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Concert update: Straight No Chaser, "Lute!," Paisley, Hurt, Candlebox and more

OK people, I've got a lot of show news to report and not a lot of energy (a lack of sleep is forcing me to skip tonight's Mannheim Steamroller concert ... I'm wiped!).

So here goes:

• Fans of a cappella group Straight No Chaser, probably best known for their viral video performance of the comic version of "The 12 Days of Christmas," have gotten an early Christmas present.

Tickets for their 7:30 p.m. April 5 show at the Plaza Theatre go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 9.

The show is part of the historic theater's Broadway series. Presales already have begun and will continue through Dec. 8.

Tickets are $35 and $45, plus service charges, and will be available at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

• UTEP Dinner Theatre's production of "Lute!," Tim Rice's rewrite of his musical "Blondel," will go on sale Dec. 12 to UTEP faculty, staff, students and alumni association members and Dec. 13 for everyone else.

"Lute!" originally was staged by UDT in 1985 and again in 1988. Rice has reworked the musical about Richard the Lion Heart into a new show, which gets its first American performances at the UTEP Theater Jan. 27-Feb. 12.

Tickets will range from $28 to $40 for Friday and Saturday shows, $28 to $38 for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday matinees and $14-$24 for Sunday matinees without the meal.

You'll be able to get them from the dinner theater at 747.6060, the UTEP Ticket Center, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

• Speaking of UTEP theater, the newly formed UTEP Improv League will perform an improv comedy show, along the lines of TV's "Whose Line Is It Anyway?," at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Fox Fine Arts Studio Theatre on campus.

It will feature an eight-member cast, according to Matthew Manriquez, president of the group.

Admission is only $2 at the door.

• FYI: Organizers of this weekend's "Holiday Movies at the Plaza" decided to push back the start of "It's a Wonderful Life" from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3.

They're trying to accommodate crowds expected for the fireworks that will end the Celebration of Lights tree lighting and Holiday Lights Parade in and around San Jacinto Plaza.

The pyro goes off at 7:15 p.m.

• Double FYI: Charles Horak, who books the holiday movies at the Plaza (and runs the Plaza Classic Film Festival), will close out the free Film Salon fall season with Alfred Hitchcock's 1943 thriller "Shadow of a Doubt" at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at Trinity-First United Methodist Church, 801 N. Mesa.

• Just a reminder that tix for Brad Paisley's Feb. 17 "Camobunga" tour stop at the Pan Am Center go on sale at 10 a.m. Dec. 3.

The Band Perry and Scotty McCreery, this year's "American Idol" winner, open the show.

Those tickets are $35, $55 and $65 at the box, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

• Hard rockers Hurt are previewing songs from their forthcoming album, "The Crux" (due March 27), with an acoustic tour that comes to Tricky Falls at 8 p.m. Dec. 10.

They'll play new songs and reworked versions of hits, such as "Falls Apart" and "War," with singer J. Loren on violin and a guest cellist joining the band.

Tickets are $14, on sale at Bowie Feathers in the club, All That Music & Video, Maria's Closet and holdmyticket.com.

• Dutch DJ The Scumfrog, who's done work for the likes of David Bowie and Britney Spears, headlines a DJ set at 10 p.m. Dec. 3 (8 p.m. door) at Hurricane Alley, 1490 Missouri, in Las Cruces.

Scumfrog has been living in New Mexico for the past four years, but has never performed in LC before. You may also know him from Sirius radio's "Glam Scum" dance music show.

Also on the bill: local DJs BassPilot and DJ TRiST.

It's a 21-and-older show. Tickets are $8 at the door.

• Thump Lab and Fusion magazine are teaming up with the Lowbrow Palace for a benefit for the Child Crisis Center.

Called "The Gift," it will be at 8 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Lowbrow and feature sets by local DJs WhizKid, Rob Bass, Noevol, Elohim, Joe N. and Anthony "Thump" Olmos.

Recommended admission is $5 or a new, unwrapped toy. All proceeds and donations will go to the Child Crisis Center.

"We stopped by there and the kids could definitely use it," said Olmos, who is helping organize the event.

