Jane Monheit, a gifted jazz vocalist of the Great American Songbook, celebrates a return to standards on her most recent album, “Home.”

As for the acclaimed GAM Foundation-sponsored Jazz SLC series, performers and audiences alike love the series’ new home at the Capitol Theatre, said founder Gordon Hanks.

The series is in the home stretch of its first season at the theater after spending nearly two decades at the Sheraton Salt Lake City Hotel. “We’ve been thrilled,” Hanks said about the move. “There is better staging, sightlines, lighting and sound....

Rise Against’s video for their Bob Dylan cover “Ballad of Hollis Brown” debuts today on Youtube, VEVO, MTV.com, VH1.com and fuse.tv. T

The band performs at Saltair on April 21.

The track is featured on "Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International," released on January 24.

Watch here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At-YPyVW9R8

"The Ballad of Hollis Brown" was about one farmer who falls on hard times,” says lead singer Tim McIlrath in a...

Foo Fighters Dave Grohl, whose band won 5 Grammys last weekend, had his publicist send this out to the world this morning in an e-mail that read, "Dave Grohl Clarifies His Grammy Acceptance Speech." Read on:

Oh, what a night we had last Sunday at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. The glitz! The Glamour! SEACREST! Where do I begin?? Chillin' with Lil' Wayne...meeting Cyndi Lauper's adorable mother...the complimentary blinking Coldplay bracelet.....much too much to recap. It's really is still a bit of a blur. But, if there's one thing th...

Here are some live music shows to check out this weekend:

Form of Rocket
The local band — Tyler Smith, Ben Dodds, Peter Makowski and Josh Asher — plays a Kilby Court concert.
When • Friday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m.
Where • Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City
Tickets • $8 at 24Tix

Kingston Trio
In the late 1950s and early ’60s, the Kingston Trio were the world’s top-selling musicians; the folk trio’s record sales and concert draws were topped only by The Beatles.
When ...

It has been nearly a week since I attended the Grammy Awards for the first time, but I am still thinking about becoming a vegetarian.

That’s because although much of the attention during the 54th annual awards ceremony at Los Angeles’ Staples Center was devoted to honoring Whitney Houston, who died Saturday, the real honoree of the weekend was Sir Paul McCartney.

The famous vegetarian, besides performing twice during the televised show, was feted Friday, Feb. 10, at a gala inside a ballroom at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was a fundrais...

Just a reminder that the Memorial Day weekend show at Red Butte Garden for The Shins with The Head and the Heart and Blind Pilot go on sale on Feb. 20 at the botanical garden's new website.

Here are the other important dates when it comes to buying tickets to Red Butte Garden:

TICKET ON-SALE DATES

---

April 23, 2012, 9 AM: Full, Half, and Partial Season Ticket Packages

April 30, 2012, 9 AM: Individu...

Mayor Ralph Becker and internationally known pianist Danny Wright will be on hand to celebrate the arts in education when fourth-grade violinists showcase their skills as on Friday, Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. at Bennion Elementary School (429 South 800 East).

Bennion Elementary, a top-performing Title I school, provides intensive performing arts opportunities for its students.

As an acclaimed performer, Wright established the Danny Wright Foundation of Music with plans to strengthen arts education in the public schools. Wright...

The West Valley Symphony with Music Director Donny Gilbert will perform an “England, France, and Russia” concert at the Granger High School auditorium on Saturday March 17 at 7:30 pm.

The symphony will perform Symphony #2 in B minor by Alexander Borodin, "Sacred and Profane Dances" by Claude Debussy (featuring harp soloist Linsey Lesser) and "The Lark Ascending" by the under-appreciated Ralph Vaughan Williams (featuring violin soloist Kelly Richardson).

The West Valley Symphony, founded in 1990, is an all-volunteer orchestra of nearly 80 musicians. The orchest...

Congratulations are in order for University of Utah-trained pianist Michael Stewart, who was just chosen as a First Place Winner of the American Protégé International Concerto Competition 2012.

For winning, he will conduct a recital on Saturday, March 31, 2012 at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

According to an e-mail from the judges, the "consensus of the judges that your playing reflects an exceptional level, and we are very pleased to award you this honor."

He is a West Valley City native.

This competition w...

Whintey Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, announced Wednesday that the Associated Press will be the only video camera allowed inside at Saturday's funeral in Newark.

The AP will stream the service on http://livestream.com/aplive.

The event also will be available to broadcasters via satellite.

