MUSIC PICK S

By Emilee Atkinson

The Golden Hour @ The International 5/15 Golden Hour brings an evening of passive participation, while being actively engaged by your host, Peter Goldie. Every Monday night, you can count on weekly guest DJs and performing artists, live hairstyling and often a movie showing on VHS. Golden Hour moves through musical moods and art to casually facilitate engagement between the patrons, bar staff and performing artists. Goldie’s curiosity drives the experience into the liminal space between performer and audience, artist and art-observer, hoping to better balance connections between people co-existing in temporary spaces. The curation of Golden Hour focuses on honing a physical setting, and capturing the opportunity to transform fleeting moments into memories—a place where one could find power, beauty and emotional resonance. With the intention of honoring International’s oft-sought lounge-feel, maintaining ambience in the space is a requisite feature of Goldie Presents; having an active host is key to creating comfort and a welcoming environment. Goldie keeps the volume controlled to encourage a space where the audience can exist and interact, outside of the traditional late-night setting. Caricature artists, illustrators and painters creating live onstage to a soundtrack curated by the host - with an open invitation for performance artists who would like a stage to work on. He is actively seeking new collaborators, and can be contacted for bookings through @goldieandtheguise Instagram. Catch the Golden Hour at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 15th at the International. General admission is free for the 21 and over show. More information can be found at internationalbar.com (Mark

Dago)

Morgan James @ The State Room 5/16

Soulful songstress Morgan James is stopping by SLC for an intimate evening at The State Room, offering showgoers a chance to experience James’ powerful, entrancing voice in an intimate showcase. The singer did a tenure with Epic Records, but has since been able to take control of her music in ways she wasn’t able to before. “I feel like I am a part of the lineage of soul music. My guiding force throughout my creative process is “What would Aretha say? What would Otis say?’ It’s not a retro or throwback by any means,” she states on her website. “This music is me: classic elements, timeless melodies, and lyrics from my soul and experience. We need that right now. We need real music now more than ever.” James seamlessly blends her distinct voice with thoughtful stories to create music that takes you on a journey full of truth, beauty, heartache and thoughtfulness. Her latest release, Nobody’s Fool, is an exciting work that starts out with a strong funk vibe that will have you wondering what comes next. As it progresses, you’re hit with slower and more contemplative tracks, mixed in with songs full of that heartache James is known to bring. Come spend an evening with Morgan James on Tuesday, May 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $30-42, and can be found at thestateroompresents.com. (EA)