City Weekly January 23, 2020

C I T Y W E E K LY . N E T

JAN. 23, 2020 | VOL. 36

N0. 35

From the street level to the stars!

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CWCONTENTS COVER STORY AND ACTION!

The country’s premier independent film festival dawns anew.

Cover illustration by Derek Carlisle

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CONTRIBUTOR

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SCOTT RENSHAW

Cover story This year’s Sundance Film Festival marks the 23rd that our critic has attended and the 21st that he has covered it professionally.

Want the inside scoop?

Follow Renshaw on Twitter @scottrenshaw for his take, and check out his daily dispatches posted on our blog at cityweekly.net.

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COMMENTS@CITYWEEKLY.NET

Cover story, Jan. 9, “Nano Killer”

Excellent article. Informative!

C.J. SOUTHWORTH Via Facebook Isn’t the drug war great?

DAVE CALDWELL Via Facebook

Opinion, Jan. 9, “Trump’s Ten Commandments”

Finally, I see that others see the light! Thank you, Michael S. Robinson.

LORNA HARDY Via CW comments I did it again—wasting my precious time reading Mr. Robinson’s Ten Commandments piece of garbage.

Seems like if time could be reversed to Hitler’s time, and Mr. Trump was involved in an attempt to assassinate the supreme leader of the Third Reich, Mr. Robinson would side with Hitler just to show Voted Best Thrift / Consignment Store for 5 years

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his contempt against Mr. Trump.

MANNIE LUGO Via cityweekly.net To opine that another will just “fill the hole” left by Suleimani after his killing implies Iranian people are not warm, caring humans but automatons who can be replaced at will to do the murderous bidding of their supreme leader. So really, what’s the point as “those people” just do as they’re told and it can’t be helped? I disagree in the strongest way possible.

ALEXIS KASPERAVICIUS Via cityweekly.net

News, Jan. 9, “Give Them Shelter”

Thank you for this article!

It’s pleasant and refreshing to see reporting on this issue that does more than take press statements from city authorities at face value. Looking at some other local news, it seems like their cover-

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age of these protests is to either ignore them or try to portray any action to bring attention to the many issues faced by the homeless as senseless foolery by crazed radicals with a nefarious agenda.

There’s a lot to be said on this issue, and the way local government and media chooses to address it.

Thank you for taking the time to do some on-theground reporting!

JAKE WILKS Via cityweekly.net Wow. A newspaper that actually does its job? In Utah? I’m shocked! Some of both sides? I enjoyed this article very much. As for survival gear being taken, I can’t pull a tent down in 5 minutes like the homeless are ordered to disperse in that time. Anything left behind is taken by police. Of course, they call that trash now.

DIANNA JOHNSON Via cityweekly.net That sounds like some seri-

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ous drama.

MARSHALL E. BARNES Via Facebook Sounds like the inmates are running the prison.

There used to be laws against being a piece of shit drug addict. Don’t we have vagrancy laws?

KERRY KNOWLES Via Facebook By putting them in jail and making it harder for them to get out of their current situation? And costing taxpayers even more than just helping them? Eventually it’ll work. Never has before, but, maybe this time?

Thoughts and prayers? This is the way so sayeth the lord? I mean anything is possible if you believe hard enough, right? You’ve done nothing but try to make life difficult for anyone who isn’t you. You’d rather kick them while they’re down than extend a hand up. Pathetic.

JAKE WILLARD Via Facebook

Restaurant review, Jan. 9, Sauce Boss

The owner and his family are amazing people.

DESTINY LANIER Via Facebook Best shrimp and grits!

BRETT COFFIN Via Facebook Make sure to get the hibis-

cus drink.

KELLY LUDLOW COLBY Via Facebook Looks like a non-gluten sensitive place.

JOE STEWART Via Facebook We encourage you to join the conversation. Sound off across our social media channels as well as on cityweekly.net for a chance to be featured in this section.

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Contributors ZAINA ABUJEBARAH, KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, BABS DE LAY, KYLEE EHMANN, REBECCA FROST, COLETTE A. FINNEY, MARYANN JOHANSON, JENNIFER J. JOHNSON, NICK McGREGOR, PARKER S. MORTENSEN, MIKE RIEDEL, MICHAEL S. ROBINSON SR., ALEX SPRINGER, LEE ZIMMERMAN

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OPINION

If it Quacks Like a Duck, Could it Still Be a Llama?

Sen. Mike Lee is performing the tasks of an able assistant in dismantling American democracy. His tenacity to partyover-principles is a disgrace to him and to our state, and he’s made it crystal-clear that he will adhere to Republican marching orders. And yet, we’ve recently seen a bit of healthy spine; he is taking a stand on the matter of President Donald Trump’s ability to wage war without properly consulting with Congress. So maybe he’s not totally worthless.

Although I can’t be quite as critical of Sen. Mitt Romney.

He, too, has shown a disturbing reserve in condemning the corruption of King Trump and his court. Romney gives us a glimmer of hope as he opens his mouth and, for just a moment, seems to have some clarity. But then it gets all foggy as he tries to determine how he can speak up without taking a risk. That’s the reality of a system that relies on popularity and politics; each man might want to do the right thing but fears the negative impact on his constituency and on the companies that, without any legal restraints, use dollars and favors to control election outcomes.

If our form of government relies on any two things, they are, 1. The system of checks and balances between the three branches of government and, 2. Strict adherence to the law of the land. What we have seen since Trump’s first

BY MICHAEL S. ROBINSON SR. day in the White House is the desecration of these foundational principles. If the poor bastard hadn’t run for president, he could probably have ducked below the radar and given the slip to the dogs of justice. Oh, sure, he would have likely been prosecuted for his various financial crimes, but money has a way of mitigating responsibility, and he, no doubt, would have bought his way out of a prison sentence.

His disrespect for boundaries doesn’t stop at women’s crotches. He respects nobody, and he’s been able to gather a shitload of other thugs to make sure he gives justice the slip. Among them are the tightly packed conservative court appointments and an attorney general who will do handstands and double-flips in order to please the man who gave him that post. Attorney General William Barr, of course, is a disgrace; he’s exactly the kind of top justice official whom the likes of Pinochet or Stalin would have surely picked. With his “support team” of our country’s slimiest swamp creatures, Trump has reason to believe he will not have to answer to the law.

I know this observation is nothing original. Every American, with principles and conscience, should be deeply frustrated. After all, while we were making jokes about the iron-fisted control of some of history’s worst despots—with their kangaroo courts, curfews and hit-squads—we never dreamed it could happen here. Oh, the naivety of our citizens—to believe that there was an immense no-man’s land between our system and history’s worst regimes. Wrong.

What scares me is how close we’ve gotten to having a banana republic right here in La La Land. State-sponsored murder? Yes, we have it. Corrupt, politicized justices?

That’s right, we have those, too. Suspension of civil liberties? If you haven’t seen them, you’re not paying attention.

State-mandated discrimination against minorities? Only

the brain-dead could be missing it, and yet our own senators seem unable to call a spade a spade. Money, power and politics are effective blinders.

Years ago, I went deer hunting with some relatives. We were walking across a hillside when a shot suddenly rang out. Fifty yards ahead, an animal fell, and we all turned to look at the shooter. “You idiot! That was an elk,” we all chimed in. Similarly, I think many Americans and their legislators are afraid to correctly identify the beast. If the creature quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, waddles, and paddles furiously when pursued, why would anyone argue that it’s a llama or a frog?

What we’re seeing and hearing from the abortion in the White House is a continuous loop of lies—lies aimed at invalidating the rule of law, and, particularly, lies to avoid taking responsibility for his flagrant abuses of power, including some patently treasonous acts.

While his bird-brained tweets help usher in every new day, I can assure you, Trump is no canary. If a legislator isn’t canny enough to understand the gravity of the situation, he or she doesn’t belong on Capitol Hill. In the U.K., though it’s still a kingdom, the people’s voice does matter. When their government is no longer serving the population, voters can send the whole kit-and-kaboodle packing. (I can almost see the lightbulbs twinkling in your brains.) You and I both understand that our leaders must be held to strict standards.

Trump isn’t the only one who needs to be impeached.

Mike and Mitt, open your eyes and believe me. It’s a duck. CW

The author is a former Vietnam-era Army assistant public information officer. He resides in Riverton with his wife, Carol, and one mongrel dog. Send comments to comments@cityweekly.net

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HITS&MISSES

BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

Uintah Sex?

Of license plates and condoms. It could be a book title, starring the state of Utah. CNN picked up on both issues because, how should we put it, the topics are stupid. Gov. Gary Herbert blushed because, you know—sex. He shut down a condom campaign that was seeking to make people (men) take notice by printing bawdy, silly messages on the wrappers. Wyoming, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, went all the way with its campaign “Ready to Ride Wyoming.”

But Utah is simply horrified. Former Salt Lake School Board member Amanda Corry Thorderson put it this way on Facebook: “Sex happens, governor, whether you like it or not. If you want to curb HIV, unwanted pregnancy, STIs—all of which are problems in Utah—then get them out to the people who need them. Hiding your eyes, burying your head in the sand and clutching your pearls [are] the reasons you’ve got the problems you do.”

You’re So Vain

Now onto the license plate controversy. We know how sensitive and innocent Utahns are, so you certainly wouldn’t see sexual innuendo on a vanity plate. On the other hand, certain political commentary appears to be A-OK. Sharp-eyed teacher Matt Pacenza was stunned when he saw the plate “DEPORTM” on the street. This is a state that generally supports immigration. Turns out, the DMV has also OK’d FUHRER, while rejecting COVFEFE, 666 CEO, MERLOT and HAIL NO, among others. Well, the DMV just doesn’t know how all this happens, but it hasn’t exactly got a great vetting process. Maybe Utah’s lucky.

CNN says a lawmaker in Oklahoma wants to get his state to approve this plate: “DJT2020, Make America Great Again.”

It’s free speech, the lawmaker says.

Aspirational Energy

“At least 24 Utah cities, counties pledge to use renewable energy by 2030,” a Trib headline says. This is good news, as long as you survive until 2030. So much of our movement toward clean energy and air is simply aspirational. Vox reporter David Roberts offered a roadmap to sustainability after a study last year saying it’s technically and economically feasible to run the U.S. economy entirely on renewables by 2050. It would take, he notes, an “unprecedented level of government activism, a skein of incentives, mandates, standards, and laws unmatched in U.S. history.” In business-crazed Utah, that’s unlikely as former Gov. Mike Leavitt demonstrated at a recent Chamber of Commerce meeting. He sang the praises of the proposed inland port, likening opposition to that of light rail, according to the Deseret News. But the port adds pollution while the rail takes it away.

CITIZEN REV LT IN ONE WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

MLK WEEK FACING EVERYTHING

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” That’s from Frederick Douglass, the social reformer and abolitionist whom Donald Trump thought was still alive. Aisha Moodie-Mills carries on his legacy as a respected advocate and CNN commentator. As part of Martin Luther King Jr. Week at the University of Utah, MoodieMills gives a keynote address titled “Face Everything and Rise.” Moodie-Mills, the LGBTQ activist, will discuss “the intersections of race, sexual orientation, economics and public policy,” the event’s Facebook page says. Friday, Jan. 24, noon-1 p.m., Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building Auditorium, Room 1110, 275 E. 900 South, free, bit.ly/2NzwGjF

RALLY AGAINST IRAN WAR

Salt Lake City will join other communities around the globe in protesting a new war in the Middle East at the Global Day of Protest: No War on Iran! No, President Trump cannot be impeached for bad foreign policy and knee-jerk reactions, but citizens need to send him a clear message that he is “dragging the United States into a war with Iran that could engulf the whole region and could quickly turn into a global conflict of unpredictable scope and the gravest consequences,” the event’s Facebook page says. Be part of a global strike. Iran, Iraq and Lebanon are all witnessing the masses rise up in solidarity. Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 125 S. State, Saturday, Jan. 25, noon-1:30 p.m., free, bit.ly/3ajwyhR

ERA RALLY AT CAPITOL

OK, the Equal Rights Amendment has finally reached ratification in the necessary 38 states. Inevitably, this means a long court battle. In the meantime, Utah still has a chance to join the rising voices and ratify the amendment at ERA Now Rally at the Capitol. While the state has a long history of strong and influential women, it still has not let the ERA see the light of day. “Join us at the Utah State Capitol to send a clear message to legislators that 2020 is the time to ratify the ERA!” the event’s website says. Utah Capitol, 350 N. State, Monday, Jan. 27, noon, free, bit.ly/30vvbrJ

—KATHARINE BIELE Send tips to revolt@cityweekly.net

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NEWS Head for the Hills

DEVELOPMENT

Developers square off against fired up residents in southwest Salt Lake County.

BY JENNIFER J. JOHNSON comments@cityweekly.net @jenniferjjohnso

JENNIFER J. JOHNSON

I

n Greek mythology, Mount Olympus is the ultimate low-density neighborhood.

It’s the airy, cloud-swept home to merely a dozen gods and goddesses who float along and determine the fate of humanity.

In the current tale of the proposed Olympia Hills high-density development, elected leaders and NIMBY residents of Salt Lake County’s southwest valley (aka Southwest Quadrant) feel caught up in another bit of mythology.

This real-world tale, they contend, is akin to the fates of ancient Greece’s measuring—then snipping—threads representing human life and death.

Area residents and elected officials alike recognize the enormous master-planned community’s potential to compromise the quality of life for current and future generations in the Southwest Quadrant. They see a growth-hungry state and compliant county council feeding the beast with a mandate to build affordable housing in an area already challenged in terms of transportation service and infrastructure.

Situated between 6300 and 8500 West and 14000 and 13100 South, Olympia Hills is just about as far south-by-southwest as possible in the county footprint. It is deemed a 25-year buildout. (For reference, the famed high-density planned community Daybreak is less than two decades old.)

The development would total 6,000-plus units on 900-plus acres, using undeveloped land in unincorporated Salt Lake County. As a stand-alone strip-community, it could potentially outpopulate sprawling, rambler-marked areas like Holladay, which recently handily stomped on its own high-density project—a remake of Cottonwood Mall.

It’s the second attempt to push through the project, which originally was vetoed by then-county mayor Ben McAdams in 2018. About the only thing that supporters and detractors agree on is that the development could best be described as “Daybreak on steroids.”

Developers, Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce evangelists, Silicon Slopes tech company entrepreneurs and the state’s economic development machine interpret that description as a positive. But constituents of Herriman, Riverton and other southwest communities view it as unnatural and absurd. However, these concerns are not provable, community developers

say. They are words spoken through attorneys, versus those of former project frontman Doug Young, who shepherded the public-comment phase of the project.

