Issue 6

ISSUE 5 . 14

ISSUE 5 . 14

All across New Mexico bold blossoms are creeping onto the branches of bare fruit trees, the Cottonwood guardians of the valley are showing signs of life and daffodils are lining yards like the slap-happy faces of tiny suns. Bird songs fill mornings that are becoming brighter and warmer every day, and patios everywhere are filling up with sun and margarita thirsty bodies. Soon the winds will make us question why we ever wanted winter to end, and just when we are about to go mad, summer will arrive like a flame from the underworld, but before then, we will venture out of hibernation, put our hands in the ground, start tinkering on our classics, and revel in the new growth around us, and perhaps within ourselves.

It is an interesting time to be alive this spring.

Pope Francis recently spoke out saying he could see the Catholic Church tolerating some forms of same-sex civil unions, not a declaration of acceptance by any means, but a vast improvement on the historic treatment of gays by the church. Over the winter, marriage equality was legalized in our state, but in February Arizona lawmakers actually managed to pass a bill legalizing discrimination against the LGBTQ community. This shocking bill was later vetoed

by Governor Jan Brewer. Meanwhile, across the globe at the recent scene of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russia remains steadfast to its anti-gay laws, and sadly, similar laws are the norm in most of the world.

In this issue of La Loca Magazine, we hope to honor the LGBTQ community not only in New Mexico but in the Rockabilly and Americana community at large, and their struggles and victories. As we celebrate spring and the birth of new growth around us, I hope we can also celebrate the birth of new ideas and cherish the differences that make our species as vibrant as the flower and vegetable gardens that many of us will be getting our hands dirty with in the coming days.

On the note of gardening, we will also be taking a look at Victory Gardens for the modern age and how the new craze of “sustainable gardening� is actually as retro as it gets. In this issue we will be focusing on veggies, of course, but with the recent legalization of marijuana in Colorado, with medical marijuana dispensaries becoming more and more prevalent here on the home front, and a new agricultural Farm Bill that may soon legalize institutions of higher education and state departments of agriculture to grow industrial hemp, we might be looking at a green issue by this time next year.

In the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson, who passed away Feb. 20, 2005, in that green state of Colorado: It looks like the freaks are winning after all.

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ISSUE 5 . 14

Trevor Wayne www. trevorwayne.com PAGE 5

Pride Issue

LLM: What's the best part of being a gay, pinup sexpot?

TW: The best part is being able to represent a male model who isn't the norm for the gay community. I want to inspire people to find their own sense of beauty and worth even if it isn't the norm. It is also wonderful to have a large group of people who seem to get me, and my sense of humor, and art. That inspires me!

LLM: What else inspires you?

TW: I'm inspired by art that comes from a place of joy. I am inspired by all other artists who do what they love and sacrifice to make it a reality.

LLM: Who are your heroes?

TW: My family! My parents are incredible. I was raised with the most accepting, loving, supportive people in a small town where everyone else wasn't.

LLM: What sign are you?

TW: I'm an Aquarius!

LLM: What do you do when no one is watching?

TW: I do a thing called the "One Minute Dance Break." I try every day, no matter what mood I'm in, or how busy I am, to get up, put on any dumb song and dance as stupidly around as I possibly can. I guess it's a form of meditation. It clears my mind of anything and I instantly feel better. I recommend everyone do this!

LLM: If you were a cocktail, what would it be?

TW: A dirty martini on the rocks. I'm strong and salty. Ha! LLM: What has been one of the biggest struggles in your life?

TW: Definitely love.

LLM: What has been one of the greatest moments of your life?

TW: Mostly just small ones. I think just the good times I have with my close friends. I just try to let everything be a great moment and appreciate it.

PAGE 6

Pride Week Event Calendar: Monday, May 26: LGBTQ Memorial Dedication Join the American Veterans for Equal Rights this Memorial Day as they dedicate a placard to the LGBTQ community at the National Memorial Park of Alb. 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, May 29: Candlelight Vigil People will gather together for the ninth year at Morningside Park to remember the day they came out, the people lost and struggles they've encountered. Candles will be lit at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 31: Albuquerque Pride Parade & PrideFest The parade will kick off its 39th year at 10:00 a.m. near Johnson Field on Central Avenue and will march up Central to Expo New Mexico for Albuquerque PrideFest from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

To volunteer, register a float, table or art space please visit www.abqpride.com.

Sunday, June 1: Los Ranchos Pride 2014 The fairly new family-orientated Pride event will start off with a morning service from Metropolitan Community Church at 10:30 a.m., followed by games and entertainment on the grass from 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., at Hartnett Park off of Rio Grande.

Saturday, June 7: Gay Day at Cliff ‘s Amusement Park Enjoy the rides and carnival games and wear red in honor of solidarity at this year's Gay Day.

It had already been a hard night for those gathered at The Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969. Clubbers mournfully celebrated the loss of Judy Garland who had passed away earlier that week. The Wizard of Oz actress had been a longtime icon of acceptance and beauty within the LGBTQ community. Secretly referencing Garland's character with the question, “Are you a friend of Dorothy?” was commonly used to identify oneself as being gay. But it was the late night police raid on the Inn in Greenwich Village that had become all too common for New York's LGBTQ community that night.

At the time, New York laws prohibited homosexuality in public, criminalizing the sale of alcohol to gays and even taking it as far as arresting same-sex dance partners. Police raids were frequent at LGBTQ hangouts with drag queens, club owners, workers and anyone in gender puzzling attire being arrested and publicly “outted” in the local newspapers. When the police came barging into The Stonewall that summer night, the men and women inside had had enough of this discriminating treatment.

Crowding the police vehicles parked outside of the club, patrons and a growing crowd of spectators sparked into a riot to intervene with the arrests. The police barricaded themselves inside The Stonewall, but the crowd, fed up and fueled by frustration, raged on.

By the end of the night police reinforcements arrived, 13 people were arrested and the interior of the The Stonewall lay in shambles. But the LGBTQ community was not going to remain quiet. Larger riots ignited in front of the Inn the next two nights and out of the dust emerged the first gay rights advocacy groups. A year after The Stonewall Riots, the world's first Gay Pride parades were held in the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco and New York City.

“Stonewall is the event that pretty much launched pride events all over the world,” reflects Albuquerque Pride President Neil Macernie. In 1976, a modest group of about 30 people congregated at Morningside Park and as they marched up Central Avenue, Albuquerque celebrated its first Pride parade, one of the oldest in the country.

This year, Albuquerque's Pridefest will reflect back on the 45th anniversary of The Stonewall Riots, the event that paved the way for equality and sexual freedom still being fought for (and against) today. And, with the giant victory for marriage equality won in New Mexico last year, there are so many reasons for burquenos to be proud.

“There's still a lot of work to be done, but Pride is the foundation. We give people the opportunity to express who they are, be who they are, so that when people in the rest of the world see us through media images, they have hope,” says Macernie. “Look at these people that live here in Albuquerque. They get to celebrate who they are, and they get to do it safely.”

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Pride Issue "Sam Elliot is the sexiest man alive, and I want to marry him.

“I was eight, and this was the solitary thought that made me realize I wasn't exactly like my brothers. I am the youngest of three boys, and my family has embraced the country life for many generations. My family is from a long line of cowboys. We rode horses, went hunting, worked cattle, built fence, and said a prayer before we ate dinner every night. The house always smelled of coffee in the mornings, and in the winter the smell mingled with that of a crackling fire. “ I distinctly remember watching PBR on TV and thinking that the cowboys were doing more for me than anyone else in the room, except maybe Mom. I just figured it was best to keep this little fact to myself, so I did. Although I'm sure my family knew. I wasn't exactly watching John Wayne movies for the story line, although he has some damn good movies. “ I'm happy to say that now, the only time I'm in a closet is when I'm looking for something to wear. Let's face it, men are hot. It's OK if you disagree, women are hot too, but I'd rather not sleep with them. I'm pretty sure my family saw it coming when I said I preferred to drive a stick, with the reasoning that automatics are just boring.

PAGE 8

“I may seem like a bold and open queer of a man now, but I wasn't always such a brazen homo. I grew up in a small, conservative, and incredibly religious community; and it was very understood that gay is not OK. It wasn't until I was in college, and in the midst of getting naked with my best friend, that I realized it was OK to be who I was.

“I have since traded my horse for a long board, and John Wayne movies for musicals, but I still remember where I am from. I will always cherish spending the mornings with Dad, building a set of pens or drilling a well; the afternoons with Mom baking brownies and sewing a new shirt; and the many adventures I had with my brothers, hunting jackrabbits and drinking the Keystone Lights we would snag from Dad. “I suppose that what I am getting at is, everything is not as it seems. I may seem like a lisping fairy, with an easy cushy job; but in reality I am so much more than that. So before you start to judge the mincing princess in the gold lycra short shorts and hot pink stilettos, think about where he comes from and give him the benefit of the doubt. And then judge the shit out of him, because who, honestly, wears gold lycra short shorts with pink stilettos?!”

Jake

Her flaming tassels are merely the beginning when describing this pioneer lesbian entertainer’s career.

She’s one of the burlesque world’s most colorful and often controversial performers.

A true living legend, may we present to you, Miss Satan’s Angel.

Vivian MirAnn: How long have you been performing in the burlesque community?

