All Fool’s Day can be perilous. The risk is high that at some point on this day, you will find yourself surrounded by people—friends, even—pointing and laughing at you. On this day of unnecessary banana peels and imaginary spots on shirts, two musical events spanning the entire day shall spare the poverty-stricken any humiliation due to an empty wallet. Free and beginning at noon on Civic Plaza (1 Civic Plaza NW)—if that start time isn’t the mayor telling kids to enjoy the last bit of spring break before buckling down Monday morning, I’ll eat my hat—Albuquerque Cultural Affairs presents a lineup of 15 New Mexico bands with amenities such as local beer, wine and sustenance available from local food trucks. Sure to beat the pants of the same event held at KiMo Theatre in years past, the roster this year features outlaw country musician Kyle Martin, Impresion, whose “Polkita Rosita” is a standard on 89.1 KANW FM, and HiSS, a teenage girl band that formed at the Rock 101 NM Music Academy.
Show Up!: Friday Part Ii
Pawn Drive
Courtesy of the artist
Out in the farming /yuppie Intel bedroom community of Corrales, Friday, April 1, marks the beginning of the Corrales Bistro (4908 Corrales, Corrales) summer music season. The season is most appropriately kicked off by weirdo folk rock and Bistro stalwarts Pawn Drive, with special guests “TubaMan” Mark Weaver and Alex McMahon (Wildewood/Handsome Family). Free admission, honest food, nice patio view, local beer, carbonated lemonade and fresh sangria will conspire with some of Albuquerque’s most talented musicians to make the hours from 7pm to 10pm a musically rich, bucolic repast.
Show Up!: Saturday Part I
Le Chat Lunatique, Albuquerque’s long standing hot jazz band, plays Scalo Bar (3500 Central SE) in Nob Hill beginning at 9pm on Saturday, April 2, giving fans of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli a great reason to order a dirty, dirty, slut-fucking martini at one of the city’s most elegant bars. Admission is gratis.
Show Up!: Saturday Part Ii
For rock with a capital R, local heavies Super Giant will be smoking out Sister (407 Central NW) on Saturday, April 2, with their dependably loud and astronomical chops, beginning at 9pm. This solar event will cost 21+ patrons only $7.
Show Up!: Sunday
Your Friend, Taryn Miller
Courtesy of the artist
Taryn Miller, AKA Your Friend, recently released what will surely be one of the sleeper albums of 2016. The ethereal, nearly indescribably beautiful Gumption follows up on the stellar, self-recorded and self-released 2014 EP Jekyll/Hyde reissued by her current label, Domino. Together, these two recordings provide enough weird/beautiful avant-garde indie rock and stunning vocal achievements to keep this writer scratching his head while gazing at his shoe for months. The prospect of seeing Your Friend live is so tantalizing that no fan of Cat Power, K Records or operatic experimental wunderkind should hesitate to attend this show. Taryn Miller’s music is unique and beyond cliché, packed with enough laughter and tragedy to seriously contend for greatness. The only thing that could possibly be better than her latest recording is a live performance, something Burque is lucky enough to host. This show is not to be missed. On that note, don’t miss this concert by showing up at the wrong place. A last minute venue change has Your Friend playing Rio Bravo Brewing Company (1912 Second Street NW), not the Co-Op as was originally planned. Admission is $10 in advance and $12 at the door. The concert begins at 7pm.
Show Up!: Tuesday
Hey, in a week with a dearth of live touring bands coming through town, let’s not forget about karaoke: the art of massacring a song one either loves or hates; the art of elevating cheesy hits to new heights of grandeur. When Burqueños are sufficiently bored—perhaps because their fave band once again skipped our town on their tour schedule—we have an outlet not unique to this burg but one that makes us part of the international community of karaoke. Silva Lanes, Holiday Bowl and Lucky 66 Bowl are dependable destinations for karaoke on any given night. For more specialized karaoke, this Tuesday, April 5, get thee to Library Bar, Lucky’s or Bandido Hideout. For those with sufficient cajones, Tractor Brewery (1800 Fourth Street NW) hosts Kamikaze Karaoke on Tuesday nights. Who needs touring bands when you can hear local frontman for the psych band Holy Glories, Mark Campagna, belt out the Doors’ “Touch Me” while one of his band mates mimics fellatio to contribute to a very convincing Jim Morrison impression every Tuesday night at one of the above locations. As most pseudo Jim Morrisons and wannabe Madonnas know, the only cost for karaoke is one’s dignity; check with your chosen destination for karaoke times and lane availability.
