By Caroline K Gorman

The Ghost of Milagro Creek
By Melanie Sumner

The Ghost of Milagro Creek made its way to me with a Post-it note across the front that read “important local writer.” It struck me that all writers are important to wherever it is they can be considered “local.” Community pride wants to boast that one of our own has made it and personal vainglory wants the satisfaction of knowing all the common details about someone who has succeeded. And then there’s always the simple delight inherent in recognizing familiar places in the pages of books.

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Fill in the Blank: “____ has worked for and with every Governor since Gov. Jerry Apodaca,” the press release reads.

Ready for the answer? Dorothy “Duffy” Rodriguez, a former deputy secretary at the Department of Health who earlier this year was at the center of two whistleblowers’ allegations of nepotism and fraud. (Read SFR’s coverage here.) So far, neither allegation has been proven—but when Rodriguez left the DOH in April, many of the comments on SFReeper.com were euphoric.

“Duffy…was a corrupt bully who was feared by all in the agency,” one commenter wrote. Another described the news as “too good to be true!”

But Rodriguez has a brand new job: Secretary of the Taxation and Revenue Department, where she’ll replace Rick Homans—who in turn will take over from Steven Landeene as director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority, according to a press release from the Governor’s office. And the wheel turns.

by Caroline K Gorman

Felonious Groove Foundation will be performing at Block Party

4–9 pm Wednesday, June 16
Corner of Marcy & Otero streets

Summer is great. Everybody knows this. But sometimes the late sunsets can make the day drag on, trapping one between the end of work and the end of the day. Fortunately, there is a fun solution: The Santa Fe Reporter Block Party!

Join us to celebrate the release of Summer Guide 2010 and get your party on!

Mingle with all your fellow Santa Feans at the profusion of fasinating booths: Big Sky Learning, the Green Party of Santa Fe, Warehouse 21, SpaNomad, and so many many more. Or, if you’d rather, just listen to some great music: La Junta plays ‘Southwest funk hop,’ the Rev. Karol King Kong brings the funk, Venus Bogardus plays post-punk and the Felonious Groove Foundation plays their own funk. Food is provided by Backroad Pizza, Cowgirl BBQ, ECCO and Second Street brewery. Plus there’s a performance by the Santa Fe Spirit All Star cheerleaders!

There’s no excuse for a boring summer day when there are block parties to go to!

Whoa, it’s like the the Eyedropper’s house, except that instead of coming from above, our “bad neighbor” signs point from the houses to the left and right, as well as from across the street.

This is possibly the most effective way to destroy a business. The second, which this business also claims, is German food. I give this place two months to live.

More after the JUMP!

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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 »