There were many important events in the music scene in 2005-the Paramount closing, the debate over all-ages shows, the spectacular improvement of the Summer Bandstand series-but what follows is my list of shows that held the most cultural significance for Santa Fe this year. Some were blockbuster moments, some were quieter, and some were barely attended, but each either impacted our music scene or aptly reflected some important aspect of it. These particular shows embody more than anything what our year was, and maybe what 2006 will be:
SHANNON MCNALLY, THURSDAY, JULY 28, EL PASEO
Sure, McNally opened for Charlie Sexton at the El Paseo Music Hall in early November, but it was her intimate, personable and, frankly, noisy headlining show next door at El Paseo earlier in the year that really buttered my muffin. McNally's a star in the making and she soldiered on with class through clueless bar patrons just waiting for another Tecate (many of them didn't notice the stunning star). What made it so very Santa Fe? The large number of frat boy types who didn't even know what they were missing. What made it so important? With a voice capable of
both smoky tenderness and smart, hard-edged realism, McNally's both an emblem of country's past as well as a look into its future-and it was the intimacy of El Paseo that brought it all out.
AL GREEN, SATURDAY, SEPT. 17, THE SANTA FE OPERA
It was a dark, slightly chilly night, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and a sensitive little population like ours needed some distraction-no, some healing, dammit-and who better than the great Reverend himself to soothe hundreds of restless, uncentered souls? Green shimmied and shook, sidestepped and soared, hitting (almost) every note of old and a few new ones. Along with his band, which was even tighter than his trousers, Green made me a believer, if for just one night.
CA'GUAMA, SUNDAY, MARCH 13, BAR B
There's no doubt Ca'Guama was put on this Earth to crush any pre-ordained notions you might have about music to crystalline bits underneath a raggedy thrift-store boot heel. This was the first time I ever saw the band, and they officially blew my mind with a barely reined-in hysteria, a balance of control and explosive energy, hard-edged punk and border songs, virtuosity and performance art scariness. One of the few times Ca'Guama has played an above-ground show, and the fact they played at Bar B is one more damn reason why the Paramount ruled.
SANTA FE SUMMER PICNIC, SUNDAY, JULY 3, FT. MARCY BALLPARK
To paraphrase Fan Man Productions' Jamie Lenfesty: Santa Fe is gorgeous-why the hell don't we have more outdoor concerts? This summer Lenfesty put his money where his paraphrased mouth was and busted out with the Summer Picnic. Volume-wise, this show wasn't the most successful Santa Fe's ever seen, but it was decently attended and, most importantly, it set a precedent for things to come: The vibe was cool and breezy-hell, the weather was cool and breezy-kids ran the bases, ice cream dripped down fingertips and the lineup-Los Lobos, Trio de Jalapeño, Sol Fire and Manzanares-suited Santa Fe perfectly.
KEYBOARD, MONDAY, MAY 30, THE LAUNCHPAD (ALBUQUERQUE)
Yes, the show was in Albuquerque, but when Santa Fe's Noah DeVore, aka the one-man band Keyboard (and formerly of The Big Boo), scored a primo opening spot for international critical faves Stereo Total, I had to follow him down there. Somewhere after, oh, about five seconds into DeVore's set, something went terribly, terribly wrong. First, DeVore's keyboard broke and two of his friends had to kneel onstage and apply constant pressure to the top and bottom on both sides so all the circuits would connect. As DeVore improvised a number of his bizarre pop songs, several drunken frat boys-what they were doing at this show, I'll never know-heckled the poor teenager ruthlessly. DeVore's face grew redder and redder, the heckling increased, 'til the normally mild-tempered DeVore lost it, screaming at the frat boys until they shut up. It was not a pretty sight. It was not fun. It was fairly sickening, the lot of it. But it exemplified a rarity in Santa Fe-a youthful fearlessness, a youthful desire to just try and see what happens, a youthful drive to put your songs out there no matter what, and just plain youthful rock 'n' roll anger.
THE GLUEY BROTHERS REUNION SHOW, SATURDAY, FEB. 19
Of all of the City Different's almost-weres, the Glueys take the cake for the sleaziest, stinkiest, most storied and perhaps most talented. Alter-egoed Santa Feans and former Santa Feans, the Glueys make early Beastie Boys look like Joan Baez. This crew brings some hardcore, sweat-inducing funk, punk and rap, and they bring it hard, and they never fail to pack a house. And the Paramount indeed was wall-to-wall, fire marshal be damned, for what was the nastiest, crunkest show of the year, a touchstone to a gloried past and a reminder of what could be. And of course, yet another reason why the Paramount ruled…