Young is the colorful developer who some Herriman residents charge as the schemer behind over-promising and under-delivering on projects such as the “Anthem” development (part of “Herriman Rising”), the unfortunately named “Farmgate” apartments near Daybreak, and even projects in Utah County, which have gone belly-up.

The revamped Olympia Hills proposal, project attorney Bruce Baird says, successfully addresses 13 concerns the council cited, handily addressing sprawl, while delivering parks within every half mile and providing a walkable, work/live/play environment.

Pitched in the summer of 2018 as a 9,000-plus unit community, the project sailed through the county council 8-1. The lone holdout was councilman Steve DeBry, who represents West Jordan, Riverton and Herriman—three of the six southwest cities which challenged the project. Constituents’ voices were enough to sway McAdams to do an about-face.

Olympia Hills 1.0, however, solidified Southwest Quadrant leadership, who, recognizing that their common goals stretched beyond being united against the project, huddled weekly during last year’s legislative session to leverage a unified voice. This collective body—the “Southwest Mayors Council,” comprised of elected leaders of Bluffdale, Copperton, Herriman, Riverton, South Jordan and West Jordan—has continued to meet regularly on everything from Olympia Hills to synergistic municipal business development.

Last week, the county council held the first of two public hearings to vet the development’s Phase 2 request to alter the area’s agricultural zoning to high density. The first meeting was held in council chambers at the government complex on 2100 South. It was a snoozer, filling the room to less than 20% capacity.

Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs addresses the Salt Lake County Council regarding Olympia HIlls.

The second meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 28, at Copper Mountain Middle School, is unique. According to the county, it represents the first time the council has visited a specific community to vet a development proposal.

While Round 1 was relatively tame—in terms of attendance and resident steam— all parties are gearing up for what observers say is sure to be a likely battle.

There’s a veritable swell of citizen protest against the project which sees it as undermining a fragile suburban ecosystem.

Critics note the area is buttressed by the Oquirrhs, accessed by a two-lane state highway and unconnected east-west road networks. And it will place even more pressure on skinny north-south systems, which the Legislature has not prioritized and which voters— shying away from the governor’s proposed gas and food tax—seem unwilling to underwrite.

This second public hearing literally brings the county council into the heart of a community—whose fiery commitment to douse Olympia Hills’ brand of high density gathered thousands of signatures that initially brought the project to its knees.

Emboldened by their collective agenda, the mayors were awarded $250,000 to conduct the “Southwest Visioning Study” to help best plan the area’s destiny.

The only catch? The mayors had to include Salt Lake County at the table and are now in clock-ticking mode to deliver the results.

Additionally, Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson has moved from voting council member for Olympia Hills 1.0 to either the rubbberstamper or veto authority for Olympia Hills 2.0.

In June 2018, Wilson, then an at-large council member, was one of eight council members to vote to approve the much higher density project—and via policy manager Weston Clark—vociferously campaign for the project.

Now, Wilson is a peer constituent in the study and effort to present a unified vision to develop the Southwest Quadrant.

If the first meeting is any indication for

what the officials will hear at the next one, residents are concerned about the area’s connectivity with the rest of the county.

“We need a Manhattan Project for transportation along the Wasatch Front,” Draper resident Mary Corcoron said, addressing the council last week. “I am unclear why everyone in this room is not beating down the Legislature to get [this]. It is bigger than this one issue.”

“I like the concepts, but the big problem is connectivity—you’re not going to walk to the airport,” Riverton resident Neil Spencer observed.

Comments from southwest valley officials like West Jordan City Councilwoman Kayleen Whitelock, Herriman Mayor Jared Henderson and Riverton Mayor Trent Staggs employed terms like a “fallacy,” and “too much density,” to describe so-called affordable housing in the area. They asked to await the study’s results.

“It’s the same old thing, over and over again,” county councilman Jim Bradley shared with City Weekly, speaking of a perceived rehash of similar arguments standing in the way of relentless growth.

For his part, in studying Olympia Hills 2.0, Bradley, along with most of the councilmembers, recently participated in a drive-about of the area (council chair Max Burdick did not attend). It was hosted by newly dubbed citizen group Utah for Responsible Growth—a collective that organized following the initial signature-gathering effort. Stressing it is “not anti-Olympia Hills,” the group contacted council members to help them best understand unique infrastructure challenges of an area few, perhaps, were familiar with or whom had even seen.

From Baird’s perspective, though, the status is hardly same-old, same-old. “[This project is] the most thoroughly researched, most thoroughly vetted, most thoroughly considered application in the county,” he said. CW

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Ogden’s Own in January

Friday, January, 24th: Trails Calendar Release Party Trails Gentlemen’s Club 921 S 300 W SLC 7:00 - 10:00 pm

Saturday, January 25th: Five Wives Promo at the Westerner The Westerner 3360 S Redwood Road SLC 9:00 pm - 12:00 midnight

Thursday, January 30th: After So Many Days Film Premiere and Party Impact Hub 150 S State Street SLC 6:00 - 10:00 pm

JANUARY 23, 2020 | 11

Events to find

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12 | JANUARY 23, 2020

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, JAN. 23-29, 2020

STEPHEN BROWN

LIZ WHITTAKER

ROBYN VON SWANK

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

JENNIFER PERCIVAL

ESSENTIALS

the

FRIDAY 1/24

FRIDAY 1/24

SATURDAY 1/25

SUNDAY 1/26

Some might find An Other Theater Co.’s production of local playwright Chelsea Hickman’s play Safe provocative and daringly defiant, at least as far as current religious dogma is concerned. It centers on the relationship between two devout Mormons who meet, develop feelings for one another, then find themselves navigating the divide between the expectations of others, their relationship with God and the need to be true to themselves and who they really are.

“It needed to be written for myself,” Hickman explains in a news release. “And then as I kept working on it over many years, I realized that … it was for other people who may have had the same questions as I do.”

Director and company member Liz Whittaker, a self-described “queer post-Mormon” herself, echoed Hickman’s sentiments. “We really wanted to explore the queer Mormon experience with honesty and compassion,” she says. “The purpose isn’t to tear down any religion, but to build empathy.”

In effect, that’s always been the Provo-based company’s intent. Now in its third season, An Other Theater’s mission focuses on issues of concern to women, the LGBTQ community and those alienated and ignored by mainstream theater. The company is also sensitive to the way intimate encounters and delicate situations are treated in rehearsal and performance. As a result, the company can be credited with utilizing an “intimacy choreographer” to ensure ample respect for audiences and actors alike. Consider that a safety net for Safe that underscores it efforts. (Lee Zimmerman) Safe @ An Other Theater Co., 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. , Provo, Jan. 24-Feb. 15, dates and times vary, $12-$17, anothertheater.org

Kinks are generally a hush-hush topic here in the Beehive State, but there are folks trying to change that narrative. Fest Salt Lake Stages, sponsored by Utah Leather Pride and Black Garter, brings SLC an evening of proud kinks, with artists, performers and designs from the local kink scene. Timed to correspond with Sundance Film Festival activity also taking place at the Rose Wagner Center, it’s the first of two weekends of events, including a photo installation and SB Dance’s Sleeping Beauty.

This celebration of fur, leather and beyond is a model of how to express what you want and how to get it with a consensual partner. Stephen Brown—self-described“Maestro of Nuthin’ and director-lead bottlewasher at SB Dance”—got his inspiration for the cabaret from the 1997 film Sick: The Life and Death of Bob Flanagan, Supermasochist. He was interested in the unusual expressions of beauty portrayed.

“What I find fascinating is a common and unfounded idea that kinky people are threatening and dangerous,” Brown says. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” He believes that at the end of the night, the audience will know that kinks are about communicating and giving consent. “Kinky Beast Cabaret is an opportunity for kink-ers of all stripes—fur types, rubbers, leathers and dominations—to get together and celebrate. At the same time, they’re inviting others into their world to observe and understand.”

A cash bar is available, and one drink is included with your ticket. Brown invites all to “come outta your vanilla closet and party with kinky peeps.” (Kara Rhodes) Kinky Beast Cabaret @ Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, 801-355-2787, Jan. 24, 9 p.m., $16, 21+, feststages.sbdance.com

If you’re going to be cold for the next few months, you might as well get cold for a good cause. Special Olympics Utah hosts the 2020 Salt Lake Polar Plunge to help raise funds to support the organization’s sports, competitions and programs. The organization invites those interested to attend a party that culminates with everyone jumping into a pool chilled to 32 degrees.

Jennifer Percival, program assistant for Special Olympics Utah, says the Polar Plunge is not only a great source to fundraise for the coming year, but helps bring people from various communities together. “Having a strong community is invaluable, no matter who you are,” Percival says.

Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes. In previous years, people have dived as Superman, Batman, Scooby-Doo and Popeye.

Participants must pay a $10 registration fee.

After this initial fee, everyone must either pay or raise an additional $20 or $40 to participate.

This also applies to those who are plunging with a team. Those who register at the event are asked to pay the full $30-$50. Special Olympics Utah aims to raise at least $10,000.

If you’d rather not be cold but still want to participate, you can pay the donation and register as “Too Chicken.” Percival says it’s fun to watch people’s reactions as they hit the water. The event starts with a pre-plunge Party at 9 a.m., with the actual plunge taking place at 10 a.m.

(Kylee Ehmann) Special Olympics Utah Polar Plunge @ Salt Lake Sheraton Downtown, 150 W. 500 South, 801-363-1111, Jan. 25, 9 a.m., $20-$50, sout.org

Several descriptions come to mind when you mention comedian Carmen Esposito. She’s brash, she’s irreverent and she’s not about to take any guff from anyone when it comes to being gay.

Indeed, she wears her sexuality on her sleeve.

When a guy in the audience once pointed out the obvious—“You look like a woman who doesn’t sleep with men”—she rebuffed him by replying, “You can’t go up to a black person and say, ‘I bet you don’t burn in the sun. Natural sunscreen.’”

Over the past dozen years or so, Esposito has made it a point to advocate for the LGBT community, using humor to educate her audiences about what it means to be a lesbian in today’s nominally straight society. In addition to regular appearances on television’s late-night talk show circuit, she starred in a show on the Starz network tellingly titled Take My Wife, created a podcast called Queery, partnered with BuzzFeed for a series of videos called “Ask a Lesbian,” appeared in films and at festivals, and made several albums that spotlight her decidedly unapologetic attitude.

Esposito is consistently self-effacing as well.

She proudly proclaims the fact that she boasts a hairstyle akin to a lopsided side mullet. She talks about being forced to wear an eyepatch for eight years because she was a cross-eyed child. She stressed the need to find an imperfect sperm donor so that when her baby screws up, she and her partner needn’t take the blame.

Indeed, we owe her a debt of gratitude. It’s nice to know that no matter what our sexual orientation, we’re all screwed up in our own ways. (LZ) Cameron Esposito @ Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, 801-532-5233, Jan. 27, 7 p.m. $20, 21+, wiseguyscomedy.com

An Other Theater Co.: Safe

Kinky Beast Cabaret

Special Olympics Utah Polar Plunge

Cameron Esposito

Community Writing Center offers resources to help every kind of writer improve.

BY COLETTE A. FINNEY comments@cityweekly.net @cooliedance13

H

Inside SLCC’s Community Writing Center “The mentors at the Community Writing Center each have different specialties and writing experience and I appreciate that outside perspective in helping me realize problems I might be self-blind to,” Stephanie Jackson, a previous mentee says. “I think there is a romantic idea that writers don’t need other writers; we think of all the greats, holed away at their desks, typing away. But all writers need other writers.” CW

COMMUNITY WRITING CENTER

210 E. 400 South (Library Square) Open: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

801-957-2192 slcc.edu/cwc

| MUSIC | CINEMA | DINING | A&E | NEWS |

While clients are encouraged to visit in person, those anxious to consult a mentor can receive feedback by submitting documents via email through the CWC’s website. “Something I tell a lot of people is that you shouldn’t ever be ashamed of a first draft. Revision and rewriting are integral parts of the writing process,” Packard says.

“We’re all writers here, and know how crummy first drafts can feel but they’re just stepping stones on your way to a final draft you feel proud of.”

Submitting raw work online can still be intimidating, but even the words of published writers are reviewed by many sets of eyes before reaching the printed page.

However, the CWC recommends a strategy you can consider in the meantime: Take a break from a piece of writing and put it away for a week or two. You’ll gain a fresh perspective and be able to see new things.

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

ave standard New Year’s resolutions already fallen by the wayside? At little to no cost, instead of the annual quest to lose weight, locals can resolve to take advantage of the resources available at Salt Lake Community College’s Community Writing Center (CWC). Whether one is an aspiring writer or just needing a second set of proofreading eyes, visitors can gain valuable writing skills along with qualified guidance along the way.

Offering a wide variety of workshops as well as free personal coaching sessions, the center was established in 2001 with the belief that everyone can write, regardless of background and the type of writing they want to pursue. CWC coaches offer guidance in skills ranging from a simple cover letter to many facets of creative writing.

“We work with writers who don’t have a high school diploma, and others who have advanced degrees,” CWC director Melissa Helquist says. “We also work with writers drafting résumés or composing lyrics for a rock opera, as well as others composing their thousandth poem. We try to meet writers wherever they are.”

The CWC offers classes throughout Salt Lake County, with the majority at its main location in downtown’s Library Square. The staff schedules practical and creative writing workshops, in response to community

A&E MELISSA HELQUIST

Write of Passage

requests and interests. For example, current workshop options include science fiction, memoir writing, creating compelling plots and “writing for change,” along with others covering grammar and grant-writing. Most are low cost—in the $20-$40 range—with others offered free through partnerships and grant funding. However, fees can be waived for financial hardship. Otherwise, donations are always welcome.

In addition, writers can participate in one of the center’s DiverseCity Writing Series groups. Regardless of experience level or interests, the group assists the writing process through feedback, writing prompts, and encouragement.

Staffed by a mix of part-time employees and volunteers, the center selects coaches who are passionate about writing and always ready to learn. “Most importantly, we look for mentors who are respectful of everyone, regardless of background or ability,” Helquist adds. “We want to make sure that every writer who participates feels welcomed and supported as they pursue their own goals.”

Writing coach and youth programs coordinator Arthur Packard has worked at CWC for more than a year, and finds the mentoring process “incredibly thrilling.” He’s grateful for the opportunity to talk to people about the pieces they are working on.

“We get to read so many fascinating pieces of writing and see the world from so many different perspectives,” Packard says. “Every writer coming through our door brings something unique, and it’s really rewarding reading their thoughts and interacting with their writing.”

