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PROVO — Was there a shark sighting up Slate Canyon in Provo recently? According to what trail-runner and local legend Matt Galland heard during his 20-mile run on April 8, all signs point to yes.
Duunnn dunnn … duuuunnnn duun … duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn.
With the high snow levels that Utah has been experiencing, causing the potential of flooding in many areas in the state, seeing a shark soar down waterfalls isn't entirely out of the question, right? But, as Galland turned his head toward the sound behind him, we learn that it was a local cellist playing spooky tunes in front of a mountain backdrop.
Now, if you were on the edge of your seat hoping that there was, in fact, a shark that had made its way to the Provo mountains, I want to let you know that seeing a cellist in the mountains is also rare, and perhaps a little frightening, as well. As a trail and ultra runner myself, I have seen many things in the mountains of Utah: I've seen a badger, a moose, coyotes and, yes, even bobcats and a cougar — but never a cellist.
According to Galland, the cellist wasn't alone but was there with his band "Man May Be" shooting a music video. Also, Galland said, the "Jaws" theme song was played per his request as a way to have fun with the band he had literally just run into.
"(A friend) and I were on a run down the BST when we heard some cool music coming from up above," Galland recalled. "It sounded pretty cool, so we took a quick detour to see what all the fuss was about and saw that it was a band playing up in the rocks above Slate Canyon. I thought it would be fun to do a little video since it was such an out of place setting with them up there. I just asked the cellist to play something spooky."
The band that was so kind to play along with Galland's antics is a progressive metal band based out of Provo, that features the vocals of previous top-20 finalist of "The Voice," Hanna Eyre.
And while the backstory to this may be slightly less thrilling than seeing a shark on a mountain, I think the magic of cinematography may be able to create something. I mean, "Snakes on a Plane" is a thing.