The funeral is expected to begin at noon Eastern time, and 10 a.m. Mountain time.

...

Mayor Ralph Becker and the University of Utah’s College of Architecture + Planning will present a symposium focused on exploring the possibilities in the City’s Granary District Friday.

The event runs from 1-5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17 at Frida Bistro, 545 W. 700 South.

The Granary District is an area roughly bounded by 600 South and 900 South, and 300 West and Interstate-15.

In a press release, Mayor Becker said the area is poised for a renaissance. “This unique neighborhood already has attracted a small, but growing group of entrepreneurs, artists a...

The inaugural Treefort Music Fest will take place in downtown Boise March 22 - 25, it has just been announced.

More than 120 bands will perform at eight venues with one act, the John Steele Singers, making the trip from Brisbane, Australia. Other names include Built to Spill, of Montreal, WHY?, The Cave Singers, Typhoon, Blitzen Trapper, AraabMUZIK, Delicate Steve and EMA.

The full lineup is available at www.treefortmusicfest.com/press. The performance schedule is available at

HSN (Home Shopping Network) today announced that Lionel Richie will be the first artist to participate in the "HSN LIVE" concert series on Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m. (EST) on HSN, HSN.com and via HSN Mobile. (Check local listings.)

During the special event Richie will perform tracks from his Mercury Nashville release "Tuskegee," a collection of 13 reinterpretations of his most popular hits with some of the biggest names in country music. Kenny Rogers will join him on stage to perform "Lady...

A big hip-hop show is coming to Utah, which is a nice salve after Rick Ross and Tyga's show at the Maverik Center originally scheduled for Friday, Feb. 17 being canceled.

The Black Cloud Tour is coming to Bar Deluxe on March 10.

The tour will feature Wu Tang Clan member Cappadonna with Army Of The Pharaohs members King Magnetic and Block McCloud.

King Magnetic is a noted underground emcee who has done tracks with Reef The Lost Cauze, Smif N Wessun, Sean Price, Edo G and more.

Block McC...

msnNOW, launched today at now.msn.com, is designed to make it easy to stay up-to-date on the things people are talking about, searching for and sharing the most.

msnNOW compiles trends from real-time sources like Facebook, Twitter, Bing, and BreakingNews.com, so users always know what's happening and get the jump on what everyone is talking about.

One of the features is that you can also easily sort through the trends that matter most to you in the topics sections by filtering them by areas of interest, including:

· Fame: Drill d...

Local promoter Toby Martin (behind the Utah Irish Festival and the Utah Reggae Festival) is combining his two loves on St. Patrick's Day this year with then "Shamrocks & Dreadlocks" festival, promised to be "Utah's biggest St. Patrick's Day Party."

With headliners Tribal Seeds and opening acts Fortunate Youth and Funk Gonzo, the event will also feature Irish dancers from Utah — a feature not typically shown at reggae festivals.

The show, which will be held at the Ogden Amphitheater on March 17 at 8 p.m., will be unique in another way — although liquor will be sold, it is an all-ages event, which is rare on that date. Hey, 18-year-olds want to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, too...

Entertainment Weekly's website has an exclusive look and clips of the new Broadway play "Once," based on the Sundance-premiered film that starred Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova as a Dublin street busker and a Czech pianist:

http://popwatch.ew.com/2012/02/15/once-broadway-exclusive-clips/

...

The Slackers
The Slackers blend ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, soul, garage rock and jazz with a punk attitude, after emerging from the New York ska revival scene of the 1990s.
When • Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m.
Where • In The Venue, 219 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $15 at SmithsTix.com

The Dangerous Summer
The emo-pop band the Dangerous Summer formed in August 2006 in Maryland, when guitarist Cody Payne recruited three of his longtime high-school buddies for a band. Openers will be Weatherbox and Ten Se...

Keb Mo will perform at the White House on February 21 in a special concert celebrating blues music in recognition of Black History Month.

Hosted by President and Mrs. Obama, Keb Mo will be joined on stage by legends like Mick Jagger, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Gary Clark, Jr., and more, with Booker T. Jones as music director and band leader. (Note: Mick Jagger and Jeff Beck are not black.)

The evening will be filmed for a PBS special “In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues,” which will air as part of the Emmy Award-nominated PBS “In The White H...

Actor and comedian Jason Alexander, best-known for his role as George Costanza on “Seinfeld,” will be at Utah Valley University Feb. 27-29 to offer acting workshops with School of the Arts students and faculty.

