Local iQ Winter Getaway Issue 2011

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INSIDE iQ

COV ER STORY Old Man Winter has arrived, but Local iQ finds five nearby getaways sure to warm up the chill of the season

PUBLISHER

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Francine Maher Hopper fran@local-iQ. com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ART DIRECTOR

Kevin Hopper kevin@local-iQ.com EDITOR

Mike English mike@local-iQ.com VP OF SALES & NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Colt Brown colt@local-iQ.com FASHION EDITOR

Lisa VanDyke fabu@local-iQ.com SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Chela Gurnee 505.264.6350, chela@local-iQ.com

FOOD

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Lindsay Gillenwater 505.550.3362 lindsay@local-iQ.com

Chef breathes new life into Sandia Resort and Casino’s rooftop eatery, Bien Shur, a viable fine dining option

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

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Derek Hanley 505.709.0364 derek@local-iQ.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Elisabeth Zahl 505.480.4445, elisabeth@local-iQ.com AD PRODUCTION MANAGER

Jessica Hicks jessica@local-iQ.com AD DESIGNER

Rachel Baker rachelb@local-iQ.com EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT/CALENDAR COORDINATOR

Amanda Stang amanda@local-iQ.com

M US I C

DESIGN ASSISTANT

Hannah Reiter hannah@local-iQ.com PHOTOGRAPHER

Wes Naman wes@local-iQ.com PHOTO ASSISTANT

Joy Godfrey

Ocote Soul Sounds builds bridge from traditional to modern for unique blend of funky, electronic, downtempo sound

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Photography exhibit showcases the work of 125 Land of Enchantment shooters

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COPY EDITOR

Nancy Harbert EDITORIAL INTERNS

Jessica Depies, Jessey Cherne

ON THE COVER

A R TS

The perfect winter getaway? A tub of hot water far far away from the cold snow. In this case, the plush El Monte Sagrado Living Resort & Spa, just east of the Taos Plaza.

FI LM Director Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, challenges viewers with beauty, darkness and a seemingly intentional vagueness

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CALENDARS Arts Openings/Performances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Book Signings/Talks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Community Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Live Music. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

CONTRIBUTORS EDITORIAL

DISTRIBUTION

Jeff Berg Joanne Camp Max Cannon Jessey Cherne Justin de la Rosa Dave DeWitt Deborah Fleig Paul Lehman Jim and Linda Maher Theresa Maher Sam Melada Bill Nevins Cristina Olds Shavone Otero Steven J. Westman Ben Williams

Miguel Apodaca Jessey Cherne Kristina De Santiago Sean Duran Jesse Gurnee Jessica Hicks Stephanie James David Leeder Andy Otterstrom Ronnie Reynolds

Local iQ COLUMNS 1+1=3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Curtain Call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Fabü. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Get a Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Playing with Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Stir It Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 FEATURES Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Crossword/Horoscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Marquee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Places To Be . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Red Meat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Santa Fe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

2 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

P.O. Box 7490, ABQ., N.M. 87194 OFFICE 505.247.1343 FAX 888.520.9711 • local-iQ.com SUBSCRIPTIONS are $10 for 6 bi-weekly issues within the Continental U.S. Please send a local check or money order payable to Local iQ, attention “Subscriptions” to the address above. You may also use the number above to place a credit card order.

DISTRIBUTION: Find Local iQ at more than 600 locations in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and surrounding areas. If you can’t find a copy, want to suggest a new location, or want to help deliver Local iQ, please call 505.247.1343.

PUBLISHED BY

SAKURA, INC. ALL CONTENTS ©2011 LEGAL SERVICES PROVIDED

BY ALLISON AND FISHER AND NATALIE BRUCE ESQ.

CATEGORY

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

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PLACES TO BE

21 and over 505.239.9681

Popejoy Hall 210 Cornell NE

xtremekomedy.com

$11-$45

Embassy Suites Hotel 1000 Woodward Pl. NE

505.277.3824

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CELEBRATION River of Lights 6-9p, Sat., Nov. 26-Fri., Dec. 30 Botanic Gardens at ABQ BioPark 2601 Central NW, 505.848.7182

$8/$4 (Chi.) cabq.gov/biopark/garden/ events/river-of-lights

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here is something quite magical and enchanting about walking through the lush botanical gardens at night with nothing but twinkling lights to guide your way. A tradition for many families in the state of New Mexico, the 15th Annual River of Lights provides a night of marvel at over 150 sparkling walk-through holiday light displays, and the G-scale model railroad. Special light-up shapes vary from the traditional Santa’s sleigh to zoo animals. On select evenings the aquarium’s Shark Reef Cafe will be open for “Supper with Santa,” a unique holiday dining adventure. —JC

ugar plum fairies, dancing mice, dolls, tin soldiers and, of course, a little girl named Clara caught in the feud between the Mouse King and the Nutcracker Prince — there is nothing better to start off your holiday season than the theatrical staple The Nutcracker.

The Nutcracker premiered in December 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia, and has since touched theater audiences with its beauty and eloquence. Conductor David Felberg, the New Mexico Ballet Company Orchestra and members of the New Mexico Ballet Company will accompany the performance. That includes American Ballet Theatre dancers Sarah Lane and Luis Ribagorda, as well as New York City Ballet principal dancers Maria Kowroski and Tyler Angle. —JC

DEC

THU

Nob Hill, 505.255.5229

FREE rt66central.com

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newmexicoballet.org

SAT

reated by the “godfather” of New Mexico comedy, Ronn Perea’s new professional comedy club is the place to be for laugh-out-loud spectacles and comedic masterminds who showcase their hilarious talents to eager audiences.

The first two shows at the Xtreme Komedy club will feature comic and master ventriloquist Wayne Francis and his sidekick Wingnut the Pilot. Southwest “Borscht Belt” comic Roger C. Blair will have the audience falling out of their seats laughing at his “Take my wife, Por favor!” jokes. Cleancut Albuquerque fan favorite Michael Jordan (not related to the basketball giant) will open the show. —JC

Nob Hill Holiday Shop and Stroll 5-10p, Thu., Dec. 1

POETRY Joy Harjo Santa Fe Winter Indian Market

4p, Sat., Nov. 26; 1p, Sun., Nov. 27 Santa Fe Convention Center 201 Marcy, 505.983.5200

$20 (includes market admission) Tickets: 505.983.5220 swaia.org joyharjo.com

This is the bar of broken survivors, the club of the shotgun, knife wound, of poison by culture.

—”Deer Dancer” oy Harjo, Muscogee/Creek member and of Cherokee descent, is an internationally known poet, writer, performer and musician who was honored in 1995 with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native Writers’ Circle of Americas.

Among her 12 books of poetry is In Mad Love and War, which won an American Book Award in 1990. She’s also written awardwinning children’s books and plays alto saxophone and flute in a band. Her most recent record, Red Dreams, is up for Native American Music Award “Album of the Year.” Harjo will bring her multiple talents to the stage in two performances at the Santa Fe Winter Indian Market. —ME

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listening once again with silver lanes aglow/ it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”

The Nob Hill Holiday Shop and Stroll once again exemplifies this fact with shopping, strolling and entertainment for the whole family. Attendees can take free ABQ Trolley Co. rides, join Santa for a photo-op, see a Lionel Train display or adopt a cuddly pet from Animal Humane New Mexico — all the while listening to the melodic sounds of carolers, mariachi bands, Clan Tynker, Poi Spinners, Fire Charmers, Rockin’ ‘50s band, The Daddy Os and other strolling musicians. Central Avenue will be closed to all motor vehicle traffic for shoppers from Girard to Washington. —JC

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DEC

$15/2 for 1 (Mil.)

The Nutcracker Ballet 2, 7p, Sat., Nov. 26 2p, Sun., Nov. 27 2, 7p, Sat., Dec. 3 2p, Sun., Dec. 4

SUN

DANCE

Xtreme Komedy 8:15p, Fri.-Sat., Nov. 25-26

NOV

COMEDY

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HOLIDAY

SUN

26

NOV

SAT

25

NOV

FRI

where to go and what to do: November 24 to December 7

EXHIBIT 12x12 Art Show Fundraiser 6-8p, Fri., Dec. 2 The Harwood Art Center 1114 7th NW, 505.242.6367 harwoodartcenter.org

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undraising at its best: art and math combined to raise the most cash possible. To wrap up Harwood’s 20th anniversary year of celebrations, the annual 12-inchsquare exhibit opens its doors to 20-inch-square works as well.

These larger works will be silently auctioned with a starting bid of $400, while the 12-inch-by-12-inch works cost $144 each. Some of New Mexico’s hottest artists — Ben Meisner, Cynthia Cook, Ernest Doty, Thomas Christopher Haag, Patrick Nagatani and Donna Loraine Contractor, to name a few — donated these affordable pieces to be sold anonymously. The good cause is the Harwood Art Center’s creative community programming, which includes free after-school arts programming for Wells Park and Barelas neighborhood children, below-market-value studio space and art classes for adults and children. —CO

MARQUEE

Deep, and still digging Tom Russell brings his impeccably crafted songs to Albuquerque and Santa Fe for two separate shows

BY BILL NEVINS om Russell is among America’s most direct, emotionally clear and honest songwriters. His songs reveal a cinematic storytelling ability and a gift for crafting phrases and scenes that vibrate in the ear and tease the heart, until a listener finds himself playing the songs over and over.

A Russell song might contain a phrase like, “Everything’s gone straight to hell since Sinatra played Juarez,” or, “Baby pulled her blue dress on and left … down the Rio Grande.”

Or he might write of immigrants frozen dead in the California snow, or a border desperado Tom Russell hunting Apache scalps and stealing General Black Jack 7:30p, Fri., Nov. 25 Pershing’s prized horse bit along Outpost Performance Space with the dancing stallion that 210 Yale SE, “just happened” to be attached.

505.268.0044 Russell has woven his well$20-$25 crafted story songs — and Tickets: holdmyticket. parallel songs of personal regret, com troubled relationships, endurance and grit — through decades 7:30p, Sat., Nov. 26 Sol at Santa Fe Brewery of work as a cab driver, solo $29 performer, band leader, musical Tickets: ticketsantafe. collaborator (with the stellar org likes of Dave Alvin and The tomrussell.com Flatlanders) and, more recently, outpostspace.org as a portrait painter honing his solofsantafe.com skills on the secluded plot of land outside of El Paso, where he finally settled with his wife some years back.

His latest album, the just-released Mesabi, may be the masterpiece of Russell’s accumulated career. In a recent interview with Local iQ, Russell talked about his work, life, music and art.

LOCAL iQ: You will be playing in Albuquerque and in Santa Fe on the weekend just after Thanksgiving. Do you have anything you are particularly thankful for?

TOM RUSSELL: I’m thankful to be on the road, creating art.

I’m thankful for my wife, because together we’re a team bent on moving the music and art forward. I think my writing is digging deeper, uncovering masks and getting down to the bone of the matter. I think my last two records, Blood and Candle Smoke and Mesabi, have been my best and most revealing efforts. I also think my ability to sing and perform the material live has improved vastly. iQ: You have been living in the El Paso/Juarez area for many

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El Paso resident Tom Russell has been writing and performing songs for nearly 40 years, on topics ranging from cowboys and love to Bob Dylan and Beat poets. The veteran songcrafter will bring his talents to the stage for two separate shows in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

years now. Has the escalated violence, especially on the Mexico side of the border, impacted you and your writing?

TR: It certainly has entered my writing. I’m working on a novel about it, and also have three songs on the current record, Mesabi, about the situation in Mexico iQ: You are also a painter, and as has been said many times, your narrative songs have more than a touch of the novelist in them.

TR: Painting and songwriting impact and intersect with each other in mysterious ways. In both painting and songwriting I give a lot of leeway to the angels and muses who seem to take the best songs and paintings to a place my rational mind wouldn’t venture. iQ: Do you have more collaborations planned? And what are you listening to?

TR: We have songwriter trains with some of my favorite writers, and we have one planned for next April (from Los Angeles to Portland, Ore., and back). I listen to a lot of flamenco when I paint. Old stuff like Camaron de la Isla, the passionate deep-song singer. I also listen to Leonard Cohen and Dylan and Lucinda Williams and Ry Cooder. And jazz and classical. iQ: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about where the U.S. is heading now, and more generally the Mexico border and the

rest of the world, both politically and socially?

TR: I don’t trouble myself with political forecasts. I personally think Ramblin’ Jack Elliott should be on the $100 bill. iQ: At your present age, status and artistic engagement, what can you say about life and love?

TR: I don’t feel I have any particular “age” or “status.” I remain outside the confines of these things that worry most souls. I just paint and write and let the chips fall where they may. As far as relationships, I’ve been happily married for six years to a wonderful and beautiful Swiss lady who has saved my life and kept the art moving forward iQ: Would you mind talking a bit about your new album Mesabi, and how you came to write it and record it?

TR: We recorded Mesabi in many different locations: Tucson with the great band Calexico and Lucinda Williams, then L.A. with Van Dyke Parks and on to San Antonio with Augie Meyers. It’s an American journey. The record starts with a reference to Dylan’s home country, the Mesabi iron-ore range in Minnesotta. I think about Dylan every day of my life, and the impact he’s had on our music and culture. So it’s a truth journey. You have to write your own songs. I also included two songs from the new Monte Hellman movie, The Road to Nowhere. I wrote the musical soundtrack to his film.

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

5

LIFESTYLE

A wedding that could only be fabü

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hat’s right: I’m a married woman. If you recall, my beau proposed on Aug. 30, my 40th birthday. The following weekend, whilst lounging poolside at a Scottsdale resort during a Labor Day getaway, we discussed wedding ideas. The bigger they got, the less we liked them. Ultimately, we decided to quietly elope on Oct. 1.

Basically, I had three weeks to plan a wedding.

Was I stressed? Yes, but not an iota as much as I would have been if it was a big, fat, frilly affair. My propensity for anxiety is high even when I’m stretched out on the couch, reading a novel; thus, tackling a big wedding is likely more than my oft-delicate nerves can endure without multiple meltdowns that would put every last horror show on that Bridezilla program to shame. I used to plan huge events for a living.

I’ve had my fill, thankyouverymuch.

Agenda item number one: location. We wanted to marry outdoors in a rustic, picturesque locale. We chose the old bridge in Red River.

Rustic: check. The leaves were turning, which made for a spectacular backdrop. Picturesque: check. The autumn chill was definitely present, but not enough to prohibit wearing a wedding gown sans parka. No parkas on your wedding day: jumbo check … wedding parkas aren’t my thing; it’s strapless or nothing for this bride, and nobody likes a nude bride, well, except for nudists … and pervs ... but let’s move on.

We needed an officiant. This was not difficult, as the tiny town has one judge, Jack Griffin, who, by the way, also owns the local Shamrock gas station. This provided us with a familiar face when cravings for chips and jerky struck.

If you’re up in Red River, please stop by the Shamrock station and say hey to ol’ Jack for me. He won’t reply with much more than a grunt; he’s a man of few words. His officiating, however, is fantastic; warm and truthful. He also sports a rad bolo tie. Behomothic: check.

Next, the biggie: the dress. I craved timeless glamour, so I made an appointment with the goddess of all things vintage, Susan Ricker at Off Broadway (3110 Central SE, 505.268.1489), for a personal bridal fitting. She selected gobs of fall-on-the-floor-fabulous gowns for me and lavished me with her warm, dedicated attention. Very sadly; however, I just didn’t find the right one. Had I had more time, I’m certain my wedding gown would have been an Off Broadway frock. I can’t emphasize enough how

PHOTO BY WES NAMAN

Wellies with a wedding gown? In pursuit of stress-free nuptials, Fabü editor Lisa VanDyke-Brown and new husband DJ Brown mastered the art of elopement. The couple wed in Red River, NM, on October 1.

incredible and vast their bridal gown inventory is. Brides: You owe it to yourselves to make an appointment with Ricker. You can thank me later.

After as much searching as time and patience permitted, I opted for a dress from a major bridal chain. I won’t list their name because I refuse to recommend them. The customer service was quite subpar, and the lining of the dress was a bit janky. I really wanted it, however, and time was definitely not on my side, so I sucked it up, bought the damn thing and searched for a top-notch tailor. Enter Deborah Andrews at Sew! Whateva (507 Wyoming SE,

6 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

505.254.4753), who is the only alterations expert I’ll use from this point forward.

Not only is Andrews friendly, funny and accommodating, but she’s an incredible tailor. She accepted my last-minute request, hemmed my dress, fixed the lining and created a snazzy bustle on a super-tight schedule. Thanks, Deb! The groom wore a handsome Valentino suit, procured during one of his many NYC (his home city) forays.

After the ceremony, as we sipped vintage Perrier-Jouët in our cozy, remote cabin right on the river, he paired the suit with a cowboy hat from The Man’s Hat Shop (511 Central NW, 505.247.9605).

Yes, cowboy hat + Valentino. WWVS (what would Valentino say?!?). It matters not, as one never truly knows whether Valentino is pleased or displeased, as he has that high-brow-pursedlips combo expression on permanent display.

It’s bitchy as all getout, but it’s Valentino and we love him unconditionally, snooty face and all).

Moving on, final details such as cake and accessories were handled by Sheli Armstrong of SoireeQ (soireeq.com, 505.913.9911), who offers killer proposal, wedding and elopement packages. Perfect blooms and bouquet by Pattie Hinds of Personal Touch Flowers (505.821.1247).

The day was perfect in every single way. Indeed, I wore wellies; when in Rome, dahling. I especially enjoyed the part where the groom surprised me with a vintage (c. 1930) diamond wedding band to accompany my lovely engagement ring. High marks, husband. Way to go, sir.

Honeymoon: Bali. We’re joining good friends who are renewing their vows. My husband (I have a husband … wow!) is best man. Love is in the air, honey. I’ll have trip details next column.

Bon voyage!

STUFF WE LIKE

STU FF WE LIKE

BY JESSEY CHERNEY THE JETSET CROSSBODY MESSENGER BAG IS PERFECT for the world traveler, or the girl who just wants to look like one. This functional handbag is a selection from the Fashionista collection crafted by Brighton and sold exclusively at Articles for Her, according to store owner Rhonda Ashcraft.

Each bag design is hand drawn, then crafted with a specific message or detail that is unique to that product. The result is a oneof-a-kind touch so unique that jealous stares are the only drawback of this purchase.

$210 FIND IT AT:

Articles for Her 8510 Montgomery NE, Suite A1, 505.298.6700 brighton.com

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

7

FOOD

PHOTOS BY WES NAMAN

Paired with or without a hotel room, an evening of dining at Sandia Resort’s Bien Shur — particularly after the arrival of Chef de Cuisine Marc Quiñones — is a grand affair. Boasting a resplendent dining room, dualing views and a menu of delectable and inventive plates, such as the Berkshire pork belly and wild mushroom ragout (pictured) the rooftop eatery easily contends with the best fine dining restaurants in the state.

Lofty flavor Chef Marc Quiñones breathes new life into Sandia Resort’s rooftop eatery, Bien Shur, a viable fine dining option served with the possibility of an overnight stay

BY KEVIN HOPPER he first thing that diners will notice upon entering Bien Shur is the dining room itself, particularly its high ceilings held up by a series of tall columns situated in the center of the room. Though it certainly doesn’t compare to the fabled grand dining rooms of New York City (The Palm Court for instance), it could definitely pass as a small wing of such an establishment.

The second thing diners will notice is the brilliant views of this rooftop eatery, both of the Sandias to the north and east and the city to the south and west.

Both of these attributes have always been complemented by solid fine dining menus reflective of the southwest in its ingredients and preparations.

However, with the addition of Marc Quiñones as Bien Shur’s Chef de Cuisine, food seems to have finally trumped atmosphere and view at Bien Shur as its hallmark trait.

It is rather easy to forget about this culinary gem as a dining option, due mostly to the fact that it is located at the far northern end of town and on the rooftop of a casino. No matter how exceptional a menu Quiñones has created (it’s pretty fantastic) it isn’t likely to upstage the Texas Hold ‘Em tables. But local diehard foodies will be happy to know that the restaurant can be accessed without having to pass through a smoke-filled room full of slot machines and roulette wheels (just enter through the hotel).

During a recent visit to Bien Shur to enjoy an abundant

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tasting menu (personally prepared by the Chef de Cuisine), a tasting companion/wife and I left sated, satisfied and just sleepy enough to follow our meal by booking a room for the evening.

The reasons for our blissful state came in the form of seven smashing plates of food, each marked by Quiñones’ delicate, artistic plating skills.

Three small cubes of Berkshire pork belly ($12), alternating with savory daubs of a wild mushroom ragout, proved to be a delectable, no holds barred start to the meal. Next came two long, thin white plates, the first held two squares of luscious seared ahi tuna ($12), served on thin smears of curried rum sauce alongside crispy wonton ribbons and a single baby bok choy, creating multiple textures and layers of subtle REVIEW flavors. The second was a bit more substantial. A single jumbo lump crab cake ($12) was as crispy Bien Shur on the outside as it looked and its luscious, warm center contrasted well with the apple cabbage slaw that tops the dish. The final taste from the appetizer menu, flavorwise, was over the top — pumpkin AT SANDIA and squash ravioli luxuriating in sage butter sauce ($12). This was more than a warm-up for the RESORT & CASINO entrée round. In fact, diners can create an interesting dinner by just ordering appetizers.

