“We don’t take ourselves very seriously at all. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, what’s the point?”

In a small town like Santa Fe, we sometimes have to stray outside of county lines to check out a good venue. So it was that I found myself driving out to Taos on a recent Sunday just as the sun was beginning to set.

Some might argue that it all began with Richard Wagner. Although the famous 19th century German composer died 50 years before Hitler co-opted his masterpieces into the anthemic music of the Third Reich, Wagner helped pave the way for Hitler’s discriminatory suppression of major works of art.

Going to a jazz show these days feels a lot like going to a classical concert: the audience sits politely, applauds when (they think it’s) appropriate and leaves with the self-satisfied feel of having been cultured.

A new year has arrived, and to celebrate this momentous occasion, I wrote out 2,013 of the most promising new developments looming on our local musical horizon.

’Tis the season (so the rumors go) when tourists in Santa Fe exceed the residents. With thousands of hotel rooms bulging to capacity, it falls to the locals to provide the entertainment.

Since before I was hired to report on music in Santa Fe, I’ve been annoyed by how negative and whiny so many people are about the scene—both those who are actively part of it and those who are on the outside.

Being a musician is hard work. It rarely pays off  (monetarily), and a huge chunk of your time is spent in the thankless act of annoying people—that is, booking and promoting your own shows.

No, Americana is not just that collection of weird trinkets and aged novelty items you see on display at Tiny’s. And when it refers to music, the term encompasses a whole lot more than the “classic” 1998 album by the Offspring.

We’re all familiar with the characteristic thumping tubas, wheezy accordions, rambunctious horns and dolorous vocals of Spanish-language radio.