To date, I've spent most my life in Happy Valley. My family moved to Provo from upstate New York when I was just a kid. Growing up, I played in a number of punk and hardcore bands -- even a short-lived, Op-Ivy-rip-off, ska band called Special Guest. Most never left the practice spaces, basements, and warehouse venues of Provo and Orem. I moved to SLC when I was 18 but those experiences still mean more than I can express in words.You see, when you grow up in a place like "Happy Valley," you follow one of two paths: 1) You buy into the conservative socio-econo-poli-sexual-spiritual role that the culture hands down to its youth and go on to live a life of squandered potential and repressed passion, or 2) You realize very quickly that roles are meant to be broken.
While I was never close with the guys from Utah Valley hardcore act Parallax, their band came to embody this second path for me. Elliot's progressive take on writing heavy music and Blake's powerful lyrics continue to influence me... as well as the sound and shape of Utah hardcore.
It's been five years since Blake's death and Parallax's demise, but the band's music and messages are every bit as vital as they were when I was a 14-year-old kid playing in a shitty band called Special Guest.
Parallax - On Dead Tracks - Download
Parallax - Mediums and Messages - Download
Also, head over to the Salt Lake Hardcore Blog to download a rare Parallax Ep.