30 Rainbow Road Since Quiñones continued to cook, we continued to eat and happily dove our forks into three more NE, 505.796.7788 dishes, including a diver sea scallop (my favorite of the night, $32), seared perfectly and buttressed by HOURS: a lusty risotto cake, a pair of fresh asparagus tips and, the final touch, a ginger and carrot sauce. With 5p-10p, Tue.-Sat. this dish, there was no question the fall dining season had arrived. sandiacasino.com/ Our final two plates were show stoppers. A mammoth Kurobuta pork chop ($34) and a sleeker dining antelope loin ($44) were served simultaneously and both prepared sous vide (a cooking technique involving vacuum-sealing and chilling). As intrigued as I was about the antelope, my favor fell to the side of the pork chop, which was a large chop more suited for Fred Flintstone. Our ever attentive waiter could obviously see that “food wall” look on our faces and offered to box up whatever we left behind.

Of course, our dessert stomachs were completely empty, and we indulged even further after being presented with a lovely flambéed banana chocolate custard cake coupled with a banana fritter topped with a bourbon caramel sauce. Wouldn’t you?

Much like the preceding savory plates, the dish was plated with aesthetic precision and exuded flavors that were well-balanced.

After politely applauding our server and chef, we retreated to our room, fully gratified, overindulged and quite content. If this is the definition of “staycation,” then booking one every couple of weeks is going to be my New Year’s resolution in 2012.

8 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

DRINK

Holidays call for foggy Italian friend Nebbiolo

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ow that the major meal-centered holidays are upon us, I would be remiss in my duties as a wine writer if I overlooked the importance of a good meal in enhancing your enjoyment of good wine. Last season I introduced you to the Gamay grape, the source of the delicious Beaujolais Crus wine of France. This season I would like to take you to Italy, to meet one of my favorite grapes, Nebbiolo. While it can be enjoyed on its own, it demands food to really blossom on your palate. It is one of the most important grapes indigenous to Italy, specifically the Piedmonte region. If Frascati is the kneecap, Piedmonte is a little “further up the leg,” where, well … the fig leaf would go on a Roman statue.

What’s in a name?

Nebbiolo gets its name from the Italian word nebbia, for “fog.” (While there are some alternative theories, this is the most likely).

You are not likely to find a bottle with Nebbiolo on the label, but when you see Barolo or Barbaresco or Gattinara on the bottle, you now know what’s inside.

Why name a grape after fog? The hilly areas of Piedmonte are shrouded in fog in late fall, which is when Nebbiolo ripens. Most of the other grapes have been plucked and pressed, while our foggy friend is still getting ready.

When a little bug called phylloxera wiped out acres of vines in the 19th century, the world lost the bulk of the planted Nebbiolo and saw it replaced with Barbera, which can go from harvest to fermentation before Nebbiolo even ripens. Thankfully our little holiday gem survived, and we can open it at our holiday tables here in America. While Nebbiolo is enjoyed throughout the world, it is not a grape that grows easily in other climates. Temperanillo has adapted even to the New Mexico climate (in places like Tularosa), but you will likely never see very much domestic Nebbiolo-based wine. Keep your eye on the folks in the Cal-Ital movement in California, and time will tell if this moody grape can be made to flourish in the New World.

being the romantic, sexy, elegant, dazzling side.

Both sides show a smoky sweetness and tarry flavors, and both, like most of us, improve with age.”

International wine expert Oz Clarke, in his invaluable book Grapes and Wines, admitted that he left many a tasting of wines made with Nebbiolo without waiting for the food, thereby losing out on the full enjoyment of what the wine had to offer. If you take nothing else away from this column, remember that you really need a good meal to appreciate this grape. For this reason I have held out on writing about it until the food-heavy fall holidays arrived. While Gamay and Pinot Noir are still by my side as I head to holiday potlucks and Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, one of my new companions might be a bottle of the 2005 Gattinara from Travaglini, available at Quarters and Jubilation for around $20.

Grill your loins So what do you pair with such a tannic and moody grape? Anything grilled, but particularly red meat. Grilled tenderloin of beef or pork without too much spice or salt will bring your

bottle to life. Think earthy ingredients like lentils and beans. The fall harvest flavors of roasted root vegetables (beets, parsnips and turnips) and mushrooms (or better yet, truffles if you can afford to splurge) are the perfect match to the blend of feminine violets and masculine tobacco in Nebbiolo.

You will find any variety of flavors like black cherry or raspberry or chocolate and smoke on the nose and on your palate when you open a bottle of Nebbiolo. This pairs well with the slow-braised stews and roasted meats of fall and winter, and even a hearty vegetarian risotto with mushrooms will work well. (Avoid lighter fare like fish, and if you plan on posole or carne adovada, in keeping with local tradition, don’t reach for the Barolo, as the spice in the food will turn the wine into hot, flat alcohol on your tongue).

Barolos, Barbarescos and Gattinaras are not typically cheap, but if you want something special for a good meal with loved ones, they are worth the expense.

As always I stress, there are no “right answers” about how a wine tastes to you. Just pay attention to your palate and the full sensory experience of smelling, looking and tasting. The reward is a lifetime of sensory pleasure and evolving understanding of your own preferences and tastes. Happy Thanksgiving! Cheers.

I welcome your comments and questions any time at sam@local-iQ.com.

Something old, something new Some wine can’t age, some wine could age and some wines must age. The beauty of Nebbiolo is in its ability to be enjoyed young and old. When I asked my friend and local Wine Goddess Jessie Griego how to describe Nebbiolo as if it were a person, she said, “He would be two sided, Barolo being the rugged, masculine, serious needs-time-to-mature side and Barbaresco

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

9

DRINK

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s the father of two children under the age of 2, I can say with some confidence that my home kitchen has never before been so well stocked with items from the produce department. Morning, noon and night, my wife and I are filling requests for apples, melons, raisins, “nanas” and the king of the crop: berries. Having access to fresh fruit is an absolute joy for a mixologist, and as you might suspect, it is not uncommon for some of these tasty treats to find their way into a delicious cocktail ... after the kids have gone to bed, of course.

The Sinatra Smash is a wonderfully balanced cocktail that was originally introduced at the Wynn in Las Vegas. The drink contrasts the acidity and sweetness of bramble fruits with the oak, charcoal and vanilla traits present in a good American whiskey. This is a great drink for fall, when dark berries are available in abundance.

Sinatra Smash Ingredients:

5 Fresh blackberries .5 oz. Lemon juice .5 oz. Simple syrup .33 oz. Vanilla syrup* .75 oz. Creme de Cassis 2 oz. Bourbon or Tennessee whiskey

10 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

PHOTO BY WES NAMAN

*Vanilla syrup: Combine two cups sugar with two cups water in a saucepan. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Immerse one vanilla bean pod in syrup for 10 minutes. Remove vanilla pod and refrigerate.

Method:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle blackberries, lemon juice and simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water). Fill with ice, add remaining ingredients and shake until chilled. Strain over ice in an oldfashioned glass and serve.

Ben tends bar at Scalo Northern Italian Grill in Nob Hill and teaches beer brewing classes at Victor’s Grape Arbor. He is also a member of ska/reggae band CrazyFool.

FOOD

Add a touch de Francaise to your holiday turkey

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urkeys are prized in France, the No. 2 producer of indigenous turkey meat in the world, where the per-capita consumption of the bird nearly equals that of the U.S. The second Saturday of every December marks the opening of Marché du Terroir, or regional market, in the village of Licques in the Nord Pas-de-Calais region, where turkey lovers vote on their favorite birds (no doubt helped along by some of their licques, the potent local liquor that is similar to pastis or pernod). After the vote, the “winning” birds stroll through the streets before being slaughtered, plucked, stuffed with chestnuts and roasted for the feast.

However, Licques is not the epitome of French turkeydom. Maybe that’s in the region of Bresse, in France’s “gastronomic heartland,” where the turkey has its own appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), or protected designation of origin exactly like Champagne, Roquefort cheese or Dijon mustard. These turkeys carry the Poulet de Bresse label and they are free-range and are fattened on, of course, American maize (that would be corn here).

During the third week in December the region holds a movable feast called the Trois Glorieuse that travels between the towns of Montrevelen-Bresse, Bourg-en-Bresse and Pont-de-Vaux.

The purpose, once again, is for turkey fanciers to select their favorite birds for the upcoming Christmas holidays.

But even that event is not the epitome of turkey worship in France. That is reserved for the awarding of the “Dinde d’Honneur,”or Honorable Turkey in the town of Jaligny sur Bresbre in the Allier department of the Auvergne during the largest turkey market in the country.

Here the turkeys are dressed up like beloved pets, with ribbons and little crowns above their wattles, and during this market the award is not given to the bird, but rather to human dignitaries like local firefighters. Previous Honorable Turkey recipients have been Winston Churchill, Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Paul VI, each of whom received a premium turkey.

During the 1960s, when French cooking became the rage in the U.S., and even before

The American turkey has become a sumptuous feast bird in an adopted country that has some of the pickiest eaters in the world!

Dinde aux Marrons

Julia Child’s The French Chef Cookbook (Knopf, 1969), Collier Books published The French Provincial Cookbook with two regional turkey recipes. Dinde à Strasbourgeoise (Roast Stuffed Turkey, Strasbourg Style) calls for the turkey to be stuffed with chicken livers, ground pork and truffles (!), while Dindonneau à La Bretonne (Turkey Bretonne Style) has the bird stuffed with sausage, raisins, prunes and turkey livers.

Bantam Books published The Art of French Cooking, by Fernande Garvin, in 1958, and it went through at least 10 printings as a mass market paperback through 1965. The copy I have in my library I purchased in 1967. Garvin wrote, “Everybody who can afford it has turkey for the two réveillons. ‘Réveillon de Noël’ and ‘Réveillon du Jour de l’An’ are the dinner suppers served at midnight at the 24th and 31st of December.”

On Christmas Eve, the family eats a very light snack at dinnertime, then goes to a midnight mass at their church. Afterwards, family and friends sit down for an elaborate turkey feast with appropriate toasts, that lasts into the early morning hours. New Year’s Eve is the same, minus the church-going.

Dinde aux Marrons, or turkey stuffed with chestnuts, is the focus of the feast, and it’s served with braised celery and a “great Bordeaux.” The chestnuts are baked, shelled and then simmered in consommé for 20 minutes. Then they are chopped in half and mixed with ground lean pork, sausage meat, piment de Espelette (the French chile pepper) and brandy, and stuffed into the main cavity of the turkey. After roasting for an hour and 15 minutes, the stuffing is removed and the turkey is cooked for another two-and-a-half hours. A gravy is made with the pan scrapings, and it is served over the carved turkey and stuffing.

The only change I’ve made to this classic French Christmas feast is to add a little known French chile pepper that is acclaimed in southwestern France, where it has gained controlled-name status, much like Champagne sparkling wine and Roquefort cheese. That chile is piment d’ Espelette, or the Espelette pepper, and it has become a cultural and culinary icon in that part of Basque country.

1 10- to 12-lb. Turkey 2 lbs. Chestnuts 2 cups Consommé 1 cup Water 2 lbs. Sausage 1 lb. Ground pork, lean 1 Tbsp. Salt 1/4 tsp. Black pepper, freshly ground 1 Tbsp. piment de Espelette (or substitute red New Mexican chile powder) 1/8 cup Brandy 4 thin slices Salt pork or bacon With a sharp knife, cut through the shell of each chestnut. Place the chestnuts on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 F for 10 minutes. Shell the chestnuts and cut them in half.

In a large saucepan, combine the chestnuts, consommé and water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then drain and let cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine the chestnuts, sausage meat, ground pork, salt, pepper, piment de Espelette and brandy and mix thoroughly.

Stuff the turkey with the chestnut mixture and sew up the opening. Cover the breast with the salt pork or bacon. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and pour a quarter cup of water into the pan. Roast at 450 F for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 F and continue roasting for a 90 min. Remove the salt pork or bacon.

At this point you may remove the stuffing to a bowl and roast the turkey for another hour and 30 minutes, or leave the stuffing in and roast it for another two-and-a-half hours. Either way, turn the bird to brown it on all sides, basting occasionally with the pan juices. For the last half hour, let the bird stand breast up.

To make the gravy, remove the bird from the pan and pour off the excess fat. Add 1/4 cup boiling water and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan until all the brown crust is dissolved.

Traditionally, this gravy is not thickened, but you may do so if you wish by adding a little flour dissolved in a quarter cup of cold water.

To serve, slice the turkey and add the slices and stuffing to a plate, and cover all with a little gravy.

Yield: 15 or more servings • Heat Scale: Mild

Dave DeWitt, a.k.a. “The Pope of Peppers,” is coproducer of the National Fiery Foods & BBQ Show, the co-author of The Complete Chile Pepper Book.

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

11

SANTA FE

SANTA FE SCENE STAGE mpowering and Circus Luminous enriching kids’ 2011 lives through art is 7p, Fri., Nov. 25 one of the creative 2, 7p, Sat., Nov. 26 goals of the non4p, Sun., Nov. 27 profit performance Lensic Performing Arts Center troupe, Wise Fool 211 West San Francisco, New Mexico. Since Santa Fe 2002, Wise Fool Tickets: 505.988.1234, has produced a lensic.org, ticketssantafe. special holiday org circus showcasing $10-$30 (discounts local acrobats, available) stilt-walkers, wisefoolnewmexico.org break dancers, set builders, musicians and writers. This year’s production presents the story of a cranky old gardener who is transformed by a visit to a magical world of bees, caterpillars and dandelions. Circus Luminous 2011’s director and author, SarahJane Moody, describes the play as a “good old-fashioned, uplifting story.” Moody has also performed many lead characters in past Circus Luminous shows. In collaboration with The Lensic, Moving People Dance Theatre and Bing!, Wise Fool will deliver yet another sure-to-sell-out show with a social message, all while teaching youth and adults life skills and building confidence and community through the production of the show. —CO

E

PHOTO BY WES NAMAN

Mae Martinez (left), volunteer Carmen McCumbee and the other volunteers of Kitchen Angels make meals in the organization’s food preparation facility. Kitchen Angles has delivered more than a half million meals to homebound people in Santa Fe in its nearly two decades of operation.

FESTIVAL

Divine nourishment Kitchen Angels program in Santa Fe delivers nutritious meals to the homebound, for 19 years and counting

BY PAUL LEHMAN n angel, according to the dictionary, is “a spiritual being attendant on God, acting as his messenger — a person resembling an angel in beauty or loving service.” Thus we know that a Kitchen Angel certainly resembles one of those beings.

In early 1992, two groups of Santa Feans decided to create a food service charity that would deliver free hot meals to homebound neighbors who faced life-threatening circumstances. At that time, recent Santa Fe transplant Tony D’Agostino was fresh from his experience of starting Project Angel Food in Los Angeles with Marianne Williamson, the author and peace activist, so it felt natural for D’Agostino to get together with friends to start an “angel kitchen” in Kitchen Santa Fe. Angels At the same time, Santa Feans Leise Sargent and Anna Huserik had attended a lecture 1222 Siler, Santa Fe, 505.471.7780 in Los Angeles by Wiliamson and wanted kitchenangels.org to start a similar program in Santa Fe. They were put in touch with D’Agostino, and in April 1992, they all met and Kitchen Angels became a reality.

Kitchen Angels’ first meals were delivered on June 1, 1992, and within six months the program had served more than 2,000 meals to 80 different clients. In its 18-year history the program has prepared and delivered more than 609,000 meals to more than 3,100 homebound individuals. These people live with many different diagnoses and, other than their Kitchen Angels meal, they have no regular source of food.

Daily menus now include soup or salad, entrée, fruit and/or dessert and bread, if desired. Meals are designed to meet individual dietary needs and are low in lactose, saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and sodium.

All soups and salads are wheat and gluten free. Client food allergies are noted, and every effort is taken to keep allergic foods out of client’s meals. more than 200 volunteers (in teams of 10 working one day a week) donate more than 19,000 hours of service annually, and the

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organization has four paid staff members.

Long-serving Kitchen Angels Program Director Tony McCarty told Local iQ that the philosophy of the organization is simple: “Kitchen Angels is dedicated to providing free, nutritious meals to our homebound neighbors facing life-challenging conditions. Everyone involved in the provision of nutrition services to the critically ill and/or elderly knows that appropriate nutrition is a key component in successfully managing any critical or chronic diseases, and we also know that vulnerable populations that are well nourished are less prone to opportunistic infections and hospitalization. We also know that food and nutrition programs help to keep families together, keep communities stable and bring dignity, hope and independence to vulnerable and ill individuals.”

Criteria for acceptance into the Kitchen Angels program include the following: a client must be in a medical or health crisis due to either disease, accident, surgery or hospitalization; a client must be homebound, physically confined due to illness associated with cancer, AIDS or other debilitating conditions; for help in preparing meals on a regular basis, clients must have no other resources available, such as family, friends, church, professional home care or financial aid; and clients must be under 60 years of age or otherwise ineligible for Senior Meals On Wheels.

In special cases, dependents of a single parent who are under the age of 12 may qualify, and clients over 60 in severe medical crisis with extreme dietary restrictions may qualify.

Basically, Kitchen Angels serves clients within the boundaries of the City of Santa Fe, although sometimes extends its service to parts of surrounding Santa Fe County and it has expanded its Frozen Meal Program to other nearby communities.

The current 14,000-square-foot facility on Siler Road houses not only Kitchen Angel’s modern commercial kitchen, but also The Food Depot, which supplies most of the program’s bread along with wholesalers Only The Best and Shamrock Foods, which supply other bulk foods as well as Matt Romero at the Farmers Market.

More than 50 percent of Kitchen Angels funding comes from generous individuals. Volunteers are also needed to deliver meals one day a week.

Visit the organization’s website at kitchenangels.org.

12 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

Winter Spanish Market Festival Noon, Nov. 30, Luncheon with the Artists 6-9p, Fri., Dec. 2 WinterNite Party 8-5p, Sat., Dec. 3 Winter Spanish Market 8-9:30a, Sun., Dec. 4 Winter Market Mass Santa Fe Convention Center 201 West Marcy, 505.982.2226

Prices vary spanishcolonialblog.org

D

eck the halls with art this Christmas. The Spanish Colonial Arts Society is proud to present the 23rd Annual Winter Spanish Market Festival. The festival is an outgrowth of the famous Traditional Spanish Market, held in the Santa Fe Plaza each year in July and the oldest and largest in the United States. The winter market will feature over 100 Hispanic artists who have produced works with a holiday theme — perfect for finishing up any gift-giving opportunities for you or your loved ones. The festival begins with a luncheon with the artists.

The WinterNite Party allows artists to exhibit and sell their art. The Winter Spanish Market will be open all day Saturday, and the Winter Market Mass is scheduled at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis. —JC

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

13

T RAVEL >> DURANGO

winter/retreat O-Bar-O Cabins 11998 County Road 240, Durango, Colo., 970.259.3649 • obaro.com

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or many, a winter getaway can be as simple as a rustic cabin, near a stream full of trout and far away from flat screens, wireless connectivity and cell phone towers; a hidden sanctuary where snow falls endlessly, the trickle of the stream is your music, and the fireplace is your TV. From the outside, the sturdy dwellings that make up O-Bar-O Cabins, just 12 miles east of Durango, and just a few miles south of Lemon Reservoir, seem to be just that place. Comfortably nestled on the banks of the Florida River (where visitors can wake up, walk a few paces and cast a fly into the river), the seven-acre property boasts, below a thicket of tall pine trees, nine log cabins, each topped with rock chimneys just waiting for a roaring fire. If you arrive here looking to escape the modern world, you can.

Thankfully, you don’t have to.

Inside each of these cozy, ultra-clean cabins is the aforementioned flat screen TV, Wi-Fi access, DirecTV, iPod docking stations and a DVD player.

What’s more, visitors are equipped with a plush robe and can choose to either soak their stresses away in the riverside hot tub or by booking a massage in the O-Bar-O Tipi. And don’t bother toting a cooler full of food; just add a grocery package, and the fridge will be full when you arrive.

Owners Susan Barrett and Mike and Maria McGinley purchased the O-Bar-O in the summer of 2009 and completely renovated the structures inside and out. The result is a harmonious experiment in modern rusticity.

O-Bar-O is also very pet friendly, with a dog run located on the grounds.

For skiiers/snowboarders it is the perfect place to get far away enough from Durango mountain for some peace and quiet in the evening, and ostensibly close enough to neighboring Pagosa Springs that a dual trip to Wolf Creek and Durango Mountain is a possibility.

