Provo band puts faith before fame

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Red Yeti at the Wall
Local band Red Yeti plays at The Wall.

Many bands dream of making it to the big leagues and of performing in Hollywood. Red Yeti, a Provo-based band, won that chance but chose faith over fame when its members were asked to perform on a Sunday.

“When we found out the event was on Sunday, it was a no-brainer,” said the band’s lead singer, Kimball Barker, a junior from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, majoring in public relations. “We acknowledged that God had helped us get to this point so we weren’t about to disregard His commandments.”

Red Yeti, comprised entirely of BYU students who are returned missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, won last year’s RAWards competition in the musical artists category for Utah. RAWards invited the band to play in Hollywood at a Sunday event honoring all of the competition’s winners, but the musicians knew they need to stay true to their beliefs by forgoing the concert.

According to Barker, the band’s fans have been overwhelmingly positive about the band’s decision not to perform in Hollywood.

“We have received nothing but support for our decision, and RAW didn’t mind us not showing up,” Barker said.

The band’s popularity has continued to grow since its decision not to perform on Sunday. Kaneischa Johnson, spokesperson for the Velour Live Music Gallery in Provo, said the band has attracted large crowds to the Velour.

“They always bring really big crowds to their shows,” Johnson said. “They definitely have a really great energy and excitement about what they’re doing.”

Red Yeti was formed in March 2012 by Barker and fellow BYU student Isaac Lomeli. Barker and Lomeli had each played in several bands before playing together.

The current members of the band include Barker on guitar and vocals, Lomeli on guitar, Coleman Edwards on keyboard, Jared Scott on bass guitar and Nicolas Blosil on drums. With the exceptions of Lomeli and Scott, who are from Washington and Texas, respectively, the rest of the band is from Utah.

The band tries to focus on keeping its music and performances in line with LDS beliefs. The band’s bio states that the members “believe in supporting worthy causes, performing rather than just playing and making sure their fans have a good time.”

Red Yeti has played at several local venues, including The Wall, Guru’s Cafe and Velour Live Music Gallery. The band recently played at the JBones Clothing Launch Party in Salt Lake City on July 12 and is planning to tour in California, Oregon and Washington in August.

Red Yeti members.
Members of Red Yeti, from the left: Jared Scott, Kimball Barker and Isaac Lomeli.
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