Alexander will work with students each day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Noorda Theater conducting three workshops on monologues, two-person scenes and musical theater songs.

The workshops are open to all UVU students, but School of the Arts students and faculty will be given priority.

UVU’s student association is hosting an “Evening with Jason Alexander” on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Grande Ballroom of the Sorensen Student Center. Alexander will part...

The Choir Cathedral of the Madeleine will present The Founders’ Day Concert on Sunday, March 18 at 8 p.m. at the Cathedral.

They will perform Antonín Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Op. 58.

Free seating passes can be obtained by calling 801-994-4663 or emailing hkatz@utmcs.org.

From a Cathedral press release:

Stabat Mater is a thirteenth-century text attributed to Jacop...

More evidence of the Grammy bump, as well as the sadder death bump. Here are Amazon.com's current best-sellers:

1. 21 by Adele (2011)
2. Whitney Houston - The Greatest Hits by Whitney Houston (2000)
3. Ultimate Collection by Whitney Houston (2007) - Import
4. The Bodyguard: Original Soundtrack Album by The S.O.U.L. S.Y.S.T.E.M, Whitney Houston and Alan Silvestri (1992) - Soundtrack
5. Adele 19 by Adele (2008)
6. Whitney Houston by Whitney Houston (1990)
7. 2012 GRAMMY Nominees by Various Artists (2012)...

Time Out for Women caught up with Utah native Jenny Oaks Baker to talk about her Grammy experience, as well as showing pictures of her red-carpet dress:

http://tofw.com/story/460-hitting-the-red-carpet

Note: the dress above is NOT the white dress she wore to the Grammys.

...

Bad news: Dave Matthews Band and The Beach Boys announced the tour stops on their summer tours this morning.

No Utah stops on either.

...

With opening act Coheed and Cambria, Iron Maiden will perform at Usana Amphitheatre on Aug. 1, it has just been announced.

From a press release:

Following the massively successful Final Frontier World Tour 2010-11, IRON MAIDEN are back on the road this summer with a series of Arena, Amphitheatre and Festival shows in the U.S.A. and Canada, opening in Charlotte, NC, U.S.A. on June 21, and finishing in Houston, TX, on Aug 18 (dates listed below), to be followed by further dates around the World in 2013. The MAIDEN ENGLAND WORLD TOUR will closely mirror, in terms of ...

Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer, Utah Opera Artistic Director Christopher McBeth, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera President & CEO Melia Tourangeau, and Chairman of the USUO Board of Trustees Patricia A. Richards will be on hand when Utah Symphony musicians will perform in the Capitol Rotunda after the organization receives recognition from the Utah Senate.

At 11:30 a.m. Maestro Fischer and Mr. McBeth will represent USUO on the floor of the Utah Senate as Senator Pat Jones presents a resolution in the organiz...

Just popped up on Pollstar:

Sun 08/26/12 Huey Lewis And The News Red Butte Garden

Also:

Tue 07/17/12 "The Happy Together Tour" Sandy City Amphitheater (Sandy)
The Grass Roots
The Buckinghams
The Turtles feat. Flo & Eddie
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap
Micky Dolenz

...

Renowned vocal interpreter Steve Lippia will perform a tribute to the “Chairman of the Board,” Frank Sinatra, with the Utah Symphony.

Principal Pops Conductor Jerry Steichen and the orchestra will join Lippia featuring the swing king’s “Come Fly with Me,” “Luck Be a Lady,” “That’s Life,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “The Best is Yet to Come,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and many other Sinatra chart-toppers, Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25 at 8 p.m. in Abravanel Hall.

Tickets for the evening performances range from...

Here are two shows in Utah tonight, for wildy different audiences:

Testament
Spotlight show • The veteran metal band’s next album, “The Dark Roots of Earth,” is scheduled to be released in late April, but don’t expect the band to premiere any new material at its Feb. 15 Utah show. “We’re not playing any new stuff until the record comes out,” said guitarist Eric Peterson, 47. “The only control we have is putting out the record properly.” In other words, Peterson doesn’t want first-time fans to listen to new songs on a poorly recorded YouTube video posted immediately after the band performs. He wants their first listen to be on a pristine recording the band ...

To see a bunch of great pictures taken at Tuesday's Lady Antebellum show by the Tribune's Leah Hogsten, go to:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/entertainment/53516787-81/antebellum-lady-arena-rucker.html.csp

...

