Saturday, August 27, 2016

Dirt City Chronicles podcast episode 42



C'mon in, the water is fine
After sixteen years of self imposed exile in New Mexico's Bootheel Country, I've now been back in Albuquerque for eight months. This has allowed me to view the city from a different light. Burqueños proclivity for running red lights (especially on the Westside) is fucking scary. Bring back red light cameras already. Unser north of I40 is a speedway, on most days Unser south of I40 resembles a Baghdad highway. I've seen guns flashed, fights on the side of the road and a pitbull pup nearly strangled when he jumped out of a pick-up bed in traffic. The fifth most dangerous city in the U.S. continues to live up to its dubious ranking. A vicious series of brutal murders, drive by shootings and road rage fights have turned 'Burque news into the north-of-the border version of tawdry Mexican crime tabloid Alarma!

Albuquerque is a quizzical mix of open hostility and open armed bienvenidos.... meted out in equal increments that can be both puzzling and maddening. Bad things happen to good people here and bad things happen to bad people with alarming regularity as well. The prevalence of Spanish spoken throughout the city, is perhaps the biggest change that I've noticed. The line separating the homogeneous white heights from the rest of 'Burque is almost blurred beyond recognition. What were once good neighborhoods are now bad and what were once bad neighborhoods are now gentrified. Albuquerque as I once predicted has become more like Los Angeles or Phoenix. Though to be honest, the entire southwest has become more like Los Angeles or Phoenix That's life in the big city.

The one thing that has remained constant in the Duke City is the music scene. It continues to thrive with an upsurge of creative and talented musicians heading up a growing list of bands and projects that rival those of any other major metropolitan area that comes to mind. No shit. Albuquerque music makes Albuquerque a better place to live, it's proof positive that there's intelligent life here. Bring back the Punk Rock Flea Market, I need more music. Mac's Steak in the Rough and Bob's Burgers are overrated, Chicharron Burrito Express on 4th St. is the bomb. The Frontier and Golden Pride are as good as advertised and the best bakery goods in town are at El Super Mezquite on 98th. They also carry genuine Mennonite cheese straight outta Chihuahua. 



Fort Hobo (ex-Giant Haystacks) kicks things off with a track from their album “Michael” recorded at the Train Yard in Las Cruces by Chris Mason (The Answer Lies, Shang-a-Lang, Low Culture, Dirt Cult Records) which Chris founded in 2006, in Las Cruces... “to release his band Shang-A-Lang’s first 7″ record” 15 Polk St. allegedly had a small army of fanatic “Polksters” following them and they also claim to have “created an entirely new genre of rock music” it's a shame they never got around to recording “Polk Salad Annie” Austin Morrell (previously of Gusher, You, Austin Morrell & The Alchemists, Nightsnake, Brothers, Yoda’s House, Braillist, Abraham the Poor, Heyisayfuckyou, The Crystal Thimble and High Priest) serenades us with “Bad Heart” off his latest album “Albuquerque”

Retard Slave is one of Steve Hammond's side projects “Mow Down Mow Man” comes from
“Cool A.M. Party Sweat” a compilation album released in 2011. Nick Voges is a member of The Haptics..... who are still active, having played at Burt's Tiki Lounge as recently as March, 2016. In case you're wondering, Haptics (pronounced HAP-tiks) is the science of applying touch (tactile) sensation and control to interaction with computer applications. I didn't know that. Tracks by Seahorn, The Haptics and Nick Voge are from “The Music Lab- ABQ” a compilation album featuring local bands that ranks right up there with “Ouch! Welcome to Albuquerque” Socyermom's iconic compilation as a must-have local music companion. Melanthius is Mauro Woody (Animals in the Dark, Lady Uranium, The Glass Menageries, Chicharra, Five Star Motelles) her brothers Brahm Woody, Dhaveed Woody, and Eric Wellman.

Let's cut to the chase. Faster than a stray round! More powerful than an Española lowrider, Able to leap raging arroyos in a single bound. Look, up in the sky! It's the Creamland cow!, It's Wayfarer 515!, It's Dirt City Chronicles, strange visitor from another planet (Southern New Mexico) who came to 'Burque with a music collection far beyond those of your average joe. Don't touch that dial. Dirt City Chronicles is available on Facebook, YouTube (Dirt City Chronicles channel) Google + and at the original source: Blogger, Dirt City Chronicles. I don't do Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram and I never respond to any correspondence. All music posted on Dirt City Chronicles is available at various internet sources for streaming or sale. Boy Howdy!




Part 1 of 3 ~ Fort Hobo
Horsecops ~ Black Fando
Mow Down Mow Man ~ Retard Slave
Moon Pt. 1 ~ 15 Polk St.
Puritans on a Boat ~ Cloud Lantern
Captain Trips ~ Steve Hammond
Bad Heart ~ Austin Morrell
News ~ Italian Rats
All and All ~ Seahorn
Moon Spirit ~ Ballets
So Much to Blame- The Gatherers
Escapism (Markdown Coyote Runner) ~ CanyonLands
The Door ~ Melanthius
Another Day ~ The Haptics
You're So Cool (extended mix) ~ CanyonLands
Canary ~ Nick Voges
Behind Your Smile ~ Ballets