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UCR INTERVIEW: Paul Curatolo (Paul McCartney) of RAIN- A Tribute to The Beatles

RAIN as The Beatles

“RAIN – A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES will bring the greatest hits to life, from Ed Sullivan all the way to Abbey Road. This mind-blowing performance takes you back in time with the legendary foursome delivering a note-for-note theatrical event that’s as infectious as it is transporting. Let RAIN take you back with all of your Beatles favorites such as “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Hard Day’s Night,” “Sgt. Pepper,” “Come Together,” “Hey Jude” and more! Experience the worlds’ most iconic band and get back to where you once belonged with RAIN – A TRIBUTE TO THE BEATLES.”

RAIN will be performing a 90-minute Best of the Beatles for three shows at the Maverik Center on April 9th & 10th. The first rock shows at Maverik in over a year! These shows will take place at 8 pm on the 9th and 3 pm and 8 pm on the 10th. The Maverik Center has taken enhanced health and safety measures including limited capacity seating for plenty of distance, face-covering requirements, hand sanitizing stations, and cleaning protocols before and after each performance. Click here for tickets.

I had the opportunity to chat with Paul Curatola, who performs as Paul McCartney in RAIN- A Tribute to the Beatles. We discuss what he’s been up to during the coronavirus pandemic, how he came to be a part of RAIN, what to expect from the Maverik Center shows and much more! Enjoy!

UCR: I appreciate you taking the time to talk with me.

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UCR INTERVIEW: Sydney Macfarlane of The National Parks

The National Parks

On March 20th, The National Parks will be performing at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The National Parks formed in Provo, Utah in 2013. They’ve continued to grow in popularity selling out shows across the country. The Vivint Arena show is significant not only for the Utah-based band headlining their first arena concert but for their fans as well. Hopefully this a sign that things will be getting back to normal in the live music world. As the band prepares for this monster event, I had the opportunity to visit with The National Parks Keyboardist and Vocalist, Sydney Mcfarlane. Enjoy!
-Kevin

Interviewed By Kevin Rolfe

 UCR: First off, thank you so much for taking the time. I imagine you probably have so much prep going on leading up to all this. So thank you very much.

Sydney:  Oh, yeah, no problem.  Yeah, it’s busy, but it’ll be good. We’re excited.

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A Retrospective: JOSEPH March 11, 2020 The Commonwealth Room

JOSEPH the Band

As I pulled into The Commonwealth Room parking lot on March 11, 2020, to cover JOSEPH, I could already tell things were different.  So different that I parked within the first three spots next to the venue.  

Just a little under a week earlier I was at The Commonwealth Room. I was watching The Lone Bellow perform in front of a sold-out room.  There were a couple of masks being worn, but the place was packed and people were standing shoulder to shoulder.  I walked up to the box office to get my ticket and photo pass and asked, “How’s it looking in there?”.  “Well, it’s definitely not a full house.  This show was almost sold out.”  It was clear to me that people were already beginning to practice what we would hear so much in the following year, “social distancing”.  

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ZZ Ward March 2, 2020 The Complex

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Kevin Rolfe @utahconcertreview

Back in 2012, I was at the concert of a band (who shall remain nameless) who was huge that year.  Their songs were on the charts, they were all over TV and everybody seemed to really like them. Obviously I liked them, I was at their concert. But I remember leaving the venue and running into a former coworker.  I asked him if he liked the concert and he stated that he wasn’t at that concert but at the venue nearby seeing ZZ Ward. I knew the name but wasn’t familiar with her music. He stated that he could hear the concert I was at through the wall dividing the venues.  He then mentioned, “Sounds like it was a good time.” But he said it in a tone that let me know, it wasn’t as good as his show. ZZ Ward was playing in a smaller, more intimate venue so I thought, “There’s no way that show was better than mine!” Well in the following days, I heard people at other shows I was attending and posts online mentioning how amazing that ZZ Ward show was.  All this time later, I wished I could have seen her in that tiny no longer used venue. Finally, on March 2 I was able to see what all the fuss was about.

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Savage Daughters February 22, 2020 The Beehive

By: Alex Wardell

Photo Credit: Alex Wardell

I love springtime, the new beginnings, the fresh smell in the air and let’s not forget the wonderful memories to which we must cling; the future and creating memories may be postponed longer than we may like. However, I refuse to let this period of unrest damper our ability to reminisce and enjoy recent events and anticipate greater things to come. Maybe, my taking, much, much too long in finishing this review for once, is a good thing. Giving us this opportunity to remember a better moment. Today’s review comes from way too long ago, when I had the opportunity to enjoy four groups of performers and songwriters from our very own city and surrounding communities. I was invited to cover this show at the Beehive by some of our local performers. I was excited about this show.  More than most. If anything, platforms like this one are ideal for local musicians to be recognized. At the risk of sensationalizing my reviews any more than I do, I have to come out and say this concert was hands down my favorite of the year, so far. 

Four groups were playing inside this most intimate venue on 666 South in Salt Lake City. I had never been to The Beehive before and I must say I was intrigued as to how the show was going to take shape. The front of the venue is a bar/ restaurant and the stage was a covered, possibly out of commission rigged and lit platform in the back. The concrete floor and lack of a place to sit did nothing but increase my excitement and anticipation for the night ahead, a night, for which I was completely unprepared. I was not familiar with any of these bands before that night. I had listened to a bit to Savage Daughters after talking with them a bit, yet today, I still find myself scouring the internet for more of their deeper cut tracks, new releases, and live performance videos. 

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Amanda Shires March 4, 2020 The State Room

By: Justin Hicken

Photo Credit: Justin Hicken @hicken_s_concert_adventures

Live music is being consumed very differently today than it was just a few weeks ago. Before the live-music world temporarily shifted to quarantined stream only on social media, earlier this month I had a blast attending a wonderful show by Amanda Shires and L.A. Edwards. These are two artists that I was not previously familiar with, and with everything currently on pause, I’m so happy I took advantage of this opportunity to introduce myself to their music. 

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Miranda Lambert February 25, 2020 Vivint Arena

By: Kevin Rolfe

Photo Credit: Tyler Conrad

We’ve had a few canceled or postponed shows in Utah in the last few months. Some due to weather, and some due to illness. The latter is the case for Country Music superstar, Miranda Lambert. From what I read on social media, Ms. Lambert became under the weather and wasn’t comfortable performing with her voice in the state it was in. It’s disappointing when a show needs to be postponed, but I admire Miranda for wanting to give her fans the best show possible. This performance was well worth the wait.

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Hippie Sabotage March 7, 2020 The Union

By: Kinsi Cook

Photo Credit: Kinsi Cook @kinsis.photos

Marking their tenth stop on the Direction Of Dreams Tour, Hippie Sabotage took Salt Lake City by storm. Hippie Sabotage is an indie duo from Sacramento California, composed of brothers Kevin and Jeff Saurer. Stopping by Utah for the first time since last summer’s SLC Twilight, Hippie Sabotage put on one of the best concerts that I have ever been to. Fans were allowed into The Union at 7 PM, however, they started lining up long before then trying to secure their spot at the front of the barricade. 

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