Saturday, July 24
KRWG presents Steve Smith & Hard Road
Steve Smith and Hard Road evolved into a full working group as a result of the success and chemistry of the musicians who came together to work on Steve’s original live studio recording Hard Road, released in 2004. At the heart of Hard Road is the song-writing team of Steve Smith, one of this generation’s mandolin masters, and Minnesota songbird Chris Sanders. Joining them onstage on select dates are guitarist Aaron McCloskey, banjo player Bill Evans, bass player Bill Amatneek and fiddler Megan Lynch. Showtime is 7pm with doors opening at 6:30pm. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door for adults; $7.50 in advance, $10 at the door for 12 and under. For more information or to purchase tickets call (575) 646-2222.

Saturday, July 31
Premiere Entertainment presents Sounds of Motown
Spend an evening reliving some of the greatest hits of the Motown era, featuring number one R&B and Soul classics by such artists as the Four Tops, Gladys Knight, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Temptations and many more. Direct from Las Vegas this electrifying musical experience features the unique style and versatility of Ronnie Rathers, former member of the Funk Brothers (who provided session work for 135 #1 Motown hits) and regular performer with such artists as Ray Charles, The Average White Band, Chubby Checker, Tavares, The Drifters and Percy Sledge, to name just a few. Tickets are $25 general admission and $40 VIP (which includes hors d’oeuvres and a meet and greet with the musicians). A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Las Cruces. For more information, call (915) 630-2206 or visit www.pre-e.com

Every Other Tuesday at the Rio Grande Theatre Schedule for July 2010
July 13 – Tuba Four
July 27 – Lilis Urban
Please note: Every Other Tuesday performances always begin at 5:30 pm and are free to the public.  For more information contact DAAC at (575) 523-6403.

On Exhibit in the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries
Students of the Career Art Path (CAP) Program
Every year, during the month of June, the Dona Ana Arts Council sponsors a two-week series of hands-on workshops for kids in grades 6 through 9. Called the Career Art Path (CAP) program, the workshops are set up so that students can explore possible careers in exciting creative industries, including printmaking, sculpture and digital photography. For the first time ever, an exhibition of works created in these workshops by the talented students will run for an entire month in both the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries. The show will run through the entire month of July, 2010, beginning with an artist reception on July 2, from 5 to 7pm, as part of the Downtown Art Ramble.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main, in Las Cruces, NM. For clarification, photos or additional information, please visit www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or contact the Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at (575) 523-6403.
 
 

All concerts listed begin at 7:00pm, (except for the Mayor’s Jazz Fest). The following is the 2010 schedule:

Apodaca Park      801 E. Madrid Ave.

 May 30        (Mayor’s Jazz Fest, 6:00 p.m.)
Gerald Veasley – Smooth Jazz – Philadelphia, PA
Roundtrip – Bebop Jazz and Standards – Santa Fe, NM
Ritmo Caluroso – Latin Jazz – Las Cruces, NM

June 6        
The Buzz Tones – Variety – Las Cruces, NM
Benji Rivas – Blues/Variety – Las Cruces, NM

June 13      
Syd Masters & the Swing Riders – Western Swing – Tijeras, NM
Bob Einweck – Folk – Phoenix, AZ

June 20      
Windy City – (Tribute to Chicago) Pop – El Paso, TX

June 27    
Steve Smith & Chris Sanders – Bluegrass – Las Cruces, NM
Rhythm Mystic – World Music – Pinos Altos, NM

Klein Park            155 N, Mesquite St.

July 11        
Fast Lane – C&W, variety, blues – Las Cruces, NM
Redneck Cowgirl – C&W, gospel – Deming, NM

July 18        
Undiskovered featuring Carol Portillo – Variety – Las Cruces, NM
Mariachi Feminil Flores Mexicanas – Mariachi – El Paso, TX

July 25        
Remember Then – Doo Wop & Oldies – Las Cruces, NM
Gene & the Starliners -Oldies but Goodies – Las Cruces, NM

Young Park 1905 E. Nevada Ave.

August 1               
Azucar – Latin Jazz, Salsa – El Paso, TX
Red Hot & Red – Jazz – El Paso, TX

August 8               
NM Symphony Brass Quintet – Chamber Music, pop – Las Cruces
Madera Winds – Chamber Music – Las Cruces, NM

August 15             
Crystal Ship – 60′s Rock, British Invasion Rock – Las Cruces, NM
Los Changos Del Mar – Surf Music – Taos, NM

August 22             
The James Douglas Show – Funk, R&B – Los Angeles, CA

August 29            
 Nosotros – Latin Rock – Las Cruces, NM

Entertainers, locations and dates are subject to change without prior notice. The City has provided the Music in the Park Series as a public service, free of charge, since 1994.   Residents are reminded that in accordance with a City of Las Cruces policy, pets are not permitted at special events held at City of Las Cruces facilities.

For more information, contact the City of Las Cruces PIO office at (575) 541-2200, or online at www.las-cruces.org.

Every Other Tuesday at the Rio Grande Theatre

June 1 – New Horizons Swing Band
Under the direction of Shawn Robinson, this offshoot of the New Horizons Band present such classic standards as  “The Girl from Impanema,” “In the Mood,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Bandstand Boogie” and “The Hawaiian War Chant.”

