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city beat 4.3 - 4.16.08 DEADLY COMPANIONS Compañeros Mortíferos In the ’90s, locals the Drags and Scared of Chaka were hitting it big (well, as big as one could get) in the underground punk scene. In answer to them both from Tucson came the Fells: hi-energy lo-fi "retardo" punk, as fun as a barrel of drunken lemurs and as good as the other two rolled into one. They’ve remained one of my favorites of those bygone days. Three years ago I proudly wore my threadbare Fells tee shirt as some sort of sign of solidarity to see the Okmoniks, another Tucson outfit ripping up stages these days. I wasn’t inside the Launchpad door five minutes before they not only recognized the shirt but informed me that erstwhile Fells guitarist Rob Yazzie was in town and would be showing up directly. He did and much amusement followed. Yazzie and I have been web buddies ever since. While he keeps me hipped to the happenings around his Austin digs, the best news is that his latest band the Deadly Companions is here this week. The Companions bring that old raw punk fun with sleeve-worn influences like Dead Boys, the New York Dolls and Link Wray. Frontman Allen Degenerate wails like Iggy Pop with a bad headcold while guitarist Yazzie dishes out sloppy goodness in a buzzsaw attack. Sandra Jake--who was just learning last time I saw her & Rob --thumps solidly on drums, heavy on the tom beats. Bassist Eloy A. keeps the bottom end securely in place, without whom the Companions might bounce offstage. Don’t expect textbook musicianship from the Deadly Companions. That’s not the point but stripped-down revved-up fun. Also from Austin are the Extravaganza. They’re punkrock of the style before metal-edged hardcore took over while keeping the Ramones roots. The twist is that its not Joey Ramone’s puppy love tunes they echo but instead the nasty bits of the few songs fronted by Dee Dee Ramone who was more dangerous (especially to himself) than the rest of the band combined. Rounding out the bill: our own punk torchbearers the Gracchi. Deadly Companions • Fri. Apr 4 • Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 313 Gold SW, 247-2878 • 10p, Free. Dirt City Beat Tuesday, 20 November 2007 KHAN GAME Who would have thought Peninah Wolpo has a sweet songster side? With her local rocker chick outfit the Roxieharts, “Penny” can talk enough trash to embarrass a drunken sailor on a one-night shore leave, but has apparently long been stashing a backlog of songs that show a more sensitive side. Convincing Wolpo to play them in public has been a Sisyphean feat. Finally, with the debut of her new project the X-Khans, Ms. Wolpo unleashes her other side, proving it is just as emotionally hard-hitting when singing low-key songs filled with blue melancholy as she is when belting out gritty rock ’n’ roll. In both cases, Wolpo manages to tackle love, the lack of it and knowing when to just let it be. X-Khans, 9p, Thu., Nov. 15. Ralli’s 4th Street Pub & Grill, 109 4th SE. $5. Dirt City Beat 3.20-4.3.08 ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST It’s a natural progression. Music venues come and go. The beloved Dingo Bar closes and Burt’s Tiki Lounge rises in its place. The merely okay Time Out morphs into the victorious Launchpad. Venues close due to profits going down the drain or up management’s nose. Others go down in flames of glory, getting out while the getting’s good. In the early morning on February 28, The Golden West simply went down in flames. Despite controversy over management, it was a favorite room of many local bands. The "shotgun shack" layout and the acoustics of wooden walls and old-fashioned high tin ceiling combined to make the Golden West a great place to play. The ambience (or lack of) and the décor (chandeliers!!) made for a great hangout. Seeing the band from the sidewalk through the great picture window lured many a patron spontaneously through the doors. For the first half of the nineties, the Golden was the place for loud, local bands. Shows were filled to capacity, buoyed by the rise of "alternative rock" radio and the ultimate mass acceptance of atonal punk rock. The stage was shared by Albuquerque scene stalwarts like Scared of Chaka, the Drags and Word Salad and lesser known locals like the Honeys, the Jacobins and Anchorman. From the crass acts of Nashville Pussy, Seven Year Bitch and the 440’s to the well-behaved Ben Folds Five and Heather Nova, the Saloon hosted many a touring act as well. By spring 1996, amid rumors of the Golden becoming a brew pub, the infamous 30-band "Kiss Our Ass Goodbye" sendoff show marked the end of the venue’s musical preeminence. Since then, various promoters have struggled to recapture its vitality to varying degrees of success. Lately it was a home for bands that either lacked experience or hadn’t broken past the unacknowledged cliques of the show-booking scene. Some folks say they’ve been missing it for a long time, citing years of indifference on both the part of the club and audiences. Others who felt it was back on track toward better things bemoan lost opportunity. It’s too soon to say whether the Golden West will arise or be razed. What shouldn’t be forgotten is that the neighboring Launchpad (which played no part in the fire) will be closed for some months due to smoke, water and structural damage. It has survived noise ordinances, undeserved attacks by the city on its reputation and a leaky roof. It will take more than this to stop it. Make sure you patronize the ’pad when its back on its feet. Dirt City Beat Friday, 02 November 2007 LONG GONE DADDIES If you’re in the mood for something a little more “real” (i.e. — no punk pretension and no grinding riffage, but rather, music as honest as the day is long) choose almost any Thursday night at the Atomic Cantina to listen to Long Gone Trio. Deceptively simple, they’ve long outlasted the ’90s swing revival to do what the group’s members have always done: deliver fine, corn-doggin’ honky tonk. Leader Pat Bova has been performing traditional rockabilly boogie in town for more than a decade, notably with his superlative outfit, Bovine. Guitar picker Tom Sanderson delivers leads in the style of Hank Williams’ Drifting Cowboys while Pat Kowalski slaps a mean upright bass. Your next chances are November 1 and 8. Wear your dancing shoes. 