I braved the rain one recent Friday night and walked all 20 yards from my house to catch Anthony Leon and the Chain at Tin Star Saloon. I’d heard plenty of good things about the band in the last few months, and figured it was time to see what the hoopla was all about.

There was a time when Santa Feans could shop and congregate at independent record stores. But all that’s left are faceless corporations pawning off radio rock. You only have yourselves to blame, Santa Fe.

What the hell happened to Warehouse 21? The nonprofit teen arts organization was once jam-packed with little- to no-cost classes and countless shows and events. These days, while there are still events at W21, the building often sits quietly and seems abandoned.

Every four years, the World Cup unleashes its epic fury on the globe as 32 countries come together to try and out-soccer one another. As if to mirror this gathering of nations, local DJ Melanie Moore puts together a series of DJ events to coincide with the tournament. That’s correct: Santa Fe-World Cup DJs 2010 is underway.

I recently performed my weepy acoustic songs about girls (I was amazing, BTW) at the grand opening weekend of the Little Wing performance space. Its housed in what was once The Candyman Strings

Over the past 18 months, local promoter Tim Franke has been bringing mid-level bands to venues like Corazón and The Pub & Grill at Santa Fe Brewing Company under the name T-Cubed Productions. Franke’s transition to bigger-name acts such as Matt Pond PA, Wintersleep and even Modest Mouse (as a co-promoter) made me want to learn more about his place in the scene.  I forced Franke to sit in my kitchen, drink coffee with me and talk shop

Being the tireless man-about-town I am, I took some time to hit the streets, make phone calls and engage in all that good professional journalistic shit that my loyal readers have come to expect. That’s right, angry letter writers: professional.

I confess that I have a love for musical theater. Though some of it is a little too cheery—and I have a hard time with the subtle cheesiness of it all—I did some acting in my younger days, and my favorite shows were always the ones that allowed me to sing.

Music will invariably change, but there is a part of me that longs for my teenage years and the seemingly endless stream of punk acts I once saw at venues such as Warehouse 21. Fortunately, one local band (Beautiful Stupid Radio) has recently transported me back to the golden days when music was boundless, and another (Man Hurls Hedgehog) shows promise of carrying on and remaining faithful to the punk lineage.

Other than the fine establishment that is Frogville Records, Santa Fe isn’t known for its record labels. So when I met Shamus Alley at the recent Dr. Dog show at The Pub & Grill at Santa Fe Brewing Company and he told me about a new, locally groundbreaking label/collective he’s trying to get off the ground, I felt pretty excited.