October 4
Saves The Day$156 p.m.Kilby Court(741 S. 330 West)
The high-pitched squawking of Christopher Conley is the perfect accoutrement to Saves The Day’s soft-punk stylings. Conley’s violent lyrics are concealed by the group’s layering of distorted guitars that thrum carefully crafted catchy pop melodies. Long-venerated for this distinctive and delightful sound, Saves The Day is either an old-time favorite, or an as yet undiscovered one. Do not miss this once-in-a-lifetime experience, as the band revisits its SLC stomping grounds, Kilby Court (where it first performed in 1999), and sheds the distortion for a tear-jerking, ber-emo acoustic jam.
Lil Wayne$578 p.m.Harry O’s(427 Main Street, Park City)
While Lil Wayne’s lyrical content doesn’t differ from the usual gangster banter (bitches, drugs and whips), he at least delivers his genre’s stereotypes in a clever — if not entirely earnest — amalgam of street punditry. Exceptional proclivity for the gift aside, it’s hard not to like a rapper who has pulled himself up by the grill, emerging from the notoriously dangerous Seventeenth Ward of New Orleans to luxurious venues la Park City’s Harry Os. You make it rain on dem ho’s Lil Wayne. You make it flood.
October 6
Deerhoof$12.507 p.m.In The Venue(579 W. 200 South)
A not-easily-defined three piece hailing from San Francisco, Deerhoof displays the instrumental eclecticism and overall open-mindedness expected of a group from the United States’ western bastion of liberalism. It’s also the longest running group on Indie Label, Kill Rock Stars, a symbiotic relationship that has seen the release of no less than nine unclassifiable records. The awkward, yet engaging juxtaposition of classically trained Greg Saunier’s instrumental backing of Satomi Matsuzaki’s childlike voice is best heard to be understood.
Jimmy Eat World$25Utah State Fairpark(155 N. 1000 West)
Although you might be understandably recalcitrant to let your friends know of your unbridled and secret love for emo, I suggest you listen to the overused but nonetheless sagacious advice of your mother and other wise persons to embrace those genuine, if introverted yearnings. Bumping Dashboard Confessionals from your car speakers at full volume can be exhilaratingly liberating, especially after years of listening to Taking Back Sunday only when you’re alone and in the closet (I mean this in the most physical sense of the phrase). What better place to begin this true-to-self new start than by attending the concert of the emo-rock forerunners Jimmy Eat World, which is releasing its fifth studio album, Chase The Light, this month.
October 11
Atmosphere$20In The Venue(579 W. 200 South)
Spearheading the underground hip-hop renaissance of the late ’90s/early 21st century, Atmosphere has inducted more new jack “heads” into hip-hop culture than balloon-pant celebr and early rap ambassador, MC Hammer. Emcee Slug’s simple, but enticing flow explores his personal relationships and hip-hop culture, usually with witty metaphor but always with the same raspy smoker’s voice and charismatic demeanor. Add to that producer Ant’s funky jazz masterpieces and you have one of the most seminal hip-hop groups of the last decade.