Backstory: “Prey to the Pursuit” by Reyes Padilla
Reyes Padilla is a painter of sound. In short, because of his synesthesia, he can experience sounds visually. He listens to music and paints the music he sees. The paintings he creates are possible because of this remarkable and unique ability. His new exhibit Synful Norteño at the Lapis Room in Old Town is an evolution and maturing of this approach to painting developed through personal work. The results are astounding, if you have the sense to see them.
Thoughts on the Untitled Work by Daisy Quezada Ureña
For last in our four-part series covering the Albuquerque exhibition of Son de Alla’ y Son de Aca’, we highlight the untitled work by Daisy Quezada Ureña on display at Exhibit/208. As with the other pieces we have reviewed, “Alien Species” by Eric J. Garcia at El Chante: Casa De Cultura; “Santa Librada” by Brandon Maldonado at the South Broadway Cultural Center and Elena Baca’s “Whirl(wind)”at Tortuga Gallery, we are sticking with the “Here” portion of artists in this show with New Mexican artist Daisy Quezada Ureña. I will keep my thoughts on this piece brief.
Hibiscus Cooler
You can look at this cocktail as a gin and tonic with hibiscus tea in it or an ice tea into which someone added a cocktail. Regardless, it is a refreshing end to summer that pairs well with the pool. If you are lucky enough to have one handy, go with the tall plastic cup (or for a completely different tack, try our poolside-approved Not a Moscow Mule in a copper cup) and plenty of ice. Hibiscus complements gin with a flavor and color perfect for summer. When you see “cooler” think lower alcohol by volume for more measured weekend drinking.
Thoughts on “Road Tripping: Midwest” by Dana Patterson Roth
Riding in cars for long distances when you’re a kid is brutally dull. Those of us old enough to have suffered through this before the rise of cell phones and other such electronic devices remember a time when your options were minimal. Sit there. Do nothing. Look out the window. I guess you could read, if you knew how and it didn’t make you car sick.
Backstory: "Love of Mine" by Paul Hunton
Paul Hunton is a singer and songwriter in Albuquerque. With his band Dust City Opera, he has crafted songs that have a bit of a dark side to them, masked often by a musical current that doesn’t linger long. You may be reminded that sometimes bad things happen at the circus, but soon enough the elephants and acrobats are back in the center ring showing off their stuff.
Maple Lime Bourbon Sour
The quixotic effort to produce a palatable maple syrup in New Mexico is admirable, but it’s like trying to grow a decent green chile in Colorado. Maybe you can do it, but we have trucks and highways that work just fine in this country. Putting your efforts into other things (like things that you are actually good at) is my recommendation for this weekend. If mixing up a tasty cocktail that pairs well with thoughts of an approaching autumn is what you would like to be good at, then look no further than the Maple Lime Bourbon Sour.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The view from the editor’s desk this week has been positive. We had a couple of stories verging on the supernatural in Thoughts on Eyeshine by Adrian Pijoan and Thoughts on “Alien Species” by Eric J. Garcia , and great photos of the aerialist Summer Solon that were part of the Backstory with Keely Mackey about her new album. This week looks promising with new openings on the horizon.
Thoughts on “Alien Species” by Eric J. Garcia
For the third part of our four-part series on the exhibit Son de Alla’ y Son de Aca’ we stay with a New Mexico artist, Eric j. Garcia, and spend some time with a work that is very much a product of New Mexico, “Alien Species,” currently on exhibit at El Chante: Casa De Cultura.
Much has been written about Garcia lately in local publications and deservingly so. I see no need to rehash what they have said, but clearly his body of work is both thoughtful and accessible, a rare combination. In “Alien Species” we again see these qualities. The point is made plain; cows are the aliens here in the Southwest.
The Blessed Lavender Rickey
There is magic in the desert when it rains. This weekend it is nearly assured and that is a blessing. With this weekend’s cocktail we are going to give it an extra boost just to be sure. A little magic and gin can go a long way.
Thoughts on Eyeshine by Adrian Pijoan
Adrian Pijoan is not an apologist ufologist. He’s been at this kind of stuff for a while as host of the YouTube series Alien Hour, in character as paranormal researcher Dr. Howard. In his exhibit at the Harwood Art Center, Pijoan uses the paranormal palette – Aliens, Bigfoot, Mothman – to tell personal stories much like a retablo painter renders the saints and for many of the same reasons. They all form the characters in stories we tell each other here in New Mexico. The truth is, after all, out here.
