptoe around the issue without blatant spoilers, but what at first

Rosamund Pike in I Care a Lot

seems like a grim little coda takes an unexpected turn just before the closing credits start to roll. The problem with what happens in those final moments is that it seems to take in a completely different direction the tone that Blakeson had built for nearly two hours. Maybe it actually works as a justification of Marla’s actions and her status as an outsider, or maybe it attempts to build sympathy where there really shouldn’t be any. Perhaps it’s evidence of a thorny, thoughtful script that I’m left with such uncertainty, even as I can’t help feeling like a chef’s last-minute attempt to add a new flavor to something that was already superb in its pure tartness. CW

I CARE A LOT

BBB Rosamund Pike Peter Dinklage Dianne Wiest R Available Feb. 19 via Netflix

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

February is Black History Month, but even those of us who grew up learning a few names of notable historical African-Americans probably can’t come up with a female name beyond Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman. The history of Black women in America has been a history of struggle against two cultural obstacles to equality—race and sex. And even as the 2020 election elevated the significance of Black women as a game-changing voting bloc, and made Stacey Abrams a figure of national importance, that reality wasn’t possible without the work of many mostlyforgotten pioneers. In her 2020 book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote and Insisted on Equality for All, historian and Johns Hopkins University professor Martha S. Jones explores the part of the women’s suffrage movement that often gets lost in the mostlywhite narrative of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. For Black women, securing voting rights required a movement of their own, and Vanguard follows

You’d be forgiven if you have a hard time keeping track of what you could and couldn’t experience at any given moment over the past year. Many businesses and other institutions closed in spring 2020, only to reopen for a while, only to close yet again. While all those decisions were made with the utmost concern for public health, it’s still been a challenge to stay up-to-speed on status. On Feb. 10, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (20 S. West Temple) reopened for the first time since early December, during which time two new exhibitions have been installed. The Codec Gallery presents Alison Schulnik’s Mound (pictured), a stop-motion animation video in which the artists’s crudely-rendered figures sway and dance to the tune of Scott Walker’s 1969 song “It’s Raining Today.” The series of vignettes ranges from comedy to tragedy, combining the melancholy images with the tactile reality of the way the figures have been physically manipulated. In the Exit Gallery, Kathryn Knudsen’s Plume shifts the traditional expecta-

BASIC BOOKS

Utah Museum of Contemporary Art reopening exhibitions

a history from the birth of the American republic through the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond, giving voice to figures like Maria Stewart, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper and Fannie Lou Hamer as they called the country to the truest possible sense of equality. Dr. Jones participates in a virtual conversation sponsored by the University of Utah’s Tanner Humanities Center on Thursday, Feb. 18 at noon. Register at thc.utah.edu to be part of this unique opportunity to explore an underrepresented faced of American history. (Scott Renshaw)

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | 13

RENEE HUANG

KYLE MCDONALD

explore the challenge of working for social justice and change in the group exhibition MO(VE)MENT, running through Feb. 28. Works by more than 30 participating artists are showcased, including Andrea Hardeman, Chris Haggqvist, Grace Davis, Grant Fuhst, Heather Olsen, Kirk DeGuzman, Lindsay Huss, Nathan Gentry and Scott Tuckfield, The Downstairs Gallery at Holladay City Hall (4580 S. 2300 East) presents a group exhibition Eye to I Feb. 22-27. Enjoy this diverse group of self-portraits, in a range of media from painting to sculpture, by signing up for a reservation slot at holladayarts.org.

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tra, with the vocalists performing on a “sing island” constructed in the middle of Abravanel Hall’s ground-floor seating. “In the midst of challenge, it is the hope for a better future that unites us as a community,” said Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth. “We look forward to the promise of these better days with highlights from the worlds of opera and musical theatre that weave together a story of darkness turning towards light.” Light on the Horizon will be available through March 14, at a cost of $10 for subscribers and $15 for non-subscribers. Visit usuo.org/on-demand for more details. (SR)

Right now, we need art. We’ve needed it all the more over the past year, but aside from the entertainment streamed into our homes, we haven’t had enough opportunities to experience it. As we see some light at the end of our long COVID tunnel, several local galleries offer much needed insight, amusement and perspective on our world. Ogden Contemporary Arts (455 25th St., Ogden, ogdencontemporaryarts.org) presents Lauren Lee McCarthy’s exhibition The Changing Room (pictured), in which the artist investigates the pervasive presence of artificial intelligence in our lives, and how comfortable we feel with it. The interactive exhibition, running now through May 30, invites visitors to take control of the digital installation and affect how others might feel about the complicated subject of invasive technology. Visit the OCA website to make a reservation, and for information about COVID protocols. At Urban Arts Gallery (116 S. Rio Grande St., urbanartsgallery.org), local artist

Utah Opera’s originallyscheduled spring production of Flight—a local premiere of this 1988 contemporary opera—had to be postponed, like so many productions over the past year, due to the ongoing pandemic. But the company has taken this opening in the schedule to create a virtual work speaking to our current situation, with arias covering a range of emotions from despair to the possibility of hope. Light on the Horizon presents a two-act showcase of works featuring the talents of Utah Opera performers Abigail Rethwisch (soprano), Dana Beth Miller (contralto), Daniel O’Hearn (tenor), Julia Gershkoff (soprano), Edith Grossman (mezzo-soprano) and Brandon A Bell (bass). The program features pieces representing canonical operatic works like Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart’s Così fan tutte and Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, as well as modern musical theater classics like The Sound of Music’s “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and Into the Woods’ “No One Is Alone.” The physical production features a 35-piece orches-

Art Exhibitions Roundup

Utah Opera: Light on the Horizon

tions of nature art by breaking the plane of the canvas with multimedia works employing found and recycled materials including felt, fabric and thread to mimic natural objects like feathers and flower petals. The result evokes the evolution of the natural world, bursting forth from boundaries to take new shape. As part of UMOCA’s reopening protocols, reservations are required for visits, and other visitor requirements are also in place. Visit utahmoca.org for full information about reopening procedures, and to schedule your visit. (SR)

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Tanner Humanities Lecture: A Conversation With Martha S. Jones

TDK

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14 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

A&E Write Turn

The Community Writing Center continues its supportive work in a virtual space.