• The Iveys, who have a new album coming out in February (great harmonies), will be among the area bands playing a Dec. 3 benefit for Red Thread, the anti-human trafficking campaign.

It's also a fundraiser for organizer Josh Rivera, who is raising money for a planned trip to the Calvary Chapel Bible College in Budapest.

The show runs from 5:30-10:30 p.m. at UTEP's Baptist Student Ministries Building, 101 University.

Headliner Poema goes on at 9:45 p.m. The Iveys go on at 8:50.

Also performing: JustJosh (Rivera); Lunar Elastic; Cam & Emi; Brannon Rush; Faith Brown; Israel Hall; and Jon Roman.

There's no admission charge. Donations will be accepted at the door.

• Speaking Rock Entertainment Center has added free, indoor shows by Seattle rockers Candlebox ("You," "Far Behind") on Jan. 7 and South Carolina's indie rocker Edwin McCain ("I'll Be," "Solitude") on Jan. 21.

• Whiskey Dicks has added return appearances by Texas country's Josh Abbott Band at 10 p.m. Jan. 28 and the Bart Crow Band at 10 p.m. May 18.

Tickets for Abbott's show are $15, $25 for those 18- to 20-years old.

Tickets for Crow's show are $10, $20 (18-20).

They're on sale at the club and Ticketbully.

• Rapper Tyga's Dec. 9 show, which I wrote about last week, has been moved from Buchanan's Event Center to the Peoria Beer Garden (the old Club 101) at 3233 N. Mesa, not far from UTEP.

It's an 8 p.m. show. Tickets are $30 GA, $150 VIP, on sale at Ticketbully.

• That Cloud Nothings show I told you about last week will be at 9 p.m. Feb. 26 at the Lowbrow Palace. Tickets are $8, on sale at the club and Ticketbully.

• Great White and Slaughter, two '80s rockers that just keep keepin' on, team up for an 8 p.m. Feb. 10 show at the Inn of the Mountain Gods near Ruidoso.

Tickets are $25, $30, $50 and $60, on sale at the Mescalero hotel-casino and Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

• The Chariot leads an all-metal bill at 6 Dec. 6 at Open Gate Community Church, 9821 McCombs.

Also playing: Vanna; Crimson Armada; Former Thieves; This Is a Calling; and Listener.

Tickets are $12 at Ticketbully.

 

 

 

Dusty Low beats a country-rock path away from Liquid Cheese

Dusty Low has been around for only three years.

But it has its roots in a long-running reggae/ska band with a familiar name around here, Liquid Cheese, which started 15 years ago.

They share a core membership, true, but the two bands couldn’t be more different.

“The big difference,” singer-guitarist Jesse Sullivan says, “is Dusty Low is all the songs I write.”

He writes for Liquid Cheese, too, but it’s a very different, horn-driven style from the catchy-as-a-cold fusion of rock, R&B, jazz, folk and alt-country he’s created with Dusty Low.

“I’ve kind of been writing for a while and the songs that didn’t fit with Cheese I made into a little tangent and started Dusty Low,” the 28-year-old Sullivan says.

That little tangent has grown into a formidable musical ensemble that includes his older brother Sam Sullivan on vocals, trumpet and percussion, younger brother Danny “Zebo” Sullivan on drums, Gilbert Uribe  (who doubles as rapper AdLib) on bass and Jamie Van Riper on guitar.

They’re all members of Cheese, too. Like Cheese, Dusty Low’s not a full-time thing. It only performs when the brothers and Uribe, who lives in Rio Rancho, N.M., are able to cross paths at the same time, including a recent run of shows here and in Austin. 

Sam, 31, moved to Denver to work in the restaurant business just two days after the July 30 release of the band’s superb debut CD, “Go For Broke.”

"He's good with horn line and breaking down the three-part harmonies," Jesse says. "I think (that's) one of our strengths."

Drummer Danny, 24, is in San Diego, where he works at a golf course.

“He’s a good golfer. He could have gotten a scholarship to college if he wasn’t on a smelly bus with his brothers,” Jesse says of his younger brother, who co-wrote two of the 11 songs on "Go For Broke," which the band recorded at Clap of Thunder with producer Gabe Gonzalez.