Both Packard and Helquist cite the excitement of seeing returning writers, or hearing heartwarming success stories. “A gentleman came into our center who wanted to share his life story with his children, but didn’t feel he had the literacy skills to write his experiences down,” Helquist says. “We worked with him over a couple of years to get his story on paper and helped him finish the project, with his children very happy to read his life story.”

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JANUARY 23, 2020 | 13

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

| NEWS | A&E | DINING | CINEMA | MUSIC |

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14 | JANUARY 23, 2020

moreESSENTIALS

COMPLETE LISTINGS ONLINE AT CITYWEEKLY.NET

Jan. 27, 7 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Michael Yo Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, Jan. 24-25, 7 & 9:30 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Open Mic Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, Wednesdays, 7 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Random Tangent Improv Comedy Draper Historic Theatre, 12366 S. 900 East, Saturdays, 10 p.m., randomtangentimprov.org Stand-up Inspired Improv Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, Jan. 23, 7 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com

DANCE

BYU Theatre Ballet: Swan Lake DeJong Concert Hall, Brigham Young University, Provo, Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m., dance.byu.edu Kinky Beast Cabaret Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, Jan. 24, 9 p.m., sbdance.com (see p. 12)

SPECIAL EVENTS FESTIVALS & FAIRS Artist Heydar Rasoulpour explores home and identity through figurative abstraction (“Hidden Lake Seekers” is pictured) in In Search of Homeland, part of a dual show with artist Clarence Bowman at Art Access Gallery (230 S. 500 West, Ste. 125, accessart.org) through Feb. 14.

PERFORMANCE THEATER

Bright Star Hale Centre Theatre, 9900 S. Monroe St., Sandy, through May 2, dates and times vary, hct.org Fiddler on the Roof Eccles Theater, 131 S. Main, through Jan. 26, times vary, broadway-at-the-eccles.com James Blonde: Agent 7-11 in License to Thrill Desert Star Playhouse, 4861 S. State, Murray, through March 21, dates and times vary, desertstar.biz Les Miserables School Edition The Ziegfeld Theater, 3934 Washington Blvd., Ogden, through Jan. 25, dates and times vary, theziegfeldtheater.com Man With the Pointed Toes Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North, Orem, through Feb. 8, dates and times vary, haletheater.org Mary Stuart Pioneer Theatre Co., 300 S. 1400

East, through Jan. 25, dates and times vary, pioneertheatre.org Safe An Other Theater Co., 1200 Towne Centre Blvd., Provo, Jan. 24-Feb. 15, dates and times vary, anothertheatercompany.com (see p. 12)

CLASSICAL & SYMPHONY

Utah Opera: Silent Night Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, through Jan. 26, dates and times vary, utahopera.org Winners of SummerArts with Salt Lake Symphony Libby Gardner Hall, 1375 E. Presidents Circle, Jan. 25, 7:30 p.m., tickets.utah.edu

COMEDY & IMPROV

Cameron Esposito Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West, Jan. 26, 7 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com (see p. 12) Cash Levy Wiseguys West Jordan, 3763 W. Center Park Drive, Jan. 24-25, 8 p.m., wiseguyscomedy.com Jeff Allen Wiseguys SLC, 194 S. 400 West,

Special Olympics Utah Polar Plunge, Salt Lake Sheraton Downtown, 150 W. 500 South, Jan. 25, 9 a.m., sout.org (see p. 12)

LITERATURE AUTHOR APPEARANCES

Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani: Seven Deadly Shadows The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Jan. 28, 7 p.m., kingsenglish.com Jack Harrell: Caldera Ridge The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Jan. 23, 7 p.m., kingsenglish.com Melanie Rae Thon: The Bodies of Birds and Lance Olsen: My Red Heaven The King’s English Bookshop, 1511 S. 1500 East, Jan. 29, 7 p.m., kingsenglish.com

TALKS & LECTURES

A Conversation with Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi Kingsbury Hall, 1395 Presidents Circle, Jan. 23, 12:15 p.m., tickets.utah.edu

VISUAL ART GALLERIES & MUSEUMS

Art: A Love Affair Pioneer Memorial Theatre

Loge Gallery, 300 S. 1400 East, through Jan. 25, pioneertheatre.org Better Days 2020: Utah Women Working for the Vote and Beyond Utah Capitol, 300 N. State, fourth floor, through December, betterdays2020.com Comforting Discomfort: Works by Dalila Sanabria and Fiona Barney Rio Gallery, 300 S. Rio Grande, through March 6, artsandmuseums.utah.gov Connie Borup Holladay City Hall, 4580 S. 2300 East, Holladay, through Jan. 31, holladayarts.org Feeling Before Thought Urban Arts Gallery, 116 S. Rio Grande St., through Feb. 2, urbanartsgallery.org Hidden Voices: Aesthetics of Change Woodbury Art Museum, Utah Valley University, 575 E. University Parkway, Orem, through March 7, uvu.edu/museum In Search of Homeland Art Access Gallery, 230 S. 500 West, Ste. 125, through Feb. 14, accessoart.org (see far left) Lydia Gravis: Tracing the Untraceable Nox Contemporary Gallery, 440 S. 400 West, through Feb. 7, noxcontemporary.com Mary Pusey: Figuratively Speaking Art at the Main, 210 E. 400 South, through Feb. 8, artatthemain.com Nolan Flynn: Vertical Obedience Finch Lane Gallery, 1340 E. 100 South, through Feb. 28, saltlakearts.org The Only Two Places in the World Rose Wagner Center, 138 W. 300 South, Jan. 25, 2:3011:30 p.m.; Jan. 26, noon-9:30 p.m., sbdance.com Pompeii: The Exhibition The Leonardo, 209 E. 500 South, through May 3, dates and times vary, theleonardo.org Re-Discovering Signs Downtown Artist Collective, 258 E. 100 South, through Feb. 17, downtownartistcollective.org Salt Lake City Through Teens Main Library, 210 E. 400 South, Jan. 24-March 6, slcpl.org Supermarket: Pop Art and 1960s America BYU Museum of Art, North Campus Drive, Provo, through March 28, moa.byu.edu Tom Shankweiler: Color My World Marmalade Library, 280 W. 500 North, through Jan. 24, slcpl.org Zachary Olpin: Having Been Utterly Persuaded by a Stone Bountiful Davis Art Center, 90 N. Main, Bountiful, through Feb. 14, bdac.org

JOIN US ON SSTS20 EVE FOR WHEN

Salt Lake STRP(up) Party

MEET UP, NETWORK, CREATE

Wednesday Jan 29 SSTS20 EVE 6p-10p MUST BE 21 Must RSVP at http://j.mp/slcstartupparty20 Cost $10 (will receive $10 in CWikPay Credit)

WHAT and WHO

A gathering of Entrepreneurs, Investors and Changemakers In a fun networking environment celebrating past and future successes and failures Light Finger Food and Beverages served

WHERE

Access Salt Lake 175 West 200 South SLC UT VIP Entrance on SW corner

FILM FESTIVAL From the street level to the stars!

2020 issue

P

| MUSIC | CINEMA | DINING | A&E | NEWS |

—Scott Renshaw, Arts & Entertainment Editor

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

ark City in January—when the Sundance Film Festival rolls into town—is all of the things you think it is. But it’s also more than that.

People understandably tend to focus on the notion of the entire American film industry descending on a small Utah mountain town, with big-name celebrities like Taylor Swift drawing all of the attention. But if you’re willing to dig a little deeper, you can find other stories. Maybe it’s the many volunteers who do the grunt work necessary to keep the glamorous festival running.

Maybe it’s the live music you can catch up and down Park City’s Main Street. Maybe it’s the down-and-dirty horror films that challenge the stereotype of what a “Sundance movie” is. Or maybe it’s exploring the uniquely DIY offerings at the Slamdance Film Festival.

We’ve got all of that for you, plus our annual tips and tricks for how to experience Sundance without going crazy and/or broke.

And it’s worth being part of that experience—because whatever your assumptions are about what that experience might be, Sundance can surprise you.

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JANUARY 23, 2020 | 15

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16 | JANUARY 23, 2020

It Takes a Village Four Sundance volunteer vets on what it takes to stage the yearly behemoth.

By Scott Renshaw

E

very year, more than 2,400 volunteers from Utah, across the country and around the world journey to Park City and other Sundance Film Festival venues. For many of them, it has become an annual occasion, allowing them to experience festival films and reconnect with old friends. As a nod to the unsung heroes, here are just a few profiles of those who bring their smiles, enthusiasm and puffy jackets to keep Sundance running.

Jenny Schwing

(Information Booth/Festival Insider Liaison) Sundance Film Festival first-timers always need help getting the lay of the land. For Jenny Schwing, appreciating the efforts of those who helped her as a first-timer led to her own volunteer experience.

A property manager from Long Beach, Calif., now in her eighth year as a volunteer, Schwing recalls having always wanted to attend Sundance before finally getting together with a friend as a 2012 ticket-holder. “As a first-timer, I found volunteers and asked volunteers,” she says. “And they were so helpful and so nice and so happy, and clearly loved what they were doing, it was kind of infectious: I want what they have. …

So I went home and thought about it, and looked into it.”

For her first year as a volunteer in 2013, Schwing got tremendous support from a volunteer mentor. “That was the best thing,” she says. “She and I connected weeks before attending. I could ask questions, she could tell me stories: You need to know this; you don’t need to know this, you just need to know where to find it. When I first went in, I was really well-prepared.”

Nevertheless, she was still nervous for her first assignment—especially since she was at the information booth, which meant being one of those helpful people she remembered from her own first year. “It made me do a whole lot of homework, because I thought, ‘I better have information,’” Schwing says.

Being a help to other visitors is clearly a motivator for Schwing, whose celebrity encounters included helping Jennifer Hudson charge her cell phone. She described one of her favorite experiences as from her second or third year working at the booth. A desperate patron came up to her, saying that his significant other was in a festival film, and he had purchased tickets to the Egyptian Theater screening—not realizing that it was actually at Ogden’s Egyptian Theater, where Sundance screenings were still being held that year, and with no transportation to get there. “I said, ‘OK, we can figure this out if you can throw some money at it.’ We looked at restaurants near the theater, then

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Jenny Schwing, right, with Sundance co-worker Catherine Bock

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Maren Slaugh, right, with team member charlie latner

we have a list of private car companies. Two days later, he came back, gives me a hug and says, ‘Thank you so much.’”

After several years in the booth, and wanting to venture out and try something else, she became a Festival Insider Liaison, or “FIL”—basically, a walking information booth, strolling up and down Park City’s Main Street with an “ask me” sign. “I have had the most ridiculous questions asked,” she says with a laugh. “At a volunteer screening at the Library Theater, waiting in line for the bathroom, I had my ‘ask me’ button, and someone said, ‘Why aren’t there enough women’s bathrooms?’ I said, ‘Because a man designed it.’”

That job of being outside, walking in the winter weather, isn’t for the faint of heart, Schwing says. Still, she takes that job seriously, and says that’s the key to a positive experience as a Sundance volunteer. “We work hard to play hard,” she says. “You’re going to be given a job, and you’re expected to get it done. But the rewards are wonderful.

You get to see films, and meet some really wonderful people.”

Some “wonderful people” Schwing has met have subsequently become close friends during the non-festival part of the year. She says there’s a group of six or eight other regular volunteers who live in Southern California, and who have group chats and gettogethers when they can. “And when we get to Sundance, it’s like a reunion you can’t even believe,” she says. “It’s quite lovely to see the same faces from year to year.”

Maren Slaugh

(Theater Operations Assistant Manager—Rose Wagner Center)

Not everyone is honest enough to admit that they go to Park City to see celebrities. But while that’s what first led Maren Slaugh to Park City, it’s not what turned her into a volunteer.

A Midvale resident who works in her non-Sundance time as division director for records management and archives for Salt Lake County, Slaugh notes that in the early 2000s, she would drive to Park City with friends “to try to see movie stars.” But in 2007, she recalls becoming particularly fascinated with the post-film Q&As. “Seeing a director talk about the film and his passion for it,” Slaugh says, “it was a different way of seeing filmmaking. … You go to see movies just because you like the subject matter, and you never think about what goes into the making of it. The next year, I went on the website, and signed up.”

Despite the nerves of her first assignment at the Rose Wagner theater venue in Salt Lake City, the volunteer experience was positive right out of the gate. “I didn’t know what to expect, what I’d be doing,” Slaugh says. “But the managers—and I’m one now— were so organized. That first day, they really train you. They don’t want you to fail.”

Indeed, the training process takes place throughout the month of January, with online and in-person components.

Now in her 13th year, and having graduated to assistant theater manager, Slaugh says that it’s the people who keep her coming back. “What hooked me was not just the filmmaking, but the actual volunteer family,” she says. “Every year, we come back and it’s like a big reunion. And I love how the audience gets excited. Those wait lines are so long, and people make friends with each other in line.”

Working in a theater venue, Slaugh does have celebrity encounter stories. A particular favorite involves actor Kevin Bacon, who was at Sundance several years ago with the film Taking Chance. “Nobody knew he was coming; I thought, ‘The people in the

Valeria Damken (Events Associate)

(Theater Operations—Redstone Theater)

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JANUARY 23, 2020 | 17

Everyone has experiences in their life that motivate them to take a long-delayed step.

After a battle with cancer, Jamie Jensen wasn’t about to miss a chance to fulfill a desire to be a Sundance volunteer.

Jensen, a full-time mother of three and occasional freelance journalist, lived in Idaho in the 1990s when she was a student at then-Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho). After living elsewhere for several years, Jensen and her family moved back to Utah where she had additional family support as she began treatment for stage 4 breast cancer. “I have a background in A&E, did movie reviews and all those things, and I had always wanted to volunteer for Sundance,” Jensen says. “When we first moved back, I was still really sick. I thought, ‘After I get better, I’m totally applying.’”

She did recover, and applied to join the Sundance volunteer team in 2016. Yet despite living only 25 minutes from Sundance Resort, and with experience having attended Sundance, she still didn’t know what to expect. “I was surprised how many people around me [among the volunteers] had not gone as a ticket-holder,” she says. “I’m the only one out of my friend group, that I know of, that volunteers. But I was a little naïve going in.”

Jensen worked initially in theater operations in roles like ushering patrons, line management and theater reentry—”wherever you’re needed, and wherever managers need you,” she says. Now in her fifth year, and serving as a team lead for the Redstone Theater venue in Kimball Junction, she’s experienced enough to be able to provide advice to other prospective volunteers.

