Thursday 5.31
ttThe Killers, Louis XIV (Great Saltair); 400 Blows (Burt’s Tiki Lounge); The Ohsees, Purr Bats, The Wolfs (Broken Record)
Friday 6.1
ttSHEENA EASTON
ttWhile not as prolific and, some might say, not nearly as talented as Madonna, Sheena Easton is a pop diva whose sound, attitude and sex appeal are equally synonymous with the ’80s. The one-time Prince back-up singer (“She’s Got the Look”) and muse (the Purple One penned several tunes for and in honor of the sassy chanteuse) made music videos with aerobic workout montages and appeared on Miami Vice for a short period, forever cementing her name with trivia buffs and Don Johnson. A one-time Grammy winner, her solo work is fun, familiar and perfect for the Utah Pride Festival’s three-day party. Help Easton kick off the annual celebration of diversity'and being fabulous. Utah Pride Festival, Washington Square, 450 S. 200 East, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499
VOLUNTEER JAM: CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
ttWhen Charlie Daniels wrote “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” he probably didn’t expect artists as diverse as Johnny Cash and Primus to cover the now-iconic song. No, he probably just wanted to spin a good yarn and have a damned fine time re-telling it. That’s just the kind of good-natured, laidback spirit that propelled the country singer/songwriter’s prolific career. From playing session guitar for Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen to waving his freak flag with his pro-hippie album, Daniels always had a nice spring in his step. Still does, in fact. Catch some of those infectious good vibrations tonight with Daniels, The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws. Usana Amphitheatre, 5400 S. 6200 West, 7 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 800-888-8499
Also Friday: Drop Dead Julio (Five Monkeys); Astro & Glyde (Mynt Lounge); Mayday Parade (Country Club Theater, Ogden); Swamp Donkeys (Brewskis, Ogden); Love You Long Time, The Trademark (Velour, Provo)
Saturday 6.2
ttMason Jennings (In the Venue); Viva! SLC (Gallivan Center); The Narrator (Kilby Court); Underminded (Country Club Theater, Ogden); Blue Fix (Brewskis, Ogden); En Vogue (Utah Pride Festival, Washington Square); Sawyer Brown (Silver Lake Amphitheatre)
Sunday 6.3
ttJosh Martinez, AWOL One (Urban Lounge)
Monday 6.4
ttTHE QUEERS
ttDidn’t get your fill at Pride this year? Never fear'The Queers are here! Yummy, yummy punk rock boys fronted by Joe Queer and whoever happens to be backing his silly snap, crackle, pop ditties delivered in that nasally, bratty tone. Come sing along to such classic numbers as “We’d Have a Riot Doing Heroin,” “Boobarella,” “I Can’t Get Invited to the Prom,” “This Place Sucks” and other hits that, oddly enough, sound better after more than a few brews. Don’t forget to pick up a copy of the new DVD, The Queers Are Here, so you might relive tonight over and over again. Let’s hope it’s a good one. Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State, 10 p.m. Info: 521-0572
Also Monday: The Hot IQs, Paxtin (Kilby Court)
Tuesday 6.5
ttThunderbirds Are Now! (Kilby Court); Summer Hunger Jam: Peter Brienholt (Gallivan Center)
Wednesday 6.6
ttJEDI MIND TRICKS
tt“I expect the system to fail,” Jedi Mind Tricks’ Vinnie Paz says on a track off the hip-hop duo’s Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell. Cynical, but not apathetic, the politically charged emcee creates the change he wants from within as an whip-smart lyricist who’s not afraid to bloody up his fists: “I’m nice with the glock, nicer with the semis and Tecs/ But I’m nicest when I’m clappin’ at my enemies necks.” Whoa ... harsh, especially for a group who collaborated with soft-spoken indie artist Sufjan Stevens, reinventing the singer/songwriter’s “Dumb I Sound” on “Razorblade Salvation,” which also features My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden. Suede, 1612 Ute Blvd., Park City, 9 p.m. Tickets: 800-888-8499
LACUNA COIL
ttThe Hottest Chicks in Metal tour rekindles a longstanding debate over women using their bodies to further their careers in music. Many sex-positive feminists believe that if you’ve got it, flaunt it, while detractors argue female musicians who strip to sell albums are just playing to society’s backward norms. Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia thinks that if an artist has the talent to back up her looks, what’s the harm in sexing up the cover of Revolver? Fair enough. Scabbia definitely has the chops to silence shouts of “sellout.” And while her powerful gothic voice lends comparisons to Evanescence’s Amy Lee, the Italian singer has more class and staying power than that old low-rent prima donna demonstrates on and offstage. Great Saltair, 12408 W. Saltair Dr., Magna, 7 p.m. Tickets: 800-888-8499
BRAKES, ELECTRIC SOFT PARADE
ttSome folks say a musician should stick to one band to keep his or her talents from spreading too thin. Bullocks. Consider the great side projects and incestuous groups of our time'Eagles of Death Metal, Gorillaz, Handsome Furs, The Autumn Defense'or frontmen like Elvis Costello and Nick Cave in their various incarnations. Brakes are no exception to this legacy of, at the very least, interesting music. The U.K. group, featuring members of British Sea Power and Electric Soft Parade (also set to appear tonight), takes full advantage of the secondary project’s unspoken license to mess around with eclectic sounds, from frantic countrified punk to sweet, classically British pop ballads. Kilby Court, 741 S. 330 West, 7:30 p.m. All-ages. Tickets: 24Tix.com
Also Wednesday: The Faint (In the Venue); Harry Connick Jr. (Abravanel Hall); American Aquarium (Urban Lounge)
COMING UP
ttThe Aggrolites (In the Venue, June 8); Dark Arts Festival (Area 51, June 8-10); Matt & Kim (Kilby Court, June 9); True Colors: Cyndi Lauper (Usana Amphitheatre, June 9); Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi (Red Butte Garden, June 10); Handshake Murders (Country Club Theater, June 10); Faith Hill & Tim McGraw (ES Arena, June 11); Gang Gang Dance (Urban Lounge, June 12); X96 4-Play (Gallivan Center, June 13); Heiruspecs (Urban Lounge, June 14); Tom Scott (Ogden Amphitheatre, June 15); Two Cow Garage (Burt’s Tiki Lounge, June 15); Tesla (Great Saltair, June 15); Naughty By Nature (Harry O’s, June 15)
