As you know by now, Netflix is streaming a new three-part series called
Murder Among Jack Mormons. Authorities from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints objected on account of the Lord told them he doesn t like the term Jack. It s all quite embarrassing. The documentary focuses on Mark Hofmann who, in 1985, killed two people with bombs. Hofmann, who was a closeted Jack Mormon and a master forger, kept finding old documents that seemed to undermine the church, founded by Joseph Smith in 1830. Religions are always trying to authenticate their faith like Jesus walking on water. Closer inspection reveals it was low tide. Smith was led to gold plates that held The Book of Mormon gospel by an angel called Moroni. But Hofmann discovered a letter that said it was actually a white salamander that guided old Joe. It was so shocking that Mormon leaders turned a whiter shade of pale it was that bad. They quickly bought the letter so it would never be seen. Of course, it was
Aaron Shaw
Schools of all kinds have struggled with the many hows of this past pandemic year, and that doesn t exclude organizations like SpyHop, Salt Lake City s longtime music, film, audio and design center for youth. Director of Marketing and Community Relations Larissa Trout says, though, that the local non-profit quickly developed a beneficial system of response one that hinges on simply showing up for their students, and building an environment in which students can show up, too. Not speaking for all of them, but I think our students across the board, they need us, says Trout, just shy of the March 13 anniversary that she recalls as being the last day at SpyHop-as-it-was. The message has always been there that young people need a positive adult role model. They need mentors, they need somebody in their corner who they can be their true selves with, and a pandemic doesn t change th
Ghost of the Weed Garden
It seems these days that artists rarely choose a name that reflects the kind of music they make; too many ironic names abound. But the name Pitcher Plant the title of the solo project by local Ysa Pitman is perfect for this surrealist autoharpist. Her recent burst of three singles, released as
Ghost of the Weed Garden, is a lovely little preview of what this artist has in store, hopefully by way of a full EP release later this year. Fans of Joanna Newsom or early St. Vincent will find some similarities here, in part due to the fanciful and beguiling sounds built by the autoharp that Pitman plays, but also by way of whimsical appearances by violin, horn and cornet. However, Pitman veers away from any of the tepid strangeness of the two aforementioned artists, and into a more brash, plain-delivered poetry such as when on Pit, she shrieks going into the pit / spit it out, let it in! With some parts arranged by Provo producer and multi-instrumentalist Bly
Mike Riedel
I dare say that Belgian-style ales are the most difficult beers for people to get to know. There s something primal yet refined in these beers that breaks all of the molds. Two local breweries have crafted two very different examples that show how interpretation and inspiration can go hand in hand.
Level Crossing - Eternal Pursuit: This beer pays tribute to the Belgian strong styles, and features Level Crossing head brewer Chris Detrick on the label, striking his best New Testament monk pose. The Belgian-style ale Detrick decided to emulate is Dark Strong Ale and the name pretty much says it all. It pours a medium to dark mahogany brown with red highlights. Thin off-white foam dissipates slowly to patches and a ring around the glass. The aroma features that distinctive sweet, bubblegum and clove aroma, with notes of cocoa and brown sugar sweetness. Notable bitterness from Europea
Captain America: The Winter Soldier,
Captain America: Civil War,
Avengers: Infinity War and
Avengers: Endgame. As wildly successful as those movies were collectively grossing more than six-and-a-half
billion dollars worldwide they re not exactly the kind of movies that get people to take you seriously as filmmakers. So after a 20-year career spent almost exclusively on superheroes, episodic television and high-concept comedies, you could understand how the Russos might want to do something Serious. Something about Issues. Something that makes people think, Hey, these guys are more than caretakers of intellectual property; they re
directors.
It s awfully hard to watch
Cherry the Russos adaptation of Nico Walker s 2018 novel without feeling like you re getting sprayed by the sweat coming off of these guys as they direct themselves into a frenzy. Here is a two-and-a-half hour epic of war and love and addiction in which by God and sonny Jesus these guys are going to direc