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This Friday one of Allbuquerque’s leading underground all-ages venues hosts a bash for the books featuring five bands with centuries of combined musical experience in punk and punk-adjacent genres. On Jan. 31 Roadside Memorial headlines the showcase of some of Albuquerque’s most vicious rockers at Ren’s Den (900 Fourth St. SW) in Barelas.
Ray Cordova, lead singer for Roadside Memorial, says the band is excited to be playing more all-ages shows lately, especially Friday’s concert in one of the city’s most musically-rich neighborhoods. He says the location brings back memories of an older DIY scene.
“Back in the day, there were always house parties in that part of town. My mom’s original neighborhood is that area where Ren’s is,” he says. “The building used to be a record store when I was a little kid and it sold Spanish and top 40 music.”
The band itself is also full of some musical history. Cordova started singing in his first punk band Dark Prophecy in 1987 around age 15, and his bandmates weren’t far behind — many of them have been active in the rock scene since the ’90s. In Roadside Memorial he’s joined by veterans Brandon Davis (The Unemployed, Rock Jong IL) on guitar, bassist Alex Cantwell (Red Mesa) and drummer Matt Chavez (Fallen Prophets).
“We’re all still young at heart,” Cordova says. “I’m telling you, man, there’s all these creative juices. You would think when you get older you kind of taper off. But no, we’re still hungry, we all feel we’re doing some of the best stuff we’ve ever done now.”
Cordova says Roadside Memorial is essentially a punk band with a classic sound, but they definitely have flavors and influences from other cultures. During Friday’s show the band will be joined for a couple of songs by a horn section who call themselves The Brasstronauts. But the majority of their set will follow the traditional guitars-drums-vocals formula.
Joining Saturday’s all-local musical melee at Ren’s will be local grind/powerviolence bands Plunge and Forefront, 505 working-class punks Turn on You and Tricombs (members of old town legends Laughing Dog). Remember: It’s a DIY show, so don’t forget to bring $10 cash to get in the door.
You can also catch Roadside Memorial once a month at High and Dry Brewing in Nob Hill where the band hosts their free “Punk Rock Matinee” shows. This month they welcome Albuquerque high energy rock ‘n’ roll act Sweet Nothin to the stage Feb. 15 from 3 to 5 p.m. The family-friendly gathering will have music, drinks and a food truck, so there’s something for punks from any generation.
Cordova has been a well-known face around the local punk and metal communities since their inception, and he still remembers what it was like to be a young kid going to underground shows. He says these days he values humility, treating others well and welcoming a new crop of young talent to a scene that’s really thriving right now.
“I would want to go meet one of these heroes of mine, and I would be disappointed if they weren’t polite or [didn’t say], ‘Hey, thank you for coming.’ And nine times out of ten, they were all really cool,” Cordova says. “I want to keep it very community-oriented. We all have to. We should all be getting along and looking out for one another. I mean, nobody’s trying to be a rock star at my age.”
Roadside Memorial
with Plunge, Forefront, Turn on You and Tricombs
Jan. 31, 8 p.m.
Ren’s Den
900 Fourth St. SW
$10
Punk Rock Matinee with Roadside Memorial and Sweet Nothin
Feb. 15, 3 p.m.
High and Dry Brewing
529 Adams St. NE
Free