SFR Choices for Local Bests.
Best Gathering for Tipping Pints and Talking Politics
|
Best Place to Play DJ and Get a Groove
|
|
|
Best Public Awareness Campaign
***image1***
Drinking Liberally
If you're going to have a hangover, you might as well be drinking. And, for those who like a little common sense in their
Common Sense
, the Bush II Dynasty has been one long hangover. Which is perhaps why Drinking Liberally has gone down smooth for so many
***image2***
frustrated local lefties. Since its inception last November, the Santa Fe chapter of DL-which meets every third Tuesday evening of the month at Back Road Pizza (1807 Second St., 955-9055)-has lured scores of amateur pundits and actual politicians to its monthly meetings with a hallowed combination of political pontification and cold suds. The Drinking Liberally Santa Fe chapter is the pet project of husband-and-wife duo Laura Mott and Sean Flynn.
"The meetings provide a forum for people to talk about current political and social issues," Flynn says. "The nature of the group lends itself to open-minded people and we're always encouraging new people to come and bring new perspectives to the discussion. People don't always agree with each other, but that's what makes the meetings fun." In our humble opinion, the gatherings are democracy at its bleary-eyed finest. After all, no less a patriotic authority than Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy," and anyone who disagrees with Big Ben hates freedom. We're no freedom-haters. We're freedom-lovers. (
)
***image1***
Candyman
There are times when, sitting alone in the dark with a bottle of whiskey, there's a sound missing from the Radiohead or Bjork that's helping to drown out those sorrows. That sound is the crackle one can only find on vinyl. Usually supplementing all the Springsteen and Floyd records that were stolen from mom's basement isn't so easy. Finding
Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me
by the Cure, unscratched, or some Handsome Boy Modeling School takes time, travel and the occasional foray onto the Internet. Fortunately, Santa Fe's local music store, Candyman (851 Saint Michaels Drive, 983-9309) has moved beyond hawking classical CDs and has a rotating stock of standards and oddities just waiting for the Technic needle. So whether it's groovin' to Interpol or picking up some Ghostface Killah for your next DJ gig, there's a local stock with a local staff, who just might leave some gems on the shelves for you. Now you just gotta figure out your DJ name. (
)
***image1***
One World Coffee and Trade
In 2003, two local high school teachers from Santa Fe Prep and Santa Fe High came up with the idea of a youth-run coffee shop to help teach young employees how to successfully run a business based on a regard for ethics and the environment. Fast forward three years and One World Coffee and Trade (1810 Second Street, 983-0407) is a shining example of what young Santa Feans can do when they put their minds to it. Featuring "fair trade" coffee, environmentally conscious accoutrements and live entertainment, One World is primarily staffed with teenagers who learn invaluable lessons in the economics of operating a business.
"It's important not just to Santa Fe but also to the nation as a whole," manager and former student volunteer Houston Johansen says. "Hopefully the young people that work here will step out into the world with business skills and an ability to help reform other businesses too." (
)
***image1***
Hundred Year Flood
Blue Angel
The terms "alt.country" and "Americana" have been tossed around so much, they've outgrown their usefulness. Which is a good thing, because when it comes to Hundred
***image3***
Year Flood's new album,
Blue Angel
, they should be thrown out altogether. The band (Felicia Ford, Jim Palmer, Kendra Lauman and Bill Palmer), its feet once planted firmly in a solid bedrock of countrified pop tunes, has clearly grown on this disc. Oh sure, they still use the same tools-pedal steel, guitar, a bit of violin-but much of the twang is gone, replaced by increasingly sophisticated songwriting and introspection. This is a record that is not immediately accessible, its catchiness hidden behind dark melodies and moody production. But the second or third time the laser eye hits the grooves, you begin to realize, the Flood has graduated, moving toward almost Stevie Nicks-esque, updated California rock, with profound layers circling around Ford's voice. And we all know that voice: vibrato-laced and shocking in its intensity. (
)
***image1***
New Mexico's Spay/Neuter License Plate
A quick visit to any local animal shelter reveals the sad fact that New Mexico has an overpopulation of dogs, cats and other animals. While adopting a pet is one way to help curb this crisis, the state's new license plate is another. In June, the Department of Motor Vehicles unveiled its spay-neuter license plate, an initiative worked on for several years by Animal Protection of New Mexico and other groups. This new $37 license plate, decorated with artwork by Josh Leach, will contribute $25 for each plate sold toward spay and neuter programs. APNM Executive
Director Lisa Jennings says her group got involved with the plate because the state has no agency for animal welfare. So APNM raised the money to get the first production done, and has launched a campaign to make people aware and excited about the endeavor. "This is just one tool in the toolbox for combating this crisis of animal overpopulation," Jennings says. "It's a way to get the word out and to let people know there's a role they can play by increasing the number of animals that are spayed and neutered." The money raised by the plates will be filtered through county governments toward spaying and
***image4***
neutering programs. APNM also will work with any county government to help it set up its procedure for accessing and using the funds.
The plate must be special-ordered through the DMV, and a form to do so can be found online at:
http://www.state.nm.us/tax/forms/mvd/mvd_form.htm
(Mvd11249 Application for Pet Care Special Registration Plate). Anyone with questions also can contact APNM by e-mailing
or calling 505-265-2322, ext. 26. (
)
