BY: TAYLOR BURTON – Enterprise Story

SALT LAKE CITY – Famous for its predominate Mormon/Pioneer heritage, it’s easy to overlook aspects of the counter culture present in the Salt Lake area.  The Watches, a local Salt Lake City band formed in early 2010, knows better than most what the burgeoning music scene is like for a rock/indie band.

As is common among bands, the genesis story begins with three friends who met while working.  Max Karren (Vocals, Keys, Guitar) and Joe Maddock (Vocals, Lead Guitar) connected on the sales floor in the Apple Store at the Gateway mall, finding a common passion for music.  Wayne Burdick (Drums, Soundscaping), who hired on as a technician at the same store, became the third member of the band’s original triad.

Initially content with jamming in Burdick’s garage and making guest appearances at Apple Store meetings, the band crafted an experimental indie feel over classic rock roots. When Justin Carrell (Bass, Logistics) came onboard, he brought the band to its current four-man configuration.  The name Fox-Con Boss-Tron was floated initially, but the name they would later settle on was The Watches.

While it might be easy to attribute the rise of the Salt Lake counter culture to non-native Utahns, a closer look reveals that a good portion had defected from the dominant Mormon/Pioneer demographic.  Maddock, who served an LDS mission in Latin America, makes good use of the Spanish he learned in helping some of the Apple Store’s international customers.  Burdick, musically minded at an early age, was part of musical productions put on by his congregation.  Neither affiliate with the church today.

“Many grow up Mormon in Salt Lake, some grow out of it,” said Maddock.

Ally Benson, who recently moved to Salt Lake from her native Detroit, offers an outsider’s take on the local counter culture.  She sees that each local band has its own set of stereotypes that it must overcome or embrace.  This, in turn, provides ample opportunity for a band to establish and prove itself.

“After a wild Saturday night of playing music, they’re probably nursing their hangovers on Sunday,” said Benson.  “Most of these types are probably not participating in church activities.”

Jason Lockwood, a long-time resident of Salt Lake and coworker of band members at Apple, enjoys the intimacy of discovering and following local bands.

“In my opinion, that is what the SLC counter culture prefers,” said Lockwood.  “There is a lot of local talent, and it seems that SLC wants to support those bands by providing them opportunities.”

Benson looks to the recommendations of friends for local concerts and shows.  Also an Apple employee, she was introduced to The Watches by her coworkers.

“Word of mouth has always steered me well in discovering new bands,” said Benson.  “Having friends with good taste keeps me in the know.”

Having lived in Salt Lake longer, Lockwood looks to local periodicals and social media to keep informed on upcoming shows.  “SLUG (an acronym for Salt Lake Underground) Magazine” and “City Weekly” are two of the sources he checks regularly.  These independent magazines keep tabs on local venues like Urban Lounge, The Royal and The Velour, places where The Watches have played or have plans to do so.

Lockwood sees the appeal of Urban Lounge in terms of great sound and inexpensive cover fees.  He sees this as helpful in getting more people out to see the local bands that frequent such venues, much like his friends of The Watches did that night.  Benson, who was also in attendance that night, said that Urban Lounge being a cool venue is what makes Urban Lounge an environment that she would go to visit.

“Urban is one of those places I have enjoyed supporting, and now our band is grateful for its support,” said Karren.  “You really feel the connection, whether you are attending or performing.”

While The Watches has enjoyed finding its sea legs among family and friends in Salt Lake, the band has cast its eye on a future outside the state.  Burdick said that the band members were all but decided on relocating their families to the northeastern coast, particularly Portland, OR.  The plan to move, while not shelved altogether, has been put of hold for the foreseeable future.

“We feel that a move to the northeast would better suit the future of the band, but we have to take into account our families and livelihood,” said Burdick.  “That means we’ll be here awhile longer.”

BY: TAYLOR BURTON – Event Story

SALT LAKE CITY – A panel-led discussion following a KUED-sponsored screening on Tuesday, October 15 of an upcoming film gave community members insight into educational challenges faced by local Hispanic youth.

