City Weekly January 5, 2023

BY CALVIN JOLLEY

“Quiet-Quitting Twitter,” Dec. 22 Opinion

Connor Boyack—president of the Libertas Institute—recently tweeted: “Question your experiences, question your opinions, question your beliefs. Questioning is the beginning of independent thinking, and independent thinking starts the process of creating something new.”

Twitter is a great resource for diverse, thoughtful, timely information about our world: its news, leaders, in-

terests and communities. I find Twitter works best when I create diverse lists for news, elected leaders, communities, interests and then read, then question, then make my own decisions based on multiple sources.

My problem with Twitter is that it feeds a dark human desire to make a statement, argue or attack. Add the ability for anonymity of trolls or bots, and it can be toxic.

I am guilty myself and apologize for some of the exchanges I have had with others, including with the opinion piece’s writer [City Weekly news editor] Benjamin Wood about issues like Utah’s public transit services.

Recently, I switched my Twitter settings to Protect My Tweets, which prevents anyone who doesn’t follow me from seeing what I have to say. Essentially, I stepped off my soap box.

It’s liberating, and now I simply read, like and retweet a few things for my 62 followers.

I would invite Wood and others suffering from Twitter burnout to try this step away from confrontation and enjoy Twitter for what it does do well—informing, educating, creating thought and questioning our perceptions, opinions and beliefs.

Let’s prove Ted Kaczynski wrong. Technology doesn’t need to destroy our world!

TROY RUSHTON Riverton

Political Apocalypse

Daggers to the heart of democracy have not been delivered exclusively by Donald Trump and his minions or Nancy Pelosi and hers (depending upon your political orientation).

Here are my dark-horse nominations for the four horsemen of the American political apocalypse.

Consider the newspaper killers in our society—cost-cutting, profit maximizing robber barons who deliberately

destroy local news capacity in favor of nationalist reporting.

Consider Congress with its massive dereliction of constitutional duty to do things like make laws and impeach people who usurp or impede lawmaking.

Consider the U.S. Supreme Court, which has abandoned its mandate to find legislative intent and has instead gone to the dark side of partisan decision-making.

Consider our 1% class, with its puppet members of both parties in tow, asserting the inviolability of all its money, no matter how ill-gotten the gain.

KIMBALL SHINKOSKEY Woods Cross

Care to sound off on a feature in our pages or about a local concern? Write to comments@ cityweekly.net or post your thoughts on our social media. We want to hear from you!

THE WATER COOLER

If you received a winning lottery ticket as a present, would you share the winnings with the person who gave it to you?

Mikey Saltas

Just say you bought one later. How would they know?

Sofia Cifuentes

Yes! The other person chose that particular gift for me, it is part of the gift, and I believe that they deserve a part.

Larry Carter

Hello, no! Just kidding. Absolutely, I would share the winnings with them.

Scott Renshaw

Yes, but probably with the condition that both of us give some portion of it to charity. Spread that good fortune around in the world.

Bill Frost

The phrase “New phone, who dis?” comes to mind.

Cody Winget

Probably. Depends on who gave it to me.

Pete Saltas

That would be impossible. They’d never know I won.

Eric Granato

I would never be seen again.

Smart Bomb: Utah’s 10 Best New Year’s Resolutions

1. Sen. Mike Lee: Pretend not to know Trump’s chief of staff, Mark Meadows.

2. Sen. Mitt Romney: Pretend not to know Mike Lee.

3. Rep. Burgess Owens: Concoct new ways that Democrats are destroying America’s soul.

4. Mayor Erin Mendenhall: Ignore mayoral challenger Rocky Anderson.

5. Former Mayor Rocky Anderson: Don’t let Erin Mendenhall ignore you.

6. Gov. Spencer Cox: Stop talking trash about the Outdoor Retailer trade show now that they’re coming back to Utah, despite Republican opposition to Bears Ears, etc.

7. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes: Get invited to more international soccer matches. Say you’re looking for trafficked women.

8. Utah Senate President Stuart Adams: Go to more soccer matches with Reyes. Say it’s for international trade.

9. Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham: Ask for another raise, $6 million isn’t nearly enough.

10. Latter-day Saint Church President Russell M. Nelson: Get a revelation that it’s OK to say “Mormon” again.

Only Little People Pay Taxes

The cat’s out of the bag: In 2016 and again in 2017, Donald

Trump paid $750 in federal income taxes. Trump paid zero taxes in 10 of the previous 15 years. That’s one helluva cat.

As Leona Helmsley once said: “Only little people pay taxes.”

For 2008 and 2009, Trump declared $1 billion in losses and got a $72.9 million refund from previous taxes. It’s all on the up and up—or is it? Trump’s taxes are such a can of worms that the IRS couldn’t (or wouldn’t) figure them out. One thing is for sure, tax accountants can be worth their weight in gold—yes, literally.

According to the news organization ProPublica, the 25 top American billionaires increased their wealth by $401 billion from 2014 to 2018 but paid a federal income tax rate of only 3.4%. The median American household earned about $70,000 annually and paid 14% in federal taxes.

Jeff Bezos paid no federal income taxes for the years 2007 and 2011. His wealth increased by $127 billion from 2006 to 2018, while he paid a tax rate of 1.1%. Not only does Congress not care that the richest of the rich pay little to no taxes, but they want to hang the dirty S.O.B. who leaked the tip to ProPublica. Poor billionaires getting their dirty laundry aired out like that. What is the world coming to?

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane—No, It’s an Oligarch

The weirdest thing: Russian elites keep falling out of windows. That they were all critics of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine is just coincidental. And we thought Trump was mean. Imagine this headline: “Tragic coincidence, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Michael Bloomberg and Elon Musk all fell out of windows to their deaths.” Hmmm. Oh well, what are you going to do?

That seems to be the attitude in Russia where at least a dozen bigshots have died since the Ukraine incursion in March. The Dutch news network NOS described the coincidences as “a grim series of Russian billionaires, many from the oil and gas industries, who have been found dead in unusual circumstances ...”

In Putin’s Russia, “unusual” is not so unusual. USA Today concluded that 38 Russian businessmen died mysteriously

between 2014 and 2017. Darn the luck.

Remember U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who recused himself from investigating Russian interference into the 2016 election? A furious Trump called him a “dumb Southerner” and “mentally retarded.” But Sessions didn’t die mysteriously—although Trump did kill his career. Our politics may be blood sport, but in Putin’s Russia, there is little blood and no fingerprints but many coincidences.

Postscript—That’s it for another wonderful year here at Smart Bomb where we keep track of Donald Trump’s legal problems, so you don’t have to. Let’s see, there were all those top secret documents he spirited away to Mar-ALago; there’s the little matter of Trump leading a coup to remain in power; in a recorded call, he demanded that the Georgia secretary of state “find” enough votes to win him that state; and Trump still faces the possibility of criminal charges against him personally as part of the Manhattan D.A. office’s investigation into fraud allegations. We could go on but there’s only so much time in a day. Happy New Year, Mr. Trump.

Breaking news! It rained in California and, when it rains, it pours. Ain’t it the truth! Closer to home, last weekend’s storm brought 70 inches of snow to Alta.

From our “Stinkers” file: George Santos, the recently elected Republican congressman from Long Island, New York, has been caught lying—not just lying, but lying and lying and lying. You’re right—we’re not sure that’s news, either.

And, finally, this from the letters to The Salt Lake Tribune: “In what universe does any rational life-form care about what is happening to the cast of the show The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City? For the love of all that is holy, please stop reporting on their pathetic lives.” CW

Private Eye is off this week. Christopher Smart’s Smart Bomb column is a regular feature at cityweekly.net Send feedback to comments@cityweekly.net

HITS & MISSES

MISS: Fuel on the Fire

We know how the Utah Legislature likes to study critically imperative issues they either don’t want to address or have ignored so long that there’s no other choice. We’re not talking about the Great Salt Lake, but that was one example. Here’s another: How to diversify Utah’s energy portfolio, and in the meantime maybe focus on saving jobs and lives of future Utahns. While the world knows that climate change is an existential problem, let’s just say it has to smack our officials upside the head before they act. The Lila Canyon coal mine should do just that. Situated in East Carbon, it has been burning for more than two months, NBC News reports. About a quarter of the residents there live in poverty, and many of the youth have worked at the mine. No more. Sixty-one percent of the state’s electricity comes from coal, and Lila has supplied coal to two PacifiCorp plants. The Trump administration made a big deal about saving the mine, but someone needs to look forward. It’s not the mine (and the toxic air it produces) that needs to be saved—it’s the people.

MISS: Don’t Be Like Mike

Big question mark. How do Utahns continue to support Sen. Mike Lee who—despite doing very little in Congress—is one of the purveyors of the lies intended to overturn a legitimate election? Is everyone so jaded now that they no longer read documentation, that they no longer trust anything the government does to support the law? Sure, The Salt Lake Tribune has reported on his shenanigans leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection, but many go ahead and discount that as liberal hype because they think of the Trib as a communist tool. Still, there is always the actual congressional report. Lee encouraged the idea of alternate electors—you know, the kind that can cast a vote the total opposite of what really happened. All this because of his adoration of a morally bankrupt former president. Nonetheless, Tribune readers saw fit to name Lee “Utahn of the Year,” leaving columnist Robert Gehrke to plead for Lee to “apologize.” Well, that’s not going to happen.

HIT: Peak Mormonism?

Yes, it was Sunday, and we do live in Utah, home of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So, for the Mormons among us, The Salt Lake Tribune print edition must have been a blessing on New Year’s Day. A massive above-the-fold feature asks: “Can LDS Church Rekindle Growth Momentum?” And woe to them, “The days of a seemingly endless march toward worldwide growth may be over for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with total active membership likely to peak at or just below 6 million should current trends continue,” the story says. Is it a worldwide religion? Is it inflating its membership rolls? Maybe most pertinent is how this is any different from other religions in decline?

THE STREETS

Setting Goals for 2023

Welp, it’s the first week of January and if you don’t find yourself in the mood for self-reflection or personal improvement, you’re not alone. The number of people making resolutions is reportedly declining.

As a resolution enthusiast, I feel like I need to offer a counterpoint to the overall indifference to new-year goal setting. After all, I owe the existence of this column to one: My quest to run every street in Salt Lake City started out as a goal when the clock hit midnight back in 2020.

