Live Music In Utah Valley

03-09-2024

This is my personal list of places to go for live music in the Provo & Orem area.

Jazz Cats

The funny thing about the Provo Town Square area on Center Street is that the buildings are old and have great exploration value. What appears to be a row of plain businesses all in a row actually turns out to be a small but rewarding maze of small businesses, collectives, and organizations. It’s really rewarding to find a liminal space and just start walking, because you’re bound to find something interesting.

One such interesting place is Jazz CatsWho have no online presence other than instagram as far as I can tell

. I was primarily intersted in them because I was looking for groups of local musicians to connect and play with, and that’s exactly what Jazz Cats is about. If you drop by during their jam time, you’ll get handed an instrument (or you can just watch) and you can play along with other amateur musicians.

They also occasionally have bands perform on other nights that you can go see as performances.

The Social

The Social is a dry bar and collection of resturants, and tends to be a hub of activity for the Provo Town Square on the weekends. The staff are very friendly. And this is a very family friendly resturant. They will on occasion have live music performances for which they will charge admission, but it’s relatively cheap. I want to say $5 or $6. Their events page should theoretically have events. The music performance is not regularly scheduled, but I’ll often stop by the Social if I’m looking for something to do on a weekend to see if anyone is playing.

The Good:

  • The staff are super friendly
  • There are things to do, music to listen to, and food to eat. Board games, video games, billiards, etc.
  • If you do want something fancy to drink, the bottomless lemonades are nice, and they are $8 last I checked, but the refills are unlimitted. Hence, botomless.
  • The mocktails are good. Make sure you get one that has a good amount of drink in it.

The Bad:

  • The food is tasty, but it’s not cheap. Although if you’re creative with the apetizers one of the better ways to have a good time at The Social is to grab a board game or card game and order an apetizer to share with friends.

The Velour

In terms of high quality music experience the Velour is one of the best options you can choose. Their schedule varies from week to week, and it’s best to check their calendar, which is their entire website. Prices at the door vary, I like to drop by and poke my head in if the line isn’t too long and see what the vibe is and how much they’re charging for admission.

The greatest drawback to the Velour is the price. I’ve seen them charge $12-$18 per person depending on who’s playing. The music is great though.

The Good:

  • High Quality Music
  • Frequent Performances

The Bad:

  • Likely the most expensive option on this list in terms of tickets.

When To Go:

  • Whenever their calendar indicates they have music. (Typically weekends, or on Wednesdays there is an open mic)

ThriftRx

( Update: Last I heard ThriftRx stopped doing musical performances =( )

ThriftRx has a grungy underground sort of vibe. Which is ironic because it’s the first item on this list that is above ground in a literal sense. ThriftRx is a thrift store by day that hosts local bands and music groups by night in a tiny back room. Be prepared to stand shoulder to shoulder with other members of the audience for an up close and personal experience with local music. I highly recommend the purchase of ear plugs at the front, it gets really loud in that tiny room. But it’s your hearing loss, do what you want obviously.

Sometimes things can get a little wild in there as well. I’ve gone to performances there that gave me a classic rock kind of vibe, and other performances that were a lot more intense. The last time I was there I went to see some screamo band and the vocalist was moving all over the place. Body slammed me into the wall. It was wild let me tell you.

Not every night is quite that intense, just depends on who’s playing.

The Good

  • This place feels authentic. It’s got local bands, you’re right up close with them, but not in a cozy way like at Java Junkie. This feels like going to a punk venue of some kind. The asthetic really matches that, with bras hanging from the ceiling and grafitti on the walls it’s really a vibe.

The Bad

  • Standing room only, very crowded. But honestly that’s part of the vibe.

Java Junkie

I like Java Junkie because you can go sit down and listen to music for free. I always try to buy something when I can, it’s good to support local business. But sometimes I find myself with a free weekend and nothing to do and not a dollar in my pocket until next payday, so this is a good option.

The environment is very casual, and it’s not uncommon for people to talk during the performance and socialize. Making the performance a kind of center piece but also kind of background music depending on how you would like to treat it.

I’ve had good experiences talking to the musicians after the shows, the stage is very small and tucked into the corner. Overall, the environment is very cozy and friendly. I also perform here occasionally.

The Good:

  • Extremely chill vibe
  • Good food
  • Free to get in and watch live music

The Bad:

  • Honestly no criticisms from me. It’s a great vibe.

When To Go:

  • Friday Nights: 7-10pm: Open Mic Night
  • Saturday Nights: 7-10pm: Often they have a local band booked

I’ve also heard tell that they occasionally have performances during the week. But you’ll have to dig into their website for more there.

The Boardwalk

I caught the tail end of one concert here. It was a good time. The venue is tucked away in Orem. I’ll write a more detailed review later. The people who work here are cool though.

The Vibe

I haven’t been here yet.