“We have a Facebook page for volunteers, and every year, a month or so out, alumni are on there giving newbies all their tips,” Jensen says. “Especially if you’re not from Utah or a mountainous area, it’s always ‘hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.’ I’m just an hour away, and I need to remember it.”

Like many of her colleagues, she also notes that volunteers have to be ready for it to be a serious job. “I tell people it’s the most rewarding hard work you’ll do,” she says. “If you’re doing it right, you’re working hard. One year, I think I had walked 25,000 steps in one day.”

There is also the fun stuff, like the chance to meet filmmakers and celebrities. Jensen’s favorite story involves actor Ethan Hawke, who was at Sundance in 2018 as director of the competition film Blaze. “He was at Redstone to do a Q&A for Blaze, but he didn’t sit in the theater to watch it with the audience. He was just out chatting with the managers,” she says. “The Redstone is also a public venue during Sundance, and we were showing [the 1991 Ethan Hawke film] White Fang. He says, ‘Do you guys care if I go into White Fang?’ He just wanted to see this movie he made in the ’90s. My high-school heart was super excited about that.”

Jensen says with a laugh that Sundance is “probably the only thing that gets me through the time after Christmas and through to summer. My husband and kids ski, and I have Sundance.” Yet she also thinks of it as a learning experience, both through the films she gets a chance to see, and the relationships she’s built. “I always seem to start each year with a premiere or dramatic film that, through research and getting prepared, I’m looking forward to, and I always walk away with a documentary in my heart,” she says. “And the people you meet are amazing. Even if the films were out of it, but I got to go back and see my friends I’ve made over the years, I’d still do that. I’ve volunteered with people from all over the world. It really opens up your perspective.” ★

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There are those who volunteer at Sundance for an experience. And there are those, like Valeria Damken, who initially volunteered to get experience.

A native of Mexico now living in McAllen, Texas, Damken was job hunting in 2017 prior to landing a position as a video editor at a local TV station. “I’d actually never gone,” she says about her previous familiarity with Sundance, “but I’d seen before that Academy Award nominated movies were originally at Sundance. I was looking for something to do to get experience on my résumé, so I went to the Sundance website and looked for what volunteer opportunities were available.”

As a first-year volunteer in 2018, Damken landed in events—which covers occasions like the filmmaker brunch, news conferences, the festival award ceremony and more— with tasks like setting up and tearing down events, crowd control and coat check. With no personal prior Sundance experience, Damken didn’t know quite what to expect.

“Whatever happens, happens,” she recalls of her approach. “I’m up for whatever. I actually love cold weather. Here, we don’t have any snow. At first it was an adjustment, maybe the altitude was a little bit tiring, but after a weekend, I was fine with it.”

Working events can involve celebrity encounters, and Damken recalls one amusing (and slightly embarrassing) one involving Ty Burrell. Damken was working an event where there were separate entrances for celebrities and for general attendees, with separate coat checks at each entrance. The general entrance, where Damken was working the coat check, was also near the bathrooms, and layout made them a bit hard to find. “I saw Ty Burrell, and I thought he was trying to go to the restroom,” she says.

“He kept smiling and looking at me. I said, ‘Do you want to go to the restroom?’ He just showed his coat check ticket, not realizing this wasn’t the coat check where he’d left his coat. But I was very persistent about trying to get him to go to the restroom.”

As her advice to someone who might be considering becoming a volunteer, Damken says, “Go for it. There are many, many, many different kinds of positions—theaters, information. It’s a privilege to get to see a bunch of screenings during the festival.” And as for the most important tip she can pass along for first-timers: “Packing. I know now that I don’t need T-shirts, and use the same three pairs of jeans and leggings. And good shoes, for sure. We are standing up a lot.”

For Damken, the experience of being around Sundance’s encouragement of creative people is particularly energizing. “The environment that Sundance creates, just the love of film,” she says. “Rooting for one another, whatever it is you’ve submitted, the support it creates. That feeling of, ‘I’m here for you, and your work is awesome.’”

Jamie Jensen

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

theater are going to freak out when they see him,’” she says. “We try to leave them alone, and be very professional, but meeting him after the Q&A, to make sure he got to his vehicle safely, he was just so appreciative, and thanked us for all we do.”

Her advice to anyone who might be considering becoming a Sundance volunteer?

“They have to be passionate about people, not just films,” she says. “A lot of people think they’re just going to see free movies. And sometimes, if you’re in the theater as an usher, you do get to see a movie. But you have to be thinking about safety, keeping your eyes open.” And even though she understands the temptation to star-watch from her own early trips to Park City: “Don’t be taking pictures of people.”

Jamie Jensen, left, with team members Keith nixon, kimberly lowe, marlee myers and renna gardner

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valeria damken

SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

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| NEWS | A&E | DINING | CINEMA | MUSIC |

| CITY WEEKLY |

18 | JANUARY 23, 2020

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana

A Lover and a Fighter

The Taylor Swift documentary Miss Americana offers a chance to get closer to an era-defining pop superstar.

By Erin Moore

F

ew celebrities or musicians are as veiled in mystery as Taylor Swift—a mystery constructed from the many intense perceptions of who she is, compared to the life depicted in her era-defining pop music. It was her self-titled country breakout album that put her on the map back in 2006, and while the single “Tear Drops on My Guitar” caught the world’s attention, opening track “Tim McGraw” was an almost prophetic signal toward the power of her music. Swift’s career has been, for the most part, always in conversation with itself, and one that has transformed the way we talk about cross-genre music, too. She sang sweetly about loving a Tim McGraw song, reducing it and his stardom to a romantic notion—and, within a few years, she had eclipsed him in fame.

Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, one of the opening night features at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, is a documentary that will shed light on the woman she is now, after all the years—spending her 20s in the limelight, transitioning deftly and innovatively from country star to pop star, and enduring an unsavory on-again/off-again feud with Kanye West that hit a fever-pitch of Kardashian-fueled gross in 2016—and albums that came after that fateful first. This film comes hot on the heels of a new point of contention in

Swift’s career—namely, the denial of her rights to her early catalogue by her former label, Big Machine. Her struggle to gain permission to perform her own songs on the eve of being awarded Artist of the Decade by the American Music Awards—and to use them in Miss Americana—recalls recent struggles by other pop artists like Kesha to maintain artistic autonomy in the face of (male) executive control. On her late 2019 release Lover—an 18-song return to Swiftian pop princess form—this move into the rather political field of talking back at “The Man” is a marked first for her as an artist who’s been accused of being too apolitical.

But then she’s always been one to do the right things at the right time. She followed a childhood obsession with Shania Twain and Faith Hill to Nashville at age 11, and began steadily climbing toward the unique country music career that would pave the way for pop success, a crossover neither of her early influences ever fully ventured into. Her fourth album, 2012’s Red, was still a country-slanted album, with fiercely catchy tracks “I Knew You Were Trouble.” and “22” seeming to ask, “Can we do this pop thing?” The answer was irrevocably, “Yes.” Her 2014 follow-up, 1989, was a true-blue pop album, and defined twenty-teens pop.

Perhaps her precarious position at the top restrains her from controversial themes—notwithstanding airing breakup grievances and friendship feuds. While 2014 Swift was a pop tastemaker, today’s Swift seems rather freer, after what feels like the eon that was the Reputation era and its fallout (Swift playfully and to much criticism, confirmed her status as a vengeful “snake” with songs pointedly referencing her feud with West). In a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone, she defined Lover as a return to “the fundamental songwriting pillars that I usually build my house on,” but it’s more than that. In Lover,

Swift tries to be part of relevant conversations that do and don’t affect her—namely, issues of sexism in Hollywood and LGBTQ issues, the latter being displayed in her video for “You Need to Calm Down.” Although some cringed at what felt like an exploitative use of queer people to boost her image as an open progressive, it’s also very possible that it’s just Swift finally trying to be part of wider cultural conversations after years of being one of the most highly-scrutinzed women in media.

It makes sense that she’d venture forth in this direction. Although she’s been mostly regarded as a hopeless romantic, going through Hollywood’s most handsome “It Boys” like candy in a dish, her many songs about love, heartbreak and pained vengeance are merely peppered among the real refrain of her work: empowerment. From the tough and tender days of Fearless and Speak Now to the jaded grimace that is Reputation, there’s equal measure of love stories and self-love stories—and it seems that it’s the latter that pushes her from one ambitious pop project to the next.

Lover was just as ambitious, if only because it sought to remind us of Swift’s foundational pull. The first teasers for Lover admitted to some kind of return to form—photos showed off Swift’s dip-dyed pink hair, a pink sparkling heart around her eye, butterflies every which way. It showed an innocent appeal to love, freedom and light. But even with the release of the album, it’s hard to shake over a decade’s worth of complicated imagery surrounding the pop star, and it’s hard to know if the real Swift really does exist in her songs, or how much she’s playing with our conceptions of her. This documentary offers the chance for viewers to get closer—if not to the person herself, hopefully to the artist who has so expertly defined what pop music, love songs and high drama look like in more than a decade’s worth of contemporary pop culture. ★

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A guide to music performances in and around the festival.

A

s much as Sundance is about movies, it has also traditionally been an opportunity to catch some great music, whether in official festival venues or at satellite events. Here are just a few of the artists you might be able to enjoy either between screenings or to cap off an evening.

Sundance Film Festival Lounges— Hosted by Visit Salt Lake Queer Lounge @ The Daily, 222 S. Main, Salt Lake City Performances by: Talia Keyes, Marqueza, Year of the Dog, Viva la Diva, Justin Utley, Dee Dee Darby Duffin, Gia Bianca Stephens, Hasha and more When: Thursday 1/24—Saturday 2/1, 6 p.m.

Free and open to the public Festival Lounge @ Copper Common, 111 E. 300 South, Salt Lake City Performances by: Nate Spenser Trio, Carl Carbonell, Sycamore Slim, The Proper Way, Andrew Shaw, Terrance Hansen, Abel Nelson, Branson Anderson, Turtle Dovin’ and more When: Thursday 1/24—Saturday 2/1, 7 p.m.

Free and open to the public

Festival Lounge @ East Liberty Tap House, 850 E. 900 South, Salt Lake City Performances by: Josaleigh Pollett, Andrew Wiscomb, John Joslin Davis, Marcus Bentley, Hot House West, Appliance Repair, Doug Wintch and more When: Thursday 1/24—Saturday 2/1, 5 p.m.

Free and open to the public Sundance 2020 ASCAP Music Cafe @ 751 Main, Park City Performances by: Matt Berninger of The National, Derek Smalls of the band formerly known as Spinal Tap, The Bird and the Bee, ZZ Ward, Fox Wilde, Matthew Koma of Winnetka Bowling League and more When: Thursday 1/24—Friday 1/31, 2-6 p.m.

Open to festival credential holders on a space-available basis 18th Annual BMI Snowball Music Showcase @ The Shop, 1167 Woodside Ave., Park City Performances by all-female roster: Lisa Loeb, Chloé Caroline, Georgia Ku When: Tuesday 1/28, 8-10 p.m.

Open to festival credential holders on a space-available basis Celebration of Music in Film-Presented

by Southwest Airlines @ The Shop, 1167 Woodside Ave., Park City Performances by: Rufus Wainwright, Sharon Van Etten, Jorge Aragón Brito When: Saturday 1/25, 7-10 p.m.

Open to festival credential holders on a space-available basis —Erin Moore

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SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL

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How to Sundance A handy-dandy guide to get the most out of your film fest experience.

By Scott Renshaw

W

hether you’re a first-timer or an old-timer, it’s always good to get a reminder of the best way to handle the logistics of attending Sundance, whether in Park City or right here in SLC. Here are the key tips and tricks to make your experience the best it can be.

Navigating Park City: Official festival parking is limited and expensive. Any one of the “official” festival lots in Park City costs a minimum of $25 per day; on busier days (particularly the first weekend) it will be a premium even above that. So the best way to get around if you’re making a day trip from the Salt Lake Valley is to find street parking—usually around the official festival headquarters in the Prospector Square area—and take free festival shuttles everywhere else you want to go. Just be very aware of signs identifying where parking is and is not permitted, because Park City police are out in force patrolling for violations. If you’re planning to attend a film screening, get familiar with the distance between venues, and be aware that at certain peak commute times— weekend evenings heading into Main Street, or between

3 and 6 p.m. when day skiers and locals are heading out of town—many of the main arteries are so clogged with traffic that it can take an hour to get from one side of Park City to the other.

Seeing Movies: While most Park City screenings are officially sold out well in advance of the festival week, that’s mostly to account for pass-holders who have the option to attend any screening, and ticket holders who might not show up. Waitlist tickets are available for each venue, with the number varying based on the size of the venue and the time of day. Your best shot at getting in will be the largest theater spaces—the MARC theater and Eccles Theater in Park City, and the Grand Theater in Salt Lake City—at the earliest and latest screening times daily.

Log on to the official festival app, create an account and get ready to reserve a virtual spot in the wait list line (usually two hours before scheduled screening time). Then, depending on the waitlist number you receive, decide whether you want to make sure you’re there in person at the venue 30 minutes before showtime to purchase your tickets (cash only, $10-$25 depending on screening). For the first two days, nobody really knows anything about most of the movies, and whatever deafening “you gotta see this” bustle you’ll hear likely comes from particularly shrewd publicists or from the presence of one or two familiar actors. But by the end of the first weekend, start asking people on a shuttle bus—or keeping an eye on cityweekly.net for our daily review updates.

Getting Around Salt Lake City Screenings: SLC screenings at the Rose Wagner Center, Broadway Centre

Cinemas and Main Library auditorium are located within a two-block walk of Trax stations, so consider public transportation as a great alternative to parking if those are your destinations. The Tower Theatre and Grand Theatre venues aren’t quite so convenient to public transportation, so you’ll probably need to drive. Again, account for peak traffic times and weather conditions when considering whether you can get from your screening at the Rose Wagner that ends at 4:30 p.m. to one that starts at 6 p.m. at the Tower.

Food: Theater venue fare is expensive, and limited time between screenings can make it difficult to find a cheaper place nearby. The alternative? Brown-bag it.

Pack calorie-high, nutrition-dense, transportable snacks (e.g. trail mix or dried fruit) and bring a reusable water bottle rather than purchasing a drink somewhere. Consider swinging by a grocery store (the Fresh Market near the Yarrow Hotel and Holiday Theaters in Park City, or Smith’s near the Tower Theatre), grabbing some fresh fruit and a bagel, and saving that $25 for another waitlist ticket.