Where most fall prey to the resolution trap is trying to be too specific. Don’t get me wrong, S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) are great, but there is a time and a place. When you are hung over from New Year’s Eve, trying to calculate an amount of steps to take each day can be mentally taxing. Sometimes, vagueness is a virtue. That’s why my two goals for 2023 are based upon some of my experiences out and around Salt Lake and are generally about just improving my state-of-mind.

Take, for example, the above photo of the mountain reflection at the Premier Plaza on 1300 East near Wilmington Avenue. To me, it’s inspiration to look at things from a different perspective in 2023.

As for the pair of photos below of the giant solar panel installation at the parking lot of Western Governors University on 700 East near 4000 South, it’s a reminder that initial impressions are often distorted (left panel) and, after taking the time to understand better, their true nature arises (right panel).

No calorie counting or mileage charting with these resolutions. Now, if you excuse me, I have some leftover cake to eat. Happy New Year! CW

The mountains of the Wasatch Front are reflected in the windows of an office building at Premier Plaza.

Two views of the same bank of solar panels installed at Western Governors University

BRYANT HEATH BRYANT HEATH

ESSENTIALS

RDT: Emerge

All artists worth the name are aware of being part of a legacy— that their work inevitably exists thanks to those who broke ground, offered inspiration, or even offered direct instruction. Organizations like Repertory Dance Theatre are built around not just presenting the art of dance to local audiences, but ensuring the future of the form by providing opportunities for their dancers to work on choreography, and for having those dancer-choreographers in turn teach other young dancers.

Emerge—RDT’s annual showcase of choreography by its dancers and artistic staff—continues that tradition with a wonderful collection of works, incorporating dancers from several community dance organizations. RDT Artistic Associate Nicholas Cendese and dancer Lindsey Faber were both formerly students at Tanner Dance, and now return to bring students into their own choreography. Company member Ursula Perry presents a piece featuring dance students from Brigham Young University, while company member Lauren Curley creates her work on teen dancers from Holladay-based Winner School. Fem Dance Company and Altitude Dance Company are also among the participating artists, with works created by Elle Johansen and Trung “Daniel” Do, respectively. Additionally, company Education Associate Austin Hardy will be creating new work for students who will be attending RDT’s Winterdance Workshop this month.

RDT’s Emerge runs Jan. 6-7, with performances 7:30 p.m. nightly plus a 2 p.m. Saturday matinee, at the Rose Wagner Center’s Leona Wagner Black Box (138 W. 300 South). Tickets are $20 general admission; visit arttix.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (Scott Renshaw)

BalletNEXT @ Park City Eccles Center

After a decade in New York, veteran American Ballet Theatre dancer Michele Wiles brought her BalletNEXT company to Park City in 2021, introducing Utah locals to their work in unique venues like the Rockwell Listening Room and Deer Valley’s Talisker Club. Now, BalletNEXT is coming to Park City Institute’s showcase stage at the Eccles Center for the first time—and in so doing, is offering a chance to glimpse some of the highlights of their pre-Utah existence.

In this case, that includes the local premiere of the 2014 piece Surmisable Units, by celebrated choreographer Brian Reeder. The work is set to Steve Reich’s composition “Piano Phase,” which is performed by pianist Elliott Figg using one hand each on two grand pianos. Opening with a solo by Wiles herself, it segues into a group piece involving five additional BalletNEXT dancers. Upon its premiere, New York Observer wrote “Wiles and her group … have been given passages of movement that are inventive and at times compelling. … Reeder shows us is a distinctive imagination, a strong response to music and a sophisticated vocabulary of steps.”

In a press release, Wiles says of the collaboration with Park City Institute, “As Park City’s local ballet company, BalletNEXT is focused on building impactful partnerships between world class dance and the creative organizations in our community.” Join BalletNEXT at the Eccles Center (1750 Kearns Blvd., Park City) on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $5.50 - $37.50; visit parkcityinstitute.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations @ Eccles Theater

The concept of the “jukebox musical” dates back more than 40 years, to shows like Ain’t Misbehavin’ and 42nd Street, but recent years have seen a huge surge in the concept. Popular music artists—from ABBA to Billy Joel, from the Go-Go’s to Neil Diamond—have seen their work used to adorn thin narrative scaffolding, often having little to do with the stories of those artists themselves. Rarer examples are tales like Jersey Boys, which fold a biographical drama into the classic music—and that’s exactly what you get with Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations.

The story tracks the experiences that led to the formation of the legendary vocal group, told from the perspective of founding member Otis Williams (whose autobiography provided most of the source material). Williams, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams and David Ruffin all find their way from the American South to Detroit in the 1950s as part of the “Great Migration,” and eventually into the stable of Motown Records. And along with the history of the members’ lives and loves, you certainly also get to enjoy the hits like “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination,” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and many more.

Ain’t Too Proud visits the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.) Jan. 10 – 15, with performances at 7:30 p.m. weeknights, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday matinee and 1 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $45 - $159; visit arttix.org for tickets and other event information. (SR)

IZZY ARIETTA

EMILIO MADRID

New Year, New Shows

Witches,

koalas, and wolves: Six new TV series to stream this month.

BY BILL FROST @Bill_Frost

Editor’s Note: It’s been far too long, but he’s back. Longtime City Weekly readers will remember former staff member Bill Frost’s delightful updates on the world of television in The Only TV Column That Matters™. And while television has changed a lot since then, he hasn’t; his perspectives are just as entertaining as ever. We’re thrilled to welcome him back for a monthly column updating us on the wild world of broadcast, streaming, cable and more.

It’s a new year, so you deserve some new TV to stream. Or maybe you don’t—I don’t know you. Anyway, here are six new series premiering in January 2023 that are worth a look. It’s not a bad bunch, considering the only exceptional shows to premiere last January were HBO Max’s Peacemaker and Apple TV+’s The Afterparty We’ve all forgotten about Fox’s Joe Millionaire reboot, right? Good for us.

Mayfair Witches (AMC+; Sunday, Jan. 8): Aside from witches and the supernatural, the biggest Suspension of Disbelief ask of Mayfair Witches might be Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus) as a brain doctor. In this adaptation of Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches, saucer-eyed neurosurgeon Rowan Fielding (Daddario) learns that she’s descended from a powerful dynasty of witches. On the downside,

the Mayfairs (which include Harry Hamlin and Annabeth Gish) are dogged by a dark spirit—there’s always a catch with family.

Koala Man (Hulu; Monday, Jan. 9): Middle-aged dad Kevin (voiced by Michael Cusack) dons a koala mask and battles low-low-low-level crime in his small Australian town—who says the superhero genre is exhausted? Besides anyone who suffered through Black Adam? Besides show creator Cusack (YOLO: Crystal Fantasy, Smiling Friends), the animated Koala Man also features the Australian and New Zealander voices of Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), Sarah Snook (Succession), and Hugh Jackman (Swordfish).

Velma (HBO Max; Thursday, Jan. 12): Looks like HBO Max didn’t get around to canceling everything. This new adultanimation series traces the high-school origins of Velma Dinkley (voiced by Mindy Kaling), the future brains and lesbian icon of the Scooby-Doo gang. Scooby himself doesn’t appear, but the present-day-set

and hyper-meta Velma does have Fred (Glenn Howerton), Daphne (Constance Wu), Shaggy (Sam Richardson), and a purposefully diverse cast of guest voices. Scooby purists—do they exist?—will probably hate it.

The Last of Us (HBO, HBO Max; Sunday, Jan. 15): Set 20 years after the fungalpandemic fall of civilization, The Last of Us (based on the PlayStation videogame) follows a smuggler (Pedro Pascal, free of his Mandalorian helmet) hired to transport a teen girl (Bella Ramsey, Game of Thrones) out of a quarantine zone into a postapocalyptic U.S. of A. Besides expansive sets and mutated monsters, The Last of Us also stars Anna Torv, Nick Offerman and Melanie Lynskey. The nine-episode first season only cost $100 million to make, so no pressure.

Poker Face (Peacock; Thursday, Jan. 26): Like a road-tripping Columbo—Wiki it, kids—Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) travels the country solving criminal cases

using her innate gift of detecting when someone is lying. Sound like a quaint USA Network episodic crime throwback? Think again: Poker Face was created and partially directed by Rian Johnson, who brought us Knives Out and the nearly-as-good Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (let’s not get into a whole thing here). Peacock may finally have a winner.

Wolf Pack (Paramount+; Thursday, Jan. 26): It’s about teenage werewolves, and it comes from the same showrunner—but Wolf Pack has nothing to do with Teen Wolf. Wolf Pack, based on the 2004 Edo van Belkom novel, has a subtle environmentalimpact impact message, with werewolves being dislocated from the wild by forest fires and logging companies—so California, it’s shocking the Red Hot Chili Peppers haven’t written a song about it. The big hype of Wolf Pack is the TV return of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself. Can we get a hairy Seth Green cameo? CW

Alexandra Daddario in Mayfair Witches

An Artist’s Artist

Existential

conversations with Brushworks Gallery co-founder Darryl Drage.

BY CALVIN JOLLEY | comments@cityweekly.net

“What happens once an artist overcomes the hurdle of obscurity, after having been validated in some insignificant way? For the rest of life, she refers to herself as an artist. A lot of times, the honorable title is a curse because while it insists some things, it prohibits others … like sustainable careers.”—Darryl Drage.

In 2007, then-Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson honored artist, collector and Brushworks Gallery owner Darryl Drage with the Mayor’s Artist Award for Service to the Arts. The late Patrick Eddington—a beloved Highland High School art teacher from 1988-2014— nominated him. Independent filmmaker and author Trent Harris snapped a pic of Drage onstage.

Looking back at the award and its accompanying trophy, Drage said: “I remember thinking, ‘The city didn’t spend much on this. I should go down to Benson’s Trophies and ask Craig to make me something beefier.’ Ha! So egotistical. Of course, I never did.”

The accolade came 52 years after Drage’s dad, Lt. Col. Donald Dell Drage—nicknamed “Lucky” because of so many close calls and his appetite for Lucky Strikes—served in World War II with the 72nd Fighter Bomber Squadron (“Loose 7 Deuce”) that was based in Chambley, France. The elite group of fighter pilots included Michael Collins (who later went to the moon) and William D. Curry (who finished his career as brigadier general).