The first time I heard the Brothers Sullivan was over the summer. They played a charity gig, doing covers of Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, James Taylor and other rockers known for their sophistication. It’s something they do on occasion, Jesse said. But these weren’t your average covers. They played them as if they were their own.

Jesse, a redhead with a distinctive, reedy voice, better-than-average guitar chops and a knack for stick-in-your-head melodies, attributes that to his music-loving parents and the ‘60s and ‘70s sounds they exposed him to as a boy.

“What got me as a  young kid was just the smoothness of it,” he says. “You’re rocking out, but it’s still smooth. It’s not like you’re ripping the strings off the guitar or smashing it or pelvic thrusting in the audience. It’s so smooth but at the same time they could rock out.”

You can hear that smoothness in the songs on “Go For Broke,” two of which are posted free at dustylow.com if you want to check ‘em out.

The phrase “so smooth” echoes through out the low-key acoustic folk-jazz of “Roll Me Over,” which isn't on the CD but can be heard on their website. It features Sam’s lonely trumpet solo and a percussion-led instrumental break.

A personal favorite is “Renegade,” a funk-tinged rocker that’s got a vague Old West feel to the lyrics. It features a jazzy interlude, a murky lyric about moral choices and a catchy stop-start hook built around the refrain “throw ... them dice.” It dovetails nicely with the next song, "Old Road," with its plucky electric guitar embroidery and story of a man whose time has run out.

“Giving Up My Head” is a country-flavored rock shuffle — which has an acoustic guitar line that reminds me of Steely Dan’s “With a Gun” — about a guy whose heart has to be reeled in slowly. He’s married to his music, after all. “Well I don’t feel like settlin’ down,” Sullivan sings, “not when I’m on the road.”

There’s more where that came from. Sullivan said he has a hard time controlling his creative impulses. “I’m always far behind as far as releasing albums goes,” he says. “By the time this one came out I had a bunch of new stuff.”

But he wants to let these songs find their way first. “There’s a bunch of new songs we’ve played live,” he says. “I’m ready to go into the studio, but you’ve got to take it one album at a time, I guess.”

When he’s not gigging with Dusty Low or Liquid Cheese, Sullivan plays solo acoustic shows under his own name around the area, including Dec. 2 and 16 at the Magic Pan.

“Go For Broke” sells for $10. You can get it by posting a request on Dusty Low’s Facebook page.

Concert update: Bugalu CD release party online tonight

Hey, if you can't make the CD release party for Frontera Bugalu tonight, you can catch an hour of it on their website.

The local cumbia band, which blends traditional Mexican music and punk rock intensity, headlines a concert at 8 tonight at Tricky Falls to mark the release of its self-title debut CD.

It will be streamed live from 10-11 p.m. today on fronterabugalu.com.

Kontra Golpe Noise Manifesto, Sonido Cachimbo and Birth Dfx open tonight's show.

Cover is $5 at the door.

PCFF update: Discounted festival passes on sale Nov. 28

The fifth anniversary of the Plaza Classic Film Festival is eight months away, but organizers are offering an early Christmas present to hardcore attendees.

Festival passes, which include admission to all festival events, will be available for $175 from Nov. 28 to Dec. 22.

That's $25 below the regular price of $200.

Typically, the festival includes more than 80 movies, plus special events, including private receptions for some of its celebrity guests, an opening night movie for PCFF sponsors and more.

One perk: You get to jump the line.

Next year's fifth annual festival will be Aug. 2-12.

No titles or guests have been announced at this point — work on the festival usually starts in October — but Artistic Director Charles Horak has confirmed that a second exhibition, subject to be determined, will be at the El Paso Museum of Art, where items from "The Ten Commandments" production archives were shown this year.

Discounted festival passes are available from the El Paso Community Foundation, which produces the film soiree, at 533.4020 or during the Plaza Classic's "Holiday Movies at the Plaza" Dec. 3-4 at the Plaza Theatre.

This year's fourth annual holiday movies will be "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and other classic cartoons at 3 p.m. Dec. 3; "It's a Wonderful Life" at 7 p.m. Dec. 3; "A Christmas Story" at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 4; and "White Christmas" at 6 p.m. Dec. 4. 

