MUSIC | ALBUQUERQUE
‘Our postcard to the world’
Galactic, Digable Planets headline free Bands of Enchantment Music Festival alongside dozens of local bands on eight Downtown stages
On Saturday, Sept. 19, the streets of Downtown Albuquerque will come alive with dozens of bands, food trucks, lowriders, interactive art installations and thousands of revelers for the second annual Bands of Enchantment Music Festival.
“We’ve got 50 bands, and there’s going to be eight different stages,” Kimberli Roth, the event’s assistant producer, said. “So, not only is there the stage that we had last year (outside of the KiMo), but there’s an additional outdoor stage (in front of 505 Food Hall) and several stages inside of music venues that are all going to be playing music at the same time. So, this is taking over Central in a much bigger way.”
The festival is organized by the same team behind the Emmy-winning music television program, “Bands of Enchantment,” which is filming its sixth season in the days leading up to the festival — Wednesday, Sept. 16, through Friday, Sept. 18 — at the KiMo Theatre. Both the tapings and the festival are free to the public, but because seating at the KiMo and other indoor venues is limited, audiences are invited to RSVP at to guarantee admission.
This year’s headliners include New Orleans funk legends Galactic, jazz-inflected hip-hop pioneers Digable Planets, and Grammy-winning Delta blues guitarist and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. The festival also features a who’s-who of local talent, including Diné blues-rockers Turquoise Steel, psychedelic Andean fusion band Metamorfos, cumbia-punk group Tropa Magica and NM Entertain’s Best R&B Artist of the Year, Clarq, among others.
Roth said one of the goals of “Bands of Enchantment” — the TV show and the festival — is to remind the world of the richness and diversity of New Mexican music.
“It’s our postcard to the world,” Roth said. “Yes, all these great bands are coming to Albuquerque, but also, lots of great bands are coming out of Albuquerque. And this is a global television show at this point — people watch it from all over the place — so, it’s good exposure for our local talent, as well.”
Around 10,000 people attended the inaugural festival last year, and Roth expects this year’s event to draw even bigger crowds.
The entire festival will be filmed for the new season of “Bands of Enchantment,” which will premiere at the KiMo around January before being released on PBS, Tubi and other streaming platforms.
“By January, we like to premiere the show before it hits the airwaves,” Roth said. “… It’s an exciting time to dress up, get on the red carpet and then eventually a lot of people get to see themselves on TV. … It’s such a surprise, too, because you never know if the camera is going to catch you, and the first time you’ll know you’ve been caught on film is on the massive KiMo Theatre screen.”
“Bands of Enchantment” was created by and for New Mexicans, Roth said.
“It’s not like we’re an out-of-town operation who come in and take over,” she said. “Ninety-plus percent of the staff, the crew and everyone is a New Mexico — and, more often than not, Albuquerque — resident.”
Both the festival and the TV show support local film and television professionals, employing over 100 crew members this season.
“People are starting to get nervous about where the film industry is going in Albuquerque, and this is one of those little pockets of hope,” Roth said. “We’re not losing momentum. We’re only getting bigger. And we are very committed to staying a New Mexico-based staff. Usually, as things tend to go, the bigger you get, the more you outsource. But ‘Bands of Enchantment’ is committed to staying ‘enchanted.’”
With about twice as many restaurants and bars partnering in the festival this year, Roth said, audiences will have more choices of comfortable places from which to watch the entertainment.
“Restaurants, bars and businesses are all going to be involved. So, you’re going to be able to grab a beer and then watch from the patios of all the different bars,” she said. “Sister Bar has an outdoor patio. Food Hall has a patio. So, if you want to just sit and watch the show from one of those bars or restaurants, you’re welcome to.”
In addition to eight stages of live music, there will be over 40 food and beverage trucks, artisans and community vendors at the festival.
“Right now, as our local downtown businesses are kind of struggling, this is huge for them,” Roth said. “Ten-thousand people at your doorstep is not something that happens every day.”
The intimacy of the concerts, coupled with the enthusiasm of Albuquerque’s crowds, are what separates the Bands of Enchantment festival from other music festivals, Roth said.
“You get to see these incredible people who play these enormous festivals, but you’re just an arm’s-reach away. You might be standing right on stage with them, which is such a unique experience,” Roth said. “… It’s an intimate experience. It’s not like going to a stadium concert at all. And you get to dance. It’s a great time!”
Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the ϼ. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .
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