Out and about: Red Butte Garden season begins May 28

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Chris Kattan

Spotlight show • The show is billed as "Chris Kattan and Friends," but we will all be showing up for Kattan, 41, making his first stand-up appearance in The Beehive. In an interview with The Tribune, Kattan said that although he was a member of the famed comedy troupe The Groundlings before he was a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" between 1996 and 2003, he only began doing stand-up four months ago. "My friend told me I have a lot of fans out there," Kattan said. So he said he "gives the crowd what they want" — bits revolving around his most memorable "SNL" characters: Mr. Peepers, Mango, Corky Romano, Doug Butabi (the head-bopping brother from "A Night at the Roxbury." He also wants to deliver some physical observational humor, showing the audience who he is besides his disguises. "I'm more comfortable being myself," he said. "It's encouraging to hear that people like that."

When • Friday and Saturday, May 25 and 26, at 7 and 9 p.m.; Sunday, May 27, at 7 p.m.

Where • Wiseguys West Valley City, 2194 W. 3500 South, West Valley City

Tickets • $20 at wiseguyscomedy.com

Blind Pilot

Spotlight show • The Shins and The Head and the Heart, with Blind Pilot, open Red Butte Garden's first concert of the summer. The Oregon-based pop sextet Blind Pilot is returning to the botanical garden for the second straight year; it opened for Josh Ritter there last summer. "That is a beautiful spot," remembered frontman Israel Nebeker in a Tribune interview. Since its last Red Butte show, the band released its second full-length album, "We Are The Tide," which took full advantage of the ensemble growing from an initial lineup of two (Nebeker and Ryan Dobrowski) to six. For example, front and center this time around is Kati Claborn (banjo, dulcimer, ukulele, guitar, vocals), who played a little on the group's first record, "3 Rounds and a Sound." She joined the band after being approached by Dobrowski, who worked with her at a Portland coffee shop before they could afford to go on the road full time.

When • Monday, May 28, at 7 p.m.

Where • Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City

Tickets • Sold out

The Staves

Spotlight show • Staves is the plural of staff, the group of five lines and four spaces used in musical notation. So that's how the three sisters opening for Bon Iver on May 29 got their name, right? Nope. The three sisters in the British folk-pop group are Jess, Emily, and Camilla Stavely-Taylor, and in a Tribune interview Jess said that when they started performing gigs, they didn't have a name, so people would shorten their names and call them The Staves. The young women just released their second major-label EP, "Motherlode," with a full-length due out later this summer. Helming The Staves' album with the three-part harmonies are legendary producers Glyn Johns and Ethan Johns — the first time the father and son have been credited on the same album. By the way, having grown up on the outskirts of London doesn't mean the women can't wait until the upcoming London Olympics — they would prefer to go on holiday, or tour. "If I was in town, [I'd] be boring," Jess said. "I'm not huge into sports."

When • Tuesday, May 29, at 7 p.m.

Where • Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City

Tickets • Sold out

Street Dogs

Two former members of the Dropkick Murphys have joined another former member in Street Dogs. The band maintains the fierce South Boston attitude as it fuses Celtic folk elements with punk and hardcore. The Aggrolites and Old Man Markley are also on the bill.

When • Friday, May 25, at 8 p.m.

Where • Burts Tiki Lounge, 726 S. State St., Salt Lake City

Tickets • $15 at SmithsTix

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers

Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers play no-nonsense, country-infused rock. You might remember Clyne from The Refreshments. Buffalo Jones opens.

When • Friday, May 25, at 9 p.m.

Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City

Tickets • $14 at thestateroom.com

Prodigal Sunn

Rapper Prodigal Sunn, cousin of Wu Tang Clan's RZA, will perform with DJ Swift, Ortega the Omega, Yolo Musik BoomBoxx Music, Free Speech Syndicate and Word Em Up.

When • Friday, May 25, at 9 p.m.

Where • Liquid Joe's, 1249 E. 3300 South, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $9 at door

Das Energi Festival

Das Energi Festival features many of today's top electronic artists and DJs for one night. Benny Benassi will be headlining with Zeds Dead and Fedde LeGrand opening. There will be more than 50 artists playing on five stages.

When • Saturday, May 26, at 2:15 p.m.

Where • Saltair, 12408 W. Salt Air Drive, Magna

Tickets • $25-$100 at SmithsTix

Toxic Holocaust

Come for a night of Orgeon-bred thrash metal with Toxic Holocaust and guests Midnight.

When • Sunday, May 27, at 7 p.m.

Where • Kilby Court, 741 S. Kilby Court (330 West), Salt Lake City

Tickets • $12 in advance, $14 day of, at 24Tix

Of Monsters and Men with Yellow Ostrich

This collective from Reykjavik, Iceland, performs folk-pop music. The group was the 2010 winner of Músíktilraunir, an annual battle of the bands in its homeland. Yellow Ostrich will open.

When • Sunday, May 27, at 7 p.m.

Where • In The Venue, 219 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $20 at 24Tix

BoDeans

BoDeans describes themselves as a roots-rock band, delivering blues, rock, country and soul, all at once.

When • Sunday, May 27, at 8 p.m.

Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City

Tickets • $20 at thestateroom.com

Santigold

Genre-bending Santigold, the brainchild of Santi White and John Hill, combines punk, reggae, grime and bass-heavy electronica for a surreal live music experience.

When • Monday, May 28, at 7 p.m.

Where • In The Venue, 219 S. 600 West, Salt Lake City

Tickets • $20 in advance, $25 day of, at SmithsTix.

Tab Benoit

Hailing from New Orleans, Tab Benoit plays classic blues, and at the recent Blues Music Awards he took top honors in Contemporary Male Artist, Album, and B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. Whiskey Folk Ramblers will open.

When • Wednesday, May 30, at 8 p.m.

Where • State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City

Tickets • $20 at thestateroom.com