A Real “Revolt” to Roll Through the Rio Grande

Albuquerque is home to so many great artists and musicians that we’d probably be very content in our own little bubble. But we also know that hard rock is pretty popular down here, too, so we thought we’d pass along some information on a huge tour rolling through town from August 30 to 31.

The first annual Revolt on the Rio Grande will be held at the Isleta Amphitheater in Albuquerque, and it’ll be sponsored locally by rock stations KZRR 94 Rock and 104.1 The Edge. The First Annual Revolt on the Rio Grande is part of Rockstar Energy Drink’s Rockstar Uproar Tour.

Among the bands to headline at the festival will be:

August 30
Avenged Sevenfold
Korn
Halestorm
Device
Attika 7
Hell or Highwater
Mindset Evolution

August 31
Alice in Chains
Jane’s Addiction
Coheed and Cambria
Circa Survive
Walking Papers
Danko Jones
...and others!

We love the idea of a music festival that takes advantage of Albuquerque’s prime location by the Rio Grande. The event should be great for the local economy, too, so if you’re a fan of any of these bands, you should come out and check out the show and encourage festivals like this to rock n’ roll through Albuquerque in the future. You can purchase tickets here.

Drinking for a Cause...No, Really!

You’ve probably heard about being a “regular” at a bar or other local establishment. But are you truly a member?

A new bar in Albuquerque is trying to change that. ArtBar (presented by Catalyst Club) is the city’s first non-profit bar. What does this mean? Local residents can pay $30 for a one-year membership—these funds are then used to distribute grants for local non-profit organizations. Each year, the bar’s members can choose which non-profits the funds are given to. In an article from KOB 4, one of the bar’s co-foundrs, Julia Mandeville said “We’re very excited about this project because we get to support vital arts organizations in the community.”

"We sold our first 50 founding memberships in just 25 hours in December," she added.

Currently, the bar has over 300 members—and counting.

The founding members of ArtBar have put a lot of work into the logistics and launch of their innovative project. You can browse some of their progress photos on their website.

For more information about the ArtBar and how to become a member, click here.

‘The Lone Ranger’ Hits Theaters...With a Familiar Setting

With its spectacular landscapes, (sometimes) reliable weather, and affordability, Albuquerque is becoming a more attractive place to film major motion pictures. The most recent example, as many of you are probably aware, is The Lone Ranger, which just was released in theaters last week.

The $250 billion Disney film featured 16 locations in New Mexico, including Shiprock, Angel Fire, and Valles Caldera. For some scenes, “mini towns” were built in Rio Puerco.

Released on July 3, The Lone Ranger is the first theatrical film featuring the Lone Ranger character in over 30 years. This time, Johnny Depp will play the title character, with a supporting cast of other Hollywood stars you might recognize. If you haven’t seen the theatrical trailer yet, check it out below!

Make an evening out of it and check out the latest film to feature our fair town as a main character! To browse showtimes for The Lone Ranger in the Albuquerque area, click here.

Not Everyone is Familiar with ABQ—You Can Help!

If you’re one of our many “born and raised in ABQ” residents, it might be hard to conceive that there are people out there who haven’t seen our fine city. One of the many local organizations working to fix this is the New Mexico Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Now, they’ve started a new campaign called “Visit Me in ABQ,” a social media initiative that will hopefully bring more visitors and potential residents to the area. The campaign will solicit postcards through social media until September 27, with winners of prizes announced each Friday on the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau Facebook page.

According to the bureau’s senior marketing manager, the campaign was inspired by the great stories Albuquerquians have to offer:

“Most of the marketing that we do for our destination is outside of our region, so residents don’t get an opportunity to see how Albuquerque is presented,” Corrina Smith, senior marketing manager at ACVB, said in a news release. “This fun campaign encourages our locals to help us promote all that Albuquerque has to offer, tout recent national recognition of the city and have a chance to win some great prizes.”

Remember to visit the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau’s Facebok page to submit your postcard for a chance to win, and spread the word about the contest as well!