GOIN' DOWN ON MUSIC
What do smoke machines, candles and contortionists have to do with music? Yeah, I don't know either, but I suppose a press conference announcing a gargantuan music festival wouldn't be the same with chamber music and tea biscuits. The conference, held on May 17 at the Santa Fe Downs, marked the official announcement of the Santa Fe Muzik Festival, a three-day event scheduled for Aug. 10-12. Shaun Parrish, the event's main organizer and promoter, promises the penultimate outdoor festival experience, complete with camping and portable toilets, not to mention six stages of music, 115 local vendors and some not-yet explicated emphasis on environmentalism.
The festival will be held at the dilapidated horse track owned by the Pojoaque Pueblo, but not before some considerable housecleaning, as there hasn't been music at the racetrack since the mid-'90s. Parrish hopes to reawaken the Downs with the festival and keep the party rolling with other events throughout the year. The festival will be a bit of a musical hodgepodge. Parrish and his crew are taking notes on the diverse musical acts from such colossal music events as Coachella and Bonnaroo. Parrish also recently purchased the Beer and Nut Festival from Christopher Goblet and will incorporate it into the event. Goblet is now part of Parrish's team and works on corporate sponsorship.
There is not an overarching theme to the festival, although inclusivity and community involvement seem to be the threads that tie the event together. Approximately 75 bands will be booked for the occasion, including 40 local bands. The lineup, thus far, includes rock bands Blues Traveler and War, hip-hop acts Busdriver and Wu-Tang Clan and underground electronica band Rabbit in the Moon. Tickets for the show range from $49 for daily passes to $129 for all three days if purchased before June 15. More details will assuredly flesh themselves out in time, hopefully sooner than later.
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
If you drive long enough on a commercial street like Central Avenue in Albuquerque, it's not if, but when, you'll find a Starbucks sitting passively on the side of the road like a sage dispensing advice for pocket change.
This quest for coffee comes on the day after SFR's showcase at the swanky Carom Club for the Hyperactive Music Festival and Conference. (Disclaimer: I pieced together most of the showcase and sat on a panel, and SFR ran ads for the festival.)
Santa Fe musicians like the Sean Helean Band and AudioBuddha teamed up with out-of-town acts like MJ Baby and The Last Word to rock into the wee hours. DJ Melanie Moore kept the grooves going, while Albuquerque's Vertigo Venus filled a last-minute gap on the roster with its beautifully loud and offensive songs.
The conference began with a VIP party at the Sauce/Raw club on Thursday. A steady stream of bands-including Santa Fe's new unofficial supergroup, Truth and the Human Music-played throughout the night. Truth's members include Brian Hardgroove on drums, John Kurzweg on rhythm guitar and vocals, Larry Mitchell on guitar and Matt Deason on bass. Despite the set being abruptly cut to rush another band on stage, it was, as you may imagine, pretty freakin' dope.
Eleven music clubs and venues sponsored music showcases with more than 120 bands from around the country performing over three days. Vendors, various professionals and derelicts such as myself participated in panels that covered a wide array of topics, from indie band promotion to digital recording technology. Overall, the festival was a burning success-important to the New Mexico music scene-and, by all indications, is growing exponentially. I may even manage to recover from my hangover in time for next year.
COUCH SURFING
Warehouse 21 seems to be more present in the community without a permanent building than ever before. The youth arts organization has found a temporary music venue in the building that housed the former Club Luna. W21 expects to be at The Moon until July.
According to Executive Director Ana Maria Gallegos y Reinhardt, W21 has been awarded $1 million from the City of Santa Fe as part of a resolution from City Councilor Patti Bushee. "The City Council approved it due to it being a city-owned building, thus a city asset, in the new Railyard Arts and Cultural District," Gallegos y Reinhardt says. "Also, due to urgency since our building was just demolished as well as general support for our youth in Santa Fe." W21's fund-raising goals are shy of $200,000 to begin construction on the new building.