9p, Nov. 1 and 8. Atomic Cantina, 315 Gold SW, 242.2200. Free. IN SUSPENSION There’s been a local glut of go-go, girl-fronted garage bands playing Ramones-style punk for many years. But what about an all-female roaring thrash metal band? The genre has been mainly territory of “the boys.” Enter Albuquerque’s Suspended, a trio of self-described rocker chicks who know how to tear it up, a fact apparent to even non-metalheads like myself. The group will perform on November 3 at Puccini’s Golden West Saloon. Opening the show is the “rock ’n’ billy” Sin Serenade who twang their way across the stage like a rusty pick-up truck, held together with baling wire barreling across the dusty Texas plains. 9p, Sat., Nov. 3. Puccini’s Golden West Saloon, 624 Central SW, 242.2353. $5. SAINTS AND SINNERS If Chrissie Hynde can call any lineup she fronts The Pretenders, then why can’t George Anthony and his short-lived, now resurrected, Battalion of Saints, one of San Diego’s toughest early ’80s hardcore outfits. The band was under FBI surveillance in the early days because one of their biggest fans wore a Battalion shirt while robbing banks. Most of the original lineup are dead from either a drug overdose, suicide or AIDS. So for the current incarnation of BOS, Anthony has pulled together like-minded personnel from other bands such as Total Chaos, Crucified Youth and Hot Snakes. Unlike later hardcore groups, the Batts kept melody upfront in their songs — a rarity in the genre. Catch them November 5 at Launchpad. Just keep an eye out for federal agents in the crowd with sunglasses and shiny black shoes. Local grind heroes Roñoso open. 9p, Mon., Nov. 5. Launchpad, 618 Central SW, 764.8887. $8. Dirt City Beat ELECTRO FEST Friday, 05 October 2007 Featuring 16 acts over two nights, the Oscillation Electronic Music Festival returns for its seventh year bringing every electronica genre, sub-genre and pigeonhole you could ask for. Both evenings offer hot and fresh acts running the digital gamut and though words can’t do justice to the sheer range of auditory experience available at the festival, I’ll give it a shot. Friday’s lineup consists of The Booty Green, like early NYC electro duo Suicide, but a whole lot nicer; electro scene stalwarts Diverje ramp it up with divergent hyper-industrial trance; Nightmare Noise Machine, agitated mechanical-dance disturbance; Potential Ghost lays down thematic and instrumental meditations (synthesizers and sequencers are instruments, right?) that will prep you for the afterlife darkness; Vertigo Venus, like the B-52’s and Dead Kennedys on diet pills and nitrous oxide; and ZRAM, darkbeat industrio mega dance structures. Saturday’s lineup includes AGL, a one-man (or sometimes more, you can never tell) melodic cacophony pushing the limits of auditory endurance; Audio Buddha, techno-psych murmurings with violin and guitar loops; Brian Botkiller, audio loops and driving beats with subliminal and not-so-subliminal political commentary; Dirty Birdies, yet another offshoot of the expect-anything multi-ensemble digital symphony orchestra Cobra//Group; Nanocrack, blistering feedback, loops and undersea whale speak; Raine Vivian, electric/acoustic rock — staccato rage to complacent sighs. Since that accounts for about three-quarters of the bands, this is the event for listeners of all persuasions. If you’re already familiar with electronica, you’ll find favorite acts old and new. If you don’t but want to broaden your palate by taste testing the techno talent, see what you’ve been missing while challenging your preconception of what “music” can be. Pack your earplugs and head down to the Cell Theatre (700 1st NW, 766.9412), one of the cleaner and more comfortable venues in town. The place is saturated with echoes of the previous six Oscillation events, reverberating from deep within the walls and floors. Don’t forget to pick up the CD sampler, featuring all the festival acts and to sign up for the festival’s many giveaways — software, music, etc. But if you absolutely can’t make it out to this year’s Oscillation, then stream live audio and visuals at oscillation.info. 6p, Fri., Oct. 5 and Sat., Oct. 6 The Cell Theatre, 700 1st NW, 766.9412 $10 one night/$15 both nights. ALL AGES Dirt City Beat Friday, 05 October 2007 AVENGERS ASSEMBLE 10.15.07 Avengers.
The name is near mythical, one of a tantalizing few early
From 1977 through
1979, the Avengers blazed a trail on the west coast supporting such bands
as X, the Germs, Dead Kennedys and the Go-Go's (who were ragged punks
when they started out). Short-lived but not burnt out like so many others,
the Avengers retreated into lore. Drummer Danny Furious joined Joan Jett's
Blackhearts and Social Distortion. Bassist Jimmy Wilsey went on to work with
Chris Issak while guitar player Greg Ingraham dropped out of the public eye.
