SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 25, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — If there’s one thing we’ve come to realize in 2020, it is just how much we love and appreciate music, especially live music, the stuff you hear in small clubs and in intimate settings, where people sit closely, and rock to and fro, sing out loud, laugh out loud, and hold each other tight.
While fans long for the return of those days, so do those who make the music, but now, in this darkest of winters, they continue to soldier on, whether socially distanced and masked in a recording studio, or going live from their basement on social media — the music keeps happening, at a time when it’s needed like never before.
The two acts being profiled in Episode 13 of the Bill Gephardt Podcast, prove that despite the challenges, local musicians are still burning in the night, driven to deliver, embracing the new normal, and channeling their music to reach fans and new audiences in ways they might not have imagined.
The Vitals Family Band, a multi-generational gig, with it roots in rock and country, has been turning up the good vibes on the Salt Lake City club scene for years. Featuring Jay Perry on vocals, Vito Perry on guitar, Anthony Perry on drums, and adopted uncle Tom Krug on bass, the group decided as the pandemic settled in it was more important than ever to do what they do best. The results, over a span of a couple of months, are five new studio cuts that are dropping any day.
In a wide-ranging interview with Daisy Blake, content manager and arts reporter for Gephardt Daily, the band talks about its roots, how playing with family shapes the music, and the new paths they’re taking as they respond, as artists, and as a group, to the pandemic challenge.
Katya Murafa, a classically trained violinist, pianist and performance artist, is another Salt Lake City musician who has found a way to stay in touch with fans in a manner she never imagined. It’s by way of a venue she calls ‘The Furnace Room,’ and it’s beginning to find a following in a fun and interactive way. It’s also helping to make ends meet.
To hear the interviews, as well as new cuts from both acts, please click on the player above.
The Bill Gephardt Show is supported by these proud sponsors of local journalism: Robert J DeBry & Associates, 1Wire Fiber, All Utah Plumbing, Heating & Air, & E.S. Solar.