On Sunday, Feb. 12, Lady Antebellum surprisingly stole the Grammy for Best Country Album in a night that, until then, had looked like Taylor Swift landslide.
On Tuesday, Feb. 14, opening act Darius Rucker — in another country-fried surprise — nearly stole the sold-out EnergySolutions Arena show that Lady Antebellum headlined.
But Nashville’s Lady Antebellum, on its first arena headlining tour, has become such a crowd-pleasing phenomenon that there is arguably no other country band on the planet right now that can steal the trio’s ever-brightening spotlight.
It was a happy Valentine’s Night for country fans as Rucker and Lady Antebellum delivered two compelling, satisfying and fun...

A reporter from Forbes.com was in the Staples Center media center Sunday night with me (and 50 of my closest print reporter friends) at the Grammys, and here is Lady Antebellum talking about Adele, and their Salt Lake City show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WggMYgAeiJk&feature=player_embedded#!

I am the one who asked about their plans in Salt Lake City for tonight.

...

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic received a Grammy in the Best Orchestral Performance category for their recording of Brahms’ Symphony No. 4.

Recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall last summer and released as a digital-only recording, this Grammy is Gustavo Dudamel’s first.

The popular conductor and ensemble have traveled to Caracas, Venezuela and will be joined by the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, combined with multiple choirs and soloists in Mahler’s 8th, “Symphony of a Thousand.”

This special performance will be broadcast live in movie theaters across North America (including some in Utah) on Saturday, March 18. Click here for...

Are you a fan of Real Salt Lake soccer?

Then you're sure to enjoy this YouTube video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa1DJ008t9Y&feature=youtu.be

...

The 2010 Tony Award-winning musical "Memphis" airs next week, Friday, February 24 at 9 p.m. (check local listings) on PBS.

The musical is a presentation of "Great Performances," and will mark the first time that a Best Musical winner has aired on U.S. national television with its original principals while, at the same time, continuing its Broadway run and national tour.

"Memphis" Preview:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/memp...

After encountering a survivor of an abusive dating relationship, Utah singer-songwriter Katie McMinn believed she had to do something to help other teens facing similar situations.

McMinn works in the violence prevention field herself. “The strength that survivors of abuse have is inspiring to me,” said McMinn in a press release. “I wanted to bring that strength and courage into my music and reach teens in a way that resonates with them.”

As a result, McMinn wrote "Sleep Through It", a song which ...

Having released three independent EPs, the band Imagine Dragons, which began in Utah, is releasing their major-label debut EP, "Continued Silence," today.

To celebrate, the band will perform at the Viper Room in Hollywood on February 22 followed by dates at SXSW Music Festival.

Serious about the craft of songwriting, Dan Reynolds and Wayne Sermon (a Berklee College of Music attendee and gearhead who grew up in a recording studio) met in college in Utah and later joined up with Ben McKee, a friend of...

There is a FREE Florence + The Machine live webcast today at 12:30 p.m. MT at www.3voor12.nl

The British pop outfit will be broadcast live and direct to a worldwide audience via 3voor12, the primary alternative pop music platform in The Netherlands.

...

Here are some more concerts for Valentine's Night tonight in Utah:

Mutemath
New Orleans-bred alt-rock band Mutemath is touring to promote “Odd Soul,” which was released in October.
When • Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 6:30 p.m.
Where • In The Venue, 219 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City
Tickets •$23 at SmithsTix.com

‘Celtic Nights: An Irish Valentine’
A concert highlighting the melodies and plaintive lyrics of the rich Celtic heritage, while also showcasing Irish dancing.
When • Tuesday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m.
Where • Kingsbury Hall, 1395 E. Presidents Circle, University of Utah campus, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $19.50-$29.50 at kingsburyhall.org

...

But don’t worry that she’ll spend Valentine’s Day without husband Chris Tyrrell.
All she has to do is look behind her to catch a glimpse of the drummer. A perk of her job is sneaking pining glances of him during the band’s first arena tour as headliners, called “Own the Night.”
Scott said she and her hubby will try to get in a dinner date sometime in between the group’s Grammy Awards appearance on Sunday and Utah’s concert date Tuesday. And she’s racking her brain trying to come up with a gift for him. “He’s so thoughtful,” Scott said. “So I’m always tr...

Notes from the evening in the press room:

Adele: "Very proud of myself" … "it's been really, really peaceful [since having the vocal cord surgery]" … "I stuck to all the rules they gave me" … "I'm so mouthy, but it was hard to be silent" … "I think he'll be very happy for me" [in regards to the lost love that inspired the album].