Satan’s Angel: I’ve been performing burlesque since 1961, when I was 17 years old. I think The House of Charm, a charm school in San Francisco, really got me started with dance in high school. Not only did they teach you how to be a lady, you learned dance, fencing, ballet and jazz/tap dancing. And I was good at it. It didn't help me in a lot of things, but I was good!

Once I graduated from school, I worked as a pbx operator (operating switchboards in the phone company). I was bored, but it paid money! One day, one of the other secretaries came in and told me there was an amateur strip contest happening up in North Beach and asked if I wanted to go. And I said, “Sure, why not?” Now you have to understand that we were all under age. So we went home, ratted up our hair in big beehive hairdos, put on Liz Taylor-type Cleopatra eyeliner and our moms’ old chiffon cocktail dresses, grabbed stale packs of cigarettes and our fake IDs, and off we went.

We strutted right through the front door of the club and watched the show. Then the master of ceremonies came on stage and asked the women in the audience if anyone wanted to come up and dance one song, and if they won, they made a crisp $100 dollar bill. All the women had to do was take off their dress.

So I'm thinking, this is the kind of job they should have told us about at Career Day in high school; this was the kind of math I understood, seeing as how I made $99 every two weeks in work pay. I went home that Friday night, practiced taking off my sexiest dress, and then the next night I went back to the club, and I won, and kept right on winning in all the clubs that had the amateur contests.

Then, one night, an owner of a nightclub hired me on full time. That's how I really got started. I was a performance artist who twirled five tassels -tatas, belly button, and on each cheek of my rear end.

my parents. So when this opportunity came up to dance, I took it!

My mother found out I was dancing when a neighbor came and said, “This sure looks like your daughter in this newspaper.” Well, my mom wasn't happy, but what could she do? She has always supported me my whole life. Burlesque for me had nothing to do with the empowerment of women; it was all about the money.

By the time I was 25, I owned two businesses, my own home, had plenty of money in the bank and a new Cadillac every year. I’d never have had any of that if I’d stayed at a job making $99 a week!

VM: A lot of burlesque performers work in other adult entertainment fields. You were an exotic dancer as well, yes?

SA: Yes! Work was hard in the nightclubs; we did about eight shows a night. While there, I met the costumer for a lot of the entertainers called Bebe Hughes, and she talked me into becoming an exotic dancer. She told me I could make three times what I made as a performance artist and do less shows. So exotic dancer I became.

VM: When did you develop your signature fire tassels?

SA: I remember my first night club that I worked in as an exotic dancer. It was early evening, and I'm in the dressing room of the Moulin Rouge nightclub for exotic stars in North Beach. I look down to the end of this long dressing room table to see an older woman, maybe in her late 30s to early

VM: What drew you most to performing?

SA: Money, darlin’, money.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, women did not have many choices of what they wanted to be when they grew up -mother/housewife, sales person, or factory work. The hippie movement was just beginning and the whole world was changing. I still didn't know if I wanted to go to college or not.

(College) was the money; I couldn't afford it, and neither could PAGE 9

Pride Issue 40s. I think to myself, “Honey you’re getting old, you need to retire!”

‘Course I laugh now at 70 and still dancing, who knew!

Anyway, she asked me my name, I told her, and she asks, “What do you do for an act?” I said I'm a tassel twirler, and she groans and says, “Oh no, not another tassel twirler!”

I got a little upset and retorted back, “I'll have you know I twirl five tassels on my body.”

She replies, “Well maybe that's good, but eventually other dancers will do it, and your act won’t be so unusual. Ya gotta have a gimmick!”

So I got mad, spun around and snapped, “So what do you want me to do? Set them on fire?!?” And she laughs, “Now that's a gimmick!”

Soon after, I called Bebe and went to her apartment. I asked her if she’d heard of anyone doing fire tassels and she said, “No, let's make a pair!”

She had no clue how, and I had no clue, but we made a pair and they worked beautifully.

I still use them on

photos courtesy of Satan’s Angel

stage to this very day! I've been twirling fire tassels, or as I call them “Ta Ta Flames,” ever since! I’ve twirled them over 25,000 times.

Later, I found out there’d been a dancer that tried them but kept setting her face on fire.

Ouch! I’m not sure what her name was, something like White Fury. I’d always thought it was my own idea. See ladies? Just when you think you've thought of something no dancer has done before, someone has! And I find this out in 2014, sheesh!

VM: How long after did you take your stage name of Satan’s Angel?

SA: I wanted to use the name Hell's Angel. But back in the day, you never put a swear word on the marquee. Swear words weren’t used on radio, TV, newspapers or magazines. So my PR man and I sat down and thought up Satan’s Angel. I wanted something wild and fiery, but I couldn't use “fire” as it would scare the club owners! I still have clippings of theatres I worked in that wouldn't let me use “Satan” on the marquee. Instead, they’d put Satin Angel or Satana Angel, boy, I bet Tura Satana loved that. After using the name for 28 years, Dixie Evans told me she knew a Satan’s Angel who danced for a year in the late 1930s. Sigh, another thing I thought I thunk up myself. Nope!

VM: What was it like being a gay performer back in what many consider to be the golden days of burlesque? Were you always out?

SA: Unless you were a masochist, you stayed quiet or you were physically, mentally and verbally abused. I didn’t stay quiet, though. I’ve had my costumes thrown in the mud and left stranded on the road with no transportation. A mafia man beat me up once. He said he would quit hitting me, all I had to say was, "I'm not queer." Instead, I told him to go fuck himself, I'm queer! It could be really rough, but I stayed who I was.

VM: Did you ever face adversity being a gay artist when the lifestyle was considerably more taboo than today?

SA: In my late teens and early 20s, me being more of a femme-looking woman, I chose very butch women. It was easier to live in the same home with them or do anything in public as the straight world thought they were a man. Two feminine women out together holding hands was disaster waiting to happen. One time, my

mother and I were walking in the park, and someone shouted out, “Hey, look at the two queers holding hands!”

No! It was very hard to be out. The entertainers knew that you were and the majority didn't care. But there was always that jealous dancer who'd run to the club owner and tell them I was queer. I'd try to explain to them that my sexual preference made no difference, that I was still their star because I was very sexy on stage and nobody would know I'm gay unless you told them. But to no avail. They'd grab my wardrobe, throw it on the street and spit on it.

If club owners knew I was gay and hired me, I had to use the door marked “Colored, Spics and Chinks.” That was real. I could name on one hand how many clubs or theatres knew I was gay but didn't care. Every once in a while I’d marry a man but didn't live with them, and once in a while I'd date guys, but they were usually movie stars. I was seldom asked to be in magazines in case someone knew that I was gay. “You put a queer stripper in your magazine? Well I'm not buying it!” I could go on and on...

VM: Oh, wow. Did being gay "in the day” have any perks as a performer?

SA: Perks? Perks? Are you fucking kidding me?!? ‘Datz a big ol’ NO. Never, nada, zilch!

VM: How do you feel about burlesque and the acceptance of sexual orientation today?

SA: Tell the world, be proud and come out! I like the new burlesque because it has the old burlesque in it. You have ladies who keep old time burlesque alive, but also the new era does too, and has many different elements all rolled in. Circus, vaudeville, rock, performance art, goth, LGBT, rockabilly and comedy -- It's pretty wild! Men perform, as well as the deaf, the handicapped and so on.

You could never be like that in our day.

Tattoos? You wouldn't have a job!

I love the out performers, promoting No H8, carrying signs in the act saying “Out and Proud,” or seeing piercings and nuke red or turquoise hair. There are producers who take the old and new styles, some just keep the old ways, and some are as far out as the stars.

Sometimes I wish I was young and could do the things that you all do today, but I'm too old fashioned! Burlesque will always be here, thanks to those keeping it growing, and I hope I had a part in keeping it alive. Someone once said, “Satan’s Angel was and still is a pioneer lesbian, who paved the way for many gay entertainers.” That means a lot to me.

VM: We’ve shared a lot of stories over the years, and I know you’ve had an extraordinary dating history. Anything you'd like to share?

SA: When I worked in Florida, it was a wild and crazy state! Miami Beach was the place. I worked the beach many times, and something was always happening to me!

Now it’s Christmas time, and I was working

there again. One night I returned to my dressing room, and on my makeup table sat a dozen gorgeous red roses with a card saying, “I enjoyed every performance. Will you have champagne with me after your show?” It was signed only with a capital “T.” I imagined some old fart -- a pudgy, cigar smoking, balding, “wealthy” old man, and decided not to join him, going instead to the bar and ordering a martini. I was sitting there sipping away, when I noticed it was quiet and most of the full house was now empty. I hated working the holidays, and thought it was going to be a lonely Christmas.

That’s when I noticed a very handsome young man sitting at the bar. And I mean young: Baby smooth face, extremely good looking, nice build, about 6 foot, perfect brown hair and eyes. I thought, “What's a man like him doing in here,” and went back to my dressing room. The next night I arrive, go to my dressing room and find chocolate truffles, a bottle of Dom Perignon and a card from “T,” asking me to dinner. These were nice, but I wasn't really interested. I was gay, and didn't feel like screwing around with some man!

The next night I find an exquisite florist-crafted Christmas tree decorated with unusual ornaments. I went teary-eyed as I noticed a little box underneath it and a card signed, “Merry Christmas, T.” I opened the box and found a pair of lovely diamond and sapphire earrings, my birthstone! I tried them on, wondering if I should keep them or give them back. I wrote a note instead, telling “T” to meet me at the bar after the first show for a cocktail and conversation only.

