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TNA, the Ladykillers, Pilot to Bombardier, GoMotorCar, Blame it on
Rachel, Push n' Pull, Kimo - 10/27/00 - Moonlight Lounge
This is the first Socyermom label fest that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish and left me wishing for more. It didn't drag on as many multi-band bills tend to do. The line-up order was well thought out and down-time was at an absolute minimum. I couldn't quite put my finger before on the commonality of the Socyermom bands but it hit me tonight: with few exceptions, most feature strong songwriters . . .
WIG WAM BAM |
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Socyermom Giving Local Music a Kick It's hard to believe, but local indie rock label Socyermom has only been operating officially for eight months. In those eight months the label (whose name is a play on "soccer mom") has released CDs from local groups Fever Hot, The Hopefuls, Treadmill, Crash Kills Four and Left Unsaid as well as "Ouch," a huge double CD compilation that includes more than 40 local alternative groups. The label hosts yet another multiband blowout tonight at Sprocket's Pub, 2216 E. Central. The show doubles as a West Coast tour kick-off for Crash Kills Four. Joining CK4 tonight are Icky & the Yuks, Ileana, DBE, Entropy, The Meek, Kimo, Stretch and two out-of-town bands -- Fort Collins, Colo.'s Kneejerk Reaction and Bunjie Jambo from Pittsburgh, Pa. Leonard Apodaca, who runs Socyermom with fellow local music enthusiast Joey Gonzales, says the label's success has been satisfying. But he said he and Gonzales have big plans. "What we're hoping is that Socyermom will turn into a fully indie label like (big-time indies) Touch and Go or Matador," Apodaca said. "We decided to start something ourselves and see what happens. Hell, Albuquerque has so many cool bands, we figured if we could help get them notice it'd be great." The label's genesis last June came directly from Apodaca's and Gonzales' work within the Albuquerque alternative scene; Apodaca with his band Stretch and Gonzales with his group The Meek. Apodaca says the main criterion for working with a band is not about money. "To tell you the truth, it's like one of us has to like (a band)," he says. "That's what it boils down to. We're not gonna try to promote something we're not into." That approach has led to a variety of styles that fall within the alternative umbrella, enabling the duo to work with local rock/folk songwriter Kimo as easily as harder sounding groups such as Watership Down, both of whom will have CD releases in 2000. Apodaca says sales of the Socyermom catalog is going well, particularly on the label's Web site, www.socyermom.com. "By no means will Joey and I be quitting our day jobs," Apodaca says laughingly. "Right now it's a true labor of love. But it's been nothing but good for the city scene. "Hopefully we'll get some recognition for this town."
Kenn Rodriguez |
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VARIOUS ARTISTS/Ouch! Welcome To Albuquerque Three shots of Jose with salt, Tecate back. Double CD anthology of the current Duke City, New Mexico, rock scene. Some of these bands will surely climb out of the high-desert basin . . . this CD is worth it for Red Earth's tribal-rage "Para La Mentira," Stoic Frame's "Dirty Little Homocide," Giant Steps' "Boom Ska" and, of course, Yucker's "King Size Balls." Brains, grit, attitude and a lot of heart.
DIY section |
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Ouch!: Welcome to Albuquerque
- various artists **** (4 stars) Normally a double CD with 45 total tracks would be the bane of my existence, but in the case of “Ouch: Welcome to Albuquerque” (Socyermom Records) 45 doesn’t quite do it. It might take you a month to get through it, but at the end of that cycle you will have a good idea of how diverse the Downtown music scene is here. Sure there are a few duds, but this two-disc collection sits remarkably well in the eardrum. With locals like Fever Hot, Starsky, Stoic Frame and Ileana Garcia on it, to name a few, “Ouch” is a great overview of Albuquerque alternative music.
Kenn Rodriguez |
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Best Local Releases
(of 1999):
Various Artists Ouch! Welcome to Albuquerque (Socyermom)
The Weekly Alibi |
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Local music enjoys a busy year: CD releases dominate a revitalized Downtown Scene Nationally, 1999 was the year of the pop star. Locally, it was a good bunch of steps from the abyss of the past few years.
