Archive for September, 2009

Who: Le Chat Lunatique
What: Performing at the Rio Grande Theatre
When: September 25, 2009
Where: Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Downtown Mall, Las Cruces, NM
Contact: (575) 523-6403

Too often, the music scene in New Mexico is pigeonholed, especially when it comes to the Western and/or Latin influences. Every once in a while, however, a band comes a long that takes those influences in directions nobody particularly expects. Le Chat Lunatique is just such a band. Made up entirely of Albuquerque residents, Le Chat Lunatique is primarily a Jazz band, but a Jazz band with a twist, combining Gypsy Swing, Western Swing, Latin backbeats and whatever else they damn well please to create a sound that is wholly fresh and uncompromising. Le Chat Lunatique will take the Rio Grande Theatre stage on September 25, 2009.

Le Chat Lunatique claims that their forte is Filthy, Mangy Jazz, the result of a mutual love for the great Hot Club of France–a gypsy swing group from 1940s Paris, which included the combined genius of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grapelli–fused with Western Swing and Latin rhythms to create a formidable groove. Presented as a collaboration between the Doña Ana Arts Council and Guitars Not Guns–a non-profit organization providing guitars and lessons to foster kids, at risk youth and other deserving children in a classroom setting–Le Chat Lunatique will have audiences up on their feet and dancing in the aisles.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall, in Las Cruces. Doors open at 7pm and the performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased via the website at www.RioGrandeTheatre.com. For more information contact Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at (575) 523-6403.

Who: Marina V.
What: Performing at the Rio Grande Theatre
When: September 26, 2009
Where: Rio Grande Theatre, 211 N. Downtown Mall, Las Cruces, NM
Contact: (575) 523-6403

Marina Varenikina is not your typical rising pop star. Originally from Soviet Russia, the singer/songwriter came to the U.S. as a teenager to pursue the All-American dream of life in the limelight. Six album releases later, Marina V’s unique voice has been hailed as “hauntingly beautiful,” by the L.A. Times, while her songwriting skills have been called “melodic and passionate,” by the Washington Post. Compared to such notable artists as Tori Amos and Aimee Mann, Marina V is currently on her North American tour in support of her latest release, Modern Fairytale. Marina V. will take the Rio Grande Theatre stage on September 26, 2009.

Singer/songwriter Marina V sums herself up as “…a young girl who was once a shy kid playing her songs on an out-of-tune upright piano in Soviet Moscow with neighbors knocking on the wall because it was too loud, and whose piano teacher told her not to write anymore, who learned English by translating the Beatles songs and whose soul cried with joy when she heard the beautiful melodies of Russian classical and folk music, who overcame a lot of adversity and moved all the way to America by herself at 15, leaving everything behind to make her music dreams come true.” Now sporting a dual Russian/American citizenship, she is the American Dream come true.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall, in Las Cruces. Doors open at 7pm and the performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased via the website at www.RioGrandeTheatre.com. For more information contact Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at (575) 523-6403.

Who: The Whole Enchilada Fiesta
What: The Whole Enchilada Fiesta
When: September 25-27, 2009
Where: Meersheidt Recreation Center
Contact: (575) 526-1938

Three-time Grammy Winners Los Lobos to Headline 29th Annual Whole Enchilada Fiesta

LAS CRUCES, NM – You wouldn’t normally expect a two-and-a-half-hour wait for a single enchilada. Unless, of course, the enchilada you’re cooking just happens to weigh over 1,500 lbs.

Whether you’re looking for a slice of that enchilada, or just a slice of the fun, the 29th Annual Whole Enchilada Fest kicks off on September, 25, and continues through the 27th, at the Meersheidt Recreation Center, located at 1600 E. Hadley Street in Las Cruces, featuring over 22 live bands, including Michael Salgado, and The James Douglas Show and three-time Grammy winners Los Lobos.

The fiesta also includes an ongoing carnival, a 5K run, a horseshoes tournament, a 4×4 truck and car show, a parade, a karaoke stage, over 40 different food and craft vendors, and last, but certainly not least, the making of the world’s largest enchilada.

Along with offering a “Beer Garden,” for those 21 and over, the fiesta offers countless events for the whole family including a special “Enchiladaland,” fun area for the kids, which offers a number of booths and games, and a new karaoke stage that is open to people of all ages.

