The State Room | A Live Music Theatre | Salt Lake City, Utah

with special guest Fictionist

GALANIS, sonically coined "dark country folk-rock", was introduced to the LA music scene when songwriter Zachary Robert Galanis met up with various musicians while performing in a gospel choir and orchestra in 2008. GALANIS began as a recording experiment. With borrowed equipment and a makeshift studio in an east LA apartment, violist Amy Noonan and vocalist Bridget Schack added harmony and string instrumentation to Galanis' eclectic set of folk songs. These recordings would later appear on the Analogue EP. While touring with the gospel choir and orchestra later that year, the trio recruited piano savant Derek Purdy and percussionist Jordan Vena to join the band. These five members would become the ensemble known as GALANIS.

CAMERON RAFATI
Recently In 2010, building upon strong momentum online and Press outlets worldwide Rafati shared the stage with PRAS from The Fugees for their acoustic rendition of "Ghetto Superstar" for the Official Haiti Relief Fundraiser at Sundance. In addition, his song Battles was Featured in Tyler Perry's recent feature film "Why Did I Get Married Too" starring Janet Jackson. Currently, Cameron is working on his latest album entitled XOX to be released in late July 2010 along with the Video for his song "Dirty Conversation." With an ever-growing fan base, it is apparent that Cameron Rafati is on his way to becoming one of the best new independent and savvy artists in the emerging industry.

Traveling Musical Medicine Show - Special Benefit Concert for Special Olympics Utah

Big Kenny, of the popular country duo “Big & Rich”, is bringing his Traveling Musical Medicine Show to Salt Lake City for one night only!  This will be an exclusive, up-close-and-personal evening with one of today’s most popular country artists!

This benefit concert will raise funds for the athletes of Special Olympics Utah and will help raise awareness about the unique abilities of individuals with intellectual disabilities.  With music as his medium, Big Kenny’s stated mission is to “Highlight the good, inspire greatness, and encourage mutual responsibility for the betterment of humankind.”   Please join us for a very special evening.  Call Glenn Lanham at 801.634.1643 for VIP ticket packages.

with special guest TBA

“... Micky & The Motorcars ... prove that country-rock is alive and well. ... This is definitely a keeper.”  — Country Music Facts & News

“... what sets Micky and the Motorcars apart ... is that Micky is a more tenderhearted kind of country-rock singer, as evidenced by the originals ‘Grow Old’ and ‘Seeds’.”  —Austin American-Statesman

Doors 8 pm  |  Show 9 pm

an evening with ...

A unique collective of four distinct voices and musical backgrounds, Blame Sally has forged a compelling and original sound that has earned the band the well-deserved reputation as Bay Area phenomenon. The San Francisco Chronicle raved that Blame Sally’s music recall(s) the artful romanticism of Jane Siberry, the rich folk harmonies of the Indigo Girls, and the percolating soulfulness of Joy of Cooking. Poised for greater national attention, they’ve performed for audiences across the US, sharing festival stages with the likes of Los Lobos, Ani DiFranco, Richard Thompson, Roseanne Cash and Greg Brown.

Doors 8 pm  |  Show 9 pm

Collecting five singular abilities and viewpoints into one musical force, Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile have established their place among the most dynamic and talented presences across the full range of contemporary music-making. As performing and recording artists, composers and interpreters, technicians and stylists, they continue to push the boundaries of possibility while maintaining an unerring devotion to the basic audience experience.

Doors 7 pm | Show 8 pm

with Ferraby Lionheart

"The Watsons consult vintage Southern styles for inspiration, incorporating touches of country and plenty of hot-blooded soul." — Spin

"Derivative, original, heartfelt, savvy, retro, modern and genuinely enjoyable." — The Independent

Following on the critical success of Rabbit Fur Coat, their 2006 collaboration with Jenny Lewis, Southern Manners (2006 self- released EP) and Fire Songs, their 2008 Vanguard Records full-length debut, The Watson Twins return with Talking To You, Talking To Me their most groove-heavy and ambitious album to date. The 12 songs on TTY, TTM, produced by Russell Pol- lard and J. Soda of Everest, display a new sonic direction previously only hinted at in past efforts. Yes, the folk, country and Americana roots of Leigh and Chandra Watson remain, but the duo also explores and reveals their long-held love of R&B, Bossa Nova, indie pop and most prominently, classic soul.

