Albuquerque's historic live music venue The El Rey Theater

NEWS UPDATES:
  • We're now on Facebook! Find us on Facebook
  • Puccini Productions is now a non-profit organization. We are currently accepting donations.

  • Sennheiser microphones is now one of our sponsors. Please notice their logo on the bottom of the website, and please support Sennheiser, the finest manufacturers of microphones.
  • Thank you to Studio D for helping to make our shows a success!
  • Stay tuned for further updates.


Coming to the El Rey Theater:


Del Castillo

Don't miss this show!

with special guests

Le Chat Lunatique

Date: Saturday, 11 July 2009
Time: Doors open at 8:30 PM. Show starts at 9:00 PM.
Admission: $10 in advance. Service charge, facility fee, and/or handling fee may apply. $16 at the door.
Performers: Del Castillo and Le Chat Lunatique.
Email: elreytheater@qwestoffice.net

Del Castillo began as a CD project for family back in the winter of 2000 and has become a symbol of the cross-cultural power of music with their eclectic blend of Flamenco, Rock, Latin, Blues, and World music. Between the release of their first CD, Brothers of the Castle back in 2001, to their 2006 release, Brotherhood, Del Castillo has received an astonishing 18 awards including SXSW/Austin Music “Album of the Year” Awards for Vida (2002) and Brotherhood (2006), “Band of the Year (2003)”, ASCAP’S “Best Independent Group of the Year (2005)”, and Austin Music Pundits “Best Live Act (2004)”.

Rolling Stone calls Del Castillo “tumbling brilliance on nylon-string classical guitars” with “eruptions of technique and taste [that] conjure images of Eddie Van Halen fronting early Santana (with an assist from the Gipsy Kings)."

Film directors Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino included Del Castillo's music in several of their films, including "Spy Kids 3D," "Once Upon a Time in Mexico," "Sin City," "Grindhouse," and "Kill Bill Vol. II."

By 2004, Del Castillo was touring nationwide across the country playing with such diverse acts as Styx, Los Lonely Boys, Ozomatli, Don Henley, Los Lobos, and Willie Nelson. They continued to tour non-stop through 2006. They have performed at three of Willie Nelson’s 4th Of July Picnics, and at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.

Willie Nelson enjoyed Del Castillo so much that he re-recorded his song "I Never Cared For You" with the group (which is included on Del Castillo’s Brotherhood CD). Willie Nelson calls it "his favorite version."

The band continues to tour throughout the country, thriving on performing live and building new audiences, and songwriting and recording are a priority during breaks in their tour schedule. Click here to listen.

Tickets can be purchased for $10 in advance, and $16 at the door the night of the show. Advance tickets can be purchased at Bookworks, Encore Music, Birdland, and by phone at 1-866-I-GET-TIX, and online at www.GetTix.net. Service charge, facility fee, and/or handling fee may apply for advance tickets. Doors will be at 8:30 PM and the show will begin at 9:00 PM.

This is a 21+ event.


Vance Van Donselaar's

Going Away Jam

featuring

The Goatheads

Civitas

The Darrell X Band

Date: Saturday, 18 July 2009
Time: Doors open at 8:30 PM. Show starts at 9:00 PM.
Admission: $7. Friends of Stella Blue will receive $2 off (see below for details)
Performers: The Goatheads, Civitas, and The Darrell X Band.
Email: elreytheater@qwestoffice.net

Please join us as we bid a fond farewell to one of our favorite drummers, Vance Van Donselaar. As the drummer for The Withdrawals, Civitas, The Goatheads, and countless others, he's been the pulse of Albuquerque's music scene for many years, and he will be sorely missed. Join us as we celebrate the Albuquerque portion of his career the only way we know how: by making him perform all night!

First, The Darrell X Band will rock the house with their aggressive electric blues sound. The Darrell X Band is Randy "Alameda" Arnold, Mike "Crusher" Miera, Vance Van Donselaar, Josh "Tootles" English, Kerry "Buzzsaw" Cooper, David Pattison, Scott Sykes, and of course Frank, on Parole

Next, Civitas will entertain you with their skillful blend of rock, pop, funk, latin, jazz, reggae, and bluegrass. Their infectious groove is unmistakeably prevalent as they seemlessly move between both tightly-composed arrangements and free-form improvisation. Currently, Civitas performs as a trio with RJ Perez, Richard DeMello, and, of course, Vance Van Donselaar.

