September 2010
Music and Comedy Menu of this month's listings, stories and columns
Alfresco! Fridays — The free outdoor concerts begin at 5:30 p.m. Fridays through Sept. 10 at Arts Festival Plaza (between El Paso Museum of Art and Plaza Theatre). Presented by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. No outside food or beverages, or pets allowed. Information: 534-0689, 541-4481, or alfrescofridays.com.
• Aug. 27 — Radio La Chusma (Latin reggae/world)
• Sept. 3 — Marcelo & Friends (salsa/Latin)
• Sept. 10 — Fungi Mungle (70’s rock/disco/funk)
Marfa Jazz Festival — The 2nd annual festival is Friday through Sunday, Aug. 27-29, at the Crowley Theatre and Padre’s Marfa, both on W. El Paso Street in Marfa, Texas. Information: (432) 432-386-6282 or padresmarfa.com.
Gospel Starlights — The group’s 7th annual anniversary musical celebration is 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28, at Abundant Joy Christian Faith Center, 4950 Y Hondo Pass. Information: Jeanette, 226-6531 or Naquitta, 202-1134.
AC/DC Tribute Band — The heavy metal tribute band performs at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3-4, at Hotrods and Wheels, 1510 Bengal. Ages 21 and older welcome. Tickets: $10. Information: 591-7637.
Kern Place Music in the Park — The Kern Place Association presents Guitar Slim and Nando and the Line Up at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 11, as part of its summer-long music series in Madeline Park, 900 Baltimore. Bring a lawn chair, blanket or picnic basket. Admission is free. Information: kernplace.org.
All Lives Saved Benefit Show — El Paso hottest bands will perform a special benefit for at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, at Club 101, 1148 Airway. featuring local entertainers Billy Townes, Alive in Chains, Cowboys from Hellpaso, Radio La Chusma, Aftermath, Hot Rod Boobie, and Our Vegas along with food drinks and more. Cost: $10. Information: 544-2101 or club101.com.
Bob Burns and Mike Caranda Orchestra — The big-band style orchestra led by Bob Burns and featuring Judy Day will host its afternoon Tea Dance 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12, at El Paso Country Club, 5000 Country Club Place. The band has been presenting Sunday afternoon “Tea Dances” since 1984 and features all ballroom styles, including tango, waltz, jitterbug, swing, chacha, mambo, polka, rumba and more. Full bar and country club menu available for dancers. Admission: $15. Information: 799-5684 or (575) 525-9333.
Jazz on the Rocks — The live jazz music series is 8 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month through October, at McKelligon Canyon. The Sunday, Sept. 12 concert features Latin jazz with Willie Hernandez & Jazz Puerto Rico and The Havana Quintet. Seating open three hours prior to showtime. Tickets: $9 in advance; $10 day of show, plus service charge. (Ticketmaster). Season ticket packages: $40. Information: jazzelpaso.org.
‘Our Neverending Story’ — International recording artists Armand and Angelina perform their World Peace Opera Overture, at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, at Unity El Paso, 1420 Alabama, at Gold, featuring a mix of classical, popular and world music influences. The pair will sing their versions of “Ave Maria,” theme from “Romeo and Juliet,” songs from “Phantom of the Opera” and many of their original love songs. Admission is free; love offering accepted. Information: 566-5544 (8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday) or unityelpaso@sbcglobal.net.
El Paso International Mariachi Festival — The first ever festival celebrating the region’s mariachi heritage is Sept. 15-19, with mariachi and folklorico workshops and live music throughout Arts Festival Plaza. The Main “Mariachi Extravaganza” is 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, in the Plaza Theatre, with headliners Mariachi Traditional de Guadalajara. Tickets: $20, $30, $40, $50 and $60 in advance ($3 discount for seniors and military); day of event tickets increase by $5. Information: epyso.com.
Workshops for musicians and dancers are planned Wednesday through Friday at various locations downtown, with a student dinner and showcase 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at The Plaza Theatre. Registration: $70; includes music, festival shirt, certificate signed by Mayor John Cook, badges, performance and admission to all events.
Other events:
The inaugural gala commemorating the Bicentennial of the Mexican Revolution is 7 p.m. Thursday in the Camino Real Hotel Ballroom. Tickets: $50.
A Plaza Garibaldi event is noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, in Arts Festival Plaza, with mariachi music every half-hour, dance performances in the Philanthropy Theatre, food, arts and craft booths, and a tequila garden in the Camino Real hotel. Tickets: $12.
A Mariachi Mass is planned at 11 a.m. Sunday. Details to be announced.