n the early days of the pandemic last spring, it became something of a cliché to suggest that quarantine would offer the opportunity for people to do all the creating they’d put off because of their busy lives—writing that novel they always thought they’d get around to, or that screenplay idea they had in their back pocket. Fortunately for any such enterprising would-be artists, the Community Writing Center has continued serving writers of all kinds virtually throughout the pandemic. According to the CWC’s director, Melissa Helquist, the organization really took only a couple of weeks to re-group once the pandemic hit in March. Prior to that time, the CWC typically served about 300 clients each week with 30 hours of scheduled programming covering a wide range of services, including small-group classes, one-onone coaching, and work with community partners like senior centers and the Salt Lake County Jail. It was necessary to step back and consider what parts of that programming could be adjusted for the “new normal,” and what parts couldn’t. “Most of our community outreach stuff, there really weren’t any options for” doing virtually, Helquist says, “and we’re only at the point right now of reconnecting with

FABIEN HERNANDEZ

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

community partners. Then in terms of programs that we do on our own, we started offering everything online.” “Everything” isn’t too broad a term, as the CWC’s classes cover topics ranging from songwriting and poetry to college application essays and “food memoirs.” As those classes moved into the virtual space—including ideas like an Instagrambased workshop for youth—Helquist says the CWC has actually been able to serve more people. Where the CWC’s in-person space at Library Square might typically only be able to fit 10-15 people, the online classes offer the opportunity for unlimited capacity. “We still keep it relatively small, because we want that interaction,” Helquist says. “But online workshops have been anywhere from 15-30 participants.” Changing the model to working with students virtually hasn’t required a tremendous amount of adaptation, according to Helquist. She notes that as an instructor for SLCC, she had already been teaching online learning even before the pandemic, and that the model for such instruction was already well-established. “I think they’re more similar than people assume they are,” she says. “In person, we make a lot

of assumptions about engagement based on, say, how people are sitting. … Online, you can’t make those assumptions. You can create that same, maybe even better engagement, because you have to be more purposeful about that. “One thing that is different, is sometimes people are hesitant to engage online in the same way, especially in a live session, because the cues for when to jump in are different. So you have to do a little more direct calling on people. It takes a little more finessing.” Helquist does believe that the demographics of the clients they serve has changed somewhat as a result of the move to virtual instruction. Previously, she says, a significant percentage of their student base might have high school education or less, and need assistance working on areas like résumé writing and writing in English as a second language. “Now, I think we’ve switched, because you have to have technology access and technology comfort,” Helquist notes. “Some of the people we used to work with, we don’t have the way to connect with them directly. Workshops know might have a higher education dynamic.” On the other hand, CWC services that

had focused on folks in Salt Lake County are now available to folks throughout the state. “We had a grant-writing class recently, and there was someone from King County,” Helquist says. “That wouldn’t have happened before.” As far as that notion of people deciding to use time stuck at home to work on long-delayed writing projects, Helquist observes that while there might be some evidence of an uptick in participation specifically relating to fiction and other commercial writing, it’s not clear that idea has driven the increase in participation, at least based on her anecdotal information. The same services that CWC has always provided remain appealing—the helpful feedback of other writers, and an opportunity to connect. And that latter part might be particularly crucial at this time, even for introverted types like writers. “Even though Zoom is the medium [for the classes], there’s still another person, other writers; it’s still a chance to connect with a community,” Helquist says. “It’s very supportive and affirmative. We’re all lacking a little bit in community right now, and there are still ways to create new connections.” CW

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goals: a desire to collaborate with multiple players in SLC’s local culture, beyond just music. It’s also all made good practice for their next endeavor—“The Capsule,” a collection of hybrid shows. Johnson notes that people seem to have been yearning for live shows; at their Brother. shoot, “people started piling up at the end of the alleyway at Fice to watch what was going on, and it was like ‘hey you guys gotta keep going on.’” But that experience with crowd-control and socially-distanced show-set ups (like putting members of the band on separate platforms, or making a tunnel for walking through at Open Streets) will ensure a safe arrangement at their first indoor Capsule event on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Bueno says, “With The Capsule, we’re doing online, pre-recorded content, but then people will also be able to attend this limited capacity event” at The Gateway in the old Urban Outfitters space. Isaac Gonzalez, who has experience in high-tech show production, says, “It’s kind of like this cool new hybrid experience where it’s like an art installation, but where we’re showcasing music with light and high-end production,” for an ultimately immersive effect. Since it’s limited capacity, Cook also points out that the set-up will involve many stop-and-go points, plus seating pods throughout the space to keep attendees safely apart. While it will be unusual, Bueno says that he thinks it will be novel for showgoers in more ways than one. “One of the takes for an attendee is being able to experience music in a different way, maybe watching musicians from a spot you normally wouldn’t unless you were in the band and watching from backstage,” he says. They’ve also decided to keep the talent a secret. “Sometimes what happens is that people think of local music like, ‘eh, no.’ So we want to make you go in there and be like ‘wow this is local?’ We want you to attend the thing for the experience, and then when there, you’ll find your favorite new artist.” Simply talking with Social Antidote about these creative ambitions is enough to make one forget about the pandemic—a blessing in itself. So why not give their next event a chance? Visit socialantidote.live for info on the Feb. 24 date, plus access to their past recorded sets, and follow them on Instagram at @socialantidote. live for more updates. CW

