Music Defined

Listen up, Santa Fe, because I've had it. Y'see, I've been back to compiling the SFR events calendar for a few months now, and the state of how all y'all are writing press releases is atrocious. Now, I'm not sure if it's because all musicians are under the impression that they're unique flowers growing up strong within a desert, where each grain of sand is some other performer who is indiscernible from all the other grains, or what, but in any case, it shouldn't be this hard. And even though I could shit-talk for days about all the issues I have, I'd like to take this chance to define some of the more popular genres around here in the hopes that it will make describing what your band or the band you booked does. Local examples are provided not for the purposes of judgment (I actually like the examples I gave) but to give you an example of what sounds like what. Word? Word.

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When it's not quite country and it's not quite bluegrass, but you know you kind of like both and don't stray too far either way. Originally contained lyrical themes that were distinctly related to the culture or history of America, but now delves into any and all topics. Like doin' it.

Local example: Shannon Brackett

It's a little bit country and a little jazzy, but you can usually expect finger-picked guitars plus banjos and fiddles and the like. Vocal harmonies don't hurt, but they aren't necessary. Most bluegrass players are incredibly well-versed in the stuff and will totally tell you that it's what they do, or they will have a major problem if you call them country or Americana unless they utilize those styles on purpose.

Local example: Kitty Jo Creek

At the risk of being crucified, this will serve as an all-encompassing description for the majority of electronic dance music styles played in and around Santa Fe. There are dozens of similar styles (techno, house, jungle, trance, tech, spank, truck, flick, jim, jam, Country Bear Jamboree, EDM, etc.), but let's face it—your average person who isn't creating the music or into these styles or deeply imbedded in the scene(s) couldn't tell you the difference and will usually just refer to all of it as "techno." Basically, these styles are music for dancing that can sometimes create a strange and pleasant sense of spiritual community through the use of hypnotic, repetitive beat structures. I'm actually scared about potential angry responses explaining the differences between genres and sub-genres, so let's just agree that it's all very complicated and impressive, and that if/when you send in info or release albums, we'll get a little more in-depth about how brilliant your music is, OK?

Local example: DJ Melanie Moore

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It's like poetry mingling with dance beats that can range from the political to the autobiographical and all points in between. This is the one genre there is absolutely no mistaking for something else (not counting classical, which nobody cares about, even a little bit at all).

Local example: Sblmnl Rnsns

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You wanna talk about ridiculous sub-genrefication? That's, like, metal's thing. Most of it is angry, a lot of the time you have no clue what the "singer" is talking about (outside of stories about corpses and murder and planetary duality and shit) and at this point, it's become so difficult to tell so much of it apart unless a band is crazy good or Slayer. No judgment, just sayin'.

Local example: Carrion Kind

/pəNGk/

It no longer exists here. Or does. Or never did, depending on who you ask. Punk went from an angry political movement to songs about farting and fucking and getting dumped, thanks to bands like blink-182 and NOFX (whose 20-minute song "The Decline" is actually one of the most intense and well-written critiques of America in recent history). Some bands still do it, but chances are if you're a Santa Fe band, you're simply not punk.

Local example: These Charming Cobras (RIP)

/räk/

Guitars, bass and drums come together to create musical compositions coupled with lyrics that tend to express heartache and/or loss and/or emotion. It is, by all accounts, a sort of musical diary or journal and arguably the most accessible of all genres, thanks to its multiple branching sub-genres and the many styles it has birthed (grunge, punk, metal, and so on).

Local example: Thieves & Gypsys

Santa Fe Reporter