A Flavor of the Festival for Free: If you’ve never done it before, find a parking spot early in the morning on the opening weekend, and spend the day just strolling around Park City’s Main Street. You might pass a wandering celebrity, or maybe just enjoy the buzz of activity and cameras around various official venues. You won’t need to have a ticket for a festival screening, and you can get at least a taste of what makes this weird week one of Utah’s most distinctive experiences. ★

NADIA BEDZHANOVA

Slamdance 2020 Park City’s ‘other festival’ showcases new voices, wherever they might come from.

By Scott Renshaw

S

lamdance Film Festival director and co-founder Peter Baxter notes that submissions to the festival from outside the United States are booming—and that trend is reflected in a program that focuses not just on American independent film, but personal storytelling from around the world.

Unlike Sundance, Slamdance’s narrative and documentary competition slates are not divided based on country of origin. American films share the spotlight there with films from Canada, Japan, Uruguay, Belarus and more.

“Through the eyes of our programmers—who are filmmakers themselves—we’re interested in marginalized and underrepresented filmmakers, wherever they might come from, whose stories might be missed,” Baxter says. “It’s vital, then, for Slamdance to show these kinds of films.”

This border-crossing approach to programming might be best represented in a feature like Beware of Dog, a co-production of the U.S., Russia and Germany. Following three individuals in those three countries, it deals with subjects of stigmas and challenges surrounding mental

health as they manifest themselves in different places, emphasizing the notion that some subjects might be specific to a certain time, but not necessarily a certain place.

“The themes that are running through this program are very much connected to what a younger generation—the age group that’s creating the films in the first place—are going through,” Baxter says. “And we see that they are shared around the world.

“It’s exciting because it really goes back to the im-

Slamdance opening night feature Film About A Father Who

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Slamdance 2020 competition feature Beware of Dog

portance of visual storytelling, and its ability to enable audiences to see through the eyes of others,” he adds.

“I always like to think, at Slamdance, the program we’re seeing is sort of foreshadowing the themes and stories and cultural trends we’ll see shortly afterwards. And that’s coming from a new generation of artists.”

These filmmakers and stories might come from all over, but they’re still working their way into an industry that’s experimenting with new and different distribution platforms. Baxter emphasizes the way Slamdance and its filmmaker alumni work with the new filmmakers to prepare them not just for the festival experience, but for taking the next step in their creative careers. And he believes that the kind of films they program—while they don’t have the star power that might drive interest in Sundance films—might actually be better positioned for financial success. “For most filmmakers, the offers that are being received do not cover the cost of production,” Baxter says. “At Slamdance, a lot of these movies are made for a really small amount of money, so the chance to break even is greater.”

For Baxter, the important thing is continuing to provide an opportunity for new voices to get a showcase, and tell their unique stories. “Slamdance is a place of discovery,” he says, “and every year, filmmakers do breakout because the entertainment industry does recognize the need for new voices. … The industry is ever-changing, [and] which direction are they taking with acquisitions, and emerging talent, it’s still not clear. The one thing I think that is becoming clearer is they are all interested in working with emerging talent.” ★

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JANUARY 23, 2020 | 25

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After Midnight If your tastes run to genre movies, there’s still something for you at Sundance.

By Rebecca Frost

I

’ve known many people who avoid Sundance because they don’t feel like they “deserve” to be there: “I like movies like The Hangover,” one fan explains. “I don’t think they would even let me in Park City.” Let me be the first to tell you that for every beautiful independent film representation of someone’s soul, there is an opposite. A gory, foul-mouthed and/or darkly comedic antithesis to what people perceive Sundance to be.

My favorite Sundance experience was last year at a screening of The Lodge. Since it was a horror thriller from the same mind behind Goodnight, Mommy, I knew what to expect. The Lodge was bound to feature tense storytelling and horror elements woven throughout the scenes, both violent and psychological. Within the first five minutes of The Lodge, there’s a scene of a graphic suicide, and the audience’s horrified reaction is one I will treasure forever.

Sundance-goers are not specifically horror fans; they are Sundance fans, and will see whatever they can get tickets for. Not knowing what to expect from a film like

The Lodge is a brutal shock to the system for casual moviegoers—and what a thrill it is for someone like me, a seasoned genre-watcher, to hear the reactions. As haughty as this might sound, I felt like I finally deserved to be a Sundancer. I understood what was going on in the film, while these plebes had no idea what they were in for.

That said, the Midnight section at Sundance is a great entry point for those horror film lovers who might otherwise feel out-of-place at Sundance. Classics like Get Out, Hereditary, The Blair Witch Project and Saw all made their debut at Sundance. Here are a selection of films premiering at Sundance this year that you should check out if you’re interested in dipping your toes into the darker side of the indie fest.

If you like V/H/S or The Ritual, try The Night House.

Fans of the scariest segment in 2012’s V/H/S, “Amateur Night,” should consider also trying The Ritual on Netflix. Both pieces are directed by David Bruckner, and he makes a return to feature film making this year with The Night House, starring Rebecca Hall. The story follows Hall’s character (a recent widow) as she digs deeper into her late husband’s past and uncovers something strange and terrible. If Bruckner remains consistent, you can expect a slow burn with a shocking reveal destined to linger in your mind.

If you like Netflix’s You, try Run Sweetheart Run. Having watched You (and read the book it’s based on), I came away wishing for a perspective from the woman being stalked. Run Sweetheart Run looks to satisfy that craving I have by delivering a feminist-driven story about a single mother who agrees to a blind date only to wind up being hunted by her date as she tries to make her way home.

PHANTOM FOUR FILMS

His House

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SIGHT UNSEEN PICTURES

The Night House

A story about a charming man who quickly devolves into a villain is likely to be appealing to many single women who actively enjoy thrillers.

If you like Get Out, try His House. Get Out preyed on the white audience’s sense of guilt and the black person’s underlying sense of fear of being subject to racism, and His House follows that path laid before it. A story about Sudanese refugees who arrive in an English town, their relief of finally being in a safe space doesn’t last long as something darker and more sinister lurks behind kind faces.

If you like In Fabric or Rubber, try Bad Hair. Horror films that also lean heavily into comedy are, while not common, brilliant if done well. Previous examples like In Fabric or Rubber give life to inanimate objects as they take on an agenda of their own. Bad Hair, created by Dear White People’s Justin Simien, takes a turn on this trope by also touching on the narrative that many black women face every day: Their hair is an enemy. After changing her hair in order to be more successful at her job, protagonist Anna soon learns that her new ’do has a mind of its own, and likely with deadly consequences.

If you like Hereditary or Midsommar, try Impetigore.

You’re going to have to read subtitles on this one, but foreign horror films are actually some of the best of the genre. From Indonesia, Impetigore follows protagonist Maya as she travels to a remote village where she grew up. The trip is surrounded by strange goings-on, and a noticeable lack of children. Impetigore goes down the rabbit hole of horror through bloodlines and heritage, and how those subjects affect this isolated community, using that relatable twinge of familial oddness in all of us to tell a scary story. ★

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AT A GLANCE

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Best bet: An order of honey glazed fried chicken Can’t miss: Tteokbokki all the way

JANUARY 23, 2020 | 29

niche among some of our heaviest hitters. Chickqueen bet big on its fried chicken, and it that seems to have paid off. You can tell by just looking at the gorgeous murals of this cozy fast-casual establishment that it’s not afraid to go big or go home.

The menu offers bone-in chicken wings and boneless, popcorn-style nuggets, and

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Chickqueen is a relatively new addition to the Chinatown Supermarket complex in South Salt Lake, rubbing elbows with some of the finest East Asian cuisine in the state. Born amid some well-established eateries, its sparse menu that emphasizes a combination of fresh fried chicken and various sauces has carved its own culinary

N

early all of the major international culinary cultures have a variation of fried chicken. And I like to think that if we can all agree that it is deeply satisfying, then we can reach a similar consensus on other important truths. With world peace in mind, I visited Chickqueen (3390 S. State, 385-229-4290) to see what bridged the gap between American and Korean fried chicken styles. Like most attempts to reach across borders—or oceans—it turns out there are more similarities than differences.

in unique and flavorful glazes or a quick bite for those heading into the Chinatown Supermarket.

Their small, close-knit operation is working wonders. For those interested in seeing how fried chicken can span culinary boundaries and unite seemingly disparate cultures, they’ll be satisfied with their visit.

I left Chickqueen thinking about how fried chicken doesn’t change much from culture to culture. Outside of some spices and battering techniques, it’s something that has found its way into most people’s heart regardless of their locale. The preparation lends itself to a ton of variety, but that’s what makes it so accessible—through the different glazes, condiments and flavor profiles, the foundation is always there. In a world that defines itself by conflict and uncertainty, it’s nice to find anything as constant as fried chicken. CW

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South Salt Lake’s Chickqueen is here to expand your fried chicken borders.

spot on, and Chickqueen is very liberal with its sauces—those who don’t like to ignite their tongues can choose the honey glaze or even the sweet soy.

While fried chicken should be the priority of any visit to Chickqueen, I also recommend their tteokbokki ($12.99, pictured). It’s a traditional Korean stew made with pleasantly chewy rice cakes, thinly sliced fish cakes, cabbage, carrots and a hard-boiled egg prepared in a spicy crimson broth. I’ve never regretted making room for it at the table.

Chickqueen personnel bring a portable stove to the table to keep the broth roiling and bubbly throughout the meal, and the process of scooping portions into your own dish make it perfect for a group outing.

They’ve also added a liberal dose of noodles to the mix, which can be difficult to extricate—they’re as slippery as true love.

Although Chickqueen might not have the variety of other Korean restaurants, it’s got a clear vision for what it wants to be—and that goes a long way. Chickqueen has the versatility to be a destination for someone seeking large amounts of soulful fried chicken slathered

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Yes, Queen

both variations have the same sauce options. I stuck to the boneless side of the menu, which lets diners choose small ($7.99), medium ($13.99) or large ($19.99) portions. Each gets doused with a flavored glaze and complementary toppings—the honey garlic is a popular option, but I liked the spicy preparation best. Those wanting a plant-based meal can get fried cauliflower ($7.99) or fried tofu ($6.99) with the same sauce options, so there’s no reason to avoid Chickqueen if you’re eating vegan.

A small order is plenty for one person, but I could see upgrading to a medium if you were particularly famished. Although a plate of fried chicken has its own aesthetic charm, the presentation at Chickqueen caught me off guard. The spicy glaze coats the crenulated texture, causing the light to glitter on the sticky surface. It gets a dash of vibrant green from the chopped scallions and thin slices of jalapeño peppers sprinkled on top, and sesame seeds complete the picture.

The spicy glaze has a sweet kick, but anyone who has a high tolerance for spicy food will probably consider them somewhere in the middle of the heat spectrum. The flavors are

the

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Harmons Responds to Tax Hike

In response to Senate Bill 2001, a tax reform bill that Utah legislators passed during last December’s session, Harmons rallied its 19 local stores to action.

The bill proposes increasing the sales tax on groceries from 1.75% to 4.85%, and Harmons became a vocal opponent by using its stores to collect signatures for the Utah 2019 Tax Referendum that opposes the bill. Harmons chairman Bob Harmon has criticized the reform for the impact that it could have on Utah shoppers, especially those who might be struggling financially. Harmons opened its doors to volunteers collecting signatures up until the Tuesday, Jan. 21, deadline, but the results of their efforts were not available as of press time. We’ll keep an eye on things as they develop.

Chinese New Year at J. Wong’s

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2020 is one of the few years when being called a rat is actually a complement.

To ring in the Chinese New Year, J. Wong’s Thai and Chinese Bistro (163 W. 200 South, 801-350-0888, jwongs.com) is hosting a traditional lion dance on Saturday, Jan. 25, and Sunday, Jan. 31, at 6 p.m. Diners can enjoy the lion dance, which features performers decked out in vibrant lion costumes, while enjoying some of J. Wong’s famous curries, stir-fries and seafood. The event usually packs the house, so reservations are strongly recommended. Here’s hoping all those rats out there enjoy a particularly fortunate 2020.

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There are few culinary sights as beautiful as a boiling pot of shellfish, potatoes, corn and sausage. If you’ve never had the pleasure of attending an old fashioned crab boil, then O’Crab Cajun Seafood and Bar (7277 Plaza Center Drive, 801-739-8888, ocrabwj.com) will happily oblige. This new West Jordan restaurant features a menu packed with Cajun favorites like etouffee and po’ boys in addition to its combination baskets that feature seafood like clams, crawfish, lobster tails and snow crab. Those planning on getting the genuine crab boil experience should get a group together and check out the Reels Catch, which serves up a pound of king crab, snow crab or two 6-ounce lobster tails.

Quote of the Week: “The best way to eat crabs, as everyone knows, is off newspaper at a large table with a large number of people.”

—Laurie Colwin Back Burner tips: comments@cityweekly.net

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Here are two beers that bring us back to sunny days.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

I

t’s only January, and I’m already looking toward late spring for a little sensory satisfaction. It’s probably all those damn savory proteins that I’ve been shoveling in my pie hole as of late. No matter. When your cravings light up like a Christmas tree, you either submit, or end up acting like Gayle Ruzicka at a gaytheist wedding. Lucky for me (and you), I came across an ale and a lager that were able to stifle my primitive side and bring me back to civility.

Proper Brewing Co.—Yacht Rock Juice Box: We begin with one of the best beer names on the market; it really sets the tone for what you’re about to imbibe. It starts with a rustic, orange-colored hazy body with a lasting coverage of foam atop. Toasted caramel and citrus aromas waft upward—not as

MIKE RIEDEL

Spring Dreams

much as the name suggests, but pleasing nonetheless. Light, dry grapefruit pulp and pine follow, with a dry, powdery malt-like finish. Toasted dry malt up front sets up the first swig, after which mango, banana and kiwi flavors give way to resinous pine juice and grapefruit flowery hops pounding at the tongue, leaving a hint of white pepper.

The alcohol is very low-key, barely noticeable with some sticky citrus and juicy hops sneaking through the big malted body. The finish reminds you that this is an IPA with subdued bitterness that walks you down a path of grass and pine. The carbonation is medium, which helps create a barrier from the sticky malt and hop resin on the tongue.

Overall: While the hop and bitterness level are a bit backward for the style, it doesn’t mean this was not entirely to style.

In fact, this shows a great balance of malts and hop, with a big, toasty character, while the hops are more aligned to a West Coaststyle IPA. Well-hidden 5% alcohol adds to its mass appeal. If you expect a fruit salad hop bomb, you might feel misled by the name, but in the end, this remains a beer I can enjoy frequently for its balance and drinkability.

