TRANSCRIPT
Salt Lake City has a strange reputation. When Kyle Lamont peels back the stereotypes however, she finds that the city’s concert culture is creative, edgy and kind. We will go from salt flats to velvet curtains, passing through local nerd caves. We will hang out with Travis Bone, aka Furturtle, world renowned illustrator, and hear his surprising process when designing a concert poster. We will meet up with Will Sartain, the co-owner of the Urban Lounge, who might just spill secrets about the venue's live music lore.
After spending time with Travis and Will, you will hear how Mormonism also deeply influences the city’s concert culture. It’s a brand of kindness that seeps out from the artists in a very Salt Lake City way. Here, community is more important than celebrity.
After spending time with Travis and Will, you will hear how Mormonism also deeply influences the city’s concert culture. It’s a brand of kindness that seeps out from the artists in a very Salt Lake City way. Here, community is more important than celebrity.
Wayfinding in Salt Lake CIty
|
When designing Salt Lake City, Mormon city planners created a grid system of identical square blocks organized around a center point, which is Temple Square and where we begin. Basically, every number indicates how far away you are from the temple. So 2100 east means 21 blocks east from the temple. It's a mathematician's dream, but it's confusing as hell.
In the spirit of celebrating getting lost, I want to share with you a map of the places I traveled to in this episode. Starting with the Temple, headquarters for Mormons around the world. And with the renowned Tabernacle Choir, it's also sort of like the musical heart of Salt Lake City. Every Sunday, 360 volunteers serenade you (and God) under the glow of a futuristic ceiling. Differences woosh away, leaving just the music. |
The Concert poster: from advertisement to momento
Concert poster culture is a big deal. And Travis Bone (aka Fur Turtle) is too. I meet up with him in his Nerd Cave (his words, not mine). Here, he spends hours listening to music and concocting rich visual words for people like the Avett Brothers, Alabama Shakes and Sylvan Esso. Travis Bone guides us through the history of gig posters and shares the awkwardness when it comes to meeting the musicians he’s made art for. Travis is humble and creative in the same way as just about everyone I meet in Salt Lake City.
Peg legs & live music lore
Next, Will Sartain takes us on a tour through the beloved music venue he co-owns. At the Urban Lounge, Will wears many hats. Handyman, confetti-cleaner-up-er, Travis Bone’s art curator, Excel spreadsheet extraordinaire. At the heart of it, it’s clear how much Will wants to show up for his city’s music community. He’s also got some wild stories. From celebrity shenanigans in the green room to parking lot brawls with a one legged man, my favorite story is about the time Monotonix couch-surfed through the crowd. Yes. Took a couch from the green room and crowd surfed.
|
|