Based on its amenities and location alone, it should go without saying that O-Bar-O is just as enjoyable in the warmer months. But due to the fact that southern Colorado can sometimes seem so much more “wintery” than destinations in New Mexico, this is a cool-weather spot that should go on your “must getaway” list. — Kevin Hopper

14 LOCAL iQ | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

EAT & DRINK>> Ken & Sue’s 636 MAIN AVE., 970.385.1810 kenandsues.com East By Southwest 160 EAST COLLEGE DR., 970.247.5533 eastbysouthwest.com Seasons 764 MAIN AVE., 970.382.9790 seasonsofdurango.com Steamworks Brewing Co. 801 E. 2ND AVE., 970.259.9200 steamworksbrewing.com Ska Brewing Co. 225 GIRARD ST., 970.247.5792 skabrewing.com El Rancho Bar 975 MAIN AVE, 970.259.8111 Carver Brewing Co. 1022 MAIN AVE., 970.259.2545 carverbrewing.com Lady Falconburgh’s Barley Exchange 640 MAIN AVE., 970.382.9664 ladyfalconburgh.biz Strater Hotel 699 MAIN AVE., 970.247.4431 strater.com The Sow’s Ear 48475 U.S. 550, 970.247.3527 sowseardurango.com PLAY>> Durango Mountain Resort 970.247.9000 durangomountainresort. com Ice Pirates Snowmobiling 970.247.3706 dgoicepirates.com Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad durangotrain.com Vallecito Lake vallecitolakechamber.com Wolf Creek Ski Area NORTH OF PAGOSA SPRINGS, 970.264.5639 wolfcreekski.com If you hit the road at 7a, you’ll be on the lift at Wolf Creek by 9:30a and enjoying some of the best powder in the region.

RELAX>> Trimble Hot Springs 6475 COUNTY ROAD 203, 970.247.0212 trimblehotsprings.com RESOURCES>> durangogov.org durangomap.com durangodowntown.com

LOCAL iQ | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

15

T RAVEL >> TAOS

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

EAT & DRINK>> Graham’s Grill 106 PASEO DEL PUEBLO NORTE, 575.751.1350 grahamstaos.com The Love Apple: La Pomme D’Amour 803 PASEO DEL PUEBLO NORTE, 575.751.0050 theloveapple.net La pomme d’amour is the name the French adoringly gave the tomato in the 16th century, and “adoring” is how many people feel about this eatery.

El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa 317 Kit Carson, Taos, 575.737.2985 • elmontesagrado.com

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t was about the time I walked into the Marrakech Suite at the El Monte Sagrado Living Resort and Spa in Taos that I realized there may not be this kind of over-the-top luxury anywhere else in New Mexico.

Sure, there are several amazing high-end resort destinations in the Land of Enchantment, where the accommodations are beautiful and the spa services are memorable. Ojo Caliente, Encantado and Ten Thousand Waves come to mind. But for a combination of remarkably detailed elegance, beautiful grounds and top-line service, El Monte Sagrado is unique.

The resort and spa opened in 2003, not far down Kit Carson Road from the Taos Plaza. Original owner and Taos resident Tom Worrell built the resort with an intent to showcase environmentally sensitive development. Water recycling systems, geothermal heating and solar power are all important elements of the resort’s operation.

The property was bought and expanded in 2007 by Richard Kessler, owner of a collection of luxury hotels and resorts across the country.

Today El Monte Sagrado is an 84-guestroom destination resort unlike anyplace you’ve ever visited. Put aside for a moment the uniqueness of Taos, which charms me every time I visit no matter how jaded I get about living in New Mexico. Pulling into the modest entrance at El Monte Sagrado is like entering another world.

You don’t really notice it at first. The resort on the exterior is a familiar pueblo-style collection of stucco buildings — grand, with wood beams and columns and beautifully landscaped grounds — but very familiar for a New Mexican. It was

only when my traveling companion and I were given a tour of El Monte Sagrado’s many buildings and rooms that the remarkable investment made in this property became clear.

Let’s return to the Marrakech Suite, for example. This is a two-bedroom suite with a full living room, complete with Morrocan fabrics, carpets and design touches, with a tiled and painted fireplace straight out of Arabian Nights. There are rooms like this all over the resort, thoughtfully designed to the last detail.

Or consider the 7,000 square feet of ballroom space, where grand, hand-crafted chandeliers imported from Mexico and Italy hang; or the Living Spa, where a full line of spa services are offered and the roof can open to the outdoors; or the lively Anaconda Bar, where there’s live music on weekends. The list goes on.

We stayed in the Native American Suites, where our accommodations consisted of a bedroom, a separate sitting room with gas fireplace and a vast bathroom. A pond and waterfall murmured just beyond our back patio.

As with everywhere you turn at the resort, it was the meticulous attention to details in our room — quality tile, hand-troweled diamond plaster walls, dark stained wood trim and doors, leather furniture, thoughtful lighting, soaking tub, king bed with decadent pillowtop mattress, etc. — that put our El Monte Sagrado experience on another level.

That attention to detail is why Conde Nast Traveler magazine chose El Monte Sagrado as one of its top resorts in the world for 2011. And it’s why I’ll be going back as soon as I possibly can. —Mike English

16 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

The Gorge Bar and Grill 103-I E. PLAZA, 575.758.8866 thegorgebarandgrill.com Owned and operated by Albuquerque’s Roessler family (Zinc, Seasons, Savoy), so you know it’s good.

Doc Martin’s/Adobe Bar 125 PASEO DEL PUEBLO NORTE, 575.758.1977 taosinn.com Eat a cozy meal at Doc Martin’s inside the historic Taos Inn, or step inside “the living room of Taos” at the adjacent Adobe Bar. Eske’s Brew Pub 106 DES GEORGES, 575.758.1517 eskesbrewpub.com PLAY>> Angel Fire Resort 800.633.7463 angelfireresort.com To get here from El Monte Sagrado, take Kit Carson (Hwy 64) east and wind your way along one of the state’s most picturesque roads.

Red River 575.754.2223 redriverskiarea.com Taos Ski Valley 575.776.2291 skitaos.org RESOURCES>> taos.org taoschamber.com

T RAV E L > > RUIDOSO Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino 287 Carrizo Canyon, Mescalero, 800.545.9011 • innofthemountaingods.com

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outh of Albuquerque, in the wooded village of Ruidoso, reside some great people surrounded by some wonderful things happening on a daily basis. The town’s main drive is dotted with shops, art galleries, cafes and motels, a bustling strip to wander up and down, by foot or car.

My destination was the Inn of the Mountain Gods — which is actually in Mesacalero, on the edge of Ruidoso, and is owned and operated by the Mescalero Apache Tribe. With views of nearby Sierra Blanca, the peak in the Sacramento Mountains of the Southern Rockies, and the serene Lake Mescalero at the back of the resort, it’s truly a place of beauty.

In 1975 the first version of the resort was built, but as progress often commands, decades later it was time for a change, and a massive remodel was completed in 2005. It’s stunning, even for those of us who miss the old school wood facade and 1970s flare of the original resort.

With good stuff like riding stables, a big game hunting lodge, and the favored Ted Robinson-designed championship golf course, there seems to be something to keep everyone busy and happy here.

The amenities at the Inn are over the top, and the staff never ceases to amaze with personal attention. Paintings, sculptures and photography from Mescalero artists line walls and major rooms. One of the admirable attributes here is that the casino is not visible to the main part of the Inn, visitors have to head down a vast open walkway to get there.

The Inn also has several dining options. The Gathering of Nations Buffet is quite good, and the Big Game Sports Bar, in the casino area, is a good place for a burger. Plus Apache Tee (the one spot that still has the feel of the Inn from the days before the remodel) offers really delicious breakfast burritos, and they serve lunch as well.

The pinnacle of dining happens downstairs, however, at the lovely Wendell’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant. Here you find the feel of a true old-style steakhouse, warm and welcoming — if Tre’ is serving when

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

EAT & DRINK>> Blue Goose Cafe 201 EAGLE, 575.257.8652 Grace O’Malley’s Irish Pub 2331 SUDDERTH, 575.630.0219

you are there, you are bound to have a fun time, on top of eating well. I ordered the plated Classic Caesar Salad for a starter. It was perfect. For my main course, I chose the Pecan Crusted Atlantic Salmon, poached in white wine, crisp pecan crust with asparagus and lemon gastrique and jasmine rice pilaf. Plus the roasted corn jalapeno custard. I loved this meal.

Just across the way is Wendell’s Lounge, where you can just sit back and enjoy a well-poured cocktail. If Tammy is behind the bar, you get some good conversation going, to boot.

Up and around the mountain from the inn is Ski Apache. For those of us old enough to recall, it was opened under the name of Sierra Blanca in 1961, by Robert O. Anderson. The main lodge, designed by Victor Lundy, still stands regal. And the very first mono-cable, four-passenger gondola in North America still goes up and down the hill. But the rest of the area has grown into one tremendous region to hit the slopes. A recent tour showed me just how upgraded things have become.

Ski Apache is the home of the Disabled Skiers’ Program (skiapachedisabledskiersprogram.com) — the first of its kind, a model for many and rewarding to everyone. They even have snowmakers, but as they say, “Pray for snow!” —Steven J. Westman

Sacred Grounds 2825 SUDDERTH, 575.257.2273 sacredgroundscoffeeshop. com Comal 2117 SUDDERTH, 575.258.1397 Buffets 1925 SUDDERTH, 575.257.5669 Brunell’s 2316 SUDDERTH, 575.257.2911 brunellsofruidoso.com PLAY>> Ski Apache 1286 SKI RUN, 575.464.3600 skiapache.com Ruidoso Winter Park 500 SKI RUN ROAD, 574.336.7079 ruidosowinterpark.com ALL about tubing. Much fun for kids of all ages.

RESOURCES>> ruidoso.net

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

17

T RAVEL >> SANTA FE

Ten Thousand Waves 3451 Hyde Park, 505.982.9304 • tenthousandwaves.com

W

hen compared to the other 49 states in the United States, New Mexico is an exotic locale. What other towns in the country bear any resemblance to Taos or Santa Fe? Given that quality, a gracefully-executed import of exotic culture can often have a much more profound affect on New Mexicans than, say, folks from Texas, Colorado or even California. Local iQ readers familiar with the traditional Japanese-themed Ten Thousand Waves spa and resort, located at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains just a short drive east of Santa Fe, have likely felt that affect.

Aside from the substantial amount of sushi restaurants that dot the New Mexican map, tangible examples of Japanese culture are rare in the high desert. If there is a nexus, it lies here, among a moon-soaked landscape dotted with native piñons reminiscent of the Japanese tradition of bonsai.

Not only did the creators of this now legendary southwestern resort pay impeccable attention to atmospheric detail — every stone, pebble, light, door trim, pathway and bamboo accent harmoniously sink into the quiet hillside — they took a studied and astute approach to its menu of services. Ten Thousand Waves closely mirrors a traditional Japanese onsen (hot springs) or sento (bathhouse). Pitched-roof structures with bamboo accents hide away private tubs and treatment rooms accessed by guests after ascending a lengthy and scrupulously manicured stone stairwell (handicap accessibility also available).

The spa’s lobby/gift shop is filled with Japaneseinspired trinkets, tea sets and books on zen gardens, as well as hard-to-find organic beauty products. Clad only in thin robes adorned with Japanese characters, resort guests effortlessly glide by each other, herbal tea in hand as they head toward private or communal tubs for a soak, or possibly one of many soothing spa treatments offered here.

During a recent visit, this writer and a spa mate were treated to an hour-long soak in the “Ichiban” indoor/outdoor space, one of the resort’s premium private tubs. Replete with a pair of handthrown ceramic tubs, a roomy dry sauna, a traditional Japanese shower and a high-tech, fully-automated Japanese toilet, this clean and well-designed space ostensibly proved that East beats West in terms of staying clean and saving water. This was followed by a 30 minute visit to a relaxation room before indulging in an 80 minute “Nose to Toes” treatment. This luxurious massage was a sort of mixed-bag of techniques that included full body exfoliation, an extended Yasuragi head, neck and shoulder treatment, Gentle Thai stretches and a Japanese foot massage followed by a foot scrub. Relaxation has never been more relaxed.

Winter or otherwise, tranquility is dished out in abundance every day at Ten Thousand Waves — but with patches of snow on the ground, a hot tub seems even hotter. This makes an overnight

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

EAT & DRINK>> Clafoutis 402 NORTH GUADALUPE, 505.988.1809 Evangelos Cocktail Lounge 200 W SAN FRANCISCO, 505.982.9014 Il Piatto 95 W. MARCY, 505.984.1091 ilpiattosantafe.com One of Santa Fe’s best Italian eateries.

La Boca 72 WEST MARCY, 505.982.3433 labocasf.com Mouth-watering tapas and a deep wine list.

Low ‘n Slow Bar at Hotel Chimayo 125 WASHINGTON, 505.983.9322 hotelchimayo.com A unique low rider-themed bar with killer craft cocktails.

The newly-renovated Hotel Chimayo is also a great alternate lodging spot.

Rio Chama Steakhouse 414 OLD SANTA FE TRAIL, 505.955.0765 riochamasteakhouse.com

© DEBORAH FLEIG

stay all-too-convenient an option for guests here; one that my spa mate and I just couldn’t resist.

To add to this blissfully drawn-out, metaphysical exalt, book an overnight stay in one of Ten Thousand Waves newly renovated rooms — much more welcoming than a drive home. Ours was Sailor Moon, an ode to the Japanese comic book and perfect for the techie in all of us. The room included a double shower room, a day bed that sits under a ceiling of “stars” and one of the most comfortable beds you’ll ever sleep in.

Though each room features a kitchenette and a small amount of food (take your own if you choose), hunger pangs forced my spa mate and I into town for a bowl of traditional Japanese ramen at Shibumi, one of Santa Fe’s newest and best restaurants.

Bliss, serenity and a tangible sense of peace are offered in abundance at Ten Thousand Waves. It has been the case for 30 years, and with all of the current renovations and additions to this sanctuary, this will likely be a perfect winter getaway option for at least 30 more.

— Kevin Hopper

18 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

Shibumi Ramenya 26 CHAPELLE, 505.428.0077 shibumiramen.com Traditional Japanese Ramen and other delicious fare in the tradition of izakaya (the Japanese equivalent of the gastro pub).

Staab House at La Posada de Santa Fe Resort & Spa 330 E. PALACE, 505.986.0000 PLAY>> Ski Santa Fe skisantafe.com Just up the road from Ten Thousand Waves, where an aprés ski soak awaits you.

Valles Caldera National Preserve 866.382.5537 vallescaldera.gov Enjoy expansive views on a one-of-a-kind cross-country skiing or snowshoe adventure. Or for a slower paced tour, book a horse-drawn sleigh ride through this varied landscape.

RESOURCES>> santafe.org santafe.com

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

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T RAVE L > > FL AG STAF F NEARBY ATTRACTIONS

410 Bed and Breakfast 410 Leroux, Flagstaff, Ariz., 928.774.0088 • inn410.com

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EAT & DRINK>> Diablo Burger 120 N. LEROUX, 928.774.3274 diabloburger.com Pato 104 N. SAN FRANCISCO, 928.226.8940 patothai.com Delicious Thai food.

little over five hours driving west on I-40 lands you into Flagstaff, Ariz. A historic mountain town Karma 6 E. ROUTE 66, 928.774.6100 packed with highly entertaining goings on, it’s well karmaflagstaff.com worth the trek across old Route 66.

Fresh sushi and great cocktails.

Late for the Train This time of year, Flagstaff’s ski mountain, 1071 OLD CANYON, Snowbowl, is about to open. It’s a great peak for 928.773.0100 lateforthetrain.com hitting the slopes. Sledding or snowshoeing at A coffee shop not to be missed. the Flagstaff Nordic Center is a great destination Try the Fireman Mocha, dosed with two shots of espresso and a as well. For those looking for something a bit less hint of habanero. vigorous, the downtown district is the place to be.

Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar Downtown Flagstaff is full of locally-owned shops, 413 N. SAN FRANCISCO, 928.213.1021 galleries and eateries, as well as wonderful places brixflagstaff.com to stay.

Museum Club 3404 E. ROUTE 66, On a recent trip, I ended up at the Inn at 410 Bed 928.526.9434 and Breakfast. And all I can say is WOW! A lovely themuseumclub.com home built in 1894, 410 boasts nine distinctive Monte Vista Cocktail Lounge 100 N. SAN FRANCISCO, rooms, each one special in its own way. The 928.779.6971 proprietors, Gordon Watkins and Frank Balaszi, hotelmontevista.com One of the best spots in town are sublime hosts. Breakfast is yummy, and the for some drinks and people dining room is often full of conversations and watching. information about what is happening around PLAY>> town.

Snowbowl 928.779.1951 I was able to experience two rooms during my stay arizonasnowbowl.com at the 410. The first night was in The Southwest Flagstaff Nordic Center Suite (appropriate for this New Mexican). It’s 928.220.0550 actually two rooms, with a jacuzzi and a fireplace, flagstaffnordiccenter.com nicely decorated with furnishings and artwork RESOURCES>> distinctive to the Four Corners Region’s Native flagstaffarizona.org flagstaffchamber.com American tribes. Everything — from the Gilchrist & Soames soaps to the king-size pillow-top bed — made my stay a purely lavish one.

In the evenings, the main room of the house is arranged for entertaining the guests. A bar is set up for you to help yourself to vodka, brandy, hot cider, lemonade and snacks. And there are always homemade cookies to be found and devoured. Outside in the garden is a gazebo and several tables and chairs to enjoy the fresh Arizona air.

Breakfast may come in the form of Watkins’ homemade quiche. On my first morning I found myself loving the three-cheese tomato quiche, served with a side of chicken asiago sausage, warm and flaky butter croissants and a bowl of fresh and savory fruits. The coffee is top rate, and makes one want to sit back and enjoy the new day.

My second night was in The Tea Room Suite. This used to be the kitchen, before the house became an inn.

The 410 Bed and Breakfast is a truly beautiful and serene spot. Honestly, I did not want to check out. And I will return again, and again. It’s more than lodging, it’s an enlightening time, and your hosts make it all the better. —Steven J. Westman

20 LOCAL iQ | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

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MUSIC

L I V E MU S I C

SUBMIT TO LO CAL i Q The next deadline is Nov. 30 for the Dec. 8 issue.

Please send calendar entries to: calendar@local-iQ.com f: 888.520.9711 a: PO Box 7490 ABQ., N.M. 87194 USE THIS FORMAT:

Venue Band GENRE Time, Cost

Ocote Soul Sounds was founded by Martin Perna (left) and Adrian Quesada. The two musicians build on their experience in other bands (Antibalas, Groupo Fantasma, BrownOut) to create a unique, soulful sound utilizing instruments like Cuban drums, flute and funky ’70s-vintage keyboards.

Afro-Latin voodoo Ocote Soul Sounds builds bridge from traditional to modern for unique blend of funky, electronic, downtempo sound How did these guys get not only their ancient-world knowledge but also that psychotropic, authentic

BY SHAVONE OTERO sound? In a recent Local iQ interview with Quesada, he emphasized his “quest of continuing to et’s take it back old school. Naw, like study music.” As a kid, Quesada mostly listened to hip hop, rock ’n’ roll and punk music. (Beastie real old school. We’re talking Nahuatl Boys, Guns N’ Roses and Anthrax were some of the first records he owned). Growing up in the language-inspired, Aztec style. border town of Laredo, Texas, meanwhile, Quesada also heard Latin, tejano and cumbia music.

Austin-based band Ocote Soul Sounds “At that age, that kind of music seemed like old people music,” Quesada said. “It was a bit of links tradition to the modern mundo through discovery to get to the roots of the music that I heard growing up. I did a bit of research and its South American-folkloric-psychedelic-Latindiscovered music like the golden age of Columbian cumbia.” funk. Founders Martín Perna (Antibalas) and Adrian Quesada (Grupo Fantasma, BrownOut) Quesada began playing guitar at age 13 and has since progressed from playing at house parties and their extensive, national group of musical as the guitarist with Grupo Fantasma (which played in Albuquerque at the El Rey Theater last collaborators — including Tita Lima and Natalia February, and is scheduled to play there again in January) to a decade of touring with Clavier (Thievery Corporation), that band, to winning a Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album for John Speice, Eddie Torres, Marcos the group’s fifth album, El Existential. He is also involved in multiple other projects Ocote Soul Garcia and Chico Mann (to as a community activist, cultural entrepreneur and co-founder of The Echocentrics, name a few) — create a distinct, BrownOut and, of course, Ocote Soul Sounds.

Sounds soulful sound involving unique His counterpart Perna is not shy of multi-achievement either. Born in Philadelphia 9p, Wed., Dec. 7 instruments like the farfisa, and a graduate of New York University and the University of Texas, this social Low Spirits electric harpsichord, Cuban drums entrepreneur, educator and multidisciplinary artist has worked with artists like TV 2823 2nd NW, and ’70s-esque, funky, vintage on the Radio, Scarlett Johansson, Baaba Maal and Sharon Jones, to name a few. He is 505.344.9555 keyboards to produce a groovyauthor of the children’s book, BLACKOUT!, and an apprentice of earth architecture $10 sounding, folktronic rhythm. master Nader Khalili, with whom he works on projects with super-adobe architecture Tickets: holdmyticket.

The group made its debut in 2004 in Michoacán, Mexico, and Austin. And that’s not mentioning his multi-instrumental com lowspiritslive.com after a serendipitous connection talent. in 2003 between BrooklynPerhaps it’s the persistence and determination of being a Taurus that both Quesasa based Perna and Austin-dweller and Perna share that drives their imagination and creation to successful production.

