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by Ted Holteen
Every time the city shuts down Main Avenue
for a festival or other such event, it raises again
the argument to permanently convert a section of downtown
into a pedestrian mall (Which, for the record, is better
than paving a park.) Viewing cars as a necessary evil
at best, I think it's a great idea. I spent a summer
in Burlington, Vt., where a main thoroughfare is so designated, and I'm
here to tell you it works. See for yourself this weekend.
It's the Main Avenue Arts Festival , going on all
day Saturday and Sunday. These things are great. Arts
and crafts (if you're into that sort of thing), food,
no cars, pretty girls (if you're into that sort of
thing), music and a general atmosphere of good will
and community spirit. And the best part? No mimes!
Get out and mingle with your fellow townspeople and
spend a bunch of money. I know you get paid on Friday,
so no excuses.
With so much camaraderie and so many positive vibes
developed during the days this
weekend, I expect the nightlife to be downright electric. (Did I just use the
phrase "positive vibes?" What's happening to me?) Anyway, the usual suspects
have some good offerings to behold. On Friday night, Storyville presents the
funk/jam stylings of Lunar Gravy . The Mount Shasta, California-based foursome
bills themselves as "Psychadelic Rock for Your Soul." So be it. Then, on Saturday,
the best band in Durango takes the stage. That's The Brown Brothers , if you
didn't know. If you haven't seen them, see them. Simple enough.
Moving south, Scoot 'n Blues offers The Todd Tijerina
Band on Friday and Saturday nights. It's original,
blues-based guitar rock played in the classic roadhouse
style. To keep it authentic, I recommend calling the
waitresses "sweetie" and "toots," and I hear they like
it when fat guys in leather grab their asses as well.
The  Summit should be SRO on Friday, when Moses Guest
returns to town. They're one of those can't-miss bands
that local club owners rely on to pay the bills, and
a good crowd is just about a sure bet. Add to that
the fact that most of those present will have been
drinking all day at the Arts Festival, and it equals
fun for the whole family. Bring the kids!
Next on the stumbling tour is the Abbey Theatre. On
Friday, New Mexico Music Industry Award-winning Nosotros
crosses the border smuggling their hot Latin dance
rhythms with them. I think Nosotros means "us" or "we" or "our" in
Spanish, but that's not important. What is important,
is that these Latin dance nights always compel the
ladies of our town to dress to the nines and really
let their hair down. Unless they wear it in one of
those tight bun things, which I don't particularly
care for. The ethnic theme continues next Tuesday the
17th, when the Durango Society for the Cultural and
Performing Arts brings Cajun specialists BeauSoleil
to the Abbey. It will sell out, so get on it. Wear
your dancing shoes to this one as well, as about a
third of the seats will be removed to free up plenty
of space for reelin' and stompin' and whatnot.
By the way, The Abbey is also a movie theater, and
I had the opportunity to catch the latest offering
before my ever-morphing deadline. "Control Room" is
a behind-the-scenes look at the Al Jazeera network
in the Middle East, and it gives us yet another opportunity
to see how much the rest of the world really hates
us, thereby fostering our own self-hate. Like with "Fahrenheit
9/11," we are reminded that, despite what we see on
our TVs, people do die in wars. And Al Jazeera actually
had the gall to show casualties and other realities
of war. But filmmaker Jehane Noujaim presents a more
balanced and less confrontational view than Michael
Moore, showing the interaction between Arab and American
news and military outfits with equal time given to
both sides. As luck would have it however, the good
ol' USA still comes out looking like a hybrid of the
Roman Empire and the Third Reich. And no filmmaker
since Leni Riefenstahl could make Donald Rumsfeld look
like anything but the unequivocal asshole that he is.
You can put all the lipstick you want on a pig, but
it's still a pig. I'm probably in violation of the
Patriot Act by saying so, but if I may further incriminate
myself, we all know that thing's not worth the Charmin
it's printed on. The schedule of show times for this
worthy film is very confusing, so either call the Abbey
or check their website and figure it out.
Turn me in. ted@ksut.org . Power to the people, but
just the good ones. |