Tickets are $5 per movie, on sale at the Plaza Theatre box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

Best to get them at the box office so you don't have to pay all the service charges Ticketmaster tacks on.

Go to plazaclassic.com for more information.

Guest concert review: Bunbury, Zoe' in top form in Coliseum show

I wasn't able to check out the Bunbury/Zoé concert Tuesday at the Coliseum, so I asked Omar Perez, a UTEP student and fan of Latin pop and rock, if he'd review it for me.

Here's what he had to say:

Mexican rock band Zoé and Spanish rocker Enrique Bunbury took the Coliseum stage Tuesday night for a concert that promised, and delivered, a night filled with great music.

Zoé, which opened, was in top form playing to a larger El Paso crowd than they're used to after selling out two club shows here earlier than usual. But there was an ever bigger sense of anticipation among the crowd — many, no doubt, from Juarez — for the headliner, one of Spain's most enduring rock stars.

Zoé kicked off the night just a couple of minutes after 8 p.m. with a rendition of “Memo Rex.” After playing many of their well-known songs, including "Ultimos Dias," "Vinyl" and "Sombras," it was older hits "Via Lactea" and "Soñé" that really got the crowd dancing and singing along as lead vocalist León Larregui alternated between his microphone and a megaphone.

The band's performance was great as it was effortless, but, unfortunately, the distracting strobe light show behind them made it hard to concentrate on that performance. It was the only letdown of their set.

They ended with "No Me Destruyas," which had the audience singing along.

Sporting a flame-stamped black suit and his signature black cowboy hat, Bunbury took the stage just 15 minutes after Zoé left it.

It was obvious from the overwhelming response to "Llevame" who the crowd was there to see. He paused to thank the audience for being there and explained he would be revisiting old hits as well as songs from his upcoming album, "Licenciado Cantinas," recorded nearby last May and June at Sonic Ranch studios in Tornillo. 

 As promised, he performed "Odiame," the first single from the new album, due Dec. 13. The crowd really seemed to enjoy "El Extranjero," a revisited tune which Bunbury introduced as “a song made to sing here.” The crowd gladly joined in.

The 44-year-old rocker did not disappoint, showing great energy as he belted out hits like "Señorita Hermafrodita," "Contar Contigo" and "Que Tengas Suertecita," which had most of the audience on its feet dancing — or watching in astonishment.

The only real letdown is that the two acts didn't join each other onstage, especially after they had a big hit with that performance of "Nada" from Zoé's "MTV Unplugged" special and live album. Instead, the band performed it during its set.

Both performed at their top level in a city that can be demanding at times. For this night, the crowd was more than pleased.

 

Concert update (Black Friday edition): Mike Hamilton, Dan Lambert, DMX, 'Nutcracker on Ice' and more

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and the ensuing madness this weekend, I thought I'd run a few music events buy you to help soothe your soul.

First up is the jazz saxophonist Mike Hamilton and his release party for his new smooth jazz CD "Moving."

It'll be at 6 p.m. Nov. 26 at the International Museum of Art, 1211 Montana, a classy place to hear some classy music.

Hamilton will be backed by some formidable talent — keyboardists Billy Townes and Ruben Gutierrez and singer Perla Cruz.

It's a dinner show, with the performance following the meal.

Tickets are $30 and include dinner and a signed copy of the new CD.

You can get them at both Olivas Music stores, Kee's Teriyaki Restaurant and Sister Cuts Salon.

Call 202.1410 with questions.

Meanwhile, Subrosa Union singer-guitarist Michael Anaya is in town for a couple of solo acoustic shows.

He's performing at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving Day at the House of Rock, 8838 Viscount. Steady Shakedown opens. It's free.

He's also playing at 7 p.m. Nov. 25 at The Percolator, 217 N. Stanton. Steady Shakedown, Bloodshot Bandits, Avindale, Biscuit Roller, Foxy Mojo and Sublevels. Cover is $5 at the door.

Anaya says the shows will include songs br Subrosa Union, side project Fox & Crow, some covers and "my new singer-songwriter songs."

