In this week’s paper, SFR looked at some recent code complaints that have come in to the city and county bureaucracies.

There were a few that we didn’t have room for on the page, but which deserve a look regardless.

The first concerns Advantage Asphalt, a company that is under investigation by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office in a convoluted money-and-influence scheme reportedly involving several local politicians, including state House Speaker Ben Luján, Santa Fe City Councilor Matt Ortiz and County Development Review Committee chairman Jon Paul Romero.

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By Intern Drew Lenihan

The Catamount, on the corner of Water and Shelby streets, has been a loyal drinking hole to Santa Fe for almost 15 years now.  Sadly, after all these years it will be closing its doors and moving later this summer, but not until the 2010 World Cup is viewed from the current location’s bar stools one last time.

Many people have fantastic memories there watching and hooting and a hollering for their favorite teams, regardless of sport.  During Brazil and North Korea’s match yesterday, one bar goer exclaimed to me, “I watched Michael Phelps win all his gold medals here; I was here when Zidane headbutted Materazzi,” he said referring to the infamous 2006 World Cup Final.  “It’s too bad it’s got to move.”  Unfortunately I am not one of those people with good memories of Catamount sports watching. Continue reading »

When I was about 12 or 13, the video Natural One by Folk Implosion hit MTV, and my friends and I all lost our collective shit(s). I remember a buddy of mine immediately picked up the single (yes, there were singles then), and we spent ages listening again and again. This paved the way for us to learn about Dinosaur Jr., which in turn led to Sebadoh albums and the perilous and angsty journey into punk rock.

Thusly, with nigh overpowering nostalgia fueling me, I took in the recent Lou Barlow (of said bands) show on the Cowgirl patio. First off, I was feeling pretty impressed that Barlow was playing such a small venue, but it seems that Santa Fe is getting bigger shows like this more often. Plus, I’m willing to bet Barlow is one of those super-cool and down to earth musicians who subtly rules the land while keeping his head.

I arrived a tad early to check out Sarah Jaffe (myspace.com/sjaffe) open the show. In the days leading up to the concert, I’d heard nothing but good things about the Texas singer-songwriter, and Jaffe started strong with a beautiful voice and a quiet and subtly sad sound. Instantly, I realized there was something familiar about her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Sarah Jaffe folkin' it up

Jaffe’s cellist and keyboardist added complexity to the simple guitar work, but I was going mad trying to figure out where I had heard this before. Then it hit me: I’ve sat in my room listening to Cat Power and Feist too ,and whether or not she realizes it, Jaffe emulates these musicians quite closely. Though Jaffe’s voice is solid, it sounds almost exactly like Leslie Fesit, a fact that kind of pissed me off. Now, I’m not saying that she was bad or anything, but it was just nothing I haven’t heard before. Jaffe’s strength is in her voice and not guitar playing. At times, this seemed to put undue pressure on her band, and a cursory glance at the crowd proved that I was pretty much the only person bored by the performance. It makes sense, though. Those unfamiliar with indie folk/country are bound to be impressed by an artist with such obvious-and worthy-influences. I suppose Jaffe makes a good transition for those interested in getting into these types of music, but I don’t see her having much lasting power in a genre already jam-packed with too many faceless acts that sound exactly the same. Continue reading »

Day 1 of World Cup 2010 is here!  For those of you that took the initiative to rise early to watch the opening ceremony before South Africa kicked off against Mexico, I commend you.  I was disappointed as you probably were to see that Nelson Mandela’s heavily anticipated speech—in which he would proclaim how  bringing the World Cup to South Africa embodied his vision for the “new” South Africa—was canceled due to a death in his family.  It was still heartfelt listening to President Jacob Zuma speak and then watching the spirited and inspired South Africans fight to a 1-1 draw with Mexico.

Afterward I began my quest to find the World Cup’s best venue in Santa Fe. I started at Zia Diner to watch France and Uruguay (both are former champions) duke it out.  The Zia has set up two TVs for the Cup and will be showing every game.  They are in the bar room so one may sip some brewskis or eat while enjoying the beautiful game. Continue reading »

La Mission
Directed by Peter Bratt
With Benjamin Bratt, Erika Alexander and Jeremy Ray Valdez
Rated R
Showing in Santa Fe at UA DeVargas (562 North Guadalupe) beginning June 11
(Q-and-A with director Peter Bratt and Santa Fe-native La Mission co-star Jeremy Ray Valdez on Saturday, June 12 at 7:30 pm. $10)

Review by Adam Perry (mppedro@gmail.com)

Prior to a few days ago, the 2000 film-version of Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys was the only major motion picture I’d watched that was not only filmed in a city, but a neighborhood where I’ve lived. Seeing Michael Douglas booze it up in on-screen in Pittsburgh, where I grew up, to the sounds of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen was cool, but checking out the jarring new movie La Mission—shot in San Francisco’s culturally rich Mission District, where I lived from 2002-2008—was far more rewarding.

La Mission wasn’t based on an acclaimed novel, but the film’s heartfelt drama and realistic depiction of a gritty, harsh-reality-filled neighborhood are seriously penetrating on a level that the majority of recent urban-set movies don’t reach. Directed by Peter Bratt and starring his brother Benjamin, La Mission—alternately funny, sad, thought-provoking and romantic—poignantly touches on sociological and economical subjects while utilizing San Francisco as a colorful backdrop.

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