For years,
By 1998, Penelope and Ingraham surprised us all by scrounging up enough old tracks to release a CD and briefly reformed, appropriately, as the ScAvengers. Once lost tapes added a few dozen scathing tracks to their official output of seven songs from one single and one EP. That disc "Died For Your Sins" included out of print songs produced by Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, a relationship begun when the Avengers opened the infamous last Pistols gig at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom in 1977.
Thirty years later, the Avengers are back and vicious as ever on their first cross country tour. Houston and Ingraham have recruited drummer Luis Illades and bassist Joel Reader, both of the Plus Ones. As an added bonus, Illades' band, the queercore band Pansy Division ("We're homos and we like to rock"), is second headliner on this tour, their first since 2003 and the latest in a humorous sixteen year career.
Psychobilly trio
Koffin Kats, who've been tearing up Mon. Oct.15, 7p. The Launchpad, Dirt City Beat Their latest release Challengers (Matador, 2007) is more svelte than previous powerpop offerings like their debut Mass Romantic or 2003's The Electric Version. Still, it's far from anorexic, as if the creative process went on a sensible rather than starvation diet. Bursting at the seams, the past barrage of epic hooks would leave you breathless and spent like a new lovers' afterglow. Now lean and minus the synthesizers that relentlessly drove earlier tunes, the Pornographers' new work retains the inventive song structures and blissful harmonies. Also unchanged is the grandiose melancholy that creeps into even their most upbeat songs. Instant gratification it's not, but as any artist worth the name matures they should ask no less of their listeners.
The New Pornographers band pedigree is impressive: Zumpano, Superconductor, Destroyer, Limblifter, Age of Electric, Bowl of Fire, the Evaporators, Cub and that's the abbreviated version. A veritable who's who of Canadian indie rock, they formed as a side project never expecting the popular acclaim that exceeded that for all their past outfits combined.
Like many other fans, I walked into a 2001 show sight unseen, taking the promoter's bait: "featuring Neko Case" who had gotten lots of ink for her 1997 roadhouse country disc The Virginian . I paid my cover to hear her soaring vocals but was reeled in by Newman's and Dan Bejar's sweeping melodies of grandeur with lyrics that bite so sharply you don't notice the teeth marks until your blood stream is already infected.
Because Challengers doesn't divert you with relentless hooks it takes fewer listenings to absorb but is no less complex. Bejar's thin and spidery vocals contrast with Newman's more accessible voice. New vocalist Kathryn Calder is similarly distinct from Case but showcases the New Pornographers' brilliance in presenting material that is astoundingly cohesive even with four singers.
Expect emphasis
on the new stuff at their
Two supporting
acts fill the bill with perhaps less opaque songs. Fellow Canadians The Awkward
Stage feature songwriter Shane Nelken, a former A.C. Newman collaborator
whose work and vocals land squarely between Newman and Bejar. From
Dirt City Beat issue 37 Friday, 07 September 2007 BOWERY BOY This has nothing to do with our local scene and everything to do with our local scene. On August 28, 2007, Hilly Kristal, owner of iconic New York City rock club CBGB, died at age 75. In the ’50s, Kristal managed NYC’s famous nightspot Village Vanguard, which hosted jazz progressives like Miles Davis. However, that musical background didn’t prepare him for the cacophony to follow opening his own club in 1970. CBGB’s déclassé location in NYC’s Bowery (a fashionable district long since gone downhill) ensured the bar was not the success Kristal hoped. As ’60s optimism was on the wane, NYC clubs only booked bands that already had fame or recording contracts. With some handy downtime on the club schedule, Kristal bucked that trend by taking a chance on a couple of young groups. One such group was comprised of scruffy art students who played experimental rock ’n’ roll and other equally-scruffy street kids from Queens playing sped-up bubblegum — Televison and The Ramones, respectively. From this point, the story becomes more familiar. Blondie, Suicide, Talking Heads, Dead Boys and Patti Smith all gravitated to Kristal’s place, playing music under the all-inclusive term “punk,” which then signified originality and passion, not merely a musical style. Although CBGB provided a locus, the commercial success of punk mostly bypassed Kristal as the original punks moved on to larger crowds and fancier venues. He continued to book bands, some whom became famous (The Cars) and others who did not (Tuff Darts), because he cared that original music be heard, not only by CBGB patrons, but by record label execs whose attendance he encouraged. More than a few bands were signed because of Kristal’s zeal. Every rock ’n’ roll venue worthy of (the name) owes a debt to Kristal for encouraging, nurturing and provoking the original punk scene. BANDS IN BLACK The fourth annual Johnny Cash Tribute Night features a slew of local acts covering songs by the “Man In Black.” Diehard Cash fan bands like Sin Serenade, Pan!c and The Gracchi will be back on deck. Also scheduled are sets from more unexpected acts like the frisky indie/punk of Feels Like Sunday, the ragged rock glory of Botnix and the reclusive Lenny D’Wayne. 