Later, I’m chatting with the girls at the bar when the good-looking man appears, smiling that boyish grin of his. He’d been there every night, by himself and it dawns on me, I'm meeting that old fart any minute and why can't he look like this man? The man says hello and we chat a moment as I wait for my “one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel” to show up. Then he introduces himself, “Hello Angel, my name is Teri, but my friends call me T." Well, if I could have fallen off the bar stool I would have. I was floored, and happy!

There was no old fart, just this beautiful man. I tell you that butterflies were flying high in my tummy that night and I didn't even like men, just used them. But there was something. Now this is a very long story, but I’ll make it short. I continued to see Teri; candlelight dinners, horse racing, casino boat rides, shopping. Everyday we did something, and every night. We'd sometimes drive down to Little Havana for exotic Cuban food and dancing ‘til the wee hours of the morning. But I hadn't slept with him.

One night, we were having dinner at the Top of the World Restaurant, a classic rotating restaurant at the top of a skyscraper, and he asked me to spend the night with him. I

thought, ”Oh hell, no,” worried this would ruin our relationship. I loved the good times, and as I drank I thought, being gay was wonderful, being with a man wasn't. But, something inside kept drawing me closer. We danced the night away up there among the stars, and I was the luckiest girl in the world. I was also getting pretty drunk, but then Teri was too, hell everyone was!

We cha-cha’ed to the elevator, down please!

Hopped off, danced to the door of his suite where he carried me over the threshold. There was music playing, room service had brought caviar and champagne; everything was beautiful, and I was so damned drunk! We danced some more, and we kissed, and kissed and kissed, until it's off to the bedroom. My mind was racing: “Should I or shouldn't I? Aw, I'm going for it! Oh, OK Angel, last chance, sleep with this man or walk out that door?

He's a dude, he's not gonna do it for you!”

Faking it was a thing we lesbians did just to keep life off our backs. Oh, what to do? Go for it, full speed ahead!

He was lying on the bedspread,

God, this man can kiss and my heart is racing even more so! He leaves for a moment and the lights are off, candles going, soft music, then door opens and Teri reappears, wearing only his shirt.

He sits on the side of the bed where I am, and takes me into his arms again for another beautiful kiss. I guess I'm ready as I’m ever going to be. My hands tremble as they open his shirt and slowly move up his chest. If I added up every shocking moment in my life, it wouldn't have come close to the feeling I had when my hands held a pair of breasts in them! Very large breasts, a woman's breasts…like, as in a woman!

Oh my, how I freaked! I scooted back against the headboard and blurted, “You’re a woman!” About as tactful as a doorknob right? “Teri, you’re a woman? I mean all woman, everything? You’re not gonna bring out some weird toy are you, ‘cause I'm not into that!” Teri only nodded yes to my questions, and no to the toy.

Well! What the hell do I do? I mean, I know what to do, but what a shock! I was so worried about him being a man and not wanting to do this, but she’s a woman! My heart was doing a Snoopy dance. That's why her kiss was so soft! I looked into her eyes and saw the hurt I’d caused, and told her gently, “It's OK Teri, I'm gay.”

I moved to the center of the bed, pulled back the covers, and patted the bed with my hand. In each others’ arms, loving one another, I thought of all the wonderful moments we'd shared, the laughter, the warmth, the devotion since the day I met her.

She's a woman, I'm a woman, and the love that flowed between us was more than beautiful.

Everything in the world was fading and heaven was just a kiss away! Teri and I were together for nine years. To this day, I still have the earrings and a few ornaments from the Christmas tree.

VM: You retired a few years back, but have become more visible in burlesque again. Are you thinking of returning to the stage?

watching me take off my clothes, and I kissed him. My

SA: I don't know if any exotic dancer really retires.

Even if they’re not working, they still remember the old days. I have semi-retired, and I’ll still perform, but if you don't pay me what I’m worth, I won't come. No legend or exotic dancer in today's world should be working for shit money. I love to dance and so do the new people of burlesque, but we need to get paid, and producers should honor this.

So that's my take on performing. I have my documentary film out, so I do travel for that, and my book is close to being finished. I still do my play and my story telling, teach classes, Pride Fest, give interviews and attend speaking engagements. I'm very busy between my private life and burlesque, and it’s a complete and full life. I'm always on Facebook, letting people know I'm still kickin,’ and I’m in three festivals this year. I have health issues, and recently had a heart attack again, so I have slowed down a little bit. But by no means have I quit! I'll be doing this in some way for a long, long time.

PAGE 11

Pride Issue

Burns & Ink

by Abigail R. Ortiz

She’s cloaked in armor that stretches from her neck to her knuckles and down both legs. The tattoos on Erin “Burnsie” Burns’ body highlight people or moments in her life that defined who she is while screaming, “Come on world. Bring it.”

“I have resilience. You can do what you want to do and be successful. You don’t have to follow what society tells you to do,” says the 35-year-old tattoo artist that doesn’t like labels such as transgender or queer.

Five years into Burnsie’s career as a supervisor and trainer at a call center, she made up her mind that she had enough of a corporate world that didn’t suite her.

She searched for available tattoo apprenticeships to perfect her novice tattoo skills, but came up empty handed.

"I felt that I was at an age, where I couldn't not start," Burns says.

With determination and the goal of practicing in the industry full time, Burnsie transformed a tile-floored room in her home into a tattoo parlor, where she began practicing her art form on blank canvases after receiving her safety certifications.

"I started with small tattoos and once I mastered those I moved onto bigger tattoos," she says.

To receive feedback on her preliminary work, she took pictures of the tattoos she completed, or took the individual with the fresh tattoo, to friends in the industry, who gave her pointers.

"Then I would go back to the drawing board, which was usually on human skin and permanent," she says, adding she was lucky to have such great friends, since tattoo artists are normally standoffish to outsiders who aren’t their apprentices.

Two years later, opportunity knocked on the door and Burnsie became the sole tattoo artist at Solid Ink, all the while seeking advisement from friends to hone her skills.

A year later, she joined the team at Rival Ink, before jumping on board at Tinta Cantina about five years ago.

"I just wanted to learn, and I wanted people to teach me the things that I didn't know how to do, instead of saying, 'Why are you doing that?'" she says. “It took me a couple of years to get going, but I felt that I didn’t have time to waste, and I knew that if I got into a good shop it was OK the way I started.”

Tucked inside Tinta Cantina is Burnsie’s studio. The walls of her creative center are lined with art pieces, mostly drawn by Burns herself.

“I had much more art on my walls, but I gave away a lot of it. I wouldn’t keep (art pieces). I do them specifically for people to take,” says the Albuquerque native.

Burnsie says she prefers it that way – creating images that another has envisioned, instead of producing art from her own imagination.

“I don’t live by the paintbrush. I live by the tattoo machine,” she says. “The more I tattoo, the less painting I do.”

Her artistic thirst stems from the landscape sketches and drawings she created alongside her grandmother as a child, and watching her maternal grandfather intricately doodle masterpieces among her family of artists.

“I’ll do this for the rest of my life. I’ll do this as long as the arthritis in my hands will allow me to,” she says. “It’s something that you do for the rest of your life. Tattooing isn’t something that you just try and PAGE 12

do it and succeed and just quit. You can’t. You’ll dream about it.

You’ll get an itch to tattoo someone. It’s just a part of who you are.”

As a member of the LGBTQ community, Burns taps into another world of potential clients. Since she knows what struggle is and what prejudice is, she can relate to her clients’ experiences and create a safe and comfortable environment for them to feel emotionally exposed and vulnerable.

She compares her artistry to a hair stylist, since they both serve as an unbiased therapist of sorts, where they offer a shoulder to lean on or a friend to unload life’s problems on.

“There are some clients that I’m really close with,” she says.

“When we come together in that moment ,we’re like, ‘Oh my God. I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a long time.’ … It’s like sitting over a beer with your friends, but this just happens to be over a tattoo.”

For Burnsie, it’s an escape from whatever her mind has been mulling over.

The “best day of her damn life” was one year into practicing tattoos when she chopped off her long brown hair normally pulled back into a ponytail and tucked inside of a backwards baseball cap.

“I should of done it a long time ago, because I was becoming who I saw myself to be instead of this other person that my family wanted me to be,” she says.

At the time, she was at a point where she thought, “Screw it. If you disown me, you disown me,” which her family threatened to do. She said they did so because they feared the world wouldn’t accept her for who she truly is.

She countered these notions with, “You realize I’m a dude in this body. For some reason someone has some plan for me to be this way,” and slowly they learned that, “Oh yeah, you are better off like this,’” she says.

Burns describes herself as not fitting into one box, never being able to fit in only one box, and liking that fact about herself.

The moment she knew she was a success as a tattoo artist came three years into tattooing when she earned enough money to pay her rent, car payment and other bills without help from anyone else.

At that time she built upon her collection of tattoos, all of which are her favorite, to include her neck and hands.

“I think people see that, ‘Wow. You’re not a thief, you’re not a drug addict, you’re not a convict, you’re not in the military, you made a life for yourself and have tattoos on your neck and hands,’” she said.

“Hopefully, people can take (this example) and change their views.”