Quesada, who started jamming in Austin after It was enough to at least inspire the name of their fourth and strongest album to date, Taurus, Martín broke down on his way to Mexico in his produced by Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation, which bulled through to its release in May 2011. vegetable oil-running Mercedes Benz station With politically and socially conscious tracks like “STTP (Speak Truth To Power)” to musing Italian wagon. The jam-session was enough to launch ballads like “Nessuno,” Taurus bursts into audible delight with new sounds and traditional concepts. yet another side project for both musicians, and In an interview with Local iQ, Perna said the song “STTP (Speak Truth To Power)” is about “the thus Ocote Soul Sounds was created. need to not remain silent in the face of the massive media echo chamber by constantly challenging “Ocote” comes from the Nahuatl word ocotl, the lies, half truths and spin that are blasted at us every day.” the indigenous name for “pine tree,” as known Of the song “Nessuno,” Perna said, “I was thinking about Arizona and Joe Arpaio and all the to the native people of Mexico and Central persecution and human rights violations there with his treatment of undocumented immigrants America. The wood is fire and bug-resistant and and other folks, and wanted to write a song in Italian, a language of some of my ancestors as well is harvested for it s multifunctional abilities, as Arpaio’s, to remind everyone in various ways of our experiences as Italian immigrants who were including use as charcoal. The philosophy lynched in 15 states and stigmatized with the same racist language that’s being used to describe behind the fire-starting concept sparked the immigrants from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.” name for the project, and contributes to the group’s traditional and modern connection.

The Dec. 7 show marks the kickoff of a new tour for Ocote Soul Sounds. Orale! Torro!

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22 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

List events any time for free at local-iQ.com *Events are always subject to change, check with individual venues before heading out ** CALENDAR LISTINGS ARE A FREE SERVICE AND MAY BE CUT DUE TO SPACE. PREFERENCE IS GIVEN TO FREE EVENTS.

THU 24 Burt’s Tiki Lounge The Universal - Original Weekly Dance Party w/CLKCLKBNG & Guests DANCE/ ELECTRO/INDIE 8:30p-2a, FREE

Imbibe College night with DJ Flo Fader 9p, FREE Lotus Nightclub & VIP Ultralounge Temptation Thursdays with DJs AI & J-Roc HIP HOP/DANCE 10p, FREE/21+, $10/18+

Sandia Resort & Casino - Action Lounge DJ Cut & Huggy the Entertainer 8pmidnight, FREE

Sandia Resort & Casino - Bien Shur Entertainment Salsa Thursdays 8p-12a, FREE St. Clair Winery & Bistro Thanksgiving Day Dinner 6p, FREE

FRI 25 ABQ Brew Pub Kyle Martin ACOUSTIC 7-10p, FREE Adobe Bar (Taos Inn) Horse Opera HONKY TONK/COUNTRY 6:30p, FREE

Blackbird Buvette Mega Blast with Dave 12 & Gabe 10p, FREE

Blue Tower Lounge The Midnight Sun VARIETY 9p, FREE Burt’s Tiki Lounge The Deadtown Lovers 8:30p-2a, FREE Club Warehouse Perfect Stranger COUNTRY 9p, FREE Cosmo Tapas Andrew Paul Jazz Ensemble 7-10p, FREE Cowgirl BBQ The Yawper’s INDIE/ROCK/COUNTRY/BLUES 8p, $5

El Rey Theater Your Memorial 7p, $10-$13

MUSIC

LI V E M USIC GiG Round Mountain FOLK 7:30p, $15 Imbibe DJ Rotation 10p, FREE Jazzbah Alma Jazz JAZZ 9p-1a, FREE Lotus Nightclub & VIP Ultralounge UV Fridays with DJ XES and special guest DJs EDM/HOUSE/TOP 40/ DANCE 10p, FREE/21+, $10/18+

Marcello’s Chophouse Karl Richardson Duo JAZZ 6:309:30p, FREE

Mine Shaft Tavern Open Mic Night hosted by Shelly 8p-midnight, FREE

Molly’s Marilyn Hubbard 1:30-5p, FREE Memphis P-Tails 5:30-9:30p, FREE Monte Vista Fire Station The Atomic Spies 9p, FREE Mykonos Cafe & Tavern Sid Fendley Duo 6:30p, FREE Ned’s On The Rio Grande The Electric Edric Project ROCK 8-11p, FREE

Outpost Performance Space Tom Russell: In Concert and Conversation 7:30p, $20-$25 Sandia Resort & Casino Action Lounge Blue Sol 9:30p-1:30a, FREE Sandia Resort & Casino Bien Shur Entertainment Kari Simmons Group 9p-1a, FREE Scalo II Bar Le Chat Lunatique 8:30p, FREE St. Clair Winery & Bistro Patti Littlefield 6:30p, FREE Uptown Sports Bar Severo y Grupo Fuego SALSA/ CUMBIA 9p-1a, FREE

SAT 26 Blackbird Buvette Small Flightless Birds, The Great Rakes, Mark E Moon 10p, FREE

On Wed., Dec. 7, Denver roots act Oakhurst will perform on the Santa Fe Sol stage (37 Fire Place, Santa Fe, solsantafe. com) with supporting acts Squash Blossom Boys and Todd & The Fox. All ages show at 7:30p. $5 cover.

Blue Tower Lounge The Midnight Sun VARIETY 9p, FREE

Burt’s Tiki Lounge The Elected Officials, Domestic Violence, Deadmary 8:30p-2a, FREE

Club Warehouse Dj Automatic 9p, FREE CoolWater Fusion Shane Wallin SOUL/POP 6-8p, FREE Cooperage Havana Son SALSA 9:30p, $7 Cosmo Tapas Micky Cruz Duo LATIN 7-10p, FREE Cowgirl BBQ Bluegrass Jam hosted by Cathy Faber 1-4p, FREE Joe West & Friends FOLK/COUNTRY/ROCK 8p, $5

Imbibe DJ Rotation 10p, FREE Immanuel Prebyterian Church Quintessence: Choral Artists of the Southwest present Messiah Sing!

Lotus Nightclub Saturday Night Live with DJs J-Roc and Justin George HIP HOP/DANCE 10p, FREE/21+, $10/18+

Low Spirits Lost Lingo, Felonious Groove Foundation, Elder Grown 8p, $5 Marcello’s Chophouse Tony Rodriguez Duo 6:30-9:30p, FREE

Mine Shaft Tavern The Distant Rumblers “Willow Doug & Pete Amahl” AMERICANA 8p-midnight, FREE

Molly’s 505 Blues Band 1:30-5p, FREE Bailout 5:30-9:30p, FREE Monte Vista Fire Station Le Chat Lunatique 9p, FREE Mykonos Cafe & Taverna Karl Richardson & Kompany 6:30p, FREE

Jazzbah Chrys Page INDIGO SWING 9p-mid-

Sandia Resort & Casino Action Lounge Blue Sol 9:30p-1:30a, FREE Sandia Resort & Casino Bien Shur Entertainment Sweetlife 9p-1a, FREE Scalo II Bar Todd and the Fox FOLK/ROCK 8:30p,

night, $10 after 10p

FREE

3p, FREE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

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Sol Santa Fe Tom Russell SINGER/SONGWRITER 7:30p, $29

St. Clair Winery & Bistro Natural Vibe 6:30p, FREE St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church The Promise of Ages feat.

Sweelinck, Buxtehude and Sametz CLASSICAL/HOLIDAY 7:30p, $10-$15

Uptown Sports Bar Karaoke 9p-1a, FREE Warehouse 21 Alix Monasterio and David Dean Concert 7-10p, $3

SUN 27 Blackbird Buvette 7 Inches to Freedom 6p, FREE

Church of Beethoven The Brazil Project featuring Bert Dalton, Patty Stephens, Rob “Milo” Jaramillo, John Bartlit and Frank Leto 10:30a, $5-$15 Cowgirl BBQ The Bob Dylan Brunch 12-3p, FREE The Matt Nestor Band ROCK/FUNK/ SKA/BLUES 8p, FREE

Hardwood Museum of Art of UNM Indian Musical Concert: Ragas performed on the Sarode and Pakhawaj INDIAN 7p, $12-$15 Hotel Andaluz Club Beethoven featuring Laura Metcalf, James Shields and Teddy Robie 5p, $5-$15 Il Vicino Canteen Brewery Finn’s Thumb IRISH 3-6p, FREE Immanuel Pres. Church The Promise of Ages feat.

Sweelinck, Buxtehude and Sametz CLASSICAL/HOLIDAY 7:30p, $10-$15

Launchpad Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Champagne Champagne, Xperience 7:30p, $15

Mine Shaft Tavern Gene Corbin AMERICANA 3-7p, FREE O’Niell’s Pub Geeks Who Drink Trivia 9p, FREE St. Clair Winery & Bistro Paid My Dues Blues 6p, FREE

MON 28 Blackbird Buvette Blackbird Karaoke with DJ Kammo 9p, FREE

Cowgirl BBQ Cowgirl Karaoke hosted by Michele Leidig 9p, FREE Marcello’s Chophouse Open Piano Night 6:30-9:30p, FREE

TUE 29 Blackbird Buvette Geeks Who Drink 7p, FREE The Funky Child 3, Wae Fonkeys BDay Jam 9p, FREE Blue Tower Lounge Karaoke 8p, FREE Burt’s Tiki Lounge Tiki Tuesdays with Kids, Emergency 911 and Every You 8:30p-2a, FREE Cowgirl BBQ Porch Mice WESTERN FOLK/INDIE COUNTRY 8p, FREE

Imbibe College Night with DJ Automatic & Drummer Camilo Quinones 9p, FREE

Molly’s Kevin Clower & Militaristic Hippies 5:30-9:30p, FREE

Indie rock phenoms, The Airborne Toxic Event, makes its New Mexico performance debut at Sunshine Theater on Mon., Dec. 5. Doors for the show, presented by 104.1 FM The Edge, open at 7p. Tickets are $20 and available at holdmyticket.com.

Sandia Resort & Casino Action Lounge Karaoke with DJ Cut & Huggy the Entertainer 8p-12a, FREE Scalo II Bar Wildewood FOLK/AMERICANA 8:30p, FREE

WED 30 Blackbird Buvette DJ Prophet: The Prometheus Juxtaposition CD Release Party 10p, FREE

Burt’s Tiki Lounge Vinyl and Verses featuring the UHF B-Boy Crew UNDERGROUND HIP HOP 8:30p-2a, FREE

Cowgirl BBQ Song Swap with Sean Healen & Special Guest ROCK/FOLK/POP/BLUES 8p, FREE

Jazzbah Alex Maryol 7-10p, FREE Launchpad Fair To Midland, Dead Letter Circus, Aficionado, Beforethiscity 6:30p, $10

Marcello’s Chophouse Larry Friedman 6:30-9:30p, FREE Molly’s Sam I Am 5:30-9:30p, FREE Mykonos Cafe & Taverna Sid Fendley 6:30p, FREE O’Niell’s Pub Geeks Who Drink Trivia 9p, FREE Sandia Resort & Casino Action Lounge DJ Cut & Huggy the Entertainer 8p-12a, FREE

Scalo II Bar Cali Shaw Acoustic Showcase featuring Chuck Hawley 8:30p, FREE St. Clair Winery & Bistro Milo Jaramillo Trio 6p, FREE UNM Hospital’s Barbara and Bill Richardson Pavilion Café Odigbo Adama AFRICAN DANCING/ DRUMMING 12-1p, FREE

Warehouse 21 Open Mic Night 7-9p, FREE

24 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

THU 1 Blackbird Buvette KGB Klub 10p, FREE Corrales Bistro & Brewery Spankey Lee 6-9p, FREE Cowgirl BBQ Gal Holiday JAZZ/ZYDECO/FUNK 8p, FREE

Fellowship Church Public Academy for Performing Arts Winter Band Concert 7p, FREE Imbibe College night with DJ Flo Fader 9p, FREE

Jazzbah Sez Who JAZZ 9p-12a, FREE Keller Hall - UNM Main Campus UNM’s Dolce Suono and Recital Choir presents their Winter Concert 7:30p, FREE Launchpad The Grouch, Zion I, Eligh, Evidence, DJ Fresh, Mouse Powell “How The Grouch Stole Christmas 2011” HIP HOP 8p, $20 Lotus Nightclub & VIP Ultralounge Temptation Thursdays with DJ’s AI & J-Roc HIP HOP/DANCE 10p, FREE for 21+ $10 for 18+

Low Spirits Shoulder Voices, Blame It On Rebekkah, Blue Ruin 9p, FREE Marcello’s Chophouse Karl Richardson 6:30-9:30p, FREE Mykonos Cafe & Taverna Jazz Night 6:30p, FREE Old Town Holiday Shop and Stroll Spankey Lee 2p, FREE Outpost Performance Space SuperSax New Mexico featuring Arlen Asher, Dave Anderson, Kanoa Kaluhiwa, Lee Taylor, Glenn Kostur, Bert Dalton, Michael Glynn, Cal Haines and Bobby Shew 7:30p, $15-$20

Sandia Resort & Casino Bien Shur Entertainment Salsa Thursdays 8p-12a, FREE

Santa Ana Star Center Mannheim Steamroller Holiday Concert 7:30p, FREE Scalo II Bar CrazyFool with Mondo Vibrations ROCK/REGGAE 6-11p, FREE

St. Clair Winery & Bistro Todd Tijerina 6p, FREE Sunshine Theater Unearth, Chimaira, Skeletonwitch, and Molotov Solution 7p, $18

FRI 2 ABQ Brew Pub Dominic Pettine ACOUSTIC ROCK 7-10p, FREE

Blackbird Buvette The Joe Silva Group 7p, FREE The MashUp Test with Kent 10p, FREE

Cowgirl BBQ Hello Doll Face INDIE/BLUES 8p, $5 El Rey Theater Keller Williams 7:30p, $22-$25 GiG Roberto Capocchi CLASSICAL GUITAR 7:30p, $15

Hope Evangelical Free Church Celebration! Chorale presents Images of Christmas directed Wayne Saxon with your Holiday favorites and a sing-along 7:30p, FREE Imbibe DJ Rotation 10p, FREE Jazzbah Le Chat Lunatique 9p, FREE Keller Hall - UNM Main Campus Las Cantatas with harpist Lynn Gorman Develder 4p, $4-$8 Launchpad Dr. Carter’s CD Release Party with Simes Carter, Jimmy J, Spursz, High C, TNT Crew, WREX, ROCKO, Reno Brown, Quatro, ERA Kills, Blue Entertainment, Easy Street, Melissa Lopez, Taz and DJ Kool Arrow 6p, $10

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Low Spirits Two Year pening a live music venue on a fairly Anniversary industrial stretch of road far from FEATURING BOB LOG the Central corridor is a questionable III WITH THE KILL SPECbusiness move, but one that seems to have TORS, SIN SERENADE, JOE payed off for local promoter Joe Anderson.

NOVELLI Dubbed Low Spirits, for its focus on 8p, Fri., Dec. 2 more bluesy/roots music, the venue has Low Spirits nonetheless grown to become a favorite for 2823 2nd NW the local rock graduates of Launchpad and lowspiritslive.com Sunshine Theater (also run by Anderson), who have of late seem to have grown an affinity for bluegrass.

But for its two-year anniversary, Anderson recruited the likes of Bob Log III, a scotch-loving one man band from Tucson, who performs raucous foot-stomping slide guitar blues numbers dressed in a unitard and a space helmet — sort of like a space-age Hasil Adkins. Log also employs a pair of “professional women,” who help round out his stage show and stir his drinks. At the core of Log’s music is a little something called rock ‘n’ roll. If you remember exactly what that is and exactly what that sounds like, you are officially the target audience of Low Spirits. So why not toast two years gone by? —Kevin Hopper

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ndie music artists from Seattle often David Bazan seem to get a free pass to the head WITH SAD BABY WOLF of the line, as if the simple fact of 8p, Tue., Dec. 6 geographic location confers unusual Low Spirits levels of talent on anyone who picks 2823 2nd NW, 505.344.9555 up an instrument in that dank corner $10 of the country. In the case of David Tickets: lowspiritslive.com, Bazan, however, the stereotype proves holdmyticket.com true. The former drummer, singer and davidbazan.com songwriter for Pedro the Lion broke lowspiritslive.com out on his own in 2006 and made a splash as a solo artist with 2008’s Curse Your Branches. Songs from that album like “Please, Baby, Please” confirmed Bazan’s signature talents as a musician, which include an intuitive sense of catchy melody, an earnest, rich vocal style and a knack for thoughtful lyrics.

Bazan released his second solo record, Strange Negotiations, earlier this year, and reviewers have noted its more pared-down-rock approach.

He’ll be visiting Albuquerque with his three-man band and a large dose of that Pacific Northwest musical skill. —Mike English

“E

minem wannabe.” “Maker Macklemore and Ryan Lewis of safe, accessible hip WITH CHAMPAGNE CHAMPAGNE AND XPERIENCE hop pop for young white people.” “House of Pain retread.”

7:30p, Sun., Nov. 27 Those are the criticisms of Seattle Launchpad rapper Macklemore, but they miss 618 Central SW, 505.764.8887 the fundamental fact of his growing $15 popularity — the dude, along with Tickets: holdmyticket.com his compatriot, DJ and producer macklemore.com Ryan Lewis, has got ambition and launchpadrock.com talent on a big scale. Whether it’s building above R&B grooves on songs like “Love Song” or rapping about his personal experience of being hooked on OxyContin on the edgy “Otherside,” Macklemore spits words in a rhythmic patter over orchestral arrangements more suited for the pop radio dial than just about any hip hop you’ll find. And while some might see the digestibility of Macklemore’s sound as a reason to greet his rap with cynicism, meanwhile he’s packing large venues in the Northwest and selling out shows in places like New York City, Los Angeles and Dublin.

Macklemore and Lewis have been building their popularity by releasing singles and videos only on the Internet, and whatever they’re doing, it’s working. The Launchpad is just about the smallest place you’ll see them perform. —Mike English

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

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Lotus Nightclub & VIP Ultralounge UV Fridays with DJ XES and special guest DJs EDM/HOUSE/TOP 40/ DANCE 10p, FREE/21+ $10/18+

Low Spirits Low Spirits 2 Year Anniversary Party featuring Bob Log III, The Kill Spectors and Sin Serenade 8p, $10 Marcello’s Chophouse Karl Richardson Duo 6:30-9:30p, FREE

Monte Vista Fire Station Felix y Los Gatos 9p, FREE Mykonos Cafe & Taverna Sid Fendley Duo 6:30p, FREE Outpost Performance Space Susan McKeown SINGER/SONGWRITER/CELTIC 7:30p, $15-$20

Scalo II Bar Jackie Zamora Brazilian Quartet 9p, FREE St. Clair Winery & Bistro The DCN Project 6:30p, FREE Vanessie Santa Fe The Tiho Dirmitrov Band BLUES/ ROCK/POP/SOUL 8p, FREE

SAT 3 Blackbird Buvette Journeys in Belly Dance 7p, FREE Close Contact with DeeJay Kevan 80S/ELECTRO 10p, FREE

Casa Rondeña Winery UNM Concert Choir, Jazz Choir and Recital Choir presents: Annual Holiday Fundraiser Concert 3p & 6p, $25 (includes one glass of wine) Christ Lutheran Church Wayne Saxon HOLIDAY/SINGALONG 7p, FREE

Club Warehouse Dj Automatic 9p, FREE CoolWater Fusion Shane Wallin POP/ROCK 6-8p, FREE Cooperage Café Mocha SALSA 9:30p, $7 Cowgirl BBQ The Country Blues Revue BLUES 2p, FREE

Felix y Los Gatos ZYDECO/WESTERN/ SWING/AMERICANA/BLUES 8p, $5

Lotus Nightclub & VIP Ultralounge Saturday Night Live with DJ’s J-Roc and Justin George HIP HOP/DANCE

Imbibe College night with DJ Automatic & Drummer Camilo Quinones

10p, FREE for 21+ $10 for 18+

Jazzbah JazzBars with Hakim Be 6:30-8p,

9p, FREE

Low Spirits Burque Burlesque Presents: Tinis and Teasers feat. Cowboys and Indian, Kitty Irrevent, Joy Coy, Cherry Jubilee, General Blackry, Holly Rebelle, Zircus Erotique and Godiva Bleu 9p, $10 Marcello’s Chophouse Tony Rodriguez Duo 6:30-9:30p,

FREE

Low Spirits David Bazan, Sad Baby Wolf 9p, $10

N4th Theater Eva Ave & Carlosaur VARIETY 12p, FREE

Popejoy Hall UNM University Chorus/Concert Choir/Symphony Orchestra presents: Puccini’s Messa di Gloria

FREE

Monte Vista Fire Station Memphis P-Tails BLUES 9p, FREE Mykonos Cafe & Taverna Sid Fendley Trio 6:30p, FREE Scalo II Bar Felonious Groove Foundation

7:30p, $7.50-$15.50 PHOTO BY VICTORIA ROGERS

FUNK 9p, FREE

On Sun., Dec. 4, local jazz legend, Bobby Shew, will perform “A Concert of Ballads” at Center for Spiritual Living (2801 Louisiana NE, 505.881.4311, cslabq.org). Show at 4p. $20.

