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Bands of Enchantment Albuquerque Sessions.

Filmed live at the KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque, New Mexico Tonights band, from Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sgt Splendor.

(onlooker whistles) (onlookers cheer) - It is our, just honor, so without further ado, (audience cheers) Sgt.

Splendor.

(audience cheers) (audience claps) - What an absolute treat to be here in our hometown of Albuquerque (jazzy guitar music) ♪ Feet from the Tower of Perpetual Hope ♪ ♪ I fashioned a raft out of sticks and rope ♪ ♪ And you would not believe ♪ ♪ How impossibly noble it felt ♪ ♪ With the bells and everybody yelling be brave ♪ ♪ Rough, and ready to go ♪ ♪ There was blood in the water ♪ ♪ But they never thought to let me know ♪ ♪ En route to the truth of the bold and free ♪ ♪ Stood a moon with the humor of a fallen tree ♪ ♪ And the face of a man who swam out to sea ♪ ♪ He looked about as happy as a man can be ♪ ♪ When he's brave ♪ ♪ Rough and ready to go ♪ ♪ Got a head for the weather and a body for the late show ♪ ♪ But you can't get to heaven on a satellite radio ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ (bluesy music plays) (bluesy music continues) ♪ Back at the Shore of the Morally Dead ♪ ♪ The crowd got loud and the ground got red ♪ ♪ They were crying to the mean, dark sky overhead ♪ ♪ I was floating facedown and the headlines read ♪ ♪ She was brave ♪ ♪ Rough and ready to go ♪ ♪ She had took the boat out ♪ ♪ But alas she forgot to row ♪ ♪ There was blood in the water ♪ ♪ Gave the water quite a nice glow ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ (instrumental music plays) (instrumental music continues) (audience cheers) (bluesy upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music continues) (bluesy music fades) (audience cheers) (onlooker whistles) (audience claps) - [Eric] Thank you.

(bluesy upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ Break of day, Mama shakin' away to ♪ ♪ I Got the Power, I Got the Power ♪ ♪ And all the boys like radio noise ♪ ♪ They get louder ♪ ♪ As if a powdery blue sky ♪ ♪ Fallin' from a strange and new height ♪ ♪ Nestled in my eager hands ♪ ♪ I wish I hadn't let it go ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Splendor ♪ ♪ Come back, come back wherever you are ♪ ♪ I said, hey, splendor ♪ ♪ I'll take you back, for sure ♪ (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ For sure ♪ ♪ Breakin' down the door ♪ ♪ To the record store ♪ ♪ With a track that got me swayin' ♪ ♪ The one we heard the neighbors playin' ♪ ♪ Now, when the skip, when the skip ♪ ♪ Hit just right ♪ ♪ It feels like prayin' ♪ ♪ After all, it's been so long ♪ ♪ Since I heard the words to our song ♪ ♪ Wish I hadn't got them so wrong ♪ ♪ Wish I had the mind to notice ♪ ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Splendor ♪ ♪ Come out, come out wherever you are ♪ ♪ I said, hey, splendor ♪ ♪ I'll take you back, for sure ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ For sure ♪ (flute solo plays) (flute solo continues) (guitar solo plays) (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ Hey ♪ ♪ Splendor ♪ ♪ Come out, come out, wherever you are ♪ ♪ I said, hey, splendor ♪ ♪ I'll take you back for sure ♪ ♪ Come on ♪ ♪ For sure ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ Come back, my splendor, wherever you are ♪ (audience cheers) (audience claps) (guitar plays sustained note) (guitar plays lightly) (Eric laughs) [Ken] You've been here before, I've heard [Eric] Oh, many a time.

- Yeah.

- This is very familiar territory.

- We have Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden of the band Sgt.

Splendor.

They are gonna be performing tonight at Bands of Enchantment.

We are also joined with Bands of Enchantment co-producer, Ken Peterson.

- I like that that never changes.

- There's a real nostalgia around records for me, you know, because of how important they were growing up and how such a big deal to discover one.

I still get that feeling.

