Tuesday, Feb. 17; Kiva Auditorium (Albuquerque Convention Center, all ages, 7:30 p.m.): Laugh out loud all you want, but Albuquerque is nothing if not a classic rock town. At one time in the not-so-distant past, our city boasted the most classic rock radio stations in the entire Western United States. And they all thrived, right up until those two companies bought up all the radio stations in the Western United States.
And while I wouldn't call myself a classic rock aficionado, I do appreciate the finer sounds still made today by some of the aging dinosaurs of rock music. Including Deep Purple, whose new record, Bananas (Sanctuary), is a revelation more than it is a comeback. Not only is it the best album they've managed to crank out in about 15 years, it breaks some new ground. Deep Purple are a band who sound quite a bit younger than they actually are. And in many ways, they sound better than ever.
