’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.

Well, here it is, nerds—the final column.

In honor of this week’s presidential election, I thought I’d take a look at what playlists Obama and Romney have been using during their respective campaigns and discuss some of the implications thereof.

When a musician like Mike Watt comes to Santa Fe, it’s time to drop whatever you’re doing and get down to some serious ticket buying.

Eric George may be one of Santa Fe’s lesser-known musicians (for now), but with his roots-rock duo, Man No Sober, he’s been steadily making a name for himself within the local scene.

When last we heard from local punk trio These Charming Cobras, they had just released their debut album, Dime Sized Deaths.