SFR Digital-ish Picks—Week of June 10

Flee, Donate

David Berkeley streams for a cause while supporting new album

When the COVID-19 situation starting hammering Europe, Santa Fe musician David Berkeley was living in Madrid, Spain with his family. His wife, a St. John's professor, was in the midst of a sabbatical year, and though the Berkeley's had several months left before their planned return, they managed to catch one of the last flights headed for the states.

"We had every intention to stay, but it became clear we weren't going to be able to leave our apartment," Berkeley tells SFR. "The lockdown was really harsh, the kids wouldn't be able to leave the apartment for months; it was a Saturday night, and we left Monday at dawn."

While fleeing, Berkeley managed to bring along a secondhand guitar he'd purchased in Spain, and though he didn't know it at the time, it wound up being instrumental (boom, jokes) in the writing of his upcoming new album, Oh, Quiet World.

For those in the know, it's vintage Berkeley—pretty, subtly complex, emotive and deeply feeling—only stripped down and more raw. Since his Santa Fe home is still being sublet, the musician finds himself in Cape Cod temporarily, where he recorded the songs in his attic with a laptop and one mic. According to Berkeley, this lack of equipment sort of forced him to focus on the stories he was trying to tell, of the coronavirus impact, of quarantine, of "being human, of figuring out what matters in our lives, what we want to be, what we should want to be."

Berkeley performs some of these songs in a livestream event this Saturday. And though COVID-19 has taken a bit of a backseat in the wake of the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis, Berkeley is keenly aware of the shift. As such, he'll donate 50% of the proceeds from his weekend livestream performance to the National Urban League.

"Last time, I donated to the NAACP," he says. "Both those organizations are obviously large and national, but I hope to give to some local ones soon, too. It feels weird to be away from the community that is home right now, but we need to think about how we can think of our communities more."

David Berkeley: Oh, Quiet World Livestream:
6 pm Saturday June 13. Free.
Facebook.com/davidberkeleymusic

Funding Families

Just because we can't throw on our fanciest clothes and get public drunk to support a good cause doesn't mean we can't put on pajama pants, get home drunk and still support a good cause. In lieu of its annual fundraiser gale, Youth Shelters and Family Services takes to the webs with the No-Show Gala, and your virtual presence is included. Essentially, it's an online auction, including items donated by locals such as swanky jewelry, museum access and, the crowning item, a three-course wine dinner for up to eight prepared by chef Fernando Ruiz. Proceeds go toward helping teens in crisis—a particularly valiant effort at this stressful point in human history. Visit the website for more—but remember that it's an all-day kind of thing, so pace yourselves. (ADV)

Youth Shelters and Family Services' No-Show Gala:
10 am Saturday June 13. Free.
youthshelters.org

Flora

We're willing to bet you've been feeling stressed out, because we have, too. And while we've been feeling that gnawing feeling creep up from the shadows, we've been looking into ways to calm and center ourselves, and another option is set to open up this week that oughta help. That's right, friends—the Santa Fe Botanical Garden is reopening. Temporarily closed along with the rest of the world while New Mexico grappled with COVID-19 (and you've all done such a great job with that, BTW), the Museum Hill wonderland is back in business, and once you make a reservation to check it out (we have to remain vigilant, of course), you'll be knee-deep in all that planty goodness you know and love. (ADV)

Santa Fe Botanical Garden Reopening:
Beginning Saturday, June 13. $7-$10.
Santa Fe Botanical Garden,
715 Camino Lejo,
471-9103.

Freeform

It feels like the musicians of the world have really stepped up of late. By beaming content from secret locations, beloved venues, living rooms, backyards and more, the world's inability to gather en masse for things like concerts was quickly circumvented. One such band that has heeded the call is OrnEtc., a six-piece weirdo ensemble that pays homage to the late, great Ornette Coleman as well as any other number of groovy jazz greats. The combo becomes a little bit improv, a little bit mathy, a whole lot of enjoyable (and this is coming from someone who struggles with liking jazz) and showcases the talents of such notable locals as Chris Jonas, Dave Wayne and Noah Baumeister. Everyone's a winner, though, when the band streams a show live from Taos Mesa Brewing Mothership this week. A little more ambitious than some guitar player coming at you from a bedroom, but every bit as low-key and enjoyable. (ADV)

OrnEtc.:
7 pm Sunday June 14.
Free.
tmb-tv.com