SFR Picks—Week of Aug. 25

B!tch and Eugene, melodrama and Shakespeare

by

B!tch, Please

Prism B!tch is back, thank God

Look, dear readers, we wouldn’t normally try to send folks out of town when it comes to the picks o’ the week. But if you’ve been living your life without being aware of Albuquerque’s Prism B!tch, you’ve been living your life wrong and should get on the highway to the Launchpad down in ABQ as early as is reasonably possible come Sunday. For a lot of reasons, too.

See, Prism B!tch is one of the most fun live bands operating in the state, for one thing. A wild melange of punk, indie rock and good old fashion rock ‘n’ effing roll, that fearsome foursome of Teresa Cruces, Liliah Rose, Lauren Poole and Chris Walsh not only know how to write an infectiously catchy song, they know how to present it in the most exciting ways possible. No, seriously—this band is out of control live, and it’s the kind of thing that even caught the attention of Built to Spill in the before times, resulting in some pretty sweet opener spots for our hometown(ish) heroes.

Did we mention the music videos? ‘Cause, they’re good, too—particularly 2018’s “Ya Ya,” wherein the vocalists declare “You know me, I’m your fucking nightmare/You know me, the one you fucking love!” The band gets kudos as well for this year’s “One Shot,” a strangely dreamy spaghetti Western-ish number paired with a more restrained song than we’re used to from the band, but still a slapper in the most ‘90s garagey kind of way.

If that’s not enough for you peasants, Big Girls’ power chord punk goodness should pair well with the indie-esque soundscapery of Byland. With as much respect as we can afford to those bands, though, just make sure you’re there for Prism B!tch whatever else you do. Cool? Cool. (Alex De Vore)

Pr!sm Bitch with Big Girls and Byland: 7 pm Sunday, Aug. 29. $10. Launchpad, 618 Central Ave., Albuquerque, (505) 764-8887

One More Time

If you’ve been repeatedly pushing back a potential trip to the Santa Fe Opera, might we remind you there’s not a whole lot of time left to catch the current season? As in, you’re staring down the barrel of the last week, so listen well because we’re gonna recommend Eugene Onegin—because it’s freaking Tchaikovsky, yeah, but also because everyone we know who has an informal review to relate says it slaps. The tale of spurned love, regret and, like, life and stuff, Tchaikovsky’s work endures and SFO’s lavish stage production brings the justice. Prefer a different show this week? SFO has plenty to choose from. (ADV)

Eugene Onegin: 8 pm Thursday, Aug. 26. $42-$286. Santa Fe Opera, 301 Opera Drive, (505) 986-5900

So Dramatic

Hi, friends, Culture Editor Alex De Vore here to say that even though the anonymous writers/monsters at the Santa Fe Playhouse refuse to base the villain on me in their productions year after year, the annual Fiesta Melodrama is always a pretty good time when it comes to lambasting all things Santa Fe. This year’s show goes a little more broad as villain Covidio Ninetinez faces the likes of Moderna La Choza and CDC de Baca in a battle for our souls! If you’re from here, you’re gonna love it. If not, well, I’ve had to sit through more than my fair share of college improv troupes cracking wise about the most specific of things, so...get real, I guess. (ADV)

Fiesta Melodrama: A Streetlight Named Santa Fe: 7 pm Thursday, Aug. 26-Sunday, Aug. 28; 2 pm Sunday, Aug. 29. $15-$25. Santa Fe Playhouse, 142 E De Vargas St., (505) 988-4262

Never Thought Tonight Could Ever Be So Close to Thee

Yeah, we all like to act like we’re freaking Shakespeare geniuses whenever it comes up (which, honestly, is kind of a lot for a dude who has been dead for hundreds of years), but it seems that even the most studious fans of that wacky playwright have lots to say about how his words work. Thusly, a whole mess of actors and directors and theater folk like Mairi Chanel, Antonio Miniño, David Stallings and others will gather on Tuesday to dig into the central and pivotal relationships of Macbeth (that’s the sad one, right?). We double dog dare any participants to show up with Weird Sisters questions. Naw, jay-kay—this one’s about the titular Scot and his wife, what’s-her-face. Go and lay on, ya n00bs. (ADV)

Pivotal Relationships in Shakespeare: Macbeth and Lady Macbeth: 7:30 pm Tuesday, Aug. 31. $10. International Shakespeare Center, 3209 Calle Marie, (505) 466-3353