Finally, The Goatheads will bring it all home. Whether you're into Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, Lynyrd Skynyrd, or Funkadelic: pick a flavor, and The Goatheads deliver. For this rock fusion/jam band trio, who also happen to belong to old-school Albuquerque band, The Withdrawals, the natural thing to do when two of their band members relocated to Arizona, was to start their own band. And that's how The Goatheads emerged. Vocalist and lead guitarist Andy Dunn, double-neck and bass player Brian Ostrom, and drummer Vance Van Donselaar are all veteran musicians with 20-plus years of experience. Andy says, "We like to refer to ourselves as 'music that sticks to ya' and it [the name] also reflects the fact that we're a New Mexican band." A typical jam band, they are not. With their retro-rock harmonies and newly fashioned, funk/blues style, The Goatheads transcend genre. While this trio plays their share of original music, they don't mind playing a few choice cover tunes. It's easy to find friends grooving out to The Goatheads with the graceful synergy they exude. Whether it's your first or one-hundredth time seeing them you'll inevitably want to get up and dance! You'll want to kick off your shoes and get down when you hear their unique, upbeat sound. As fans will attest, if you're watching The Goatheads, you're bound to be having a fantastic time.

This is a 21+ event.

Friends of Stella Blue received an e-mail announcement from Judy about this show. Simply bring a printed copy of the e-mail to the door to get in for only $5 (per person)!


Blues Farm Records Showcase

with

The Jakes, Tim O'Rourke, Smith & O'Rourke, and Gary Gorence

Date: Friday, 24 July 2009
Time: TBA.
Admission: TBA.
Performers: The Jakes, Tim O'Rourke, Smith & O'Rourke, and Gary Gorence.
Email: elreytheater@qwestoffice.net

This is a 21+ event. More information to come.


Mary & Mars

reunion show with

The Saltine Ramblers

Date: Friday, 21 August 2009
Time: TBA.
Admission: TBA.
Performers: Mary and Mars and The Saltine Ramblers.
Email: elreytheater@qwestoffice.net

The Historic El Rey Theater is proud to welcome Mary and Mars for their very first performance since the trio officially stopped performing together in 2004! Sharon Gilchrist, Josh Martin and Ben Wright have kept us "in the dark," so to speak, about how their much-anticipated reunion will look or sound, but we can guarantee that it will be spectacular!

This is a 21+ event. More information to come.


The Tommy Castro Band

Don't miss this show!

Date: Friday, 28 August 2009
Time: Doors open at 7:30 PM. Show starts at 8:00 PM.
Admission: $20 in advance. Service charge, facility fee, and/or handling fee may apply. Door price TBA.
Performers: The Tommy Castro Band.
Email: elreytheater@qwestoffice.net

Tommy's career has been marked by one triumph after another. Considering his innate charisma and his skills as a supremely talented guitarist, gifted vocalist, and engaging songwriter, it is easy to see why Castro has enjoyed so much success so quickly. In a remarkably short time, he went from performing at a tiny San Francisco saloon to opening act on B.B. King's national tours and international acclaim as one of the most compelling artists on the scene. Tommy has wowed and won fans on every stage he's performed on, with is riveting presence growing stronger by the year. Tommy and the band continue to explore the boundaries of American roots music, and their mesmerizing blend of rock, blues and Memphis soul provides all the soul shakin' you need. Tommy Castro and his brilliant band have captured a hold of legions of fans and critics alike around the world with their mesmerizing blend of rock, blues and Memphis soul.

Since his last performance at The El Rey, Tommy Castro took home a top award at The Blues Foundation's prestigious Blues Music Awards on May 8 in Tunica, Mississippi. Tommy Castro won big with his first two Blues Music Awards, honored with the B.B. King Entertainer of the Year Award and also for Best Contemporary Blues Album for his most recent CD, Tommy Castro received Album of the Year accolades from BluesWax, the largest subscribed Blues publication in the world for his latest album success, Painkiller. This is the fourth BluesWax Award for Castro, having also won Artist of the Year in 2002 and 2006 and Album of the Year in 2003. Castro has the distinction of being the first two-time BluesWax Album of the Year Award winner.