Locally: The year of the CD
Apodaca and Gonzales also released a gargantuan CD, "Ouch," which is a virtual document of the Albuquerque alternative rock scene . . .
Kenn Rodriguez |
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And so the "Ouch Compilation" Saga continues.
I can't quite remember when it all started, but The end is nowhere near, as long as our hopes sail along. It's only the beginning of something beautiful but maybe not as catchy as say, a howling coyote . . . Leonard & Joey performed some outstanding tricks to get each of these 3 ring events running smoothly . . . not to mention the slew of Albuquerque bands that served live entertainment at each and every event . . . Like a well oiled machine, I must say Socyermom has given all of us a reason to be here. She has breathed the all too familiar air into Albuquerque, and when I say familiar I mean to say family . . . Why Mother "Ouch" and all her dysfunctional chillins running around suckling each other and everything whilst she lay a twisted eye upon them. Now every city has one, but ours has a name. Sounds painful when you say it, but it doesn't hurt bad . . . it hurts good.
Village Smith |
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Winner of the best new label name goes to Socyermom Records, which is
releasing a "very obese" double-CD collection of Albuquerque's finest . . .
ear to the ground |
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Local bands get what they deserve
Some people always say, "Albuquerque has no good local bands." You're wrong, and I can prove it. The new, 45 local band, double CD compilation, Ouch! (Socyermom Records), has something for everyone. Ouch! contains rock, punk, world beat, metal, semi-ambient, folk, ska and alternative styles. If you can't find something you like on one of these CDs, you're just not listening hard enough. The concept for this compilation was thought up by a group of local musicians, but it was put into action by Joey Gonzales (The Meek) and Leonard Apodaca (Stretch). They realized that the Albuquerque music scene is varied and talented and that, for whatever reason, few bands were getting the attention they deserved. they wanted to get as many bands together as possible and promote them in Albuquerque and around the country. Gonzales and Apodaca put countless hours into producing the project, and also arranged three benefit concerts to raise the funds they needed. Ouch! was mastered at Taffy Productions with J-card design and layout by Village Smith . . . This CD is not just about the music; it's about team work as well. I was amazed at the overwhelmingly positive response and dedication that the artists and the Socyermom crew put into this project. The thing the music scene around here needs is a little coherency and a big voice.
Rachel Heisler |
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OUCH!
Leonard isn't the first person in town to put out a local music compilation. But the upcoming release of Ouch!, a two-disc collection of 45 of Albuquerque's finest bands, has done more for the struggling musicians of Duke City than just put their songs on a CD. The record was funded mostly by money made at Socyermom benefit shows that would feature 10 to 15 bands playing 15 minute sets for free drinks. It is something that has gotten a lot of bands together to support each other and the local music scene as a whole. The response from bands was so overwhelming, that it was impossible to fit them all on one disc, so the benefits continued until they raised enough money for a double CD featuring 45 bands! "It's amazing how much great musical talent is in this town, relative to the population," says Leonard . . . Besides the compilation, Socyermom is releasing CDs for individual bands, the first of which is 3 Degrees which is due out by October 1st. Other bands with upcoming releases on the Socyermom label include Icky and the Yuks, Treadmill (ex-Albuquerque), and The Hopefuls . . .
The Rag |
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Sprockets Pub hosts benefit: local record company shows Albuquerque to America
Socyermom, a new local record company cooperative, will host their third benefit concert Friday at Sprockets Pub. Created by Leonard Apodaca and Joey Gonzales of local bands Stretch and The Meek, Socyermom is dedicated to supplying Albuquerque and the rest of the country with a taste of the Albuquerque music scene. With an abundance of diverse bands, Albuquerque has the potential to join the list of cities like Seattle and Austin which have been highly publicized in the past for their intense music scenes. Socyermom's second release, Ouch!, is a double compilation CD featuring 45 local bands and is set to be released in mid-September . . .
Rachel Heisler |