- Wow.

This is a lot of records.

- Yes.

- Oh, yeah, okay.

- All right.

(instruments play randomly) Good, yeah.

(clapboard clicks) Eric and I both grew up here in Albuquerque.

We didn't know each other then, but I feel like there's something about that that influences our sound, and we get told that a bit.

(guitars plays) I was playing jazz flute here in Albuquerque starting when I was eight years old.

And, Eric, you started playing guitar here about the same age, right?

- Yeah, yeah.

- [Kate] Growing up here, I just wanted to get out, you know?

Just wanna get out and explore the world.

When I did that, I realized how special this place is and that it is so much a part of who I am.

♪ Ain't it funny how things change ♪ - [Eric] You realize there's a lot of great things and great places, but this is actually one of the more special places, at least certainly in the States ♪ Don't choke on the smoke ♪ ♪ While your tea's getting cold ♪ ♪ My love ♪ ♪ You're simply glowing ♪ There he is.

This is the first record that Eric and I connected.

- We're both huge Tom Waits fans and this is both, this is our favorite Tom Waits album.

Kate's a huge Nina Simone fan - Huge, yeah.

- I mean, I am, too, but growing, like, developmentally speaking with Kate's kind of genius.

- Listened to pretty much nothing else for, like, a couple years.

Her idea of what it means to be a musician, right, and sing songs and play songs and the impact that that can have.

I think both Tom Waits and Nina Simone offer a song in which to live, right?

They kinda create this space - This world, yeah.

- for you to step inside, and they are completely in that world.

That is what we hope to do, is give people a space to kinda step into, step out of this, and into this other thing.

(bluesy upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ Oh, I fell asleep in the petunias ♪ ♪ Starlit and suckin' on sugarcane ♪ ♪ Sure as a stone, I would've shown up sooner ♪ ♪ If I'd have known that the weeds ♪ ♪ Were holdin' me like chains ♪ ♪ Lay me back down, lay me back down ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Lay me back down with a diamond bouquet ♪ ♪ Now, when that sweet cream goes sour ♪ ♪ And the memories fade ♪ ♪ You know, when your garden loses its flowers ♪ ♪ I'll be shinin' up, come shinin' up ♪ ♪ From the grave ♪ ♪ Lay me back down, lay me back down ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Lay me back down in the California shade ♪ ♪ Lay me back down to the choir shouting hallelujah ♪ ♪ Lay me back down with a diamond bouquet ♪ (bluesy upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music continues) (audience cheers) (bluesy upbeat music plays) (guitar solo plays) (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ Lay me back down, lay me back down ♪ ♪ Hallelujah ♪ ♪ Lay me back down in the California shade ♪ ♪ Lay me back down to the choir shouting hallelujah ♪ ♪ Lay me back down with a diamond bouquet ♪ (audience cheers) (audience claps) (audience whoops) (onlooker whistles shrilly) - [Kate] It's been a really beautiful day, and the fact that this is happening here in Albuquerque, I can't tell you.

It just really feels so good in my heart.

(onlooker whistles) (audience cheers) (audience whoops) - Yeah, I'm with you on that.

- So.

- [Eric] Why does it always feel like, oh, yeah, 'cause it is home; that's right.

I think we might have to come back to Albuquerque.

(audience cheers) ♪ My love ♪ ♪ You're simply glowing ♪ Eric blew my mind when I saw him for the first time and here at the Launchpad.

♪ of my double with a view ♪ I mean, when we sat down to write together and Eric brought something out of me as a songwriter, I was like, this is something.

I mean, I don't know what it is, but it's something cool, you know?

♪ Tonight, it couldn't be more true ♪ - Yeah.

- How did I change your life?

(everyone laughs) - It took me a while to understand the full scope of Kate, because I knew her as this great songwriter and sort of akin to like a Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits, and she has that sort of lyrical prowess and this great sense of melody.

Unbeknownst to me, she had also listened to some Mr.

Bungle and NOFX in her past and stuff like that and, you know, so it's, like, what happens with Sgt.