Considering his pedigree, Darryl W. Drage—born in June 1950 at Holy Cross Hospital, now Salt Lake Regional Medical Center—should’ve become a U.S. Air Force pilot like his older brother, Wally. Instead, after a stint of liberal arts education at Duke University, where he was president of his freshman class, and then a spell at George Washington University, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Utah with a degree in fine art.

“So many kids study studio art,” Drage said. “I understand fine art and art history. But going to college for the fundamentals like composition, color theory, technique or design? Sure, there’s value in knowing the principles. But can you apply them in any new and unique way? Thousands of art students graduate every year. We hear about a fractional percentage of them who make an impact in the world of art.”

Drage ranks among that subset who succeeded in spinning art into a career. His philosophical, enterprising and artistic influences are evident throughout Salt Lake City’s confluent worlds of fine art, business, government and education. He is a true Kierkegaardian existentialist and entirely too unpretentious to label himself. He’s a family man, entrepreneur and artist’s artist.

Drage is a purveyor, lifelong student, master maker and old-school contrarian who looks at life through a curious lens of empathy, self-responsibility, artistic fear-

lessness and true desire to be known—but only by those he loves. Consequently, this is why I talked to him off and on for 16 months before he granted me permission to write this piece.

Creation and Destruction

Drage graduated in the class of 1974 from the University of Utah, where he met his wife-to-be Rosalyn Richards—a talented artist in her own right. His antics are the stuff of legend.

In 1976, he won first place in the prestigious Utah Arts Showcase, and his painting was placed on display at the U’s fine arts museum. But one day, in denial of his painting’s worthiness, Drage entered the museum and slashed an “X” through the center of the canvas.

Campus security arrived to arrest the vandal. “It’s mine,” Drage declared. “I can destroy it if I wish.”

Later the same day, he did the very same thing to another of his award-winning works that was hanging at the Eccles Art Center in Ogden.

Fast forward to one day when Darryl and Rosalyn are watching a news report on a painting that the renowned street artist Banksy created and rigged to automatically shred at auction. “Didn’t you do the same thing 45 years ago?” Rosalyn asked. “Yes, but on a smaller stage and scale,” Drage recalled. “Art, as well its destruction, is derivative. There’s nothing new.”

Blank Canvas

Drage was accepted to a master’s program in California. He approached Rosalyn about the opportunity, but she refused to accompany him. “You want to be a college professor in art? How many art professors do you know who are in their first marriages?” he recalled her asking.

And so he stayed, painted and competed. “A bit of prize money here and there. My racket was to submit the same winning piece to numerous competitions around the country,” he said. “It sucked when someone would buy it because I’d have to replace it with another for the same purpose and of similar quality.”

In 1976, after co-founding Brushworks Gallery on South Temple with his sister, Claudia Niss, and fellow painter Kirk Randle, Drage set off on an odyssey that would define an age in the Salt Lake Valley.

“There weren’t many galleries in Salt Lake City in the 1970s—or 1980s, for that matter,” Drage recalled. “The legit ones

were in Park City. Meyer Gallery comes to mind. They used to feature a lot of R.C. Gorman’s artwork that we would frame.”

Brushworks developed a niche clientele during a period that predates this town’s cultural, culinary and artistic awakening. “Back then, you could walk into Lamb’s Café on Main or Bill and Nada’s across from Trolley [Square] and actually know people,” Drage reminisced. “We ate and drank at the same haunts. Business owners, U of U professors, folks from the burgeoning art scene or underground. It was a small community.”

In the early days of Brushworks, Randle— a gifted water colorist—painted, Drage built frames, and Niss managed the business.

“We had street sales down to a science,” says Drage. “Among the most important lessons of the festival circuit? Color sells. I’d give Kirk a wish list—like five of these in this palette and three of those in that palette, plus the size—he’d crank them out, I’d frame them, then off we’d go. It was a sweet combination, but our partnership didn’t last long.”

Eventually, Niss married and left the state. Randle wanted to branch out on his own, so Drage bought his friend out of the business they co-founded.

Within that early period when most small businesses fail to gain a foothold, Brushworks outgrew its original location. In 1981, Drage moved into a bigger space on 200 South, next door to the original Bar X—instead of swanky Hollywood cocktails, think of a peanut-shell joint with ripped vinyl seats atop four-legged metal barstools, where patrons guzzled “tankards” of cheap

beer and, from time to time, weaponized the heavy glass goblets.

Up in Smoke

Drage’s shop was directly beneath the old Stratford Hotel—downtown’s last bona fide indigent flophouse. He fostered customer relationships, developed business and supported an ever-growing community of artists by connecting them to buyers and philanthropists.

But in 2005, disaster struck when some disgruntled boyfriend barricaded his boarding room door with a mattress and then lit it on fire.

“Story is, he planned to kill himself. Instead, he was the first one downstairs and to the street when sparks began to fly,” Drage recalled. “I got a call around 3 a.m. Plumes of smoke set off the sprinklers. By the time the fire crew arrived, my shop was flooded. I was exasperated by how much artwork I had in there.”

The fire chief agreed to send in one man to recover a single piece of art before the containment crew entered with axes.

“I said: Go in, hang an immediate left, go down the hallway to the office on the righthand side. Behind the desk, hanging on the farthest wall from the door? Grab the ugliest painting you see.”

A fireman emerged from the smoldering wreck with the right painting: A 4-by-4foot study for a mural by Minerva Teichert, known for her Western subjects and Book of Mormon depictions. At the time, Teichert’s piece was valued at $40,000.

Why did Drage describe it as ugly? He

COURTESY PHOTO

Darryl Drage and his wife, Rosalyn, met at the University of Utah in the early ‘70s before going on to be among Utah’s most influential artists.

shrugs: “I was trying to come up with adjectives that someone could recognize and, well, it wasn’t a pretty painting.”

A policeman accused him of looting on the way to his car. Drage talked himself out of arrest and drove home. Over the ensuing week, he filled three dumpsters with original art, supplies, a horde of frames and furniture that water and smoke had damaged beyond repair.

“I lost 1,200 Gary Collins prints to water damage. Not a single one was salvageable,” he said. “Think $15 a pop, more if signed. We’re talking $20,000 retail value for those alone.”

For nearly a quarter century, Drage had opened his doors for free storage to artists in the community. In hindsight, the problem with this arrangement was that whatever wasn’t officially on consignment during the time of the fire wasn’t insured.

“Tragedy,” Drage said. “Not just for me, but so many people, because so many lost pieces that were irreplaceable. But you know what? Everyone stepped up and lent a hand.”

The city’s community of artists, philanthropists and customers—a network that Drage had played such a vital role in creating—banded together in his time of need. The Tivoli Gallery on State Street gave Drage a place to build frames until Mayor Rocky Anderson’s Redevelopment Agency moved Brushworks into an empty building downtown at no cost (see sidebar). Borge Andersen and Associates stepped up with their equipment and workspace.

“Everyone called. Everyone came. Everyone helped,” Drage said. “I remember dropping off a painting at Scott Anderson’s Zions Bank office. Harris Simmons, chairman and CEO of Zions Bancorporation, [was] there with a group of top community leaders. ‘Hey Darryl!’ he shouts, ‘you gotta reopen Brushworks. We need you in this city!’ Folks really encouraged me.”

Recovery and Dead Cats

Following an insurance payout in 2006, Drage rented a brick building on 800 South just a few blocks west of where I live in Central City. I visited his gallery for no other reason than to talk.

Our discussions were instructive. We rapped about the interstices between art, religion, education, philosophy and government. His gallery boasted a comfortable couch and candy bowl that my two young daughters grazed from.

During one sit-down, I acquired one of his original oils. “After the Storm” presents a brilliant assembly of bold— but muted—blues and greens, toggled together by a single horizontal perspective line that doesn’t intend to create an illusion of height or depth between sky or seascape. Instead, the flat shape of an upside-down cat, rich in mustards, golds and the occasional orange flare, overlaps the water. A single paw and patch of tail breaks the water’s surface.

The cat might be looking upward if Drage hadn’t used the classic cartoon symbol for death—a big “X”—to cover the cat’s only eye.

The piece ranks among the smartest and most sensitive examples of color assemblage in my personal collection. There’s something whimsical about the work that excuses its subject: a dead cat

“During the recession of 2009, morale was low among my co-workers and the arts community in general. I came up with this idea for an employee show to inspire, energize and unite us. The question for me was what to paint—not another landscape,” Drage said. “Then I got to thinking about how much I hate felines. I’m allergic to the beasts. So I started my Dead Cat series. I painted ‘Bait,’ ‘Bubbles,’ ‘Norman,’ ‘Rosco,’ ‘After the Storm’ and a few others. They made me happy. Lots of artists love cats. Poor souls.”

Being There

The pandemic of 2020 was a lonely time for everyone. Late that year—roundabout the time Drage sold Brushworks for retirement—I talked my way into his private studio. We picked up a conversation where it’d left off the year before: love, liquidation, death and degradation; life, hope, creativity and commitment; family, children, art and art’s opposite—which isn’t artlessness, but cliché.

Drage expresses a quality of iconoclastic trickery in all of his personas. His edginess translates into a kind of transparent honesty. His rawness and insight are intellectually

and entrepreneurially attractive. As a result, his network of generational customers reads like a who’s who list of art lovers: the Huntsman family, Scott Anderson of Zions Bank, Dick Bass of Snowbird, Carolyn Tanner of O.C. Tanner, John Williams of Gastronomy, Bob Garff of Ken Garff Enterprises, Pat Lynch of Perpetual Storage, the folks at F. Weixler Co., and the list goes on.

Drage’s frames hang or have hung in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Church History Museum, Utah’s Department of Transportation offices, Clark Leaming Designs and in various buildings across the campuses of the U of U and Brigham Young University.

“All these guys were, at one point or another, among my biggest clients,” Drage said.

Late Utah philanthropist Merline Clark Leaming used to park her Jaguar on the sidewalk out front of Brushworks. She introduced Drage to Dick Bass of Snowbird, countless high-end retailers, big name restaurateurs, interior designers and other movers in the community.

