D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
January 2010
The To-Do List
Warming up winter.
Sing in the new year: If January is any indication, this new decade will be mighty musical. In Silver City, the Mimbres Region Arts Council's Folk Series kicks off 2010 on Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Silco with Peter Mulvey, whose latest CD is "Notes from Elsewhere" — his 10th in 15 years. A self-described "city kid" from Milwaukee, Mulvey played, wrote and sang in bands while studying theatre at Marquette University. After graduating, he traveled to Ireland, where he learned the trade of busker on the streets of Dublin. Returning to the US a few years later, he settled in Boston, building an audience through street and subway performing, while also immersing himself in the thriving musical community. Mulvey has also scored music for theater and modern dance, and has had numerous songs featured in film and television including various WB programs and PBS documentaries.
On Jan. 17 at 2 p.m., Irish traditional fiddler and fingerstyle guitarist Randal Bays launches a new "house concert" series at the Public Library in Silver City. See the Tumbleweeds section for details.
Not to be left out, Las Cruces hosts the Pine Leaf Boys on Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at NMSU's Atkinson Hall, part of the ASNMSU Cultural Arts Series. The three-time Grammy-nominated Louisiana group has made a name for presenting Cajun music with youthful exuberance, reviving ancient songs and bringing them to the bandstand.
You've probably seen the Grant County Community Concert Association's Jan. 22 performer on TV: Tenor and former New York City police officer Daniel Rodriguez has experienced a meteoric rise to frame. He became known as "The Singing Policeman" in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, receiving widespread attention with his rendition of "God Bless America" at memorial events and on television; this led to an offer of formal training from Placido Domingo. Rodriguez has since recorded several albums and appeared in opera and in symphony concerts. He'll be joined at the WNMU Fine Arts Center Theatre at 7:30 p.m. by his wife, operatic soprano Marla Kavanaugh, and her twin sister, Marissa Dikkenberg.
Feet, do your stuff: January also brings notable opportunities to dance and watch dancing. On Jan. 9, the Annual 12th Night Dance features Bayou Seco Bande Grande and the Fiddling Friends. They'll play Cajun two-steps, waltzes, polkas, rancheras, the Broom Dance and more — and you can learn how to dance them all. The fancy footwork starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall in Silver City.
On Jan. 16, students from Silver City's Conservatory of Dance wrap up the holidays with a performance of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, at 2 p.m. in the WNMU Fine Arts Center Theatre.
The annual Red Paint Powwow & Indian Market returns to Silver City Jan. 22-24, spotlighting Apache Gahe/Gaan dancers, hoop dancers, traditional social dances and more. This year the Powow has moved to the Grant County Business & Conference Center on Hwy. 180 (the former Teleperformance building).