‘Jazz’tory at the Philanthropy’ — El Paso Friends of Jazz society presents Billy Townes and Ruben Gutierrez in a tribute to famous jazz piano composers at 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Philanthropy Theater in the Plaza Theatre Annex. Tickets: $25; available through Ticketmaster. Information: elpasofriendsofjazz.org or ktep.org.
Featured selections from piano greats Scott Joplin, Fats Waller, Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, Chick Corea and others will be performed, in addition to originals by Townes and Gutierrez. Also performing are jazz vocalist Monica Gutierrez and other guests.
Mariachi Sundays in Mesilla — The Town of Mesilla, its business community and the Las Cruces International Mariachi Conference host the 16th annual fall afternoon series Sundays in the Plaza at historic Old Mesilla. Concerts are 4 to 6 p.m. Sundays Sept. 26-Oct. 14, and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7. Admission is free. Bring folding chairs or blankets. Pets and alcohol not allowed in plaza. Information: (575) 525-1735.
‘This is Flamenco’ — Spanish flamenco guitarist Salvadora Velasco performs an afternoon of traditional guitar at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at the Chamizal National Memorial, 800 S. San Marcial. Galan not only sings flamenco but also accompanies herself on the guitar often unheard of in the flamenco world. Tickets: $8. Information: 532-7273.
Mesilla Jazz Happening — The annual event is Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2-3, at the old Mesilla Plaza. Hosted by Mesilla Merchants Association and the Mesilla Valley Jazz and Blues Society. Admission is free. Information: (575) 526-2620.
Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino — Live music is offered 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sundays in the Franklins Lounge. No cover; no live music Sept. 10. Information: (575) 874-5200.
Disco with local DJs is 6:30 to 10 p.m. Sundays. Karaoke offered with Antonio B 8 p.m. to midnight every Thursday. Weekly winners receive gift bag with prizes.
• Friday, Aug. 27 — Los Dukes
• Saturday, Aug. 28 — Inolvidable
• Sunday, Aug. 29 — Mariachi Real de Jalisco
• Friday, Sept. 3 — Last Minute
• Saturday, Sept. 4 — Animo
• Sunday, Sept. 5 — Mariachi Los Toritos
• Saturday, Sept. 11 — The Starliners
• Sunday, Sept. 12 — Mariachi Real de Jalisco
• Friday, Sept. 17 — Rhapsody
• Saturday, Sept. 18 — Juntos Unidos
• Sunday, Sept. 19 — Mariachi Raices de America
• Friday, Sept. 24 — Los Dukes
• Saturday, Sept. 25 — Ekiz
• Sunday, Sept. 26 — Mariachi Femenil Las Caponeras
• Friday, Oct. 1 — Tejas
• Saturday, Oct. 2 — Skarabajo
• Sunday, Oct. 3 — Mariachi Alegre.
Wednesday Music Café — UTEP’s free weekly outdoor brown-bag concert series is noon to 1 p.m. Wednesdays at UTEP’s Student Union, featuring a variety of music. Information: 747-5481.
Padre’s Marfa — 209 W. El Paso Street in Marfa, Texas. The West Texas venue hosts regional and national acts. Information: 432-729-4425 or padresmarfa.com.
• 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 — Bobby Bare Jr., alternative. Son of country music legend Bobby Bare. Cover: $8.
• Saturday, Sept. 4 — The Moonlight Towers, Austin-based rock and roll. Call for showtime. Cover: $5.
• 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 16 — Folk icon James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards. Cover: $10.
• 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17 — David Beebe and The Conrads. Cover: $5.
• Saturday, Sept. 18 — Ballroom Marfa presents La Sana Cecilia, U.S./Mexico crossover music combining jazz, tango, bossa nova, rock, cumbia and rhumba.
• 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20 — Dungen, psychedelic rock from Sweden. Cover: $8.
• 8:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8 — The Gourds, Austin alternative country. Cover: $12.
La Viña’s Music On the Patio — La Viña Winery in La Union, 4201 S. NM Highway 28, one mile north of Vinton Road, hosts live music 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on selected Saturdays and Sundays featuring folk, country and rock ‘n’ roll from “Live By Request.” Picnics are allowed, but beverages must be purchased from the winery. Admission is free. Information: (575) 882-7632.
Upcoming performances are Sunday, Aug. 29, Sept. 12 and Sept. 26.
The Percolator — 217 N. Stanton. Live music events are scheduled regularly at downtown cafe and gallery. Information: 351-4377 or myspace.com/thepercolator915.