Doors 7 pm | Show 8 pm

with special guest Broken Pony

Ten years in, the four gentlemen that form Chatham County Line have a lot to reflect on. Sold out shows in the US and overseas, appearances on national Radio & TV, four solid selling records and four really dirty suits. "We want to be the band that puts on the most professional show in the business of what we do" reflects singer/guitarist/writer Dave Wilson. "I get tired of going to a show and the band stands around on stage doing nothing for 40% of the gig, if you're there for us, we are gonna prove we are there for you." They are touring in support of the soon to be release Yeproc album, Wildworld...release date July 13, 2010.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

& The Combo...with special guest TBA

Looking at life through the rearview mirror was the inspiration for John Hiatt's brand new album, The Open Road, released in March on New West Records. The legendary songwriter's 19th studio album is classic Hiatt, picking up the tempo and returning to rock following his previous critically acclaimed Same Old Man. Backed by his touring band, (Kenny Blevins on drums, Patrick O'Hearn on bass and Doug Lancio on guitars), the songs are inspired by life on the road, without looking back. "All the other years, my songs are about coming home," Hiatt says. But within these 11 new songs, home is never the destination.

Doors 7 pm | Show 8 pm

with special guest TBA

When the Booty Band hits the stage, everybody dances! Having fun and feeling good is the philosophy of this Asheville, NC based 6 piece band that has been hitting the road since 2002. Their mix of triumphant horns, laid-back grooves, and heavy backbeats is what has carried them back and forth across the nation, from club to club, smiling face to smiling face, day to day, note to note. Adding colorful costumes and interactive stage personalities is just part of the show,…Booty Band brings the FUNK!

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guest Amy Cook

"A band record," as Alejandro puts it, Street Songs of Love is made up of tightly focused rock and roll and lush ballads. He says, "It ended up being an album about love—the pursuit of a feeling that is forever elusive, mysterious, and addictive."

Bruce Springsteen sings on the rocker "Faith" and Ian Hunter lends his voice to "Down in the Bowery," a song that Escovedo dedicates to his son. Also features the new single "Anchor." Album produced by Tony Visconti (T.Rex, David Bowie, U2, Morrissey).

Doors 7 pm | Show 8 pm

with special guest The Chapin Sisters

He's back! We are stoked to welcom back Jackie Greene to The State Room for the third time. Have you have been to one of the shows you know why. If you have not, get your tickets quick.

Where you're going has always been more important than where you've been. By his music, Jackie Greene appears to have been through every major American musical influence: from country, to jazz, to folk to rock. And, marked by the release of his newest album American Myth, it's clear that Greene knows where he's going. His roots twist to create a unique sound, combining the introspectiveness of an engaging songwriter with the energy of a chemically charged rock band.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guest TBA

Recorded at the now infamous Daptone "House of Soul Studios" by the world-renowned production team of Bosco Mann and TNT, Budos III was tracked to analog tape and recorded live over the course of an intensely productive 48 hour period. The songs that emerged are unmistakably the type of tough sonic nuggets that have long earned The Budos Band the title, "the quintessence of Staten Island soul." Replete with tight rhythms, blistering breakbeats, blaring horns and, yes, perhaps even a tinge of psychedelic doom-rock, Budos III promises to bring some added heat upon its release this summer from Daptone Records.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guest Love As Laughter

Jenny and Johnny first started working together in Los Angeles in 2005, after being introduced by Conor Oberst. Rice had traveled to Nebraska to make his first record before moving to L.A., where Lewis was beginning work with Mike Mogis on her solo debut Rabbit Fur Coat. They both ended up playing on each others recordings, and struck up a lasting creative relationship. Rice joined Lewis’ band for the Rabbit Fur Coat world tour in 2006, and has played live with Lewis at every show of her solo career thus far.