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HARDELL MEDIA

en months ago, in April 2020, Norbert Bueno was busy starting a brand-new musical endeavor in the face of the pandemic. “It will take some time before people feel comfortable going out to large gatherings,” he said at the time. “New ideas and forms of entertainment will rise.” And rise they have. Social Antidote has, over the past year, grown a musical model that not only offers high-quality production opportunities to local artists, but expands on the very limits of visual production. Bueno and his fellow Social Antidote collaborators—Vice President Brianna Ray, Secretary and Treasurer Mychael Johnson, and Fat Fish Media friends Molly Cook and Isaac Gonzales—wanted a way to still give a stage to their folks in the music scene, safely. And so what started out as well-lit, well-produced live stream sets of local artists put together by the budding Social Antidote has since become something much more expansive, transforming the group into a creative force all their own. “I think one of the biggest things that I’ve learned from this is that it’s a whole new way to experience things—everything, not just music,” says Bueno about Social Antidote’s developments in both live stream, pre-recorded and experimental pandemic live sets—which the production team is super, super COVID-conscious and guideline-conscious about producing. “As far as live streams and Social Antidote, what we’re trying to do is to continue showcasing talented local creatives in cool hybrid ways,” he says. After Mychael Johnson approached The Blocks SLC and Downtown SLC Alliance as a potential funding stream for the then-unfunded project, he says, “It led to them wanting us to collaborate with events they were putting on, really giving us more creative production control with what was going on.” And it’s led them closer to crafting what they call “experiences” that go beyond mere “events”—the product of which was on display at last summer’s Downtown SLC Open Streets event series. “That was the first show we did outside of the live streams,” says Bueno of the Open Streets event, which featured a performance by local Austin Payne. In addition to The Blocks and Downtown SLC inviting Social Antidote back for another round of Open Streets events this spring, the group has been running with the inspiration they gained from the experience. What followed was a New Year’s Eve “hybrid” event that had them displaying a pre-recorded performance on the big screen in the plaza at The Gateway. Following that, they collaborated again with The Blocks and Downtown SLC to put on more filmed performances, featuring Cherry Thomas at UMOCA, Evan Taylor at Rocket Skate Studio and the Provo band Brother. performing from “The Alley” next to local clothing shop Fice. Molly Cook also connected Social Antidote with Municipal Ballet for the filming of their annual performance of River of Rosewater. All this has contributed to yet another of Social Antidote’s wholesome

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Amateur Atlas—AKA Sean Woolery—sounds like no amateur on the follow-up EP to his 2020 album Part One. So Far So Good is a breath of fresh air, a relief after days that are spent like mine—combing through music, lots of it bad. Though it clearly recalls a very “done” kind of beachy dream pop, popularized by the likes of Beach Fossils and other Captured Tracks ilk, it’s a genre and a sound that’s still settling into its position as something kind of passé, but still feel-good—bossa nova for indie kids. And that’s not an insult, because bossa nova is damn good, and so is 2010s dream pop, even as it ages into the new work of folks like SLC’s own Amateur Atlas. So Far So Good feels like a deep sigh, a cigarette drag, a crisp, sunny spring day. While his 2020 release was altogether more guitar-driven, more scratchily indie-minimal, this release feels brighter in tone. Even the guitar parts feel a little more present, especially on opening tracks like “Believe You Me Landr.” Woolery’s vocals come and go, always a little bit hidden by effects. The track that follows, “All the Time,” feels a bit like early Wild Nothing, and also something that’s difficult to place; it’s an ethereal track with a hooky, repetitive guitar part that instantly pulls you in. Beachy guitars feel new and freshly enticing on tracks like “Pools of Deep Blue”—there is a lack of pretension, which has become so glued to this kind of music. The gently grooving song tugs at one’s mind with something familiar, but it’s almost easier to just let the song wash over you with its blue-hued, psychedelic guitar plucks and steady beat. It’s a three-minute blur of ease, after all, with enough personality that it seems like it wants to tell a story, but doesn’t have the words to. Other highlights on the EP include the title track, which feels like slow-mo running the mall-themed racetrack on one of the Mario Kart games—a soothing quality. So Far So Good

is just that for Amateur Atlas, and delivers the reward of a good listening experience for audiences, too. The album releases Friday, Feb. 19 on streaming platforms. Find the singles “Pools of Deep Blue” and the title track up on Spotify now. Follow @amateur_atlas on Instagram for updates and news.

HUM Opens Up Another Season of Artist Submissions

While many had hoped we’d be past the pandemic by now, and that local artists wouldn’t be spending yet another year wondering how to put bread on the table while still making their art, unfortunately that’s the case. But, as there was last year, there’s still the small saving grace that is HUM, the Salt Lake Public Library’s local music archive project that City Weekly wrote about in 2020 when they also launched HUMTV, a visual showcase series on local artists. On Feb. 22, they open up their first open call for submissions of 2021. Utah artists who have made an album or EP in the last five years are welcome to submit to the archive, and if their piece is chosen, they receive payment for that selection. No word yet on whether HUM’s budget has been expanded as it was last year, but there is a new curatorial group on board making 2021’s HUM selections. Among these new selectors is Meira Bashir, founder and creative director of the local music-art-photography publication Salt Lily Magazine—a distinctive digital mag which always has its thumb on the pulse of young, up-and-coming talent in Utah. There’s also Norbert Bueno, a local music producer and musician who also last year helped found and is now president of Social Antidote, a live-stream music project born from the pandemic, with an eye towards professional production and showmanship as good as any real-life show. Bueno’s expertise lies in the more professional world of music-making, as he works with music publishing company Warner Chappell to score all sorts

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of media, from popular television shows to commercials (we also revisit his efforts with Social Antidote in our feature story this week, see p. ??). Joining Bueno as one of the musicians on the panel is Little Moon, a Provo artist who early last year released her magical debut folk album Unphased. Besides making and releasing her music, or winning praise for her NPR Tiny Desk Submission, she also works as the co-founder of the Provo-based art and music collective Camp Creep. Rounding out the group of newcomers is Parker Mortensen, the busy podcaster behind SLUG Magazine’s Soundwaves podcast, which highlights local bands of all genres, and on which they tell their own stories with the gentle prodding of Mortensen. Mortensen is also a writer for SLUG, and has been a music contributor here at City Weekly, too. Needless to say, this is a diverse and knowledgeable group with all sorts of ties to the many parts of the Utah music community. Stay tuned for their picks later this year, but in the meantime, if you’re an artist, make sure they have good stuff to pick from! Visit hum.slcpl.com/submit for rules and links for submission.

