Category: Music

*Yawn*

Why do shorter weeks always feel longer? This week is interminable and I’m only a day and a half into it. That can’t be a good sign.

It doesn’t help that The Cute Boy™ is bad sick. Like fevery, grumpy, not sleepy, it’s-all-just-not-good kind of sick.

Nothing worse than being sick in the summer. Yes, I know that milestone of “Fall” has passed, but it’s not “officially” Fall until later this month. And the fact that it’s in the nineties here makes me definitely think summer, despite all the “back to school” hoo-hah that’s wandering about. Welcome to Indian Summer. My fave time of year, actually.

The New Mexico State Fair starts this weekend. I distinctly remember getting a day off from school to go to the Fair. Hot, dusty, questionable, but my mom and I always went. You ain’t lived until you’ve fought the bees to eat your honeyed fry bread while watching the Indian dances. Or until you’ve sat in rickety Tingley Coliseum singing along with Freddy Fender. Or Jerry Reed (“east bound and down…loaded up and truckin’…(see, I’m already tapping my toes)). Or yes, Roy Clark, a staple of the rodeo for years.

Ah….I can smell the cotton candy now.

Wish I could get a day off work so’s my mom and I could eat our way through the Fair. Sometimes being a grownup is NO fun.

Then again, I’m meeting a friend for dinner tonight at a Cuban place. Here’s the good part of being a grownup. Sometimes a Mojito cures a lot of whining.

So I guess this is really a blog post full of miscellany. No point. Just a bucketload of thoughts for a Hump Day afternoon.

Enjoy some early Jerry Reed:

Aaaand we’re back

Yes, unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. My weekend in Oh Fair New Mexico was wonderful, due in large part to good friends and good eats.

We stayed at a great little place in Ruidoso called Alto Hombre Gordito. It’s wonderful. What it lacks in high class it makes up for in utter charm. This was my second stay there and it was even better than the first. We managed to book the last cabin at the end and felt truly away from it all.

My best friend cooked up a storm (the room had a full kitchen stocked with pots, pans and dishes). And the rellenos were truly divine.

Saturday was spent at Lincoln at the festival celebrating (if that’s the right word) the Lincoln County War and the escape of Billy the Kid (immortalized, of course, in the movie Young Guns).

It was rained like a mutha and when not raining, humid as anything, so it was a tough day. Nothing that a little funnel cake didn’t fix, however.

On the way back to our cabin we checked out the abandoned Fort Stanton and the Merchant Marine cemetary nearby. I’d never seen either or knew they were there, and neither had my friend, so it was awesome to explore a part of New Mexico we’d never seen.

That evening was spent seeing the Bellamy Brothers in concert at the Ruidoso Downs. I’d never been to the Downs before, so it was fun to see the venerable old track. It’s probably seen better days, but all things considered, it was in good shape. The concert was great (I’m probably showing my age being such a fan of the Bellamys). My best good friend and I sang along to all the songs (we knew ’em all by heart). The Bellamys opened the show by saying “we’re going to play some old songs….then again, all we have are old songs”. Again, it was humid as anything, and I worked up a sweat dancing in my seat, but it was a great time!

Sunday was a leisurely drive back to Las Cruces, many hugs and kisses on my two beautiful goddaughters (they both got an iPod shuffle so I’m the BEST Nina in the history of Ninas…at least in their minds for a minute! :) ), then back to the El Paso airport to get my heiny home.

I passed through the Albuquerque airport and in the layover was able to spend stupid money at the store there affiliated with Casa de Avila. I have always loved their store in Old Town. They have amazing jewelry, a bit expensive, but it’s the real (and good) stuff. A few years back when my dad was sick and I was flying in and out of Albuquerque quite a bit, I managed to treat myself to some beautiful pieces there. They didn’t disappoint this time, I got some unique stuff and went home broker and happier than when I’d landed.

Was happy to return to the Bay Area, get tight squeezes from my man, and sleep in my own bed.

I’m still sick, but have less sinus pressure now after a course of antibiotics. Let me tell you, a sinus infection at cruising altitude is a new kind of pain. Torture.

But I’m back. Work still sucks, but I’m a little bit happier. I found something I’d lost while back in New Mexico. I got to remember, “where I come from” and got right again. It was a great trip, I’m so glad I went. Tonic for a tortured soul…….

When memories reach up and grab you

Lately I’ve been on quite a jag of reading the works of one noble New Mexico left handed cowboy poet named Baxter Black. He’s a good friend of my “adopted dad” (my best friend’s father). I had the chance to meet him once back in college and I’ve heard stories of his over the years.

I was heartened to see that my local library carried a good selection of Bax’s works. They make you smile, make you think and make you outright laugh yer bum off.

I just got done reading one of his collections from a few years back. It was one of the books of his NPR material called “Horseshoes, Cowsocks and Duckfeet”. One selection from that book is called “Lake Valley”.

Man oh man. That almost made me weep with homesickness. It also made me smile to know that two people, some twenty-five years apart in age, have similar memories of the same event. That’s the staying power of Lake Valley.

In fact, back in college I used to go to Lake Valley with my best friend. She’s the one who turned me on to it. Her parents used to come along with us too, having danced at Lake Valley back in the day (and probably along with Bax). I remember at the dance they used to give you a family rate of $20. My fill-in dad would gather up all us scraggly college kids, blonds, redheads, brunettes, short, tall, thin, stocky and all about the same age. He’d point to our gang, tell ’em that was his family, throw ’em a twenty at the door and we’d all get in.

You know, in our way, we were (and are) family.

