EDITOR’S NOTE: For preview coverage of the 49th Utah Arts Festival, which runs June 19-22, The Utah Review is presenting individual or group profiles of artists, performers, entertainers and some newcomers to the event. Visitors will also see the first significant change of the last 15 years in the festival map. There are several new features this year: Voodoo Productions’ street theater will include roaming graffiti stilt walkers, contortionists and living master works of art. Salt Lake Acting Company will appear for the first time at the festival, offering a sample from its upcoming summer show, The Secret Lives of the Real Wives in the Salt Lake Hive. Urban Arts is offering its largest live graffiti mural installation, while a row of several other artists will be demonstrating their creative process in real time. For kids, as admission for those 12 and under will be free, there will be plenty of make-and-take art options in Frozen Spaces in the Art Yard. The City Library auditorium will be the home to the 22nd edition of the international Fear No Film program, with the strongest slate of narrative short films in the event’s history. Of course, dance, who wears the empress jewels in performing arts, will be represented by Repertory Dance Theatre, Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Echoing Spirit Dancers and, of course, the ever-popular 1520 Arts, at The Round. For tickets and more information, see the Utah Arts Festival website.
THE/THEYS
Formed in August, 2022, The/Theys originated when drummer (Green) and pianist (Blue) met by chance at an Afro-beat band rehearsal in Lehi, Utah. Discovering they were neighbors in Salt Lake City, Blue invited guitarist (Purple) to join them for some impromptu jam sessions at Recording Club Studios in October and the seeds of The/Theys were sown. In January 2023, the band expanded with the addition of percussionist (Red), setting up the foundation for their song Halcyon, a track that would later become a standout on their debut EP, released on December 28, 2023. The band recently issued its live album Corduroy Fantasy, a compilation of improvisational recordings
TUR: Would like a brief account of how your group was formed and decided to set out on its performing and writing music platforms.
TT: We started just “jamming” in a garage in SLC in 2022. The whole story is found here.
TUR: What is your musical training and background coming in as a performer and as a group?
TT: Most of us have been trained or have performed many genres from Classical, Jazz, Blues, West African, Afro-Cuban, Rock and Metal.
TUR: Who do you consider as role models, inspirations and influences in your music and performing?
TT: Even though we explore a lot of different genres, I believe that the core of the band is based on jazz music. With that said, there are many jazz musicians to note, but when I (Green/Drums) had met Pianist (Blue), I immediately heard the McCoy Tyner (John Colton Quartet) like style in him and knew that he and I could make something click.
TUR: If you were to encapsulate your musical base into a simple phrase or tag, what would it be?
TT: We are a group that is devoted to authentic creativity, that stems from a rapid-fire “no-one-knows” mentality.
TUR: What do you consider the most essential elements of writing or performing a song for your group that not only resonates with the group but also with the audiences who have been coming to your shows?
TT: We believe that it is our avant-garde style and heavily improvised shows that brings people back. Not to mention our costumes that completely disguise who we are.