Join the New Mexico Music Awards and the Candyman Strings & Things in Santa Fe for the workshop, String Theory–An Exploration in the Working Mechanisms of Your Axe on Saturday, June 14th from 3:00-4:30 PM at the Candyman Strings and Things, 851 St. Michael’s Drive in Santa Fe.
Guitar Tech Chris Riggins will talk about everything from truss rod adjustment, pickup height, restringing techniques and general guitar TLC tips that’ll keep you playing your best.
This workshop is free.
The 38th Annual New Mexico Music Awards was held on Sunday, June 1st in Albuquerque at Sandia Resort and Casino in Albuquerque with nearly 400 people in attendance. Attendees and guests were treated to a sumptuous dinner followed by performances from Costley and Crooze, Santa Fe’s Christina Gomez, Felix “Gato” Peralta, country artist Eryn Bent, Sheila Eden and her band Illumina A.D. and the R&B party band, Lo Phat. All of our performers were award winners as well.
Over 40 awards were presented in categories that ranged from Best Adult Contemporary/Adult Pop music to Best Album of the Year.
Also presented were the Eric Larson Lifetime Achievement Award to the family of the late Juan Velasco, longtime radio personality and Shawn Mondragon a/k/a Chaz Malibu, also a radio personality of some note for the last 30 years in the Duke City.
Audra Rodgers & The Sweethearts took home honors for Best Album of the Year. The album was recorded at the Greg Thum Studio in El Prado, New Mexico and produced by Audra Rodgers and Greg Thum.
The coveted Norman Petty Producer’s Award went to Alex Murzyn, Saya Sommers and Mark Sommers for Saya Sommers jazz influenced album Unfettered and recorded at ABQ Post studios in Albuquerque.
Other winners include Santa Fe based Eryn Bent winning Best Country Album for her album Blush and Nathan Dunton taking home Best Pop Album for Running Lights. The artist self-titled album Lumpy won Best Rock Album, Dimian Disanti’s Our Big Backyard won Best Jazz Album honors and Richard Cagle & the Voodoo Choir from Ruidoso were winners in the Best Blues Album category for Zia Blues.
We were honored to present the Eric Larson Lifetime Achievement Award to the family of the late Juan Velasco and to his friend and compatriot, Shawn Mondragon a/k/a Chaz Malibu.
Juan was a longtime radio host at KRST radio in Albuquerque. He was also owner of JFV Entertainment and beloved by fans. Juan was a driving force in the New Mexico Music community, promoting New Mexico artists on his podcast, recommending them for work at local and corporate events. If someone needed help getting their business off of the ground, he was there to help them promote themselves. He loved his family, especially his sons Juan III and Gabriel. Juan passed away suddenly last summer.
We also presented Shawn Mondragon with an Eric Larson Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to local music and musicians through his work on radio over the past 30 years as Chaz Malibu. A musician himself, Shawn has been singing barbershop for 30 years as well, is a founding member of Duke City Sound, a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society and a coach and faculty member at the Harmony College Northwest for three decades. His dedication to local music and musicians is unsurpassed.
The Eric Larson Lifetime Achievement Awards is presented to those individuals who have made a difference in the New Mexico Music Community over their careers. Eric Larson was a co-founder of the New Mexico Music Awards and an award winning composer and producer in New Mexico.
For a complete list of winners, go to https://www.newmexicomusicawards.com/2025-new-mexico-music-award-winners/
The New Mexico Music Awards is sponsored by The New Mexico Music Awards are sponsored by Quickbeam Systems, Guitar Center of Albuquerque and Jason’s Music Publishing with additional support from The Candyman of Santa Fe, High Fidelity Mastering, Grandma’s Music and Sound, ListenNM.com, Two Pups Boutique, and Moonlight Talent Management.
The Candyman Strings & Things in conjunction with the New Mexico Music Awards presents a workshop all about live recording with awards winning artist, producer and recording engineer George Mahn III of Vertical Leap and Gentry Avenue Productions. George has earned critical acclaim and airplay on terrestrial radio, SiriusXM, and international stations since 2002. His genre-blending tracks have also been featured in films and arts productions.
It’s all part of the Candyman’s Annual Musical Gear Swap-O-Rama going on on Sunday, Apreil 27th, 2025 from noon until 4:00 PM.
Whether you’re a gigging musician, aspiring producer, or sound engineer, you’ll learn valuable insights on how to record live shows like a pro.
Learn how to:
Polish your final product through editing and post-production
Adapt to the differences between studio and stage environments
Minimize mic bleed and optimize mic placement
Balance your monitor mix and FOH sound
Capture the energy of live performances with proper planning
Navigate licensing, copyright, and royalties for live recordings
The workshop is free and no registration is necessary, but seating is limited.
New Mexico Music Award finalist Bette Korbers film Hermosa Mariposa has been selected for the festival held in late May in Frome, Somerset United Kingdom. Bette’s film, about the endangered Monarch butterfly, is one of many under consideration for honors. The festival receives over 1000 submissions each year from over 10 countries.
Historically, monarchs numbered in the billions. Eastern monarchs wintering in Mexico have declined by 90% in the last 30 years. Western monarchs have declined by 95% in the last 20 years, with a close brush with complete collapse in 2020.
They are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and extensive pesticide use.
Bette’s music and films are a staple at the NMMAs and are always a voice for her activism. At the end of the video, you will hear the sound of butterfly wings, so many you can hear them in the forests of Michoacan. View the film and to find out how you can help save this incredible species, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0GwvmGTsMM
Jono Manson, award winning producer at The Kitchen Sink, is creating a new facility in Santa Fe. Current producing partner Tim Schmoyer will remain in the current space and will re-brand the business as Engine70 Studios. Jono will retain the Kitchen Sink brand. Here’s the skinny from Jono.
