Santa Fe Reporter - Music Features

Awards Season - NMMA producer says music matters

Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
Ever wonder what you receive for winning a New Mexico Music Award?

Reggae Nation - In pueblo communities, reggae’s popularity remains rocksteady

Tue, 07 May 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
More than 2,800 Native and indigenous dancers filled the floor of the University of New Mexico Pit during the April 27 grand entry of the Gathering of Nations.

Record Keeping - Old pastime gets new spin

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
Like vultures, coyotes, flesh flies and other scavengers, vinyl collectors are omnipresent.

‘Matli Crüe - A more responsible, cooler Ozomatli returns to town

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
Most popular, long-running bands have fan bases that age along with their music.

Mystic Measures - Santa Fe Harmony Center heals with sound

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
The owners of Santa Fe Harmony Center—husband and wife Jim and Jennifer Kinney—are “Human Potential Practitioners” certified in, they say, “luminous healing” and “energetic medicine.”

String Theory - Tony Furtado talks strumming and songwriting

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
Tony Furtado is a sculptor working in ceramics and chainmail; a ceaselessly touring singer, songwriter, guitarist and slide guitarist; not to mention one of the best five-string banjo players alive.

Vote for Pedro - Meet Pedro Romero, Santa Fe’s gypsy accordionist

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
It’s one of the first sunny spring days on the Plaza, and Pedro Romero is out once more, serenading anyone who has the time to stop and listen.

All Eyes on the Ball - How to cut a rug like it’s 1651

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
“The current rise in popularity of English country dance,” David Millstone believes, has been “fueled in recent years by the popularity of Jane Austen movies.”

House Rules - For live shows, there’s really no place like home

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
Five people, a dog, a cat and a half-grown pig live in Albuquerque’s Gold House.

Survival of the Flautist - Santa Fe Youth Symphony hosts musical showdown

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 MDT

By: Loren Bienvenu
Though it rarely involves concussions and broken bones, the world of classical music is harshly competitive.

SXSF - The world’s biggest music festival strikes close to home

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
For today’s musician, almost regardless of genre, the pilgrimage to South by Southwest has become a rite of passage.  

Posthumous George - The curtain descends on beloved Santa Fe musician

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
George “GT” Koumantaros, a pianist and singer who arrived in Santa Fe almost 35 years ago, died in his home on Feb. 1.

Album Notes - Two independent recordings, one High Mayhem release

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
This Saturday, High Mayhem Emerging Arts hosts a dual CD release show that features the latest efforts by former Pitch & Bark frontman Luke Carr

Are DJs Musicians? - Eleven heavyweights weigh in

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
Unlike musicians, most DJs don’t need a mic during their sets. This means less banter between songs.

All Is Fair - ARCOS Dance makes art from love and war

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
In 1959, World War II veteran turned philosophy professor J Glenn Gray published The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle.

Sleaze Rock - Exploring the right to be tasteless

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 00:00:00 MST

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

Something’s Brewing in Taos - A trip to Taos’ newest (and best) venue

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
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.

Degenerate Music - Bringing Nazi-banned opera back into the light

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu

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.

The Pulse of Live Jazz - Why it’s dragging; where it’s thumping

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
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.

New in Music - The top 13 for 2013

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 MST

By: Loren Bienvenu
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.