June 15 – Tuco John Band
A very special engagement with the local Jazz quartet that specializes in standards from the 1930s through the 1950s, with classic rock, R&B and soul tunes thrown in to mix things up a bit.

June 29 – McLaughlin Kids
They first took the Rio Grande Theatre stage a year ago, almost to the day, as part of the David Diaz-created ensemble group Regardless. Now they’re back to show that one doesn’t have to be “seasoned” to rock out old school style.

Please note: Every Other Tuesday performances always begin at 5:30 pm and are free to the public.  For more information contact DAAC at 575-523-6403. 

On Exhibit in the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries
Photographer/Filmmaker Mark Vasconcellos
The world of diverse cultures will be examined through the photographic works of local filmmaker Mark Vasconcellos in the Rio Grande Theatre galleries. The exhibition, entitled One World, features 20 color and black & white images taken during his travels throughout the world and will be on display in both the El Paso Electric and Carolene de Mesilla Galleries. The show will run through the entire month of June, 2010, beginning with an artist reception on June 4, from 5 to 7pm, as part of the Downtown Art Ramble.

The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main, in Las Cruces, NM. For additional information, please visit www.RioGrandeTheatre.com or contact the Rio Grande Theatre Manager, David Salcido, at 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.

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.

Fresh from a highly successful concert in February, the Las Cruces New Horizons Symphony Orchestra (NHSO) offers the second free concert of the year on Saturday, May 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the NMSU Atkinson Recital Hall. Dr. William Leland, their featured soloist, is a retired professor of music at NMSU and has performed in Las Cruces and around the Southwest for over 30 years.

Dr. Leland will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 with the orchestra. In addition, the orchestra will play the second movement of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, the second and third movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, and the Great Gate of Kiev, one of the pieces in the suite “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Moussorgsky.

The orchestra is comprised of over 40 musicians, some of whom were music majors in college and who have performed professionally. The orchestra includes strings, wind, percussion, and – in this instance – a piano.

Dr. Leland retired from NMSU in 2000, after 30 years with the university. A native of Philadelphia, he has made numerous solo and ensemble appearances throughout the Southwest, has performed in Germany, Italy, Mexico, and in 27 states, and holds advanced performance degrees from the University of Cincinnati and the Niedersächische Musikhochschule of Hanover, Germany.

He and NHSO conductor Oscar Butler have long planned for Leland to perform in a concert with the symphony. He says, “Oscar Butler and I were old, old colleagues. When I first came (to NMSU) in 1969, our offices were right next to each other. I used to play a lot for his choral concerts. We’ve known each other for many, many years. He retired when I retired and then he became the conductor for the New Horizons Symphony Orchestra. We got to talking about it and I said ‘Let’s do a Mozart concerto some time.’”

It took a couple of years to get that concert together because the symphony lacked the essential clarinet players. Once that hurdle was cleared, the concert was scheduled.

In his retirement, Dr. Leland has rediscovered his love of flying, renewed his pilots license and bought a Piper Warrior. He used to fly to concerts around the Southwest when he was the pianist in residence at NMSU. Now he flies for enjoyment and to visit his family, including one son in Albuquerque, another in Oregon, and a daughter in Phoenix. Daughter Caroline is also a professional musician who plays viola with the Arizona Opera and as part of the Phoenix Piano Quartet with her father. The quartet recently gave a performance at NMSU.

The Las Cruces NHSO is part of the New Horizons International Music Association, as is the local New Horizons Band. Both groups provide the opportunity for adults aged 50 and older to either return to their musical roots or explore their artistic side for the first time. The first New Horizons Band was created in 1991 by Dr. Roy Ernst of the Eastman School of Music and now there are bands and orchestras across the country and around the world. While complete beginners are encouraged to take private lessons before joining the symphony, those with basic musical knowledge are welcome to join the group and will be nurtured by their peers and conductor Oscar Butler.

This is the fifth year for the Las Cruces chapter, which gives free concerts two to three times annually, and practices weekly at Las Cruces High School. For more information about joining the orchestra, attending or scheduling a concert, call 575-522-5571 or 575-523-9101. You may also check their Web site at www.nhsocruces.com.

For a complete listing of events in Las Cruces, visit www.lascrucescvb.org.

Based on Hippolytus by Euripides, this tragedy tells the story of the love triangle between Theseus, his wife Phaedra, and his illegitimate son (by the Amazon Hippolyta) Hippolytus.  While Theseus is away on an expedition, Phaedra falls in love with Hippolytus.  Meanwhile, Hippolytus has fallen in love with Aricia, the only survivor of the royal family who once ruled Athens.

The show is every Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm.  Ticket prices are: Adults $8, seniors $7 and children six and under $5. 

The Las Cruces Community Theatre was founded in 1963 and has been bringing the Las Cruces area entertaining plays for 46 years.  The first production was performed at St. Genevieve’s church in Mesilla, NM.  The theatre group moved to Las Cruces in 1977.

For more in formation, call (575) 532-1200 or visit their website at www.lcctnm.org. 

For a complete listing of events in Las Cruces, visit www.lascrucescvb.org.