Kiitos Brewing—Salt Lime Pilsner: The pour is yellow and hazy. A fat white head of creamy foam falls to some shaving foam bits and a thin film on top, with some clinging lace. Whiffs of lime is all you can smell at first, followed by an herbally sweet and

hay-like quality. As it warms, you get a little sense of the malt, but the lime is very strong.

There is also a different citrus note present on the nose that comes across as lemon.

The taste is surprisingly malty and a little sweet. The lime is dominant but lively on the palate. You also get some spice from the Euro hops that mingle perfectly with the lime, creating that wonderful sweet and spicy taste. The mouthfeel is excellent, with soft bubbles to show you the malt.

Hops tingle a bit with bitterness, but this finishes sweeter. That sweet finish comes across more like a shandy than pilsner, without being cloying like a shandy. Once you start drinking, you will notice the

malt coming to a roundness, and the finish cleans itself up in a way so the hop bitterness keeps this from drinking like a soda.

It has a refreshing, lemonade-like drinkable quality, with a strong aftertaste of lime. The more I drank, the more I liked it.

Overall: If you are looking for something that is akin to a summery Mexican-style lager, this is probably not the pilsner for you.

This citrus qualities in the 5% lager are much more round and less drying, pushing this more toward a meal companion or a brunch beverage, like a “beer-mosa.”

Act quickly on both of these because they are limited and only on draft at their respective breweries. As always, cheers! CW

32 | JANUARY 23, 2020

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Kaiser’s Bar-B-Q

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You know you’re in a BBQ place worth its salt when the aroma of smoked meat hits you long before you can look at the menu. For lunch, you can’t go wrong with a Kaiser’s Hillbilly Hamburger ($9), which is a juicy pile of sliced brisket sandwiched between a hamburger bun struggling to maintain its structural integrity. The joint also offers combos that let diners mix and match ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken and sausage; I went with a two-meat combo plate ($15.95) with ribs and sausage. I’ve never been one to scoff at a good dry rub, but there’s something elegant about a rack of ribs that hasn’t been prepped with anything but salt and black pepper. Such a sparse seasoning strategy puts the meat’s flavor and the pitmaster’s smoking acumen front and center, and owner and Texas native Gregg Chamberlain knows what he’s doing.

The smoked sausage is generously portioned—one link could cause serious blunt-force trauma—and damn, is it good, with the characteristic snap of a sausage made with authentic casing (guts), and packs a pleasant punch of black pepper and garlic with its natural flavors. 962 S. 300 West, 801-355-0499, saltlakebbq.com

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MUSIC

Mercy of Music

Ophelia trailblazes an identity mixing songs with conceptual art.

BY PARKER S. MORTENSEN comments@cityweekly.net @_coldbloom

A

fter nearly two years, local dream pop artist Ophelia (soundcloud.com/ opheliaopheliaophelia) is releasing their debut EP Like a Lover on Saturday Feb. 15, emerging from an incubation period of personal growth and ready to stake a claim in the heart of Salt Lake’s arts scene. The 22-year-old artist’s dreamy synths are a bed for their avant-garde evangelism—a series of Kate Bush-esque reflections and responses to the world around them. For those who have followed the trickle of their work since 2017, Like a Lover is an assertion of artistic identity, and it serves as a foundation for their upcoming four-person project, The Mercy Seat.

“I feel like my background has a lot of contradictions,” Ophelia tells City Weekly, talking through their life story. Ophelia grew up in Fruit Heights, around suburban orchards and Mormon culture—their father from Brooklyn, mother from Wichita, Kan. Culturally, they were torn between Baptist and Presbyterian churches. A rumor once spread in high school that they worshipped Satan. Pulled in different directions, Ophelia eventually found community at Boing! Collective, a now-defunct spot for house shows. “The shows there gave me my first realization that other people exist who are into the same stuff as me,” Ophelia says.

In the summer of 2017, they posted a video playing a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel No. 2.” “My whole life, I never thought I could sing,” they say. “I always was super bashful.” The positive response upended a walled-off part of themselves—a self-perception as somebody who couldn’t sing, who was denied any participation in the music they enjoyed. Before that, Ophelia sought self-expression through acting, but slipping into predefined roles only worked against their desire to trailblaze an identity. Consequently, and with the encouragement of friends, they slowly began to focus more on music as an outlet. “It took me a year to write one song,” they say.

Despite the positive response, Ophelia was still fighting against years of having their talent minimized, or being told that their talent was secondary to that of peers—especially that of men. On top of that, they were depressed, and had been for much of their adult life. “[Depression] can be very limiting in terms of how much energy I have, physically and mentally,” they say. “Perfectionism and harsh self-criticism are also something I’ve struggled with most of my life ... That’s changing, but it definitely played a huge role in the EP taking me so long to finalize.”

In May of 2018, Ophelia released “Like a Lover” to their SoundCloud, which would become the title of the three-track EP. “I wrote poetry prior, but literally had never written a song before that,” they say. The song was dreamy and f lattering, a synthy bop that showed vocal talent. The almost immediate feedback sharpened their attention; “It kickstarted me into pursuing music seriously,” they say.

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ARTIST PROFILE

Ophelia In 2019, Ophelia released “Sinking Fast,” which channeled a melancholic New Order-style sound. “Isolation comforts me/ Misery loves company/ If I stay inside, the world can’t hurt me,” they sing. The newest track, “Forbidden Fruit,” plays with a sad sentimentality of young love. “I often jokingly refer to [my music] as ‘danceable depression,’ though I do want to continue to expand my frames of reference, and don’t plan on confining myself to particular genres or sounds.”

Ophelia’s resistance to classification is understandable; music is only a piece of their interest. Discussion about their journey to releasing Like a Lover is peppered with tangents about their plans for The Mercy Seat. The group has tall aspirations to invigorate what Ophelia feels is an ideologically disparate and stagnant music and art scene. “It’s more than just a band,” they say. “It’s a conceptual art project. Philosophically and artistically, we are deeply inf luenced by the early 20th century modernist and avant-garde movements ... particularly Situationist International and existentialism.”

The band (including Connor Lockie, Dyana Durfee and Ysa Pitman) plans to release art books and zines, essays and music.

They hope to tour, domestically and abroad, and perhaps one day make it to the U.K. Ophelia’s ideological fervor for The Mercy Seat is nearly overwhelming; they reference The Society of the Spectacle, extol post-punk and its subgenres, opine about 21stcentury society’s obsession with appearance over substance. It’s genuinely infectious enthusiasm for a collective that, as of now, only just exists.

When asked how they wanted to be perceived—both by themself and by their community, Ophelia says, “It’s hard to put this eloquently. I want to be seen as a source of cultural movement and subversion. An artistic force. It’s really important to me to make an impact, to forge my own place ... I advocate for individuality and being expressive regardless of societal expectations.

I want to be an example of that.”

Like a Lover is Ophelia’s moment to assert that example.

Whether that momentum will carry into The Mercy Seat is still a question, but the passion is plain to see. CW

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YACHT

Encapsulating the creative context of an otherwise-straightforward dance-punk band like YACHT isn’t easy. Originally founded in the early 2000s by Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans under the banner Young Americans Challenging High Technology, their subversive blend of paranoid narratives and futuristic glitch-pop felt right at home in the high idealist age of social media. Early albums like See Mystery Lights (2009) and Shangri-La (2011) espoused a utopian vision of laser beams and elastic grooves entwining to elevate humanity, while 2015’s I Thought the Future Would Be Cooler wrapped synth-driven dance jams in wicked commentary on life inside our smartphone bubble. YACHT’s website faxed fans copies of the album’s artwork, while their lead music video played only when Uber instituted price surges in Los Angeles. For 2019’s Chain Tripping, Bechtolt and Evans went even further, feeding MIDI notations from all 82 songs in their back catalog into an AI-driven machinelearning app to produce digitally reconstituted melodies. “We may be a very techy band, but none of us are coders,” Evans told Ars Technica in August 2019. “We tend to approach stuff from the outside looking in and try to figure out how to manipulate and bend tools to our strange specific purposes. … We wanted to use [AI] to make YACHT music we identify with and we feel comes from us.” Using NSynth, a release from Google’s AI-focused Magenta team, YACHT successfully married engineering and experimentalism to make something weirdly enchanting—see the spluttering beat behind Chain Tripping’s standout track, “Blue on Blue.” “It sounds wonky, reedy and kind of shitty,” Evans told Ars Technica, “but in a way that speaks to us as lo-fi, DIY artists.”

(Nick McGregor) The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $15 presale; $18 day of show, 21+, theurbanloungeslc.com

Sunsleeper

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Brainflakes, Sunsleeper, Breaux Crowflower

YACHT

Back from tour and touting their new album, You Can Miss Something & Not Want it Back, Sunsleeper is still killing it, and Salt Lakers should be proud to call them local.

Since Sunsleeper’s July 2019 release, the album’s staying power as emo-alternative music has started to prove itself. When the band was featured in Alternative Press in 2017, it was a good indication that this sort of success would be the case, but back then, they only had their EP Stay the Same to boast. The rest of the lineup follows in a varied vein from all around the area—while Ogden’s own Crowflower brings an alternative punk style, the Provo-based Brainflakes bring punk tinged with a little bit of emo, and the SLC-based group Breaux maintains an allegiance to “dixie” with their dark Southern metal. The three-piece Crowflower has only been playing shows since last March, so while they—and the similarly new Brainflakes—have got much more to prove (neither band has released any recorded music as of yet), the live shows they’ve posted to their YouTube are a promising sign of what’s to come. Meanwhile, expect Breaux to measure up to the established sound of Sunsleeper—having formed in 2006, the group has been churning out their

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36 | JANUARY 23, 2020

LIVE

COMPLETE LISTINGS ONLINE AT CITYWEEKLY.NET

BY ZAINA ABUJEBARAH, NICK McGREGOR & PARKER S. MORTENSEN

style of fun, party-oriented spin on metal for quite some time. Among these bands, you can expect a platter of flavor. (Parker S. Mortensen) Funk ’n’ Dive Bar, 2550 Washington Blvd., Ogden, 8 p.m., $5, 21+, facebook.com/funkndive

MONDAY 1/27

Thrice, MewithoutYou, Drug Church, Holy Fawn

After introducing their latest release, Palms, in 2018, Thrice hit the road to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their fourth studio release, Vheissu, with some killer supporting acts. Ever since 1998, Thrice have been carving their names into the building blocks of alternative music. Finding their footing when founding members Dustin Kensrue and Teppei Teranishi were in high school, Thrice eventually morphed into themselves, and nailed their signature sound with the 2002 release, The Illusion of Safety. They later cemented that sound with 2003’s masterpiece, The Artist in the Ambulance, which catapulted them into the mainstream.

They captivated listeners with Vheissu, and have continued to deliver their thoughtful and interesting take on rock for years.

Supporting act MewithoutYou is a must-see live. Following a similar timeline to that of Thrice, MewithoutYou started out in the late ’90s, and while they’ve taken many forms over the years, their evergreen experimentalrock foundation, poetic lyrics and multifaceted soundscapes never fail to sound sweet.

While their lyrics explore religious themes, and pull different threads from the sweaters of post-hardcore, indie rock and emo, their theatrical nature offers a charming amalgamation of the bunch that brings a dreamy quirkiness to the “rock” table. (Zaina Abujebarah) Union Event Center, 235 N. 500 West, 6:30 p.m., $25, all ages, theunioneventcenter.com

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JANUARY 23, 2020 | 37

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MEGAN THOMPSON

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38 | JANUARY 23, 2020

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TUESDAY 1/28

The Used, Dragged Under

Awakening the MySpace-stricken, swoopyhaircut clad teen so many of us had suppressed deep inside since the mid-to-late aughts, The Used is ready to embark on another—almost completely sold-out— tour. Last year, the band released a new song, “Blow Me,” after fans clamored for a chance to see them on tour again, and to once more scream the lyrics to the classic track “Buried Myself Alive” in frontman Bert McCracken’s face. Formed in 2001 in Orem, they quickly rose to fame, signing to Rise Records and recording their iconic self-titled album in 2002. Not only is this album still an absolute emo staple, but it’s still thriving in my top-played playlists.

They followed it up with In Love and Death in 2004, then topped off their angsty but irrevocably catchy release-streak with 2007’s Lies for the Liars. Subsequently, they moved toward a new sound, adopting poppier vocal patterns, and a more alternative-radio angle. While they evolved their sound out of 2004, they still manage to stick to their raw, edgy roots. It’s no surprise, though, that their most-played songs on Spotify come from their first two albums, as they are essential to the high school kids who wore black nail polish, and still remember every word to “The Taste of Ink.” (ZA) Metro Music Hall, 615 W. 100 South, 8 p.m., sold out at press time, 21+, metromusichall.com

WEDNESDAY 1/29 The Green, Ka’ikena Scanlan

Reggae fans rejoice as The Green and Ka’ikena Scanlan grace Soundwell—each hailing from Hawaii but with distinct, complementary sounds.

The Green formed in Oahu in 2009 and quickly gained recognition, making it onto iTunes’ 2010 Best Reggae Albums, as well as collecting four Na Hoku Hanohano awards—which translates to “Stars of Distinction.” In other words, it’s the awards show in Hawaii, comparable to the Grammys. As their discography has grown since their self-titled debut in 2010, the sound has become more playful, though with the solid but familiar reggae patterns you might expect. The Green’s 2019 album Black & White gives the group more room to sing and focus vocals, and some tracks feel the touch of pop-star-esque solos. Their track “Chocolate & Roses” is a fantastic jazz-reggae fusion, a love song lullaby.

Ka’ikena Scanlan, also from Oahu, is a language professor and ethnobotanist at the University of Hawaii-Hilo. His style is distinct from The Green’s in bringing Hawaiian culture to the forefront. “I definitely try and influence my set with Hawaiian language,” Scanlan told Hawaii News Now in a 2019 profile piece. “There’s a lot of songs that we have strictly in Hawaiian language and English verse. But then there’s also times in between the set where I’m speaking Hawaiian, and I actually feel more comfortable expressing my thoughts through Hawaiian language.”