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Despite album art that depicts a waitress at a diner smoking with gloomy repose, local rockers City Ghost’s new EP Gray isn’t as downbeat as the title or the album art suggests. It heads further in the same direction as their last release, 2018’s EP When the Lights Go Out, showcasing the four-piece’s sunnier take on emo aesthetics and their indie rock chops. Recorded two years ago and released on Friday, Feb. 5, each song is melodically tight in a way that suggests that they were all labored over by the members, one of which includes drummer Ken Vallejos of fellow SLC bands Show Me Island and Sunsleeper. Fans of recent indie rock like that of Summer Cannibals, with their classic electric zeal, will enjoy tracks from City Ghost like opener “Forget About It,” which is one of the only totally edgy songs on the album with its driving, moody guitar parts. Vallejos’ firm drumming keeps that

first track and all that follow feeling distinctly emo-ish, and it’s the backbone the songs need. Vocalist Sadie O’Neill’s voice is a puzzle to me, though. She delivers each song’s emotive lyrics with drama and passion, for sure, singing on “Halfway,” “what would happen is we misbehaved/ if no one was there to say walk away?/ But we’ve already made it halfway/ so can we take this to our grave?” She has a tendency to collapse into her own breath at the end of each note, which builds drama at some moments but nullifies it at others the more frequently it happens. It would be interesting to see her surrounded not by the well-honed indie tropes found in City Ghost’s music, but by a much larger and louder setting, one where her voice could turn into the more powerful shriek it seems to want to be—like that of Swedish dark indie pop band Makthaverskan, where vocalist Maja Milner thrives. On “Starting Over,” she uses raspier, lower tones as the band jams along besides her in the lead-up to the chorus where she goes on rather jubilantly about “No more wondering what you’re thinking about, no more asking the questions I can answer myself.” This is a solid point in the album, one that feels well-controlled and delivered by all members of the band—who are, after all, a group that’s been making music for a long time in SLC and know how to work together. Listen to this solid new addition to City Ghost’s repertoire on streaming platforms, or at cityghost.bandcamp.com.

The National Parks Announce First Arena Show

Though The National Parks are one of Utah’s most famed bands outside the state, 2021 marks their first-ever arena show, at our own Vivint Arena. And while this is a strange year to be doing one’s first arena show, it’s also really the band’s first big show like this since the pandemic started. They spent the early months of the pandemic doing livestream shows, and the summer doing a soft tour of their big album, 2020’s Wildflower, by embarking on a mini Campfire Tour, made up of intimate, early socially-distanced backyard shows

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Song of the Week: “Everybody Loves You” by The Chicks

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I did not grow up on country music, and as a “black sheep” kid growing up in Utah, I’ve spent most of my young life determined to flip the genre off, forever—even when it comes to badass artists like The Chicks. Besides an adult peripheral appreciation for country music’s own black sheep, based off their iconic comments on the Iraq War and the fact that all my girlfriends love “Goodbye Earl,” I haven’t ever given them much thought. That is, until a chance run-in with one of the songs off their 2020 album, Gaslighter. Their first musical release since 2006’s Taking the Long Way, Gaslighter is full of equal parts scrappy, lightly political country tracks and hooky, pop-leaning numbers that provide a compelling update to The Chicks’ legacy of sharp, distinct songwriting. But, the song that happened across my autoplay the other day is like no other song on the album. A simple, yet strikingly honest meditation on the frustrations of a break-up, “Everybody Loves You” finds singer Natalie Maine spending the song trying to square her pain with the fact that the one she hates is still blindly adored by everyone else. Maine starts the song off wearily, singing “I’m so tired, I have to tame my mind before I get too frustrated,” before going on to ruminate on injustices done, disrespect still felt. It feels like she’s talking to herself, going around and around in her head rather than daring to try to express to anyone on the outside what she’s feeling—the kind of inner monologue one develops after a messy ending with someone. She goes on to sing, for most of the song, “It’s my body and I’m trying to hate you, ‘cause I want to / It’s my body and I’m trying to— while everybody loves you.” The breathless refrain expresses the way the grief of disrespect can be felt almost physically, and the hurt one feels—or is privy to, or has intimately known—from a person may feel like an entire split reality because, well, everybody else still loves that person. It’s the kind of song that hits hard if you’ve ever been around someone for whom the sun shines, who can do no wrong—except for when they do, to you. Stream this song, and the rest of the very good album wherever you stream.

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presented to very limited audiences. The small, outdoor shows catered to the band’s closest fans, and the cozy vibe was in a way representative of half of the spirit of the nature-minded National Parks. Running with the inspiration from their Campfire Tour, they recently rerecorded and released a reworked version of the single “Wildflower,” in the acoustic vein in which they were performing it at the time. But as well as The National Parks pull off small-time shows as a folk four-piece, they also thrive on bigger stages, where their sweeping songs can really explode. So, here’s your advance notice of their upcoming big-stage gig on March 20—which is, of course, selling at a capacity that allows for social distancing, which also means it’s likely to sell out fast! Fans can expect songs from Wildflower, which in addition to being toured out in full, was supposed to be performed at the band’s own Superbloom Music Festival. Slated for April 2020, it was of course, doomed to never happen. And though it’s not clear when the band will be able to embark on a big tour again, or indeed reschedule their Superbloom fest for real, this is as good an opportunity as any to enjoy the band. They’ll be performing with some sparkling L.A. talent for support, in the forms of The Strike and Tishmal. The latter is a rising solo artist-to-watch in the electronic pop world, and her broody brand of pop music will certainly suit the arena environment even if it is a somewhat odd pairing for the all-Americana of The National Parks. However, The Strike will … strike something of a balance between the two, combining the kind of synth-heavy elements that make the foundation of Tishmal’s genre to craft a high-energy, ’80s-indebted kind of pop rock that’s sounds like the lovechild of Bruce Springsteen and The 1975. The event will include many safety precautions besides the limited capacity—temperature checks, constant mask wearing and enforcement, spaced seating, tickets limited to groups in the same household and plastic barriers plus access to hand sanitizer are all features of the event. Visit thenationalparksband.com for ticket links.

