Santa Fe TradFest asks a simple question: Do you love acoustic instruments?
If you count the old Santa Fe Banjo & Fiddle Contest, which was the prototype for the ongoing Santa Fe TradFest, the annual three-day traditional music festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. For five decades, it's been home to folk, Americana, bluegrass, regional tunes and more acoustic guitars, banjos, upright basses and fiddles than you could ever imagine.
“Thanks to support from the state, city and community, we've been in the black for eight years, which is great for a nonprofit,” organizer Dave Dillman said.
Dillman serves on the board of directors for Santa Fe Friends of Traditional Music, the nonprofit that puts on TradFest each year. He's a lifelong bluegrass/folk/Americana fan who is passionate about transforming Santa Fe's Camp Stoney into a festival site filled with stages for performers, workshop space, formal and informal jam sessions, food trucks, camping and more.
“And then they start coming to us and knocking on the door,” Dillman says of bands that want to play TradFest. “They hear about our community. The atmosphere is similar to Woodstock: everyone is friendly and everyone is there to have a good time. We have special events for kids and a musical petting zoo where you can try out instruments. It's almost like a three-ring circus.”
This year's circus will feature a variety of performances, including signature performances by bluegrass bands such as The Special Consensus, Louisiana Cajun tunes by Magnolia Sisters, traditional Rio Grande Valley folk by Lone Piñon, Mariachi Sonidos del Monte and indigenous hoop dancing by performers from the Lightning Boy Foundation.
“One thing we've found is that people who come to hear a particular band on the main stage, if they stay and listen, they realize the quality of the performance – they didn't come to watch,” says Dillman. “Plus, while I can't remember the exact figures, I know that a good number of attendees make their own music, and the jam sessions allow you to meet and interact with other performers” (Alex de Vore).
Santa Fe TradFest 2024: $25-80 all day, Friday, Aug. 23-Sunday, Aug. 25. Camp Stoney, 7855 Old Santa Fe Trail, santafetradfest.org
(Anson Stevens Boren)
Zozo 100th Anniversary
Oh, of course, most people in Santa Fe look forward to Zozobra. For our out-of-town friends, Zozobra is the annual burning of a giant screaming effigy to ward off gloom. But how much does the average person know about Old Man Gloom? If your answer is something like, “Actually, not much,” or if you've always wondered what the heck it is, local librarian Sawyer Regensburg has the perfect story for you. Regensburg will draw from the Santa Fe Public Library System archives and numerous online resources for a talk about 100 years of Zozobra this week at the library's downtown main branch. The timing is perfect, as Aug. 30 marks the 100th burning of Zozobra. You, too, can yell at the top of your lungs, “Burn him!” but from a place of knowledge. (ADV)
Zozobra 100th Anniversary Talk: Thursday, August 22, 4 p.m. Free Santa Fe Public Library (Main Branch) 145 Washington Ave. (505) 955-6781
(Courtesy of August Muth)
Holographic Dimension
In the upcoming exhibition “A Moment to Wonder,” photographer Arthur Droker and holographic artist August Muth invite viewers into a world of light and color. Droker's photographs experiment with the soft, glowing gradients of sun and sky, while Muth's work explores geometric holograms and ever-shifting light projections. “My work is about the natural phenomenon of intersecting light waves and the interference of light waves,” Muth tells SFR. “Wonder” may actually provide a revelatory insight, or it may just be a chance to take a trip into some cool photography and holograms. Either way, it's worth a visit. (Adam Ferguson)
Arthur Druker + August Muss: A Moment of Wonder (Opening Reception): Saturday, August 24, 4-7pm, Pi Project, 924 Shoofly Street, State B, (505) 372-7681
(Courtesy of Luminatrix)
A million points of light
Santa Fe rock trio Luminatrix enters a new, and decidedly more mature, era of songwriting with their new album, Hide & Seek. It evokes elements of indie and feels akin to '90s-style alt-rock greats like The Breeders and The Presidents of the United States of America, but also offers Dead Milkmen-esque quirky, funky moments, a near-doo-wop catchiness, and a pop-invitation to dance, all with introspective lyrics from singer and principal lyricist Jennifer McGrath. The charming lo-fi beats even seem to come from the realm of geek punk, and the vocal harmonies sound so sweet. As the band sings, “It doesn't matter how you dance, just dance.” Luminatrix celebrates the album this week at Goathead NMex, opening for punk legend Greg Turner. (ADV)
Luminatrix with Greg Turner: Saturday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m., $8. Goathead NMex, 825 Early St., luminatrixmusic.com