While spending her off time wrenching with her fellow members of the Voodoo Creeps Car Club, Burnsie is transported back in time to when she watched her father, a master mechanic, build hot rods in the family’s back yard as he listened to rockabilly tunes.

“Our family photo albums are all of cars and a few of me and my brother (Burnso) in front of cars,” she says with a smile.

Her own beauty is a lowered, black ‘66 GMC long bed truck with white scallops decorating the sides. Even though “she,” as Burns refers to her truck as, looks beat up from the outside, she’s a beauty inside with a Mexican blanket draped over the seat and reupholstered black carpet.

“You need your car to be ready for shows, for (Rockabilly on Route 66) in Tucumcari,” she said. “When it comes up, we drive 150 miles in something that’s 50 years old, so we have to make sure they are OK throughout the year.”

In her spare time, Burns is a certified personal trainer, with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, who focuses on creating a good quality of life, enjoys roller-skating with her colleagues, swing dancing, listens to a wide span of music and revels in a shoe fetish.

For more information on Erin Burns and her tattoo pieces, contact her at Tinta Cantina at 505-265-9606.

ISSUE 5 . 14

Erin Burns photo by Abigail R. Ortiz

Pride Issue

LLM: What is your sign?

KK: I’m a Pisces, baby!

LLM: What kind of cocktail would you be?

KK: I’d say, a Long Island Ice Tea. I’m sweet as can be, with a good heart. But I’m strong as can be, and I'll knock you on your behind and you wont even know it, if I need to.

LLM: What can't you live without?

KK: My kids, my love and music.

They all breathe life into me.

Krystal Kreme

by Loren Higgins Photography

PAGE 14

LLM: Who’s your hero?

KK: Marie Jaramillo. She has been my mentor, confidant, rock and everything in between.

Without her, I couldn't be where I am today. I love you mama!

LLM: What's the best part about being a lesbian pinup model?

KK: I get to do shoots/venues that some models wouldn't be able to.

And I’m comfortable with it.

Formed in Albuquerque in 2009,

Rusty Curtains is a rock ‘n’ roll band strongly influenced by early punk rock, rockabilly and honky tonk.

The band’s original members consisted of Toni Maestas (guitar/vocals), Casey Gilman (bass/vocals) and myself, Dustin Brown (drums). The three of us worked together to create the sound and compose original songs, such as “My Señorita” as well as punk rock renditions of classics like Hank William’s “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

The band describes its sound as being a mixture of honky tonk, New Mexico music and “straight up rock ‘n’ roll,” with themes that include “whiskey, working class blues, angst and good times.” The band’s influences include a spectrum of ‘50s and ‘60s music, from Phil Spector to Buddy Holly, as well as country classics like Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette and “all those amazing songs that make you feel like you wanna get drunk,” mixed with Social Distortion, Rancid and Green Day. Or, to paint a better picture of the band’s unique sound, Rusty Curtains is “Buddy Holly meets a boss distortion pedal covered in PBR, cigarette butts and last night’s used dental dam,” says Toni.

After playing in Albuquerque for

a couple of years, Toni and Casey had an opportunity they couldn’t refuse -- to move to Massachusetts.

Once on the East Coast they got married, settled in and found a new drummer. They stumbled upon Sarah Icklan, a trained Jazz drummer that they helped incorporate into the hard-hitting sound that Rusty Curtains needed. Sarah helps complete the sound and the image of the band. With the addition of Sarah, Toni and Casey’s dream of a queer, all female band was finally realized.

Dustin Brown: What was the initial inspiration behind forming Rusty Curtains?

Rusty Curtains: It was just to form a good-time rock ‘n’ roll band. We felt there was a lack of music that we could relate to that was fun, hard, pure, and that reminded us of the stuff we grew up listening to.

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Pride Issue DB: How has being queer influenced your careers as musicians?

RC: We don't think being queer has influenced our career as musicians, at least not at this point, though we have gotten some funny looks walking through the door sometimes. That only lasts until they hear us play, though, then the crowd is usually balls-out on board!

DB: Have you felt a difference in the way people respond to being in a queer band vs. other non-queer bands you have been a part of in the past?

RC: Not really. But as we said before, if people have an initial reaction to the gay thing, that goes away when we play. We're not playing "gay music." We're playing rock ‘n’ roll, and rock ‘n’ roll has always transcended boundaries and broken down barriers in society.

DB: How has the response on the east coast been vs. the response in Albuquerque?

RC: We're lucky enough to have had great responses in both places. In Albuquerque a lot of our friends were around, and we fit in

photos by the queer and proud Suzanne Abramson Photography PAGE 16

nicely with the rockabilly and punk scene, so we started (performing) a lot pretty quickly. It made it easy to be a new band.

In the East, we found a larger and more varied music scene. It took us a bit longer to get rolling because we needed to find a new drummer and were new to the area, but once we made contacts, we started playing all over the place. A whole range of people have been digging it. It's been great.

DB: What, if anything, is Rusty Curtains trying to change, influence or bring awareness to in the LGBTQ community?

RC: We are excited to be a band that does not fit in to the normal stereotypes when it comes to genres and sounds, even as a queer band. Whether gay or straight, no one is playing music that sounds quite like ours. We want to change the idea (of what) three queers in a band are supposed to sound or look like (e.g., Tegan and Sara or queercore). These queers are great, but we don't wanna have to be them. And just because we're queer doesn't mean we have to write politically-fueled songs. Rock ‘n’ roll is its own statement.

DB: What can we look forward to in Rusty Curtains’ future?

RC: Lots more gigs, a new record, hopefully a music video or two. We were just asked to have a couple of our songs in an independent film.

DB: Any dates set for the new record?

RC: We are scheduled to start recording a few songs in early April! Hopefully our new album will have the same feel of the first one – “They Don’t Call Us Rusty For Nothin’” – but with a bit of variety. Some songs that have a good twang, and some songs with more harmonies and background vocals, which is something we’ve been working on lately.

DB: If Rusty Curtains were a cocktail, what would it be?

RC: Warm, ¾ empty bottle of whiskey that you’ve been sippin’ on all day.

DB: Anything else you’d like to add?

RC: Don’t forget to look up our awesome entry (Rusty Curtains) in Urban Dictionary.

ISSUE 5 . 14

ISSUE 5 . 14

The Rough Seas Designs owner poses with her great-grandfather’s Singer sewing machine, which he purchased in 1907 and used to sew upholstery for 40 years.

ISSUE 5 . 14

With each handcrafted purse a direct extension of Rough Seas Designs owner Charlotte Newby’s creativity and dreamtime psyche, it’s true that five generations of sewing and upholstery skills are hard to beat.

“I grew up in a family of upholsterers. I'm a fifth generation upholsterer and very proud of that,” says Newby. “My early childhood was in Southern Florida. Then we moved to Dallas, Texas, when I was in junior high. I loved being at my dad's upholstery shop.

“I didn't fit in at school, so going to the shop was always the highlight of my day. I was allowed to be creative and my dad was always so encouraging.”

At the age of 5, Newby’s father Troy began teaching her how to sew and she began honing her skills by creating customized outfits for her Barbie dolls from scraps of fabric left over from his upholstery projects. But in a family of seamstresses, a young Charlotte was at no loss for creative inspiration.

“My awesome aunt

PAGE 20

Charlotte was my free spirited role model as a child,” says Newby. “She worked at a wig shop down the street from my dad's upholstery shop. She would sew naked or in her undies at home. You'd knock on her door and you could hear her yelling, ‘Don't come in, I'm sewing!’

“She wore wigs and sewed in the buff. I wanted to be just like her when I grew up!”

And by the looks of it, Newby has. After owning a successful upholstery and drapery business in Dallas, Charlotte moved to California to start a new venture,

which eventually led her to dive head first into her passion. And, in the true spirit of American enterprise, Newby created her purse company in 2012 from her home in Orange, California, where she resides with her husband and pug. After relocating in southern California, Newby found it difficult to find a shop where she fit in, so she began working as a drapery seamstress at Disneyland.

“I was making purses as a side thing. It was getting hard to juggle purses and my full-time job,” says Newby.

“And it just wasn't working out.

Sponsored Story

It was creatively stifling there; your whole day is planned out in the seamstress department.

“One day I was sitting at my sewing machine and I thought to myself, I can’t see being here for another 10 years, hell not even another 10 months. So my husband and I talked it over and decided it would be best for me to just focus on purses. So one day I just turned in my ID and left. Never looked back.”

The result? Piles of purses, totes and wallets in a spectrum of candy colored metal flake vinyl, decorated in everything from flamingos to sugar skulls to state flags, Bettie Page, air-stream trailers and pinstripe-styled stitching. Newby handcrafts each vibrant accessory from high quality materials sourced from other small businesses across the United States, creating couture that is 100 percent USA-made.

These unique and clever purse designs combine classic silhouettes with bold hues, images and textures inspired by hot rods, rock ‘n’ roll and “all things mid-century.”

“A lot of my inspiration comes from classic cars and my Gramma,” says Newby.

“I love looking at photos of my Gramma

From left: Charlotte Newby, Samantha Bencomo, Candie Cosmos, Becky Tanner

from when she was younger. She has such amazing style and she was always posing with an equally amazing car.

“Also my childhood inspires me. My dad loved taking us on family road trips. I've seen so much of the U.S. The different cultures all over the country are such a creative inspiration.”

But, when it comes to designing her purses, Newby says she literally dreams them up.