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ARIES (March 21-April 19) Atheists like to confront religious people with accusations like this: “If God is so good, why does he allow suffering in the world?” Their simplistic, childish idea of God as some sort of Moral Policeman is ignorant of the lush range of ruminations about the Divine as offered down through the ages by poets, novelists, philosophers and theologians. For example, poet Stéphane Mallarmé wrote, “Spirit cares for nothing except universal musicality.” He suggested that the Supreme Intelligence is an artist making music and telling stories. And as you know, music and stories include all human adventures, not just the happy stuff. The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to honor and celebrate the marvelously rich stories of your own life—and to feel gratitude for the full range of experience with which they have blessed you. PS: Now is also a favorable phase to rethink and reconfigure your answers to the Big Questions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) It’s not a good time for you to be obsessed with vague abstractions, fear-based fantasies and imaginary possibilities. But it is a favorable phase to rise up in behalf of intimate, practical changes. At least for now, I also want to advise you not to be angry and militant about big, complicated issues that you have little power to affect. On the other hand, I encourage you to get inspired and aggressive about injustices you can truly help fix and erroneous approaches you can correct and close-at-hand dilemmas for which you can summon constructive solutions.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) “The most beautiful things are those that madness prompts and reason writes,” declared author André Gide. As a writer myself, I will testify to the truth of that formulation. But what about those of you who aren’t poets and novelists and essayists? Here’s how I would alter Gide’s statement to fit you: “The most beautiful things are those that rapture prompts and reason TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Blogger Rachel C. Lewis confides, “I love being horribly refines.” Or maybe this: “The most beautiful things are those straightforward. I love sending reckless text messages and that experimentation finds and reason uses.” Or how about this telling people I love them and telling people they are absolutely one: “The most beautiful things are those that wildness genermagical humans, and I cannot believe they really exist. I love ates and reason enhances.” Any and all of those dynamics will be saying, ‘Kiss me harder,’ and ‘You’re a good person,’ and, ‘You treasures for you in the coming weeks. brighten my day.’” What would your unique version of Lewis’ forthrightness be like, Taurus? What brazen praise would SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) you offer? What declarations of affection and care would you The poet Nayyirah Waheed has some advice I want you to hear. unleash? What naked confessions might you reveal? The com- She writes, “Be easy. Take your time. You are coming home to yourself.” I will add that from my astrological perspective, ing days will be a favorable time to explore these possibilities. the coming weeks will indeed be a time for you to relax more deeply into yourself—to welcome yourself fully into your unique GEMINI (May 21-June 20) It’s a good time to become more of who you are by engaging destiny; to forgive yourself for what you imagine are your flaws; with more of what you are not. Get in the mood for this heroic to not wish you were someone else pursuing a different path; to exercise by studying the following rant by Gemini poet Adam be at peace and in harmony with the exact life you have. Zagajewski (who writes in Polish), translated by Gemini poet Clare Cavanaugh: “Read for yourselves, read for the sake of your CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) inspiration, for the sweet turmoil in your lovely head. But also “The chief object of education is not to learn things but to read against yourselves, read for questioning and impotence, unlearn things,” wrote author G. K. Chesterton. He was exagfor despair and erudition, read the dry, sardonic remarks of cyni- gerating for dramatic effect when he said that, as he often cal philosophers. Read those whose darkness or malice or mad- did. The more nuanced truth is that one of the central aims of ness or greatness you can’t yet understand, because only in this education is to learn things, and another very worthy aim is to unlearn things. I believe you are currently in a phase when you way will you grow, outlive yourself and become what you are.” should put an emphasis on unlearning things that are irrelevant and meaningless and obstructive. This will be excellent preparaCANCER (June 21-July 22) You’re on the verge of breakthroughs. You’re ready to explore tion for your next phase, which will be learning a lot of useful and frontiers, at least in your imagination. You’re brave enough to go vitalizing new things. further and try harder than you’ve been able to before. With that in mind, here’s a highly apropos idea from Cancerian novelist Tom AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Robbins. He writes, “If you take any activity, any art, any disci- Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943) ultimately became one of pline, any skill, take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond the 20th century’s most renowned composers. But his career where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edge of edges, had a rough start. Symphony No. 1, his first major work, was then you force it into the realm of magic.” (I might use the word panned by critics, sending him into a four-year depression. Eventually he recovered. His next major composition, Piano “coax” or “nudge” instead of “force” in Robbins’ statement.) Concerto No. 2, was well-received. I don’t anticipate that your rookie offerings or new work will get the kind of terrible reviews LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) In her story “Homelanding,” Margaret Atwood writes, “Take me that Rachmaninoff’s did. But at least initially, there may be no to your trees. Take me to your breakfasts, your sunsets, your bad great reviews, and possibly even indifference. Keep the faith, dreams, your shoes. Take me to your fingers.” I’d love you to express my dear. Don’t falter in carrying out your vision of the future. requests like that. It’s a favorable time for you to delve deeper into The rewards will come in due time. the mysteries of people you care about. You will generate healing and blessings by cultivating reverent curiosity and smart empathy PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) Ancient Greek playwright Euripides was popular and influenand crafty intimacy. Find out more about your best allies! tial—and remains so to this day, 2,400 years later. But there’s a curiously boring aspect in five of his plays, Andromache, Alcestis, VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) You’re about to reach the end of your phase of correction and Helen, Medea and The Bacchae. They all have the same exact adjustment. To mark this momentous transition, and to honor ending: six lines, spoken by a chorus, that basically say the gods your ever-increasing ability to negotiate with your demons, are unpredictable. Was Euripides lazy? Trying too hard to drive I offer you the following inspirational proclamation by poet home the point? Or were the endings added later by an editor? Jeannette Napolitano: “I don’t want to look back in five years’ Scholars disagree. The main reason I’m bringing this to your time and think, ‘We could have been magnificent, but I was attention is to encourage you to avoid similar behavior. I think afraid.’ In five years, I want to tell of how fear tried to cheat me it’s very important that the stories you’re living right now have different endings than all the stories of your past. out of the best thing in life, and I didn’t let it.”

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do my best to represent a place and its menu faithfully, but that responsibility comes with a significant caveat lately. This global crisis has profoundly impacted the communities on my beat, and I can’t help but take that into consideration when I pay someplace a visit. I’ve thought about this caveat many times during my visits to local restaurants like Foodie and Sweetie (89 D Street, 385-528-3823, foodieandsweetiedmarket.com) that have decided to close dine-in services as a safety measure while continuing to offer takeout options. Foodie and Sweetie—a noodle and boba house with a menu inspired by spicy Sichuan broths and savory soup dumplings—is a neighborhood joint through and through. Located in the heart of the Avenues, it’s the kind of eatery that thrives on a core group of regulars who stop in for lunch and dinner for the welcoming atmosphere as much as the food. Unfortunately, the pandemic has placed the owners in the difficult spot of closing down their dining room, which has a tendency to throttle small, family-owned restaurants like this one. While I think that slurping noodles and snacking on dim sum in the quaint-but-hip space Foodie and Sweetie has created is the ideal way to enjoy their tasty menu, I’m happy to report that the menu remains soulful and satisfying even from a to-go box. Borrowing a page or two from the noodle bars of Shanghai, Foodie and Sweetie offers items for every phase of the hunger spectrum. If you’re just in the mood for something caffeinated to drink, the selection of boba milk tea ($3.75) and fruity green teas ($3.75) have you covered. The original and matcha flavors of milk tea are excellent representatives of the drink menu; both are packed with the subtle, herbaceous tea flavor. If you’re after something small and snackable, check out the pork or veggie pot stickers ($4.99), which are pan-fried and sprinkled with black sesame seeds, or the crispy popcorn chicken ($4.99) that delivers a perfectly crunchy texture. When I visit Foodie and Sweetie, I like to have one of their noodle or wonton soups as a main course while mixing things up with a few smaller bites. I can’t get enough of their

