A Huge Weekend for the Provo Music Scene

_{By Zach Collier}

The music scene has become an integral part of Provo’s culture. While the average resident may only know about the breakout successes of Imagine Dragons and Neon Trees, the musicians and producers in this city – individually and collectively – are doing a ton to bring the sounds of Provo to the masses. A  lot happened this week, especially in the last two days. Reporting on everything at once will help paint a picture of the unique dynamic this city has when it comes to music.  We’re going to catch you up all in one handy post.

American Idol

On Thursday, Jenn Blosil was sent home from the final season of American Idol. Jenn put on a series of stellar performances, but unfortunately didn’t make the Top 10. She posted a heartfelt thank you to her friends, family, and fans, thanking them all for their support (watch it here). Jenn was the last of the large group of musicians repping Utah Valley to be sent home from the show. Other contestants from the Provo/Orem area include Bri Ray, Amber Lynn, and James VIII. Their work on Idol gave the Provo music scene some significant exposure on the national level. On behalf of Reach Provo, we want to give a heartfelt thank you to them for their performances and for using their talents to touch the world.

Red Yeti Restructures

Yesterday, Jenn’s brother, Nic Blosil, announced on Facebook that he would be leaving the Provo rock group Red Yeti. “I hate to make this post the day after my sister exits American Idol,” he said. “But there’s never a perfect time to make bittersweet announcements. After three and a half years in Red Yeti, I have decided to move on from the band and pursue a career outside of full-time music. Ultimately, I had to take a hard look at my life ahead as a career musician, and for me, I realized that it’s not the life that will leave me most fulfilled. Although it’s a tough decision, I feel at peace with it and will be leaving with no regrets.”

Additionally, bandmate Isaac Lomeli also announced his departure via the Red Yeti Facebook page. “It has been an incredible experience […] There is a new path for me up ahead with many new adventures. I’m excited to go down it! The guys and I are all still best friends, and the band has a ton of awesome tracks coming out on this next EP and the one planned for release after that.” Red Yeti has pushed their music hard the last few years, with some of it even ending up in a Mountain Dew advertising campaign. The band will still continue to function as a unit, but Friday, March 4 will be the last time the original Red Yeti lineup will perform together. The performance will take place at Velour Live Music Gallery, where they will play through their upcoming EP, Rx, in its entirety.

Foreign Figures Breaks Into Television

In other news, Foreign Figures had their song “Fire” featured on the TVLand original drama, Younger. The show stars Hillary Duff and is written by the same people who created Sex and the City. New episodes air Wednesdays at 10 PM, 9 Central on TVLand.

Audio West Battle of the Bands Winner

Na-G won Audio West’s 2nd Annual Battle of The Bands. He beat out Drink Up Gerald, The Black and Red, LOXS, and Soft Cyanide in the finals. Foreign Figures won Audio West’s Battle of the Bands last year. Na-G’s victory demonstrates that Provo’s growing rap scene is becoming a legitimate and accepted movement.

The Blue Aces Change Name

During their performance at Les Femmes De Velour 5 last night, The Blue Aces announced that they will officially be changing their name to The Aces, and will be releasing a single on March 17th.

Music Releases

Apart from all that exciting news, it’s also been a big week for local releases.

Michael Barrow, the first artist to sign to fledgling label Wish Granted Records, released his debut single “The List.” Recorded at Noisebox Studios with Dave Zimmerman, the single is a nice little diddy with some wonderfully romantic lyrics. It definitely has a John Mayer/Ed Sheeran vibe, and showcases Barrow’s unique voice and penchant for vocal runs quite nicely. If Barrow has more songs like this up his sleeve, he’s going to be a nice addition to the local scene. Currently only available on CD Baby, the single will be available on iTunes and Spotify in March.

Foreign Figures is set to release a new music video on Monday, featuring the latest single from their upcoming album. They’ve been using the hashtag “#paradigm,” so we’re assuming that’s the name of the new single. Given the fact that a paradigm is a way of viewing the world and they’ve posted a few pictures to social media featuring some really cool optical tricks with mirrors, that’s likely the case. The video is a collaboration between Foreign Figures and Celadora Studios.

The biggest release occurred yesterday. The Moth & The Flame released their full length album Young & Unafraid. The album is already receiving considerable attention around the nation, largely because of the buzz from the freebooting scandal that occurred last May. The British skateboarding magazine, Sidewalk, stole The Moth & The Flame’s music video for their song “Young & Unafraid,” and uploaded it to their Facebook page after removing the band credits. The video featured the 58-year-old skateboarder Neal Unger doing some impressive tricks for a guy his age. The illegal version of the video quickly went viral, amassing over 3 million views. Luckily, the Reddit army came to the band’s aid, harassing Sidewalk into apologizing and giving proper credit. The legit video on the band’s YouTube page has now passed the million view mark, and the exposure they received due to the scandal helped land them prime air time on satellite radio. Make sure to look for the Reach Provo review of Young & Unafraid in the near future.

That pretty much wraps up an exciting week of local music news. Make sure to watch the music video for “Young & Unafraid” below.