“It might sound silly, but most of the time I dream of a purse or design,” she says. “Or I can look at an object, person, or even just a pile of fabric and know how to turn it into a purse or how to create the designs on my purses.”

Falling into a design and lifestyle niche that is both growing and also dominated by a few, Newby feels confident in Rough Seas Designs’ ability to stand apart.

“The silhouettes of my purses and the designs on them set them apart from similar purses,” says Newby. “Even when I do pinstriping, I sew my designs, they are never painted, and so they last and will never smudge.

“A majority of the brands that are out

there have been seen before, some are better quality then others, but for the most part designs are generic and made overseas.

“I would rather stay a small company and keep the quality of my bags high,” she says, “than grow too big and have to manufacture them in a foreign country to keep up with demand. I know once Rough Seas Designs gets noticed by all of the well-known brands/companies it won’t be long before they are copying my designs with cheap imitations.

“I am confident that they cannot duplicate my quality and creative designs. Five generations of sewing and upholstery skills are hard to copy.”

Currently Newby is busy preparing for her booth at Viva Las Vegas, where she will have her purses for sale, and for the Cowboy Christmas gift show in Vegas this December.

The company is always looking for new wholesale and retail accounts.

For more information on Rough Seas Designs, visit www.roughseasdesigns.com; follow them on Instagram at instagram.com/roughseasdesigns; or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RoughSeasDesigns.

PAGE 21

by Chris Montes My name is Chris Montes. Some people rescue dogs, I rescue cars. I’ve lived and breathed automobilia all my life. My old man helped me restore my first vehicle when I was a kid and I’ve never stopped. I’ve saved over 60 vehicles in the last 20 years and I’ve lost two. One I had to have crushed and the other I had to cut up and throw in a dumpster. Sad stories, those are.

I lived in Seattle for 10 years and worked with some of the best craftsmen and women in the industry. I’ve worked at top-notch restoration shops and hardcore custom shops. I ran my own shop up there for a number of years and got to missin’ the sunshine, so I came back to the 505. I love me some metal flake, kandy, steel, and petrol. I’ve worked on everything from Austin Healey to Lincoln Zephyr. I’ve recently opened Edgewood Speed Shop & Equipment. I mostly do car rescue out of there but, feel free to stop by. Now, let me introduce my 1955 Nash Metropolitan.

The year is 1955. You’re headed down the road in your brand new Buick with room for six adults and luggage. The diner parking lot is full of big, beautiful, American cars.

You look for a parking spot and all you see are 20-foot long, shiny, white-walled cars everywhere. Between some taillights and a continental kit you see an open spot. You barrel over in the Buick and get ready to nose in when you realize there’s a tiny little car parked there. It’s literally half the size of your Buick. You have to check it out. It may be the cutest car you’ve ever seen. You, strangely, find yourself wanting to give this little 1955 Nash Metropolitan a hug.

The Metropolitan was put into production in 1953 and had a pretty good run through 1962.

It was an American conception. Designed by Italians, assembled in England with British components, and sold in America and Canada.

Nash motor company hired independent design company Pininfarina, whose portfolio includes Alfa Romeo, Maseratti, and Ferrari, to design “the family’s second car.” Sergio Pininfarina agreed to design it but wouldn’t put his name on it because he didn’t want to harm his reputation with the Italian motorcar companies.

A from-scratch built car in the United States proved too expensive to manufacture at PAGE 22

the time, so they were built overseas with existing mechanical components from British cars. The motor is an Austin 4 cylinder with a 3-speed column shift transmission. This little gem can get itself up to 70 mph with some serious effort, and if you drive it without pushing it too hard, you can get up to 41 mpg!

Not bad for ’55.

The Nash was the first car built and marketed specifically toward women. The idea was for it to be the second family car perfect for shopping or going to the pharmacy. Nash even got Miss America 1954, Evelyn Ay Sempier, to be the spokeswoman for the car. She introduced it at the 1954 Chicago auto show.

By today’s standards it would be a subcompact car, but that classification didn’t exist in 1955, so it was labeled a “small automobile.”

In 1955, to buy this car off the showroom floor, it would have cost about $1,500 with the heater and AM

radio options. Now, in 2014, the radio alone will cost almost $700.

Now that I’ve told you some of the Metro’s history, I’ll tell you about this specific Nash and how it came to me.

I had a CJ5 Jeep that found me on a Monday morning in need of a starter and a tune-up. I dragged the Jeep to the shop and completed what was necessary to get it running good enough to climb a massive rock pile and put it on Craigslist for sale. A couple months later, I received a text message from a gal asking if I’d be interested in trading it for a Nash. This text piqued my interest instantly.

Then she sent me a picture and told me it was “complete down to the hubcaps.” I thought to myself, “I’m in” right away, but I had to play it cool, you know.

This gal wanted a Jeep to go rock crawling with her fella. Her dad gave her the Nash when she was 3, 18 years ago, and it had been sitting for all these years. After talking and texting back and forth for a couple of days, I loaded the brute of a Jeep up on a trailer and hauled it to Belen. We shook hands and

headed over to the DMV and did a straight swap, title for title. She got herself a rock crawling Jeep and I got a little Nash that needed some TLC, and a hug.

I trailered the Nash to the car wash then back to the shop and started working on it right away. There’s some special care you have to take with a vehicle that’s been sitting for as long as this one has. After the pressure wash, I cleaned the spark plugs, changed the oil, drained the old petrol out of the carb and blew out the fuel lines. I threw a little WD40 in the cylinders to get the little ol’ rings un-stuck, and charged the battery.

I let her sit for a bit and reflect on her last 18 years sitting under the carport with the same view. I think the little car was excited to get out on the road because she cooperated all the way. I gave the little car a crank, she said, “Pop, bang, sputter, sputter, sputter.” I gave her some fresh clean petrol, and she said, “Purrrrrrrt me down I wanna go fer a drive.”

Who am I to not listen to a car? I put her down off the jacks and we went for a little shake down. It was a great first run. She sped through all three gears beautifully and blew the cobwebs out of the tailpipe, then the lights went out, and we ran out of gas.

I had my buddy steer the little car and my pops in a push vehicle. I put myself between the two cars like a human cushion/shock and got her back to the shop. Luckily we were only about a mile away. The Nash weighs about 1,800 pounds, although it’s tiny, and the brakes were sticky so it felt like 4,000 pounds.

Since the shake down, I’ve taken the fuel tank to a local shop to get cleaned and relined.

I’ve lubricated the chassis, bled and adjusted the brakes, painted the wheels and put new rubber all around.

The Nash is a real head turner. People see it from a mile away, it’s about the size of a modern day smart car but it has that oh-so-sweet ‘50s style. If you see me around town in this little gem, say, “Hi,” and feel free to pull me over if you wanna check it out. If I’m driving the Nash, I won’t be in a hurry.

Oh, and this little Nash Metropolitan is looking for her forever home. There will be a home visit and a strict interview process, of course.

straight and parallel as possible to prevent them from binding.

Step 1- Get a Jalopy! Gather all your tools.

Tools needed: Standard wrenches and sockets, screwdrivers, can of PB Blaster, 90-degree straight edge, Sharpie, 4-inch angle grinder with cut off wheel and grinder, door jack, and a Mig welder.

Materials needed: Suicide hinges and sheet metal.

Step 2- Soak door bolts in penetrating fluid. Gather tools, completely remove trim, all internals (door panel handle, window track, etc.) and remove the door.

Make sure to have plenty of beer as this is a necessary but time consuming step. It is easier if you have a buddy to help you, but it can be completed by yourself. Be sure you have some type of labeling setup so you can remember where and how everything goes together. I just tape the bolts to the trim panel as I remove them, which keeps them together.

It’s a good idea to remove everything that will get in the way.

No matter what kind of suicide hinges you decide to install, they all go on the same way. Cut out the pocket and make sure it is as

Step 3- Now that you have the door de-trimmed and removed, get your sharpie and your 90-degree straight edge. A lot of these old sleds have curved door jambs, so you need to use the 90-degree straight edge to measure and mark the best placement for the hinges to keep them from binding.

Run the straight edge parallel to a flat spot on the floorboard. Not all floorboards have perfect geometry, so go off the flattest part and use your best judgement. Using the 90-degree angle, scribe a line from the floorboard to inner door jamb, which would have been the previous latch side, as a reference to where you will install your hinges.

Determine the proper geometry of your hinge placement off that line. This will ensure that the hinges will not bind.

Make all necessary cuts and reinforcements, and start mock fitting the hinges to the B pillar of the door jamb and the inner side of the quarter panel.

Line up the door and start making mount positions on the inner door skin, reinforcing if necessary. The same old saying applies here, “Measure twice cut once.� Grab the 4-inch angle grinder and attach the cutter. Cut out the pocket and use the grinder wheel to clean up the edges. Make sure the hinges fit.

See where to go from here next time!

PAGE 23

Anyone who enjoys a large

dose of subculture is sure to be a fan of Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender. This annual three-day festival takes place Easter weekend in Las Vegas, NV, and features a huge list of attractions, including legendary rockabilly headliners, a classic car show, pinup competition, burlesque performances, and so much more.

As the creator of one of the most successful music festivals in the world, the English native could be credited for playing a key role in the revitalization of the rockabilly movement in the U.S. La Loca reveals the secrets to his success and his guilty pleasures.