The Whole Enchilada Fiesta has been recognized as one of the top 100 events in the United States, and is the 3rd largest in New Mexico. The enchilada holds the title of the world’s largest enchilada in the Guinness Book of World Records and every year, continues to draw in over 10,000 people from around the nation.

The Enchilada, which is made up of 750 pounds of stone ground corn, 75 gallons of red chile sauce, 175 pounds of grated cheese, and 50 pounds of chopped onion. The enchilada also requires customized cooking equipment specially designed for the enchilada and 175 gallons of vegetable oil to fry the tortillas.

Admission to the event is $3, with free admission for children ages six and under. For more information contact the Whole Enchilada organizers at: 575-526-1938 or log on to www.enchiladafiesta.com.

Smooth ride for first day of Las Cruces-El Paso bus service
By Steve Ramirez Sun-News reporter
Story by The Las Cruces Sun-News, published on Sept. 2, 2009

LAS CRUCES — For Las Cruces resident Fred Brown, the morning commute Tuesday included reading a book and taking a quick cat nap.

And, he got to work on time.

Brown, who works at Wells Fargo Bank in downtown El Paso, was afforded those luxuries because he was among the first Las Crucens to participate in the New Mexico Park and Ride program that has started commuter bus service between Las Cruces and El Paso.

“Having lived in California, I’m used to doing something like this,” Brown said. “I figure this is going to save me about $90 a month, and that’s not including the wear and
tear on my car.”

Las Cruces resident Edna Ledesma agreed; that’s why she’s already bought a monthly pass. She passed much of her time on the bus reading a book.
Brown and four other residents stood in a small circle outside of Las Cruces’ central terminal, at the former Amador Hotel, as they waited for the 6:30 a.m. bus to El Paso. But their wait wasn’t too long, and actually even shorter than anticipated. The bus to El Paso arrived two minutes ahead of schedule.

“That’s one of the things this company takes a lot of pride in, and that’s being on time,” said Jon Leno, a bus driver for All Aboard America, the contractor that operates New Mexico’s Park and Ride Program. “In northern New Mexico this service is always on time.”

Although the number of commuters who rode the bus Tuesday was small, there seemed to be little disappointment among All Aboard America officials. There hasn’t been any advertising of the new program, with the only notifications of the start of the commuter service coming from newspaper and television news stories.

“Once the word starts spreading it’ll pick up,” said Fred Ullom, general manager of All Aboard America.

There weren’t any major glitches on the first day. All of the departures and arrivals at New Mexico State University and in Las Cruces, Anthony, Texas, and El Paso were on time.

The buses are air conditioned and every seat is padded and can recline. All buses have a bathroom aboard.

Rush-hour traffic in El Paso was bumper-to-bumper and moved at a slow pace. But any thoughts of “road rage” were far away because the buses were able to avoid becoming tangled in the mesh of cars, trucks, SUVs, vans and commercial vehicles that swelled the freeway.

If anything, there were even a few smiles from some commuters at one particularly congested spot — Sunland Park Drive and Interstate 10. Buses going into El Paso got off at the Sunland Park Drive exit and drove along Paisano Drive instead of taking I-10 into downtown El Paso and the Union Plaza Transit Terminal, 400 W. San Antonio St.

“That will be the regular route,” said Leno, of traveling Paisano instead of I-10 between Sunland Park Drive and Executive Center. “Unless there’s an accident on the road, we’ll make it a point to avoid arriving late.”

Steve Ramirez can be reached at sramirez@lcsun-news.com; (575) 541-5452.

Rush-hour commute
• A one-way trip will cost $3 per person.
• A monthly pass to ride the bus to and from El Paso costs $90.
• Monthly passes can be purchased online at: www.nmparkandride.com, or at Brewer Chevron, 3040 N. Main St., and University Shell, 1304 S. Solano Drive.
• Each bus has 57 seats
• Bus seats are padded and can recline
• Every bus has a restroom.

