Dessa
Dessa is the First Lady of the Doomtree hip-hop collective, and the intricate lyricist is heading out on her first-ever headlining tour this spring in support of her 2010 solo debut, A Badly Broken Code. Her background as a published author and philosophy student informs her highly literary rhyme style, and years on the road with the rest of the Doomtree crew has honed her live skills; a Dessa show is a combination of performance art, poetry slam and ultra-modern cabaret. Fellow Doomtree performers Sims and Lazerbeak are on the road with Dessa, and they’ll be performing two shows in one night, joined by some of Utah’s homegrown hip-hop talent. Dopethought joins the party at the early show at Kilby Court; Mindstate and Scenic Byway are on the bill later at The Urban Lounge. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $8 advance/$10 day of show; The Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, 9 p.m., $8 advance/$10 day of show
In what is hopefully going to be an ongoing trend, The Depot is welcoming a couple of young touring groups to the venue with a crazy-cheap price, in hopes of introducing some new fans to both the bands and the club. The Janks are a young L.A. crew steeped in ’60s-influenced pop and gritty Americana, and they’ve been compared to everyone from Neil Young to Wilco to the White Stripes, using vintage instruments to elicit the classic sounds they adore. The Shivers are a New York City-based boy-girl duo who have spent the past decade exploring garage-rock in its myriad forms, from gritty, energetic tunes to dark ballads. Opening up is Provo’s Fictionist, who is in the final four of Rolling Stone magazine’s contest to put an unsigned band on its cover this summer. Consider this a chance to congratulate the boys in advance. The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, 8 p.m., $5 advance/$10 day of show
Ron Pope
Some will try to dismiss singer/songwriter Ron Pope as another in a long line of wannabe troubadours trading on his good looks and a lucky break—in this case the break being Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance playing a bunch of his tunes on the show, which led to more than eight million people tracking Pope down on YouTube. But you don’t want to sell Pope short, considering he paid his dues for years in the Greenwich Village scene with his former band The District. He’s also no slouch as a guitar player, aspiring for some combination of Jimi Hendrix’s fiery style mixed with atmospheric sonic architects like The Edge and Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood. He released his new album, Whatever It Takes, on his own label, and is now touring the country in hopes of making people remember his name, not just the TV show where they first heard him. Ari Herstand and Zack Berkman open. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7 p.m., $12 advance/$15 day of show
Sons of Nothing CD Release
Many Salt Lakers know the Sons of Nothing as a top-notch Pink Floyd tribute act that played around town for years. But the band has always written and performed prog-pop tunes of its own, and after years in the works—a period stretched out by the band members sprawling across the West—Sons of Nothing has a new set of tunes to unleash on the public. Green & Grey is the name of the new set, and it’s Sons of Nothing’s first album of new material in five years. They’ll be celebrating by playing the album in its entirety and in order at this CD release show. Also on the bill are Rush tribute band Roll the Bones and Our Dark Horse. Carol’s Cove II, 3424 S. State, 9 p.m., $5 advance/$10 day of show
Jimmy Eat World
There was a point in time when Arizona band Jimmy Eat World seemed on the brink of becoming huge, or at least as big as former tourmates Foo Fighters, Green Day or Weezer. Their tune “The Middle” was part of every movie trailer of 2001, or at least seemed like it, and the Bleed American album (renamed Jimmy Eat World after 9/11) garnered the band a pop audience after older releases like Clarity had made the band emo heroes. The band has regularly put out solid collections in the years since, including 2010’s Invented, but the albums don’t come with the same buzz as they once did. Even so, if quality, poppy guitar-rock is your bag, Jimmy Eat World could still be your band. In The Venue, 219 S. 600 West, 6 p.m., $27 advance/$30 day of show
004 CD Release
A Sunday afternoon seems like a fine time to hop in the way-back machine and reacquaint ourselves with one of Salt Lake City’s revered, defunct bands, 004. The early-’80s crew blended New Wave and ska and attracted a following of Utah hipsters before anyone thought such a thing was possible. Now some folks, including the band’s guitarist Scott Simons, have captured on CD a slew of the band’s recordings. State of Affairs: 1980-83 is a glorious blast of Utah’s past and damned if you can’t still dance to it! The CD release party won’t include a live show from the far-flung members of the band, but it will be a reunion of Salt Lake City scenesters and a fine potluck at 4 p.m. Sunday. Email 004SLC@gmail.com to RSVP, for directions and more information.
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Husband-and-wife musical duo Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have visited Utah together before, playing a couple of co-headlining dates at Red Butte Garden that naturally included a little cross-pollination between the two blues-based artists. Now they’ve gone ahead and formed a new band so they can share the stage a little more naturally. The Tedeschi Trucks Band is a new 11-member ensemble that includes a couple of percussionists, a horn section and a couple of backup singers, making the TTB fully capable of funk and soul workouts in addition to their blues tunes. Their debut album, Revelator, will be released June 7. But let’s face facts: Derek Trucks and his incredible guitar playing are reason enough to catch this show. Ask anyone who saw him play circles around Eric Clapton a few years back at EnergySolutions Arena. Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, 8 p.m., $35-75
Coming Up
Soulive (The State Room, May 19), Bang Tango (Club Vegas, May 19), Vieux Farka Toure (City-County Building, May 20), The Greenhornes (The Urban Lounge, May 20), Man Man (In The Venue, May 20), Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience (The Depot, May 21), U2 (Rice-Eccles Stadium, May 24), Radio Moscow (The Urban Lounge, May 25)
