Anniversary, Roots and Vanilla Pop

by Lindsay Nelson

Upon receiving the fourth or fifth “40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition” edition of aging rock-culture mag Rolling Stone, I realized that it is not only possible but quite common to over-acknowledge a milestone. Equally annoying are doting parents making cupcakes for their baby’s 9-month party, or a cloying young couple exchanging gifts and overwrought sentiments for every week their relationship lasts (which, given the short shelf-life of couples in Durango, might not be a bad idea). But still – how many times can we say “Happy Anniversary” without seeming pathetically backward and lame? The answer is: exactly once. So here, for the first and only time, I will say that this week’s edition marks the anniversary of “The Underground” in its current form.

Last November, when the Fort Lewis men’s soccer team was in the NCAA playoff championships in Florida, and everyone was patiently watching that halting web-stream broadcast at Carver’s, my column here in the Telegraph made its debut. Over the past 12 months, we’ve abandoned the unsuccessful “mystery movie quote of the week,” and added the fascinating “Top 10 Albums of the Week.” During my tenure, I have gotten an astonishingly scant amount of hate mail, and even less fan mail. Rather than admitting that the reading public is “just not that into me,” I chalk it up to the unfortunate habit most of us carry – we only speak up when we’re dissatisfied, and our silence should be taken as contentment, perhaps even delight. Messrs. Houston, McBride and Filler have been loyal readers and even write the occasional congratulatory e-mail. I am equally grateful to the Small and the Ping-Small for providing unique cultural insights and suggestions about ridiculous Durango phenomena worthy of scrutiny. And of course, your editors Missy and Will have been gracious enough to give me mostly free reign despite the occasional disparity in our political and social viewpoints (not to mention an e-mail shitstorm or two). So, thanks for reading “The Underground.” We’ll make it to December, and then I’ll bid adieu to you, my loyal readers, and let the next man take a stab at boiling the blood and tickling the ribs of our local populace.

In the meantime, there’s work to be done. Instead of spending all your nights getting blasted at bars, consider taking an hour or so this Saturday to educate yourself. About the meth. Yes, there is a new scareducational film produced by local agencies to spread the word about the dangers of methamphetamine use. Drugs, in this case, really are bad, mmmmkay? A free screening of “Break the Glass: Life or Meth?” happens at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Abbey Theatre. There really is an underground drug problem in this county, and meth is the most damaging and dangerous chemical people are making and using today. So, find out why you should never try it, not even once, and how to spot a meth lab before it blows up in your neighborhood.

The Summit comes through again this weekend with two nights of live music. Friday the band is Spare Parts, a Chicago-based group fusing a mix of funk, rock, jazz, electronica and “futuresounds.” Influences ranging from Weather Report and Steely Dan to Led Zeppelin and Primus fuel the creative engines of this band, which has begun to garner national airplay and acclaim. The next night, the Summit has Roots of Creation. “Using reggae’s rhythms and mindset as a starting point, ROC proceeds to integrate the infectious hooks and songwriting of rock, the instrumental alchemy of jazz, and the pulse-pounding beats of hip-hop into their energetic sound,” sayeth their promotional material. Since 1999, this band from

Vanilla Pop

Boston has been working to produce great music and break through the barriers to its production – so they created their own record label and recently released their latest effort, “Rise Up.” Relix magazine called it “Skillfully mingled bouncy dancehall beats with political overtones … reggae funk rock that erupts on stage, severing artist-audience barriers while summoning fans to join them in an awakening.” Sounds like just the thing for a restless, workaday body to do on a Saturday night.

No need to spend hundreds of dollars on a fashionable trip to Las Vegas – Steamworks is bringing the Vegas to you. Saturday night, New Mexico’s polyestered lounge duo Vanilla Pop stops over for a night of Vegas-style ’80s dance music. “The two-man Vegas-style performance mixes up everything from standard swing numbers from the ’40s to classic dance hits of the ’80s- all done up in sequined, martini-laden parody. Bubbles and polyester will abound as Al Dente and Lester Moore take the stage for an evening of raucous entertainment. From sweaty Tom Jones hits to their signature rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Vanilla Pop lives up to its reputation as New Mexico’s swingin’-est, hippest band around.” (It’s unknown at this time exactly who they’re competing against for that title, but hey – who’s arguing?). Feel free to ironically wear unflattering sequined outfits for this fun-filled, mock-retro evening.

Looking at last week’s Top 10 best-selling records in Durango, I am dying to know who has driven Britney Spears’ “Blacklisted” near the top of the chart. Is it mere morbid curiosity on the part of pop aficionados, who can’t resist the chance to see just how badly she’s fallen? Or are her former legions of fans still holding onto hope that she’ll be the girl they fell in love with back in 1999? Either way, the vagaries of American culture never cease to fascinate. But seriously – Britney Spears? Really? I think you can do a little bit better than that, people-who-still-buy-CDs.

lindsay_damico@yahoo.com