Held in the Post Theater at Fort Douglas, the free screening of “The Graduates/Los Graduados” was open to the public.  The film, comprised of short episodes, tells the stories of individual Hispanic youth overcoming obstacles to succeed in education.  The panel, organized by KUED, led a discussion on the role gangs play in the educational challenges of Hispanic youth in America, issues shown in the three episodes selected for screening.

Members of the panel included: Tutti Millan, CEO of the Utah Council for Crime Prevention; Dr. Jose Enriquez, founder and director of Latinos in Action; Annie Brewer, a social worker within the Salt Lake City School District; and Detective Ezekas Afatasi with the Unified Police Department of the Greater Salt Lake area.

Addressing several questions upfront regarding gang mentality in youth, the panelists shared their answers with local insight.  Brewer observed that in the absence of an established support system, a gang often comes along to serve the outstanding needs of the youthful students, a sentiment shared by Enriquez.

“The kids at the gangs on the streets are there for troubled youth,” said Enriquez.  “At school, they are fighting a bureaucracy of sorts, a system upon system upon system.  Our kids need to feel welcome, to have a stage to showcase their talent.”

“What if our public system administrators and gang members were swapped?” asked Afatasi.  He implied that  educators would do well to consider the appeal of gangs and identify and provide the needs that are so often filled by them.

The panel was quick to voice its concerns about the moderator’s suggestion that higher graduation rates might signify that the issues being discussed are waning in severity.  Enriquez warned that such a mentality, while seemingly well intentioned, downplays the continued existence of the issues.

“The reality is that there is still a big achievement gap,” said Enriquez.

Becky Huff, a teacher at Horizonte Instruction and Training Center in Salt Lake, attended in hopes of being able to bring back best practices to her classroom.  Motivation, she says, is the everyday battle she and her students wage against complacency.

“One of the challenges I find with my school’s population is how to instill hope in their futures, confidence in their abilities,” said Huff.  “They have strength, they have resiliency, but they just don’t realize it because so many people and situations in their lives have told them otherwise.”

Regarding opportunities in combating these issues in the community, the panel offered both specific examples and some broader visions.  Millan spoke of the need for persistent and consistent message from the schools, the officers, the church groups.  Unity, agreed Afatasi, is crucial to the effectiveness of any effort.

“If we can come together as a community, put away our differences and pride, we can achieve a much better result,” said Afatasi.

Event attendee Glynnis Clark, whose husband serves as chairman for the Utah Council of Crime Prevention, echoed the importance of familial and societal involvement in today’s youth.

“Education is important to us.  We’ve worked with children in church and in our family.  It’s a problem we all need to worry about,” said Clark.

Rachelle Anderson, the KUED coordinator for the event, hopes more people will seek out these community outreach events.  “We plan to have one to two a month, and choose events we believe will be beneficial to the community,” said Anderson.

BY: TAYLOR BURTON – Weekly Assignment B

FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – Nassau County police today released the transcript of the 911 phone call connected to a homicide last Thursday involving a young man, his mother and sister.

Simon Miller was arrested at his family house following the call he placed to report his involvement in the shooting of his mother, Natalee Miller, 48, and sister, Jennifer Miller, 15.  The dispatcher listened to Miller’s account, coordinating the arrival of deputies while preparing him mentally and emotionally to receive them.  Since being taken into custody, Miller has been charged with capital murder.

In the transcript, Miller described how he first shot his sister, then returned to do it again because her cries and moans had alerted him to her suffering.  He shot and killed his mother in between the two shootings of his sister.  Miller said that he had been planning on killing for a while, though not specifically the victims.  He cited high emotions and attitude between family members as the reasons for his actions.

“I guess this is really selfish to say, but I felt that they were just suffocating me in a way,” said Miller on the call.  “I didn’t want them to feel pain, that’s why I used a gun, but it’s like everything went wrong.”

Nassau County Sherriff Larry Fowler said that the weapon had been reloaded at least once during the shooting.

Nassau County District Superintendent Stan Manning said that both Jennifer and Simon had been withdrawn from public school to be homeschooled.  Natalie Miller had worked in the district for a number of years in both teaching and administrative positions until leaving in 2004.