Thoughts on “Santa Librada” by Brandon Maldonado
For the second part of our four-part series on the exhibit Son de Alla’ y Son de Aca’ we again stay with an Albuquerque artist Brandon Maldonado and take a look at his “Santa Librada” at the South Broadway Cultural Center.
Much has been said about this venerated, bearded woman here in New Mexico making this piece an excellent choice for inclusion in this exhibit. I don’t want to dive too far into Santa Librada’s story here because, like the stories of all saints, it is filled with so many diverging origins and ever-evolving interpretations (as well as the fact she is not an actual saint according to the Catholic Church) that this particular work could be easily swamped.
I Speak Through My Cello by Keely Mackey
Keely Mackey is a cellist who performs under the name Celloquacious. Her new album I Speak Through My Cello debuts this Friday with an interdisciplinary (read: aerialists, dancers and yoginis) performance at Fusion. It centers on the elements and it is meant to be healing. It is meant to be healing in a way that we all need now more than ever she says.
Thoughts on Elena Baca’s “Whirl(wind)”
I’ve always thought that Pema Chodron’s suggestion to start where you are could be applied to just about anything, if for no other reason than it requires no travel time. When it comes to the ambitious 60-artist, four-venue exhibit Son de Alla’ y Son de Aca’, starting with a work from here also makes sense. Artists from Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas have efforts to show here in Albuquerque at Exhibit/208, the South Broadway Cultural Center, El Chante and where we begin our four-part look at this exhibit at Tortuga Gallery, with Albuquerque-native Elena Baca’s “Whirl(wind)”.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The view from the editor’s desk this week wasn’t very nice. Finally, I published the interview I did with Albuquerque’s new poet laureate Anna Martinez this week. We spent a lot of time talking through the idea of being nice and the fallacy of masks. If you missed it, check it out here. It is one of my favorite interviews ever. Next week we look into a bunch of great art and a new cello album that is truly exceptional. Onward.
The Salty Dog
The simple two-ingredient greyhound is recast as the Salty Dog with the addition of a little salt but the difference is immense. The salt tames this pooch, rendering it suitable for the dog days of summer. The salt balances out the tart grapefruit and masks nearly all the vodka flavor. To that end, I recommend a mild varietal when it comes to choosing a vodka for this drink. Skip the flavors or your less refined types and let the salt and grapefruit do the heavy lifting here. Also, though it should not need repeating, do yourself a favor and juice your own grapefruits. It makes the cocktail infinitely better. Ocean Spray only really pairs well with Aquanet.
Anna Martinez Has Nothing Nice to Say
Anna Martinez made it plain in the first poem she read after being named Albuquerque’s new poet laureate — “Take nice and shove it.”
Martinez has lived her life speaking out, speaking her truth and speaking to defend the truths of others. Now that she is the city's poet, she has no plans to change. Not two months into her tenure she is already getting hate mail. Imagine a poet getting hate mail about her words. Those must be some extraordinarily powerful words.
Thoughts on Legacies by Sam Elkind
Contemporary landscape photography is often plagued by the type of photographer that heads out into the American West to find the exact spot where Ansel Adams or some other such person made a famous photograph. They will seek out the exact tripod holes in the ground (sometimes even finding them there in the dirt left by some previous photo-geocacher with a similar goal) in order to recreate the same photo. Don’t think for a moment that it is like Hunter S. Thompson retyping The Great Gatsby to get the feel of the words. It is lamer.
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
The view from the editor’s desk this week was tolerable. This weekend I’m on the road, but looking back on a week in Albuquerque of note are stories about a great new Americana album by Lucy Barna and a review of the Albuquerque Museum's new retrospective exhibit of Lee Marmon's photographs. Both are worth checking out. As we move further into August things are getting busy at the Courier. Stay tuned.
The Sidecar
This drink gets its name from the motorcycle sidecar but seems to have outlived the popularity of its namesake. And why not? The cocktail sidecar is delicious and the motorcycle sidecar is just plain silly. Plus, if into a motorcycle sidecar you are just a passenger, which only really looks good on Iggy Pop. On the other hand, if into the cocktail sidecar you are ready to get the weekend started.
Thoughts on the Photography of Lee Marmon
The new retrospective exhibit of photographer Lee Marmon’s work, Between Two Worlds, at the Albuquerque Museum is a tribute to a photographer who was pivotal in the shifting of perceptions of Native Americans that began after WWII and continues to this day. While the impact Marmon had on how Native Americans were seen in the mid-20th century is undeniable, the remarkable thing about Marmon’s photography itself may be how unremarkable the photographs actually are. I say that not to run the man down, but to highlight what truly makes Marmon a remarkable photographer.