I've mentioned Brian Hardgroove several times in this column. If you're writing about music in Santa Fe, it's difficult not to cross paths with the Public Enemy bandleader. Although the differences between his native New York City and Santa Fe are considerable, the chill New Mexico vibe hasn't tapered his intensity. As his bearings acclimate to the altitude and his palette extends to all things green chile, his
extensive resumé is already in need of an upgrade. Hardgroove has recently partnered with Stepbridge Studios for two projects, "Indie Lounge at Stepbridge" and Zen Tone Productions, so the time seems ripe for a proper introduction to the town's restless music man.
Not wanting their daughter Trillia to attend New York City schools, Hardgroove and his wife, Lisa-who spent a good part of her childhood in Tesuque Pueblo with her
father-decided a 180 degree shift in lifestyle was in order. "The New York living environment is too intense.
I like to be intense in my business, but not in my everyday dealing with people," Hardgroove says. "The adjustment was big for me, but all I have to do is get to the airport and I'm working."
Hardgroove has been a professional
musician the majority of his life and didn't hesitate to dive, head-first, into the Santa Fe music scene upon his arrival on Aug. 12, 2006.
As I interviewed Hardgroove over a two-day period, he steadily fielded phone calls, conducted interviews of his own and alluded to an endless list of music projects. Those projects include Public Enemy, a band he joined in 2002 after collaborating with Chuck D on a side project called Confrontation Camp. Chuck D, having a sense of Hardgroove's abilities, asked him to join PE as the touring bandleader for its Revolverlution Tour. Hardgroove also collaborates with Chuck D in another band called Fine Arts Militia, which released a self-titled album in 2003 and is planning a second release called
FAM. 2.0
. Players on the next album include Hardgroove, Chuck D, Bootsy Collins and Adrian Belew.
He also reminisced about his childhood in New York with his parents' friends, Sam Cooke, Tito Puente and Jackie Wilson. "My earliest musical memory was going to see James Brown with my mother at the Apollo Theater. I can't remember much of James' performance, but I really remember my mother's response to it. I had never seen my mother that excited about something," Hardgroove reminisces. Interestingly, the James Brown concert at the Santa Fe Opera last summer was Hardgroove's first concert in Santa Fe. "Being in Santa Fe is a new beginning for me, so I'm grateful to Jamie Lenfestey from Fan Man for inviting me to the show, because that was karmically very important to me," Hardgroove says.
Shortly after moving to Santa Fe, Hardgroove noticed an advertisement for Indie 101.5 FM in SFR. He called Ellie Garrett, the station's operations manager, identified himself as Public Enemy's bandleader and told Garrett he was interested in hosting a radio show. Meetings with Garrett and Program Director Sam Ferrara eventually led to the creation of "Hardgroove's Fusebox," broadcast at noon on Saturdays. "Brian brings an unspoiled and untainted enthusiasm to what we are doing here at Indie, and since we are really trying to do something different I was excited to bring on someone that didn't have all that old-school radio baggage," Ferrara says.
Around the time he hooked up with Indie, Hardgroove also met and befriended Edgar Rivera, the new owner of Stepbridge Studios. The synchronous beginnings and reinventions for the station, the studio and Hardgroove are proving to be the infectious catalyst for Santa Fe's own music revival.
His collaboration with Stepbridge Studios is multifaceted, but works through two main projects. "Indie Lounge at Stepbridge" is a weekly radio show that includes live performances and interviews with local and touring bands recorded at the studio. The goal is to provide a holistic picture of both the bands and their music. "Indie Lounge" is a separate project from the "Fusebox" and will tentatively broadcast on Sundays. The other project is Zen Tone Productions, which also will record musical acts at Stepbridge, although the goals and vision slightly differ from "Indie Lounge." "The hope for Zen Tone is to launch what I've always tried to launch in New York," Hardgroove says enthusiastically. "Choosing artists based on the talent, not what they look like or how many layers of clothes they are willing to take off. I can look for the songs, then get behind the artists, record them, expose them on the 'Fusebox' and ultimately place them with a label who can actually do something with them. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me."
I recently visited Stepbridge as they recorded shows for "Indie Lounge." Three bands recorded shows that day: Albuquerque's Unit 7 Drain, Alex Maryol and Larry Mitchell. These marathon recording sessions are necessary given Hardgroove's touring commitment with Public Enemy. As I was sitting in the studio listening to Maryol's playbacks, I noticed Hardgroove present in the scene and simultaneously elsewhere, in an almost sentient state of intensity and repose, undoubtedly waiting for the next project to arise in his mind while listening with an untainted sense of wonder.
