The Heartless Bastards’ songs are simply arranged acts of aggression and poignancy that channel Patti Smith’s capacity to harness a whirlwind of feral emotion into a few minutes of punk scorn beauty.

The release of a meticulous 51-minute musical experience that is both engaged with broad ideas and acts of simplicity, sewn into a folk and country rock quilt.

For Santa Fe musician Felipe Ruibal and his salsa and cumbia band, Quemozo, the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver was about more than a bunch of talking heads. It was a place to play a high profile gig.

Little Freddie King is not a household name, but is part of the reason—if not the very reason—why the ninth annual Thirsty Ear Festival is worth the trip.

The Frogville label has established the Santa Fe sound.

The Gluey Brothers are a challenge to label both musically and as performers. If you close your eyes and think back to the late ’90s pseudo-funk/punk/ska scene of Sublime, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Urban Dance Squad, the Brothers would fit squarely into the mix.

The Apple Miner Colony is a fresco, a mixed and matched selection of strings, brass, electric and acoustic instruments sweeping with ruddy choruses, that hold the audience’s collective attention above the spectacle of witnessing such a large band at play. The live show and the band’s recently released album confirms that relevant and soulful music is alive and well in Santa Fe.

Traditional bluegrass is an enigma in contemporary music. Unlike rock or hip-hop, where growth and innovation help to keep the sound fresh and relevant, bluegrass musicians are steadfast in keeping close to the genre’s origins.

Rather than crumble to the pre-existing stigmas of actor-turned-rock star, The Boxmasters’ release of a double album of 1960s-era country music puts Thornton on par with Cash as a rebellious musician.

Poet and songwriter Kell Robertson was drawn to the Southwest by idealized images of the black-and-white films of his youth. His poems—published in more than 13 books—speak like the ghosts of another time.