by Daniel V. Garcia Daily Lobo Progressive rock was given its initial push by King Crimson and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew back in the golden year of creativity, 1969. Since then, bands with a head for the mathematics of theory and composition and the souls of America's bluesmen have tried their hand at this difficult yet rewarding genre.
by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo While listening to the Eric McFadden Trio, it's easy to picture yourself in a dark, smoky bar, sipping whiskey and watching him perform. New Mexico native McFadden possesses two fantastic skills that make him a true musician.
by Maria Staiano-Daniels Daily Lobo Frankenstein for President. "Frankenstein in Love," showing at the Vortex through Nov. 6, resets Mary Shelley's Frankenstein against the background of a Latin American coup d'Çtat. Frankenstein's monster, El Coco, leads the rebel forces against the corrupt President Perez, who gave troublesome prisoners to doctor Frankenstein for his experiments.
by Maria Staiano-Daniels Daily Lobo "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" opens with a warning read by an announcer. "This play contains sex, nudity and mature themes," she said. "Tell your friends." The audience cheered loudly. The play is definitely not for children, religious conservatives or people who don't like sex jokes - if such people exist.
by Joe Buffaloe Daily Lobo The TromaDance Film Festival began when two no-name kids sent their movie, "Cannibal the Musical," to Sundance and never received a reply. In response, they screened their film in a theater across town through the duration of the festival.
by John Bear Daily Lobo Normally I run screaming and flailing my arms from press releases, but Dennis Lyxzen, lead singer of the (International) Noise Conspiracy, said something that caught my eye. "Make no mistake about it, we are a revolutionary, anti-capitalist, Marxist, Communist rock band," he said.
by Daniel V. Garcia Daily Lobo It can be said that ambient music is a genre in which silence and sparseness are as important as the notes themselves. Exemplary of this concept is Los Angeles' The Slow Signal Fade. The band's album, Through the Opaque Air, is typified by a reverberating guitar which sounds like it is being played under water and backed by a drummer who appears to have studied her flams and rolls intensively.
by John Bear Daily Lobo People have been saying this since 1977, but I think I can say it now with absolute conviction - punk rock is dead. So dead. Here are a few reasons why. First, Dead Kennedys are on tour as I write this - without Jello Biafra. That's kind of like the Doors performing without Jim Morrison.
by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo The trick to watching Comedy Central's "Drawn Together" is that you have to be able to find humor in the fact that your childhood heroes are reduced to foul-mouthed morons. Entering its second season, "Drawn Together" asks the question, what would happen if you took eight cartoon stereotypes and put them together in the same house? The premise isn't much different from VH1's "Surreal Life," except its cast with cartoons instead of has-been celebrities.
by Daniel V. Garcia Daily Lobo Neil Young's songs on Prairie Wind sound like rehashed versions of previous hits. Perhaps he's come to the end of his songwriting prowess, because his sound seems lifted. However, this makes for a surprisingly diverse album, musically.
by Scott Albright Daily Lobo South Carolina punk band Stretch Arm Strong likes to keep things positive. "I can't relate to the violence in a lot of today's music," lead singer Chris McLane said. "We differ in that we're more uplifting and have a positive approach to things swirling around out there," he said.
by Maria DeBlassie Daily Lobo Billy Collins has no trouble writing poetry. This former poet laureate of the United States has just come out with his fifth book of verse, The Trouble with Poetry. He once again proves to be the common man's snob. It is this contradiction of wanting to make poetry accessible and at the same time being an esoteric poet that makes him so appealing.
by Alex Williams Daily Lobo Rising stars of the Los Angeles punk scene Bang Sugar Bang returns to Albuquerque on Wednesday. The band is touring with punk legends the Adicts in support of their album Thwak Thwak Go Crazy. Cooper, the bassist and co-vocalist, wanted to emphasize that the band is distinct from its punk contemporaries.
by Scott Albright Daily Lobo Even pieces of metal lying on the ground can be made into works of art. OFFCenter Community Arts Project is holding a show called "Wrap it Up: A Mixed Art Exhibit" featuring recycled scrap metal works from different artists.
by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo Slinking its way into Popejoy this weekend, the musical "Chicago" packs a punch that's been delighting audiences worldwide. "We just did a five-week tour in Japan," said David Bushman, part of the ensemble of actors who take the stage throughout the performance.
by Jessica Del Curto Daily Lobo Some hip-hop purists talk trash about "hippie hip-hop." It's too experimental, they say. Too abstract, too watered down, too stripped of all its street credibility. This, of course, is ridiculous. 2bers, a local hip-hop group that falls under the category of "hippie," is intelligent music at its best.
by Abel Horwitz Daily Lobo The strongest endorsement I can give "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is that the children sitting in front of me during the screening laughed and cheered the whole way through. The film is cute, and, surprisingly, cute has a lot of merit.
by Maria DeBlassie Daily Lobo Tal Caspi hates TV. "TV takes away your time," Caspi said. "You sit there and don't do anything or think anything. You become one with the television." Caspi is the creator of Kill TV, a group of artists who try to represent art in a different kind of way, including displaying artists' work online.
by Maria Staiano-Daniels Daily Lobo What do you see when you think of the Middle East? For many Americans, images from movies and the news may spring to mind: veiled women, angry young men with machine guns, Palestinian children throwing stones at Israeli tanks.
by John Bear Daily Lobo In Albuquerque they are homies. In England they are old beans. In the end they are all friends. Friendship is what motivates Old Beans, an Albuquerque band in its third year. They lack the ambition that fuels many other bands - the fame and the fortune.
Solutions by The State News