Bon Iver: "This is the biggest night in music, but a very small Staples Center" [in regards to all of the unnamed great acts he mentioned in his acceptance speech that never will be on the Grammys]. "The songs came from an unconscious place" … [First cassette he ever bought was Primus' "Fizzle Fry," and first CD was Nir...

Los Angeles • While Adele was the big winner Sunday night at the 54th annual Grammy Awards at the STAPLES Center, the Saturday death of 48-year-old Whitney Houston cast a pall over the event, usually dedicated to celebrating the best and brightest luminaries in the music industry lighting our way to the future.

Many artists on what is called Music's Biggest Night referenced Houston -- who has delivered numerous show-stopping Grammy moments in her too-short career -- in their victory speeches. Melanie Fiona, who won two Grammys for her "Fool for You" collaboration with Cee Lo Green, said Houston was her first musical memory, and later, when it came for Fiona to sing for the first ti...

The Saturday death of 48-year-old Whitney Houston cast a pall over the pre-telecast Grammy Awards Sunday afternoon, usually dedicated to celebrating the best and brightest luminaries in the music industry.

Many artists referenced Houston in their victory speeches. Melanie Fiona, who won two Grammys for her "Fool for You" collaboration with Cee Lo Green, said Houston was her first musical memory, and later, when it came for Fiona to sing for the first time, it was a Houston song she sang. Fiona acknowledged the mixed feelings of adrenaline from winning Grammys to a "heavy-weighted feeling in my heart" because of Houston's death.

Opera singer Joyce DiDonato, who won the Gramm...

Jenny Oaks Baker lost out to Booker T. for Best Pop Instrumental, so Utah artists will be 0 for 3 at this year's Grammys.

The pre-telecast ceremony just ended, with Foo Fighters, Skrillex, Kanye West, The Civil Wars and Taylor Swift all multiple winners, with West winning all three rap categories and the Foos winning four categories (if you include Best Long Form Video).

The CBS telecast begins at 6 p.m. Mountain Time.

Now I have to go to the bathroom.

...

"The Book of Mormon" just won Best Musical Theater Album Grammy during pre-telecast ceremony.

"Mormons are having a great year!" is first line of "Book of Mormon" acceptance speech.

...

Unfortunately for Utah music fans, Eric Whitacre won Best Choral Performance for "Light & Gold."

That means that Seraphis Fire and the Professional Choral Institute's "Brahms: Ein Deustsches Requiem" did not win that category. The Professional Choral Institute featured two students from Southern Utah University, Geneil Perkins and Taliah Johnson.

Jenny Oaks Baker is our last hope for a Grammy for a Utahn.

...

The pre-telecast part of the Grammy Awards will begin at 2 p.m. MT, at: http://www.grammy.com/live

Best Choral Performance (where 2 SUU students are nominated for the Brahms piece) will be given out at about the half-way point, while Jenny Oaks Baker will find out her fate near the end of the program.

The legendary producer Jimmy Jam will announce the winner of Baker's category, while last year's Best New Artist, Esperanza Spalding, will announce the winner of Best Choral Performance.

...

It is 11:51 a.m. on Sunday morning, and I am in my seat in the media center, somewhere within the bowels of The Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.

There are about 50 seats in here, with each spot affixed with the name of the outlet. The Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press are in the front row, along with People. I am in the row behind People, so I don't feel so bad about my placement.

When I refer to the front row, I mean the row next to an elevated stage with a white backdrop with small images of the Grammy award decorating the backdrop. It is this stage where the winners of Grammy Awards tonight will walk through immediately after winning. As we've all seen o...

The Recording Academy released a statement today about the death of Whitney Houston:

Six-time GRAMMY winner Whitney Houston was one of the world's greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three decades. Her powerful voice graced many memorable and award-winning songs. A light has been dimmed in our music community today, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, fans and all who have been touched by her beautiful voice.

Neil Portnow
President/CEO
The Recording Academ...

Jenny Oaks Baker, the Utah-born violinist who is up for Best Pop Instrumental album, was able to meet with me during the Nominees Reception, held immediately after the Special Merit Awards Ceremony at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre.

She looked luminous in a knock-out (but modest, of course) blue dress designed by Joanna Chen. A make-up and hair stylist from St. George, a friend of hers, came to he hotel room before the reception to help he get ready, and Baker was giddy with excitement. She planned on getting the same treatment after a church service in the morning.

Although getting her first Grammy nomination has opened many doors for her, she said she loved her current label ...