Logan music scene rebuilds after venue closure

This story is jointly published as part of the Utah College Media Collaborative, a cross-campus project bringing together emerging journalists from Southern Utah University, the University of Utah, Utah State University and Utah Tech University. The collaborative is an Amplify Utah project with support from PBS Utah and POV.

LOGAN – When Whysound, one of Logan’s primary venues for live music, unexpectedly closed in April 2025, it left local musicians and the broader community without a dedicated place to gather and be heard.

The Utah Statesman reported that Whysound closed due to “multiple allegations of sexual assault within their management.”

Whysound cancelled shows and its annual festival after the allegations surfaced, saying in a public statement that the venue and management wanted to address community concerns and seek “transparency for everyone involved in the music scene and Logan community.” The statement also said they are working with Citizens Against Physical and Sexual Abuse (CAPSA) and have opened an anonymous comment form for anyone to voice their concerns. 

While the venue has since reopened, the disruption left uncertainty in Logan’s live music scene and prompted musicians and organizers to create new spaces.

A scene without a stage

In the months that followed, the absence of a venue dedicated to live music and discovering local talent became increasingly visible. 

Sydney Traveller, a local singer-songwriter and self-described avid local music fan, discussed the importance of live music venues and the connection she finds there. Traveller attended local shows, particularly at WhySound, before it closed.

“I think it’s a really great way to meet people, it’s so easy to connect with people over music,” Traveller said. 

She said parts of this community-building have been missing since their temporary closure. 

New to performing live, she said the lack of a stable music venue has made it difficult to break into the scene. 

“How are you supposed to know where to start?” Traveller said, “There’s nowhere to go. There’s no way to meet people.”  

Traveller said the closure limited both performance opportunities and her access to discovering new artists and bands. When it’s hard to find shows to play, she said, it also makes it hard for audiences to discover new bands.

This uncertainty extends beyond individual performers. Venues can give an overall reading of the music scene, said Preston Tangren, member of the Logan band Faux Fiction. 

“The biggest thing that’s happened is we can’t get a good litmus test on the health of the local music scene, because it’s really hard for them [bands] to find a place to showcase,” Tangren said. 

Tangren doesn’t believe this lack of a venue has hindered the creativity of Logan’s musicians. 

“I think we’re surprisingly diverse for a very seemingly culturally homogenous area,” Tangren said. “We have Midwest emo bands, we have punk bands, we have folk bands, we have indie rock bands. I think that’s really good and I feel like there’s more out there, but they just haven’t had their chance to show it.”

This diversity is what makes the live music scene in Logan so important, said Tanner Merritt, bassist for local band dustdust, Aggie Radio DJ and  Utah State University student.

“I think it’s important to have a music scene that provides a safe space for queer people, and for women and for racial minority groups,” Merritt said. 

Tangren said it’s important to have a space for musicians to give back to something that means so much to them. 

“My philosophy is, if you really love something, you want to give back to it, and I think those who really love music inevitably want to give back to it — they do in different ways, but making music is one of those,” Tangren said. 

Searching for solutions

Tangren is trying to do that himself through a platform he is developing called Patched. Named after the cables used to connect musical instruments and audio equipment, Patched will connect musicians and help them find spaces to play live. 

Tangren said he still sees a gap in the scene without a stable venue. 

“I do think that we need something a bit more permanent, something that can be seen as sort of like a rallying location for the local music scene, because we’ve been kind of robbed of that,” Tangren said. “That’s kind of one of the points of why I decided to pivot with my platform —  I can’t create a venue, but I can organize all of the different venues.” 

Tangren isn’t the only one who saw a need and went to fill it. After Whysound closed, people jumped in to provide spaces for bands to perform. 

Merritt said they saw an increase in house shows and other temporary venues who opened their doors to local musicians. 

Building something new

Old Star Audio popped up during this time. Founded by local musician and audio engineer Miles Larkin, Old Star combines an audio mastering studio and a moving concert series that promotes a safe environment. 

“The emphasis is [on] the music and the art, and to allow performers to showcase their art to a crowd of all ages, in a safe environment where everyone can have a great time,” Larkin said. 

Larkin, who plays in local bands dustdust and Antique Loft, said rebuilding the local music scene should be done by those who are a part of it, and on their own terms.

“I think that we deserve a good, safe, fun music scene that encourages people to start new bands, and to see live music and to hear their friends play,” Larkin said. “Even if you don’t know people in the music scene, I still think it’s just magical to go and see what people are creating in your community. I think we deserve that, so we’ve got to make it happen somehow.” 

The lack of a permanent venue hasn’t deterred Larkin, even as they work full-time and run Old Star Audio.

Old Star continues to host a variety of artists at a range of venues, including Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and a local resale boutique, Erthaware, emphasizing their commitment to safe and accessible shows. 

Old Star has hosted bands from Salt Lake City to bands founded in Logan, including World Record, Youch!, Bad Luck Brigade, hurtado and Sydney Traveller, who played one of her first gigs with the project at the end of February. 

Traveller, joined by bands Youch!, Mr. Madame and World Record, performed at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church on Feb. 21. The church was transformed into a live music venue by adding lights and a smoke machine to the stage. The crowd sang and danced along, even forming a mosh pit multiple times throughout the night. 

Traveller said the work Larkin and Old Star Audio are doing is important — not only for her performance opportunities, but for the music scene community as a whole. 

“It’s a good step in the right direction of starting to get shows going again and getting people to get their music out there more,” Traveller said. 

Larkin stressed the importance of creating spaces where people can come together and build something in their community.  

“Just do it — even if you don’t have what you need, just start getting the ball rolling because you never know when an opportunity will present itself,” Larkin said. “There are people who probably share your vision for what you want to see in your community, artistic-wise, music, whatever, and when people come together, stuff happens.”