• Chris Johnson and Titus Andronicus — 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2.
• Thriftstore Cowboys and Jack Hearn Lusitania — 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4.
• The Iveys and Friends — 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10. Friends include Silk Flamingo and the Beat.
• Stranger Family Band — 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 20.
‘Every Other Tuesday’ at the Rio Grande Theatre — Doña Ana Arts Council hosts a variety of musical performances 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. every other Tuesday at the historic Rio Grande Theatre, 211 Downtown Mall, Las Cruces. Admission is free. Information: (575) 523-6403 or riograndetheatre.com.
• Sept. 7 — Las Cruces String Quartet
• Sept. 21 — Natalie Masters.
Border Chorders — The El Paso men’s barbershop and a cappella group rehearses at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at University Presbyterian Church, 244 N. Resler. Director is Anthony Bartholomew. Singers in all male vocal ranges welcome. Information: Ron Dettman, 203-2487 or borderchorders.org.
The Border Chorders are the El Paso chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Sungold Chorus — The El Paso Sungold Chorus of the Sweet Adelines, under the direction of Lanny Desautels, rehearses at 7 p.m. Mondays at All Saints Church, 3500 McRae. All ladies interested in making good friends and good music are invited. Information: Jeanette, 778-7503.
The women’s chorus is dedicated to the performance of four-part barbershop harmony, musical education, and community involvement.
Travel Mug Open Mike Night — The Travel Mug, 7040 N. Mesa (in Colony Cove), presents open mic performance 7 to 10 p.m. every Thursday, hosted by Robert Arroyo and Sam Barlow Band. Performers are welcome to come sign up before 6 p.m. Thursdays. Admission is free. Information: Vanessa, 238-2229.
Folk Fury — KTEP, 88.5 FM, features three hours of acoustic and folk music — with an emphasis on recordings by local musicians and occasional live appearances by them — from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturdays. Hosts are Dan Alloway and Gregg Carthy. Requests: 747-5153.
Comedy
El Paso Comic Strip — 1201 Airway. Shows are at 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8:30 and 10:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Military admitted free Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tickets: $6 Wednesday through Thursday; $12 Friday and Saturday, $8 Sunday, unless listed otherwise. Reserved tickets at ticketweb.com. Information/reservations: 779-LAFF (5233) or laff2nite.com.
• Aug. 25-29 — Jason Collings. A native of Long Beach, Calif. Collings has toured with Carlos Mencia and Jo Koy. Feature act is Dino Archie.
• Sept. 4-8 — Co-Headliners Skip Clark and Quinn Dahle. Both comics have been seen on Comedy Central, BET and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
• Sept. 8-12 — Lowell Sanders. Sanders has opened for such notables as Luther Vandross, The Temptations, Whitney Houston, George Lopez and more. Feature act is Richard Villa.
• Sept. 15-91 — Roy Wood Jr. The “Prince of Prank” is one of today’s fastest rising stars. He has opened for “Blue Collar” favorites Ron White and Bill Engvall, and is one of this season’s finalists in “Last Comic Standing.” Feature act is Maronzio Vance.
• Sept. 22-26 — Joey Medina. Medina recently hosted and produced the DVD “Latin Palooza,” and released the award-winning CD “Below the Belt.” Medina also starred in “The Original Latin Kings of Comedy.” Feature act is Rene Garcia.
Comedy open mic — Sun City Comedy hosts open mic stand-up comedy contests at 9:30 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month (Sept. 18) at Maverick’s Bar and Grill, 6999 Montana. Participants can win $100 based on audience response. Information/sign-up: 281-OPEN-MIC ( or suncitycomedy.com.
Also featured for all attending is the “FWD: Joke” cell phone contest. The funniest joke sent via cell phone that evening earns a $50 gift certificate.
Border Beats
Recently added to the El Paso playlist:
‘Blood and Candle Smoke’ by Tom Russell (Shout Factory). Russell is another example of El Paso extreme talent, but in this case El Paso can’t take credit for his birth. It took Russell about 50 years to find his way here, making the Upper Valley his home base while touring around the world. Russell is a folk/country singer-songwriter best known for ballads such as “Outbound Plane” and “Gallo del Cielo” that were made into hits by other singers . His El Paso years have been particularly productive — his critically acclaimed folk cycle CD, “The Man from God Knows Where” came out in 1999 and his latest, “Blood and Candle Smoke” is the 10th album during the past 10 years. In this CD, his first set of original songs under the Shout label, Russell draws from some of his early years growing up in the turbulent 1960s “East of Woodstock, West of Viet Nam,” studying criminology and teaching in Africa, as well as the influences of living on the border. Russell fans can catch some of these songs in person Nov. 6 and 7, when he performs in Silver City and Las Cruces.
