Take On This

AHA Fest is back and better than ever

It's that magical time of the year when your pals at the After Hours Alliance (a loosely affiliated collective of artists and musicians and political types) present their music and arts festival. Aptly titled the AHA Festival of Progressive Arts, the whole shindig usually pops off in the Railyard over a two-day period and covers everything from visual artist booths, concert stages, dance jams, killer food and more. This year's festivities (swish) not only do all of those things, but the folks in charge have added an entire third day and expanded to other parts of the city in order to create a more rounded and exciting experience. I sat down with AHA's music program director, Johnny Bell (also of experimental Americana/gothic act Cloacas), to discuss all the goings-on.

Day 1: DNVxSFE

8 pm Friday, Sept. 18. Pay what you wish
Molly's Kitchen & Lounge
1611 Calle Lorca, 983-7577

Y'all remember a little while ago when AHA sent some local bands up to Denver for the Underground Music Showcase? Well, that was a super-cool music exchange, and some fine bands from Denver are now headed our way to kick things off at Molly's. "Molly's is a great spot," Bell says, "because it has that authentic Northern New Mexico flavor and fits into that bigger picture of these up-and-coming districts in Santa Fe like Siler Road or Second Street." Poet's Row, the Still Tide and Oka Tygra all hail from the Mile High City, and each brings nuance and complexity to the ever-expanding worlds of electropop-meets-shoegaze-meets-garage-rock and psych. Yeah, that's a lot of hyphens, but they deserve 'em. Don't let a lack of local bands discourage you from attending, though, as one of the festival's main goals is to host music that we can't see all the damn time.

Day 2: The Art of the Machine

5 pm Saturday, Sept. 19. Pay what you wish
Siler Road Arts District/Trades West Road

"We had originally planned for the second day to have all these cool lowrider cars and to feature the art that goes into that, but it expanded to include Burning Man-like art cars and sculpture and a mobile bike shop and more," Bell says. "The area is industrial, but it's also a melting pot of all these kinds of art, and this is to fuse all that together." There will also be food trucks, a beer garden courtesy of Duel Brewing and, after 9 pm, secret shows at Ghost, Radical Abacus and High Mayhem. One should also keep an eye out for pop-up performances and other such craziness.

Day 3: Progressive Arts Fair

1-9 pm Sunday, Sept. 20 (music starts at 3 pm). Free
Railyard Plaza, Market and Alcadesa streets

"After a while, it became obvious that for the music aspects of AHA to be sustainable, we would have to gain the attention of national acts," Bell says. "It's still very local-centric, and I don't ever want to get to a point where there are more out-of-town bands, but I think this shows that Santa Fe bands can stand alongside some of the best bands touring today." Performances abound on two stages, with the likes of punk rock maven Jessie Deluxe, the post-rock weirdos GRYGRDNS, the mouth jockey techniques of Heavy Breather and many more, plus artist booths, more food trucks, more beer and more good times. Are you freaking yet? You bet your ass you are!

Bonus: Bell’s Sunday Picks

Reighnbeau (Albuquerque)
4 pm, North Stage

"They're definitely girlfriend music," Bell says jokingly of the electronic pop act. "They're from New Mexico, but they tour regularly, and having them in the show is great."

Young Readers (Norman, Okla.)
5 pm, North Stage

"It's like folk music, but [Jordan Herrera] stands apart from the sea of singer-songwriters in the level of sincerity he brings to his music," Bell muses. "A lot of these acoustic guys seem to be forcing emotion, but he really connects with his audience in a way that really makes him stand out."

Lonesome Leash (New Orleans)
7 pm, North Stage

"It's Walt McClements of Dark Dark Dark doing this one-man, accordion and drums thing," Bell tells SFR. "Words can't express how awesome he is, and if there's one act people come see, it should be this." (People, look up and love Dark Dark Dark immediately!)

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