Songs like “He Kanaka” are a perfect example of this blend, which favor Hawaiian but sprinkle in occasional English. Don’t miss this chance to hear sounds from way off in the Pacific. (PSM) Soundwell, 149 W. 200 South, 7 p.m., $25$30, 21+, soundwellslc.com

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FRIDAY 1/24

CONCERTS & CLUBS

PATRICIA JOHNSON

Midge Ure, DJ Birdman

THURSDAY 1/23 LIVE MUSIC

Berlin: RJD2 + Chase One Two + German Wyoming (Metro Music Hall) Jay Martin & The One Way Flight (Gracie’s) JJ Grey (The Cabin) John Sherrill + Talia Keys (Lake Effect) Reggae at the Royal feat. Diego Campos + Miss + DJ Napo (The Royal) Ron Artis II & The Truth + Kris Lager Band (O.P. Rockwell) Tom Brosseau (Rye)

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE

Disco Chickens (Bourbon House) Dueling Pianos: Drew & Jordan (Tavernacle) Dueling Pianos (The Spur) Dusty Grooves All Vinyl DJ (Twist) Hot Noise + Guest DJ (The Red Door) Jazz Jam Session (Sugar House Coffee) Jazz Joint Thursday (Garage on Beck) Lil Jon (Park City Live) Synthpop + Darkwave + Industrial + Goth w/ DJ Camille (Area 51) Therapy Thursdays feat. Wax Motif (Sky) Tropicana Thursdays feat. Rumba Libre (Liquid Joe’s)

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Cowboy Karaoke (The Cabin) Karaoke (Willie’s Lounge) Karaoke w/ DJ Benji (A Bar Named Sue) Karaoke That Doesn’t Suck w/ Mikey Danger (Chakra Lounge) Live Band Karaoke (Club 90)

FRIDAY 1/24 LIVE MUSIC

Berlin: Choir Boy (DJ Set) + Dave Industrie + Reverend23 (Metro Music Hall)

Many folks have only a fringe association with Midge Ure, one that derives from his co-write of the 1984 charitable Christmas anthem, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

Performed by an all-star gathering of Brit pop superstars dubbed Band Aid, it was a plea to stop the scourge of hunger that ravaged the impoverished developing nations. However, Ure’s career had flourished long before; as leader of the so-called new romantic band Ultravox, he was responsible for some of the most sweeping sounds of Britain’s post-punk period. It was prog music at its best, and even with their decidedly garish stage garb, they occupied the same upper plateau as Roxy Music and Spandau Ballet in terms of a dramatic delivery. Ure played a part in other endeavors as well: the one-hit wonder group Slik whose single “Forever and Ever” made the charts on both sides of the Atlantic; The Rich Kids, alongside former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock; Visage, the stylish but short-lived band consisting of Ultravox expatriates; and, briefly, a later incarnation of Thin Lizzy. These days, he’s thoroughly engaged in a thriving solo career that’s yielded some of the most memorable music of his career, including an emotionally enduring take on folkie Tom Rush’s forlorn classic, “No Regrets.” “Success disappears as quickly as it arrives,” Ure once told this writer in an interview for Goldmine. “To attain longevity, you have to work hard ... Progress, progress, progress.” (Lee Zimmerman) The State Room, 638 S. State, $25, 8 p.m., 21+, thestateroompresents.com

Blue Rain Boots + Commander Salamander + Guava TreeBand (Kilby Court) Brainflakes + Sunsleeper + Breaux + Crowflower (Funk ’n’ Dive) see p. 36 Brother Chunky + Thomas Gabriel (Harp and Hound) Corey Christiansen Trio (Garage on Beck) Fox Brothers Band (The Westerner) Hazzard County (Outlaw Saloon) Jay Martin & The One Way Flight (Gracie’s) Live Local Music (A Bar Named Sue) Mat Wennergren (The Yes Hell) Midge Ure + DJ Birdman (The State Room) see above Ned LeDoux + Chris Petersen (The Depot) Rage Against the Supremes (The Spur) Riser (Club 90) Sacrilegious Affairs (The Beehive) Snyderville Station (State Road Tavern) Stonefed (Hog Wallow Pub) Sydnie Keddington + The Cool (Lake Effect) Will Baxter Band (The Bayou) Wiz Khalifa + DJ Ross One (Park City Live) YACHT (Urban Lounge) see p. 36

DJ, OPEN MIC, SESSION, PIANO LOUNGE

All-Request Gothic + Industrial + EBM + and Dark Wave w/ DJ Vision (Area 51) Dance Music (Chakra Lounge) DJ Brisk (Bourbon House) DJ Chaseone2 (Lake Effect) DJ Sneeky Long (Twist) Dueling Pianos feat. Drew + Troy w/ Dave + Shawn + JC (Tavernacle) Funkin’ Friday w/ DJ Rude Boy & Bad Boy Brian (Johnny’s on Second) Funky Friday w/ DJ Godina (Gracie’s) Hot Noise (The Red Door) New Wave ’80s w/ DJ Courtney (Area 51)

Top 40 All-Request w/ DJ Wees (Area 51)

KARAOKE

Karaoke (Cheers to You SLC) Karaoke (Willie’s Lounge)

SATURDAY 1/25 LIVE MUSIC

Album release show feat. SLC Whale Fishers & Sunny Brook Sailors (Ice Haüs) Amber Liu + Meg & Dia + Justice Carradine (The Complex) Balls Capone (The Yes Hell) Chainsmokers (Park City Live) Fox Brothers Band (The Westerner) Free Peoples (Hog Wallow Pub) Hazzard County (Outlaw Saloon) Joy Spring Band (Sugar House Coffee) Lil Easye (The Royal) Live Band (Johnny’s on Second) Live Local Music (A Bar Named Sue) Live Trio (The Red Door) Melissa Moss (Harp and Hound) Melodies + Vic Ruggiero + lauren.napier (The Beehive) The Number Ones (The Bayou) Riser (Club 90) Scott Foster + Marmalade Chill (Lake Effect) Spazmatics (Liquid Joe’s) TF Marz + Fossil Fools (Urban Lounge) You Topple Over (Garage on Beck) The Wailers + Sun Divide (The Commonwealth Room)

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KARAOKE

SUNDAY 1/26 LIVE MUSIC

Radical Face (The Depot) Megan Peters + Aaron Jones (Garage on Beck) Tiësto + Shaun Frank (Park City Live) Brian Koviak + Blue Divide (The Spur) Live Bluegrass (Club 90)

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KARAOKE

Karaoke (Tavernacle) Karaoke (Willie’s Lounge) Karaoke w/ DJ Benji (A Bar Named Sue)

MONDAY 1/27 LIVE MUSIC

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Poppu + Vowws (The Complex) Radio Roulette + Spock Block (The Spur) Thrice + MewithoutYou + Drug Church + Holy Fawn (Union Event Center) see p. 36

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TUESDAY 1/28 LIVE MUSIC

Honey Hounds + Lost in Bourbon (O.P. Rockwell) Housewarming Party + City Ghost + Drusky + Comatoast (Kilby Court) Lynn Jones + Will Baxter Band (Lake Effect) Riley McDonald Duo + Nightcaps (The Spur)

42 | JANUARY 23, 2020

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Dueling Pianos (The Spur)

On a chilly, quiet Sunday night in Ogden, a ritzy, red-pink neon “Kokomo” sign beckoned me inside the bar it hovered over. I was wandering the city’s historic district on staycation, looking for just a spot like this. I’d been to the Kokomo Club once before, to take a shot on the way back from an Ogden Twilight concert; my companion and I needed sustenance for the long train ride home. Then, there’d been a giddy group of brides swarming the bar, dressed up for a bachelorette party, but this time it was just me and some cowboys hanging out, with country and old school rock playing in the background. They shot pool under a lamp inscribed with “Kokomo,” and beyond them, behind the dazzlingly decked-out bar, between a pair of wide Longhorn horns was another shining sign that read “Kokomo.” Near it, a neon sign advertising Porter’s Fire glittered, and I snapped a picture to my friend, because one time while working, they almost accidentally hit me over the head with a fresh, heavy bottle of the stuff, prompting me to joke that Orrin Porter Rockwell had nearly claimed another victim. Below his eerily glowing eyes was a tiny fridge, filled with bottles and cans in utilitarian vintage fashion. Because I was sick with a chest cold, beer sounded bad, and I ordered a Jameson to sip on while I read my book in a booth—which inspired the cowboys to ask if I was a student. Thankfully, I’m no longer in school, but a writer employed with the task of recording details about dive bars so perfect they don’t even know they’re a dive. Next time you’re in Ogden, be sure to enter the glow of the Kokomo. (Erin Moore) 216 E. 25th St., Ogden, 801-621-9991

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY B Y R O B

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes.

Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): I’m a big fan of self-editing. For example, every horoscope I write evolves over the course of at least three drafts. For each book I’ve published, I have written but then thrown away hundreds of pages that I ultimately deemed weren’t good enough to be a part of the finished text. And yet now and then, I have created a poem or song in one rapid swoop. My artistic artifact is exactly right the first time it flows out of me, with no further tinkering needed. I suspect you’re now entering a phase like that, Aquarius. I’m reminded of poet Allen Ginsberg’s operative principle: “first thought, best thought.”

inch thick foam pad that lay directly on the floor. I’m doing better now, thank you. But my early experiences ensured that I would forever have profound empathy for people who don’t have much money. I hope this will serve as inspiration for you, Leo. The next seven weeks will be the Empathy Building Season for you. The cosmos will reward you if you build your ability to appreciate and understand the pains and joys of other humans. Your compassion will be tonic for both your mental and physical health.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) declared that English writer Lord Byron (1788–1824) was the greatest genius of the 19th century. Here’s an interesting coincidence: Byron regarded Goethe as the greatest genius of the 19th century. I bring this to your attention, Aries, in the hope that it will inspire you to create a similar dynamic in your own life during the coming months. As much as possible, surround yourself with people whom you think are wonderful and interesting and enlivening—and who think you are wonderful and interesting and enlivening.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Learning to love is difficult, and we pay dearly for it,” wrote the serious and somber author Fyodor Dostoevsky. “It takes hard work and a long apprenticeship,” he added. All that’s true, I think. To hone our ability to express tenderness and warmth, even when we’re not at our best, is the most demanding task on earth. It requires more courage than that of a soldier in the frenzy of battle, as much imagination as a poet and diligence equal to that of an architect supervising the construction of a massive suspension bridge. And yet on the other hand—contrary to what Dostoevsky believed—sometimes love is mostly fun and inspiring and entertaining and educational. I suspect that the coming weeks will be one of those phases for you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Ancient Greek author Theophrastus was a scientist before the concept of “scientist” existed. His writings on botany were influential for hundreds of years after his death. But some of PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Who don’t you want to be, Pisces? Where don’t you want to his ideas would be considered unscientific today. For example, go? What experiences are not necessary in your drive to become he believed that flute music could heal sciatica and epilepsy. No the person you were born to be? I encourage you to ask yourself modern research suggests that the charms of the flute can literquestions like those in the coming weeks. You’re entering a ally cure physical ailments like those. But there is a great deal of phase when you can create long-term good fortune for yourself evidence that music can help relieve pain, reduce anxiety, reduce by knowing what you don’t like and don’t need and don’t require. the side effects of drugs, assist in physical therapy and even Explore the positive effects of refusal. Wield the power of make you smarter. And my reading of the current astrological saying no so as to liberate yourself from all that’s irrelevant, omens suggests that the therapeutic effects of music will be especially dramatic for you during the next three weeks. uninteresting, trivial and unhealthy.

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44 | JANUARY 23, 2020

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TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus-born Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) was a renowned German composer who lived most of his life in Germany and Austria. He became so famous and well-respected that England’s Cambridge University offered him an honorary degree if he would visit the campus. But Brahms was too timid to risk crossing the English Channel by boat. (There were no airplanes and Chunnel in those days.) He declined the award. I beg you not to do anything even remotely like that in the coming weeks, Taurus. Please summon the gumption necessary to claim and gather in all you deserve.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the coming weeks will be one of those rare times when you can safely engage with influences that might normally rattle you. You’ll be protected as you wander into the unknown and explore edgy mysteries. Your intuition will be highly reliable if you make bold attempts to solve dilemmas that have previously confounded and frustrated you. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to get a bit wild and exploratory, this is it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How well do you nurture yourself, dear Scorpio? How diligent are you in providing yourself with the sustenance that ensures your body, mind and soul will thrive? Are you imaginative in the ways that you keep yourself excited about life? Do you take strong measures to avoid getting attached to mediocre pleasures, even as you consistently hone your focus on the desires that lead you to joy and deep satisfaction? The coming weeks will be an excellent time for you to meditate on these questions.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Seven books of the Bible’s Old Testament refer to a magical place called Ophir. It was a source of exotic finery and soulful treasures like gold, peacocks, jewels, frankincense and precious sandalwood. One problem: No one, not even a Biblical scholar, has ever figured out where it was. Zimbabwe? India? Tunisia?

Its location is still unknown. I am bringing this to your attention because I suspect that in 2020 there’ll be a good chance you’ll discover and gain access to your own metaphorical Ophir: a CANCER (June 21-July 22): J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) is regarded as one of England’s great- fount of interesting, evocative resources. For best results, be est painters. He’s best known for his luminous and imaginative primed and eager to offer your own skills and riches in exchange landscapes. His experimental use of light and color influenced the for what this fount can provide to you.

Impressionist painters who came after him. But the weird thing is that after his death, many of his works were lost for decades. In CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): 1939, a famed art historian found over 100 of them rolled up like Capricorn filmmaker Steven Soderbergh says it’s crucial for us tarpaulins in the basement of an art museum. Let’s apply this event to have a well-developed story about who we are and what we’re as a metaphor for what’s ahead in your life, Cancerian. I suspect that doing with our lives. It’s so important, he feels, that it should buried or lost elements of your past will soon be rediscovered and be the trigger that flings us out of bed every morning. We’ve got to make our story so vivid and interesting that it continually restored. I bet it will be fun and illuminating! motivates us in every little thing we do. Soderbergh’s counsel is always good to keep in mind, of course, but it will be even more LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In my early adult life, I lived below the poverty line for many so for you in the coming months. Why? Because your story will years. How did that impact me? Here’s one example: I didn’t be expanding and deepening, and you’ll need to make the necesown a mattress from ages 23 to 39, but rather slept on a two- sary adjustments in how you tell your story to yourself.

CINEMA

FILM

Blunderworld Figures Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen mixes a slick crime caper with a Brexit metaphor.

BY MARYANN JOHANSON comments@cityweekly.net @maryannjohanson

STX FILMS

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for the morons listening—and paying? Are we not entertained?

Oh, but it all gets so much better. We probably can take at face value the information that Mickey’s illicit-drug business is entirely in marijuana, and that he is considering buyout offers. After all, weed’s surely going to be legal quite soon. The fine line between criminal and legit has never been quite this fine since Prohibition, and everyone here knows it. Did I mention there are Russians interested in Mickey’s enterprise?

