“Buy every rock ’n‘ roll book on the magazine stand/ Every dime that he gets is lost to the jukebox, man/ He worries his teacher til at night she’s ready to poop/ From rockin’ and a-rollin’, spinnin’ in a hula hoop/ Well this rock and roll has gotta stop/ Junior’s head is hard as rock/ Now, junior, behave yourself/ Gonna tell your mama, you better do what she said/ Get to the barber shop and get that hair cut off your head/ Threw the canary and you fed it to the neighbor’s cat/ You gave the cocker spaniel a bath in mother’s laundromat”— “Bad Boy” by Larry Williams, recorded 50 years ago by some group called The BeatlesI got a haircut this week, and it didn’t stop me from rocking out. Sure I listened to some jazz with affinity and appreciation, took out Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 and spun the disc ’round while considering the nature of mortality and all that. But rocanrol keeps comin’ back to haunt me. And why not? With this week’s terrific lineup of Burque-based concerts and shows, you’ll be dreaming of music and experiencing plenty of it too.
Show Up! Thursday
Kastle
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Kastle (Barrett Richards) lands at the Historic —hey, I saw Urge Overkill from the balcony there in 1994— El Rey Theater (622 Central SW) on Thursday, Jan. 15, for a dubstep-slash-hip-hop, low-end-but-high-energy show sure to knock your rainbow-colored toe-socks into another universe; it might even kick your glow sticks and Vicks VapoRub tubes into overdrive.Among his diverse influences, Kastle lists Jean-Luc Godard as one his besties, which implies he’s familiar with the poetry of Éluard; regardless of your affinity for bass-heavy R&B-inflected EDM, this gig is worth checking out just for its intellectual potential. Document yourself at the event for posterity at a video diary station set up on said balcony; maybe your video file will get uploaded to the Alpha 60 computer. Tickets for this foray into allatonceness cost just $7.99. It all begins at 9pm.
Show Up! Friday
Styx circa 2014
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Dudes! Styx is totally playing at the Isleta Resort and Casino Showroom (11000 Broadway SE) on Friday, Jan. 16. Styx is a Second City band from the ’70s with solid, albeit dramatic, prog-rock aspects. The group evolved into a hard-rocking, verging on hair-rock popular, highly tuned ’80s hit machine as the influence of keyboardist Dennis DeYoung faded into the prominence of guitarists Tommy Shaw and James Young.You’ve probably heard them sometime or other if you live in America. From the awesome proggy grandeur of “The Grand Illusion” and “Come Sail Away” to the rocked-out righteousness of “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man,” Styx is an all-encompassing river. DeYoung is on permanent hiatus, but the rest of the fellows are ready to show you the best of times. Tickets for this simulacrum of the Paradise Theatre cost between 35 and 45 “pieces of eight.” You gotta be at least 12 years old to attend. Doors are at 6pm, and Shaw, Young and company take the stage at 7pm.
Show Up! Saturday, Pt. I
OM, from left, Emil Amos, Al Cisneros and Robert Lowe
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If I’m not too burnt from flicking my Bic to “Suite Madame Blue” the previous evening, you can be damn sure I’ll check out the OM, Wire Nest and William Fowler Collins concert at Launchpad (618 Central SW) on Saturday, Jan. 17. You should check it out no matter what. It’s the sorta show that will probably make it onto our list of the best shows of 2015—49 issues from now. OM , featuring Al Cisneros, Emil Amos and Robert Lowe, is one of the most entrancing outfits currently available for aural consumption. With roots as the rhythm section for doomsters Sleep, OM has evolved into a psychedelic, sometimes ambient musical experience with a metallic edge. Wire Nest from Fort Worth, Texas, is a duo of quiet-storm experimentalists comprised of Frank Cervantez and John Nuckels. Exhibiting complex instrumentation and formidable musical skills on recordings such as Fall—A Theme, the ensemble’s ambient tendencies are matched by their proclivity for haunting melody. Albuquerque avant-garde composer and musical magician William Fowler Collins begins the evening by invoking gravity and eternity, as he often does. Fowler Collins’ work is amazing and mesmerizing to encounter, whether in a concert hall or club. Admittance to this 21-plus supernatural event costs $10; doors are at 8pm, and the recital begins at 9:30pm.
Show Up! Saturday, Pt. Ii
MarchFourth Marching Band
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Also on Saturday night, march yourself and your loved ones over to Sunshine Theater (120 Central SW) for a recital by the ingeniously engineered, fully costumed and surreal-sounding MarchFourth Marching Band . Coming at you straight outta Portlandia—if such a thing is remotely possible—M4 has so much going on that they may blow your mind. Taking influences from the American circus tradition, rocanrol, swing and klezmer music, the band employs huge horn and drum sections, as well as electronic instrumentation, to create a massively entertaining aural effect with a psychedelic aftertaste that is as pleasing as it is perplexing.Their members remain enigmatically incognito as of this writing, but their cred extends to gigs with big band and theatrical performance legends like Fleetwood Mac and KISS, and past performances at SXSW and Burning Man, and are the stuff of legend. If you wanna get an idea, consider the 2011 album title Magnificent Beast , for crissakes. This all-ages extravaganza will run you 20 bucks, but mid-January in Albuquerque will never be the same afterward. The doors open at 7pm, and the parade begins at 8pm.
Show Up!
Now do me a favor please. Be kind to animals. Get your hair cut. And at least try to listen to something else besides rock and roll. And if all else fails or even if your attempts at redemption work out, check out some live music, Burque style. Oh and that hula hoop is passé, bro; lose it.