First United Methodist Church The Kaemper Music Series: Amahl and the Night Visitors OPERA 3p,

St. Clair Winery & Bistro No Exit 6:30p, FREE St. Luke Lutheran Church The Enchanted Mesa Show Chorus presents: Let It Snow 2:30p & 7p,

Church of Beethoven Oboe “Four Figment Fragments” Bach Double and Rameau CLASSI-

St. John’s United Methodist Church Quintessence: A Gift To Be Simple

$5-$10

$7-$10

CAL/SPOKEN WORD 10:30a, $5-$15

3p, $5-$15

Imbibe DJ Akata 10p, FREE Immanuel Presbyterian Church Quintessence: A Gift To Be Simple

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church The Westside Concert Chorale: Holiday in Song 7:30p, $7 Uptown Sports Bar Karaoke 9p-1a, FREE

Cowgirl BBQ The Bob Dylan Brunch 12-3p,

East Mountain Library Watermelon Mountain Jug Band BLUEGRASS 11:30a, FREE

5p, $5-$15

Jazzbah Bert Dalton Trio featuring Milo Jaramillo and John Bartlit 9p-12a, $10 after 10p

Launchpad Duke City Darlins presents: Suspended, Requiem Mass, Caustic Lye, Torture Victim, Diverside 9p, $5

SUN 4

Scalo II Bar Squash Blossom Boys BLUEGRASS/ FOLK 8:30p, FREE

Sunshine Theater Mimosa, Bog 1, Vibesquad 9p, $10

WED 7

MON 5

Blackbird Buvette Poetry and Beer 8p, FREE Cowgirl BBQ The Bus Tapes FUNK/FOLK/R&B 8p,

Blackbird Buvette Blackbird Karaoke with DJ Kammo

Jazzbah Tony Rio and the Atomic Spies

9p, FREE

7-10p, FREE

Il Vicino Canteen Brewery Keith Sanchez SONGWRITER 3-6p,

Cowgirl BBQ Cowgirl Karaoke hosted by Michele Leidig 9p-12a, FREE Low Spirits Scott Kelly, Jay Munly, Bob Wayne

Low Spirits Ocote Soul Sounds 9p, $10 Mykonos Cafe & Taverna Sid Fendley 6:30p, FREE Popejoy Hall UNM University Chorus/Concert Choir/Symphony Orchestra presents: Puccini’s Messa di Gloria

FREE

FREE

The Strolling Scones ROCK/COUNTRY 9p, FREE

First United Methodist Church The Kaemper Music Series presents: Amahl and the Night Visitors

Blackbird Buvette Jessica Billey 6p, FREE Center for Spiritual Living Bobby Shew: A Concert of Ballads

OPERA 3p, $5-$10

FREE

9p, $8

4p, $20

Jazzbah Jazz Brunch 11a-2p, FREE Las Placitas Presbyterian Church Texas Gypsies CLASSICAL 3p, $20 O’Neill’s Pub Rivet Gang BLUEGRASS 4-7p, FREE Rio Rancho Presbyterian Church Celebration! Chorale presents: Wayne Saxon HOLIDAY/SINGALONG

Sunshine Theater The Edge presents: The Airborne Toxic Event 7:30p, $20

3p, FREE

St. Clair Winery & Bistro Rhythmethod 6p, FREE

26 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

TUE 6 Blackbird Buvette Geeks Who Drink 7p, FREE Blue Tower Lounge Karaoke 8p, FREE Cowgirl BBQ Rob-A-Lou ROCKABILLY 8p, FREE Esther Bone Library Karaoke 6:30p, FREE

7:30p, $7.50-$15.50

Scalo II Bar Cali Shaw Acoustic Showcase SONGWRITER 8:30p, FREE

St. Clair Winery & Bistro Diana Hughes Trio 6p, FREE UNM Hospital’s Barbara and Bill Richardson Café Blue Spring ALTERNATIVE FOLK 121p, FREE

Warehouse 21 Open Mic Night 7-9p, FREE

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

27

ART

OPENI NGS

SUBMIT TO LO CAL i Q The next deadline is Nov. 30 for the Dec. 8 issue.

Send entries to: calendar@local-iQ.com f: 888.520.9711, a: PO Box 7490 ABQ., N.M. 87194 Name of Exhibit/Event Description of exhibit/event VENUE/GALLERY ADDRESS website List events any time @ local-iQ.com

Events are always subject to change, check with individual venues before heading out

New Mexico in focus

** CALENDAR LISTINGS ARE A FREE SERVICE AND MAY BE CUT DUE TO SPACE. PREFERENCE IS GIVEN TO FREE EVENTS.

THU 24

Photography exhibit showcases the work of 125 Land of Enchantment shooters

WORKSHOP/CLASS

Breakdancing Workshop Every Thursday with super dude Tyrone.

4-5:30p, $10 WAREHOUSE 21, 1614 PASEO DE PERALTA, 505.989.4423, SANTA FE

THROUGH DEC. 18

Dead Leg Richard Deacon’s “Dead Leg” is a tourde-force sculpture composed of bent and twisted oak lumber, bound together with custom-fabricated stainless steel couplings. 10a-4p, Tue.-Fri.; 1-4p, Sat.-

BY CRISTINA OLDS

T

he late afternoon sun glows on a weathered plank-sided house in the Jemez mountains’ Valles Caldera, contrasting with dramatically dark stormy skies. This is Keith Bauer’s 2010 winning photo entry in the Annual New Mexico Photographic Art Show (ANMPAS). “The image has a visual flow that brings the viewers in and allows them to enjoy the details of the old building,” Bauer said in a recent interview with Local iQ. Photos with an emotional impact that demonstrate expertise in composition, technical proficiency and quality printing and presentation will most impress the judges in this year’s competition, which features the work of 125 New Mexico photographers and more than 350 entries in this, the show’s third year.

Annual New Mexico Photographic Art Show OPENING RECEPTION: 1-3P, SAT., DEC. 3

10a-5p, Dec. 4-28 (except Tuesdays and Dec. 24-25) Fine Arts Gallery, Expo NM State Fairgrounds Central and San Pedro, 505.977.6899 FREE anmpas.com

The show’s goal is to encourage statewide support of the photographic arts, artists and education by showcasing the best of the local photo scene. But the artists also have much to gain from the experience.

“Photography provides the motivation to get out there and see things,” Bauer said. “Being there — wherever ‘there’ is — adds to the value of my life.”

Some of the places the photographers in the 2010 ANMPAS visited to take winning shots include Costa Rica, Red Rock State Park near Gallup, Daytona, Fla. and Argentina.

Sun., FREE UNM ART MUSEUM UNM MAIN CAMPUS, 505.277.4001

unm.edu/-artmuse Photos ranging from architectural subjects, such as the shot of a stairwell by Ward Russell (left), to action images, like the photo of a galloping horse by Sandra Corless, are some of the photographic works on exhibit at the Annual New Mexico Photographic Art Show, scheduled for display from Dec. 3-28 at the Expo New Mexico Fine Arts Gallery.

The ANMPAS honors past winners with the opportunity to judge this year’s entries, and Bauer is one of five judges, along with Tim Anderson, Doug Brown, Bobbie Goodrich and John Lytton. Submitting photographers must be New Mexico residents, according to ANMPAS founder and chair LeRoy Perea. “There are really not a lot of other competitions for gallery shows for photographers to enter,” Perea noted.

Awards are presented for images in seven categories: abstract, floral botanical, human interest/portrait, scenic/landscape, still life, urban and wildlife. A slideshow featuring stills set to music that will show continuously during gallery hours will also be selected.

Bauer is no novice to photography competitions — for the past eight years, he’s judged the New Mexico State Fair exhibit. He’s also judged competitions sponsored by the Imaging Professionals of the Southwest, Bosque del Apache Festival of the Cranes and the Enchanted Lens Camera Club.

With a formal background in computer science, the Sandia National Labs manager found digital photography a rewarding union with his existing decades of experience in darkroom photography. Regarding submissions to the ANMPAS, he said there were no specific rules regarding the amount of digital manipulation permissible.

His own workflow includes editing RAW images with Adobe LightRoom, then finishing in Photoshop. “I work to balance the colors and light to make it as close as possible to what my eyes saw when I captured it,” Bauer said. “If the image is going to become more abstract, then the sky is the limit.” His Abandoned New Mexico Penitentiary series demonstrates some of his digital manipulation skills in eerie, luminous representations of a cell block, a gas chamber and a ghost-like figure in a hallway he titled Guard from the Past.

Asked what about New Mexico specifically inspires him as a photographer, Bauer cited the spectrum of browns found in the high desert landscape to the lush greens of the mountain forests. Then there’s the variety of cultures and deep history around every corner in this state, as well as being home to wildlife gems like the Bosque del Apache.

“In a word, diversity. That’s what makes New Mexico photographs special,” Bauer said.

28 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

THROUGH DEC. 31/EXHIBITION

David Solomon - New Works A new selection of oil paintings on aluminum supports by David Solomon. 10a6p, Mon.-Sat., FREE DAVID RICHARD CONTEMPORARY 130 LINCOLN SUITE D, SANTA FE, 505.983.9555

davidrichardcontemporary.com THROUGH DEC. 4/PERFORMANCE

Vessels: A Modern Retelling of A Streetcar Named Desire A twisted look at Tennessee Williams’ 1950’s classic, carrying the weight of the original, with a haunting and darkly hysterical take on true love, family obligations and sexual dynamics. 8p, Thu.-Sat.; 2p, Sun., $10-$15 UNM’S THEATER X UNM PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, 505.928.5658 tricklock.com

THROUGH DEC. 3/EXHIBITION

Mainly Nitrogen A one-person show of Elen Feinberg’s new work, a fusion of minimalism and atmosphere. 10a-4p, Thu.-Sat., FREE EXHIBIT/208 208 BROADWAY SE, 505.450.6884

THROUGH DEC. 31/EXHIBITION

Visas for Freedom A series of photographs and documents that honor the memory of Spanish diplomats who were able to preserve the lives of many Jews in WWII. 9a-5p, Mon.-Fri.; 9a-12p, Sun., FREE PETE V. DOMENICI EDUCATION CENTER AT NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER 1701 4TH NW, 505.724.4771

nhccnm.org

ART

O P E NI N G S/ PER F O R M A NC E S THROUGH NOV. 26/EXHIBITION

THROUGH DEC. 18

Inside/Out - Gravure by Diane Alire Alire’s elegant and subtly hued gravure prints are always a little gritty and sometimes controversial. This new body of work features house entrances, store fronts and street scenes inspired by recent visits to Paris and Budapest. 10a-6p, Sun.;

An Inquisitive Eye, Seeing Into Prints This show provides visitors a chance to view significant prints and printed books from the museum’s permanent collection, which spans the history of printmaking from 1493 to the present. Highlights include works by such artists as Andy Warhol, Donald Judd and William Kentridge. 10a-4p, Tue.-

10a-4p, Tue., FREE NEW GROUNDS PRINT WORKSHOP 3812 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.8952

newgroundsprintshop.com THROUGH NOV. 30/EXHIBITION

Tapestry Plus The Tapestry Group includes new and experienced tapestry weavers, setting goals to encourage all participants to try new techniques, to improve their skills and to enter juried competitions. 9a-5p, FREE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH SW CORNER OF CARLISLE AND COMANCHE

THROUGH DEC. 2/EXHIBITION

Modernism for the Borderland: The Mid-Century Houses of Robert Garland and David Hilles William Palmore curates an exhibition of the Mid-Century Houses of architects Robert Garland and David Hilles. FREE RAINOSEK GALLERY UNM SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE & PLANNING, 505.264.3528

THROUGH DEC. 13/EXHIBITION

Element Decanter Series: Ice, Earth, Fire, and Wind Introducing the work of Xavier Zamarripa. Viewing exhibitions are by appointment only. FREE

Fri.; 1-4p, Sat.-Sun., FREE UNM ART MUSEUM UNM MAIN CAMPUS, 505.277.4001

unm.edu/-artmuse THROUGH DEC. 18

Re-Imagining American Identities Drawn from the museum’s extensive collection of photographs, these portraits bring us face to face with the diversity of American life.

10a-4p, Tue.-Fri.; 1-4p, Sat.-Sun., FREE UNM ART MUSEUM UNM MAIN CAMPUS, 505.277.4001

unm.edu/-artmuse THROUGH JAN. 6/EXHIBITION

Young Brides, Old Shirts: Macedonian Embroidered Dress Focusing on the rich textile tradition of this small country, the exhibition displays 27 mannequins dressed in multiple layers. 10a-5p, Tue.-Sun., $9-$20 THE MUSEUM OF INTERNATIONAL FOLK ART MUSEUM HILL, CAMINO LEJO OFF OLD SANTA FE TRAIL, SANTA FE, 505.476.1200

internationalfolkart.org

1629 CLUB AT CASA RODENA WINERY 733 CHAVEZ NW, 505.550.7220

THROUGH JAN. 7 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

THROUGH NOV. 25/EXHIBITION

Superheroes: Icons of Good, Evil & Everything In Between A multi-media group exhibition about heroes, villains and other less-definable examples of human possibility. It explores the way we absorb these archetypes, and use them to inspire and rationalize our behavior. 6-8p, Sat., Oct. 1; 12-5p,

This is This: Largely Small Paintings Michael Hudock’s first paintings were backgrounds for his photographs. In this show, Hudock layers paint onto pages from dictionaries, old maps, photographs, digital prints, and bits of trash then scratches away at the paint to reveal what lies beneath. Mon-Fri. 2-5:30p, FREE INPOST ARTSPACE AT THE OUTPOST PERFORMANCE SPACE 210 YALE SE, 505.268.0044

outpostspace.org THROUGH NOV. 26 (SANTA FE) EXHIBITION

Autumn Gold, New Mexico: Paintings of the Season, 1920-1970 An exceptional collection of seasonal paintings by historic artists, including Gustave Bauman, Emil Bisttram, Ila McAfee, Helmuth Naumer and more. 9:30a-5:30p, Mon.-Sat, FREE WILLIAM R. TALBOT FINE ART, ANTIQUE MAPS & PRINTS 129 W. SAN FRANCISCO, 505.982.1559 SANTA FE williamtalbot.com

THROUGH DEC. 18

Sinners & Saints: 15th-19th Century Paintings A visual feast of religious paintings from the 15th-century Renaissance through the 19th-century neoclassical period in Europe and the New World. 10a-4p, Tue.-Fri.; 1-4p, Sat.-

Tue.-Sat., FREE 516 ARTS 516 CENTRAL SW, 505.242.1445

516arts.org THROUGH APR. 22 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Michael Berman, David Taylor and Connie Samaras Three photographers presenting desert landscapes that simultaneously capture the present, reflect the past and hint at the future. 10a5p, $6-$15 THE NEW MEXICO MUSEUM OF ART SANTA FE’S PLAZA AT 107 W. PALACE, 505.476.5072

nmartmuseum.org THROUGH APR. 22 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

James Drake: Salon of a Thousand Souls Nineteen sculptures and works on paper by Santa Fe-based artist James Drake, spanning nearly 25 years. Among the works to be shown are a never-before-exhibited 21-foot red pastel drawing and a wall drawing by Drake created especially for this exhibition. 10a-

Sun., FREE

5p, Tue.-Sun.; 5-8p, Fri., $6/Free on Fri.

UNM ART MUSEUM UNM MAIN CAMPUS, 505.277.4001

SANTA FE PLAZA 107 WEST PALACE, 505.476.5072

unm.edu/-artmuse

nmartmuseum.org

THROUGH DEC. 23 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

¡Encantada!

The Rio Grande Art Association’s 9th Annual Juried Oil and Acrylic Painting Exhibition featuring 100 paintings ranging from portraits to landscapes to abstracts. 5p, FREE SHERYL STAPLETON AFRICAN AMERICAN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 310 SAN PEDRO NE, 505.222.0785

aapacnm.org THROUGH NOV. 29 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

On & On & On...

This exhibit features the work of Patrick Gonzales, Rachel Abeyta, Shane Lopes, Jordan Long, Agustin McCord, Jessica Kitzinger and others. 7-11p, FREE ARCHETYPE DEMOGRAPHIC STUDIO/ GALLERY 529 ADAMS NE, 505.265.0972

archetypetattoo.com THROUGH NOV. 29 EXHIBITION

Works by Kim Bass An exhibition of the mixed media art of Kim Bass, comprised of works on paper and fabric and employing a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylic paint and water-soluble crayon. 10a-8p, Mon.-Thu.; 10a-5p, Fri. & Sat., FREE LOMA COLORADO MAIN LIBRARY AUDITORIUM 755 LOMA COLORADO NE, 505.891.5013 EXT 3033

THROUGH NOV. 30 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Women of Contrast Photographer Paula Blasher’s photos of Asia, the Middle East and Cuba. 5-8p, FREE CENTRAL PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY 314 ADAMS SE, 505.463.9367

stevedonahuesdarkroom.com THROUGH NOV. 29 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Broken Spaces Richard Hogan takes inspiration from megalithic architecture and ancient places. With his trademark minimalist hand, Hogan’s interpretation of each place reveals subtle fragments and slices from the larger forms. 5-8p, FREE MARIPOSA GALLERY 3500 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.6828

mariposa-gallery.com THROUGH NOV. 29 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Icons and Ancestors The playful outsider art of Jeff Sipe, which pays tribute to musicians, writers and revolutionaries who have inspired him. 5-8p, FREE MARIPOSA GALLERY 3500 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.6828

mariposa-gallery.com THROUGH NOV. 25 EXHIBITION

Paula Castillo - Large Scale Sculptural Works Castillo’s man-made microcosms, combined with the expansive natural environment, are the catalyst for her critical exploration of the systems and spaces we inhabit.

FREE SCA CONTEMPORARY ART LAB & STUDIOS 524 HAINES NW, 505.228.3749

scacontemporary.com CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

29

smart ARTS T

“East to West,” by Jill Erickson, oil on wood

A

lbuquerque artist Jill Erickson is Jill Erickson and known for making beautiful jewelry Suzanne Kane out of unconventional materials, but Exhibition she has another gift that is lesser known OPENING RECEPTION: — creating magnificent oil paintings. She 5-10p, Thu., Dec. 1, has created a collection of small-scale oil GALLERY HOURS: paintings with exquisite detail and an evident Mon.-Sat., Dec. 1-30 majestical theme for this Mariposa show.

Mariposa Gallery Inspiration for her paintings is derived from 3500 Central SE her dreams, memories and daily poetic 505.268.6828 inspirations. Erickson has received her MA mariposa-gallery.com and MFA degrees in painting and drawing and has professional experience working with glass, enamel, polymer, resin, metals, wire, beeswax and more.

“I have been lucky enough to know about Jill’s talent for quite some time, but it has taken seven years to convince her to share her work with the public,” Mariposa Gallery co-owner Jennifer Rohrig told Local iQ. “Pairing her paintings with Suzanne Kane’s whimsical ceramic sculptures will make for one of our most exciting shows yet.”

Kane is an accomplished New Mexico ceramic artist. Her contributions to the two-artist exhibition will feature exquisitely crafted leaf-like bowls and exotic pods. —Jessey Cherne

hings could get messy if you told 15 painters to use the same canvas to create their own work. The newest photo exhibition at Matrix Fine Art is an intriguing idea along the same lines — one model photographed by 15 different photographers.

Organized by local photographer Pat Berrett, this exhibition gave each photographer the opportunity to do a photo shoot with the same model in whichever setting and style they preferred. The truly interesting aspect of this project is that each photographer involved has a different style, level of experience and eye for the art, so viewers will be presented with a wide array of photographs, ranging from the whimsical and angelic to stark and demonic.

Among the 15 photographers who are a part of the exhibition, Local iQ photogs Wes Naman and Joy Godfrey will be showing work you don’t always get to see in the pages of the magazine. The premiere of the 1 x 15 exhibition will be a great chance to see the talent Albuquerque’s photographers have to offer. —Justin De La Rosa

1 x 15: One Model, 15 Photographers OPENING RECEPTION

5-8p, Sat., Dec. 3 Matrix Fine Art 3812 Central SE, 505.268.8952 FREE matrixfineart.com

“Minerva, La Nueva Maja (The New Beauty),” by Fernando Delgado

30 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

N

othing says “Merry Christmas” like drag queens and Norma Desmond; thus, get your padded keister to Aux Dog Theatre for the Dolls’ annual holiday play. This year, it’s All About Christmas Eve, an original play by Dolls co-founder Ken Ansloan.

God is a drag queen who sends his most trusted and fabulous angel, Norma Desmond (Sunset Boulevard), to Earth to help mousy misfit Eve by showing her a succession of Christmas Eves in her life, from sweet young thing to sordid stripper to horrid hag who will be murdered on Christmas Eve if she doesn’t change her evil ways.

Will Eve ever learn the true reason for the season? Will Norma ever get her wings and be ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille? Will God ever find the right shade of nail polish to match his halo?

Find out when you partake in this holiday tradition that is far more fabulous than fruitcake. —Lisa VanDyke-Brown

All About Christmas Eve 8p, Fri.-Sat.; 2p, Sun.; De.c 1-4, 8-11, 15-18 Aux Dog Theatre 3011 Monte Vista NE, 505.254.7716 $15 (Thu. tickets $10) auxdog.com

O P E NI N G S/ PER F O R M A NC E S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

THROUGH NOV. 26 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Marcia Petty Textile works by artist Marcia Petty.

Proyecto Tango: Photography

by Steven Marino with narratives by Pat Pitula World-renowned photographer Marino, along with Pitula’s narratives, exquisitely harness and preserve the provocative tango dance genre.