There is the real meta of The Gentlemen: not the self-referential movie stuff, but the bald, unapologetic fact that all of this is a metaphor for Brexit, the U.K.’s suicidal determination to depart the umbrella protection of the European Union and leave itself open to exploitation from, ahem, other powerful forces. It’s onetime conspiracy theory as 21st-century geopolitics. With a sleazy fauxrespectability that, perhaps, only the likes of McConaughey could bring, Mickey takes advantage, with only muted glee, of British aristocratic delusions about the nation’s place in the post-colonial world to further his business. I’m not gonna spoil, but this

Matthew McConaughey and Charlie Hunnam in The Gentlemen is some seriously anti–Downton Abbey crap.

And now Russians are honing in on it? At best, it’s another American (Jeremy Strong) who will be owning this big venture on British soil. Damn, this is some cold shit from a British filmmaker, but it ain’t inaccurate.

Still, never fear! There is plenty of moviemovie distraction to be had. Here is new big-screen heartthrob Henry Golding (Last Christmas and Crazy Rich Asians) as a nasty, dumb comic-relief villain. Behold Colin Farrell defying expectations as a tough guy who (redacted). It’s all just silly cinematic fun.

With nothing that makes you laugh about the real world lest you cry! Of course it is. CW

THE GENTLEMEN

BBB Matthew McConaughey Charlie Hunnam Hugh Grant R

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ensure that the entire planet knows that he no longer gives the tiniest fuck about anyone or anything. The Gentlemen focuses on his scheme to extort a boatload of cash from drug dealer and American expat Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), via his lieutenant and British lackey, Ray (Charlie Hunnam). A London tabloid has hired Fletcher to dig up dirt on Mickey, which he does—and then some—but the sleazy writer is willing to hand it all over to Mickey & Co., in exchange for a very reasonable eight-figure honorarium.

And so The Gentlemen is nothing more and nothing less than Fletcher relating to Ray all the dirt he has on Mickey’s business, in feloniously delightful narrative form. But that means we never know which bits of it we should accept as accurate, and which bits are arrant nonsense whipped up to sell newspapers and generate online clicks—or, indeed, to beef up a movie.

Additionally, Fletcher has, at the ready, a screenplay about Mickey’s extralegal exploits—also available for sale to the highest bidder. Is anything Fletcher relates to Ray or to us actually “true”? Or is it just fodder

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nce upon a time—in my review of 2008’s RocknRolla—I wrote “Guy Ritchie would surprise us if he surprised us.” I was alluding to his thenseeming dedication to telling blackly comedic stories about modern-day London criminals (as if that were a bad thing).

Clearly, though, this was not a steadfast dedication, given his subsequent attempts to turn a towering figure of myth into a London street rat, in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and his inexplicable (though, perhaps, blessed) lack of an attempt to deal with Disney’s Aladdin as the street rat he has always been in last year’s live-action remake of the Disney animated musical.

All of which is to say: Ritchie is, thank Christ, back on the beat of modern-day London criminals with his latest, The Gentlemen. And not only is this a downright relief—surprises are sometimes overrated—but as Ritchie ups his game with the subgenre here, the result is a hilariously sublime example of the crime comedy as a mirror on the legit world. It’s full of sufficiently-advanced crime and criminals barely indistinguishable from legitimate business and entrepreneurs, and oozing with crackling cynicism about culture and politics. Oh, and movies themselves come in for a snarky smackdown. Laugh until you cry, film nerds!

Behold the ultimate unreliable narrator: oily, disgusting London journalist Fletcher, as gloriously embodied by Hugh Grant, continuing his own recent quest to

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God forbid you might be an employer right now trying to hire worker bees who might actually show up to an interview, or better yet, be hired and stay for a while. Can we say Salt Lake City is in a labor crisis mode and we’re teetering on a really big problem this next decade?

Examples I’ve heard of recently: 1. A company just opened at a local mall and needs 160 employees. It’s been able to recruit 60; 2. Landscapers are paying undocumented workers $15 an hour for manual labor. A friend of mine tells me he can’t hire any of them for less than that amount; 3. A restauranteur buddy places ads, and gets no calls.

They’re offering starting wages in the kitchen MediaBids_190103_24.indd 1 12/28/2018 5:15:20 of $12.50-$15 per hour; 4. A manager at UPS tells me he hired one worker who after two days of delivering packages walked off the job and left the keys in the van with the motor running; 5. A small business owner I know says that when they place an ad and hire a new employee, that he or she doesn’t show up ever again and won’t return calls; and finally 6. Another friend tells me that restaurant managers are cannibalizing their neighbors’ restaurants and offering competing employees “$1-$2 more an hour if you come and work for us!”

If you can’t find people to work for you, then you might have to do their jobs, right?

So many of my friends who own small businesses are tearing their hair out doing their management jobs and the work of their employees—some putting in 15 hours a day.

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This is scary. And to back that up, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce just validated in its recent job report that Utah has only two workers for every three jobs. Do you wonder why Gov. LIBERTY PARK MILLCREEK Gary Herbert wrote President Donald Trump Lovely 1 bdrm. w/ dishwasher, track Must Have 2 bdrm. w/ vaulted and simply said, “Send Utah your refugees.” lighting, wall mounted A/C, on-site ceilings, private balcony, central A/C, laundry, cat friendly!

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The chamber also says that it is, “Working to close both the skills gap and the people SOUTH JORDAN BOUNTIFUL gap in the American workforce in numerous Luxury 3 bdrm 2 bath condo loaded Beautiful 2 bdrm. with semi-formal ways, including education and talent developwith amenities! Attached garages, dining, central air, covered parking, ment programs, immigration and labor policy private balcony, HOA Dues included! extra storage! $995 $1395 research and advocacy.” The Department of Homeland Security reported that 1,096,611 people obtained lawful permanent resident status in 2018. If we divvied up those people into 50 states, that’s 22,000 per state. That VIEW OUR RENTALS ONLINE AT would still be half of what we need. n

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50. Sudden rush 51. Like roads with many potholes 53. Spots for dumbbells 55. ____-Caps (concession candy) 56. Verizon acquisition of 2015 57. Slugging stat 58. Simple shelter 59. Insta upload

Last week’s answers

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7. Spherical shape 8. "Whew!"

9. Talks monotonously 10. It's a sobering process 11. Worked on some screenwriting?

12. Newspaper headline of 12/8/1941 13. Place to get pampered 18. Give off 22. Pack animals 24. Moxie 25. Comb challenges 26. ____ Pieces 27. Card game with suits of four different colors 28. Harris and Helms 30. Dots on some Hindu women's foreheads 33. Rock's ____ Brothers 36. Obsessed with 37. Earl ____ tea 38. Guest's bed DOWN 39. "What was I think1. Even faster than overnight ing?!"

2. Like some soap 40. Protects 3. Plaything whose name is famously hard to say 43. Had thirds, maybe five times fast 44. Agog 4. Thumb drive port, for short 45. "Heck if I know" 5. Expensive dark fur 48. Climbed 6. Plumbing woe

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5. Undesirable roommate 9. Barrymore and Carey 14. "Cien ____ de Soledad" (Gabriel García Márquez novel) 15. Designed to minimize drag 16. Update to reflect new routes 17. 1958 Buddy Holly hit 19. Catherine of "Schitt's Creek" 20. Tarzan creator's monogram 21. "The fierce urgency of now" speaker, familiarly 22. ____ B'rith 23. Early role for Neil Patrick 25. 1986 Madonna hit 29. In different places 30. Boxing brothers Max and Buddy of the 1930s 31. Abolish 32. Legendary source of large footprints 33. Bread for burritos?

34. Hairstyles 35. 2000 Sisqo hit 38. Some IRA investments 41. Gazillions 42. Eldest Stark son on "Game of Thrones" 46. "Tell me more!"

47. Big Apple stage honors 48. Vaudeville show 49. 1998 Faith Hill hit 51. John of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" 52. One-on-one Olympics event 53. Director Van Sant 54. Out of active mil. service 55. Provider of green energy?

57. 1987 Ice-T debut album whose title applies to 17-, 25-, 35- and 49-Across 60. Recognize silently 61. Baby ____ 62. Thingamajig 63. Twin Mary-Kate or Ashley 64. Wee 65. Relinquish

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People With Issues Police in Wichita Falls, Texas, say they responded to a report on Jan. 5 that Christopher Ragsdale choked and headbutted his unnamed girlfriend after she complained about his odorous gas. “She told Christopher that his fart smelled horrible and he got mad and grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to the ground,” the Associated Press quoted the arrest affidavit. The altercation took place at a friend’s house, and that friend called police.

Ragsdale was held on $10,000 bond.

Questionable Judgment Four Amish men pleaded guilty in Gladwin County (Michigan) District Court on Jan. 8 to charges stemming from an earlier incident in Beaverton Township. According to the Midland Daily News, deputies from the Gladwin County Sheriff’s Office responded on Dec. 29 to a call from a concerned motorist who observed the four men tossing empty beer cans from the horse and buggy they were riding in. When deputies pulled them over, they gave bogus ages and would not confirm their names, authorities said, yet the men appeared to be inebriated, and a search of the buggy turned up empty alcohol containers along with unopened ones. Levei Mast, 20; Andrew Zook, 19; Joseph Miller, 20; and Joseph Troyer, 19, each paid a $700 fine and $150 in court costs. They have yet to face the bishop.

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You Can’t Make This Up Odis Latham, 47, and Russell Sparks, 48, of Columbus, Miss., were arrested on Jan. 6 after they allegedly hatched a cockamamie scheme to “win” the lottery, WLBT reported. The two arrived at the Mississippi Lottery Corp. in Flowood and presented a losing $100,000 ticket upon which they had glued the winning numbers, according to authorities. Flowood police arrested the pair, who were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and uttering a counterfeit instrument over $1,000. They were held without bond.

Entrepreneurial Spirit Mike Parrish of Woodfin, N.C., is making fantasy a reality with a Lord of the Rings hobbit home he’s building to offer on Airbnb.

“I’m not just a casual fan. I’m a huge fan,” Parrish said as he guided WLOS through the 800-square-foot “Unexpected Journey,” built 90% underground with one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen and round doorways crafted by local woodworker John Fenwick. “What we want is to just have an area where people can come and bring their kids and just leave with an unforgettable experience,” Parrish said.

The home should be ready to rent in February or March; Parrish and his wife have not set a per-night rate yet.

Bright Idea Firefighters in Las Vegas discovered what they say is an illegal, homemade gas station in a backyard on Jan. 7. The setup comprised two yellow tanks in the corner of a walled yard and a gas pump nozzle on the end of a hose long enough to reach from the backyard to the curb out front, the Associated Press reported, for “possible curbside fill-ups.” “This is not only illegal in the city,” Las Vegas Fire and Rescue wrote on social media, “it is a hazard to neighbors (and) first responders who may respond there for an emergency, like a fire.” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are investigating and believe it is part of a scheme to purchase gasoline with stolen credit cards and stash the fuel in storage containers at private homes.

Wait, What?

Finally. Lizard owners who want to dress like their reptilian pets have a source for trendy looks: Fashion Brand Company of Los Angeles has been making clothes for lizards for a while, but now you can match your bearded dragon. The current collection, according to OK Whatever, includes velvet jumpsuits and Western fringe jackets that come with a tiny white cowboy hat. The handmade clothes go for up to $125—and that doesn’t include whatever you order for yourself. Founder Penelope Gazin says the ideas “come to me in my dreams,” adding that lizards need clothes because “their bodies are disgusting and should be covered up.” (Gazin doesn’t own a lizard herself; “I dislike lizards,” she admits.)

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Act of Desperation After Dona Maria Schiave failed her driver’s license test three times in the Novo Mutum Parana district of Brazil, her son, Heitor Marcio Schiave, 43, decided to take matters into his own hands. On Dec. 10, he donned a stuffed bra, long skirt and makeup and showed up at the State Department of Traffic, claiming to be his mother, ready to take the test again. Aline Mendoca, the examiner, became suspicious and summoned the military police.

“I thought she was drunk at first,” she told globo.com. “When I realized that the student was actually a man, I decided to proceed normally” and wait for officers. “I think he pitied his mother for

Julie “Bella” De Lay

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Precocious The father of a 3-year-old girl in Guilin, China, is paying the price for his toddler’s creative expression. On Nov. 24, the man, identified only as Mr. Zhao, his wife and daughter visited an Audi dealership, Oddity Central reported. As the adults looked around, the bored girl scratched “artwork” into 10 automobiles, including one valued at more than $140,000. The dealership sued the father for $28,400 over the damage. Eventually, Mr. Zhao and the dealership settled on a payment of $10,000.

The Way the World Works Kari and Dustin Drees bought their first home in Atlanta’s Buckhead district in December and shortly thereafter left on vacation to visit family. While they were gone, an alarm went off, and friends reported nothing was amiss, but when the Dreeses returned home, they discovered an uninvited visitor had moved in: a squirrel. The animal had apparently fallen down the chimney and become trapped inside, where it did a lot of damage—defecating, scratching floors, chewing baseboards and building a nest in the couch. No worries, the couple thought: “This is why you have homeowner’s insurance,” Kari told the Associated Press. Not so fast: The couple’s insurance “explicitly stated” it doesn’t cover damage done by rodents, and a squirrel is a rodent. Small comfort: The company did offer to provide housing for the couple for up to two weeks.

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Next, on ‘Dateline’ Colleagues of 35-year-old paramedic Joshua Lee Hunsucker told investigators in Mount Holly, N.C., they were surprised at how quickly he had another girlfriend following the death of his wife in September 2018. And when Stacy Robinson Hunsucker’s mother shared her suspicions, pointing to the $200,000 in life insurance Joshua had collected, agents of the North Carolina Department of Insurance began an investigation that led to Joshua Hunsucker’s arrest on Dec. 19, charged with first-degree murder for poisoning his wife with Visine, according to prosecutors. Stacy Hunsucker, 32 at her death, had suffered from heart problems, the Gaston Gazette reported, and a test of her blood revealed tetrahydrozoline, a chemical found in eye drops and nasal sprays, at levels 30 to 40 times the recommended dose, an amount insurance fraud attorney Jordan Green told the court would have had “a dramatic effect on her heart, which would cause heart stoppage in a short amount of time.” The Gazette also noted the wide news coverage given two weeks before Stacy’s death to a woman arrested in York, S.C., for putting eye drops in her husband’s water, causing a seizure and cardiac arrest. A Gaston County grand jury on Jan. 6 additionally indicted Hunsucker on charges of insurance fraud.

failing three times.” Schiave was arrested for fraudulent misrepresentation and released; he might face a fine.

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