“That’s the deal. Being there,” emphasizes Drage, “when that one someone who will make your day or year walks in to look around.”

And so, for more than four decades, that’s where people found Drage: At Brushworks, sometimes with a cup of coffee or, if nearer closing time, a cracked-open but squirreled away can of cheap beer.

Success Through Community

Despite a successful career, Drage’s philosophical sensibility is untainted by the hubris typical among those with talent. His achievements haven’t come at anyone’s expense.

“Everything changes, man—meaning that eventually, all things go to shit,” he said. “Take almost any dynastic enterprise: Sooner or later, all viable neighborhood brick-andmortar businesses morph into tattoo studios, coffee shops or massage parlors. I mean, Utah produces some really creative phenoms, right? So talented that they ruin themselves through a distorted sense of self-belief.”

Drage said that too many artists believe the world will discover them. As a result, they give up career opportunities

CALVIN JOLLEY

CALVIN JOLLEY Left: A piece by Drage, deemed unworthy of its accolades and defaced with two intersecting cuts by the artist himself.

Above: “After the Storm,” part of a series of dead-cat inspired pieces created by Drage during the Great Recession.

Brushworks Memories

BY ROCKY ANDERSON |

for the “mythical” value of being a struggling artist. “Then, things go to hell because there’s nothing glamorous about the struggle,” he said. “For those that do achieve a level of notoriety, the price of their artwork is well-deserved.”

Drage’s career is an example of how one can succeed by empowering others with opportunity. When, for example, Leucadia National (reorganized in New York as Jefferies) closed its South Temple operations after Salt Lake City native and Leucadia co-founder Ian Cumming retired in 2013, the enterprise was valued at $6.8 billion. In addition to being a titan of business, Cumming was a philanthropist and collector of Utah artists.

“Cumming had amassed something in the neighborhood of 160 paintings by local and regional artists,” recalled Drage. “One day, I get a call from my son Andrew, who was doing work for the corporation. ‘Leucadia is selling the entire collection,’ he tells me. Evidently, the fancy financiers in New York City didn’t have any interest in the West or Utah’s podunk art scene.”

Drage spoke to a company representative and explained that while selling the collection one piece at a time would generate the largest overall sum, such a task would require connections they simply didn’t have. “I’m willing to take it all,” he recalled saying, “every last piece for lots less than their individual value, but no more worries for you about how to get rid of them.” The Leucadia representative’s response: “When can you get here with a check and truck?”

Drage’s acquisition cost $100,000 and included a cornucopia of Utah and Western art. He advertised a customer appreciation sale. “I found good homes for all the pieces, gave screaming deals and doubled my investment.”

Love and Legacy

There exist many examples of win-win stories that define Drage’s business philosophy. None, however, is more sincere than Ukraine-born Vita Kobylkina’s overall assessment of him. She parlayed her 15-year career of framing at Brushworks into a gig as a full-time painter—and a fine one at that.

“Darryl has been many things to me—boss, colleague and

fellow artist. But most of all? My friend,” Kobylkina said. “The relaxed working environment he created at Brushworks ruined me from wanting to work for anyone else.”

Drage did it his way for nearly 50 years of copasetic exchange with fellow artists through the sale, purchase and negotiation of their works. His network reads like pages from the comprehensive reference guide, The Dictionary of Utah Fine Artists—Gary Collins (among Drage’s “local heroes”), Kirk Randle and his son James Randle (who now studios in Santa Fe), Richard Murray, Mark Petersen, Randall Lake, Frank Ray Huff Jr., Karl Thomas and many others.

His donations of art include gifts to the Utah Arts Council, LDS Church, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake Community College, seemingly any nonprofit with an upcoming auction and uncountable silent drops to the Deseret Industries, where guys like me thrift in hopes of finding one of his collector-worthy pieces among racks of posters.

Drage’s best friend, wife and love of his life, Rosalyn, is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He’s a beer-drinking iconoclast.

Rosalyn regularly hosts church gatherings and is available whenever called upon. Drage burns candles, paints, reads and enjoys the company of Utah’s working artist elites in his private studio.

“It’s hard for people to understand how much I love my marriage to a Mormon,” Drage said. “Rosalyn is the mother of my sons. She’s my caretaker, and I’ve always tried to be hers. There’s her orbit, my orbit and this wondrous overlap. What would I do without Rosalyn? I have no idea what would happen to me.”

Although Drage’s retirement signals the conclusion of a great era for local art, we are the fortunate inheritors of his legacy. And perhaps thanks to the tragically low levels of the Great Salt Lake, Darryl has a straight shot of the salt flats to ride off into the sunset. CW

Calvin Jolley is a longtime resident of Salt Lake City’s Central City neighborhood. His writing has appeared in American Book Review, MAYDAY Magazine, Context South, Otis Nebula, 15 Bytes and elsewhere. He also serves as vice president of corporate communications for the immune system nutraceuticals firm 4Life.

My first recollection of Darryl Drage is when we spoke on the phone after I learned that his gallery—then located in the Stratford Hotel—had been destroyed in a fire. I was Salt Lake City’s mayor at the time. When I called Darryl, I noted that the city’s Redevelopment Agency (RDA) owned the State Street building where the Tivoli Gallery was located and that he would be welcome to use some space there that had been vacated by an antique shop until he got another location lined up.

I mentioned to Darryl that it shouldn’t be a problem for the RDA since it seemed to take the agency forever to do anything with the building. In my view, it would be to everyone’s benefit to have his gallery remain in business by locating there temporarily. Darryl occupied the space for five or six months before he moved to the current Brushworks Gallery location on 800 South.

I recall presenting Darryl the Mayor’s Artist Award for Service to the Arts by an Individual in 2007 during the Utah Arts Festival. (To my recollection, the recipients of the award were chosen by a process overseen by the Salt Lake City Arts Council.) Darryl and I hit it off immediately, with a photo taken of us laughing together—probably about the fact that he had come and gone from the temporary space I offered to him, and the RDA still hadn’t transformed the rather decrepit building on State Street.

Brushworks Gallery has been a cherished, welcoming city gem for many decades. In an open and spacious gallery, one can browse a variety of art (paintings and sculpture) created mostly by outstanding Utah artists. The expert displays of art seem always to include exquisite Utah landscape scenes.

It is also a place to have works of art professionally and beautifully framed. I took a large work of art for Brushworks to frame a few years ago and still remember being impressed by the friendliness of the staff, the helpfulness in picking out a frame and the beautiful work they did on the piece.

Small, locally owned businesses like Brushworks Gallery, where hospitable people obviously care so much about excellence in all they do, add so much to our sense of belonging to a creative, uplifting community. CW

CALVIN JOLLEY

CALVIN JOLLEY

COURTESY PHOTO

Left: Drage at work in his private studio during the pandemic of 2021 after a more-than-40 year run with Brushworks. Right: In 1974, Darryl and wife Rosalyn collaborated to create the large painting—a self-portrait of how they envisioned themselves. The work hangs in Drage’s private studio.

Bring it On, 2023

Predictions for this year’s hot dining trends.

BY ALEX SPRINGER comments@cityweekly.net @captainspringer

During my gastronomic exploits of 2022, I’ve had a fairly decent glance at the potential dining trends that will shape our restaurant scene in 2023. Utah is always a bit of a wild card when it comes to which national trends will be adopted and when they’ll take root, but here are my predictions based on what I’ve seen so far.

Frugal Sustainability. Over the past few years, several Utah restaurants have made sustainability a priority. With the macroeconomics that have caused fluctuations in the price of running a restaurant, however, I think we’re going to start seeing restaurants try to balance sustainability with frugality. It’s a trend that speaks to the adaptability that has become a requirement for restaurants to navigate an increasingly difficult time for their industry. While being frugal and sustainable isn’t a bad thing by any stretch, I think it’s important for consumers to keep in mind. We may start seeing some menus change around a bit, and I’m betting restaurants will start specializing in dishes—which means fewer menu options. As long as diners remember that such changes result from any number of crushing realities that restaurant owners have to deal with, and are not part of some elaborate scheme to

inconvenience them, we’ll all be just fine.

Food Hall Evolution. I think 2022 saw food halls make the important transition from dining fad to dining fixture, which makes me think we’re going to see more variations of this concept in the coming years. When I checked out Woodbine Food Hall (545 W. 700 South, 801-669-9192, woodbineslc.com) a few weeks ago, I noticed that food halls that can function from dawn until well after the sun goes down can be great community assets. Its location in the bustle of the developing Granary neighborhood of downtown Salt Lake City makes me think that food halls have a good chance of being the centerpiece of future development projects that come to our metropolitan area. If that’s the case, then these food halls will need to be on the cutting edge to help them stand out and get the most of their curated roster of eateries.

Noodle Bars. I lost track of how many new ramen bars opened up at the tail-end of 2022. I tried visiting as many as possible, but they just kept popping up—and that momentum doesn’t seem to be slowing down. This is one of the trends that I am most excited about, as I’d love to see noodle bars become as prolific as Starbucks in our commercial areas. The obvious reason for the uptick in noodle bars is the simple fact that ramen, pho, laksa, tom yum, etc. are flavorful and delicious. As Utah plunges into a cold, dismal winter for three to five months out of the year, hot and satisfying soup helps keep the seasonal depression at bay. My hope is that this trend opens the brothy floodgates and we get even more variations on this classic comfort food.

Concept Restaurants. As 2022 drew to a close, I noticed restaurants like Italian Graffiti (156 S. 400 West, Ste. 113, 385-2818373, italiangraffiti.com) and Aqua Terra

(50 S. Main Street, Ste. 168, 385-261-2244, aquaterrasteak.com) make their way into our downtown shopping centers. Both restaurants take a conceptual approach to dining, which lends itself to more of a holistic experience instead of just a place to eat. Italian Graffiti, for example, comes to us from Nice Hospitality Group, which excels at creating restaurants that have, for lack of a better term, strong-ass vibes. While quality food and an exciting menu remain front and center, these restaurants strive to take their diners on an escapist journey. As more and more of our dining experiences get shared online, it makes sense to see restaurants that have a bit of capital to craft destination spaces that look fantastic on Instagram.