3-5p, FREE

5-8p, FREE

100 Gallery Artist’s Group Show

MATRIX FINE ART 3812 CENTRAL SE SUITE 100 A, 505.268.8952 matrixfineart.com

THROUGH NOV. 26 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

New Tribes by Ruth Morris Albuquerque doll maker Ruth Morris assembles a unique cast of characters, including The Wabeta Tribe, Weed Fairies, Quaro Birds, Scarey Fairies, Secret Keepers, Kungees and Watercolor Guardians.

5-9p, FREE SUMNER & DENE 517 CENTRAL NW, 505.842.1400

sumnerdene.com THROUGH NOV. 30 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Daniel North Oil Paintings This past summer, the fires surrounding Los Alamos glowed across the terrain, as North witnessed the desert’s death and re-birth through his studio window.

5-8p, FREE PALETTE CONTEMPORARY ART 7400 MONTGOMERY NE, 505.855.7777

palettecontemporary.com THROUGH NOV. 27 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

For the Love of Mom This exhibition by photographer and painter Deborah Risberg not only honors her mother, but educates viewers on the topic of early-onset Alzheimer’s Disease.

6-9p, FREE [AC]2 GALLERY 301 MOUNTAIN NE, 505.842.8016

ac2gallery.org THROUGH NOV. 29 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

BHUTAN - Color Photos by Jan Bennett Jan Bennett traveled to Bhutan in 2004 with her son and cousin and captured on camera their three week adventure over hair pin turn roads and steep cliffs at the road’s edge. 3-5p, FREE

JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

3-5p, FREE JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Art of Historic Madrid Area 3-5p, FREE JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Mel Johnson’s Peoplescapes, Treescapes, Mountainscapes Acrylic paintings on display in Johnson’s studio/gallery. 3-5p, FREE JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com THROUGH NOV. 27 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Ray Bruce: Photography and Robert Gibson: Wood Vessels Bruce’s stunning color photography comes from a vantage point in which small pieces of life become almost monumental. Gibson’s skillfully worked wood pieces are beautiful, functional art. 5-8p, FREE ONTRACK GALLERY AND ART SPACE 1719 5TH NW, 505.228.0229

THROUGH NOV. 30 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

David Cramer Memorial Benefit Show This exhibit features the photographs of David Cramer, with a selection of images printed, matted, framed and signed prints by Cramer. A limited number of prints will be available for purchase. All proceeds going to the Placitas LIbrary.

JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

1-5p, FREE

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com

placitaslibrary.com

THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

THROUGH NOV. 25 EXHIBITION

Gents Two rooms filled with men’s art including a wall of Ford Robbins black and white photos and a wall of oil paintings by Ralph Williams.

IN/VISIBLE: Paintings by Amber Harper-Slaboszewicz BFA Honors Thesis Exhibition featuring a contemporary take on landscape painting, employing an aggregate mythology as a means of rendering the invisible, visible.

3-5p, FREE JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION EXHIBITION

Quilts, Quilts, Quilts An invitational group show of quilts. 3-5p, FREE JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com

PLACITAS LIBRARY 453 HIGHWAY 165, 505.867.6262

8a-5p, Mon.-Fri., FREE JOHN SOMMERS GALLERY ART BUILDING 2ND FLOOR, ROOM 202, UNM, 505.277.5862

THROUGH NOV. 27 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Koffi Mbairamadji Work by artist of the month: Mbairamadji.

5-7p, FREE O’NIELL’S PUB 4310 CENTRAL SE, 505.255.6782

THROUGH DEC. 30 EXHIBITION/RECEPTION

Fall/Winter International Show Korea Fine Art Association presents the Fall/Winter International Show, featuring works by 60 different artists. 5-8p, FREE PARK FINE ART 20 FIRST GALLERIA PLAZA SUITE 65, 505.764.1900 parkfineart.com

THROUGH DEC.16 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Emerging Creatives: ABSTRACTS This juried exhibit serves local artists establishing their creative careers and features a diverse range of works, from painting to sculpture to ceramics to video. A Downtown ARTScrawl event. 5-8p, FREE CREATIVE ALBUQUERQUE 115 4TH NW, 505.268.1920

creativealbuquerque.org THROUGH DEC. 1 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Atom Art A show of eclectic images that unveil the unseen world of atoms.

A Downtown ARTScrawl event.

5-7p, FREE GALLERIE IMAGINARIUM 301 CENTRAL NW

gallerieimaginarium.com THROUGH DEC. 18 PERFORMANCE

The House of the Spirits This play charts the rise and fall of a family in an un-named Latin American country from the 1920s through the 1970s, as the country experiences enormous social and political changes culminating in a devastating dictatorship. 7:30p, Fri. & Sat.; 2p, Sun., $10-$15 THE VORTEX THEATRE 2004 1/2 CENTRAL SE, 505.247.8600

vortexabq.org THROUGH MAY 1, 2014 EXHIBITION

Woven Identities A major exhibition of North American Indian baskets woven by artists representing 60 cultural tribes, bands and pueblos. The weavers’ ancestral lands are in six culture areas of Western North America: The Southwest, Great Basin, Plateau, California, the Northwest Coast, and the Arctic. 10a-5p THE MUSEUM OF INDIAN ARTS AND CULTURE, MUSEUM HILL, CAMINO LEJO OFF OLD SANTA FE TRAIL, SANTA FE, 505.476.1269

indianartsandculture.org THROUGH NOV. 25 PERFORMANCE

Xtreme Komedy Comedy performance featuring nationally renowned comic/ventriloquist Wayne Francis, Roger C. Blair and opener Michael Jordan.

8:15p, $15 ALBUQUERQUE CLUB AT THE EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL 1000 WOODWARD NE, 505.239.9681

xtremekomedy.com

FRI 25 THROUGH NOV. 27 EXHIBITION

The Gathering: Five Installations by Shawn Warrick Warrick transforms a modern-day living space into an expression of the brushstroke using both time CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

ART

O PE N I N G S/ P E R F O R M A N C E S CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31

and space to bring art off the wall.

By appointment only. 5-7p, Fri.; 122p, Sat. & Sun., FREE 3612 SMITH SE, 917.378.2595

shawn.d.warrick@gmail.com

THROUGH DEC. 23 SPECIAL EVENT

Holiday Small Works Show This show features affordable “small art” from artists Frank Buffalo Hyde, Nocona Burgess, Fritz Casuse, Carol Hagan, Nicholas Herrera and many others. 5-7p,

THROUGH NOV. 27 FESTIVAL/FAIR

Fri.; 1-3p, Sat. & Sun., FREE

4th Annual Corrales Holiday Art Festival Hosted by The Corrales Society of Artists and featuring 40 artisans.

legendssantafe.com

10a-5p, Sat.; 10a-5p, Sun., FREE CORRALES RECREATIONAL CENTER 500 JONES, 505.899.8900

corralesartists.org THROUGH JAN. 29 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

John Loengard: Age of Silver This exhibition celebrates the new book: Age of Silver, featuring photographs from some of the most important photographers of the last half-century, including Annie Leibovitz, Henri Cartier-Bresson and others. 5-7P, FREE MONROE GALLERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY 112 DON GASPAR, SANTA FE, 505.992.0800

monroegallery.com THROUGH DEC. 18 PERFORMANCE

The Long Christmas Ride Home This one-act play by American playwright Paula Vogel was first performed in 2003 and dramatizes a road trip by two parents and their three young children to visit grandparents for the Christmas holiday.

8p, Fri.-Sat.; 2p, Sun., $10-$12 DESERT ROSE PLAYHOUSE 6921 MONTGOMERY NE, 505.881.0503

desertroseplayhouse.com THROUGH DEC. 30 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Up From Down Under: The Photography of Ward Russell Russell’s images shot on an adventure in New Zealand. 4-7p, FREE WARD RUSSELL PHOTOGRAPHY 102 W. SAN FRANCISCO #10, SANTA FE, 505.231.1035

wardrussellphoto.com

LEGENDS SANTA FE 125 LINCOLN, SANTA FE, 360.739.9689

THROUGH JAN. 20 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Affordable Art Group Show This inaugural group show features affordable works from the gallery’s roster of artists, and unveils a newly designed print room filled with approximately 250 works on paper in a broad range of media.

5-7p, FREE

THROUGH NOV. 27 PERFORMANCE

THROUGH DEC. 31 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Oak Canyon Dancers

Jill Erickson and Suzanne Kane An exhibit featuring the paintings of Erickson, more widely known as an accomplished jeweler. This drastic switch in media to oil paintings on wood offer result in delicately detailed and lyrical images.

Kane’s leaf-life bowls and exotic pods have a calming quality. A reception will be held during the Nob Hill Shop & Stroll. 5-10p, FREE

12-1p, FREE INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER 2401 12TH NW, 505.843.7270

tmccullah@indianpueblo.com THROUGH APR. 7 WORKSHOP/CLASS

Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible - Calligraphy Demonstrations and Hands-On Tips As part of this new exhibition, calligraphers will demonstrate a wide variety of book crafts. How do quills, ink and vellum work together? How delicate is gold leaf? How does one stitch a medieval book?

MARIPOSA GALLERY 3500 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.6828

mariposa-gallery.com THROUGH DEC. 31/EXHIBITION

Wallables Not Wearables: The Fiber Arts of Renee Brainard Gentz A solo exhibition of a large wall hanging by Brainard, selected for display in the Capital Art Collection. 3-5p, FREE

10a-12p & 1-3p, Sat., $6-$9 NEW MEXICO HISTORY MUSEUM 725 CAMINO LEJO, SANTA FE, 505.476.1141

nmhistorymuseum.org WORKSHOP/CLASS

JOHNSONS OF MADRID GALLERIES OF FINE & FIBER ART 2843 HIGHWAY 14

zanebennettgallery.com

Ecstatic Dance Albuquerque Experience free-form movements to world beat recorded music in a safe and non-judgmental space.

6:30-8p, $10

THROUGH NOV. 27 FESTIVAL/FAIR

STUDIO SWAY 1100 SAN MATEO NE #32, 505.681.4339

SPECIAL EVENT

ZANE BENNETT CONTEMPORARY ART, 435 SOUTH GUADALUPE, SANTA FE, 505.982.8111 X1008

Native Heritage Art Market This premiere event showcases the work of current and past IACA “Artist of the Year” winners. The public will have the opportunity to purchase jewelry, pottery, paintings, sculpture and carvings from these artists and other top Native artists. 3-7p, FREE INDIAN ARTS & CRAFTS ASSOC. 4010 CARLISLE NE STE. C, 505.265.9149

iaca.com

SAT 26 THROUGH NOV. 27 SPECIAL EVENT

La Cienega Studio Tour For the 38th year, the artists of the historic village of La Cienega will open their studios to visitors.

Media ranges from printmaking to photography, metal sculpture to oil and watercolor paintings and hand-painted pottery to jewelry and clay cookware. 9a-5p, FREE LA CIENEGA, 505.699.6788

lacienegastudiotour.com

saturdaysatjohnsons.blogspot.com

meetup.com/ecstatic-dance-abq FAIR/FESTIVAL

Regalos Holiday Shopping Fair at La Tiendita This holiday shopping fair features popular artist vendors, choir groups, complimentary hot chocolate and door prizes. 10a-3p, FREE

Zane Bennett Contemporary Art (435 S. Guadalupe, Santa Fe, 505.982.8111, zanebennettgallery.com) will hold the “Affordable Art Group Show” with an opening reception on Fri., Nov. 25 from 5-7p. The inaugural show will feature a large variety of works, including “Azul - Indian Clock Vine 1,” by Susan Davidoff, 42” x 30” (pictured).

SUN 27 RECEPTION

Rainbow Artists Fall Show Closing Reception Join Rainbow Artists as they close their fall show at 5G Art Gallery/ Factory on 5th. Artists will be on site and refreshments will be provided. 11:30a-1p, FREE FACTORY ON 5TH ART SPACE 1715 5TH NW, 505.463.5824

factoryon5.com

COSMO TAPAS 4200 CENTRAL SE, 505.232.0535

cosmotapas.com

NATIONAL HISPANIC CULTURAL CENTER, 1701 4TH SW, 505.246.2261

nhccnm.org

Nob Hill Shop & Stroll A holiday shopping showcase of affordable and unique local art, including ceramics, photographs, paintings and more, featuring a poetry reading, food by Cosmos Tapas, free hot apple cider and local artists. 3p, FREE

MON 28

THU 1

FRI 2

LECTURE/DISCUSSION

WORKSHOP/CLASS

Our Gift From Spain: How Mediterranean Plants and Foods Came to New Mexico

by William W. Dunmire 2p, FREE

Breakdancing Workshop Every Thursday with super dude Tyrone. 4-5:30p, $10

THROUGH DEC. 24/PERFORMANCE

SPANISH COLONIAL ARTS SOCIETY 750 CAMINO LEJO, SANTA FE, 505.982.2226 spanishcolonial.org

SPECIAL EVENT

Homeschool Art Art program aimed at homeschool families exploring the Harwood’s diverse collection (includes art making session). 10-11:30a, FREE HARWOOD MUSEUM OF ART OF UNM, 238 LEDOUX, TAOS, 575.758.9826

harwoodmuseum.org

WAREHOUSE 21 1614 PASEO DE PERALTA, SANTA FE, 505.989.4423

info@warehouse21.org THROUGH DEC. 18 PERFORMANCE

All About Christmas Eve An adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ classic features God as a drag queen who sends his most trusted and fabulous angel, Norma Desmond, to Earth to help the mousy misfit, Eve. 8p, Thu.-Sat.; 2p, Sun., $10

WED 30

AUX DOG THEATRE 3011 MONTE VISTA NE, 505.254.7716

SPECIAL EVENT

PERFORMANCE

Winter Spanish Market: Luncheon with the Artists This luncheon will allow groups of 10 to have a cozy lunch with a Spanish Market artist. 12p, $60-

The Belle of Bisbee Depraved human skunk, Pinkham Mudstone III, knows that under the topsoil there’s a rich deposit of copper carbonate and sets out to acquire Belle’s homestead. It’s up to Tom to save Bisbee and win the schoolmarm’s favor. 6p & 7:30p,

$600 SPANISH COLONIAL ARTS SOCIETY 750 CAMINO LEJO, SANTA FE, 505.982.2226 X103

spanishcolonial.org SPECIAL EVENT

Artstreams This innovative program is aimed at individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease and acute short term memory loss, and their caregivers.

Provides opportunities for group visits to the Harwood to encourage conversations, observations and enjoyment of exhibits. 1-2:30p, FREE HARWOOD MUSEUM OF ART OF UNM, 238 LEDOUX, TAOSM 575.758.8615

harwoodmuseum.org

32 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

auxdog.com

FREE HEIGHTS CUMBERLAND CHURCH 8600 ACADEMY NE, 505.821.8055

nmyoungactors.org THROUGH DEC. 31 SPECIAL EVENT

UNM Holiday Ornament Sale UNM’s official 2011 Holiday Ornament was designed by artist Jana Fothergill, senior graphic designer.

Proceeds benefit the UNM Parent Association Scholarship Fund. $18.89 UNM BOOKSTORE 2301 CENTRAL, 505.821.6127

bookstore.unm.edu/c-234-ornaments.aspx

A Christmas Story All the favorite elements from the beloved 1983 film, A Christmas Story, are includes in this stage version that follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest to find a “Genuine Red Ryder 200 Shot, Carbine Action Range Model Air Rifle” under the Christmas tree. 8p, Fri. & Sat.; 2p, Sun., $10-$22 ALBUQUERQUE LITTLE THEATRE 224 SAN PASQUALE SW, 505.242.4750

albuquerquelittletheatre.org THROUGH DEC. 24 PERFORMANCE

A Christmas Carol Blackout Theatre’s adaptation of the Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, featuring well-known miser Ebenezer Scrooge. 8p, Fri. & Sat.; 2p, Sun., $12-$15 VSA NORTH 4TH ART CENTER 4904 4TH NW, 505.672.8648

blackouttheatre.com THROUGH MAR. 31 PERFORMANCE

Family Can Be Murder When Alex and Toby Hubbard show up to spend the holidays with their father, they find that his new young wife may be maneuvering to make herself the sole heir to their father’s fortune. 7:30p, $55 (includes dinner & show) FOUL PLAY CAFE, SHERATON UPTOWN 2600 LOUISIANA NE, 505.377.9593

fouldplaycafe.com THROUGH JAN. 14 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Nurturing Inner Peace Art exhibition by Catherine Scali and Ruth Cohen. 5-8p, FREE ALBUQUERQUE PEACE AND JUSTICE CENTER 202 HARVARD SE, 505.268.9557

ART

O P E NI N G S/ PER F O R M A NC E S SPECIAL EVENT

Old Town Holiday Stroll One of Albuquerque’s most popular holiday events, the Old Town Holiday Stroll, will take place throughout the Old Town area.

4-9:30p, FREE OLD TOWN HISTORIC OLD TOWN IN ALBUQUERQUE

albuquerqueoldtown.com THROUGH DEC. 29/EXHIBITION

THROUGH DEC. 31 EXHIBITION

Bill Tondreau Panoramic Photographs Tondreau’s large photos of dramatic Albuquerque landscapes and landmarks capture the city’s colorful terrain and breathtaking sky.

The three-time Academy Awardwinner’s use of photo stitching, enables him to catch every detail on his eye-popping canvases. 10a-

SPECIAL EVENT

SPECIAL EVENT

Santa Fe Holiday Homes Tour This special Winter Market Week event takes a tour of four spectacular Santa Fe homes, each decorated for the holiday season.

The tour will offer a shuttle service to and from the Convention Center.

Twinkle Light Parade and Holiday Art Festival This anticipated annual holiday parade features unique handmade holiday gifts, live entertainment, children’s activities and Santa Claus. Parade begins at Central and Tingley at 5:15p and travels east on Central and ends at Civic Plaza. 3-9p, FREE

10a-4p, $40-$75 SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER 201 W. MARCY, SANTA FE, 505.982.2226

spanishcolonial.org THROUGH DEC. 4 SPECIAL EVENT

23rd Annual Winter Spanish Market The rich Hispanic culture of New Mexico and Southern Colorado will showcase traditional handmade art by more than 100 Hispanic artists. 8a-5p, Fri.-Sat.; 9:30a-3p,

Photography of Dorothy A. Garcia An exhibit of works by photographer Dorothy A. Garcia’s garden and landscape images. 10a-8p,

6p, Mon.-Fri.; 10a-5p, Sat.; 10a-6p, Sun., FREE

Mon.-Thu.; 10a-5p, Fri. & Sat., FREE

THROUGH JAN. 22/EXHIBITION

Sun., FREE

Daily Burdens The works of artist Stacy Hawkins reflect both the discipline of a scientist and the freedom of experimentation. He encourages drips, splashes and pooled paint to co-mingle with hard-edged imagery and design elements. An artist’s reception will be held on Jan. 6 from

SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER 201 W MARCY, SANTA FE, 505.982.2226

LOMA COLORADO MAIN LIBRARY 755 LOMA COLORADO NE, 505.891.5013

THROUGH JAN. 14/EXHIBITION

Sacred Mountain: Modernist Portraits of Taos Mountain, 1920-1970 Beginning in the late 19th century, East Coast artists began to flock to the nearby village of Taos. This exhibit features select works from those now celebrated modernists, including Oscar Berninghaus, Emil Bisttram, Eric Gibberd, Gene Kloss, Ethel Magafan, Theo White and others. 9:30a-5:30p, FREE WILLIAM R. TALBOT FINE ART, ANTIQUE MAPS & PRINTS 129 W. SAN FRANCISCO, SANTA FE, 505.982.1559

williamtalbot.com THROUGH DEC. 4 FESTIVAL/FAIR

23rd Old Church Fine Crafts Show Set in the beauty of the Old San Ysidro Church, this annual holiday art show features many of New Mexico’s finest artists. The perfect place to start or finish holiday shopping. 10a-4p, Fri.-Sun., FREE OLD SAN YSIDRO CHURCH 966 OLD CHURCH ROAD, 505.899.2772

RECEPTION/AUCTION

12x12 All works displayed in this annual exhibit are created on a 12” x 12” piece of plywood and priced at $144. Works are anonymous until sold, and all proceeds benefit Harwood’s community programming. In honor of Harwood’s 20th anniversary, a silent auction will be held featuring 20 pieces of 20” x 20” pieces. 6-8p, FREE HARWOOD ART CENTER AT ESCUELA DEL SOL MONTESSORI 1114 7TH NW, 505.242.6367

harwoodcenter.org SPECIAL EVENT

WinterNite Party Winter Market artists will be able to exhibit and sell their art at this special evening event, featuring music and food. 6-9p, $25 SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER 201 W. MARCY, SANTA FE, 505.982.2226

spanishcolonial.org THROUGH DEC. 18 PERFORMANCE

Cat On A Streetcar Named Iguana This revival of Phil Bock’s musical comedy, pays homage to Tennessee Williams. 8p, Fri. & Sat.; 2p, Sun., $13-$15

SUMNER & DENE 517 CENTRAL NW 505.842.1400

sumnerdene.com

5-8p. 2-5:30p, Mon.-Fri., FREE INPOST ARTSPACE AT THE OUTPOST PERFORMANCE SPACE 210 YALE SE, 505.268.0044

oupostspace.org THROUGH DEC. 4 PERFORMANCE

15th Annual Nutcracker on the Rocks Opening with Tchaikovsky’s “Overture” and closing with his dramatic “Pas de Deux,” the classic tale is re-imagined with a production filled with rock and roll hits by Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and many more. 7:30p, Fri.; 2p & 7:30p, Sat.; 2p & 6p, Sun., $24-$32 ROY E. DISNEY CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS AT NHCC 1701 4TH SW, 505.246.2261

nhccnm.org THROUGH DEC. 11 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

The Orange Chair Works by Micaela Buckingham, Brandon Eagan, Laurisa Galvan, Nicholas Guzzardi and others.