The way Bax describes Lake Valley in his writing is just how I remember it. Though when I was going, a band called The Rounders were the ones playing the old songs. What a talented group, The Rounders…they even played at my best friend’s wedding. Now THAT was a party.

At the end of this post is a photo I found online. It’s how the schoolhouse used to look. Ok, imagine that…but with no desks and a lot more years on it and that’s pretty much how it used to look. See that riser there at the end? Where the teacher would sit? That’s where the band would play. It was a long narrow room and we had to dance in a long oval. Like Bax said, the floorboards give under your feet and after all the years they weren’t particularly even, so you had to mind your feet, but oh was it a hell of a good time.

I’ve never felt quite so free, happy and in touch with the simple easy joys in life. I miss the feeling of flying I’d get dancing a polka with my very tall and very dear friend Larry. I loved the camaraderie of wrapping arm around arm and doing the Schottische and Cotton Eyed Joe (“stepped in what?”). And, as Bax said, when the band took a break, we’d all migrate outside to cool off and dip into the ice chest for food, beverages and the telling of a few good stories.

Ah the memories. If I let ’em, they’ll take over my whole day.






Image from Living Ghost Towns.




Well I’ll Be Darned

You know…sometimes I don’t give New Mexico enough credit. One of the things I enjoyed growing up was the sort of slow quiet desert way about New Mexico. I was firmly entrenched in the small backward ways of my home while also silently making plans to grow up and live somewhere else. I always thought living in a big city would be better. Then, towards the end of my college career at NMSU, I thought I wanted nothing better than to live in New Mexico the rest of my life.

As fate would have it, my job situation worked out to move me to the Bay Area. I was now as an adult living in a major metropolitan area. And as much as I enjoy living here, I long for the slower, easier ways of New Mexico.

But again, I often don’t give New Mexico enough credit for it’s deep cultural roots, not just Hispanic and Native American, the culture of America.

I was humbled, again, today as I hit the New Mexico Magazine website. On the front page they have a poll. You are asked to vote for the song that will go down as the best by a New Mexican. Ok, so I expected to see some hokiness. A couple Nelson Martinez songs or maybe Jim Glaser and his “Lights of Albuquerque” (a song which, honestly, makes me cringe a little).

But I have to apologize to my fellow artistic New Mexicans because there are a couple of my all time favorites on this list. Then again…some of these folks can *barely* be called a New Mexican. I tend to get pretty strict on that score…I prefer natives over movers in, but I guess I can’t get too fine on this point. I’m going to just feel proud that our fair state is somehow associated with these fine musical works.

Here’s the list:

“The Bare Necessities” by Terry Gilkyson

This is a great sing along song. Gotta love Baloo in the Jungle Book, deep voiced (Phil Harris lent his voice to the character) and crazy dancing along. A simple happy upbeat tune. Written by Terry Gilkyson, a very well known musician from the 1950’s as a member of the Easy Riders. Mr. Gilkyson retired in the later part of his life to Santa Fe. So while not a native, we’ll gladly claim him as our own.

Now when I jig around the house singing this one, I’ll have peace in my heart that it’s a part of my New Mexican heritage.

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“By the Time I Get to Phoenix” by Glenn Campbell

Ok, this one blew me away. Glenn Campbell is one of my all time favorite musicians. I love everything he’s ever written. “Still Within the Sound of my Voice” is a song that breaks me up every time. Ol’ Glenn can only tangentially be called a New Mexican. From a brief web search I found that while about age 16 (in 1953) he played with an uncle’s band in Albuquerque, so I am not sure we can claim him. But it’s a fun tidbit to know that part of his career passed through our fair state. My mom lived in NM in the 50’s as a young woman…it’s cool to ponder maybe she saw him play at some bar in downtown Albuquerque while having drinks with friends. She wouldn’t remember, but I can dream, right?

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“A Holly Jolly Christmas” by Burl Ives

What!?!?!? Burl is quintessentially Christmas to me! He voiced Sam The Snowman in that stop action animation “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer” in which he also sang “A Holly Jolly Christmas”. The Wikipedia about him says he used to sing “There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” at every concert. That is a TOTAL childhood favorite. Was singing it not five days ago…

Man oh man. Burl. An American treasure. As for the New Mexico connection, I found an interview with his widow that made mention of them living in our great state. Ok, fair enough. Burl, you’re in!

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“King of the Road” by Roger Miller

Almost wept with joy to see this one on the list. Hands down, Roger Miller and his music holds a deep, special place in my heart. Most of his tunes evoke a particular memory for me, and usually a good one.

His wacky lyrics sometimes overshadowed the fact that he was an absolutely incredible musician. I adore me some Roger Miller. I sing all his stuff in as loud a voice as possible. Loudly and badly. Oh yeah. I couldn’t really find the link between Mr. Miller and New Mexico, but far be it from me to argue with New Mexico Magazine.

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“Singin’ in the Rain” by Nacio Herb Brown

An all time great movie moment from a top ten fave movie. Watched it again maybe three or four months ago. Gene Kelly moving effortlessly through the rain. Debbie Reynolds was never better. Donald O’Connor in my opinion steals the movie from both Debbie and Gene. Adore the movie. Adore the song.

And of all on the list, he’s a true New Mexican. Born Ignacio Herb Brown in Deming, his family moved to LA when he was five. But he’s one of ours, no two ways about it.

Another fact I never knew. “Singing in the Rain” written by a native son.

And because of that, Nacio got my vote…..(and when I voted I got the see the results so far. Nacio is leading the pack. Go New Mexico!!)