Pick-up and drop off locations

Las Cruces

• Central terminal at the former Amador Hotel, 180 W. Amador Ave.
• New Mexico State University, parking lot east of the Pan American Center, on the northeast corner of NMSU’s International Mall and Payne Street

Anthony, Texas
• Lowes Big 8 parking lot, on the north side of Franklin Street;

El Paso
• Union Plaza Transit Terminal, 400 W. San Antonio St.

Departure times*
Las Cruces central terminal: 6 a.m., 6:45 a.m., 7:15 a.m., 8 a.m., 8:15 a.m., 4:30 p.m., 5:05 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 5:40 p.m., 6:45 p.m.;

Union Plaza Terminal Station in El Paso: 5:15 a.m., 5:40 a.m., 6:10 a.m., 7:10 a.m., 7:55 a.m., 4:25 p.m., 5:40 p.m., 6:25 p.m., 6:50 p.m.

*For a complete list of departure times from each location, go to www.nmparkandride.com.

White Sands National Monument is offering several special programs this Labor Day weekend. With a full moon this weekend, visitors will be treated to spectacular views of moonlit dunes and night skies. The weekend’s events include:

Full Moon Program
On September 4th at 8:00 PM, White Sands National Monument is offering a full moon program at the amphitheatre. It is an opportunity to see the full moon rise over the white sands while the park’s resource management division gives a 3D virtual tour of the White Sands. Promising to be fun for kids and adults, the program will transport visitors to places in the park that they usually do not get to see using 3D technology. Free 3D glasses will be available at the program.

Cuatrociénegas Protected Area Presentation
On September 5th at 8:00 PM, a visiting park ranger from White Sands’ sister park, Cuatrociénegas Protected Area in Mexico, will present a special program about Cuatrociénegas, which is home a large gypsum dune field much like White Sands. Learn about this fascinating protected area in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila and how White Sands National Monument and Cuatrociéngas are working together as sister parks to cooperatively protect the plants and animals of these uniquely similar parks.
These evening programs take place at the amphitheater, which is located about 8 miles in the park along the Dunes Drive.

Sunset Strolls
Enjoy the sunset on the White Sands and join a ranger for a one hour nature walk through the dune field. Programs start nightly at 6:15 pm. Nature Walks begin at the “Sunset Stroll” sign along the Dunes Drive, about 5 miles from Visitor Center.
All programs are free to the public, and reservations are not required.

White Sands will stay open later Friday night for the full moon. Visitors may enter the park up until 10 pm, Visitor must exit the park that night by 11 pm. For the other nights, visitors may enter the park up until 9 pm and must exit by10 pm.

Visitors with questions may contact the park at 575-679-2599 or visit www.nps.gov/whsa.

Who: Nosotros & Nuevo Sol
What: Performing at the Rio Grande Theatre
When: September 12, 2009
Where: The Rio Grande Theatre
Contact: (575) 523-6403

Nosotros Returns with Special Guests Nuevo Sol Saturday, September 12, 2009

The local music scene has slowly matured over time to create a sound that is true to its Border roots. Heavily influenced by Latin rhythms, but holding firm to traditional American sounds, the result is a progressive style that is uniquely Southwestern. Two of the frontrunners of this evolving form are local-favorites-turned-rising-stars, Nosotros, and relative newcomers on the scene, Nuevo Sol. Both will take the Rio Grande Theatre stage on September 12, 2009.

Award-winning ensemble, Nosotros, began as a local guitar trio in 1994, but has since added members, relocated to Albuquerque and racked up the awards, cementing their reputation as a Latin music powerhouse. Seamlessly combining Latin rhythms with the elements of Flamenco, Jazz, Salsa and Rock to create an unmistakably original sound, Nosotros recently released their fourth album, entitled “Llena La Alma,” with Grammy Award-winning Engineer, Doug Geist.

Nuevo Sol–made up of members from such diverse local acts as Rio, Zia’s Soul, Del Rey, Live Bait and Liquid Cheese–takes the best of  Latin, Jazz, Reggae and Rock, then transforms them into a powerful, energetic performance with a style all their own. The result is a progressive, cutting-edge sound that reflects the rich cultural styles of the region and takes Southwestern music to all new levels.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Downtown Mall, in Las Cruces. Doors open at 7pm and the performance begins at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased via the website at www.RioGrandeTheatre.com. For more information contact Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at (575) 523-6403.