Provo Post 8: Things I Like

This past weekend Provo learned some big news: the burned-out tabernacle will become an LDS temple. I have conflicted feelings about this, and I'm not especially pleased (though I have found some arguments that its a good thing persuasive). But I'm going to wait to share my thoughts on that until later.

For now, I basically wanted to list off stuff in Provo that is good.

The (newly commercial) airport
Muse Music
Velour
Mayor John Curtis. Though I've only talked to him a couple of times, the progress Provo has experienced since he took office has been amazing. Also, he's focus on information is refreshing. He comes off as the polar opposite of Provo's previous mayor.
Communal
The weather
The trees
The Provo River Trial
Historic Downtown
NuSkin (sure, there's a lot to dislike about NuSkin — and I don't know anyone my age who likes them — but it's unlikely Provo's downtown would have ever been turned around without them. I have never participated, purchased or collaborated with NuSkin. However, my interactions with the company have been marked by uncommon and unfailing grace on their part.)
Sensuous Sandwich
The Freedom Festival
Gallery Stroll (when it happens, which is not enough)

My Old Band, Winston McCoy

Though I usually try to refrain from posting things that are simply about myself without any other critical discussion, I've decided to share the video below. (And besides, this blog seems to be getting less and less discussion oriented and more and more about the stuff that I'm up to.)

Anyway, the video is of my band from many years ago. It's at the old Muse Music, in Provo, Utah, which was between the new Music Music and Velour (on University Ave). Also, it was a battle of the bands that night. We had three camera people filming us, and afterward I edited the whole thing into a DVD and we tried to sell it at our subsequent shows. Unfortunately, we didn't play all that many more shows after this, and we only ever sold one copy of the DVD. Still it had an awesome DVD cover (which I also made), and was very professionally done ;)

The last thing that's worth knowing is that at the end of the show, I smashed my guitar. It was epic. If you want to see the whole DVD, drop me a line. I typically force people to watch it all the time at my house, so I'd be more than happy to oblige you.

Neon Trees

Have you ever wished you could go back in time and meet a famous person before he or she got famous? As a music lover, I know I have. Wouldn't that be cool, I've thought, to see The Beatles in a little club in Hamburg? Or Radiohead when they were still high school students in Oxford, England?

Well right now Provo, Utah has a band that is on the cusp of stardom. That band is Neon Trees. They've been wowing local audiences for years now, but this week they released their debut record "Habit," on Mercury Records. That means that their record is available everywhere. You can find it in Target, Best Buy, and pretty much anywhere across the country. It's also on iTunes and is one of the week's top downloads. In fact, the album's single is a free download on iTunes. Just go and click on it and you'll have it. (Though I'd recommend getting the whole album, because it's fantastic.) 

And just to reiterate, this is a Provo, Utah, band. Though they don't have any pending shows in Provo (having just played one last weekend), you can still follow them from their early days. If they blow up and become huge, you'll have been there (mostly) from the start.

However, this isn't just about bragging rights. It's also about listening to some really great music. Though I'd argue that Neon Trees is best enjoyed live, their album is very cool. To go back to The Beatles analogy, if you had seen them in their early days you'd have something to talk about, but you'd also probably have had a unique musical experience that would have been pleasurable in it's own right.

Of course, Neon Trees will certainly not become as famous or influential as The Beatles, or even Radiohead. No band really can at this point, and many bands that make it as far as the Neon Trees have don't ever fully realize their potential. However, if ever there was band that seemed destined for success, Neon Trees are it. They've been getting loads of positive press, and this week are playing at the South By Southwest Festival, in Texas. They'll also be appearing soon on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and later this year on tour with 30 Seconds to Mars. 

If it wasn't clear by now, I'm pretty biased in favor of the band, but that's largely because I've had a series of positive experiences with them. I've written about them for Rhombus, and the Daily Herald, twice. So go check them out and be one of the first people to listen to an awesome band.

All of these picture were taken by Laura, at the band's Velour show on March 12.