“This is a completely amicable reconfiguration of our business relationship, and (Tim and I) have committed to continue to support one another in all of our respective current and future endeavors. I will continue to work at the studio, engineering and producing projects for my current and future clients. So, for anyone with projects currently on the books, or in progress, there will be absolutely no disruption of our work together.
The Kitchen Sink will remain my production company and I am also building a new, state of the art, mix and overdub suite here in Santa Fe, which should be ready for action by May 1st (more news on this to follow!). This will not only create a new creative space for me, but allow me to offer my clients options as to how, and where, we work together. Moving forward, I will be splitting my studio time between the two facilities, and of course continue to work on projects with artists from all over the world. I’m filled with gratitude for all of the love, trust, and support I’ve received from this incredible community and look forward to seeing you again, soon.” JM – Santa Fe April 2, 2025
We look forward to great things coming from both Jono Manson and Tim Schmoyer in the future.
The boys are back! Songwriters Daniel Boling (The Limeliters) and folk icon Tom Paxton have released the first single, Goodnight, and accompanying video from their forthcoming album on Berkalin Records, It Matters to be released on April 18th of this year.
The 16 songs on It Matters are taken from weekly songwriting sessions Dan’l and Tom have held online since their 2023 album. There are a wide range of topics including tender love songs, a U.S Marine hero horse, biting commentary on politics, society, religion and war, gentle, self-deprecating humor, love of nature, family and community.
Daniel and Tom recorded their upcoming album at The Kitchen Sink studio in Santa Fe, NM with Producer/engineer Jono Manson. Manson and a dozen friends and fellow musicians pitched in on other instruments and a few harmonies, but the overall feel of the album is stripped-down, acoustic Folk.
Tom Paxton officially retired from touring at the end of 2024 after 64 years. Check out the video online at https://youtu.be/ldfUd1SV6MA
Delbert Anderson Quartet is releasing it latest effort, Live at Kuumbwa Jazz recorded at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, California.
Anderson had been writing and producing new jazz since his youth and his achievements include multiple awards from Chamber Music America, the Cultural Capital Fellowship from the First Peoples Fund, and the Jazz Road Program at South Arts. His contributions to music and culture have been featured in prominent outlets like The New York Times, JazzTimes, Grammy.com, and NPR.
Delbert Anderson, a Diné jazz trumpet artist, composer, and educator, stands at the forefront of a vibrant Native American jazz scene. His work, deeply rooted in his Diné heritage, seamlessly integrates Navajo “spinning songs” of love, healing, and courtship with jazz and funk, thus marking him as a community-minded Indigenous individualist. Through his Delbert Anderson Quartet, Anderson revives the improvised sounds of the Diné circle, blending them with jazz, funk, and hip-hop. His compositions are inspired by Navajo Nation landscapes, historical events, and the desire to preserve and educate about Diné history.
Anderson first found acclaim with the release of his 2021 tribute album to Don Cherry, Dear Don, recorded at Frogville Studios in Santa Fe. For that project, he brought together musicians from across the globe including Christopher Beaty, Mali Obomsawin, Nicholas Lucero, Robert Muller, Pura Fe, Julia Keefe, James Pakootas and Alexandria Holiday. That same year, he was featured on PBS’s New Years Concert United in Song: Celebrating the American Dream filmed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
Anderson’s other notable projects include “The Long Walk: 1,674 Days,” a poignant composition reflecting on a critical period in Navajo history, and “Manitou,” which fuses ancient Native American melodies with jazz and funk. The Delbert Anderson Trio (DAT) showcases DAT jazz standards and original tunes, capturing the essence of his musical beginnings. He also scored music for the 2023 film Coyo.
His commitment to community and education is evident through his “Build A Band” educational program, which teaches jazz improvisation to young students through a Diné and family curriculum, wellness programs, and community outreach initiatives aimed at evoking change for the well-being of all humans.
Live at Kuumbwa Jazz features the current line up of Delbert Anderson on trumpet, Robert Muller – Keys, Evan Suiter – Bass and Khalill Brown – Drums. Listen or download now at https://delbertanderson.com/music
Trumpeter Ryan Montaño’s new single is entitled Aprapos. It comes from his forthcoming album and he call this new single a so song about hope, written during a time when he was going through some very difficult personal struggles.
On Monday March 24th, “Apropos” will begin its national radio campaign targeting terrestrial, satellite and internet radio stations across the United States and Western Europe.
Montaño’s career as a songwriter, trumpeter and film maker has taken him abroad and given him opportunities to work with contemporary jazz artists like Dave Koz, Euge Groove and Michael Anthony as well as performing at some of he most prestigious jazz festivals in the world. He has released 3 albums to date and you can find his music on all major music platforms.
Shelia Eden and her band Illumina A.D. have released the video for their new single Aperio. Right out of the gate, the video has garnered nearly 50k views.
Eden studied at the Berklee School of Music before finding a home in New Mexico. She has worked in the film industry in the Land of Enchantment for over a decade all the while writing and producing her own style of music with her band Nepthisis. She was a finalist in the 2024 New Mexico Music Awards.
Learn more about Shelia at https://linktr.ee/Sheilaeden
Learn how the film industry works when it comes to music and what to do to give you the best opportunities to get your music to film and television music supervisors, production companies, gaming, live theater and events and more.
Presented by Jose Antonio Ponce of Jason’s Music Publishing, the event takes place on Saturday, February 22nd at 4:00 PM at Sandia Music and Sound, Sandia Music and Sound-5105 Homestead Cir NW in Albuquerque, NM 87120. Tickets are $5.00 at the door.