Read all about his maiden voyage into event planning, which started in his backyard at the ripe young age of 9 years old, to his newest endeavors such as Rockabilly Rockout, set to happen October 2014, at the Gold Coast in Las Vegas.

PAGE 24

La Loca Magazine: What was a young Tom Ingram like?

Tom Ingram: I suppose I was a bit nerdy; concentrated on school work, never really into sports or anything like that. Suppose when I got to 13 or 14, that’s when I discovered rockabilly music, and also girls.

LLM: Where did you grow up? Was there a big rockabilly scene?

Ingram: The south coast of England. When I started my teens there was this thing called the Teddy Boy scene. But then in the ‘80s this massive rockabilly scene started up. It was enormous.

LLM: How did it feel being raised in England and being fascinated by such a distinctly American cultural movement?

Ingram: It was like finding something new.

But it wasn’t just your standard ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll that you heard on the radio. There were people from Britain coming over to America finding warehouses of original records, buying them up and taking them back to England. So England has this enormous number of original, American 45 records all over the place. And that’s what really fueled the scene, because people were finding music that hadn’t been heard in England before. It was like discovering something totally new; it wasn’t just regurgitating the same music.

The modern-day rockabilly scene really started in London in the late ‘70s and then

photos courtesy of Tom Ingram

spread around the country, and then from there it spread around the world, except for America. It really didn’t come to America until the late ‘90s. And that’s mainly because of Viva (Las Vegas). When I moved here during that time everyone was mostly into Western Swing and Hillbilly, and they weren’t listening to much else in the way of ‘50s music.

LLM: When did you move to America? Did you move here with the intention of starting VLV? Ingram: October 1996, I was 35 at the time.

I had been organizing a ‘50s festival in England very successfully, and when I moved here I decided to do the same thing and chose Vegas as the place. Originally, I was looking around Los Angeles and Long Beach, but the licensing restrictions with having to stop drinking at 1:30 in the morning were just ridiculous and just didn’t make it feasible.

LLM: Would you say that event production is something that has always been a passion of yours?

Ingram: I can remember when I was 9 or 10 years old, I made up all these games and put them in the backyard and got all these local children to look after them, and then advertised to all the other children to come play, and I can remember walking around to all the different games collecting money from everyone.

LLM: What are your thoughts on the community that you have built with VLV? Ingram: I like it because I think if you’re only into the music and nothing else, you can get burnt out, because there’s never an unlimited supply of any type of music. But when you’re into the culture, as well, it makes it more complete. And makes you into a more rounded person.

LLM: How does VLV give back to the community?

Ingram: I’m always donating tickets to charities and fundraisers for them to raffle, as well as merchandise to help organizations raise funds. I’m also looking into starting a foundation to help rockabilly artists who fall onto hard times, especially if it’s health issues. It’s something that I want to do, but it’s not something that can be done overnight.

There are two people that made me think, “I need to do this.” The first one is Nick Cullen because before he died he was struggling to pay bills and stuff like that.

And the other one is Billy Lee Riley. Those are the two people who are inspiring me to do something. Also, I come from a country with a nationalized healthcare system, so anybody can go out and get really good healthcare.

LLM: What’s the best advice you can give to having a successful event?

PAGE 254

Ingram: Some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned are just because you like something, doesn’t mean that everyone else will. And don’t think that just because you like your hometown, that everyone else is going to want to go there. Another one is don’t book an event that you can’t afford. You have to look at how much you can afford to lose. Do things properly. You’re getting money from people in order for them to have a good time, so you have to work hard to make sure they DO have a good time. As a promoter your reputation is very important.

LLM: What is it like seeing VLV turn into one of the most successful music festivals in the world?

Ingram: I’m definitely very proud of it, there’s no question about that. But it really hasn’t sunk in. If I think back to when I was living in England and someone told me I’d be organizing a smashing festival in Vegas, I would have just laughed and said, “Yeah, I believe ya.”

It might sound strange, but even though I’m proud of the event, I don’t think of myself as anything special for organizing it. I also like to treat every event like it is the first one.

If you treat every time like the first, you won’t get complacent and just assume that everyone is going to turn up, because that’s the worst thing you can do.

LLM: Do you have grand visions for future PAGE 26

VLVs? Ingram: My vision is for it to continue how it is. But I’ve got to be more imaginative now because a lot of the old acts are getting so old that they can’t really perform anymore, and a lot of them have died. And this is why I have gone with Imelda May as a headliner.

What’s going to happen in the future is the younger acts are going to become the headliners. Of course I’m still going to book the old ones as long as I can, but even then you can’t really expect an 80-year-old musician to go up there and play a full set of hard core rockabilly music.

LLM: Who would you book in an all-star VLV line-up, alive or dead?

Ingram: Elvis, as he was in the ‘50s, Eddie Cochran, and Johnny Burnette and The Rock and Roll Trio. They are all dead, so I can never book them.

LLM: Are there any other exciting Tom Ingram Productions, besides VLV, that we can look forward to?

Ingram: I’m doing The Rockabilly Rockout this year, which is going to be a much smaller, music only, rockabilly festival at the Gold Coast in October. It’s going back to how Viva started -- no burlesque or car shows, just

music. There’s lots of people who wanted that so I said, “Alright, let’s do it.”

LLM: We love the Vince Ray artwork for the event posters. How did you team up with Vince Ray? Ingram: I knew him from England. We couldn’t have anyone else do it. Wait till you see the 2015 flyer, it’s on my computer now.

LLM: What does Tom Ingram do for fun?

Ingram: Every morning I cycle 11 miles to wake me up. Then 3-4 evenings during the week I do Tae Kwon Do, and I enjoy photography, but I don’t get a lot of time to do much else because I also own 20 apartments I have to look after. I am also currently writing and producing some films and I even do some acting myself. I really enjoy comedy, which is one that I’m currently working on. We just did a table read and it was really very funny. So hopefully you will see that in the future.

LLM: Do you have any guilty pleasure music?

Ingram: I openly admit to anything I like. I like ‘70s punk, glam rock from England. And you’ll like this one: Judge Dread. I hate reggae, but this is reggae. It’s not just ska music, most of his songs were banned from the radio because he was just too crude. Look it up on YouTube. I just warn you, if you see someone dancing around with a bunch of topless woman, that’s Judge Dread.

Wine. Mesopotamians discovered it. Nietzsche uncorked it.

Thomas Jefferson poured it. Jesus and his apostles drank it.

Dionysus was the God of it.

Neruda wrote about it. Emmylou Harris crooned about it. "Casablanca" immortalized it, and Petronius called it "life."

Flowing from 3,000-year-old traditions, La Catrino Vino, the latest creation by New Mexico’s own Southwest Wines and Spirits, has gushed onto the local market cloaked in one of our most beloved celebrations, Dia de los Muertos. Named for José Guadalupe Posada’s famous lithograph, “La Calavera Catrina,” La Catrina Vino offers up six distinct wines, each swathed in a label custom made by Albuquerque artist Sean Wells, including a Chardonnay, Sweet Red, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pink Moscato, Moscato and Merlot.

The company uses a fairly new patented bottle label process using a shrink wrap system in conjunction with detailed graphical algorithms, which allow for the artwork to be applied to the bottle in a way to preserve the integrity of the original painting and take advantage of the full bottle surface.

A juried member of the Spanish Colonial Arts Society and a Spanish Market artist, Wells is a retablo painter who grew up painting traditional New Mexican saints. Because of this background, Wells is required to avoid painting “generic skeleton images associated with Day of the Dead,” and can only depict skeletons through the traditional figure of Doña Sebastiana.

“In researching her, I became enamored with her story and surprised that I knew so little about her,” says Wells. “Although she was exclusively represented in bulto (carved) form, I began creating retablo paintings of her so that I could better tell her story.

The images I created were instantly popular, and people seemed truly interested in hearing her story.”

The origin of Doña Sebastiana

arrives from the Penitente brothers of the Spanish Colonial realm, as opposed to the Mexican celebration derived from Aztec traditions.

However, through her research, Wells came to understand the uniqueness of the icon and began promoting it as a way to connect with the regional history of New Mexico. But, in the process, she found herself enamored with the Dia de los Muertos imagery. So, when she was approached to create a fresh Day of the Dead graphic for this new wine label, she found herself bursting with inspiration. The result of is seen in Wells’ original artwork that now adorns each of La Catrina Vino’s wines, creating an entire wedding party of characters. And, as with the influence of any great wine, a story is found within: Chardonnay – La Catrina: With a dry wit and a certain complexity, the Mother of the Bride keeps everyone’s senses alert. Rich and a bit fruity, this voluptuous lady offers tastes that linger and echo.

Sweet Red – The Bishop: Baritone notes both smooth and challenge the senses. Echoes of mysterious spice are veiled by lighter fruity and flowery notes.

Dark and sweet merge ‘til death do us part.

Cabernet Sauvignon – Bride & Groom: Tradition rules the day when subtle tones of currant and plum merge with romance. More mellow, but ever deepening expressions replace the gripping bursts of youth as they age together.

Pink Moscato – Bridesmaids: Somewhere between dark and day, these luscious sirens toss a bouquet of ruby rose and jasmine kisses. Maidens lightly dance, teasing like strawberry tarts on a sultry evening.