Tommy Castro's Painkiller (Blind Pig) was voted among the Top 10 CDs of 2007 by House of Blues Radio Hour listeners. Click here to listen.

Tickets can be purchased for $20 in advance. Advance tickets can be purchased at Bookworks, Encore Music, Birdland, and by phone at 1-866-I-GET-TIX, and online at www.GetTix.net. Service charge, facility fee, and/or handling fee may apply for advance tickets.

This is a 21+ even.


Tom Russell

Don't miss the party!

With special guests

Gretchen Peters, Sourdough Slim, Wylie Gustafson, and Paul Zarzyski

Date: Friday, 18 September 2009
Time: Doors open at 7:30 PM. Show starts at 8:00 PM.
Admission: $21 in advance. Service charge, facility fee, and/or handling fee may apply. $25 at the door.
You can also get tickets for the entire 2009 Cowboy Train: Roots on the Narrow Gauge by contacting Roots on the Rails at trains@sover.net or calling 866-484-3669 (toll free in the US & Canada) or 802-258-1397.
Performers: Tom Russell, Wylie Gustafson, Paul Zarzyski, Gretchen Peters, and Sourdough Slim.
Email: trains@sover.net or elreytheater@qwestoffice.net

Journey with top songwriters Tom Russell and Gretchen Peters, yodeler and entertainer extraordinaire Wylie Gustafson, famed Cowboy poet and wordsmith Paul Zarzyski and the hilariously entertaining Vaudevillian Sourdough Slim on an adventure filled with music, trains and fun!

Tom "Russell's work is among the most moving and literary of the past thirty years, an antidote to the recent trajectory of self-absorption in American singer-songwriting.... His story-songs are unlike any others," says Andrew Marcus, East Bay Express. Tom Russell was born in Los Angeles and now makes his home on the border in El Paso, Texas. He has recorded eighteen albums of original material and has written such classics as "Navajo Rug," "Gallo del Cielo," "Blue Wing," "Walking on the Moon," "St. Olav's Gate," and "Outbound Plane." Russell's songs have been recorded by Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Doug Sahm, Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Ian Tyson, Suzy Bogguss, Iris DeMent, Peter Case, k.d. lang, Bob Neuwirth, Sylvia Tyson, Katy Moffatt and many others. Russell's acclaimed tribute to Merle Haggard, "Tulare Dust," co-produced with Dave Alvin, was responsible for creating what came to be known as the "Americana" radio format. Rolling Stone stated: "Russell is one of America's greatest songwriters...as close to a Homeric treatment of American history as we're ever likely to see." Click here to listen.

The train will travel through the magnificent San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado and Northern New Mexico on a trip you will never forget. Ride the legendary narrow-gauge trains of the Durango & Silverton deep through Los Animas Canyon and the Cumbres & Toltec – North America’s longest, highest and most remote narrow gauge railroad. Concerts and jam sessions, open mics and picking parties fill the days and nights. We take care of all the details: concerts and open mics, travel, seven nights of hotels and some great meals. Traveling solo or with friends, a warm welcome awaits you. There’s nothing you have to do but to take in the sights and sounds ...and enjoy!

The 2009 Cowboy Train: Roots on the Narrow Gauge will kick off At The Historic El Rey Theater in Albuquerque on Friday, September 18 before traveling by motor coach to Durango, Colorado.

Tickets can be purchased for $21 in advance, and $25 at the door the night of the show. Advance tickets can be purchased at Bookworks, Encore Music, Birdland, and by phone at 1-866-I-GET-TIX, and online at www.GetTix.net. Service charge, facility fee, and/or handling fee may apply for advance tickets. Doors will be at 7:30 PM and the show will begin at 8:00 PM.

This is a 21+ event.


Newsletter Signup
Join Our Mailing List
Email:
For Email Marketing you can trust

For even more fun, visit us on Myspace or Find us on Facebook