This March, the Grant County and Silver City based band Illusion will be showcased at the Annual Tejano Music Awards Fan Fair held each year in San Antonio, Texas. They will take the stage the afternoon of March 17th and again on the evening of March 18th as part of a live broadcast

The TMA Fan Fair draws over 120,000 die-hard fans each year and offers an up-close and personal atmosphere with live music on five stages featuring emerging acts and top-established performers as well as surprise guest performances. The four-day event runs from 12:00 noon to 11:00pm each night and will showcase over 100 bands from across the U.S. including Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Florida, and of course Texas. We are proud to have Illusion representing the Land of Enchantment in this most important music event.

Jazz trumpeter Delbert Anderson has been selected for the fellowship that honors and supports the work of artists & culture bearers who are committed to passing on ancestral knowledge & cultural practices within their tribal communities. Anderson is also artistic Director at D’DAT (Dine’ Delbert Anderson Trio) Management, a New Mexico Arts Commissioner, and teaches ar San Juan College.

Anderson has been featured on JazzTimes, Grammy.com, NASA, NPR Music Top 10, Smithsonian Magazine, Yahoo/Mic.com, TEDx, PBS, FNX Television and much more. He was also awarded Arts Forward 2022 funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, 2021-22, the Presenters Consortium for Jazz Award from Chamber Music America funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the 2022 Collective Spirit Award by First Peoples Fund, 2022 and the Jazz Road Creative Residency from South Arts funded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Anderson preserves his cultural music by creating a foundation of new Diné melodies and fuses them through jazz, jam and funk. Each path serves Indigenous culture through stories, healing, history and collaboration.

DDAT will go on a mentored tour with Third Hour (Farmington Youth Jazz Ensemble). Their tour will consist of 5 venues in 5 cities from June 7 – 11, 2023. During their tour DDAT will share music experiences over hikes, meals and being on the road.

Professional musicians NEEDED ASAP to work with middle schoolers in after school program (~3-5 pm), teaching basic instrument techniques, music appreciation, music theory, ensemble playing, and performance.

Successful applicants can demonstrate basic guitar and keyboard skills, love music and kids, possess strong mentoring skills, and can pass an APS background check. Physical capabilities include being able to wrangle gear. Bilingual abilities a plus.

If you are interested, please contact Artha at artha@nmjazz.org

The Candyman Strings & Things in Santa Fe in cooperation with the New Mexico Music Awards and Jason’s Music Publishing will be presenting a series of workshops for musicians who want to better understand the music industry and how to get ahead of the game.

If you would like a workshop presented in your community anywhere within the state of New Mexico, reach out to us at contactnewmexicomusicawards@gmail.com and we will schedule a workshop of your choice for you.

Our next workshop, What You Need To Know Before Stepping Into a Recording Studio, is scheduled for Saturday, February 28th, 2023 at the Candyman in Santa Fe and will feature Tim Schmoyer from the Kitchen Sink Studios in Santa Fe. We’ll talk about how to get the most out of your studio recording. You don’t want to miss this free workshop.

Recording in a pro studio has its advantages, starting with the word PRO. You will be working with seasoned professionals, from the stable of a studio’s musicians to the engineer and producer. While some people might believe this to be out of reach financially, there are easy ways to mitigate costs and get what you want within your budget.

From pre-production to final mastering for streaming or HD downloads, you’ll be able ask questions of engineer and producer Tim Schmoyer.

NMMA producer Jose Antonio Ponce will introduce the program that will pay dividends far beyond the workshop. The workshop is free and presented by The Candyman Strings & Things in conjunction with the New Mexico Music Awards, Jason’s Music Publishing and The Kitchen Sink.

Seating is limited.

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On Saturday, November 26th, the 14th class of the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame was inducted at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

Honorees for the evening were Albuquerque native and Tejano music star Stefani Montiel, composer and educator John Truitt, accordion master and band leader Eddie Garcia, New Mexico composer, artist and producer Roberto Griego, percussionist and Latin music star Tony Quinones and Albuquerque singer Sugie Padilla.

Recipient of the Michael E Sanchez Lifetime Achievement Award was Albuquerque country music pioneer Dick Bills.

There were performances that evening by inductees Roberto Griego, Tony Quinones and John Truitt and a special tribute performance celebrating the life of Ozzy Osbourne and Poison drummer Randy Castillo.

For a complete list of inductees or to support the NMHOF, go to https://nmmhof.org/

We want to, first of all, thank our veterans for their service to our country and to welcome them home.

We also want to remind everyone that some veterans are still dealing with the after effects of battle and that not all wounds are visible. Healing takes time. Please be understanding of our heroes.

Finally, let us honor these brave men and women with some of the music that has come from our veteran’s workshops.

The New Mexico Music Awards in cooperation with listen!nm will begin presenting Therapeutic Songwriting Workshops for veterans around the state this summer and fall. Veterans and songwriters work together to write music that expresses the veteran’s experiences in the military. It can be painful, heartbreaking and sometimes even funny, but always rewarding. Here are a few song that our vets have produced over the past few years.

Just click on the title for a link to a video or audio file.

Put My Mind At Ease

These Are Not My Stars

I’m Afraid I Can’t

I Brought The War With Me