Moscato – Mariachis: Crisp notes of sweet percussion, delight and reverberate to awaken the spirits. The mariachis play a spicy aromatic tune and summon the

Deadly

Vino

story & photos

by Ungelbah Davila Sponsored Story ISSUE 27

living to dance.

Merlot – Best Men: A sure bet, the best men are always comfortable. A straight flush of cherry scents fill the air as this full house of gentlemen double-down for an all-in evening without cares.

History of Wine in New Mexico

Though La Catrina Vino is bottled in Napa, California, home to some of the best grapes in the states, the history of wine production here on the homefront of Nuevo Mejico goes back to some of the country’s original colonists. In 1629, Fray García de Zuñiga, a Franciscan, and Antonio de Arteaga, a Capuchín monk, who had traveled with Oñate to New Mexico in 1598, defied Spanish law and planted the first vines in Senecú, a Piro pueblo south of Socorro, marking the beginning of wine production in New Mexico.

In his book, "The History of Wine in New Mexico: 400 Years of Struggle," Henry K. Street explains that Spanish government officials banned the growing of grapes in the New World to protect the interests of Andalusian farmers, whose wine exports grossed one quarter of Spanish foreign trade.

However, he writes that in remote areas of the Spanish Empire, such as New Mexico, the church chose to ignore the ban, because the cost and labor to get wine to monks was staggering. Spanish wine was shipped to Veracruz, then hauled by ox and cart to New Mexico and came once every three years.

They brought only 45 gallons per trip, and diluting wine ISSUE 28

with water or substituting it for another substance for use during the Eucharist was considered a sin. But, with the support of the church and colonial Gov. Francisco Manuel de Silva Nieto, the priests at the Senecú mission along the east bank of the Rio Grande planted the country's first wine grapes.

From 1633 on, Senecú provided the sacramental wine for New Mexico for the next 40 years.

At the turn of the century, wine making in the Land of Enchantment was a thriving business.

"By this time, a strip along the Rio Grande extending roughly from Bernalillo to Socorro and from the vicinity of Mesilla to El Paso had well established vineyards," Street writes. "In fact, vineyards were so common between Mesilla and El Paso that some observers noted that the residents were not raising enough food to feed themselves; instead, they depended on caravans to supply many basic needs."

By the time New Mexico became a territory of the United States in 1846, it was common for most farmers in the Albuquerque area to reserve an acre or two for the growth of grapes, which they would then sell to the larger landowners' wineries.

From there, wine production boomed in the fertile Rio Grande Valley. In 1880, the annual production of wine had surged to 908,000 gallons, from 16,000 gallons in 1870, and the 1880 census shows that New Mexico had almost twice as many acres of grapevines as New York State, making it the leading exporter of wine in the U.S., according to Street.

Alas, with the inception of Prohibition in 1919 and a flood in 1926 that damaged the vineyards along the Rio Grande, the wine business began to decline.

Finally, in 1943, the "great Rio Grande flood of the century" destroyed vineyards throughout the valley.

Some historical excerpts courtesy of “Valencia County News-Bulletin.”

Here in the Land of Enchantment there are many volunteer and promotional groups that spend a great many hours hosting or attending different events that cater to both local and nationally recognized charitable organizations. Some of these local groups include both men and women, whereas some groups are exclusively women. There are even some volunteer groups that may incorporate cars, motorcycles, or even service animals into their volunteer work.

Although some groups may be larger and more well known than others, all of them have a goal in mind: Helping others and giving back to the community. One of these charitable organizations is known as the Carnalas.

The word Carnala comes from the Spanish word “carnal,” which is a slang term for “brother.” The root of this word is carne, which in Spanish actually means “meat.” However, when using it in Spanish to talk about relationships, it refers to someone you consider blood related. And after meeting this group of women and seeing the relationship that they have with one another, it’s safe to say that their name fits them to the T. This all-women group, which was founded in December 2013, consists of five gorgeous, confident, loyal, inked-up beauties that volunteer their free time helping the community in many different ways. Some From left: Isabelle Marquez; Carmen Padilla; Cabrini of these methods include participating in local walks to Torres, president; Toni Hernandez,vice president raise money for certain charities and helping with Top: President Cabrini Torres Pictured at: 66 Classic Cutz

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promotions for local concerts here in our beautiful city of Burque.

This group may be a little smaller than the likes of others, however President and Founder Cabrini Torres is a true believer in “quality over quantity.”

“It’s not the size of the group that I am concerned about, it’s the goal of the women involved,” says Torres. After talking shortly with Cabrini and Vice President Toni Hernandez, I came to realize that the goal of this organization is to bless the lives of others through their charity, promotions, and very own clothing line; truly offering their time to those in need. With the New Mexico Zia symbol on their T-shirts, it is a known fact that these ladies do all their work with 100-percent New Mexico pride and love.

One distinctive factor that makes these young women stand out is the respect and loyalty that they not only have for one another, but for themselves, and an overwhelmingly philanthropic effort to better the community that’s around them. As young, successful women, there is a certain standard that they hold themselves to.

“We are women who respect ourselves and our bodies,” says Cabrini. She believes that being beautiful doesn’t mean you have to flaunt yourself by showing off too much skin. “You can be just as beautiful in a long dress as you can in short shorts,” she says. “Inner beauty and respect for your body shows true confidence in a woman.”

Some people may look at this group and see a bunch of pretty women with tattoos.

However, this group is trying to overcome that stereotype. These ladies are more than just another group of beautiful women.

When I asked Cabrini if they look for a certain style of women when choosing new members she said, “We don’t ever want to limit anyone. We just want women who can hold their own, and love being confident and beautiful. We don’t want our girls playing dress up. If you don’t know how to roll your hair in a pinup style, then don’t do it.”

The Carnalas do not limit themselves to the type of volunteer work that they offer. For example, they recently volunteered their time promoting a concert for PhatBakk Entertainment that included Hip Hop artist Baby Bash. Another upcoming charitable events that you can look forward to catching a glimpse of these loyal ladies is at the March of Dimes walk. March of Dimes is a non-profit organization that raises money to help improve the lives of mothers and babies. This walk will be taking place May 10 at Hoffmantown Church in Albuquerque.

The Carnalas will also be doing the Relay for Life event. This is a volunteer driven event of the American Cancer Society and includes teams taking turns walking and running.

With many New Mexicans living on or below the poverty line, it is comforting to know that there are wonderful groups such as Carnalas who are willing to offer a helping hand and do it with such compassion and grace for others. And with budget cuts looming around ISSUE 30

every corner, virtually erasing many community outreach programs, we need groups like this now more than ever.

Anyone has the ability to give back to his or her very own community. Knowledge is empowerment and standing up for the wrongs and shortcomings in life is a gift. Donating food, clothing, or even having a friendly chat with someone less fortunate can make an impact.

Remember the invaluable hope that is being passed on, one Carnala to another, when you give your time.

If you are interested in giving back to the community and becoming a Carnala or helping support this group, contact Cabrini Torres or Toni Hernandez at www.carnalas.com.

Backyard Agriculture

by Ungelbah Davila

From the White House to the girl in the

apartment next door, the fad of growing your own food has spread throughout American pop culture like squash bugs in July. However, what we today call sustainable gardening strikes a resemblance to the Victory Gardens of World War II. During the war, 20 million people began planting their own gardens at the recommendation of the government that urged people to produce their own fruits and vegetables due to war rationing. What rural families had been doing for generations, suddenly the urbanites were taking up, and all in the name of patriotism.

Today urban dwellers are again taking up their spades and getting their hands dirty.

But this time, rather than a national response to war rationing, it is a response to our concern over the way our food is raised and the resources that are required to transport it from farms as far away as Chile, as well as a concern for our American farmers whose livelihoods are being diminished due to this outsourcing. To me, this too is patriotism, and a way for Americans to get back to their roots.

Here in New Mexico agriculture is a major part of our economy, ranking second in the nation in production, including crops and livestock. As such, much of our culture(s) has been created around the production of food. During the cold months Matanzas are found throughout the Rio Grande Valley, a practice derived from Spain where a pig is butchered for winter-time food during a community celebration. In early spring the men gather to clean the irrigation ditches in the pueblos to prepare for the planting season. And in fall, the chile harvest seems to take hold of everyone with much the same excitement and anticipation that New Mexicans have

been experiencing for generations.

But for those of us who were nonetheless raised on trips to the grocery store whenever the need arose, the concept of growing ones own food can be daunting and far removed. I was fortunate to be raised on beef grown on our ranch and the exquisite flavor of my grandpa’s heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, peas and other foods he grew and irrigated by hand. But, last year when I finally got a yard big enough to plant a garden, I was reminded how laborious, how sacred and how unpredictable agriculture can be. I lost my big beautiful squash plants to bugs and the rest withered long before that thanks to inhospitable soil. My hens declined to lay a single egg last year, though this year they are getting around to it and the delicious result has been worth the wait.

For my fellow novice backyard gardener, here are my guidelines to having a more successful growing season in 2014 than I had in ’13.

• Get your soil tested. You can do this by purchasing a kit at the nursery or by contacting your county extension agent. Soil is not all created equal and certain plants will need different types to thrive. In the typical New Mexico yard you will encounter what is more like dust than soil and won’t go wrong mixing in organic matter, such as compost or manure.

Organic matter will provide your baby plants with valuable nutrients and also retain water.