— Randy Limbird
“Kivvunin,” Larry Bach. El Paso Rabbi Larry Bach’s new CD, translated as “directions” or “intentions,” is aptly named, as it carries a definite directive motive. The two most notable songs book-end the CD, including the bilingual, folksy opening track “Ki Eshm’ra Shabbat,” that leads off with Bach’s Dylan-inspired harmonica and lyrics reflecting the importance of the Shabbat (Sabbath). Most of the songs that follow have a consistent, easy-sounding rhythm, serving as mini-sermons based on Hebrew text and common sense values that could we well-heed by persons of all faiths, especially Jewish listeners and Christians who haven’t forgotten the importance of the Old Testament teachings.
One of the catchier songs is “Lullaby,” an English arrangement by Bach of a Hebrew-language song. The repetitive nature-inspired lyrics and flowing beat make it a nice sing-a-long for both youth and adults.
He saves his most personal work, however, for last in “Bob Dylan Came to Town.” In Bach’s reimagining of “The Night Hank Williams Came to Town,” his long-time music idol performs in concert a short distance from his home...on Erev Pesach, a sacred time that ushers in the Passover. Bach’s kind voice and clean guitar complements each other, and if this CD’s “intention” was to give to give the listener a sense of calm, it certainly did the trick.
-- Lisa Kay Tate
“Songs of Ascent,” Ellen M. Wilson. Wilson’s collection of Hebrew and English language songs, many inspired by verses from the Psalms and other books, sounds as home in the Southwest as it would in the mountainous Middle East. The easy-going instrumentals range from solemn piano and flute to jazzier saxophone, all accompanied by Wilson’s clear, silky voice (with accompaniment by guest vocalist Cantor Robbie Sherwin) to give an ethereal appeal. It would be hard not to sit though flowing melodies such as “Shir Chadash (A New Song)” or the closer “Oseah Shalom (Grant Peace)” and not feel at peace. It would be too easy to compare Wilson’s sound to that of the Celtic-based vocalists such as Enya or Loreena McKennitt, but Wilson adds a touch of the desert and her own, rich Jewish heritage to the mix giving “Songs of Ascent” both regional and global appeal.
-- “Thank You,” George Arriola. (Vyking Recordings). This local award-winning singer and composer has been celebrated for instrumental, vocal and writing capability. He new vocal CD is a precursor to his soon-to-be-released progressive instrumental rock CD “All I Wanna Do.” This laidback (albeit brief) EP reminiscent of the 1970s and 1980s soft rock stylings. “For Love” in particular flows like a romantic walk on the beach. None of the songs struck me as stand-outs, but considering what we are listening to is all George, the musical ability is pretty darn impressive.
-- Glenn Leffler, “Acoustic Journey,” Adventures in Solo Guitar.” Leffler’s thoughtful nature and faith are evident selections from the flowing opener, “Pandora’s Box” to the slightly perkier “Pop’s Rag.” The songs are consistent and clean throughout. There are no surprises on this album, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, making this a good choice for the office or early morning back porch lounging.
-- La Guitarra presents Mario Otero, “Down at the Pass.” Otero has a great way of combining the gritty edge of the border with the disciplined sound of classical guitar. The clever narrative at throughout is a suitable tribute to Robert Rodriguez’s “El Mariachi” Trilogy, followed by a series of regionally inspired tunes like the grito-infused “Bandito Concierto” and the heart-breaking bilingual lament of “The Children of Juarez.” Although, honestly, I prefer the instrumentals on this offering, especially the brief “La Vienta” reunion featuring Otero and Stefan Schyga.
-- Stefan Schyga -- “A Winter Romance.” It has been far too long since Schyga has released a solo CD, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Packed with 15 instrumental flamenco-inspired tracks, standouts include the jazzy, mystical “Niko” (joined by Otero) the snaky rhythms of “Bossamenco” and the exotic, percussion-fused “Streets of Marrakech.”
-- Lisa Kay Tate
El Paso Scene MONTHLY
This month's listings,
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Copyright 2010 by Cristo Rey Communications.
Roundup
Music
Dance
Here's the Ticket
Program Notes
On Stage
Sports
Southwest Art Scene
At the Museum
History Lessons
Nature
Film Scene
Keep on Bookin'
Becoming Bicultural
Liner Notes
Stage Talk
Gallery Talk
Better Parenting