Szechuan beef noodle soup ($11.95) or their Szechuan wonton soup ($10.95), so these are usually what I stick with. Acolytes of the Sichuan peppercorn will tell you that you’re in for a uniquely spicy ride when you belly up to one of these broths, but if you like things spicy, you can’t go wrong. The ferocious red broth is swimming with those magical numbing peppercorns that prep your taste buds for a spicy palette that you feel in your bones. For something a bit more forgiving on the tongue, the tonkotsu ramen ($11.95) is a Chinese favorite that celebrates the savory wonders of grilled chashu pork marinating in pork broth with a heap of slippery ramen noodles. All the supporting acts are here too—scallions, roasted corn, a spiral fish cake and a hard-boiled egg. It’s a hearty bowl full of classic comfort food flavors. I’d also like to note that since I’ve started getting these dishes to go, Foodie and Sweetie separates the broth from the other ingredients, so everything stays nice and hot on the drive home. My supporting cast of post-ramen snacks varies quite a bit. Foodie and Sweetie are famous for their sheng jian bao ($6.99), a panfried pork bun that feels like a pot sticker that has maxed out its experience levels. The frying process leaves a lovely caramelized layer on the bottom of the soft, chewy pork bun, and it all gives way to a beautifully flavored medallion of ground pork inside. The xia long bao ($6.99), otherwise known as the soup dumpling, is another must-try. Served in adorable aluminum cups, these dumplings are pockets of savory broth surrounding a ground meat filling. It’s hard to say which one I like better, which is why I usually snag both—dumplings are my love language. Another excellent addition to the Foodie and Sweetie snack menu is the dim sum combos. The base combo ($8.99) comes with five classic dim sum bites; shrimp dumplings, sesame balls and steamed pork buns are my usual suspects. If you want to get the ultimate Chinese snack pack, get the combo with an order of pot stickers and spring rolls ($10.99) for a full-fledged festival of finger food. I hope all of our friends in the hospitality industry who haven’t had to close down already can stay afloat until we’ve sufficiently kicked COVID-19 in the ass, and Foodie and Sweetie is no exception. It’s a perfect concept for its spot in a close-knit neighborhood like the Avenues, and I’ve visualized myself inhaling a bowl of noodle soup with a side of randomly selected dim sum within the homey confines of this corner shop several times as a hopeful vision of things to come. CW

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Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Chocolate Raspberry Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Red Ale Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Aroma Therapy - DDH Blonde Hoppers Grill and Brewing 890 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale HoppersBrewPub.com Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: West Coast IPA

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: Ivar- Spiced Rye Lager Red Rock Brewing Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Chocolate Chili Porter RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Pink ‘Limited’ Transom Dark Pale Ale Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Serafina Spon Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Luau Rider Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Pina Colada Sour Ale

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com Squatters 147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Kiss from a Gose Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: German Kiss Toasted Barrel Brewery 412 W. 600 North, SLC ToastedBarrelBrewery.com Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Son of a Peach Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

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Overall: An undoubtedly complex layout of hops, digging deeply into the raw and earthy as much as the lush and fruity, resulting in an incredibly layered presentation of detail at once stifling and embracing the palate. In the end, this 8 percent ale is a remarkably approachable DNEIPA peaking at the upper tiers of the style. TF Brewing - Imperial Schwartzbier: This is not just a black lager—it’s a fruited black lager that’s amped-up to Baltic Porter territory. It’s enhanced with red plum and black cherry, and pours an opaque black with a solid two fingers of eggshell-colored head, quite fluffy and fairly resilient due to the fact that it’s packed with fruit. Looks amazingly rich and fairly creamy. Sour notes emerge right off the bat, but not overwhelmingly so, while roasted chocolates and barley grains also are prevalent. Some hints of vanilla and toffee also play in, but the toasted malts are dominant in the nose. The sour cherry mixes well with the chocolate to create a very enticing aroma. Up front, this was surprisingly not as cherry-like as I was expecting, as plum was the dominant of the two stone fruits. The plum provides a nice puckering effect, while the muted cherry flavors work well with the chocolates and vanillas towards the end to create a very palatable mix. I was definitely able to pick up the roasted barley and other malty grains, but it’s fruit that drives the show; akin to biting into a cherry cordial minus the toasted grains flavor. It’s remarkably smooth. I was expecting a harsher tart twinge when I first sipped, but the creaminess of the appearance matches the smoothness of the mouthfeel. Might be slightly over carbonated, but not by much. Overall: Initial thoughts point to a very solid drinkability. A slight bit of alcohol on the aftertaste means this one’s a sipper, and the 9.1 percent ABV backs that up. This is definitely a strong cold weather brew, and I’m psyched I got the chance to try it. Both of these beers are reaching into the ether alcohol-wise, and it can be hard to detect at times, so take heed. As always,

ruth be told, at the moment, I’m a little over big IPAs and dark fruity beers. But sometimes you need to trust your gut and look into that place that you dare not look. This week, I’m glad I did. Wasatch - [Kickback Series] New England Double IPA: Pours an opaque, dark lemon-gold body capped with two fingers of rocky, soapy, white foam. Solid head retention accents a thin veil of splotchy caps, a slight, frothing collar and a limited smattering of spotty lacing spread thinly around the glass. Aroma shows raw, prickly hop resin bursting forth into a flowing array of moss and grass to a comprehensively quaffable tropical zest profile. Dank eucalyptus ushers in waves of tangerine, peach, and pureéd mango, with red berry and musty gooseberry accents. Taste opens with zesty peach, mineralrich dirt, mango, apricot pith and papaya rinds for a fast-paced, dominant, earthytropical interplay. Hints of pineapple fade over the mid-palate as light garlic and rye bread contribute to an earthy lingering, with accents of resin and mossy tones to close. Mouthfeel brings a bright, medium body and a prickly, moderate carbonation, while a gentle hop acidity balances the mid-palate as a slightly juicy texture evolves in the backdrop. A more rounded resinous note prevails on the back end and through the finish, with a bitter bite meeting a succinct, hoppy char on the swallow.

