As seasonal as Christmas and as reliable as clockwork, the Weekly Alibi's annual Fall Crawl is scheduled for Saturday.
One of those rare events that make Albuquerque seem like a bustling cultural hub, the Fall Crawl has traditionally been a successful and well-attended event.
"It's a very unique event for Albuquerque," said Rachel Heisler, performer and Alibi music journalist. "Seeing that many people - like 10,000 people - all congregating on Central is a very different experience for most of us here."
The Crawl will include 20 different venues downtown. Many diverse venues - from the Launchpad and the Sunshine Theater to La Posada and Pearl's Dive - will participate.
The line-up promises both newly formed bands and old heroes on the local scene. Yes, Oh Ranger! and Pilot to Bombardier will be playing at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. at the Launchpad at 618 Central Ave.
Two outdoor stages will be set up on 3rd and 5th Streets. Local favorites Red Earth, Felonious Groove Foundation, The Shins and GoMotorCar will begin their sets on these stages at 5 p.m. DJ Fido and DJ Eldon will open these performances, and spin during the segues.
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DJ Andy and DJ LT will be spinning all night Banana Joe's at 608 Central Ave. The Misguided and The Big Spank will be appearing on the patio stage.
Funk trio Penny, and local ska kings Danny Winn and the Earthlings will be playing at the Golden West Saloon at 620 Central Ave.
Los Brown Spots and Foma will be appearing on Raw's 4th Street stage. Jason Daniello and Edith Grove will be appearing at Pearl's Dive at 509 Central Ave.
The Sunshine Theater at 406 Central Ave. will be providing a somewhat heavier set with Summer's End, Rebilt, Falling Process, Mosquito to Moscow and Systemic. The show is all ages and the doors open at 7 p.m.
The El Rey Theater at 620 Central Ave. will be hosting such eclectic sounds as Faded, Starseed, Shades, Panjea and Mystic Vision.
The Fall Crawl promises to be a good time for audience and performers alike. Heisler - playing with Amy Clinkscales at the Downtown Distillery at 9:30 p.m. - is a veteran Crawl performer.
"The last couple times have been excellent," Heisler said. "The crowd has been really involved and really excited. The crowd evolves during the half hour. I get to play - people come in and people go out and you get to see a bunch of different faces."