Splendor is, it doesn't sound like me or it doesn't sound like Kate, but it sounds very much like both of us.

One of the things I love about it, I love being in a band and having a great collaborator.

You tend to pull out better things from yourself if you have someone else there to help you do it.

With this band, I feel more excited about playing music than I had in a long time.

♪ Don't choke on the smoke ♪ ♪ While your tea's getting cold ♪ ♪ My love ♪ ♪ Oh, you're simply glowing ♪ ♪ Don't choke on the smoke ♪ ♪ While your tea's ♪ ♪ Getting cold ♪ ♪ My love ♪ ♪ You're simply glowing ♪ - Yeah.

(onlookers clap) - I hope we passed the audition.

(onlooker whoops) And speaking of amazing musicians here, I mean, Arthur Metters?

(bass guitars play) Come on, that guy is as good as anybody.

Playing with him is elevating.

And Mikey Chavez on drums, who's phenomenal, he's such a extraordinary human being, yeah.

(drum plays) (audience cheers) The significance and the impact of the arts, in general, music and art is far more significant than I think people really give it credit for or realize; I think that-- - Sometimes us, too.

Sometimes.

- Like, even ourselves.

Really, it's the voice of the people.

So you know that whenever anyone is trying to maybe silence the arts or silence musicians that their agenda is certainly unsavory, you know?

Like, even we're kind of going through that now.

(audience cheers) (bluesy guitar music plays) (audience whoops) (bluesy guitar music plays) (bluesy guitar music plays) (music intensifies) (intense bluesy music plays) ♪ Blue heard the ocean ♪ ♪ In a chocolate souffle ♪ ♪ She called it devotion ♪ ♪ and floated away ♪ ♪ Far, far from the shrinking town ♪ ♪ Spotlighted now ♪ ♪ By the moon ♪ ♪ Up went Blue ♪ ♪ Blue and her strawberry balloon ♪ (bluesy music plays) (bluesy music continues) ♪ The bag from the superette ♪ ♪ It was plastic and red ♪ ♪ Attached to the basket ♪ ♪ By needle and thread ♪ ♪ Far from the little town ♪ ♪ Oh, and everybody rules ♪ ♪ I said, go on, float away ♪ ♪ Go on, float away ♪ ♪ Blue ♪ (soft bluesy music plays) (soft bluesy music plays) ♪ Float away, Blue ♪ (music intensifies) ♪ Float away, Blue ♪ ♪ Oh, float away, Blue ♪ ♪ Float away, Blue ♪ ♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ (bluesy music plays) (intense bluesy music plays) (intense bluesy music plays) ♪ Yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ ♪ I don't know the way ♪ (intense bluesy music plays) ♪ You've gotta float away, Blue ♪ (bluesy upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music continues) ♪ Ah ♪ (blues upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music plays) (bluesy upbeat music plays) ♪ Yeah yeah yeah yeah ♪ (intense bluesy music plays) (audience cheers) (audience cheers) (music winds down) (onlooker whoops) (high hat tings) - That was fruit.

- Yeah.

(audience cheers) Haley and Taylor, we love you.

(bluesy music plays) (bold burst of music plays) (audience cheers) (final note plays) (audience cheers) - [Kate] You know, it does feel like there's something happening here in Albuquerque that wasn't happening when I was growing up with the arts and with music, and I think Bands of Enchantment is a huge part of that.

- [Eric] Albuquerque really needed that and deserved it, yeah.

- Really needed this.

(audience cheers) (upbeat music plays) We're super, super happy to be a part of this.

It's such a special thing.

- [Eric] How about this Bowie album, though, huh?

- Dude, I didn't even get to that!

- We didn't even look in the-- - Yeah.

- Which one is this?

- Black Star?

It's so good.

(soft upbeat music plays) ♪ Don't wait up ♪ ♪ I'm changing, I'm changing ♪ ♪ Don't wait up for me ♪ ♪ I'm changing, I'm changing ♪ (robotic techno singing) (audience cheers) (robotic techno singing)