6-8p, FREE ONTRACK GALLERY AND ART SPACE 1719 5TH NW, 505.228.0229

THROUGH DEC. 4 SPECIAL EVENT

Annual Holiday Fair Plant & Craft Sale Over 40 marvelous artists this year, as well as fresh garlands, wreaths, table decorations and poinsettias. 9a-4p, FREE ALBUQUERQUE GARDEN CENTER 10120 LOMAS NE, 505.296.6020

abqgardencenter.com

SAT 3 PERFORMANCE

The Carroll’s Christmas, or, Please Do Not Break the Ornaments The impoverished Carroll family is in jeopardy of losing its English countryside inn, as villains search for a fabulously valuable ruby hidden in one of the family’s new Christmas ornaments. Will the hero save the day? 7p, Sat., $25

ADOBE THEATER 9813 4TH NW, 505.898.9222

SOUTHWEST RURAL THEATRE PROJECT AT THE LEISURE BOWL 7400 LOMAS NE, 505.268.4371

adobetheater.org

leisurebowl.net

spanishcolonial.org THROUGH JAN. 28 RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

CIVIC PLAZA MARQUETTE AND 3RD, 505.768.3555

cabq.gov/crs/specialevents.html SPECIAL EVENT

The Harwood Museum of Art Store & Learn Trunk Show This show features jewelry by silversmith Jennifer Sihvonen, along with an exhibit of works by her father, Oli Sihvonen, in the Mandelman-Ribak Gallery. On display through Feb. 19. 12-2p, FREE HARWOOD MUSEUM OF ART OF UNM, 238 LEDOUX, 575.758.9826

harwoodmuseum.org

Family Day at the Harwood An opportunity for parents to explore the museum with their children, and work together on self-guided activities. December’s program offers treasure hunts, discovery bags, reading corners, art activities and dress-up dramatic play activities. 10a-4p, FREE

10a-4p, Tue., FREE

HARWOOD MUSEUM OF ART OF UNM, 238 LEDOUX, 575.758.9826

matrixfineart.com THROUGH JAN. 28 EXHIBITION

In the Moment: Memorial Exhibition for Gerald FitzGerald The Albuquerque art scene experienced a great loss with the passing of Fitz-Gerald. His bold and colorful monotypes are true reflections of the artist’s spirit. 5-8p, Sat.; 10a-

HARDWOOD MUSEUM OF ART 238 LEDOUX, 575.758.9826

hardwoodmuseum.org

SUN 4 SPECIAL EVENT

Traditional English Christmas Tea 1:30-3p & 3:30-5p, $40-$75

harwoodmuseum.org FILM PREMIERE

Merce Cunningham Dance Company: Robert Rauschenberg Collaborations Cunningham was considered one

MON 5 DISCUSSION/LECTURE

Breafast With O’Keeffe - Sincerely Yours: Personal from Tamarind Institute Marjorie Devon will share stories of artists and the lithographic work they created while at the worldrenowned institute. Seating is limited to 70. Reservations will be taken up to the Friday before the program. 8:30-9:30a, $10 GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM 217 JOHNSON, SANTA FE, 505.946.1039

HOTEL ST. FRANCIS 210 DON GASPAR, 505.982.2226

okmuseum.org

spanishcolonial.org

TUE 6

THROUGH DEC. 28 EXHIBITION

3rd Annual New Mexico Photographic Arts Show Showcases 250 images from 100 top New Mexico photographers.

10a-5p, FREE

SPECIAL EVENT

1X15 (One Model, 15 Photographers) This intriguing annual exhibit, organized by local photographer Pat Berrett, invited 15 local photographers the opportunity to capture their own vision of just one model.

The resulting images cast a wide net. 5-8p, Sat.; 9a-6p, Wed.-Sun.; MATRIX FINE ART 3812 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.8952

of the greatest creative forces in American dance and became the resident designer to the Merce Cunningham Dance Company in 1954. 7p, FREE

EXPO NEW MEXICO FINE ARTS BUILDING 300 SAN PEDRO NE, 505.977.6899

anmpas.com RECEPTION/EXHIBITION

Group Exhibition This exhibit features stained glass

by Barb Belknap, beaded jewelry by Diana Martin, the acrylic paintings of Susan Reid, Laura Robbins’ mosaics and silk paintings and quilts

by Judith Roderick. 2-3p, FREE PLACITAS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 6 MILES EAST OF I-25 ON NM 165, 505.867.8080

placitasarts.org

WORKSHOP/CLASS

Art & Leadership Program: Collage a Photo Frame Create a unique frame for a favorite portrait or photo. Frames and materials such as glass, fiber and beads, will be supplied, or can be brought so that one can innovate and individualize a frame for a holiday gift. Led by artist Elaine Trzebiatowski. 6-8p, FREE MUSEUM EDUCATION ANNEX 123 GRANT, SANTA FE, 505.946.1039

okmuseum.org EXHIBITION

School Art Show Students at The Public Academy for Performing Arts showcase their talent in drawing, painting and various other media. 6-8p, FREE PUBLIC ACADEMY FOR PERFORMING ARTS 3000 ADAMS NE, 505.830.3128

paparts.org

6p, Wed.-Sun.; 10a-4p, Tue., FREE NEW GROUNDS PRINT WORKSHOP 3812 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.8952

newgroundsgallery.com THROUGH JAN. 28 EXHIBITION

Annual Holiday Sale This holiday sale offers hundreds of works of art for sale by new Grounds members. 5-8p, Sat.; 10a6p, Wed.-Sun.; 10a-4p, Tue., FREE NEW GROUNDS PRINT WORKSHOP 3812 CENTRAL SE, 505.268.8952

newgroundsgallery.com THROUGH DEC. 4 PERFORMANCE

Fontanelle Family Dancers 12-1p, FREE INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER 2401 12TH NW, 505.843.7270

tmccullah@indianpueblo.com SPECIAL EVENT

Steve White’s Folk Farm Gift Show Artists included at this fun annual grassroots event are Jeff Sipe, Steve White, Clay Sheff, and Lindsey Taylor-Wise Kluthe. Renowned artist Leo Neufeld will also be making portrait drawings. 12-3p, FREE 313 1/2 HIGH SE, 505.702.2093

PERFORMANCE

Kids Variety Show This Outpost tradition is aimed at kids of all ages and features dance, music, comedy and theater in a relaxed environment. 1p, FREE OUTPOST PERFORMANCE SPACE 210 YALE SE, 505.268.0044

oupostspace.org

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

33

THEATER

Plethora of productions features puppets, major talent

L

ooking at the Albuquerque Theatre Guild’s list of performances, I am amazed to see the variety of work that is available to New Mexico theater-goers and practitioners to round out 2011. To mention only a few: The Mother Road Theatre Company (motherroad. org) is offering The Memory of Water by Shelagh Stephenson, with three of Albuquerque’s loveliest actresses in an impressive cast: Vivian Nesbitt, Julia Thudium and Wendy Scott.

This is the last weekend to see Red by John Logan at Fusion Theatre Company (fusionabq. org). It’s directed by the amazingly gifted Jacque Reid and features two talented actors: Fusion company member Paul Blott and Santa Fe actor Charles Gamble.

Tricklock Company (tricklock.com) is staging Vessels: A Modern Retelling of A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tricklock Co-Artistic Director Kevin R. Elder. This show features the onstage talent of Dodie Montgomery, Elsa Menendez and newcomer Joe Alberti.

The Vortex (vortexabq.org) offers us The House of the Spirits, a play with songs, by Caridad Svich, adapted from the novel by Isabel Allende.

I wish I could mention all productions here, but a visit to abqtheatre.org — the Albuquerque Theatre Guild — will provide you with all the holiday theater-going you could wish for. And remember that theater tickets and subscriptions make great Chanukah and Christmas presents.

I especially want to tell you about the Desert Rose Playhouse’s production of Pulitzer Prizewinning playwright Paula Vogel’s The Long

Christmas Ride Home. What makes this play of interest is that it features a contemporary western use of Bunraku puppets — a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1684.

The Desert Rose’s description of the play states, “The past, present and future collide on a stormy Christmas eve as a troubled family of five travels to Grandma’s house and beyond.” This is a puppet show for mature audiences. The characters (in adulthood) are all portrayed by human performers, while the children are portrayed by puppeteers and voiced by narrators.

Desert Rose board member, actress, director and trained puppeteer Rose Provan studied puppetry at UCLA, and upon graduation became a professional puppeteer with Hank Higgins’ Puffets, who once performed on the Tonight Show. Provan was also a substitute puppeteer for Le Poupee des Paris — working for the Kraft Brothers in a Las Vegas-style show with puppets instead of showgirls at a Los Angeles night club.

When her puppeteer partner committed suicide, Rose took a step away from puppetry. She went to work for the Social Security Administration

“The past, present and future collide on a stormy Christmas eve as a troubled family of five travels to Grandma’s house and beyond.”

—A DESCRIPTION OF A LONG CHRISTMAS RIDE HOME, AN UPCOMING HOLIDAY PLAY AT DESERT ROSE PLAYHOUSE

and put her acting to good use in training films focusing on sexual harassment, in which Rose portrayed the harasser.

When Provan moved to New Mexico in 2004, she began her puppetry again, creating her own routines and puppets. So when she read Vogel’s The Long Christmas Ride Home, she knew this was a show and art form that she had to bring to New Mexico. Provan describes the play as a full-length, one-act piece with music and movement (creator Vogel refers to it as a dance, Provan noted).

The Desert Rose production has adapted the play to action theater/movement, employing

humans and full-size-to-small puppets. The production opens Fri., Nov. 25 and runs through Sun., Dec. 18, with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8p and Sundays at 2p.

Provan explained to me that in the local theater scene, plays often rehearse three to four nights a week and some theaters will include a Saturday and/or Sunday rehearsal. Each rehearsal is usually three to four hours long. It often happens that an actor or stagehand has to drop out of the production during the rehearsal period, and it can be very challenging trying to fit rehearsals around the actors’ schedules.

When I interviewed Provan, she was looking for a replacement for her lead actor and had just received word that one of her stagehands had to drop out.

Given these challenges to the creative process, I asked Provan why she does theater here and she replied, “You get the joy of taking words on a page and creating exciting experiences for audiences. You work with interesting people.

You learn and discover about yourself. You aren’t the same after it is over.”

So why should you go see The Long Christmas Ride Home? It offers a rare opportunity to witness the spectacle of Bunraku, it tells a story that sheds light on human and family relationships and it provides an interesting view on death and the afterlife. Who could ask for anything more?

Joanne Camp is an award-winning professional actress who relocated to Albuquerque from New York City. She teaches at Actors’ Workspace, abqactorsworkspace.com.

FILM

FILM SHORTS

BY JEFF BERG

Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness DIRECTED BY JOSEPH DORMAN

4, 6, and 8p, Nov. 27-Dec. 1 Guild Cinema 3405 Central NE, 505.255.1848 sholemaleichemthemovie.com guildcinema.com

U

tilizing hundreds of remarkable old blackand-white stills, director Joseph Dorman has created an often-fascinating documentary about Sholem Aleichem, the Jewish writer who is responsible for the timeless work, Fiddler on the Roof.

Using voiceover and an interesting interview with Aleichem’s granddaughter, Dorman gives a strong voice to the Jewish community and the Yiddish language, following Aleichem’s travails from a somewhat privileged early childhood in Russia to his days in New York City. It seems he was always writing, even if it was just scribbling notes, and this film succeeds in passing on his amazing legacy. Honoring and interesting.

In fillmaker Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, actress Kirsten Dunst plays Justine, a young woman who experiences a steady decline in her emotional and mental state as her wedding day unfolds. Throw in a storyline about a planet that may collide with earth, and you have an oddly beautiful film.

When planets collide T

his film is an The Man interesting Nobody Knew look at a secretive DIRECTED BY CARL and complex man, COLBY William Colby, the Opens Dec. 7 Call for show times onetime head of the (Note: director Carl CIA and lifelong spy.

Colby will be a guest The Man Nobody Dec. 7 at 7p) Knew takes us behind The Screen the scenes of his life, Santa Fe College personal, private and of Arts and Design political, compliments Campus of his son, Carl, who 1600 St. Michael’s, directed the movie.

505.473.6494 Colby’s career as a firstrunfeatures.com/ themannobodyknew so-called “spymaster” thescreensf.com started in World War II when he served in the OSS and was dropped behind enemy lines, and it continued through several presidencies. The film is a no-holds-barred look at a man who was not a great family man but was dedicated to his service — until he was struck with a change of heart.

Detailed and enlightening.

Y

our rump Eames: The has probably Architect and the been in at Painter least one chair DIRECTED BY JASON designed by COHN AND BILL JERSEY Charles Eames.

Opens Dec. 2 His furniture Call for show times designs have CCA Santa Fe become classic 1050 Old Pecos Trail, and enduring, 505.982.1338 as has his firstrunfeatures.com/ keen sense eames of place and ccasantafe.org material. This documentary pays gentle homage to him and, to a lesser degree, his wife Ray — a meticulous and unfocused painter who stayed with him through thick and thin. Their combined influence remains vital in the world of design and architecture to this day.

Latest movie from director Lars von Trier, Melancholia, challenges viewers with beauty, darkness and a seemingly intentional vagueness

BY JEFF BERG anish director Lars von Trier has never been a filmmaker to be taken lightly, and his newest piece, Melancholia, certainly proves that point yet again.

Melancholia is not an easy film to review, since most everyone who sees it will see it in a different way. Some viewers will despise it, some will embrace it, some will walk out, for sure, and others will declare it a masterpiece.

I’m stuck in the middle. I liked elements of it, but all in all, it might have been too Melancholia pretentious to really appreciate.

DIRECTED BY LARS The movie is broken up into two very VON TRIER distinct parts, named for the two sisters Fri.-Thu., Dec. 2-8 3, who are the main characters.

5:45 and 8:15p The first part, after an almost 10-minute Guild Cinema 3405 Central ultra-slow-motion introduction that NE, 505.255.1848 outlines the plot, is called “Justine,” the guildcinema.com name of a young bride in the film (played Opens Nov. 25

by Kirsten Dunst).

D

CCA Santa Fe The second section, “Claire,” turns Call for show times to Justine’s sister, played by Charlotte 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Gainsbourg (the only woman on the 505.982.1338 planet who I would marry if she would ccasantafe.org have me, but I digress). melancholiathemovie.com Justine’s wedding, meticulously planned

by Claire and held at her rather opulent country estate, starts in a slightly humorous vein, when the bride arrives several hours late for the affair. The young couple seems happy at first, but it doesn’t take much for that to dissolve into extreme melancholy, shall we say, fueled by a drunken father (John Hurt) and a horrifically cold mother, played by a thin-lipped Charlotte Rampling.

Things only get worse, as Justine’s emotional and mental state steadily deteriorates during the day, much to the chagrin of Claire and others. By the end of the day, the marriage is over, not even lasting as long as Kim Kardashian’s. Justine has told her boss what she really thinks of him, thus becoming instantly unemployed, and she has had a sexual tryst (poorly filmed) with a young man whom her boss has assigned to help

her. Some wedding night.

In part two, Claire takes the lead and the cast is cut to four characters.

During the wedding, news of a rogue planet that is hurtling through our solar system has reached fever pitch, as it seems it might collide with Earth. Labeled Melancholia, perhaps tongue in cheek by von Trier, it is the focus of the rest of the film, as Claire, her husband (Kiefer Sutherland in an odd role), their son and Justine are the only ones left on the estate. All are probably wondering if it will be the end of the world as we know it. Was the Mayan “prophecy” accurate?

The film is fractured and at times feels arduous. Gainsbourg and Dunst don’t look alike or share any kind of common bond that would make them seem like sisters, and there is so much vagary that it is somewhat hard to care what is going on. The hand-held camera employed by von Trier is also a major distraction, and the editing, especially in Part 1, doesn’t hold up.

But on the other hand I feel that von Trier is doing this on purpose, trying to set a tone for the viewer to think about any number of things.

Is the “rogue planet” just a part of Justine’s psyche? Can anyone be as cold and mean as Rampling’s character? Are Sutherland’s predictions correct — will the planet Melancholia pass by Earth and continue its way out of our solar system? And why in the hell did Claire bake Justine a meat loaf?

As a director, von Trier remains a critic’s darling, especially when one reads what others have written about this picture (except for Rex Reed’s scathing and hysterical review in the New York Observer). Dunst won an acting award at Cannes for her performance. In the end, she expertly turns from a shrew to a beatific woman, filled with understanding and kindness.

Personally, I found the film to be laborious at times, but it held my interest. It is beautifully photographed and the CGI used for the planet Melancholia is quite good.

That said, Melancholia is not for the casual filmgoer. Dark and filled with intentional vagueness, it offers an unstable look at an unstable world, and as with Terrence Malick’s wonderful film from earlier this year, Tree of Life, it is more of an experience than a movie.

It should make for some great discussion afterward.

Seen it? What did you think? Send your thoughts to film@local-iQ.com.

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

35

BOOKS

READINGS / S I GNINGS FRI 25

2012 SOUTH PLAZA NW, 505-242-7204

BOOK TALK/SIGNING

BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Lawyer Geisha Pink Local author and attorney Jonathan Miller will sign his new Luna CruzJen Song thriller Lawyer Geisha Pink, about a woman trying to defend the rights of her former progolfer, paraplegic cousin. 1p TREASURE HOUSE BOOKS & GIFTS 2012 SOUTH PLAZA NW, 505.242.7204

myspace.com/oldtownbookseller BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Corrales Community Book Fair Join fellow literary lovers as they mingle, buy books, go to a reading or two and meet local authors for one-on-one time and get signed copies of their work. Cash only recommended for book purchases. 1p THE HISTORIC OLD SAN YSIDRO CHURCH 966 OLD CHURCH, CORRALES

corraleshistory.org/html/the_old_ church.html

myspace.com/oldtownbookseller

Native American Night Before Christmas and Native American 12 Days of Christmas Illustrator Jesse Hummingbird will be present to sign both books written by Gary Robinson about Native American Christmas traditions. 2p KIMO THEATRE 423 CENTRAL NW, 505.768.3522

cabq.gov/kimo

THU 1 BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Vultures’ Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates and High-Finance Carnivores Author Greg Palast will talk about his newest book about investigative work and the way his personal life became part of his journalistic story. 7p, $5

SUN 27

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO CONTINUING EDUCATION AUDITORIUM 1634 UNIVERSITY NE, 505.277.5984

BOOK TALK/SIGNING

dce.unm.edu/auditorium.htm

An Indelible Imprint: Ruben Cobos, a Multi-Talented Personality Native New Mexican Nasario Garcia will sign his latest book about an amazing teacher who was not constricted by the walls of the classroom. 1p TREASURE HOUSE BOOKS & GIFTS

FRI 2

REVIEW will sign his new book about the diversity and culture present in the New Mexican Christmas tradition.

and other works. The short story centers upon family, love and tradition. 1p

5p

TREASURE HOUSE BOOKS & GIFTS 2012 SOUTH PLAZA NW, 505.242.7204

TREASURE HOUSE BOOKS & GIFTS 2012 SOUTH PLAZA NW, 505.242.7204

myspace.com/oldtownbookseller

SAT 3 BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Smiles, Giggles & Laughs Comedian, producer and author Ronn Perea will sign his book about his life on “America’s Mother Road,” Route 66, and the comedy-industry secrets he learned during his adventures. Noon TREASURE HOUSE BOOKS & GIFTS 2012 SOUTH PLAZA NW, 505.242.7204

myspace.com/oldtownbookseller BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Self-Publishing and Local Authors Fair Authors are invited to bring their books to promote and sell independently. 3-5p PAGE ONE BOOKSTORES 11018 MONTGOMERY NE, 505.294.2026 page1book.com

SUN 4 BOOK TALK/SIGNING

BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Enchanted by the Light: 13 Short Stories Celebrating Christmas in New Mexico Award-winning author Hank Bruce

Gremma’s Hands Local author David Corwell y Chavez will sign his latest short story “Gremma’s Hands” from the collection Voices of New Mexico

Wildflowers of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains of Central New Mexico

myspace.com/oldtownbookseller

BY LARRY J. LITTLEFIELD AND PEARL M. BURNS

BOOK TALK/SIGNING

2011, Sandia Plant Books

La Llorona: The Crying Woman Rudolfo Anaya will sign his new book La Llorona: The Crying Woman, which takes a creative spin with the New Mexican “boogeyman” that terrorizes children into behaving. 2p

Softcover, 228 pp

BOOKWORKS 4022 RIO GRANDE NW, 505.344.8139

bkwrks.com

MON 5 BOOK TALK/SIGNING

Norman Finkelstein Author and political scientist Norman Finkelstein will talk about the Palestinian prospects for statehood and peace. 5:45p UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO STUDENT UNION BUILDING MSC03 2200 BLDG. 60, SUITE 3020 1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, 505.277.2331 sub.unm.edu

Books calendar submissions can be sent to calendar@local-iq.com.

