HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD!

The Blue Angel CD release party for Hundred Year Flood was just a blast from start to finish.

I'd just seen them last month for their short set at South by Southwest at the New Mexico Music Showcase, and that was a good one.

But it was nothing like playing a decent-length set for a hometown crowd ("Seventh is a heaven, nine is a cloud/It's great to be part of the home team crowd ..." -- Loudon Wainwright III)


The Blue Angel album is really growing on me and the songs from it -- many of which the band has been playing in their live shows for awhile now, were strong, especially the title song, "Don't Go," and the show-stopping "The Barren Fields."

I also heard some tunes I'd never heard before.

There's the freshly written "Ain't Gonna Fight in a Rich Man's War" (the title's similar to a Steve Earle song, but this one's funkier), one called "If I Were the President of the U.S.A." (Bill Palmer spells out a platform I could endorse) and a really cool Mexican- style polka with Felecia on accordian and Bill singing praises to Mexican food. (Hey, Palmer, you think you're the only one to write a song about enchiladas?)


I've also got to mention the venue -- The Santa Fe Brewing Company. I haven't been to this location since it was Wolf Canyon (is that the right name) years ago. I was impressed. The atmosphere is informal and friendly. The food was good (I had the Ruben sandwich, Helen had athe Greek wrap and Anton ate a hamburger bigger than his head) and reasonably priced. The stage and the dance floor work well as did the sound system.

The management is very music friendly. There are photos of local musicians -- Bonnie Hearne, Alex Maryol, George Adello to name some -- on the walls. I hope this place will be successful.

Bill gave a plug for Frogfest in mid August, which I'm assuming will be at the Brewing Company. Besides the Frogville acts (HYF, Goshen, Joe West, Boris McCutcheon, ThaMuseMeant, etc.) there might be some extremely worthwhile national acts. I was out of town last year for Frogfest. I can't let that happen again this year.