• Water, water, water. When your plants are sprouting from seed they will need to be watered twice a day in New Mexico. After they are 3-4 inches tall you can decrease, but not by much. In the typical New Mexico city yard, there is no such thing as over watering.

To help the cause, however, mulch your garden with straw or woodchips to prevent unnecessary evaporation. When you aren’t watering enough, your plants will get stressed and stressed plants will be less likely to

produce and more likely to be killed by something like the dreaded squash bugs.

• If your plants don’t have access to some natural shade, make some. Yes plants need the sun to photosynthesize, but the New Mexico sun is incredibly intense during summer and will cook your plants.

• It is a fact that singing to your plants makes them happy. I haven’t met a plant yet that wasn’t an Elvis fan.

• Don’t let the dogs chase your “free range” hens around the lawn. And don’t be so sure they aren’t just because they are clever and don’t do it in front of you! When those rascal mutts terrorize the hens, they get stressed and will not lay. Also make sure they are getting sufficient protein in the form of lay pellets or even cat food.

They will also go wild for alfalfa hay and table scraps. You can also use their poop for fertilizer, but use it sparingly because the high nitrogen content can be too high and burn your plants.

• Ask your parents and grandparents lots of questions!

Apartment Gardening

by Abigail R. O rtiz

When you live in an apartment the size of a shoebox, you have to get creative with utilizing the space you have available. And adding a garden into the mix may seem like you’ve added an elephant into a sardine can, but don’t worry. It is possible to create ISSUE 31

enough space to grow an organic vegetable and herb garden.

But where, oh where will you ever fit it? With the use of containers, you can fit a few plants on the fire escape, handrails and balcony.

You can place vertical planters along the walls, windowsills and, if you’re lucky, in your front or back yard, but check your lease and with your neighbors first.

Now that the location is set, what plants can you grow with the amount of sunlight your garden gets?

Depending on the space, your garden may receive full sun, or more than six hours of direct sunlight; partial sun, or four to five hours of direct sunlight; partial shade, or two to four hours of direct sunlight, and shade, or less than one hour of direct sunlight. To figure out which category you fall into, simply monitor the potential gardening area for a full 24-hour period and note patterns of shade cast from surrounding structures.

If you don’t get adequate amount of sunlight, you can always invest in creating an indoor greenhouse with a fluorescent light bulb that will provide plants with their preferred light spectrum.

Once you know the amount of sunlight your garden will receive daily, narrow down the plants you can grow with this information. Each plant comes with these details on the seed packet or the information tag.

While at the store, pick up a few containers or pots, potting soil and seeds, seedlings or plants. If you’re tight on money, you can use plastic bottles or recycle old containers to grow your plants out of and you can use seeds or scraps from food you already have to kick-start your garden.

For example, placing the end of a celery bunch in water, after enjoying its stalks in your salad, will inspire it to grow roots and be ground ready in no time. You can also turn table scraps into great compost.

Remember to choose preferred plants based on which ones you use the most while you’re cooking, what you like to eat and what growing season you’re in.

If you’re using soil from a previously used container, simply break up the soil with a cultivator, mix compost into the soil and water the mixture while allowing it to drain to prepare for the next round of plants.

Depending on the size of the container, it may need frequent watering, but placing pebbles, mulch or shavings over the soil can help keep moisture in. Another trick is to line the ISSUE 5 . 14

bottom of your container with new diapers, or other spongy material.

Although companion planting is beneficial to most plants, and in some cases can serve as pest deterrents, plant a minimal number of these pairs in a pot. You don’t want the root system to be constricted by the other plants or the limited space left.

If all else fails join a garden co-op or a community garden in your area to have access to freshly grown crops.

Spring is here, the weather is getting warmer and clothing is getting lighter, and shorter. Bathing suit season is just ahead, and we’re all desperate to shed the pounds.

For some people, this gets a bit harder when the news stations cover stories such as the Girl Scouts selling cookies by the truckload in front of Colorado cannabis dispensaries. So, as one last hurrah to indulgence before the diets start in force, we’re going to bring you a cookie-inspired cocktail to sip before hitting the treadmill.

The macadamia nut flavors merge softly with the overtones of chocolate, really bringing two popular cookie flavors into one smooth drink. The vanilla flavoring in the soymilk creates a nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the cocao, making this drink a little less sweet than other chocolate-based drinks. This drink can be made as a martini as outlined below, or served on the rocks as an alternative to a White Russian.

Chill martini glasses for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from fridge and swirl chilled chocolate syrup around glass, pooling some at the bottom. Place a few ice cubes in a shaker. Add all ingredients, except chocolate syrup, and shake vigorously. Pour into the prepared martini glass and serve. Have fun and enjoy!

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The moon-cycle: Full Moon: April 15; New Moon: April 29 Full Moon: May 14; New Moon May 28

April and May will be relatively smooth when the Saturn retrograde flows in and grounds those who need it most. With these months comes spring. Think growth. Spring cleaning is also in order. Out with the old, reorganize, and minimize your life wardrobe. Remember, this year is meant for change. Begin your transformation now by stabilizing your lifestyle by way of jobs, relationships, and financial decisions. But, beware of drastic changes. Making life decisions, like uprooting your life and transplanting your roots, may cause a sudden shift in your future.

Aries – March 21st to April 19th

This is the perfect time to allow yourself to grow on many levels: spiritually, physically and emotionally. These walls you build need to start falling down. It’s the time to start anew, revisit, expand, and re-explore old ideas to build new foundations. Everyone loves you. It’s time you utilize your positive demeanor as a tool to focus on personal growth.

Taurus – April 20th to May 20th

It’s all about attitude for you, my dear Taurus!

The next few weeks will be a teeter-totter for you. One day will be amazing for you, but then suddenly, the next day will be a trap of negativity. With a slight push off the ground, you will soar into the sky like a child in the playground—screaming with laughter, your attitude high, adjusting to new limits. Make this your leap to making things happen.

Enjoy the new. Enjoy these beautiful days of spring put forth before you. Create new ideas.

Gemini – May 21st to June 21st

These next few weeks will be a lot of work for you: i.e. long hours and lack of sleep.

Keep in mind that this will only be temporary. Your hard work will have great benefits by summer. Keep yourself in good spirits. All will be worth it.

Cancer – June 22nd to July 22nd

It’s time to break out of your shell. Like a turtle, you must learn to stop hiding inside your home. Don’t be a recluse. Don’t be a hermit. Enjoy the next several weeks. This may be easier said than done, but in all reality, it needs to be done. You will never know how it turns out in the end. Start by letting go of any past experiences that may keep you from moving forth. Trust the gut.

Get out and experience life.

Leo – July 23rd to August 22nd ISSUE 34

Art and creativity will be most appealing to you. You may start to feel a bit more overly sensitive than normal these next few weeks. You are a Leo: headstrong, courageous, and fierce. Do not, I repeat, do not excuse this emotional flare. Embrace it, go with the flow, as they say, and allow your body to welcome these new feelings. Let loose, relax, and stop feeling so vulnerable by accepting the goodness that surrounds you.

Virgo – August 23rd to September 22nd

For the next few weeks test yourself by allowing your obsessive nature to let go.

Enjoy these moments of relaxation. Being a Virgo, this may be difficult, but this is your time to not be what others may think of you—anal-retentive. Try something new to create change within your patterns. Do not over work yourself; work over the intentions of being positive and more balanced.

Libra – September 23rd to October 22nd

world you lost. Your heart is a powerful tool.

Use it.

Sagittarius – November 22nd to December 21st

Feeling a bit isolated lately? Feeling blue?

Feeling alone? This may sound like a commercial for anti-depressants, but in all realness it could be. Utilize the company in your life to help support your personal growth, as a person. Set goals. Create opportunity. Greatness is around the corner.

Natural sunlight will help you gleam

Capricorn – December 22nd to January 19th

With these weeks coming up quickly, you may notice your artistic abilities shine. Soak these moments up. Network. Create goals.

Utilize this positive energy to build a stronger confidence in your artistic journey. Let it roll!

Aquarius – January 20th – February 18th

Take advantage of the next few weeks, especially with career opportunities, as you will advance quickly. Luck is definitely on your side. Ignoring a “too good to be true” feeling may quickly back fire. Take that risk.

Don’t be afraid to try it. Keep your strong opinions internal, as many are sensitive right now. You may create unnecessary damage. Stay focused on your circle of friends. They will help guide you.

Not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet? Over the next few weeks you will be presented with new opportunity. Jump for it.

This change may not be easy for you, but sometimes allowing yourself to color outside the line attracts new shape, form, or ideas of creative growth. As an artist, you may stress about financial backing. To want money, you may need to manifest your ideas into gold by creating abstract images of financial wealth. Do not stress. Money will find you.

Scorpio – October 23rd to November 21st

Pisces – Feb. 19th – March 20th

Emotionally, this year has been a rollercoaster ride for you. These next few weeks will break down your passions of life. You may think your dreams have crumbled. You may feel like the end of the world has cometh, but in all reality your heart still gleams with hope. Your heart is the connection between your lifelines and dreams. Allow your heart to rebuild the

Dear compassionate Pisces, the next few weeks you will feel total relief on an emotional level. Utilize this freedom by feeling like a kid again. Swing in the spring breeze, read under a tree, do something new, and go on a journey away from your usual path. It’s time to reinvent and redefine yourself emotionally, pointing your heart into a strong direction. This will guide you to a beautiful point within your life.

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