10p, Fri., Sep. 14. Atomic Cantina, 315 Gold SW. 242.2200. No cover. Dirt City Beat Thursday, 23 August 2007 PLEASE KILL ME. AGAIN. Please Kill Me is the name of a book subtitled The Uncensored Oral History of Punk. Edited by PUNK magazine founder Legs McNeil, it tells the story of the 1970s New York punk scene through the words of dozens of its participants including Richard Hell, Dee Dee Ramone, Jayne County and Penny Arcade, plus out-of-towners like Iggy Pop and the MC5’s Wayne Kramer. Published in 1996, Please Kill Me set the bar for music “scene” histories. Similar books soon appeared. Five years later, We Got the Neutron Bomb did the same for the less insular Los Angeles arena, showing just where West Coast punk fit between Manhattan Island and the British Isles. In 2001, American Hardcore chronicled the nationwide rise of punk’s “second generation” and their hard-edged music that had only punk itself as roots, unlike the original New York and Brit scenes, which grew out of all musical genres before them. Having the players tell their own stories is an inspiration for those who want to leave an insider account as a legacy of their hometown music scene. The pre-eminent project thus far is Towncraft, a movie and accompanying website (towncraftmovie.com) that chronicles the punk timeline — from 1984 to the present — in Little Rock, Ark. Unlike the set-in-stone books that preceded it (if you want to argue with one of the New York Dolls, be my guest), the film’s website is fluid. In these days of blogs and wikis, the scene-autobiography “genre” has been updated here, allowing anyone to contribute their side of the story. A virtual jukebox allows visitors to listen to the very music the scene was built upon while they peruse stories, photo galleries and audio clips. In what we hope is an inspiration to do the same here, Albuquerque music fans can catch the Towncraft movie in a pre-rock show screening at the Atomic Cantina at 9p, Friday, August 24. Stick around after the screening for live local music from drunk rocker Unemploid, the furious Demons and the New-er Wave of Polaroid Pornography, who are all adding their tales to our rich and diverse punk history. 315 Gold SW, 242.2200. Free.
Dirt City Beat - Oct 4 - 17, 2007 Electro Fest
Featuring sixteen acts over two nights, the Oscillation Electronic Music Festival returns for its seventh year with every genre, sub-genre and pigeonhole you could ask. Both evenings offer hot and fresh acts running the digital gamut. Words can't do justice to the range of auditory experience here but we'll give it a shot.
Friday: The Booty Green, like early N.Y. electro duo Suicide but a whole lot nicer; electro scene stalwarts Diverje ramp it up with divergent hyper- industrial trance; Nightmare Noise Machine, agitated mechano-dance disturbance; Potential Ghost lays down thematic and instrumental meditations (synthesizers and sequencers are instruments, right?)that will prep you for the afterlife darkness; Vertigo Venus, like the B52's and Dead Kennedys on diet pills and nitrous oxide; ZRAM, darkbeat industrio mega dance structures.
Saturday:
Since that accounts for about three-quarters of the bands, this is the event for listeners of all persuasions. If you already familiar with electronica, you'll find fave acts old and new. If you don't but want to broaden your palate by taste testing the techno talent, see what you've been missing while challenging your preconception of what "music" can be.
Pack your earplugs and head down to the Cell Theatre, one of the cleaner and more comfortable venues in town. The place is saturated with echoes of the previous six Oscillation events, reverberating from deep within the walls and floors. Don't forget to pick up the CD sampler featuring all the bands and to sign up for the giveaways: software, music and more goodies. If you can't make it out, then tune in and get wired with streaming live audio and visuals at www.oscillation.info .
Dirt City Beat - Sep 20 - Oct 3, 2007 With Justice and Noise For All
The Albuquerque
Fando opens with
hard rocking digital-core, brass and growling vocals, a twisted treat. Next, the Marx Brothers of mayhem and clown princes of crustcore,
Roñoso (formerly Fukrot) wreak havoc with your
eardrums but add plenty of humor beneath the auditory sludge. Finally, 202 Harvard SE. Fri Sep 21. 830 p. $5.
Expo Gals
Women's Day at the NM State Fair/Expo features a cool line-up of local femme-fronted bands not normally associated with rodeo, blue ribbon pies and Dippin' Dots, the Ice Cream of the Future. Rock with the girls at the Ford Pavilion, situated close to the main entrance. Fri Sep 21. The Ya-Ya Boom Project, 130p; Leah Black, 3p; Pan!c, 430p; the Gracchi, 730p. Free with Fair admission.
Nuevo Wavo
A decade ago Joe "King" Carrasco y Las Coronas were a fixture at the annual UNM Fiestas when that now-sedate event featured Frisbee hurling frat boys and half clad co-eds downing cheap keg beer on Johnson Field. Joe King would leap offstage while playing guitar and hop in the back of parked pick up trucks, never missing a riff. At indoor gigs Carrasco literally climbed the curtains to jump onstage and sometimes his head. Bets are this Texas wildman has also toned it down but backed by the Puerto Vallarta All Stars , Carrasco still promises a high energy combo of Tex Mex, surf licks and Sandino Rock in border-spanning Spanglish. On Fri Sep 28, see if Joe King lives up to his loco reputation at the (how appropriate!) El Rey Theater.
Bowl of Cherries
From Satan Fe, Javier Romero's (ex-Mistletoe) latest outfit the Cherry Tempo plays our newest rock club the Tavern with a Beatles pop outlook, a My Bloody Valentine brooding and an occasional Billy Corgan outburst. 4007
Dirt City Beat -Sep 6 - 19, 2007 Bowery Boy
This has nothing to do with our local scene. And everything to do with our local scene.