The ever resourceful singer is also trying to raise $5,000 to purchase new recording equipment. You can make a contribution at the Indiegogo site.

On a cinematic note, El Paso native, now Los Angeles filmmaker Iliana Sosa will give the local premiere of her 20-minute short "Child of the Desert," shot last year here and in Las Cruces, at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 26 at the Fountain Theatre in Mesilla.

It's about a woman who befriends an Hispanic man working at a gas station, slowly becoming convinced he is her dead son reincarnate.

Dale Dickey plays the woman. She was a regular on NBC's "My Name is Earl" and won an Independent Spirit Award for supporting female actor this year as Merab, the nasty matriarch in "Winter's Bone."

The movie will be shown before the New Mexico-made 1971 drama, "Red Sky at Morning," a World War II-era story starring Richard Thomas of "The Waltons" fame.

Admission is $4 at the door.

In other show news:

• Rapper, and frequent speed limit violator, DMX brings his "Return of the Dog" tour to Tricky Falls at 9 p.m. Dec. 4.

The new album was produced by Swizz Beatz.

Tickets are $20, $40 VIP, on sale at Bowie Feathers (inside the club), Maria's Closet and holdmyticket.com.

Speaking of Thanksgiving weekend events, Tricky Falls picked up the Nov. 26 Pleasurekraft show, originally scheduled at Buchanan's Event Center.

Keep it Gold, DJ Infernik and Border of the Fungus also are on the bill.

It's a 9 p.m. show. Tickets are $10 at Ticketbully.com.

• Oklahoma country singer and "Nashville Star" finalist Jason Meadows will headline a show at 9 p.m. Dec. 2 at the new Bikini  Joe's restaurant, 1610 Sioux.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Call 892.2747 for more info.

• We'll have a third version of "The Nutcracker" to enjoy this Christmas season. El Paso's Sun City Blades Figure Skating Club will perform a one-hour version, called "Nutcracker on Ice," at 5 p.m. Dec. 17 at the Events Center behind the Coliseum, 4100 E. Paisano.

It'll feature 50 skaters, ranging from competitive skaters, children from the Lee and Beulah Moor Children's Home and the Sun City Blade's skating school.

Tickets are $12, $5 for children (free for 2 and under).

Go to suncityblades.com for more information.

It joins previously announced productions of "The Nutcracker" ballet by the El Paso Youth Ballet Dec. 16-18 at UTEP's Magoffin Auditorium and two shows of "Great Russian Nutcracker" by the Moscow Ballet on Dec. 23 at the Plaza Theatre.

• Singer Laura Tate Goldman joins guitarist Dan Lambert and his band for a dinner concert of holiday music, Carol King songs and more at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Magic Pan restaurant.

Tickets are $34.99 and include dinner, which will feature Acapulco chicken and garlic mashed potatoes on the menu.

Call 581.2121 for reservations.

• Christian Adame is putting together "Overload," a performance art piece coming next month to the Glasbox, 1500 Texas.

It's an experimental piece that mixes ballet and contemporary dance, music, spoken-word "and chaos," according to a release from Adame.

Performances will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 9-11 and 16-18.

Tickets are $10 at the door.

• Cleveland's Cloud Nothings will launch a winter tour in January, including a Feb. 26 show at the Lowbrow Palace, to support new album "Attack on Memory," due Jan. 24.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concert update: Paisley tix prices announced

Tickets for Brad Paisley's Feb. 17 "Camobunga" tour stop at NMSU's Pan Am Center, which we told you about a few weeks ago, will sell for $35, $55 and $65, plus service charges.

They go on sale  at 10 a.m. Dec. 3 at the box office (where extra fees are lowest), Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

The tour, sponsored by Chevy, features sibling band and recent  three-time CMA Award winners Band Perry and recent "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreery.

 

Concert update: Bunbury talks Sonic Ranch, new album, Zoe' tour

Enrique Bunbury, one of Spain's most important and enduring rock artists, will release a new album, "Licenciado Cantinas," on Dec. 13.

He recorded the album with his band, Santos Inocentes, over nearly two months at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, the world-class studio where artists such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Conor Oberst, Hanson, MercyMe and Mudvayne have recorded recent albums.

