On July 22, Club Resonance held the 7th annual Bearfoot Music Festival at South City Campus.
Two and half hours in, a thunderstorm forced the concert to move inside, where the remaining artists, Sean Baker and HVRMS, played casual acoustic sets in the recording studio and atrium to an estimate of 35 people in all.
Isaak Lorton, president of Club Resonance and drummer for HVRMS, worried that the lingering concern over the COVID-19 pandemic would lower attendance numbers for the festival, of which there’s been an estimated 30-60 attendees at any given time in past festivals.
By this reporter’s count, just under 100 people and one dog attended the event, which is a good turnout considering the harsh weather and that Salt Lake City has only recently lifted most COVID-19 restrictions.
Though weather forced the festival to move inside, Jon Clark, who has been the advisor for the club since 2017, believes it still went well.
“I think everyone had a really good time,” he said. “I don’t think the rain ruined it at all, although, I do wish we’d have been able to finish the show as planned.”
Outside, there were some great bands performing, including Jack and the Fun-Guys, a Salt Lake classic rock band. More than half of their setlist was covers, but they kept it fresh with interesting artist choices, from Santana to the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan.
Their cover of “Walk on the Wild Side” by the late Lou Reed stuck out. Reed, who was the lead singer of the Velvet Underground in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, has a distinctive voice, especially in this song. It is a matter of fact, but in a comforting way, as Reed tells an intriguing story with lyrics you cannot help but listen to.
Casey Zukosky, lead vocalist of Jack and the Fun-Guys, managed to imitate Reed’s delivery impressively well, capturing the essence of his voice.
The festival lineup was diverse, including two electronic artists, TruePhoenix and Basswaite, and a hip-hop group from West Valley who were proud to have a DJ/producer that scratches records which “nobody does anymore.”
Club Resonance, which focuses on sound and its many applications, has a total of 20 members and is continuing to grow. Founded in 2012 by students, Club Resonance is a part of the Music Production Group class at Salt Lake Community College, which consists of “advanced students in Media Music (composition/songwriting), and MRT (Music Engineering),” according to Clark.
Clark noted that having access to the school’s recording studio allows for them to become more experienced quickly.
“My favorite part is in seeing the students gain confidence in using a recording studio as a tool in music production,” he said. “Several of our past students are currently working in studios and doing live sound events.”
Zukosky, who only joined this summer semester but runs social media for the club, noted how Club Resonance provides a great learning experience for students like him.
“I enjoy all the stage time just because it’s a good opportunity to get in the studio and learn about it, because you’re given this access to all this nice equipment,” Zukosky said, adding that he loves being able to record his music with his newly-formed band.
Lorton, who has been a part of the club since August 2020, agrees.
“My favorite part of being in the club is having the opportunity to use the school’s recording studio,” Lorton said.
Zukosky and his band have grown quickly, with several headliner shows at local venue staples Kilby Court and the Boardwalk to happen next August.
“We kind of started around January and we’ve been doing a lot of house shows around the University of Utah,” he said, noting that their house shows have only gotten bigger since the first one they did.
Zukosky said that he’s working on editing their song “Slip Away” which they recorded in the studio at SLCC and hope to release it on streaming platforms soon. Jack and the Fun-Guys have upcoming shows on August 6 at the Loading Dock and August 30 at Kilby Court.
Visit Club Resonance online to learn more about the club and its members.