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A Beer Nerd’s Second Wind

OUTDOOR SEATING ON THE PATIO

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Indian Cooking with Purnima Gandhi

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Red Butte Garden (redbuttegarden.org) will be hosting an online Indian cooking class with Purnima Gandhi on Feb. 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Gandhi, an associate instructor at Red Butte Garden, plans to take attendees through a cooking course that will explore recipes from Southern India—think yogurt rice and avial, a vegetable curry. Ingredient lists and recipes will be available prior to the class, and Gandhi will demonstrate the necessary techniques in this interactive online experience. If this announcement catches you on short notice, you can always make a plan to attend Gandhi’s next demonstration on March 9, which will feature sheero, palak and paneer preparations. To register, visit Red Butte Garden online.

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Moochie Mondays

Mondays typically suck, but the folks at Moochie’s (multiple locations, moochiesmeatballs.com) are working to change that stigma. For the past month, this local chain of cheesesteak haunts has been celebrating their sandwich arsenal with Moochie Mondays, a chance to snag one of their signature sammies for a paltry $5. If you’re anything like me, it’s hard to venture away from the siren’s call of a Philly cheesesteak or meatball sub, but this weekly special gives us all special incentive to check out the unsung heroes on the Moochie’s menu. From Reubens to chicken parm, Moochie’s is sure to have a five-dollar favorite ready to kick those Monday blues right in the ass.

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28 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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If you’ve been checking out the Utah Farmers Market Winter Market—and dig tasty, fermented cabbage— then you’re probably familiar with the fermentation fans at Life Giving Foods (lifegivingfoods.com). Those whose interest in sauerkraut transcends that of mere mortals will want to check out Life Giving Foods’ sauerkraut workshop and potluck on Feb. 18 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free, though attendees are encouraged to bring a dish that complements sauerkraut— that means desserts are probably out. The workshop will take place at the Sugar Space Arts Warehouse (132 S. 800 West), and interested parties can RSVP via email at healthy@lifegivingfoods.com. Quote of the Week: “Life is good when you have a good sandwich.” –Keanu Reeves

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WHY YOU

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. One of the Obamas 2. Exaggerate for effect 3. What some musicians carry 4. Molt 5. Encounter for a reef diver, maybe

Monumental!

6. Alternative to an eggbeater 7. Coin in the Trevi Fountain, perhaps 8. Musk who, in 2021, was named the world’s richest person by Forbes 9. Carvey of “Wayne’s World” 10. High-level H.S. math class 11. State with 1,350 miles of coastline: Abbr. 12. Genre for Megan Thee Stallion 13. It’s next to nothing 21. Swimming gold medalist Thorpe 22. Bronze 26. Delight 27. Nasdaq, e.g.: Abbr. 28. Where VapoRub may be rubbed 29. Risqué 30. First name of the first man in space 31. Panache 32. Reptile seen in hieroglyphics 33. High-priced Japanese beef 34. Avis competitor 35. 17 of Laila Ali’s wins, for short 37. Not just “a” 39. “____ we there yet?” 40. Trunk item 41. Mongolian shelter 46. “Heavens!” 47. “Sorta” 48. “Cool” amount

50. Lightweight boxer? 51. Response to “Who’s there?” 52. Run 53. What a lenient judge may show 55. Mythical creature seen on old Bhutanese stamps 56. Thing with three feet 57. Like some traditions 58. Bananagrams piece 59. Kimono sash 60. Cartoonist Chast 61. Petting ____

Last week’s answers

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.

DOWN

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Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9.

1. Jerk 6. One may be pulled out of a bed 10. Questlove hairdo 14. E’en if 15. Dance that men often do shirtless 16. Think ahead 17. Lip-puckering, as kraut 18. Mineral plentiful in kale 19. Dracula accessory 20. South Korean debut of 1985 23. Go ____ 24. Traditional source of material for a sherpa’s coat 25. Ginger ____ 27. “____ Explain Things to Me” (Rebecca Solnit book) 28. Admit defeat 32. Up 35. “____ she blows!” 36. Key near Ctrl 38. Capital that lies about 15 miles from the body of water for which it was named 42. Org. for good drivers 43. Like pink cheeks 44. Adler who outwitted Sherlock Holmes 45. Most tasty 48. Celebrity with a namesake cereal in the ‘80s 49. Kvetchers’ cries 50. What “pizza” means in Italian 51. Company with the most U.S. patents per year since 1993 54. Homer’s angry outburst when Bart misbehaves ... or a hint to this puzzle’s theme 59. Rice-shaped pasta 62. 1946 role for Fonda or 1994 role for Costner 63. Early ____ 64. Oaf 65. Lawyer’s clever question, say 66. Mexican civilization known for its colossal head sculptures 67. Preppy clothing brand 68. Without much thought 69. Impoverished

