2006’s Six Great Things in Local Music —I know, I know. Somewhere in the history of journalism, someone said, "Let there be 10, or thy year-closing lists shall be struck from the hands of thy readers with lightning bolts." Quick! Drop your paper! You daredevil, you. You’re still reading. There were a whole lot of good things that happened this year, as can only be expected with such a lively local music scene. But I’ve only got 400 words, and this intro ate up 77. On with it! (Oops. That’s 83.)1) Mayor Martin Chavez bought the old Ice House at 506 First Street NW, mirrors and all, and announced plans to turn it into an all-ages space run by teens similar to Warehouse 21 in Santa Fe. Though he took some criticism from the City Council for it, the sane among us are thinking, "It’s about time." Either way, once it’s off the ground, our music-loving youth will be grateful. 2) A handful of Albuquerque’s rock knockouts and one looker of a Santa Fe DJ united to pose for a ga ga-inducing calendar. These talented charmers had folks lining up to shell out dough that was sent to support Common Ground, an agency dedicated to short- and long-term rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. You can still pick up your New Mexico Rocks Pinup Calendar at www.myspace.com/nmrockspinupcalendar. 3) AMP Concerts completed its second full-time year with an extra 29 concerts, 11 Bosque House Concerts and the second annual ¡Globalquerque! world music festival. Thank you, Neal Copperman, for rounding out our little town with folk, alt.country and world music, among others.4) A 2 1/2-mile extension of University Boulevard was completed to help ease the painful traffic congestion (more like traffic pneumonia) at the Journal Pavilion . It cost them $30 million, but if you ever braved the slowly inching line for, say, Def Leppard, you know it’s worth every penny. 5) The ABQ Music Association got its website off the ground, complete with a killer resources page listing all kinds of venues and booking agents. It’s a local or touring musician’s best friend. The association also kicked off its Musician Workshop series. Next up: How to Get a Gig with guest presenter Luis Mota of the Launchpad. Go to abqmusicassociation.com for more details. 6) The good guys at Bleeding Eardrum got kicked out of their space and moved around the corner to a bigger, better building at 9201 Indian School NE. Ten practice rooms and a 5,000-square-foot warehouse that’s probably the roomiest all-ages venue in town. Call 298-1917 or send an e-mail to deaf@bleedingeardrum.com.
Music To Your Ears
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