This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Unlike most musicians, the leader of The Black Angels doesn't care that people try to pigeonhole the band. "You can call us psych, or garage, or country, or hip-hop," singer, guitarist and bassist Alex Maas said in a phone interview.
Based in Austin, The Black Angels are decidedly not hip-hop, but the band's expanding and explorative palette includes colors of outlaw country in its psychedelic garage rock.
The band's most recent offering, 2013's "Indigo Meadow," is a collection befitting a band named from the Velvet Underground's dissonant and feedback-drenched "The Black Angel's Death Song."
"It's a dark world," Maas said about the album. "We live in a dark world, but also a beautiful world. There are creepy, weird sounds on this record." The band is bringing along a fifth guitarist on this sojourn to conjure up the "Texas vibe" of "spacious, open land."
Despite the serious talk, the band members have an appetite for happiness. "Music is therapy for us," Maas said. "We're making music that makes us feel good. … At the end of the day, we care about the human condition. If we can inspire people to do something positive, that's a great thing."
Hanni El-Khatib and Wall of Death open.
When • Saturday, 8 p.m.Where • The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake CityTickets • $18 in advance, $20 day of, at SmithsTix