On August 28 Hilly Kristal , owner of iconic rock club CBGB, died at age 75. In the fifties, Kristal managed famous nightspot the Village Vanguard which hosted progressive jazzmen like Miles Davis. That musical background didn't prepare him for the cacophony to follow opening his own club in 1970. CBGB's déclassé location in New York City's Bowery (a fashionable district long since gone downhill) ensured the bar was not the success Kristal hoped.
As '60s optimism was on the wane, N.Y. clubs only booked bands that already had fame or recording contracts. With some handy downtime on the club schedule, Kristal bucked that trend by taking a chance on a couple of young groups. One was scruffy art students playing experimental rock and roll and the other scruffy street kids from Queens playing sped-up bubblegum: Televison and the Ramones.
From this point, the story's familiar. Blondie, Suicide, Talking Heads, Dead Boys and Patti Smith all gravitated to Hilly's place, playing music under the all-inclusive term "punk" which then signified originality and passion, not merely a musical style.
Although CBGB provided a locus, the commercial success of punk mostly bypassed Kristal as the original punks moved on to larger crowds and fancier venues. He continued to book bands, some who became famous (the Cars) and others who did not (Tuff Darts) because he cared that original music be heard not only by CBGB patrons but by record label execs whose attendance he encouraged. More than a few bands were signed because of Hilly's zeal.
Every rock and roll venue worthy of the name owes a debt to Kristal for encouraging, nurturing and provoking the original punk scene.
Bands In Black
The fourth annual Johnny Cash Tribute Night features bands covering songs by
the Man In Black, who appears to be garnering more praise from young rockers
the longer he's dead. Diehard Cash fan bands like Sin Serenade
, Pan!c and the Gracchi will be back on
deck but also unexpected sets from the frisky
indie/punk Feels Like Sunday, the ragged rock glory of Botnix and the reclusive Lenny D'wayne.
Dirt City Beat - Aug 23 - Sep 5, 2007
"Please Kill Me" is the name of a book subtitled "The Uncensored Oral History of Punk". Edited by PUNK magazine founder Legs McNeil, it tells the story of the 1970s New York Scene in the words of dozens of participants: Richard Hell, Dee Dee Ramone, Jayne County, Penny Arcade among them, plus out-of-towners like Iggy Pop and the MC5's Wayne Kramer.
Published in 1996, "Please Kill Me" set the bar for "scene" histories. Similar books soon appeared. Five years later, "We Got the Neutron Bomb" did the same for the less insular Los Angeles arena, showing just where West Coast punk fit between Manhattan Island and the British Isles. In 2001, "American Hardcore" chronicled the nationwide rise of "second generation" punk, a hard-edged music that has only punk itself as its roots unlike the original New York and Brit scenes which grew out of all musical genres before them.
Having the players tell their own story is an inspiration for those who want to leave an insider account as a legacy of their hometown music scene. The preeminent project thus far is " Towncraft ", a movie and a website that chronicles the punk timeline in Little Rock, Arkansas from 1984 to the present. Unlike the set-in-stone books that preceded it (you wanna argue with one of the New York Dolls, be my guest), the Towncraft site is fluid. In these days of blogs and wikis, the scene-autobiography "genre" has here been updated, allowing anyone to contribute their side of the story. A veritable jukebox allows one to listen to the very music the scene was built upon while perusing stories, photo galleries and audio clips. http://www.towncraftmovie.com/
In what we hope is an inspiration to do the same here, Albuquerque music fans can catch the Towncraft movie in a pre-rock show screening at the Atomic Cantina, Fri Aug 24 at 9p.
Stick around after the flick for live local music from the drunkrock Unemploid, the furious Demons and the New-er Wave of Polaroid Pornography, all adding their tales to our rich and diverse punk history.
315 Gold SW. No cover. 242-2200
Dirt City Beat - Aug 9 - 22, 2007
Percussive Concepts
The drum, voice and percussion ensemble known as Concepto Tambor has had many members since 2000, absorbing musical ideas from Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico with dynamic beats from samba to cumbia and batucada to reggaeton . A little hip hop with a rock and roll attitude top off the blend. Watch for their exciting procession-like entrances from the street into the venue. Extra points to those in the crowd who can identify the particularly offbeat instruments like cajon, berimbau, or caxixi 9 p., Sat. Aug 11. Ralli's Pub & Grill, 109 4th St
NW in the walking mall. 243.1093. $5.
We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges!
That misquoted line from John Huston's 1948 epic film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre aside, we do need badges (badges being another name for buttons and pins bearing your favorite band's logo). We need t-shirts and bumper stickers too or how will everyone else know how hip we are?
Too, merchandise is an important source of gas and burger money for traveling bands. No indie act makes it off the cover charge alone. Since you're going to spend those dollars in your pocket anyway, why not throw the band a few bucks rather than throw it away at the bar?
A decade ago, punk bands in Albuquerque had no choice but to special order their merch from Pete the sticker guy in Nevada or t-shirts from the west coast. It worked but shipping was expensive and design approval problematic in those mostly pre- home computer days.
Enter I Heart Machine . Levi Eleven (of Volume Volume, formerly Romeo Goes To Hell) has built up his badge and sticker business into a local merch superstore. Chances are the stickers you see plastered on local guitar cases and badges pinned to hipster lapels downtown are his. He also offers posters, t-shirts, bracelet charms, patches, web design and more.