In keeping with Bunbury's sense of musical adventure — Spain's Portal Mundos called him "an authentic chameleon" — he went back to the well, recording several Spanish-language classics in his own way.

They spent nights eating Spanish cuisine and engineer Manuel Calderon's carne asada, and ping-pong tournaments helped blow off steam. Calderon called it an experience that will "resonate for the rest of my life."

"Enrique Bunbury (was) one of my idols growing up as a teenager and one of the artists that inspired me to pursue a career in the music industry," Calderon said. "It was great watching him re-record classic songs that my parents would listen to and making their own presentation of the song without disrespecting the classic arrangement of the song."

Sonic Ranch owner Tony Rancich said: "It was great having Enrique, who's dedication to making music of depth is inspirational, at the Ranch. He and some of the best musicians from Spain kept two studios busy for two months as they recorded each song in different styles to arrive at the most compelling expression."

Bunbury just kicked off a 10-city U.S. tour with hot Mexican psych-rockers Zoe' that brings them to the Coliseum at 8 p.m. Nov. 22. Tickets are $49.50, $69.50 and $75, plus service charges, on sale at the box office, Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com and 800.745.3000.

He wasn't able to squeeze in a telephone interview to discuss his experience in Tornillo, but did agree to answer some questions by email. Here's what he had to say:

Q. Why did you decide to record “Licenciado Cantinas” at Sonic Ranch near El Paso?

A. It started with a conversation with the guys from Zoé, during the video shoot for "Nada" (from their "MTV Unplugged" album). We were talking about the passion of recording and the equipment we consider and love. And they talked to me about this incredible recording studio in Tornillo. I think they have done a couple of records there. So last year, when I did this long U.S. tour and reached El Paso, I visited the studio, and fell in love with it. Right away I reserved it for (2011) to record my next album. 

Q. How did that environment affect the sound and substance of the songs on the new album?

A. Well, I really think the sound of Texas, and El Paso specifically, is heard (on) this album. We have these special effects that we recorded in the area — trains, wind, night — but also the music is about the frontier, the passion that I feel for American music, from Tierra de Fuego to Río Grande.

Q. Since I haven’t heard the album, would you please explain the title and how it encapsulates what these new songs are about?

A. "Licenciado Cantinas" means "graduate in cantinas." Could be the only graduation that I can get in my life!!!

But, seriously, it is about the songs that I learned in so many cantinas and bars around Latin America. It is a tribute to the Pan-American music, from the vision of a rock musician. I love Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, as much as Chavela Vargas, Pedro Infante or Carlos Gardel. For me they are the same, I mean I placed them in the same altar.

Q. You’ve never been afraid to evolve your sound. Describe the evolution that has occurred with “Licenciado Cantinas.”

A. I've done so many albums to this point. And they are so different between them. My previous band, Héroes del Silencio, was a European '80s and '90s rock band. And then, in my solo career, I have done an electronic-rock album, and then cabaret, Mediterranean, Latin and roots-rock albums.

I am not afraid of using different colours. I don't think that I belong to a genre. I belong to music, or more specifically, to the “electrified popular songs.” So my limits are wide open. And right now I want to center myself in the relationship between my two biggest loves: the American roots-rock music and the old Latin popular songs.

Q. How did the tour with Zoe' come about? How are you approaching your live show this time around?

A. I love them. They are one of the best and biggest Latin American bands of the moment. Having them around is encouraging and good for my artistic health. I want to be surrounded by alive musicians. It's sad to see how some of my colleagues lose their passion and working effort.

I try to change my setlist every night and want to grow in public. This is a very organic tour. The arrangement for the old material is working great and it's a big surprise for the fans. And, even though the new album it's not released yet, we are playing some of the new songs, for the first time, in this tour.

 Watch a 26-minute video, in Spanish, on the making of the new album at Sonic Ranch by going to enriquebunbury.com.

 

The Royalty announces Victory Records signing

El Paso indie rock band The Royalty has signed to Victory Records, with a new album promised for next year.

The signing was Nov. 18 on the group's website and Facebook page and Victory's site.

