Nick Jaina
Sept. 11, 7 p.m.
$10
Kilby Court (741 S. 330 West)
Originally from California, Nick Jaina migrated east to the French quarter of New Orleans before settling in Portland, Ore., his current abode. Nick’s life experience comes through in his folk ballads, where he croons away like a modern day Woody Guthrie. Jaina plays the most with his seven-piece band which includes clarinets, vibraphone, violin, drums, upright bass and electric guitar. 2008 will see the release of two of this wandering musician’s albums: the piano-heavy Wool and A Narrow Way, his full-band release on HUSH Records.
Will Sartain
Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
$7
Kilby Court (741 S. 330 West)
You’ve probably heard Will Sartain’s name at various concerts in the city, always spoken in a hushed whisper and always with a certain tone of reverence. This is because Sartain has so much to do with that amorphous and incorporeal entity known as “the scene” here in Salt Lake City. He books excellent shows along with his partner in crime, Mr. Lance Saunders. But there’s more. Will also plays shows. Plays them like a cat on a hot tin roof (you know what I mean). That’s right, he is a promoter who is also an artist, and a fairly good one at that.
TV On The Radio
Sept. 13, 7 p.m.
$20
In The Venue (579 W. 200 South)
I’ll be honest: while I do write a concert preview piece nigh every week, I don’t actually plan to make it to many of them. It’s just that the idea of the concert doesn’t much appeal to me anymore. I am a tall, young man with bad circulation so I don’t like standing in one place for a long period of time; my back starts to ache and I get really thirsty. The concert for me is a nostalgic memento of the wonder years before the muscles in my body atrophy as a result of spending long hours at the computer perusing YouTube videos. With that being said, TV On The Radio is one of the rare groups whom I would make a real effort to go out and see. The way they blend their eclectic styles into a rich and syrupy New York amalgam for the connoisseur’s ear, makes one feel good about the current and future state of music.
Tilly & The Wall
Sept 15, 7 p.m.
$15
In The Venue (579 W. 200 South)
Partly composed of former members of Saddle Creek poster boy Conor Oberst’s band, Park Ave., indie pop partygoers Tilly & The Wall make that dance friendly music all the hipsters love. Think Ace of Base via Sesame Street sing along, which is an apt analogy because the group is named after a children’s book. They also have a tap dancer instead of a drummer.