Old MainFest to rock McGaffey Saturday

The Old Main of Albuquerque performs at Coal Street Pub on Thursday, June 19. The group was recently voted best new band in Albuquerque by the Alibi. They will play a concert at the McGaffey Forest Preserve on August 2. [photo by Brian Leddy / Independent]

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

McGAFFEY — This weekend there is a party near McGaffey Lake and everyone is invited. The Old MainFest (Part 2) will be held Saturday evening at McKinley County Wildlife

Federation Park north of McGaffey Lake.

For a $10 suggested donation, party goers will be treated to food and entertainment with four Albuquerque bands. For those who want to camp, they must bring their own tents, but the camping fee is included with the $10 admission.

“We’re going to try to make everything available — drinks, entertainment and camping,” Rod Lacy, lead singer of The Old Main, said. “It’s like throwing a party.”

To warm up for the fest, The Old Main will be performing at the Coal Street Pub on Friday night.

The Old Main is an up-and-coming rock band on the Albuquerque scene. Joining The Old Main will be Saving Damsels, Fast Heart Mart and Young Edward. Singer-songwriter Prudy Dimas will be performing between sets.

Part 1 of the music fest was held earlier this year in Albuquerque, and the band decided to bring the fun to the Gallup area.

 “A lot of the people that come to our shows and a lot of people that hang out with us — we do a lot of stuff together and this is kind of a way to get some new people involved and introduce a lot of our friends out in Gallup to some new music out of Albuquerque ,” Lacy said.

People can begin arriving between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Outdoor activities such as horseshoes and volleyball will be starting.

Grilling starts around 4 p.m. Dinner will be hamburgers, hot dogs and chips.

The music kicks off around 6 p.m.
Any proceeds will go directly to the musicians, Lacy said.

“We’re doing it all for the music and the entertainment, rather than trying to make money off the music,” he said.
Fire restrictions are in place for the area.

Bands playing The Old MainFest (Part 2):

The Old Main

The Old Main, alternative/country, has been causing a stir in Albuquerque with its sound of “old-school rock ’n’ roll with a smooth country finish.” Fronted by Gamerco-native Rod Lacy, the band was recently listed as Best New/Emerging Band in the Alibi’s Best of Burque 2008 list in Albuquerque .

Described by bassist Zoltan Szekely as “rock ’n’ roll with a country twang,” the band has played at countless venues in Albuquerque and the Southwest

The three members of The Old Main — Lacy on guitar, keyboard and vocals, Szekely on bass and banjo, and Mojo Atzberger on drums — each came from other bands on the local scene in Albuquerque about a year and half ago. Ever since then, the band has been earning rave reviews for its music, lyrics and live shows. In the year and a half that the band has been together, it has released its first self-titled studio CD and a live album recorded at Albuquerque ’s Sunshine Theater in April 2008
www.myspace.com/theoldmain

Saving Damsels

Saving Damsels is JJ Otero on lead vocals and rhythm acoustic guitar, Karlo Bluehouse Johnson on lead guitar, Joe Pacheco on bass guitar and Larry Garcia on drums.

Describing their sound as “Red Pop” — “Rocking Red Pop” if they are rocking a little more than usual — they give their original pop music a Native, Indigenous, Aboriginal, American Indian twist. The members of Saving Damsels each hail from different parts of New Mexico — from the small community of Torreon, the pueblo of Isleta and the largest city in the state, Albuquerque . Otero and Johnson have been playing together since March 2007 with Pacheco joining in June 2007 and Garcia joining soon after.
www.myspace.com/savingdamsels

Young Edward

Young Edward is bluegrass and country from Albuquerque, with Robert Brettelle on guitar, mandolin, harmonica, and vocals; Steve Allen on banjo and vocals and Danny Garcia on upright bass, harmonica and vocals. Young Edward is known for appealing to a wide variety of people and being one of the few bluegrass bands that plays many venues in Albuquerque. The band plays a mix of bluegrass, Americana and covers at its live shows.www.myspace.com/youngedward

Fast Heart Mart

Fast Heart Mart is acoustic alternative. Martin Stamper, known for playing his double-necked acoustic guitar on the streets of Albuquerque , writes and sings the songs. Roblyn Crawford plays drums and Tanya Nunez plays upright bass. The unconventional group has toured all over the United States in a van that runs on vegetable oil and has released a CD available on its Web site. The band often gives sidewalk performances — sometimes to promote other shows.