Around Town is the category the music department at Weekly Alibi hopes you all use to define what sort of social situation define our great and grand music community. There’s gotta be a Best Party Band category because we know you like to party. Lot’s of humans get married and want to have a band play in a celebratory fashion afterwards, it’s only natural. And of course we all gotta die sometime and hope a really cool music experience awaits the solemn ritual that sees us off and gives our mates reason to carry on. Here, readers will also find a definitive, reader-sourced guide about other socially functional aspects of music in El Burque.
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Party Band
Matt Timmons
Since they are considered to be the best band of all time—per Alibi readers in this year’s polling—then it follows that the Tylor Brandon Band would also be the best party band in Albuquerque. You want the best at your fraternity kegger, indie house show, masked orgy or similar social function, amirite?2) The Despots3) Prism Bitch
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Wedding Band
courtesy of the artist
Coach Gun is a cover band in the tradition of cover bands in Albuquerque—you know like the type Joe Buffalino loved to book at places like Alfalfa’s and Friar’s Pub back in the late ‘70s before real punk rock kicked that stuff back to the periphery. JK. Well, sorta. Coach Gun jams all genres and features two folks who’ve won elsewhere in our illustrious poll for 2017: Eddie Brewer plays the piano for the group and Karra Booher plays the drums. Book them now for your wedding!2) ¡Revíva!3) Moonshine Blind
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Funeral Band
Among the many awards won this year by new comer warriors, The Despots, is one in the category of Best Funeral Band. It’s doesn’t have to be sad and somber, sabes? I mean a hot yoga insructor that also plays the piano and gets shirtless for his rockabilly band certainly sounds like it might help loved ones grieve in a respectable manner, que no?2) Sorry Guero3) Jademasque
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Karaoke Singer
Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Miss MozzyDee is a young Latina looking to make it in the pinup model industry. Her focuses are vintage retro and rockabilly-inspired photo shoots with a modern twist. She also throws a mean karaoke, we’re told and since readers don’t ever lie, we suggest you catch her act soon.2) Lauren Poole3) TIE: Ryan McGarvey and Justin Comyford
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Venue
Joe Anderson is one of the people responsible for creating, nuturing and maintaining the rocanrol circus that is Albuquerque, N.M. His main venue, the Launchpad, has been running for nigh on 20 years and in that time has hosted some of the sickest acts of all time. Bands from Stereolab to the Melvins to Pouya and Built to Spill play at the Launchpad, carnales! If you like rocanrol, then let Launchpad send you into space with one of their legendary and loud shows.2) Sister Bar3) Burt’s Tiki Lounge
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Recording Studio
If you wanna record a killer record, our readers will most certainly direct you to Third Eye Studios, a palace of gear and great sound if ever there was one. Located in beautiful Tijeras canyon east of Albuquerque this award-winning studio features a Soundcraft Delta 8 console, Telefunken and Sennheiser mics and an awesome selection of backline to boot. They’ve recorded local acts like Prey for Brain, Marsupious and Le Chat Lunatique.2) TIE: Empty House Studio and Elephonic Recording Studios
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Music Store
Charley’s 33’s and CDs is still one of the best music stores in town. They are also one of the few record stores located in the Burks—their right in the middle of the Heights location makes this collection of vinyl and optical discs especially easy to access for music lovers of all sorts. Though we have, in the dim past, made serious fun of this singular retail outlet, mostly due to their disdain of now elderly skateboarders, we fully acknowledge how important they are to the life and growth of the Albuquerque music community. You just can’t buy the stuff they have there anywhere else in town and we like that; our readers love it, too.2) Astro-Zombies3) Nob Hill Music
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Instrument Store
Music Go Round has everything for musicians from student to studio pro. New gear, used gear, accessories, sheet music, pro-sound equipment, backline … the list is as endless as the possibilities. We also think that Marty Crandall, one of the for realz members of a band once called The Shins works there, selling guitars and jamming out with locals like the legend that he really is.2) Baum’s Music3) Valley Pawn
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Recording Engineer/Producer
Empty House Studio is a business project run by musical mastermind Matthew Tobias. Tobias is a drummer who originally opened his studio in Omaha, Neb., before relocating to Burque in 2013. Tobias is one of the hardest working drummers in town, having his sound reproduced on over 100 albums. As a much-sought after engineer Tobias commands a sonic laboratory that’s produced records by estimable local folks like Rock Jong Il, Cactus Tractor, Votive and Russell Pyle.
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Radio Station For Local Music
Does any other radio station in town devote itself to playing, documenting and archiving the local sound, the music that is made in Albuquerque for the whole world to hear? The answer to that simple question is no. KUNM has long been the source of local musical fermentation, from the days of Dwight Loop and his experiments in electronica to Peter Mezensky’s Music to Sooth the Savage Beast and the always potent, always hyper-local Ear To The Ground.2) 104.1 The Edge3) KANW 89.1
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Label
Local punk rock record label Orange Whip Records has some serious cred in the community and with Weekly Alibi readers. This is the second year they’ve been voted best local record label. And with artists like Rock Jong Il, Russian Girlfriends, The Talking Hours, Redbush and We Were Stereo under their belt, this label pretty much has the market cornered on local coolness.2) Maple St. Records3) Sicksicksick
Best Of Burque Music 2018 Best Music Teacher
courtesy of the artist
An award winning instrumentalist who also won in this year’s Best String Player Category, Emily Anslover can probably teach anyone to play the fiddle. Emily studied at the University of New Mexico, graduated from Eldorado High School and is a respected member of the music community here and statewide. That’s what a fiddle and great mind can do together, folks.2) Jay Forsythe3) Douglas Cardwell
