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Touring and local bands say it at practically every underground show in Burque: The city has something special worth protecting. Aside from the views, green chile and a slow-paced way of living, the city’s thriving subterranean music scene is usually what they’re talking about.
A handful of venues and galleries have popped up across the city in recent years which are promoted as safe-spaces for young music and art aficionados to see shows that veer sharply from the mainstream scene.
There’s a lot of work that goes into keeping some of these all-ages venues afloat while addressing problematic behavior head-on and making sure kids stay safe.
Aaron Barreda owns Ren’s Den at 900 4th St. SW, an all-ages venue in the heart of the Barelas neighborhood. Ren’s is a family business — Barreda’s daughter is an equal partner. Along with Anjo Garcia, their sound guy who also books bands, the three have transformed the property from “a small boxing gym for kids to stay in shape” into one of Albuquerque’s most popular DIY performance spots.
“I would say on a good night, you could probably have about 150 to 175 people show up,” Aaron says. “I would say a good 85-95% of those people are under 21.”
Barreda says their passion project started because he maintained the heating and air conditioning for a mixed martial arts gym. After the gym’s owner died, it closed and the place was abandoned. His daughter, who had wanted to open a music venue for a long time, agreed to rent the building for a price she could afford, although the building was a bit of a fixer-upper.
“We went in there just as a family, some friends, and just cleaned the shit out of the place,” Aaron says.
Barreda believes that Ren’s popularity can be attributed in part to the kinds of live music they feature: different incarnations of punk, black/death metal, grindcore and hardcore.
Barreda says running an all-ages venue is rewarding but it doesn’t come without its dark side, and there are issues venue managers deal with behind the scenes.
“We’ve had cops called because of sound or different things like that but no, we haven’t gotten in any legal trouble,” Aaron says.
The Barredas want Ren’s to be a spot where bands can get exposure, and where young fans can see innovative music from across the country, but most importantly, he wants the kids to be safe while they’re having fun.
“We have a sign out front that literally says, ‘No creepers, no drugs, no fighting,’” Aaron says. “Take care of our neighborhood. Don’t drink.”
Barreda says that for the most part, “the scene polices itself” but the staff at Ren’s is committed to addressing problems in the scene and providing swift solutions. Ren’s urges concert goers to be vocal about any safety issues they might have with the spot or the scene in general.
“The safest place for you to be is inside of our venue,” he says.
It’s no secret that different acts draw different crowds, and every spot has its niche market, but Barreda says that part of Ren’s philosophy is to unite the DIY scene by promoting collaboration between venues rather than competition. If an act isn’t a good fit for Ren’s, or if they can’t fit a band into their calendar, they still want to do whatever they can to get them on stage.
“Our first response is, ‘Hey, sorry, it’s booked. Do you want us to help you find another spot?’ We’ll do it with the Minnow, we’ll do it with Echoes,” Barreda says.
Across town, there is a venue that books a different type of music, but shares many of the same attitudes about running a performance space.
Issac Aragon, who owns The Jam Spot, has been operating his all-ages venue for 12 years, eight of those years at their Downtown Albuquerque location at 415 Central NW. Lately, Aragon says, the kids are coming out in droves for hip-hop shows.
“Every generation changes,” he says.
Aragon says that the opportunity to be located on the old Route 66 is a milestone in itself, but the location presents its own set of problems. Aragon says underage kids mingling with the Downtown bar crowd once they both leave their respective venues “is a real downer.”
Aragon says that while he doesn’t blame young people for the problems affecting the Downtown night scene, he says one solution to the problem would be reinstating a midnight curfew in the city for anyone under 18. All events at The Jam Spot end by midnight.
Although The Jam Spot is an all-ages venue, and rockers and music fans over 18 are certainly welcome, Aragon says that 95% of attendees at the downtown venue are under 21, many of them accompanied by parents nervous about their safety. He says employing more security than most venues the size of The Jam Spot alleviates most of that anxiety.
“If there’s ever adults in there, it’s mostly just parents,” Aragon says.
When it comes to creepers, Aragon sees it the same way as Barreda.
“We’ve had to kick out a couple of people because it’s just really weird that a 50-year-old should be at a 16-year-old show,” he says.
The Jam Spot doubles as an event center. Graduation and birthday parties are especially popular.
“These kids want somebody to perform. They want to be on the stage,” Aragon says.
Aragon says that he wishes there were more places, especially downtown, because it would reduce the potential for young people to be involved in violence.
“I think the kids of today are having anxiety because everybody’s afraid these days — including me — but it’s because they have nowhere to go. And the community centers close at 10 o’clock,” he says.
Camisha and Alan Cordova, co-owners of Black Wall Gallery at 2125 San Mateo Blvd. NE, hosting live shows and performances from artists and acts that may struggle to find a platform in the mainstream. Alan says their original concept was to just feature art shows, but they quickly found out there was a large demand for public places to host live music.
Alan says the art and music scenes are intertwined.
“Being an artist doesn’t necessarily just stop at painting, drawing, photography or mixed media. Mixed media really goes into music as well.”
The gallery hosts various visual and performance art shows, and the musical acts that perform at Black Wall Gallery usually fall on the heavier end of the rock spectrum. Like Ren’s, punk, metal and hardcore shows tend to be their biggest draw, but the Cordovas say Black Wall Gallery does not believe in censorship, and no performances are off-limits at the venue.
“Especially when it comes to art, it should be no holds barred — music, visual art, whatever,” Alan says.
The Cordovas say that about 60% of the people who attend shows at Black Wall Gallery are under 21, and the safety of their guests, especially young guests, is a top priority.
“If we have something that is a sensitive subject, we will definitely let people know,” Camisha says “Sometimes it can have a really hard message for people.”
Although they don’t censor the art at Black Wall, there are definitely rules their guests must follow, and those rules are nonnegotiable. Black Wall wants to “make it abundantly clear” they do not allow alcohol, drugs or even gum in their venue, but since they understand that drug use is a big problem among youth in Albuquerque, they employ a harm reduction approach.
“We carry Narcan here just in case. We also have testing strips just in case,” Camisha says.
Black Wall Gallery works with local charities by hosting benefit shows for organizations including Make-A-Wish New Mexico, Duke City Darlins and the Sexual Abuse Nurse Examiner program, a cooperative group of nurses in New Mexico who work with victims of rape. The Cordovas say that in the two years they have been open they have helped 14 mutual aid groups and nonprofits in New Mexico.
“Somebody told me, ‘You guys are the CBGBs of Albuquerque, but with nice soap,’” Alan says.
Everyone involved in keeping the all-ages venues in Albuquerque afloat has a similar goal: to create a thriving scene full of great music, to maintain a sense of unity among different music subcultures and venues and to provide safe public environments for young people to enjoy and showcase their art.
“DIY means you’re not financially backed by some investor. You’re putting your blood, sweat and tears into that place. You don’t have these bells and whistles for people,” Barreda says. “It’s a community effort. It’s respect. It’s people pitching in to help. It’s about taking the money that you have and not just lining your pockets with it, but trying to improve the space.”