Butter Cake. This dessert is truly having a moment right now, and I can see it becoming the new “it” girl of dessert menus across the Wasatch Front. I am no cultural anthropologist by any stretch, but I’d trace the popularity of this dessert back to the 2022 Sugar High Festival, when the butter cake at American Fork’s Sol Agave (749 W. 100 North, Ste. CRA8, 801-692-1758, solagave.com) won the Fan Favorite award. The festival took place in October, and since then, I’ve seen butter cake popping up on menus in both swanky gastropubs and casual diners. I definitely get the appeal—like the noodle soup phenomenon, when something is simply delicious from a foundational perspective, it has all sorts of mass appeal. Considering the fact that butter cake is something that can be made from relatively few ingredients and served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it makes sense that pastry chefs are hopping on the butter cake train. By the end of next year, butter cake will be as big as molten chocolate cake back in its prime. CW

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale

2RowBrewing.com

Avenues Proper 376 8th Ave, SLC avenuesproper.com

On Tap: Proper Beer - English Golden Ale

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com

On Tap: Gluten Reduced Kolsch

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com

On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Craft by Proper 1053 E. 2100 So., SLC craftbyproper.com

On Tap: Salted Caramel Porter

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com

On Tap: Out of Office Pale Ale

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com

On Tap: Orange Stick Imperial Stout

Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com

On Tap: Fisher Beer

Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com

On Tap: Extra Pale Ale

Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com

On Tap: Beehive Brown

Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com

Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake

LevelCrossingBrewing.com

On Tap: Vienna-Style Lager, it’s back!

Bingo: Tuesdays at 7pm!

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com

On Tap: Squeaky Bike Nut Brown

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com

On Tap: Wet Hopped Cider

Offset Bier Co 1755 Bonanza Dr Unit C, Park City offsetbier.com/ On Tap: DOPO IPA

Ogden River Brewing 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com On Tap: Injector Hazy IPA

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

Prodigy Brewing 25 W Center St. Logan prodigy-brewing.com/

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Hop Blooded - Belgianstyle Hoppy Red Ale

Red Rock Brewing 254 So. 200 West RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Gypsy Scratch

Red Rock Fashion Place 6227 So. State Redrockbrewing.com

On Tap: Munich Dunkel

Red Rock Kimball Junction Redrockbrewing.com 1640 Redstone Center

On Tap: Bamberg Rauch Bier

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap

this week

RoHa Brewing Project

30 Kensington Ave, SLC

RoHaBrewing.com

On Tap: Rum Barrel Aged Porter

Roosters Brewing

Multiple Locations

RoostersBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com

On Tap: Winter Sessions IPL

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com

On Tap: 2 Hop 2 FuriousDouble Hopped Belgian Pale

Scion Cider Bar 916 Jefferson St W, SLC Scionciderbar.com On Tap: ANXO Hereford Gold 6.9% ABV

Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Prickly Pear Sour Ale

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Squatters 147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Strap Tank Brewery

Multiple Locations

StrapTankBrewery.com Springville On Tap: PB Rider, Peanut Butter Stout Lehi On Tap: 2-Stroke, Vanilla Mocha Porter

Stratford Proper 1588 Stratford Ave., SLC stratfordproper.com

On Tap: Lake Effect Gose

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com

On Tap: Edel Pils

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com

On Tap: Udder ChaosChocolate Milk Stout on Nitro

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com

On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Lovely Lady Nitro Stout

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com

Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com

Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

OPENING SOON!

Helper Beer 159 N Main Street Helper, UT 84526

Apex Brewing 2285 S Main Street Salt Lake City, UT 84115

Barrel Enhancements

Two malty beers augmented with some crazy sweet liquors.

BY MIKE RIEDEL comments@cityweekly.net @utahbeer

Saltfire - Grievance: The crew at Saltfire are big fans of Festivus, the madeup holiday celebrated by Seinfeld’s Frank Costanza. Grievance refers to the practice of the “airing of grievances” around the Festivus pole. You don’t need a Festivus pole, now that Saltfire has made this Applejack brandy barrel-aged beer, but it doesn’t hurt.

A deep amber walnut color appears in the glass with a simple tan collar, and some spotted lacing while drinking. The bouquet on this beer is nuts, a great example of making the barrel provide the spirit life. Huge notes of soft and warm apple brandy leap out, plus plenty of cinnamon, and can you believe there is even pie crust on this thing? Nutmeg and a hint of roasted coffee follow as well. Like a piece of fresh baked apple pie, it’s warm and inviting. The only thing is that it tends to not remind me of? Beer.

The palate brings all the good hinted by the nose, bringing flavors of coffee and, of course, apple pie. Sweet nutmeg and cinnamon spices are all over this thing. It starts off with a milky, creamy texture, almost giving some vanilla sweetness on the finish, with crusty dough on the palate to match. Mouthfeel starts off impressive, but gets into much stronger sweetness and fizzy quality. An odd sense of a cola aftertaste comes out as the body gets much lighter.

Verdict: Adding this to a Lairds barrel was a brilliant move. I’ve got to hand it to Saltfire for producing some of the most solid apple characteristics that I’ve experienced in an 8.0 percent brew in some time.

Level Crossing - Barrel-Aged Timpanator: Doppelbocks were brewed by Bavarian monks to live on as sole nourishment in times of fasting, and hence came to be known as “liquid bread.” This version is like liquid bread with a sidecar of whiskey.

It pours dark brown, with lots of garnet and ruby hues thrown in for good measure. A minimal off-white head receded quickly, leaving trace amounts of soapy residue at the top—fairly clear as well, but not perfectly so, with some opaqueness. Bourbon is definitely apparent in the aroma, with underlying notes of toasted walnut, buckwheat honey and dark toffee. Just as appreciable is the bourbon barrel, which lends nuances of charred oak and enough vanilla to give this bouquet an almost candy-like quality—something like an intoxicating Tootsie Roll baked into an alcoholic cupcake.

The flavor is not much different. It showcases a great deal of that pure, concentrated vanilla taste, as well as hints of wood spice, browned butter, dark honey and caramel-coated roasted nuts. Curiously absent (or at least overshadowed) are the dried fruit and toasted brown bread crust notes traditional of doppelbocks. Unsurprisingly, the bourbon comes out on top. Carbonation is medium-high, but it just doesn’t quite pop in the mouth; being a lager, this has a lighter mouthfeel than a barleywine might. Some spiciness tickles the back of the throat from the 10.2 percent alcohol.

Verdict: If you like barrel-aged barleywines, you’ll find this to have a lighter overall feel, with all of the toffee and whiskey that you’ve come to expect.

If you have not already committed to a lifestyle change to start the new year, these malty beers and their respective barrel enhancements will provide a transformative experience for your palate (and possibly your waistline). Both come in 16-ounce cans, and are cold from their respective breweries. Buy an extra can or two for cellar-aging. These should be extra brilliant in about a year. As always, cheers! CW

the BACK BURNER

BY ALEX SPRINGER | @captainspringer

Wine Education Series at VENETO

Those looking to kick off their new year with an appreciation of the finer things will want to check out the wine education series starting at VENETO Ristoratne Italiano (370 E. 900 South, 801-359-0708, venetoslc.com) this week. This six-day class starts on Jan. 8 and continues on the first Sunday of each month until June 4. There will be six additional classes if the demand is high enough, which isn’t too far out of the realm of possibility. Each class will focus on six different Italian wines, along with education about each wine’s respective region. Wine samples and charcuterie will be on hand to help attendees deepen their understanding of all things vineal. Tickets and more info is available on VENETO’s website.

Nami Lily Sushi & Ramen Soft Opening

One of my favorite little strip malls in South Jordan is now home to Nami Lily Sushi & Ramen (1072 W. South Jordan Parkway, 385-887-8959, namilily.com). Now, in addition to getting Indian street food at Saffron Valley, curry pizza at Curry Pizza and Brazilian meat skewers at Tushar, you can get some tasty sushi and ramen thanks to Nami Lily. The restaurant just barely opened its doors, so right now they’re in soft opening mode, but as a South Jordanite, I am happy to see more sushi and ramen restaurants call this city home. Their ramen menu looks a bit more extensive than I was expecting, and their sushi menu sounds like it can hang with the best.

Tina’s Bakery Opens

Agostina Alvarez and Valentina Udabe, a duo of Argentinian bakers, recently opened Tina’s Bakery (136 Heber Avenue, Ste. 105, 801-558-0110, thetinasbakery.com) in Park City, and it looks awesome. Tina’s Bakery combines savory baked empanadas with a dessert menu that features plenty of Argentinian favorites—hello, alfajores—along with a few concoctions of their own making. Both sides of their menu look to contain some absolute bangers. Their storefront is open for business, but they also deliver to the Park City area while offering take-and-bake options and catering. As far as mixing sweet and savory baked goods, Tina’s Bakery has definitely struck the proper balance.

Quote of the Week: “The stove is the shrine where I convene with my ancestors.”