Although specializing in rock and roll, satisfied customers include shops of all kinds, downtown clubs and the infamous Albuquerque rocker chick pin-up calendar. Prices are more than competitive and Eleven's eye for design is near flawless.
Visit the digital storefront: http://www.iheartmachine.com/ .
Dirt City Beat - Jul 12 - 25, 2007 Portland Return It seemed like we couldn’t keep The Prids out of Albuquerque a few years back, as the Portland band performed locally every nine months or so. And though their touring schedule has calmed down a bit of late, they haven’t forgotten the Dirt City, one of bassist Mistina Keith ’s and guitarist David Frederickson ’s favorite tour stops due to the warm reception they receive each time they take to an ABQ stage. Soaring and grand, The Prids meld post new-wave and dark-wave into symphonic splendor that is never short of stunning. 9p., Tue., Jul. 17. Burt’s Tiki Lounge, 313 Gold SW, 247.2848. No cover.
Hopeful Return
After successful local folk-jam duo Naomi split in the late 1990s, Jason Daniello kept a high profile with new projects, while his partner, the uniquely gifted songwriter Ben Hathorne, formed his much-missed grrrl-backed outfit the Hopefuls. Soon after, Hathorne dropped out of sight. Thankfully,
die-hard fans of Hathorne’s velvet vocals and striking lyrics can find him
in a rare solo slot on July 19 at Launchpad, opening for the mysterious
Orbitman with Funk Shui — prog-funk as influenced
by the Dead, Zeppelin, and Hall
& Oates (you heard right). 9p., Thu., Jul. 19. Launchpad, 618
Central SW, 764.8887. $5.
Traveling Ladies’ Cello Society
Alternative rock usually means strings, as in jangling guitars and melodic bass. Rasputina is nothing less than a true alternative featuring the cello, never an instrument associated with rock unless one counts the Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby.” Led by
cellist Melora Cregaer, the trio braves ethereal new worlds
of classically informed compositions that don’t fit within the hoary traditions
of chamber music. Topics include the tragedy of industrial revolution factory
fires, the mystique of antique high-heel red doll shoes, and most horrifying
of all, pop icons like Kate Moss. The group also pulls rabbits
out of gothic hats with inventive covers of jazz standards, Pat Benatar
songs and ’60s folkie Melanie.
Backed
by second chair cellist Sarah Bowman and drummer
Jonathon TeBeest, Creager will take the stage at
the El Rey Theatre on July 25 with a batch of new songs of infidels, yellowcake
radium, and climate abnormalities. Supporting act, Brooklyn’s My Brightest
Diamond, bridges the divide between Rasputina, Tori Amos,
and Kate Bush. Tickets are $14 to $18.
El Rey Theatre, 620 Central SW, 242.2343.
If you don't remember the raging metalcore of Word Salad , there's a lesser chance you'll recall the venerable Jerry's Kidz . Word Salad's bass man is J. Dutch Worthington, much-missed ex-Albuquerque soundman, who perfectly mixed everything from Bo Diddley to indifferent college rock. At their last reunion show, I lost my glass and glasses within seconds of their opening number in a turbulent mosh pit. That's what I get for standing right up front. The occasion is the half-centennial birthday of long-time local rocker Gordy Anderson who will be ripping on guitar tonight with his doom rock outfit Black Maria and -- if rumors be true – the unexpected reunion of his old combo Jerry's Kidz, one of this town's earliest punk rock bands. And opening this night of thrash n' roll, its …Fast Heart Mart ..? Acoustic nu-protest with clever (but not overly clever) lyrics and raga rhythms, an original take on music and social justice. Fri Apr 20. Launchpad 618 Central SW. Doors 9p. $8.
Love the Sinner Antonia Montoya's tub thumpin'
bass may make you think they're a rockabilly outfit but when Lucky Donohue
growls at you from the stage and strums his fuzzbox guitar, its clear Sin
Serenade is a rock n' billy ruckus
with the attitude of the Rolling Stones Let It Bleed. Drummer
Maghan
Make the Music Go Bang Touring their brand new release,
Laugh Dog Laugh Just when your ears have recovered, the Moonlight Lounge hosts a rare appearance of grindcore masters Laughing Dog, supported by the grrrl powered thrash metal of Suspended and the analog/electro onslaught of Bastard Noise (offshoot of Man Is the Bastard) and more.120 Central SW, Apr 26, 8p. $6. All-ages and bar with I.D.
Of God and Science
aren't a band that immediately grab you. They insinuate themselves into
your consciousness with shape-shifting arrangements and deceptively simple
McCartney-esque flourishes. Guitars and pedal steel bring to mind the session
work of Jesse Ed Davis or David Lindley on Jackson Browne's early records.
Meanwhile, local music veteran Ryan Martino's commanding drums drive-- but
never overpower--the band. They don't always take you in the anticipated direction but that's okay. There's plenty other bands who are content to lead you by the nose with obvious cues. Of God and Science are more patient than that. Pick up their new self-titled CD on Fri Apr 6 at the Launchpad 618 Central SW. Doors 9p. $7.
ALPHABET SOUP Too many goth bands seize only upon the most sensational (and silly) aspects of 18th century Gothic fiction, like vampires and velvet-draped caskets. I Is For Ida however get right to the point: brooding romanticism and terrors of the soul--but with catchy hooks uncommon for such downbeat music.