There's a 55-second video posted on both announcing the news, with a brief comment from singer Nicole Boudreau.

The band, formed in 2005, has gradually amassed a following through local performances and regional touring. It released its self-titled debut album this year.

A new album is due next year.

The band joins a roster of indie, metal, ska and other bands that includes Bayside, Between the Buried and Me, Emmure, Hawthorne Heights, Taproot and the Voodoo Glow Skulls.

The group's members include keyboardist Daniel Marin, a weekend anchor on KVIA, drummer Joel Quintana, who has sat in with Jim Ward's Sleepercar, guitarist Jesus Apodaca and bassist Will Daugherty.

I don't want to read too much into this, but I think the signing says a lot about the number of quality acts making music in this town, and just what a lot of hard work, dedication, smarts, devotion to craft, connections and just plain talent can do. 

Theater review: Second acts redeems silly 'Young Frankenstein'

Just as the movies have turned to comic books for box-office salvation, so Broadway increasingly has counted on valuable movie properties to keep the bottom line healthy.

Certainly, we've seen our share of movies-turned-musicals roll through town the last few years, everything from "The Wizard of Oz" to "Spamalot" to "Shrek the Musical," which opened the Plaza Theatre's 2011-2012 slate of touring Broadway shows.

Enter "The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein," the second in a Broadway season built around a 16-show run of "Wicked" in February, which played to a crowd of about 1,800 Sunday night at the historic old theater, which is four years younger than Brooks, whose 85.

It's a silly song-and-dance version of the beloved 1974 black-and-white spoof of the Frankenstein movies. That may seem sacrilegious to some fans, but creator Brooks and collaborators Thomas Meehan, who wrote the book, and Susan Stroman, who directed and choreographed it, have done a better job of translating the movie to the stage than you might expect.

It sticks to the main story about the frantic, frustrated young Dr. Frederick Frankenstein — pronounced "fronk-un-steen" — who tries to live down his family's legacy while attempting to get into his frigid fiancee Elizabeth's pants. He travels to Transylvania to take care of his late grandfather's affairs, winds up having one of his own and decides to take up old grandad's work reanimating the dead.

Where the movie relied on schtick, Brooks' satirical script and a talented cast that included Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman and Teri Garr, the musical relies on a strong-voiced, comically-talented young cast, Brooks' cleverly worded, satirical songs, and Stroman's imaginative choreography and crisp staging.

The first act is a little too long and a little too familiar. It has some good laughs and a couple of clever numbers, particularly "Roll in the Hay" with its bawdy choreography and humorous horses, and "He Vas My Boyfriend," where the hardened Frau Blucher (Pat Sibley) sings of her sick and twisted love affair with Frederick's grandfather.

The second act is shorter, faster paced and funnier, loaded with some of the movie's most beloved bits told in song, including the scalding soup-spilling blind hermit ("Surprise") and Elizabeth's high-note inducing sexual awakening at the hands of the monster ("Deep Love").

Stroman's expanded "Puttin' on the Ritz" number in the second act is particularly impressive. Just a two-man song-and-dance routine in the movie, it's a full-fledged tap-dance production number in the musical, complete with a clever bit of silhouetted sleight-of-hand.

Brooks, who earlier turned his cult movie "The Producers" into a megahit Broadway show, even works in a plug for his musical version of "Blazing Saddles."

This particular tour has a young cast, many of them making their national tour debuts, but there was some real deep talent in this group, with some strong voices and infectious energy. A.J. Holmes doesn't try to recreate what Wilder did, even though he's reciting many of his lines. Holmes looks a bit like "Amadeus" star Tom Hulce, boasting a strong tenor, solid comedic timing and the kind of gravitas to pull such a silly character off.

Similarly, understudy Kaitlin Maloney brought a powerful soprano to the role of Elizabeth, and her comedic instincts were particularly sharp, as was Christopher Timson, who brought a devious flamboyance and a solid tenor to the role of Igor, Frankenstein's shifty-humped assistant.

What Brooks do next? He's already working on the "Blazing Saddles" musical teased in the show's "Final Ultimo." At 85, Brooks can do what he wants, but a "Spaceballs" musical would be nice.