Salt Lake Live Music Poster and Flyer Collection (745 Items)
[Salt Lake County]: 1989-2001. Ephemera. ***More images available upon request. 745 items. Almost all in fine condition. The flyers and posters range from 1/2 standard sheet size (approx. 8.5" x 5") to large posters (approx. 17" x 14"). Most are standard sheet size (8.5" x 11"). Roughly a dozen duplicates are present. An enormous collection documenting live music, festivals, and performance in the Salt Lake area through the 1990s in the clubs and small venues of the valley. Legendary clubs like the Speedway Cafe, Pompadour, Bar & Grill, Bricks, Spanky's, Playscool, the basement of DV8, Burt's Tiki Lounge, Dead Goat Saloon, Area 51, The Zephyr Club, The Holy Cow (now the Urban Lounge), and Kilby Court are well represented, as well as the holes-in-the-wall like the Moroccan, Painted Word, Shaggy's Living Room, and Green Guinea. Educational and cultural institutions, and outdoor venues are also prominently featured in this collection, including Bryant Intermediate School, the University of Utah Ballroom in the Union Building, Westminster College, the Indian Walk In Center, Draper Park, and the Fairgrounds Creative Arts Building. Some places provided venues on a weekly basis, other places provided them only a few times, or maybe even just once. A number of flyers showcase then unknown bands who first played tiny venues like these, and who went on to gain a larger audience and, in some cases, are still performing today (The Vandals, Social Distortion, Bad Religion, GWAR, Slayer, Johnny Rotten, Suicidal Tendencies, Korn, and many others). Countless local acts are represented, including those that performed steadily throughout these years (Iceburn; Endless Struggle; Starmy; Red Bennies; Bob Moss; Daughters of the Nile), as well as bands that were together for slightly shorter periods (Mouthbreather; Gnawing Suspicion; Wovoka, etc.). Interestingly, a handful of local bands that had their origins in the 1980s appear such as Bad Yodelers, Potato Heads, Dinosaur Bones, The Clocks (a noise band), Slaughterchrist, and the Stench. The bands are announced in a way that was standard during this period- with imaginatively designed, often do-it-yourself paper flyers, posters, and handbills. The lion's share are illustrated, with no mention of the artist. Some are very simple, just delivering the necessary information. This collection manages to document the entirety of the music scene, instead of a single genre, with numerous examples of posters and handbills promoting Hardcore, Punk, Pop, Rap, Metal, Industrial, Folk, Bluegrass, Rockabilly, Psychobilly, Ska/Reggae, etc. Not only does this archive highlight the bands and the incredibly diverse musical movements that were moving through Utah during this period, but at the same time, it calls attention to the promoters who worked so hard to put the shows together, find willing venues, and get the word out to the public- promoters such as Raunch, Modified, Heavy Metal Shop, Graywhale, KRCL, and Slug Productions. Finally, when flipping through the flyers, one can't help but think of the artists behind the scenes who created the flyers, thereby playing a large role in advertising the events. Fine. Item #71248
The bands that passed through Utah came from far and wide, as is evidenced in these flyers, and they performed at all types of different venues. They came from Washington D.C., California, Missouri, Michigan, the UK, Canada, and a multitude of other places. More often than not, after a band played, the members did not disappear backstage, never to be seen again. Instead, most of them watched the other bands that were playing, and they mingled with the people who had come to support them, creating a significant exchange of experiences and ideas. The shows were frequent, widening the audience's world and cultivating a sense that there was something to do in a state known for its sheltered lifestyle and conservatism. Many of the shows took place in Salt Lake City, however they also radiated out to areas which included Murray, Provo, Bountiful, and Logan. This certainly wasn't the only time in Utah's history that an energetic and creative music movement took hold of the musicians, promoters, and audiences, however the period represented in this collection does symbolize an important piece of the puzzle in the counter-culture history of Utah's live music scene. First and foremost, these flyers underscore the ideas and values that were important to the musicians and the people attending these shows: providing "all ages" venues; charging low entry fees (often $3 to $7) and occasionally organizing free events; working around Utah's quirky laws, such as the private club law, which required a patron to pay a fee and fill out an application before entering a bar; and banding together to put on benefit shows (for the unsheltered, Food Not Bombs, Rape Recovery Center, Utah Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society, Utah Food Bank, and U.S. Cuba Friendshipment/Right to Travel, among others).
A large, extremely well preserved assortment of visually interesting concert flyers. While the archive illustrates how diversified the music scene in Utah was during the nineties, at the same time, it demonstrates the cohesiveness of the local music community- a community which possessed a strong ability to foster an environment which promoted individuality and activism.
"Witness the shredding of the Zion Curtain" - from the flyer for Head Fest 95'.
Price: $6,500.00