Culture
‘SHEL’S SHORTS’ GOOD BUT FALLS SHORT OF GREATNESS
Justino Brokaw | July 4The best children’s entertainment communicates greater truths in ways children understand and adults appreciate.
Culture
Culture
For Your Ears
Graham Gentz | July 4One month of summer gone! You’re wasting time! There’s so much music, so much of it is completely terrible. But you can relax, Daily Lobo is here to calmly lay down hits and highlights for July in the soft, soothing voice that only a mother can provide.
Culture
HAVING A SOCIAL LIFE A NECESSARY EVIL
Graham Gentz | July 4Living with people is hard, but necessary. Humans are social animals with family, friends, classmates, co-workers, acquaintances, enemies and lovers.Some of these relationships are beneficial and intentional. Others are the by-product of being a social animal who is seemingly unable to separate itself from the relationships that unfold as a result of being defined outside yourself.
Culture
Montana: Isn’t it nothing but brown and dust?
Graham Gentz | June 27The day before I arrived on the Flathead Indian Reservation of Western Montana, the small town of Charlo had its Mission Mountain Testicle Festival. “Can we not talk about it?” said Tim, one of the Christian biologists I met who worked on the Flathead Res. “It’s a bull!
Culture
Man living a 50s fantasy
Alexandra Swanberg | June 27Central Avenue, a piece of American and Albuquerque history, was known simply as Route 66. When Eric Szeman and Diane Avila, along with their son Andrew Szeman, established the Route 66 Malt Shop 15 years ago in Old Town, their goal was to give patrons a taste of that Route 66 of yesteryear. Now situated in Nob Hill just east of Carlisle Boulevard, Eric Szeman said the 1950s-themed shop has been their way of sharing a time when America was the leader of the world in every respect. “Kids I know are looking back,” Eric said.
Culture
Gay Jesus play feels like Sunday school
Justino Brokaw | June 27What if Jesus Christ was born gay in modern day Texas, instead of all those centuries ago? Terrence McNally’s play, “Corpus Christi,” starts with this intriguing premise.
Culture
Mystery, suspense and intrigue for a Park Service special agent
Andrew Beale | June 20The words “Special Agent” may conjure images of James Bond’s Aston Martin zooming through the alleyways of a small Italian villa, but they’re not usually associated with park rangers. A new book from UNM Press will prompt some people to rethink their conception of National Park Service employees.
Culture
Skaters go on holiday
Alexandra Swanberg | June 20Skateboarders and longboarders are uniting to “bomb” Lomas Boulevard. Fear not, pedestrians and motorists, it’s not a massive explosion, but rather a speedy descent downhill. For its fifth celebration of International Go Skateboarding Day, Warehouse 508, sponsored by New Mexico Xtreme Sports, has arranged for Lomas Boulevard to be closed to traffic from Juan Tabo Boulevard to Los Altos Skate Park. There will be a shuttle taking skateboarders and longboarders from the skate park up to the starting point for free. At 4 p.m., hundreds of participants are expected to bomb down the hill all the way to the skate park. “Every city does something different for it,” said Eddie Vargas, NMX Sports director. “It’s just to provide awareness about skateboarding and that it’s a great way to stay active and you don’t need to be out there doing tricks — just kind of encouraging people to get out there and push on a board.” Everything at the event is free of charge, including admission to the skate park, barbecue, entertainment by DJ Flo-Fader, and skate contests.
Culture
Improv takes on Bard
Justino Brokaw | June 20Dustin Hoffman, famous for method acting, once famously said that when it comes to Shakespeare’s work, “you can’t improvise this shit.” Daring to prove him wrong, Blackout Theatre, in its all-new, late-night Improv show “Che-Kspeare: Improvised Shakespeare” manages to produce hilarity at its finest. Thous and thees and numerous other Elizabethan idioms are liberally sprinkled through the actors’ speech. All the hallmarks of classic Shakespeare are deftly made up on the spot.
Culture
Artist's Ave
Luke Holmen | June 13(Sonny) Reynaldo Rivera is a local sculptor and native New Mexican whose work focuses on the rugged beauty of southwest culture.
Culture
New York transplants stay up late making art
Alexandra Swanberg | June 13The small hours are defined as the hours in the early morning when insomniacs and natural night owls go off duty, passing the baton to the early birds.
Culture
Educators learn to teach about stars
June 13From the West Mesa to the East Mountains, Albuquerque has 30,000 acres of open space that people can survey, but the largest open space in the city is the night sky. Jodi Hedderig, manager of the Open Space Visitor Center, said the center provides information about these 30,000 acres and access to trails, gardens and wetlands.
Culture
Local writers work to create largest poetry database in US
Andrew Beale | June 13Albuquerque will soon house the single largest collection of poetry in the U.S., if an Albuquerque-based poetry group’s plan works out. The group, Speak Easy , is working to build a collection of poetry to be placed in a library the group will construct.
Culture
Gay satan theater
Justino Brokaw | June 6With “Say You Love Satan,” an occult parody of the romantic comedy genre, Blackout Theatre proves it can elevate plays far above the level of the script alone. On paper, “Say You Love Satan” is a cutesy, gay love story packed with one-liners and pop-culture references that will be familiar to viewers of Hollywood’s romantic comedies in the past 10 years.
Culture
Dance like hunting lions
Alexandra Swanberg | June 6”True Colors” may be performed by high school students, but it would be a mistake to underestimate these kids. The performance was the second of three shows in the Wild Dancing West Festival, an exhibition of local contemporary dance performances.
Culture
SUMMER MUSIC
Andy Beale | June 6School is out, leaving unemployed music fans everywhere with nothing to blow off to go to a show. While live music is certainly less exciting when it’s not completely irresponsible for you to be there, it will still help curb the boredom of staring at your wall in the summer heat.
Culture
Chefs compete to feed the poor
Hunter Riley | June 6For the fourth year, Albuquerque’s finest restaurants and chefs were pitted against each other on June 5 in the name of raising money for New Mexicans who don’t always know where they will get their next meal.
Culture
Church vitalizes creative spirit
May 30The First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque isn’t just a place for parishioners to profess their faith; the congregation’s walls are canvases for painters.
Culture
Public transportation praised on Train Day
May 8Albuquerque citizens gathered Saturday at the Alvarado Transportation Center to celebrate the past and future of public transportation for city’s first Train Day. People toured the inside of the Rail Runner and an Amtrak Superliner. Train Day has been celebrated nationally since 2008, but this is the first year Albuquerque participated. City Councilor Isaac Benton, who also works with the Middle Rio Grande Regional Transit District, said he is intrigued by trains’ efficiency, romance and sheer power. “The country was really built by rail,” he said. “Our city, our downtown didn’t exist until we brought rail here.” Before Albuquerque became a metropolis, it was a small, rural community in 1880, said Steven Bradford, of the New Mexico Steam Locomotive and Railroad Historical Society. He said trains helped Albuquerque grow into its present form.
Culture
Students’ cinematic skills celebrated
Andrew Beale | May 8The best works by UNM student filmmakers will be on display at the Guild Cinema on Wednesday and Thursday. The Cinematic Arts Student Showcase is a free annual event and has a program every day, each featuring about 15 students, according to Deborah Fort, an associate professor with the department and the coordinator of the showcase.
