Provo...bringin' it.

Heard of Velour? It's a rad little venue in downtown Provo. Who knew this little joint would be bringing me so much live listening enjoyment this fall?


For those of you who a) have never been to Provo, UT, b) left more than a year or two ago, or c) are in Provo but rag on it and swear you can't wait until graduation day so you can return your gown and head for a coast (or SLC)... Consider yourself hereby informed! Downtown Provo has made a comeback. Much like downtown Fargo, but I'll save that for another post.


Didn't that make you feel warm inside?

My diagnosis has been that it's taken a while for the people who had the ability to make Provo cool never stuck around long enough to actually do it. But that has changed. There are amazing, talented, and dedicated people turning downtown in to a very cool place to hang out. Despite how fickle the market can be here. Props to everyone making things happen here! There is an assortment of eating...Spark, Guru's, Maestro's, India Palace, Smokehouse, the Korean place, and a handful of others. There are awesome boutiques...Mode and Coal Umbrella. There is also a lot of live music...Velour and Muse Music. On just about any night of the week and almost every weekend you could plan your night and not leave 2 city blocks!

Last weekend one of my fav's, Love You Long Time, had an EP release party at Velour. It was a blast! Party to the People, indeed! And just last night I saw Sherwood play. Now, I don't claim to be an expert, but I think I'm decently savvy when it comes to music. I had never heard Sherwood, or least didn't know it when I did, before last weekend when my friend Steph heard them over the PA after the Love show. She said they were coming this week and said I HAD to go! So I did a little research (MySpace) and thought, ok these guys are good. Not too original, but good. When we got to Velour the Pink Spiders were playing. I thought I had just wasted 14 bones. Then Sherwood came on and I can honestly say it was one of the best shows I have ever been too. They have a killer presense, a ton of energy, and are all about the crowd. And to Provo's credit the crowd really brought it last night too! Even thought I had at least 7 years on anyone else in the crowd it was the perfect band-crowd interdependence... Provo definitely left an impression on the bands! They'll be back. And I think the word is spreading...play Provo!

Kate (white) and Steph (pink) loving the band...

Kate's crush...Mikey. This guy is the played the Keys. He was all over the place, so much energy, way into the crowd, awesome.

Steph's crush. Joe, the drummer, solid.

So next time you think of overlooking a visit to Provo or are tempted to bag on it, think twice! Great food, great shopping, great music. Dudes and babes approve!



Like I said, not the most original sound, but man are they great live at a small venue!