–Adam Ragusea

New Year, New Movies

A few offbeat offerings for the first movie weekend of 2023

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

EO BBB½

I’m not convinced that Jerzy Skolimkowski’s film says anything particularly profound, either about human nature or about humans’ interactions with nature, but it sure is a nifty piece of filmmaking. The narrative follows the episodic adventures/misadventures of a donkey called Eo, beginning with his life in a Polish traveling circus, then on to various other stops after the circus goes bankrupt and the animals are repossessed. A couple of the individual vignettes do provide a kick of energy, including a truck driver’s experiences at a rest stop, a conflict involving soccer hooliganism, and Isabelle Huppert showing up as a wealthy widow to absolutely Isabelle-Huppert the hell out of the joint. Mostly, however, there are just fantastic moments of visual invention virtually everywhere you look—a drone flight over a forest bathed in red light; the tension-packed appearance of laser sights while Eo wanders alone; the strange appearance and just-asabrupt disappearance of a robot dog; a visit to a dam where the waters clearly pour upwards—all highlighted by a terrific insinuating score by Pawel Mykietyn. It may or may not be Skolimkowski’s deliberate spin on Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, and it may or may not inspire a uniquely compassionate perspective through its animal’s-eye-view storytelling. With this much cool stuff to look at, none of that particularly matters. Available Jan. 6 at Broadway Centre Cinemas. (NR)

Corsage BB½

The notion of a main character needing to be sympathetic is patently ridiculous; it’s a bit different, however, when a filmmaker seems to want to make a main character sympathetic, but can’t quite succeed. Writer/director Marie Kreutzer explores one year in the life of Austria-Hungary’s empress Elisabeth (Vicky Krieps) from 1877-1878, as a woman once celebrated for her beauty faces down turning 40 and feeling her life increasingly without meaning. It’s a bit of a bold gambit building a narrative around the existential crisis of someone so wealthy and powerful, and Krieps finds some layers in her performance to convey someone desperate to still be seen as desirable. But while Kreutzer makes some interesting efforts at capturing Elisabeth as a woman out of time—emphasized by her fascination with the brand-new motion picture technology, and the choice to have court musicians play anachronistic pop songs like The Rolling Stones’ “As Tears Go By”—the episodic narrative rarely transcends portraying Elisabeth as impulsive and selfish, like when she refuses to allow her ladyin-waiting Marie (Katharina Lorenz) to get married, and subsequently forces Marie to become her public “body double.” The ending’s ahistorical suggestion about Elisabeth’s ultimate fate feels like a last-ditch effort to make her seem like a particularly tragic figure, rather than simply the most powerful woman in a time when all women were to some extent tragic figures. Available Jan. 6 at Broadway Centre Cinemas. (NR)

The Old Way BB½

I almost want to congratulate screenwriter Carl W. Lucas for the weird audacity behind this particular concept, even as I want to shake him for thinking he could actually pull it off. It’s set in an unspecified year in an unspecified corner of the Old West, where once-feared gunslinger Colton Briggs (Nicolas Cage) has hung up his holsters for a homesteading life with his wife Ruth (Kerry Knuppe) and daughter Brooke (Ryan Kiera Armstrong). But his past catches up with him in the form of James McAllister (Noah Le Gros), a criminal on a quest to avenge Briggs’ responsibility for the death of his father. The premise feels a lot like a cross between Unforgiven and John Wick, and it does play out somewhat that way, except that Lucas and director Brett Donowho throw a curveball: Brooke is clearly on what we would now call the autism spectrum, and Briggs probably as well. The Old Way walks an extremely precarious line as it juxtaposes the actions of Briggs and Brooke with those of McAllister, trying to find the place where a lack of conventional emotional reaction becomes pathological. And it feels more than slightly icky, even with some compelling performances along the way, most notably Le Gros capturing an icy villainy and Nick Searcy as the taciturn U.S. marshal hunting McAllister. Everything leads up to a fairly conventional guns-blazing finale, and some of the genre elements work just fine. But what exactly is it trying to say about neurodivergent people in this particular setting? I’m not convinced these filmmakers are skilled enough to say it without wading through a huge swamp of problematic. Available Jan. 6 in theaters. (R) CW

SABAN FILMS

IFC FILMS

JANUS FILMS

Live From O-Town

Singer/songwriter David Burchfield releases first live album with new lineup

BY EMILEE ATKINSON eatkinson@cityweekly.net @emileelovesvinyl

Longtime northern Utah residents are probably familiar with the annual Ogden Music Festival. Not much (short of a global pandemic) can stop this celebration, presented by Ogden Friends of Acoustic Music, as big bands from across the country usually show up, while local bands get to play alongside. In 2022, David Burchfield and the Fire Guild recorded their set, and are releasing it as an album later this year.

Burchfield has been creating music for as long as he can remember. He’s released a huge catalog as a solo artist, as well as in different bands. This current lineup, however, is one of the best he’s worked with: Megan Nay (fiddle/vocals), Dylan Schorer (electric guitar/pedal steel), Spencer Aamodt (upright bass) and Jagoda (drums).

Having moved to Utah from Colorado years ago, Burchfield made friends in the acoustic/bluegrass community in SLC, and met the Fire Guild members in those circles. As far as the name goes, there’s not necessarily an interesting story behind it, but it does have history. “I think I just thought it sounded cool,” said Burchfield. “That’s what I’ve called my live band for six or seven years; there is a Denver iteration of that as well.”

The music that Burchfield focuses on and creates dabbles in different genres. You’ll find influences from indie folk, classic country and bluegrass, and he easily weaves elements from these different categories to create his own unique and solid sound, with the Fire Guild easily adding to the mix. “I think what feels closest to my heart is the indie folk thing, because being song-

focused is really what’s most important to me,” Burchfield said. “I think that takes more of a listening audience and I think at times we’ve struggled to find more listening-centered environments for local bands in Utah, where folks are really paying attention to that. But we’ve been fortunate to find some good settings for that,” he said.

The live album from David Burchfield and the Fire Guild doesn’t focus too much on the bluegrass side of things, but instead has more Americana influences. “It’s just way more subtle, especially given our Americana instrumentation with drums and electric guitar, but …what draws me I think, to that, is community and being rooted in tradition,” Burchfield said.

He adds that he’s very excited to do a live album, as this will be his first. The cost for the album was more manageable

have made together as a band and being able to finally present the live show, because I think it’s pretty different from the studio records. We play some songs from state to state on this live set, but there’s a lot of new songs on there too.”

The recorded set marked the first time the Fire Guild played at the Ogden Music Festival, and it couldn’t have gone better. “It was great. It was the biggest stage I’ve played on and a great audience, and we worked really hard as a band to get there and to be ready for that day. All the little things that could have gone wrong, really didn’t,” Burchfield said. “People just played well and had a good time. I’m super glad we had video and audio on onsite to capture all that.”

The live album from the Fire Guild will be out April 27, and it’s an exciting listen.

ject matter, including that of the pandemic. “There’s several pandemic songs in here, meditations on impacts of COVID or wanting COVID to be over, wanting to get back to the party and get back to touring,” he said.

Now that the world is getting back to a sense of normalcy, Burchfield is excited to release this new album and continue making music with the Fire Guild. “Right now, I’m really loving what I’m learning from everyone. They’re also experienced in their own ways. They have all been playing for a really long time,” he said. “We’re finding how to bring all of that together; it’s just really unique and fun to learn about.” Meanwhile, there’s new music in the works for after the live album, and Burchfield is looking forward to getting into the studio for the first time with this lineup.

David Burchfield and the Fire Guild

Gonk, Air Vent Dweller, Badmouth, 333 @ Kilby Court 1/6

SLC punk band Gonk made the best of 2022: They served up two EP’s and played amazing shows. With singer/songwriter Alex Sandoval at the helm, Gonk is sure to have another epic year. The most recent release, OH MY GONK , hit the interwebs back in July 2022, and has been gaining praise since. To put it simply, the EP is fun as hell. From the moment you press play with “stoopid,” through the end to “dancing in the moshpit,” there are plenty of high energy punk-tastic guitar tracks that will make you want to jump around. Fellow punk outfit Air Vent Dweller joins Gonk in this terrific local lineup, and they had an equally marvelous 2022 as they released their first self-titled EP. This group also serves up killer punk vibes that you won’t want to miss if you’re a fan of the genre. As user Jessehd stated on the group’s Bandcamp, “Punk isn’t dead, they just forgot to check Utah.” Just when you thought there couldn’t be more great punk, Badmouth jumps into the lineup. They’ve been spreading their cool vibes around town, but just released their first EP in Dec. The tracks are on the shorter side, but they’re incredibly rad. “System of Oppression” is a standout, but you’ll have all four of the tracks on repeat once you hit play. Shoegaze group 333 round out the show, and honestly this one won’t be one to miss. Check it out on Friday, Jan 6 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $10 and can be found at kilbycourt.com. (Emilee Atkinson)

Gonk

By Emilee Atkinson

By Emilee Atkinson

Located above the cozy karaoke dive-bar is Boomerang’s hole-in-the-wall second half: an electric, dimly lit dance club. Entering the epitome of where you were feels like a natural evolution of any night, and Boomerang delivers. Whether you’re leaning on the bartop or bringing new life to the dance floor, Boomerang’s upstairs will introduce you to a childlike ease. This weekend, Canadian DJ/producer Somna claims the privilege and responsibility of cooking this weekend’s electronic symphony. With 200,000 monthly streamers, Somna is one of the world’s leading trance artists, using trance to drape a hypnotic, energizing blanket over a crowd; it’s the type of EDM that makes you truly forget about time. Beside You is Somna’s latest album that satisfies the energy needs of any party. Tranquil, echoey lyrics accompany building bass lines that provide the anchor of emotion needed to apply each track to your own experience, as frequent, subtle shifts in intensity keep your body engaged. Somna has enough original tracks to keep you freshly on your toes, boasting the ability and the backlog to produce a long and exciting set. Having played in venues all over (Japan, Indonesia, Switzerland, to name a few), Somna has talent recognized around the world, and a sound so sought-after that he became a Twitch streaming partner early in the pandemic, after having an international tour abruptly canceled. Boomerang bringing in such a big name is a sign that the hole-in-the-wall above the cozy karaoke dive bar is making serious steps towards being downtown’s top weekend dance spot. Go see Somna at Boomerang’s Down Under Bar Saturday, Jan 7 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15 and can be found at eventbrite.com. (Caleb Daniel)

Somna @DEVAXMEDIA

Somna @ Boomerang’s Down Under Bar 1/7

Damn Dirty Vultures, Dude Cougar, Hulking Boy Giant, Senescence @ Metro Music Hall 1/7

You don’t have to look hard for a stacked local show in SLC, and this is one of them. Starting the year off hot, Damn Dirty Vultures headline this mega-cool show with their hard rock sound. DDV offer up face-melting solos along with their heavy guitar tracks and cutting vocals. Not only does this group offer up legendary performances to the rock gods, they’re just good dudes; they recently helped raise over $20k for the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition at a show in Dec. Their 2021 release Wake is an enjoyable listen from beginning to end, and the band has talked on Instagram about new music coming soon, so it’ll be exciting to see what’s next for DDV. Accompanying those Damn Dirty Vultures are O-Town natives Dude Cougar. Formed in 2018, they’ve been chugging along, releasing their brand of punk-infused rock n’ roll. Their 2021 EP Night Aches is delightful and lamenting at the same time. According to the band’s Instagram, Hulking Boy Giant are “three spooky dudes,” and these three dudes have been making a splash on the scene since their May 2022 debut 18 Feet. HBG also helped with the benefit show DDV played at, raising money for a good cause. Rounding out this epic lineup is another O-Town group, Senescence. This post-hardcore group made their live debut back in Sept 2022, and this show at Metro will be their first SLC show. Don’t miss this epic lineup on Saturday, Jan 7 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the 21+ show are $10 and can be found at metromusichall.com. (EA)

Moxie, Flamingos in the Tree, Blue Rain Boots

@ Kilby Court 1/9

Vermont natives Moxie have been making waves with their indie rock vibes since 2017. They’ve been steadily releasing music since then, with some of their best work in 2022. The most recent, “Things I Miss,” is a cheerful reverb-soaked journey with lovely vocals. It’s contemplative and will have you thinking of the things you miss.