At only four or five appearances a year, their gigs are rare and worthwhile, like an old movie about stolen gems that carry a deadly curse. Spectral fingers tapping at the frosty window panes of your mind, its sincere sentiment beautifully played. Orthography aside, Ida sharing the bill with Seattle's H Is For Hellgate seems a natural. While not alike musically, they share a bleak exterior that belies a buried positive vein. In quieter moments, frontwoman Jamie Henkensiefken sounds like the Spinanes' Rebecca Gates who spellbound the indie scene in the mid '90s. Fri, Apr 13. Atomic Cantina, 315 Gold SW. 10p. Free.
HIT AND RUN
It's Auld Lang Syne at the Launchpad this time around: 618 Central SW. All shows: doors 9p. $5
Gingerbread Castles Thur Mar 22 marks the return tour of 'burque expatriates Gingerbread Patriots with hush-a-bye-baby melodies and playful lyrics. Marvelous frontman John Brophy had a large hand in many NM productions, recording and engineering as well as herding disparate musicians in sparkling tribute CDs to the Beach Boys and Madonna. His partner Meghan offers spot-on harmony, laptop keys and f/x. Join the roaring Oktober People, acousti-dance beat Mei Long and mischievous Polaroid Pornography in welcoming back the Gingerbread wonder.
Miles To Go In the late '80s, Living in Novia Scotia, Miles tracked me down online last year and graciously mailed his latest work: further-on-down-the road twang, dirty country blues and cosmic boogie roots. Exquisite one-man jam recordings, he plays guitar, bass, drums, piano, organ, mandolin, banjo, sitar, pedal steel and dobro in seamless self-production, tighter than many full bands can manage. On Wed, Mar 28, catch Caleb in a rare U.S. appearance accompanied by a bunch of friends from the old bands. Miles says "no thanks" to record labels so this will be your big chance to pick up on his home brew CDs.
Where's the Beef? How many welcome back's can you take in two weeks? It's been years since local porn-punks the mighty Beefcake In Chains graced our stages with questionable taste and attire plus searing hot rod riffage. The line-up's changed over the years, depending on who was willing to strip down-- musically and literally -- for their X-rated antics. Fri Mar 30, Beefcake rolls
out their latest for your titillation, led by Cap'n Orgasm himself: Mr. Steve
Eiland, long-time Launchpad fixture. Supporting the Beef is Dead
On Point Five, the most challenging hard rock around here, fronted by
ex-Beefcake guitarist the mad saint Vinnie Testarone.
Dirt City Beat - March 8 - 20, 2007 LATE NIGHT GROOVE In addition to smoky nightclub jazz, smooth combo The Bitter Sermon lay down some sweet Stax-inspired soul grooves ala Booker T and the MGs, the perfect accompaniment to a lonely scotch on the rocks. Fri. Mar. 9;
Golden West, 620 Central SW; 9p, $5. WIG WAM GLAM Although punk
is generally credited with returning rock ’n’ roll to its beginnings (if
you can’t say it in less than three minutes, don’t bother), glam rock
did it first with bubblegum melodies, flashy attire and dancefloor fun.
Over time, Brit glam became synonymous with flash and glitter, but the
melodies were key with roots in Top 40 as well as English Music Hall schmaltz.
Sat. Mar. 11, you can find our own soaring glamrock heroes The Foxx
supporting The Sweet-inspired powerpop of The Nice
Boys from Portland, hot on the heels of a SXSW gig. Oakland California’s
The Time Flys bridge the punk–glam gap with raw riffs in high-energy
Slade-inspired handclap glitz. It’s a sartorial elegance drenched bargain
for only five bucks at the Launchpad, 618 Central SW; 9p, $5. You can also
catch The Foxx the previous night on a multi-faceted bill with
the stoner swirl of locals Supergiant andj from California,
psychedelic master Greg Ashley’s Medicine F*ck Dream. MFD echoes
the late 60s fragile psyche of Texas native Roky Erikson, post-Thirteenth
Floor Elevators. With themes from brooding despondence to guarded optimism,
Ashley’s acoustic and electric meditations are first-class. Sat. Mar.
10. Burt’s, 313 Gold SW; 9p, No cover. SODOM AND
BEGORRAH
Dirt City Beat - Feb 22 - Mar 7, 2007 Spring Breakz Just about everything considered cool and hip in American music came out of the black experience, from blues to jazz to soul and even the earliest disco, which wasn’t as far removed from its R & B roots as one might think. From King Oliver to Miles Davis, from the Mar-Keys through Isaac Hayes, black music has stressed dignity and proclamation of self-worth. From the pavement of the South Bronx, hip hop pioneers like Grandmaster Flash brought the same values. Today, commercial hip hop is at the point that rock music similarly reached in the 70s: bloated, out of touch with the street and a showplace for misogyny, ego and pretentious bling. But as early punks dragged rock back to its roots, underground hip hop reclaims the genre’s relevance and immediacy. On Feb. 24, the annual Breakin’ Hearts show gathers local rappers, DJs, B-Boys and B-Girls to showcase their skills, pride, flows and breaks. A true all-ages event, I’ve seen little kids and grandparents cheer on the friendly battles of who can out scratch, out rhyme and out freak the other. If the only rapper you’re familiar with
is Puff Daddy posing for photo-op’s with Donald Trump, your eyes will be
opened here. Heights Community Center, 823 Buena Vista SE; 7p $10.