SUDOKU

| COMMUNITY | | CITYWEEKLY.NET |

30 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

National monuments in Utah include the higher profile Bears Ears, Grand StaircaseEscalante and Timpanogos Cave as well as Cedar Breaks, Dinosaur, Hovenweep, Jurassic, Natural Bridges and Rainbow Bridge. We also have state and local monuments, such as This Is the Place, the Seagull at Temple Square, Eagle Gate on State and South Temple, Joseph Smith Memorial Building and others. Most Utahns have visited —or at least heard of—our precious national monuments but few would be pressed to know where some of our state monuments can be found. Brigham Young is buried just east of Temple Square at 140 E. First Ave. You’ve no doubt driven by the site hundreds of times if you live in or near the Avenues. The Seagull Monument inside Temple Square is dedicated to “the miracle of the gulls” when supposedly, Western Gulls descended to eat an invasion of Mormon Crickets that were annihilating the crops of the early pioneers in the year 1848. A block east are the metal arches above the intersection of State Street and South Temple. These were erected in 1859 and mark the original entrance to Brigham Young’s property at the mouth of City Creek Canyon. You’ve driven under this if you head up to the state Capitol. Originally topped by a wooden eagle (now on display at the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum), it was replaced with a 4,000-pound bronze bird with a 20-foot wingspan. Why do I mention monuments? One potential site has been in the news lately because a local developer hoped to build a high-end celebrity rehab center right above it, making access to the public difficult or not at all. I am speaking of our beautiful Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon. Legend has it that an indigenous girl named Norita fell in love with a boy from a rival tribe named Grey Eagle. The classic Romeo and Juliet-like story went simply that elders from both tribes found out about the forbidden love and told her that they’d killed her lover. She then leapt over the falls to join him in the spirit world. Mother Nature felt badly for the girl and turned her hair into a bridal veil of falling water that flows yearround 607 feet down from springs above the canyon on Cascade Mountain. This natural wonder should not be owned privately. To protect the landmark, Utah County commissioners placed the county-owned falls in a conservation easement last year. The prospective developer, Richard Losee, wasn’t happy and filed a lawsuit. Thankfully, now, the developer has backed off of the lawsuit since Utah County has asked state lawmakers to designate the falls a state monument this session to protect Bridal Veil Falls for future generations. CW Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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The Way the World Works The Staten Island Zoo is weathering a storm of controversy over the prediction made by its resident groundhog, Staten Island Chuck, on Feb. 2—an annual event at the zoo. Chuck popped up on a Facebook “livestream” at the designated hour, on the designated day, but something seemed ... off. After hours of accumulating snow in the New York area, the New York Post reported, Chuck was seen to emerge into bright sunlight with no snow on the ground, his handlers wearing sweatshirts. “So there ya have it, folks, we’re gonna have an early spring,” announced zoo executive director Ken Mitchell. Viewers weren’t fooled, one commenting, “Welppp, this isn’t live.” Previous Groundhog Day celebrations at the zoo have also raised a ruckus. In 2014, a stand-in groundhog named Charlotte died after being dropped by Mayor Bill de Blasio, and in 2009 Chuck bit Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s finger. Least Competent Criminals Edner Flores, 34, entered a PNC Bank branch in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood on Jan. 27 and allegedly tried to rob it by handing a teller a note stating that he wanted $10,000, with “no die (sic) packs,” and that he was armed, according to a federal criminal complaint. The teller activated a silent alarm and asked him to fill out a withdrawal slip, which he did, then asked for his ATM card. The helpful Flores instead produced a temporary Illinois state ID card, authorities said. WMAQ-TV reported police arrived while Flores was still at the window, arrested him and found a knife in his jacket, according to a police report.

BY T HE EDITO R S AT A ND RE WS M cMEEL

state police officers arrived on Jan. 20 to investigate allegations of $1,500 worth of merchandise purchased with a stolen credit card, but he refused to let them in without a search warrant, WJRT-TV reported. When the troopers returned with the warrant, they found the illegally purchased items inside the house, but they also found that Broadstone had barricaded himself inside and allegedly set a booby trap and other items designed to harm the officers. Broadstone was charged with two counts related to the credit-card transaction, and 16 counts related to the confrontation with authorities, including five counts of attempted murder and four counts of resisting police. He was being held on a $1.125 million bond. Weird Science Researchers have solved the mystery of how bare-nosed wombats, native to southeastern Australia, produce poop in cubes, reports the International Business Times. Wildlife ecologist Scott Carver of the University of Tasmania is lead author on a study, published Jan. 28 in the journal Soft Matter, that details the particular inner workings of the wombat’s digestive tract that produce the square-shaped dung. “This ability ... is unique in the animal kingdom,” Carver said. “Our research found that ... you really can fit a square peg through a round hole.” Oh, That Old Thing? Italian police arrested an unnamed 36-year-old in Naples on Jan. 16 on suspicion of receiving stolen goods and found a 500-yearold copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvatore Mundi,” a painting they returned to the museum it belonged to, surprising museum officials, who had no idea it had been missing. The painting is part of the Doma Museum collection at the San Domenico Maggiore church in Naples, where the room it had hung in “has not been open for three months,” Naples prosecutor Giovanni Melillo told The Guardian. The copy was made by Giacomo Alibrandi in the early 1500s; da Vinci’s original painting sold in 2017 for a record-breaking $450 million at auction and hasn’t been seen in public since.

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Misinformed Authorities in Essex County, England, received a tip on Jan. 16 and arrived at the Freemasons’ Saxon Hall expecting to put an end to the illegal “rave” reported to be happening there, but instead of loud music and wild teenagers, officers found old people lining up to get their COVID-19 vaccines, Echo News reported. “Grumpy old men and grumpy old women were in abundance,” confirmed Dennis Baum, chairman of the hall, with “wheelchairs, Zimmer frames and walking sticks.” Baum said things got testy when the vaccine was late arriving: “It was absolute chaos ... The car park became chockablock with 80-year-old-plus drivers.” Police remained to offer their assistance with the traffic.

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n Women changing in the locker room at Onelife Fitness in Stafford, Virginia, were unhurt on Jan. 30 when Brian Anthony Joe, 41, fell through the ceiling, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, landing on one of them. Joe, who fell about 10 feet, the sheriff said, was also uninjured, and the New York Post reported the women held him there in the locker room until authorities arrived to arrest him on charges of burglary, vandalism and peeping. Bright Idea Drag queen Spar-Kelly and her neighbors in St. Johns, Florida, are tired of parents parking along their street during school pickup to avoid the traffic at the nearby Creekside High School. So she dressed in her finest and for three days held up a simple sign that read, “This is not student pick-up, honey.” “If what it takes is just me standing here and telling people to move along, I’ll be a diva, and I’ll tell someone to move right along,” she told WJXT-TV. On Jan. 27, her efforts paid off: A St. Johns County Sheriff’s deputy showed up to patrol the street, and plans are being made to install new “no parking” signs. Mountain > Molehill Roger Broadstone, 67, was at home in Twining, Michigan, when

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32 | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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