The band posted on their Instagram that they’ve been sitting on tons of demos that they’ve been taking their time to mix and master to deliver to fans. The polish is evident on these releases, including their track “Gelato,” a perfect track for a summer playlist that will have you nostalgic for the season when things were simpler.

Joining Moxie are indie darlings Flamingoes in the Tree. The group has been pumping out great tunes since about 2020 and released their first full album in 2022. They’ve grown a lot in that time, accruing hundreds of thousands of streams online. Listening through their catalog, it’s apparent why they have such a dedicated fanbase: Their music is full of epic effects, alluring vocals and overall chill vibes, perfect for throwing on your best pair of headphones and just escaping. SLC’s own Blue Rain Boots round out the show, following the release of two brand new singles, “Penelope” and “I’ll See You in Dreams.” This trio of bands will be at Kilby Court Monday, Jan 9 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $15 and can be found at kilbycourt.com. (EA)

Los Angeles-based artist Open Mike Eagle has been dominating in hip-hop for a number of years now. His most recent release, Component System with the Auto Reverse, exemplifies this excellence, making it look so easy. His eighth solo LP is filled with self-deprecating bars, introspective thoughts and high-level lyricism; there are zero skips in the album’s 37 minute listen. Everything he did right on 2017’s Brick Body Kids Still Daydream and 2020’s Anime, Trauma and Divorce is here, while pushing his left-field cadence and content into new directions. Mike told BET in November, “I think in a lot of ways that my craft has just been developing kind of naturally over the years. But this time, I was definitely looking to do something a little different.” The raw mixtape/radio snip-it collage feel of Component flows effortlessly—from the perfectly curated production a la beat-makers like Quelle Chris and Madlib, to the fact that every emcee featured showed up and showed out with Aesop Rock and Diamond D (of Diggin’ in the Crates fame) on the “CD Only Bonus Track,” which ends up being a major highlight on the album. It most definitely raises eyebrows, but in a good way. Mike always kills it when given just enough space to pull his listeners in, and only a select few are currently doing it like him. Catch this energetic lineup on Wednesday, Jan 11 at 8 p.m. with openers Serengeti, Video Dave and 801 icons House of Lewis. Tickets for the 21+ show are $15 and can be found at quartersslc.com. (Mark Dago)

COURTESY PHOTO

Open Mike Eagle, Serengeti, Video Dave @ DLC 1/11

Moxie

Open Mike Eagle

By Emilee Atkinson

Politics & Weed

By J.M. Bell – Salt Baked City Staff

The overall history of cannabis in the United States has been driven by political racism and economic oppression. The current political history of cannabis is more complicated, driven mostly by a mix of self-imposed scientific ignorance, paranoia, sometimes racism, sometimes oppression, and, most dangerously, habit.

While the number of politicians that support lifting restrictions on cannabis is growing year after year, the majority of our lay legislatures, even in states that have lifted some restrictions, are full of lawmakers that toe an antediluvian line created decades ago by their predecessors. In short, politicians got us into this mess, and only politics can get us out.

Back into the 1800’s, you could pick up cannabis at your local druggist. Pharmacists used cannabis, usually in the form of hashish, in many different patent medicines and compounds. It was most often used to treat nervousness and melancholy.

Recreational use was rare, and smoking cannabis was nearly unknown until an influx of Mexican migrants came into the U.S. in the early 1900’s. The Federal Government made its first regulations on cannabis use with the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, mandating that medicines using cannabis clearly state it on their labels as a way to alert anxious pearl clutchers to its inclusion.

Between 1914 and 1924, including the passing of Prohibition in 1917, twentysix states passed laws prohibiting the use of cannabis. Temperance activists, heady on having passed the Eighteenth Amendment, turned their attention to marijuana, opiates, and narcotics. Newspapers at the time told stories of violence and crime,

tied them to the use of marijuana, and turned public opinion against the drug through sensational lies, mistruths, and misdirection. The use of marijuana at the time was mostly limited to immigrants and the economically disadvantaged. This race based peniaphobia played a large role in the narrative that led to its prohibition.

Following the timeline forward, the 1930’s saw the release of the propaganda laden movie Reefer Madness “Marijuana, the burning weed with its roots in Hell!”, and passage of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. Harry Anslinger, head of the US Treasury Department’s Narcotics Bureau at the time, wrote “How many murders, suicides, robberies, criminal assaults, holdups, burglaries and deeds of maniacal insanity it causes each year can only be conjectured,” blaming cannabis in an article titled “Marijuana, Assassin of Youth.”

Time tested political tropes of drug laden minorities influencing “our” children were trotted out throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s so often, and with such sensational vigor, that the public, led by the voices of politicians and the media, could draw no distinction between marijuana and more risky drugs like heroin or cocaine.

Scan the QR code to continue reading this Salt Baked City article.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

“My life was the best omelet you could make with a chainsaw,” observed flamboyant author Thomas McGuane. That’s a witty way to encapsulate his tumultuous destiny. There have been a few moments in 2022 when you might have been tempted to invoke a similar metaphor about your own evolving story. But the good news is that your most recent chainsaw-made omelet is finished and ready to eat. I think you’ll find its taste is savory. And I believe it will nourish you for a long time. (Soon it will be time to start your next omelet, maybe without using the chainsaw this time!)

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

After researching 2023’s astrological omens, I have come to a radical conclusion: You should tell the people who care for you that you’d like to be called by new pet names. I think you need to intensify their ability and willingness to view you as a sublime creature worthy of adoration. I don’t necessarily recommend you use old standbys like “cutie,” “honey,” “darling” or “angel.” I’m more in favor of unique and charismatic versions, something like “Jubilee” or “Zestie” or “Fantasmo” or “Yowie-Wowie.” Have fun coming up with pet names that you are very fond of. The more, the better.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20)

If I could choose fun and useful projects for you to master in 2023, they would include: 1. Be in constant competition with yourself to outdo past accomplishments. But at the same time, be compassionate toward yourself. 2. Borrow and steal other people’s ideas and use them with even better results than they would use them. 3. Acquire an emerald or two, or wear jewelry that features emeralds. 4. Increase your awareness of and appreciation for birds. 5. Don’t be attracted to folks who aren’t good for you just because they are unusual or interesting. 6. Upgrade your flirting so it’s even more nuanced and amusing, while at the same time you make sure it never violates anyone’s boundaries.

CANCER (June 21-July 22)

When she was young, Carolyn Forché was a conventional poet focused on family and childhood. But she transformed. Relocating to El Salvador during its civil war, she began to write about political trauma. Next, she lived in Lebanon during its civil war. She witnessed firsthand the tribulations of military violence and the imprisonment of activists. Her creative work increasingly illuminated questions of social justice. At age 72, she is now a renowned human rights advocate. In bringing her to your attention, I don’t mean to suggest that you engage in an equally dramatic selfreinvention. But in 2023, I do recommend drawing on her as an inspirational role model. You will have great potential to discover deeper aspects of your life’s purpose—and enhance your understanding of how to offer your best gifts.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22)

Are the characters in Carlos Castañeda’s books on shamanism fictional or real? It doesn’t matter to me. I love the wisdom of his alleged teacher, Don Juan Matus. He said, “Look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question. Does this path have a heart? If it does, the path is good; if it doesn’t, it is of no use.” Don Juan’s advice is perfect for you in the coming nine months, Leo. I hope you will tape a copy of his words on your bathroom mirror and read it at least once a week.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22)

Teacher and author Byron Katie claims, “The voice within is what I’m married to. My lover is the place inside me where an honest yes and no come from.” I happen to know that she has also been married for many years to a writer named Stephen Mitchell. So she has no problem being wed to both Mitchell and her inner voice. In accordance with astrological omens, I invite you to propose marriage to your own inner voice. The coming year will be a fabulous time to deepen your relationship with this crucial source of useful and sacred revelation

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22)

Libran philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche offered advice that is perfect for you in 2023. It’s strenuous. It’s demanding and daunting. If you take it to heart, you will have to perform little miracles you may not yet have the confidence to try. But I have faith in you, Libra. That’s why I don’t hesitate to provide you with Nietzsche’s rant: “No one can build you the bridge on which you, and only you, must cross the river of life. There may be countless trails and bridges and demigods who would gladly carry you across; but only at the price of pawning and forgoing yourself. There is one path in the world that none can walk but you. Where does it lead? Don’t ask, walk!”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21)

How might you transform the effects of the limitations you’ve been dealing with? What could you do to make it work in your favor as 2023 unfolds? I encourage you to think about these question with daring and audacity. The more moxie you summon, the greater your luck will be in making the magic happen. Here’s another riddle to wrestle with: What surrender or sacrifice could you initiate that might lead in unforeseen ways to a plucky breakthrough? I have a sense that’s what will transpire as you weave your way through the coming months in quest of surprising opportunities.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21)

Sagittarian singer Tina Turner confided, “My greatest beauty secret is being happy with myself.” I hope you will experiment with that formula in 2023. I believe the coming months will potentially be a time when you will be happier with yourself than you have ever been before—more at peace with your unique destiny, more accepting of your unripe qualities, more in love with your depths, and more committed to treating yourself with utmost care and respect. Therefore, if Tina Turner is accurate, 2023 will also be a year when your beauty will be ascendant.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19)

“I’m homesick all the time,” writes author Sarah Addison Allen. “I just don’t know where home is. There’s this promise of happiness out there. I know it. I even feel it sometimes. But it’s like chasing the moon. Just when I think I have it, it disappears into the horizon.” If you have ever felt pangs like Sarah Addison Allen, Capricorn, I predict they will fade in the coming year. That’s because I expect you will clearly identify the feeling of home you want—and thereby make it possible to find and create the place, the land and the community where you will experience a resounding peace and stability.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18)

Storyteller Michael Meade tells us, “The ship is always off course. Anybody who sails knows that. Sailing is being off-course and correcting. That gives a sense of what life is about.” I interpret Meade’s words to mean that we are never in a perfect groove heading directly towards our goal. We are constantly deviating from the path we might wish we could follow with unfailing accuracy. That’s not a bug in the system; it’s a feature. And as long as we obsess on the idea that we’re not where we should be, we are distracted from doing our real work. And the real work? The ceaseless corrections. I hope you will regard what I’m saying here as one of your core meditations in 2023, Aquarius.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20)

A Chinese proverb tells us, “Great souls have wills. Feeble souls have wishes.” I guess that’s true in an abstract way. But in practical terms, most of us are a mix of both great and feeble. We have a modicum of willpower and a bundle of wishes. In 2023, though, you Pisceans could make dramatic moves to strengthen your willpower as you shed wimpy wishes. In my psychic vision of your destiny, I see you feeding metaphorical iron supplements to your resolve and determination.

