First, for some big headliners. Canyons Resort continues its high-elevation concert series with Ivan Neville -- of one of NOLA’s most notorious musical families -- and his funky outfit Dumpstaphunk on Saturday, Aug. 25. The Wood Brothers (check back with City Weekly for a feature interview the week of the show) play their emotive, bluesy Americana that draws upon a catalog of original material, as well as their interpretations of various songs from the modern American songbook. Concerts begin at 6 p.m.
Aside from big-name national touring acts, several venues feature local bands. The Hidden Hollow Concert Series, hosted by Utah Open Lands, ends its abbreviated season of four shows this week with the harmonizing old-timey folk darlings, The Folka Dots. The show starts at 7 p.m.
“Old Time Feeling” by The Folka Dots
The weekly Tuesday-night double bill of local goodness down on Library Square continues for two more weeks. The Music at Main series hosts Birthquake and The Suicycles (who will split up at the end of the month) on Aug. 21, and Color Animal and Tolchock Trio on Aug. 28.
The Downtown Farmers Market is a great place to catch up-and-coming bands. Music starts at 11 a.m. in Pioneer Park. The Music at the Market is the longest-running series featured here; it runs through Oct. 13.
To get a daily dose of lunchtime tunes, check out the Brown Bag Concert Series, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. This week, the series will be at City Creek Park, and, next week, it will head back to Exchange Place Plaza. Concerts begin at 12:15 p.m., and be sure to stick around till the end when donors to the Salt Lake City Arts Council have provided for daily drawings of free lunch. A full schedule can be found here.
Excellence in the Community will host several free events, many dipping into multicultural waters, throughout the late summer and fall, including the next one featuring Ballet Folklorica with Mariachi Jalisco on Sept. 24.
And we can’t forget Utah County. The final installment of the Rooftop Concert Series in Provo will take place Sept. 7 with recent Atlantic Records-signee Fictionist and surf-rock band The New Electric Sound. The event will be preceded by the new-this-year Dance Walk around downtown.
“Still Reaching” performed by Fictionist for The Occidental Saloon
While it’s not technically free, The Twilight Concert Series continues at a $5 charge (although you won’t catch me at either of these shows). Indie-rock mainstay and public-radio-lover M. Ward and Romani-meets-indie-orchestra DeVotchKa play on Thursday, Aug. 23. Ending the series, hip-hop stalwart Common and R&B up-and-comer Aloe Blacc perform on Thursday, Aug. 30.
“I Used to Love H.E.R.” by Common
Photos courtesy of Downtown Farmers Market