In Tatters My first contact with a group who would later form the nucleus of Little Kiss Records was a Tattersaints show at the old Sprockets across from UNM. Smart indie-rock that’s remotely twang and pleasingly off-kilter, the ‘saints were a favorite unsung local band. Although the music is solid, the band has been touch and go over the years: now you see them, now you don’t. The latest Tattersaints incarnation will be found opening a benefit for Serendipity Daycare on Feb. 23. As if the cause wasn’t good enough to get you out the door early, their set is icing on the cake. Frontman Freddie Raygun on keys, guitar, vocals and arcane inspiration is a local treasure. Seven more bands are on the bill include snarly grrrl punks Pottymouth Sherrys and the rollicking n’ roll Inner Parlors. Launchpad, 618 Central Ave SW; 8p. $5
Your Mama For today’s music
consumers (that is to say, kids) the mp3 single fits the niche once filled
by the 45 rpm record: the song is the focus, not albums of filler material
that just happen to contain that sought-after song. In these days
of downloads, releasing music on a piece of plastic appears as outdated
as the eight track tape. Still, there remain fans who revere the “release”
as the basic unit of distribution: a satisfying package of music, cover
art and liner notes. Audiophiles who
treasure superior sound reproduction have yet to be convinced of the quality
of ultra compressed mp3s heard through multi-purpose computer speakers
or tiny iPod ear buds. The debate is nothing new. The same was true in
the past of those who spun their records on low-fi plyboard phonographs
versus gleaming high fidelity stereo rigs. In spite of all
that and the increasing number of bands who release CDs without benefit
of a “label”, one local outfit keeping the concept alive is Soceyermom
Records. Len Apodaca began this ill-named venture in 1998 as a vehicle
for his own band Stretch and other admired locals. Besides offering current
acts or bygone combos such as The Hopefuls, Oh! Ranger and Fever Hot!,
Socyermom remains dedicated to compilations of local bands whether they
release their own CDs with the label or not. Ouch! Welcome
to Albuquerque, Rock Outside the Box volumes 1 and 2, The
Socyermom Sampler and New Mexico Rocks 2007 Pin-up Calendar Companion
are fantastic overviews of Albuquerque past and present, over
one hundred bands represented. Much like those fishy TV infomercials of
baby-boom hits, you’d be hard pressed to assemble such packages on your
own. Most recently, Socyermom submitted
a local music showcase to annual industry sleazefest, South By Southwest
in Austin TX. It’s a pretty cool thing to do since the majors have scouts
there in force, pens in hand, ready to sign promising bands away from their
home labels. Time will tell if SXSW officials accept the offer but Socyermom
will continue pimping the local rock regardless.
Culture Jamming Kicking things off is Gary Farmer and The Troublemakers , a blues and rockabilly outfit also out of Thu. Jan. 25 9p at Gulp! 3124 Central Ave SE, no cover Fri. Jan. 26, 9:30 p at Ralli's 4th Street Mall between Central and Copper, $5 Sat. Jan. 27 6:30p at St. Clair Winery and Bistro, 901 Rio Grand Boulevard N.W. (the old Rio Grande Cantina) Picture a well-heeled gypsy band puffing Gauloises in some saloon with French dancehall mam'selles kicking up their gams and you'll be prepared for this ensemble's tight and talented act.
Below the Radar Chronically overlooked but a favorite of local hardcore musicians, Below the Sound throws in the towel Fri. Jan. 12 at Burt's . Powerhouse angular beats, punishing basslines and wailing (not wank) riffs: picture a mix of the jazzy Girls Against Boys, the pounding power of Big Black, and Tool with higher intelligence. You've heard little like them before. Tonight's your last chance. 313 Gold SW, 10p, no cover.
Novelas Sucias Due last month, we could complain this CD is
sort of a year late. Okay, not really. Pick up the Dirty Novels'
latest and perhaps most promising CD Fri. Jan. 19 at the Launchpad.
Start with classic Stones (pre-Sympathy For the Devil). Add rhythms that
would get a go-go girl go-going .Top with post-mod couture and you're ready
to dance all night. Bonus! It's show number two for the Ashes, the Ramones with a Bo Diddley beat amped on Preludin at Liverpool's Cavern Club. Also the punk-you attitude of the Gracchi who invite you to play name-that-tune each show with an old-school cover or three. 618 Central Ave SW. 9p. $5
European Union Headlining January 23 at the Launchpad is Of Montreal, part of the vast Elephant Six indie collective that includes Olivia Tremor Control, High Water Marks and Neutral Milk Hotel. It's the latter's drummer Jeremy Barnes to keep an eye on tonight in A Hawk and A Hacksaw which includes our own Heather Trost, ex-violinist of Foma. It's as if an Armenian, a Basque, a Gypsy, a Yemeni and a Hungarian Jew meet up over drinks and pool their musical heritage. All that's missing is the dancing bear. Doors 7p, 618 Central Ave SW. Advance tickets $12 at Virtuous.com and at Natural Sound Records or $15 at door, 7p.
Zots Redux
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BY CAPTAIN AMERICA