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.

Complete the grid so that each row, column, diagonal and 3x3 square contain all of the numbers 1 to 9. No math is involved. The grid has numbers, but nothing has to add up to anything else. Solve the puzzle with reasoning and logic. Solving time is typically 10 to 30 minutes, depending on your skill and experience.

Cold Weather Help

Now that you’ve survived the holidays, the dreaded utility bills begin arriving for the month. Utah has had a colder than usual season, evidenced by six non-housed individuals in Salt Lake freezing to death when temps dropped below 20 degrees.

I have a friend whose furnace needs replacing and who has been without heat during this past month. I recommended they contact Utah Community Action about the HEAT program in Salt Lake, but for others, there are options around the state like fivecountyheat. org (funded by the Utah Department of Workforce Services’ Housing and Community Development division).

Getting benefits and assistance with heat is simple if your total household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level and monthly income limits. For example, if your household size is one person, 150% of the FPL is $1,699 per month. If there’s two of you, it’s $2,289 per month.

Anyone can apply, as benefits are available to all eligible persons regardless of race, religion, national origin, sex, age or political belief.

There are several ways to apply for help with your heating bill: 1. an appointment with a worker, 2. apply online or 3. submit a paper application. Salt Lake residents can phone 801-521-6107. Residents of Beaver, Garfield, Iron, Kane and Washington counties can phone 435-652-9643. In Logan—notoriously the coldest city in the state—phone 435-752-7242.

I want to give a shout-out to the First United Methodist Church and its pastor in Salt Lake City for stepping up for the first time to open their doors as a warming center when temps dropped in the capital city in December into the single digits at night. The unsheltered downtown were welcome to come in and watch movies, eat donated food and hang during those brutal nights. Volunteers from the community who normally help the unsheltered helped the staff at the historic church during those brutally cold hours to assist in herding the people to the location at 200 South and 200 East. That help alone to our unsheltered friends is certainly what the Christian Christmas spirit is about.

On the flip side, no thanks to Salt Lake County and City leaders as well as the Utah Transit Authority for not having bus service on Christmas or New Year’s Day. How are the unsheltered supposed to get to the shelters around the valley when there is no bus service? Then again, the same issue if you are one of those who has to work those holidays at convenience stores/ gas stations, hospitals, hotels, bars, restaurants … how do you get to work when the buses, TRAX, Paratransit and Front Runner aren’t operating?

The only priority for UTA over major winter holidays is to make sure that the Ski Bus and Park City-SLC Connect run to keep skiers happy, but not those less fortunate who can’t afford a car or who don’t have friends or family to drop them off at work and pick them up at the end of shift. CW

Not a Game

On Dec. 11 in Katwe Kabatoro, Uganda, a 2-year-old boy was playing near a lake when a hungry, hungry hippo “grabbed ... the boy from his head and swallowed half his body,” the Telegraph reported. Bystander Chrispas Bagonza witnessed the event and started chucking rocks at the hippo, which caused it to spit the toddler out. As the beast lumbered away, onlookers rushed the child to the hospital, where he was treated for injuries sustained in the attack. Police warned residents in the area to be on the lookout for the hippo, as they can become aggressive when they feel threatened.

‘Tis the Season

n If you don’t mind sharing a ride with the quintessential bah humbug, you stand a chance at beating traffic in the HOV lane. At least, that’s what one driver in Arizona was hoping on Dec. 13 as he cruised along Interstate 10 with an inflatable Grinch in the passenger seat, CNN reported. “While we appreciate the festive flair, this is illegal and the driver received a citation for the HOV violation,” the Arizona Department of Public Safety noted on Twitter.

n Motorists in Marathon, Florida, who didn’t heed the school zone speed limit on Dec. 13 were met with a choice: a citation, or eating an onion that’s presented by the Grinch himself. Monroe County Sheriff’s deputy Lou Caputo, a 37-year veteran of the force, started dressing up as the surly green character more than 20 years ago, the Associated Press reported. “It’s about education, awareness that our school zones are still operating even though it’s the holiday season,” Caputo said. “It catches them off guard.” Some speeders have even elected to eat the onion right on the spot.

Time on Their Hands

The Catalonia region of Spain has a quaint tradition at Christmastime that features “caganers,” or “poopers”— figurines of shepherds with their pants down, relieving themselves, Reuters reported. The figures are usually placed among nativity scenes, but more recently, they’ve morphed into caricatures of famous people such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and King Charles III. Inmates at a prison north of Barcelona are getting in on the action: They’ve been trained to produce the figurines for a family business, Caganer.com. Working four-hour shifts, prisoners mold, bake, polish and paint the figures. David Fernandez, an inmate at Puig de les Basses prison, said he feels like “an elf.” “I feel very good working all year to get the job done and spread illusion. It’s very cool. It’s something from deep inside.”

Art = Pain

Elito Circa, 52, a Philippine artist, creates his paintings with an unusual medium: his own blood. Circa told Reuters that using his blood started when he was young and had little access to painting supplies. Now he sources his “paint” every three months when he goes to Manila’s health clinic to have 500 ml extracted, which he stores in a cooler in his studio. “My artwork is very important to me because they come from me, it is from my own blood, my DNA is part of it,” Circa said.

Awesome!

This week’s “And What the Heck Have You Done?” story comes from Golden, Colorado, and 8-year-old Maddock Lipp. On Dec. 1, The Denver Post reported, Lipp skied with his family on Mount Heogh in Antarctica, achieving in his short lifetime a big feat: He has skied on all seven continents and is unofficially the youngest person to do so. Lipp said he liked Antarctica best because he “got to ski next to the penguins.” He hopes to nab a Guinness World Record for the accomplishment.

Extreme Measures

An Argentinian soccer superfan became alarmed on Dec. 13 as he headed home to watch his team’s match with Croatia in the World Cup semifinals, Oddity Central

reported. The 53-year-old was frustrated at the slow progress of the bus he was riding, so when the driver stopped and stepped out to buy something at a kiosk, the soccer fan allegedly hopped into the driver’s seat and took off toward his home. He drove about 4 miles, then abandoned the bus and its occupants and continued on foot. But police officers caught up with him and took him into custody—and he missed the whole game.

Mistaken Identity

Police officers in London were summoned to Laz Emporium, an art gallery, on Nov. 25 after a call about a “person in distress,” Sky News reported. In a gallery window, the figure of a woman could be seen slumped over, with her face in a bowl of soup. Officers broke into the gallery, only to find that the “woman” was a mannequin, and the scene was art. The American artist, Mark Jenkins, created the piece, titled “Kristina,” on a commission from the gallery’s owner, Steve Lazarides. Turns out these officers weren’t the first to be fooled; paramedics were called out to assist the woman in October.

Not-So-Smooth Reactions

A photographer in Western Cape, South Africa, set off alarm bells after he posted some shots on Facebook that eerily resembled scenes from The War of the Worlds, LAD Bible reported. Jan Vorster’s shots from Dec. 2 showed creepy creatures emerging from the surf, which provoked 22,000 comments—but Vorster, 62, said the spidery “creatures” are just dead aloe vera plants. “I thought I could use this as a metaphor for how people see these plants as aliens, but we are actually the twolegged aliens messing up their world,” he said.

Bright Idea

Even as it was naturally going out of style, the name Karen took a big hit in the last few years, when it suddenly became synonymous with an entitled, demanding, complaining woman. But one British TV and radio personality can’t bear to see the moniker disappear completely, so he has a plan, LADBible reported. Matt Edmondson has vowed to pay 100 people to legally change their name to Karen, with the hope that they’ll keep it relevant. What’s the catch? He’ll only pay you the standard fee to have your name changed, about $51. In addition, he’s launching a board game called—you guessed it!—Karen.

Weird Science

Hashem Al-Ghaili, a producer and filmmaker who has a background in molecular biology, has set imaginations on fire with a concept he shared on social media: EctoLife, “the world’s first artificial womb facility,” Huffington Post UK reported. Basically, it’s a techno farm for growing human children, and Hashem believes it could be reality within a decade. Frighteningly enough, some scientists agree. Andrew Shennan, professor of obstetrics at King’s College London, said artificial wombs are a possibility. “It’s just a matter of providing a correct environment with fuel and oxygen,” he said. “When we put people on things like heart bypasses or other organ bypasses, we are theoretically giving them what they need from a machine.” Jeepers.

Crime Report

Police in the village of Warzymice, Poland, are hunting for an unlikely culprit in a vandalism case, Notes From Poland reported on Dec. 12: a Christmas tree. The odd figure cut a hole in a fence and slashed the tires of 21 vehicles belonging to a meat warehouse around 1 a.m., and cameras recorded the whole incident. In fact, the figure is seen loitering nearby and covering themselves with branches taken from nearby trees before committing the crime. Mateusz Watral, who works for the meat company, called it “more of a guerrilla (action) than a well-prepared operation. Along the way he lost his ‘camouflage,’ (and) branches were scattered everywhere.”