Please submit books-related events at least two weeks prior to event.

High resolution artwork/book covers accepted in .pdf or .jpg format.

36 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

$24 ISBN: 9781578335299

T

his new guide is for anyone who has ever hiked our backyard Sandia and Manzano Mountain trails and appreciated some plant that just burst out of the dry mulch after a monsoon rain and wondered, what the heck is that called?

Retired professor of plant pathology, U.S. Forest Service volunteer and outdoor enthusiast Larry Littlefield has walked these mountain trails extensively, taking hundreds of photographs and copious notes along his journey. Partnering with editor, avid hiker and course leader in wildflower identification Pearl Burns, Littlefield has self-published a userfriendly guide of New Mexico’s many common flora.

Flowers are grouped by color and labeled with family names and scientific names, with full-color photos of different stages of plant growth. Making this guide specific to the Southwest, practical traditional Native American tribe uses of the plants are also indicated.

On the back cover, Robert Julyan, author of Field Guide to the Sandia Mountains, said of this book: “If plants could speak, they would say, ‘This is how we want you to know us.’” —CO

PROFILE

Cup of pride Coffee Shop teaches valuable work and life skills to formerly homeless employees

BY TOM GIBBONS

L

ike all coffee lovers, I find that there are many subtle ways a cup of coffee can go exactly right. There is the quality of the beans to consider, but there is also the preparation. How much milk to espresso? How much foam? Cinnamon? Chocolate? Caramel?

Tall or short? Soy or skim?

“Coffee crosses all economic lines — we all like coffee,” said Rev. the Rusty S. Smith, executive director and mission manager of St. Martin’s Hospitality and Behavioral Health Center.

Smith has helmed countless outreach projects in Albuquerque, and The Coffee Shop, a selfsustaining employment training program run by St. Martin’s, is yet another.

In the lobby of Downtown @ 700-2nd Apartments, where signs tout the slogan “Coffee PROFILE for a Cause” and employee The Coffee testimonials line Shop the walls, coffee drinks are served 700 2nd NW, five days a week 505.242.3801 from 6:30a to 2p Hours: 6:30a-2p, at prices a dollar Mon.-Fri. less than most competitors. The employees are primarily homeless people, learning job skills to help them end the cycle of homelessness.

The Coffee Shop employs five to six workers at a time, who attend weekly training courses when not learning hands-on behind the coffee counter. Tina Iverson, Job Developer of St. Martin’s, places 14 people in steady jobs every month, and teaches job skills in retail and customer service at The Coffee Shop.

One person to benefit from the training is current employee, Elizabeth. A year ago, Elizabeth was in St. Martin’s self-sufficient housing program, looking to secure a job. I asked Elizabeth where she would like to be one year in the future.

“One of my biggest goals is to go back to school and finish my education,” she said. “I have a 17-year-old, a 7-year-old, plus another one on the way. I want to focus on giving back to my

“By giving our trainees choices in what they learn, we give them what many employed people have but what very few people of limited means enjoy: the dignity of options.”

REV. RUSTY S. SMITH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/MISSION MANAGER, ST. MARTIN’S HOSPITALITY & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER.

community by helping others, especially at-risk teenagers. My younger daughter is very sensitive to the fact that we have a family car now, are not riding the bus anymore, and we all feel very blessed to have a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. I want to give back to the community and help young people at risk.”

Through The Coffee Shop, Smith and the other organizers hope to expose Downtown to the reality of homelessness. “Very often, people living on the streets become accustomed to the skill set that helps them survive — experience teaches them to disappear into the background, to avoid eye contact and engagement with others,” Smith said.

The very simple acts that most of take for granted, i.e. smiling as you greet a customer, are behaviors that need to be reacquired in order for the doors in life to open. “Securing employment is, for many people in transition, the bright point of leaving the streets,” Smith noted.

Other employees have been inspired by the cause. “When I applied (for the position of coffee manager) online, I had no idea what I was walking into,” said Tyler Tencza, coffee manager and self-described “coffee geek,” who trains new employees and knows everything about what makes a great cup of coffee. “I must have dragged (Rusty) through zillions of coffee tastings at roasters all around New Mexico.”

The selections at The Coffee Shop include

PHOTO BY WES NAMAN

Coffee Manager Tyler Tencza (left) and Father Rusty S. Smith grab a cup of coffee in The Coffee Shop, a new Downtown business that employs formerly homeless people. “I am thrilled to see The Coffee Shop turn out so nicely,” said Smith, who helped create the business.

quality Sumatran, Colombian and French roasts, along with snacks and pastries familiar to patrons of popular coffee chains.

Since its beginning three months ago, The Coffee Shop has proved to be a huge success.

Acknowledging that not everyone is comfortable working in customer service, Smith and company hope to open a baking school in January 2012. “By giving our trainees choices in what they learn, we give them what many employed people have but what very few people

of limited means enjoy: the dignity of options,” Smith said. “I am thrilled to see The Coffee Shop turn out so nicely.”

Tencza said the most important skill being taught at the shop is really quite simple.

“Above all, we are teaching pride. Pride in the understanding, the creation and sale of a quality product.”

One last note: New trainee Ruben made my latte. It would be the third he had ever made. It was delicious.

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

37

COMMUNITY

C OM M U N I T Y E V E NT S

SUBMIT TO LOC A L iQ The next deadline is Nov. 30 for the Dec. 8 issue.

Send entries to:

and artists, this unique holiday fair features storytelling, healers, tarot and astrology readings, arts and crafts and great holiday gifts. 4-8p, Fri.; 10a-2p, Sat., FREE 1111 CARLISLE SE, 505.603.0112

soulresources.net/classes

SUN 27

calendar@local-iQ.com

FREE ONGOING/CLASS

f: 888.520.9711 a: PO Box 7490 ABQ., N.M. 87194

Name of Event Short description of event.

TIME, PRICE ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER

website

Prayers for World Peace Each week receive practical advice from Buddha’s teachings to nourish compassion and wisdom in order to improve oneself, one’s relationships and the world.

The teachings are accessible for everyone and the environment.

Very conducive for beginners. 1011:20a, FREE

LIST EVENTS ONLINE FOR FREE AT: WWW.LOCAL-iQ.COM Events are always subject to change, check with individual venues before heading out ** CALENDAR LISTINGS ARE A FREE SERVICE AND MAY BE CUT DUE TO SPACE. PREFERENCE IS GIVEN TO FREE EVENTS.

THU 24 THROUGH DEC. 13 CONTEST

4th Annual Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Pueblo Gingerbread House Contest This community contest is open to amateur entrants and offers cash prizes for 1st-3rd place and honorable mention in a variety of categories. Please no professional bakers/candymakers. Entries accepted in the East Lobby from Nov. 19 to Dec. 13. Display will run from Nov. 19 through Jan. 3. 9a-5p, Mon.-Sun., FREE INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER 2401 12TH NW, 505.724.3519

tmccullah@indianpueblo.com SPECIAL EVENT

Thanksgiving Brunch Thanksgiving brunch offering a variety of holiday fare. 10a-5:30p,

KADAMPA MEDITATION CENTER 8701 COMANCHE NE, 505.292.5293

meditationnewmexico.org

TUE 29 DISCUSSION/LECTURE

The Kirtland AFB Underground Fuel Plume: What do we know about it? What can we do about it?

Faculty from the UNM Water Resources Program (WRP) and College of Pharmacy will conduct a teach-in on the fuel plume underneath Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) and adjoining areas. Sponsored by the WRP and the City of Albuquerque. Speakers include: Steve Canabiss, Bruce Thomson, Gary Weissman, Laurie Hudson.

6-7:30p, FREE CESAR CHAVEZ COMMUNITY CENTER 7505 KATHRYN SE, 505.256.2680

cabq.gov

WED 30 CLASS/WORKSHOP

Adult Yoga The Harwood Museum of Art presents a weekly meditative Jivamukti Yoga program with Jayne Schell.

This program is open to all levels and yoga mats are provided. 8:3010a, $8-$10 THE HARDWOOD MUSEUM OF ART OF UNM 238 LEDOUX, 575.758.9826

harwoodmuseum.org

$19.95-$43.95 HYATT REGENCY ALBUQUERQUE 3300 TIJERAS NW, 505.843.2646

THU 1

linda.durand@hyatt.com SPECIAL EVENT

FRI 25 THROUGH APR. 22 BENEFIT/FUNDRAISER

Coats For Cubs Used furs provide bedding and comfort to orphaned and injured wildlife. Because these items are going to wildlife rehabilitation efforts, condition of apparel is unimportant. 10a-8p, Mon.-Sat.; 11a-7p,

Nob Hill’s Annual Shop and Stroll Bring friends and family on a festive walking tour of historic Nob Hill where Central Avenue will be free of traffic and glittering with luminarias from Girard to Washington. 5-10p, FREE CENTRAL FROM GIRARD TO WASHINGTON rt66central.com

Sun., FREE

SAT 3

BUFFALO EXCHANGE 3005 CENTRAL, 505.262.0098

SPECIAL EVENT

buffaloexchange.com THROUGH NOV. 26 FAIR/FESTIVAL

Happiness Holiday Fair Aimed at alternative practitioners

38 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

atmosphere with businesses offering visitor free hot chocolate, cider and cookies. Activities include a “First Saturday” reception at the Johnsons of Madrid Galleries from 3-5p, the Annual Madrid Christmas Parade at 4p, followed by a display of Christmas lights. The Mine Shaft Tavern will be exhibiting new works of art by Ken Wolverton and his restoration of “Cultural Gem of the Mining District,” the famous mural by Ross Ward. Live music by The Family Coal from 7-11p. 3-11p,

The 29th Annual Madrid Christmas Open House Madrid, “New Mexico’s Christmas Town,” celebrates its 29th Annual Madrid Christmas Open House.

Throughout the day, enjoy a festive

MADRID 2843 STATE HIGHWAY 14, 505.474.0344

visitmadrid.com or madridculturalprojects.info WORKSHOP/CLASS

Self Hypnosis Class Discover the power of hypnosis for oneself. Learn how to go into deep trance and harness the power of the unconscious mind with Hypnotherapist Bob Morrison DCH. 4-8p, $70 THE SOURCE 1111 CARLISLE SE, 505.603.0112

soulresources.net/classes SPECIAL EVENT

Holidays Take Flight Bring family and friends to the Balloon Museum for the annual Holidays Take Flight. It’s a day filled with family activities such as Balloon Pilot Santa, cookie decorating, and ornament making.

10a-4p, FREE ANDERSON ABRUZZO INTERNATIONAL BALLOON MUSEUM 9201 BALLOON MUSEUM NE, 505.271.2119

balloonmuseum.com

SUN 4 SPECIAL EVENT

Christmas at Kuaua Holiday visitors will get into the spirit with an evening designed for family fun. Hundreds of flickering luminarias and thousands of Christmas lights cast their welcoming glow around the Coronado State Monument. Activities start with Santa’s Workshop: children, assisted by a few kindly elves, will have an opportunity to make their own Christmas tree ornament.

5-8:30p, FREE CORONADO STATE MONUMENT 485 KUAUA IN BERNALILLO, 505.867.5351

SPECIAL EVENT

Community Chant/Meditation Sing HU to help bring solace, find inner harmony, and experience a direct connection with the universal life force and one’s true self.

For people of all faiths/beliefs. First Sunday of every month. 3-3:30p, FREE HIGH DESERT YOGA 4600 COPPER NE, 505.730.4631

hearhu.org

WED 7 CLASS/WORKSHOP

Adult Yoga The Harwood Museum of Art presents a weekly meditative Jivamukti Yoga program with Jayne Schell.

This program is open to all levels and yoga mats are provided. 8:3010a, $8-$10 THE HARDWOOD MUSEUM OF ART OF UNM 238 LEDOUX, 575.758.9826

harwoodmuseum.org

PLANET WAVES ARIES (MAR. 20-APR. 19) Are you feeling like you’re about to explode?

There is something in you that’s pushing to be reborn, which is a version of yourself that has faith in your confidence. You keep going through this, and every time you hope to get it right. Try this visualization. You’re standing face to face with a being you perceive as much greater than yourself: the essence of creative power. Imagine this being morphs into someone who resembles you. It is you, and you can “become” this seemingly separate entity — and then you remember.

You’ve made a promise to yourself, the time has arrived to honor that commitment. But how? I am sure you know.

TAURUS (APR. 19-MAY 20) You may feel out of place, in over your head or that too much is expected of you.

Yet at the same time, you’re a determined, persistent person, who loves a challenge and has some ambitions to do the right thing in the world, and for the world. How can both conditions be true? They can be, though the meeting point is making peace with being called to live up to your potential.

Called by whom? If it feels like you’re being called by something outside yourself, you may be projecting the matter. That’s often how “callings” arrive in our lives. We are presented with opportunities: explore them.

What is presenting itself directly to you, in your immediate or mental environment?

What are you doing in response?

GEMINI (MAY 20-JUN. 21) When we admire someone, the question is, are we seeing something in them, or seeing something about ourselves that we identify with in them? Is one more legitimate than the other? These are questions you have to ask for yourself, with regard to one particular relationship. Both conditions may turn out to be true. This would also be worth inquiring about if the situation is a negative attachment, which might be a judgment or the perception of someone as egotistical, self-serving or arrogant. I know that first impressions mean a lot; if that is the case, go back to your first impression for more information. In the meantime, give this involvement the rest of the year to work itself out, and make observations before you take action or make commitments. In the world of personality, anything can be a mirror, so use your discernment.

CANCER (JUN. 21-JUL. 22) This may feel like a messy or alienated time where your relationship commitments are concerned, but what if those mattered ess than being true to yourself? You may think that you’ve lost your way, but your astrology suggests that your true quest has just begun. It’s less about your relationships and more about a soul journey that you’ve been preparing to embark upon. Most of the time, this gets confused with having a “soul mate,” which is a distraction from the elemental truth that your journey through the world is a unique experience. The intimacy you’re seeking is a state of spiritual harmony with yourself. This is something you can share with others; and the more in tune you are with yourself, the more meaning their self-presence will have for you. This is not about relationships, it’s about being in tune with your own existence.

BY ERIC FRANCIS • PLANETWAVES. NET LEO (JUL. 22-AUG. 23) You may feel like you’re walking through a fog. It’s likely you’ve driven through a fog, and you know what to do: slow down, increase your mental focus and relax. The problem with this fog is that it has a psychic charge, and the charge is a kind of reactivity.

If you have any sensation of mistrusting others, or the feeling of lurking betrayal, slow down. I don’t know the source of these thoughts, but a reading of your solar chart advises caution about believing your fears. Once the Sun enters your fellow fire sign Sagittarius, you will proceed with new confidence, but be vigilant any time you feel your confidence falter. You’re stronger than you think, and your awareness gives you more information than you know. Proceed with care rather than caution, and faith rather than hope.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEP. 22) Be careful what promises you make for the next few months; make sure you’re prepared to come through immediately when you offer something to someone. Conduct an inventory of promises you’ve made but not kept. You don’t have to fulfill all your old commitments at once, though keep them in mind, and get in contact with anyone you’ve neglected and let them know you’re aware of that fact. You’re doing this more for your own sake than for anyone else’s. The chances are that you’ve injured people far less than you may fear, if at all. Yet the way things go in our particular world, people are always grateful when someone voluntarily makes amends. Often the result is a greater overall gain than if the whole thing had not happened, coming with the subtle but authentic feeling of faith in humanity being restored.

LIBRA (SEP. 22-OCT. 23) You’ve had an unusual few weeks. Write diary notes about what you have experienced, thought, felt, heard and said — it will come in handy. The beauty is you’ve had a chance to assert yourself in unusual way. This is not the moment to stop: it’s your jumping-off point. You may not recognize the influence you’ve had, or the strength of your ideas; you may not know the power of what you’ve discovered. This is why you should put notes in your journal, take photos of yourself and bookmark the whole thing. This is a formula that blends freedom and responsibility — neither is meaningful without the other.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 22) As the Sun moves through the final degrees of your sign, it’s making an aspect to Neptune in Aquarius, which implies tension, emotional conflict and the sensation of not knowing what’s true. This looks like a playback of confusion you’ve experienced many times, particularly around your birthday. If you’ve never arrived at the point where the confusion became your teacher, now is a great moment for that. The space of not knowing is a vital one. Usually we react with denial, which often comes in the form of false certainty. The thing you want to watch out for is false uncertainty. You know you’re pushing certain issues more than some people who say they like you would prefer. Don’t worry about being popular.

Don’t argue for your cause. Pause and walk away before you react in an emphatic way.

UNIVERSAL CROSSWORD

Instead, make sure you know your facts, and let anyone challenge you at their own peril.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 22) We live in a society that confuses self-esteem with arrogance, self-love with vanity, creativity with self-obsession and self-awareness with having a big ego. Yet there’s another layer.

Having grown up in such an environment, many people lack any sense of who they are or what they want, since that rarely mattered to their early caregivers. Being raised by narcissistic people means their goals became your goals, and their fears became yours. In the midst of a sea of narcissism, the first step is often to come back to or find for the first time what we value and desire.

Be aware of that, and take the next step and encourage others to discover what matters the most to them.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 20) Someone close to you may be offering intuitive or common sense guidance, but you may have your doubts. Take a look at why you feel that way. It may be reluctance to take any guidancel, or that you’re questioning their motives. You may be concerned that you’ll have to rearrange your life if you change your mind about something. But most likely you’re resisting information that comes from intuition. Fear may be getting in the way of your own subtle senses, and you may think you’re getting conflicting information. Anyone who is offering their viewpoint is likely to have deeper information than they’re letting on. If you want to know more, ask. You’re responsible for any decisions you make, but decisions are best made considering several points of view.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 19) You may feel like you’re under some unusual pressure that you have no idea how to respond to. It’s like the air is getting heavier and the walls are growing closer in, but pause and ask how much of this is some combined effect of your mind and your feelings. This is adding up to a sensation that feels like it’s coming from your environment. You’ll have confirmation soon enough. Meanwhile, Neptune has just stationed direct in your sign, about to exit after a 12-year journey. There’s some advice that comes with this: you have a window of a few months to tidy up any matters of selfdeception that have afflicted you going as far back as you can remember. The pressure you may be feeling is the need to be real with yourself, something that’s best done gently.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MAR. 20) Do a study of the times when taking care of your own needs was used against you. This can include anything from being responsive to your own feelings to taking care of your dietary needs. Start with your parents and other dominant adults who were present when you were a child. One result can be a guilt complex around taking care of yourself, which many try to assuage with self-neglect.

It doesn’t work. But neither does fighting for the “right” to look after your own interests.

You can go a long way by noticing when you’re having either response — guilt, or fighting. You may have the impulse to run.

Hang out with the feeling and see if you can learn something from it. Then, observe how you feel as you focus on basic self-care with a clear conscience.

CROSSWORD SOLUTION ON PAGE 40

LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

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Prepare for phone interview

W

hile we are beginning to see some positive signs when it comes to employment, it should come as no surprise that companies are still doing what they can to keep costs low in today’s economy — even when they are experiencing growth and expansion. This is one of the reasons the phone interview has become more and more popular in the recruitment process.

Not only is a phone interview a great way to screen out-of-state candidates at very little cost, it also saves time with local interviews. While phone interviews may seem more casual than face-to-face interviews (and in many ways they are), they hold more weight than many people realize. Here are a few common mistakes job seekers make when it comes to this step in the hiring process.

Underestimating the impact Unfortunately, many candidates do not take a phone interview as seriously as an in-person interview. This mistake can deliver a gamechanging blow, as many hiring managers use the phone interview to make their first round of cuts. Employers will only invite candidates into the office when they have been impressed by the phone interaction. Remember, any opportunity to speak directly to a decision maker should be treated as the only shot to land a job.

Being unprepared It is not uncommon for job seekers to apply to more than one position. Some companies will contact the applicant ahead of time to schedule an official phone interview, while others will simply call and execute the interview when they have time.

Rather than waste valuable time trying to figure

40 LOCAL iQ | ALBUQUERQUE’S INTELLIGENT ALTERNATIVE | NOVEMBER 24-DECEMBER 7, 2011

out which application the employer is calling about, candidates should be as prepared for these phone calls as possible. Keeping a small notebook containing company names, major points found in the job postings and any relevant contact information close by will help identify the most important information quickly.

It’s never a good idea to make the employer feel like you don’t know what they are calling about.

Being distracted A TV blaring in the background, a dog barking, kids screaming; would any of these be appropriate in a face-to-face interview? Of course not, and they aren’t appropriate during a phone interview either.

Candidates should schedule a call at a time when they are free from distractions. Employers want to know that applicants are taking the opportunity seriously. If an employer decides to make the call on the fly, and it falls during a time that is not ideal for the interview, it’s okay to let them know that it may be difficult to talk during that time and ask for a follow-up call. Employers should be focused on what the candidate is saying, not focused on trying to hear them.

Theresa Maher, a former Albuquerque resident, is vice president of media and editor of Recruiting News at Jobing.com. For the latest Albuquerque job openings, be sure to visit the careers section of local-iQ.com.