
DJ Miss Ginger is plenty proud in Madrid.
Summertime Rolls
The announcement of another summer music season at the Santa Fe Bandstand is always exciting to report, seeing as it's no small task for any promoter to organize a single music show, let alone an entire series of gigs. There are several reasons for the series' popularity: 1) The music starts on time (usually), 2) It's a panoramic blend of local and national talent, 3) It's outside, 4) It's free, and 5) It's brought to us by a great organization, Outside In Productions, which has the crazy notion that music can save young peoples' lives.
One of the acts that should motivate you to head to the Plaza is the Americana band The Gourds (6 pm Thursday, July 17). If we clap loud enough the Austin group just might bust out their cover of Snoop Dogg's "Gin and Juice." Local composer, singer-songwriter and visual artist Donald Rubenstein makes an appearance (6 pm Thursday, July 31), as does Taos country-gothic band Bone Orchard (6 pm Thursday, July 24). The music starts Monday, July 7 at 6 pm with a double bill of local favorites the Santa Fe All-Stars and Jono Manson. A full schedule may be found at outsideinproductions.org
Sweet Home Athens
Rock evolution likens to the glacial; it's slow, daunting and, unless you're paying attention, largely uneventful. But those musicians and fans who recognize post-punk symmetries such as guitar as texture and not as lead instrument would be remiss not to recognize the rise of a band such as Dead Confederate. With its explosive timing, punctuated rhythms and pensive lyrics, The Athens, Ga. band is undoubtedly a rock band, but it also exemplifies the emergence of a relatively new blend of sound.
Dead Confederate has recently released a self-titled EP, and plans to release a full-length recording, Wrecking Ball, on Sept. 16. The song "Rat" has received considerable airplay and exposed Dead Confederate to wider audiences and bigger venues. The band plays the Bonnaroo Music festival in Tennessee, for the first time, a few days before it opens for Drive-By Truckers in Santa Fe. Could it be possible that an opening band is ultimately better than the headliner? Of course, and in the case of Dead Confederate, the question hardly needs to be asked.
Drive-By Truckers and Dead Confederate
7:30 pm Tuesday, June 17. $20-$25.
Santa Fe Brewing Company, 35 Fire Place,
424-3333
Get the Shaft
I'm still a little pissed at DJ Miss Ginger. I selfishly had high hopes for her defunct group mmmhmm, partly because it's such a great name for a band and partly because I don't think that Ben Wright has enough on his plate (D Numbers, The Santa Fe All-Stars and a weekly DJ gig at the Cowgirl? C'mon Ben, step it up).
But I'm willing to forgive Ginger, if only this once, for a chance to see her spin. Besides, things don't get much better than when she and DJ Miss Philly spin the apple bottom booty drop at the Mine Shaft Tavern on a Sunday afternoon. The DJs are only part of the fun at the "Meet Me in Madrid" Pride event. There are two cabaret performances at Madrid Central Station (formerly known as the Engine House Theater), BBQ, fancy tropical drinks and a wading pool for the little ones.
Madrid Central Station presents the "Meet Me in Madrid" Pride event
DJ Miss Ginger & DJ Miss Philly 4-7 pm, no cover.
The Mine Shaft Tavern, 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid, 473-0743
Cabaret 5 pm and 7 pm, Sunday, June 15. $15.
Madrid Central Station, 2846 Hwy. 14, Madrid, 473-0743
Smoking Buddha
CD release parties are some of the best gigs audiences could ever experience. Where some musicians view the recording process as sterile and antithetical to the live musical experience, a record, CD or download is still—no matter how accessible the technology to make one has become—truly something to celebrate.
Audio Buddha, an electronica trio that has earned a loyal following by playing steadily in and around Santa Fe, releases its debut, Alchemystical. What's remarkable about this band is that it offers a different kind of musical experience than what normally pours out of the bars and clubs of this town. This is both a blessing and a curse, as exposure goes. With the shortage of music venues, the bottom line of bar sales often dictates, rather predictably, music selections. Still, the band, undeterred, plays its driving beats live where it can and has now harnessed its grooves onto a disc for you to enjoy anywhere.
Audio Buddha
8 pm Saturday, June 14. $4-$8.
CCA, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, 982-1338