“It took me five years to spell Chattanooga – and then we moved to Albuquerque.”
- Joe Morrison
I asked Kendra what state to do next. “Ohio or New Mexico” she said. New Mexico it is. Have you been? It's a beautiful state and I already went on and on about the sopapillas last year, sometime. It's another one of those states that have way more livestock than people. There are 1,000 official reports of UFO sightings made each year in New Mexico. Dancing while wearing a sombrero is illegal there, so be cool if you go.
My friend, singer/songwriter and Farmhouse Studio owner, Bryan Hayes, down in Moscow, TN, used to play some gigs out there. He tells the story of a small club he played in scenic, enchanting Taos. During a break between sets, he got to talking with a fella at the bar. It turned out the guy was a sculptor and had lived there for some years. He had a residence at one time, but the influx of monied transplants had driven prices up so much he could no longer afford a place. Now he was living in his car, sculpting. Bryan wondered what that must be like? “Well,” the man said after a pause, “I guess the best way I'd describe it is…it's poverty with a view.” Bryan scribbled that down on a bar napkin right quick and the next thing you know, he had a song. Check him out on Spotify, Youtube, etc. Bryan Hayes/Poverty With a View.
New Mexico isn't renowned for its music so much. UFOs, nuclear bombs and enchiladas -- yes, music -- no. But to my surprise, a couple of my favorites hail from there. Let's get into it.
Best band: The Shins formed in Albuquerque (can you spell that off the top of your head?) in the late 1990s. They are, for all intents, the work of founder James Mercer. As I once mentioned, they became known to me from a scene in the movie Garden State. I was sold after that. How would you describe them? Indie-pop, I suppose. Interesting and unpredictable. They haven't released a full album in ten years, but they carry on touring.
Best Solo Artist: That's an easy one, Ryan Bingham. Boy, I like that guy. He's probably best known to the public at large as, Walker, the ex-con, guitar strumming ranch hand on Yellowstone. He's been making music for a lot of years before that role came around. He was born in Hobbs, NM, but the family relocated to Texas when he was young. His mother died of complications from alcohol and his father committed suicide. That's a jumpstart on songwriting, for sure. He got his first record deal in 2007 and hasn't slowed down. He is some blend of Americana, country and folk that his raspy, gravel road-voice is a perfect marriage for. I feel like a tumbleweed should blow through when I listen to a Bingham song. He's one of three or four guys whose voice I covet. It's what I'd want to sound like if I were a singer.
If you're not familiar with the TV show Yellowstone, it's a modern day combination of Bonanza, Dallas and Deadwood. It, along with its two prequels have been mighty popular. It's over the top but entertaining if you're bent that way. We watched most of it, I think. It's the kind of thing that is at times, so absurd you have to nod and chuckle and accept that you're in on a joke. One of my favorite absurdities is the per-episode, obligatory fist fight, barroom brawl or beatdown that must happen. In their aftermath, the characters show little or no evidence that they've been pounded in the face repeatedly with fists or struck by any number of blunt and sharp objects: glass and bottles, furniture, rocks, barbed wire and baseball bats, to name a few. Someone might have a little butterfly bandaid above their eye on the following episode, but things clear up pretty quickly. Have you ever been in a fist fight? Have you ever taken a massive blow to the nose or mouth? Have you ever been bludgeoned over the head with a fence post? If you have, you remember it well. In the immortal words of Ed Grimley, “That's a pain that'll linger, I must say.” Chances are, no matter how many years have passed since it occurred, you still have some residual issues as a result of that sort of interaction. But not on Yellowstone. No, people carry on about their business without a limp or a scab. No one ever has to have dental work done. Teeth remain intact and perfect. There are no concussions or surgeries to repair orbital fractures. It's quite remarkable.
Wildcard: Eliza Gilkyson. We flew to Austin, Texas years ago to see Loudon Wainwright III preform at the Cactus Cafe on UT's campus. It was a famous place, small and intimate, that has since folded. Opening for Loudon was a woman we were unfamiliar with, folk-singer, songwriter Eliza Gilkyson. She was personable, had good songs and told stories of their origins. Some of them involved her family dynamics. When Loudon came on, the first thing he said was, “So, Eliza wants to tell family stories, huh? I have a few of those myself.” This is only funny if you know Wainwright's music because it is notoriously family and relationship-centric – the good, the bad and the ugly. We saw him another time and he had his musician daughter, Lucy, warm up for him. She interacted with the audience in as charming a way as I've seen. At one point, in between songs, she quietly asked the crowd, “Are any of you in a family?…I am.” It got a huge response because everyone there knew the family she was in. Any way, check out Eliza Gilkyson sometime.
Any other New Mexico music I should know about?