Local Artist Spotlight Archives - Utah Concert Review

June 15, 2023

Emily Hicks

Emily Hicks• “Canned Wine” Single Release”• June 7, 2023

Reviewed and Photographed by Kevin Rolfe

Emily Hicks is a Utah-based Americana singer/songwriter who has captured the hearts of audiences through her soaring vocals, intimate lyrics, and quippy stage banter. With a passion for storytelling, Emily’s music is a reflection of her experiences and emotions, offering a glimpse into her world and connecting with listeners on a personal level. Her unique blend of folk, country, and pop influences creates a sound that is both timeless and contemporary, making her music accessible to a wide range of listeners. Think Taylor Swift meets Nanci Griffith with a little Brandi Carlile vocal spice thrown in.

March 29, 2023

Days Like These: A Tribute to LOW

LOW Tribute Show•March 25, 2023•Velour Live Music Gallery

Reviewed and Photographed by Alisha Gregson

The atmosphere inside Provo’s esteemed music venue, Velour Live Music Gallery, felt different than normal on Saturday, March 25th. The venue and date had originally been booked to host a concert for the band Low, a place they had performed many times over the years. Sadly, after the recent passing of Low’s drummer, Mimi Parker, no such concert would take place.

June 3, 2022

IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ

IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ w/ goodfellas & The Button Ups• May 26, 2022• Kilby Court

Reviewed and Photographed by Mallorie Lerman

When I arrived at Kilby Court on Thursday, I noticed a mass of people waiting to get in line into the venue. Vaccine cards and negative covid tests were being checked for admittance. The line was long but it moved steadily. The lineup for the night would be full of some great local artists. The show started off with the local band the Button Ups. They were followed by goodfellas. And the headliner of the evening would be IMAG¡NARY FRIENDZ. We have been trying to cover one of their shows for a while. For one reason or another, it hadn’t worked out. But it finally happened and we were excited to finally see these guys.

May 12, 2021

The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber May 7, 2021 Eccles Theater

Attending The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at Eccles Theater felt like a joyous homecoming. I love this theater. I was there opening night and have had the great fortune to return many times attending concerts, comedy, and theater. This return, after over a year away felt that much sweeter. I even had the box office staff say, “Hi Kevin, welcome back! Here’s your ticket.” before I even made it to the window. It really did feel like I was home.

February 20, 2020

UCR INTERVIEW: Cherish DeGraaf

By: Kevin Rolfe

For the next two weekends, Velour Live Music Gallery will be celebrating the 10th Anniversary of their highly acclaimed all female showcase Les Femmes De Velour. This is one of our favorite events of the year here at UCR. The showcase has been expanded from one weekend to two and will be featuring 26 incredible female artists. We caught up with Cherish DeGraaf who will be performing on Night 1 (2/20). Here is our conversation. Enjoy!

November 18, 2019

Roadie November 9, 2019, Velour

By: Justin Hicken

September 22, 2019

Branson Anderson September 20, 2019, Kilby Court

By: Katie Barber

The crowd was forced to part as a casket was brought into the room. Its pallbearers strained under the weight before laying it down next to Kilby Court’s stage. The wildly unexpected sound of an industrial saw ripped through idle chatter—something was breaking free from within the casket. Emerged a figure with dark hair, a blue bandana around his neck, and a face painted ghostly white. Branson Anderson was back from the dead.

September 20, 2019

UCR Interview- Branson Anderson

By: Kevin Rolfe

Branson Anderson is an Americana singer-songwriter based in Ogden, Utah. It’s been said that he’s a mix between Devendra Banhart meets Shakey Graves meets Bob Dylan meets Jack White. As I did my own studying up on Branson leading up to this interview I found his lyrics and vocals to be infectious. The longer I listened, the more I was hooked.

July 25, 2019

Belle Jewel July 23, 2019, Kilby Court

By: Kaden Severn

Tuesday, July 23 brought some heat that I hadn’t felt since moving to Utah. That didn’t stop people from coming out to the historic Kilby Court! The venue famous for being the debut spot for artists in the Salt Lake area brought out a small, but enthusiastic crowd to experience the chilled out vibes and beautiful vocals from three up and coming female artists.

This was my first time attending a concert at Kilby Court and was fascinated to learn of its rich history of being one of the first places that many artists play at before becoming superstars. I was excited to hear some great music from some artists I hadn’t yet heard of but have the potential to blow up like many artists who have played here before them!

June 13, 2019

Fork Fest June 8, 2019

By: Kevin Rolfe

Back in 2010 Corey Fox, owner of Velour Live Music Gallery and singer-songwriter, Joshua James put together the first Fork Fest. It’s an event that is still talked about to this day. Now in 2019, the Harrington Center for the Arts got involved and brought back this amazing festival that spotlights the best local talent in Utah.

This event could easily, and perhaps should be called Velour Fest because these bands have all graced the stage at one point or another of the iconic Utah County venue and champion for musicians in the area. There were 28 bands on the lineup, each of them at varying stages of their musical career. I’ve seen local music all over this great nation of ours. I’m continually in awe of the talent pool here in Utah. If you heard that any one of these bands were signed (whatever that means nowadays) and were heading on a nationwide headlining tour you wouldn’t be surprised. There is not only an embarrassment of riches when it comes to music talent here in Utah, but there is real professionalism in their approach to their music. Many of them started at an open mic night or a battle of the bands. But when they stepped on to one of the three Fork Fest stages they looked like seasoned veterans.