“What’s your favorite wintertime jam, August?” I once asked. “That’s easy,” he replied. It’s that Dylan cover from Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds. You know the one?“You Ain’t Going Nowhere,” que no?“That would be her,” March proclaimed as he proceeded to crank up said tune on his 1998 Mac Mini. “Here you go,” he said as the virtual needle at YouTube dropped, the screen resolved itself and the singing began, all plaintive and proud.Some of the lyrics went like this:“Strap yourself/ To the tree with roots/ You ain’t goin’ nowhere/ Whoo-ee ride me high/ Tomorrow’s the day/ My bride’s gonna come/ Oh, oh, are we gonna fly/ Down in the easy chair/ Genghis Khan/ He could not keep/ All his kings/ Supplied with sleep/ We’ll climb that hill no matter how steep/ When we come up to it.”“Hmm, that reminds me of this week’s preview selections,” March concluded. He told me to tell you that if you want to know how that conclusion came to be, then you all should read on; you’ll get it just fine.
Show Up!: Thursday
The upcoming year for rock music in El Burque could be summarized using the musical produce of the bands playing at Launchpad (618 Central Ave. SW) on Thursday, Jan. 2. These are the rock bands at the top of the rockpile residing in the middle of our desert—with a cool but notoriously fickle river flowing nearby. Constant Harmony is a trio that features multi-instrumentalist siblings Sillery making a beautifully thrashed-out noise that speaks to people through intense rhythmics and sacred guitar profanities. Manhigh, featuring real rock wizard Gabriel Gambino and legendary local Ray Gutierrez, returns to the limelight after a tragic summer while Shrewd is all that. The Directory features Peri Pakroo, a mostly unsung Burque rock god. All those nice words mean you oughta show up for this one, rockers. 9pm • $5 • 21+.
Show Up!: Friday
Oskar Petersen has a band. That band is Crime Lab. Julian Sanchez, Josh Prigge and Jameson Ray complete the quartet. Everyone in town wants to see that band perform live because they funking rock. Last time they had a gig in these parts, the headliner cancelled and everyone from Joey Abbin to that one chick who plays in Prism Bitch—but also used do this thing about how we all talk in this town—was severely disappointed. This time, one of Albuquerque’s best rocanrol bands, the aforementioned product of the son of the big Ant Farmer Carl Petersen, has a gig at the Moonlight Lounge (120 Central Ave. SW) on Friday, Jan. 3. You should show up just to possibly hear epic tuneage like “People’s Court” or “Tacos with Ed.” Katarak Attack, JJ Lawlins and Side Montero open. 9pm • $5 • 21+.
Show Up!: Saturday
Do you like Talking Heads? How about Zillaphyst? Alibi readers voted the latter the Best Electronic Artist in our last edition of the Best of Burque Music Reader’s Choice awards. Tony Orant, Kelly Wilson, Mikey Jaramillo and effects magician Mike Gerdes have created a super-thick sound that’s part psychedelic, part jazz and in sum, one heck of a creative musical vision. As for the former, a group of misfits from the Rhode Island School of Design, we happen to dig their earlier work, swear by Fear of Music but get lost and sad by the time Stop Making Sense started making sense in the mid-1980s. In any case, you can catch the latter paying tribute to the former on Saturday, Jan. 4 at Launchpad (618 Central Ave. SW) for a concert titled ABQ Start Making Sense 2020. I’m determined the result is the good thing. 9pm • $8-12 • 21+.
Show Up!: Tuesday
If you like your Americana gritty and full of the coarse and chaotic gravy of life, leavened with a load of piquant observations about the state of humankind—sung from the back of a vibrating fantail whilst the sounds of a banjo or mandolin drifts longingly over the whole affair—then have we got news for you. And a band, too. The ensemble is called Dirty Brown Jug Band and the news is that you’ve got something worthwhile to do after all. Check out vocalist and string master Jer Killinger, bassist Justin Roque and drummer Justin Salazar on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at Steel Bender Brewyard (8305 Second Street NW). By gum, you’ll climb that hill, winter or no winter! 6pm • Free • 21+.
