By Tamon Rasberry 

If your nickname is “Hellfire” and you play the guitar, chances are you play it well. That’s an understatement when it come to Joe Louis Walker, aka Hellfire, an electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. Walker, a San Francisco native, has been in the industry for more than five decades, ever since he made a stir in the Bay Area music scene as a young teenager. He holds a naturalistic vibe when playing the guitar that’s on par with the late and great Jimmy Hendrix.

By Kyle Mullin

Texan troubadour Robert Earl Keen has been one of the most highly regarded country artists since he came on the scene in the early ‘80s. He never had the kind of blockbuster hit that many may have expected of him, but he always had the respect and admiration of his peers.

Daniel Snow has already been around the world and back once, by boat. This time he wants to do it by bus.

Snow, who recently released his sophomore album Come Find Me, described his first few months in the U.S. Coast Guard as a rough start. “There was once a time I played for the same crew on the breezy beaches of Cuba that put fish in my rack underway,” said Snow. “But in all seriousness, I needed the ass-kicking to get me ready, I think.”

Mavis Staples

Outpost Performance Space celebrates its 25th year with a gala concert featuring legendary singer Mavis Staples

 

There are a scant few people in this town who have a huge affect on an entire segment of the local culture. People who are so significant that, had they not chosen to live and work in Albuquerque, the town itself would be a far less rich prospect. Tom Guralnick is one such individual.

A consummate musician and accomplished promoter, Guralnick is responsible for carving out a very cozy place for jazz in the Duke City called the Outpost Performance Space. Located on Yale just south of Central, the Outpost is, by design, an intimate spot for touring musicians. Most prominently, jazz is the focus here, though Outpost has hosted a large variety of music styles in the past.

By Jeff Kerby
“Suicidal Tendencies? I always thought they were a bunch of cholos…or gang members--definitely not a serious punk band like Minor Threat or Black Flag.  They looked like they were more interested in dressing like they had just got out of prison than in advancing the punk ethos or creating serious music.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  The individual speaking was one of those ambiguously employed 40 something, ex-skater types which happens to compose a fairly massive subculture in ABQ . You know the type—they go on and on about what is punk—and they feel entitled to speak this way because they are lazy and poor and have read parts of books written by Howard Zinn. It’s as if living in their parents’ basement eating Hot Pockets has somehow transformed them into Jello Biafra. Prejudices aside, the fact is that Suicidal Tendencies brought an undeniable blast of the diverse, artistic California community of Venice to the country at a time when white suburbia was the photo on the billboard of America is undeniable.

Photo by Wes Naman

 

Albuquerque’s Stabbed In Back gains steam and makes a mark playing 21st century punk

 

By Todd Rohde
I still remember the first punk rock song I ever heard. I remember where I was, who I was with and what I was doing. It was the summer of 2006 and I was getting ready to start my freshman year of high school. I was hanging out where every jobless, broke 14 year old goes during this time, the mall. Go figure, right?

So there I am, wandering aimlessly around an outlet mall in Denver swarming with hipsters and other kids, each with their own identity crisis going on (myself included). After a couple of hours walking around, you can only take so much pop music before your brain deceives you and makes you believe that you’re trapped in some terrible land where you’re forever doomed to listen to The Fray, or worse, Gnarls Barkley.

By Charlie Crago

Little Bobby Tucker’s work with various bands, active and inactive, in the Albuquerque music scene is approaching the level of bulldog tenacity. The guy’s out playing gigs nearly every weekend … is Little Bobby the hardest working act in the city? Could be. While waiting between albums with his regular outfit, Shoulder Voices, Little Bobby found the time to compile a collection of tunes composed by himself, along with a little help from a few familiar faces. Wish You Were Her was recorded by Tucker, while he utilized the musical talents of the Voices along with some other local talents. 

By Mike English

Are we on the downhill of the duo phenomenon? I blame the White Stripes, but as with Jack and Meg White, who honestly cares about how many band members there are if the music is good? So it goes with SIRSY, a duo from Albany, N.Y., that tours relentlessly (200-plus shows a year) and is building a growing national reputation, year by year, ever since Melanie Krahmer and Rich Libutti first started their act in 2000. Okay, the duo thing is part of their show, for sure: Besides her rich, effortless singing, Krahmer also plays drums (while standing, often kicking the pedal drum in her six-inch heals), flute and bass, while Libutti plays guitar and bass.

Photo by Wes Naman

Andy “Wake Self” Martinez has worked his way toward the center of the Albuquerque hop hop scene over the last decade. From work with his hip hop band, Zoology, to his recent solo ventures, Martinez always has both hands in hip hop. On April 25, Martinez unleashed his debut solo album, The Healing Process. With production from co-collaborator Def-I, Percy Wells, PH8, Zoology’s Dahhm Life, DJ Audiyo and Kayhoes, The Healing Process draws on a wide range of Duke City talent. DJ Young Native contributes all scratches and cuts to the album and guest spots are kept to a minimum. This album is about Martinez and his own awakening.
   

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is the heartfelt creation of lead singer Alex Ebert. Construction of the project began taking shape as Ebert worked on a book during a tough time in his life, a key time in his life. The book’s lead character, Edward Sharpe, has been sent to save mankind. Possibly — hell, likely — to save mankind from itself. These days it seems like a little saving wouldn’t hurt anyone.