Doors 7 pm | Show 8 pm

with special guest TBA

Tab Benoit is a Cajun man who's definitely got the blues. Born November 17, 1967, he grew up in Houma, Louisiana. A guitar player since his teenage years, he hung out at the Blues Box, a ramshackle music club and cultural center in nearby Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guest TBA

From gritty funk to contemplative country soul, JJ Grey's music is in a class by itself, at once contemporary and classic. Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern musical storytellers and, like the best of the great Southern writers, he fills his songs with details that are at once vivid and personal, political and universal.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guests Aslyn and Roy Jay

Look no further than the title track of their new Vanguard debut album The Bear to understand Stephen Kellogg and The Sixers. As the band sings passionately, “Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. Sometimes you’re gonna win, sometimes you’re gonna lose…but you know in the end – there's no apologies!”

Doors 8 pm  |  Show 8:30 pm

with special guest Jessica Lea Mayfield

Justin Townes Earle is an anomaly. He's tall as the day is long, all angles and elbows and a hard stare, both welcoming and deadly serious. He's Nashville North, all set up in lower Manhattan now, just like his hero Woody Guthrie, with twang and charm intact. And he has crushed it twice at The State Room...including a Sold Out show in February...

Doors 7 pm | Music 8pm

Tickets on sale July 16 at 10 am...

with special guest Cornmeal

The State Room is thrilled to be welcoming back The Devil Makes Three after a electrfying sold out show in November. That was quite a night and there is no doubt this will be too.

With a slightly punky perspective on vintage American blues, The Devil Makes Three is a breath of fresh musical air on its eponymous Milan debut. Laced with elements of ragtime, country, folk and rockabilly, the critically praised, drummer-less trio – consisting of guitarist/frontman Pete Bernhard, stand-up bassist Lucia Turino and guitarist Cooper McBean – brings forth a genuine approach to acoustic music that is deeply steeped in rhythm.

“The rhythm is what our band is about,” Bernard enthuses. “We write with rhythm and dancing in mind.” Launched with the “The Plank,” an ode to meeting one’s maker, The DMT’s infectious amalgam of styles talks the talk and it walks the walk right out of the starting gate.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guest Adam Hawthorn Stephens

The Felice Brothers and their long time friends and band mates Greg Farley and Christmas Clapton, come to us from the Catskill Mountains, where a homegrown sound has been working its way through the bloodlines for generations. Their rambling journey so far has brought them from busking in New York City subway stations, to tours across the world that have included enthusiastically received performances at major music festivals including Bonnaroo, All Points West, Outside Lands, and Langerado.

Doors 8 pm  |  Show 9 pm

with special guest Bob Wayne & The Outlaw Carnies

The Legendary Shack Shakers’ hell-for-leather roadshow has earned quite a name for itself with its unique brand of Southern Gothic that is all-at-once irreverent, revisionist, dangerous, and fun. Led by their wildly charismatic, rail-thin frontman/blues-harpist, J.D. Wilkes, the Shack Shakers are a four-man wrecking crew from the South whose explosive interpretations of the blues, punk, rock and country have made fans, critics and legions of potential converts into true believers.

Doors 8 pm  |  Show 9 pm

with special guest Fol Chen

The shiny pop centerpiece of the famed Elephant 6 collective, The Apples in stereo was born of Robert Schneider's infatuation with recording and his near-pathological compulsion to write the perfect pop song. Citing "Pet Sounds-era" Beach Boys as their root text a decade before it was en vogue, Schneider and former and future band members Hilarie Sidney, Jim McIntyre, Chris Parfitt, John Hill, Eric Allen, Chris McDuffie, Bill Doss, John Ferguson, John Dufilho, and others used their basement-D.I.Y. beginnings as a launching pad into a kaleidoscopic galaxy of sound.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm

with special guest Tim Fite

It’s been nearly seven years since celebrated duo Azure Ray released their critically acclaimed album Hold On Love. It’s been a long wait for music fans, but thankfully that wait is about to come to an end. The highly anticipated full-length from Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor is a sublime future classic titled Drawing Down the Moon, set for release on Saddle Creek in September. 

Doors 8 pm  |  Show 9 pm

with special guest TBA

The interplay between Allison Russell, Awna Teixeira, Benny Sidelinger, and Mikey "Lightning" August is truly something to behold. They are distinct voices with incredible harmonies; multiple instrumentalists who bring the perfect sound to each song and songwriters who pen poetic tunes you’ll find yourself humming.

Doors 7 pm  |  Show 8 pm