Rio Rancho Free Music Concerts

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The Rio Rancho free music concerts series is in the swing for summer 2013, offering musical pleasure and any dancing you choose to do on Sunday evenings. They’ve some great acts on the schedule!

Rustle up a picnic and take blankets, lawn chairs or whatever other seating arrangement suits you (probably leave the La-Z-Boy at home) to the Rio Rancho free music concerts for summer 2013. They’re all on Sunday evenings through August 25 2013 and they all run from 6:30 -8 pm at the  Rotary Club Barbeque Pavilion in Haynes Park.

The kids can do their thang on the free fun jumps while you chill out listening to a nice mix of familiar and new performers. The Haynes Park music schedule at time of writing is:

• June 16: Twisted Mojo
• June 23: Point Blank
• June 30: Bosque Blues
• July 7: Saint Wolf
• July 14: Rio Rancho Community Jazz Band
• July 21: Rio Rancho Community Concert Band
• July 28: Interplay
• Aug. 4: The Hit Squad
• Aug. 11: The Otherside
• Aug. 18: Code 29
• Aug. 25: Rio Rancho Community Jazz Band

The Rio Rancho free music concerts are of course weather-permitting, at Haynes Park, 2006 Grande Boulevard, Rio Rancho, opposite Intel.

–Tania

Free County Line Summer Concerts

The free County Line music series of concerts 2013 are back, bringing us feel-good summer music PLUS a chance to feel good about helping others.

Giant Convenience Store Concerts at the County Line run every Thursday night from June 6 to August 8, 2013 at 7 – 9 pm. Just head over to The County Line restaurant to enjoy live country music (and of course some of their famous barbecue!) The concerts are free with a donation of a canned food item or cash donation for Meals on Wheels of Albuquerque.

The free County Line music concerts schedule is still firming up, but so far it’s confirmed that they are bringing  us these notable country music performers for this summer series:

• June 6:  Simon Balkey
• June 13: Bob Farrell & Brushfire
• July 11: Ryan McGarvey
• See the performers for the rest of the Albuquerque free concert season to August 18 as they are confirmed.

If you’re a music-lover aged under 21, then sorry, but these concerts are for age 21+ only, unless you’re accompanied by a parent.

The County Line Legendary Bar-B-Q restaurant is located in the far northeast heights. Check the
County Line restaurant map – it’s near the intersection of Tramway Blvd and Tramway Rd, at 9600 Tramway Blvd NE, Albuquerque.

–Tania

ABQ Folk Festival: 2 for the Price of 1 Ticket Deal, or Get $5 Off, plus Free Camping

You won’t want to miss the 2013 Albuquerque Folk Festival on Saturday June 1, and you won’t want to miss these advance ticket discounts either…

Right now you can get 2 adult tickets for $15 in a limited time deal at this link via Living Social – the regular adult ticket price is $20 each if you wait to buy on the day, or $15 each in advance. I’m not sure how long this BOGO offer runs, or if there’s any cap on the ticket quantity.

Then gather up the family to enjoy fabulous folk music and dance at the Albuquerque Folk Festival on Saturday June 1, 2013.  The festival runs from all day from 10 am to 11 pm at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, with performances on three stages, music and dance workshops, lots of great stuff for kids, and jam sessions for all.

Albuquerque Folk Festival tickets cost $20 for adults on the gate.  BUT if you miss the BOGO offer to get 2 adult tickets for $15 via Living Social (only available at the link, not from the festival itself), you can still save $5 on adult tickets simply by purchasing tickets in advance from the music shop locations listed at the festival’s website. That brings the adult ticket price down to $15 per person, which is still a pretty good deal for a full day of entertainment.

Plus you can camp free of charge on the Balloon Museum grounds, with admission to start camping from Friday May 31 at 3 pm, and you don’t have to decamp until Sunday at 2 pm. That means you can make a weekend of it, and join in the jamming on Friday and Saturday nights! Camping is available for tents and RVs, see the info at the website.

Other ticket prices for the festival:

• $5 for kid’s tickets for ages 12-18, and the festival is totally free for children aged 11 and under.
• $15 for seniors (65+), students aged 18-25, and military spouses.
• $5 for active duty military
  For all the reduced rate tickets, take your ID!  There’s no advance purchase discount for these, only for adult tickets.

This year’s folky fun includes:

• A slate of first-rate folk music performances including Le Chat Lunatique, Squash Blossom Boys, Zoltan Orkestar and many more.
• Storytelling, giant puppets and a children’s tent with dance, music, and games
• Music workshops from ABCs of Banjo, to Build a Washtub Bass, to Celtic Singers
• Jamming  and a band scramble (take your instrument – there’s a free instrument check room to leave it when you’re not playing)
• Dance workshops from contra dance, to Scottish country dance, to belly dancing with a veil (I never go anywhere without my veil!)
• Food vendors, and they usually have folk and musical items for sale too
• A barn dance

Albuquerque Folk Festival offers far more activities than we can possibly mention, so check out their site to see all the options for this great family-friendly event.

Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum is located at 9201 Balloon Museum NE

–Tania

Big Ho-Ho-Ho Holiday Wishes!

I’m wrapping up for the year here at ABQ on the Cheap… and I mean that quite literally. I still have to wrap all my gifts for Mr Cheap! So we’ll be back in the New Year, unless I spot a super special deal in the meantime that I can’t resist sharing.

Thanks to you fantastic readers for hanging out with us here at ABQ on the Cheap, and thanks especially to everyone who took the time to comment or send a message. I love receiving your emails with deal tips or just a few friendly words.

Here are a few last-minute seasonal items, and I wish you and yours a very joyful holiday and a wonderful New Year. After all, the best freebie any of us can have is the love of our friends and family – enjoy!

Don’t forget to download your free holiday music to add sparkle to the Christmas parties, and if you’re struggling with last-minute gifts, check out the e-cards and gift cards post with discounts and free bonus cards, or send free $10 restaurant certificatesas gifts for family and friends to January 1.

Send kids of all ages a free personalized holiday phone call or email from Santa, with details tailored to the recipient. You can also send a message via Google+. It’s quite a lot of fun just to create the message.

You can also track Santa’s progess from the North Pole as he travels around the world, and play holiday games in the Kids’ Countdown Village. I’ve been watching Santa’s progress but he doesn’t start his holiday rounds until December 24. I know the feeling. You can also track Santa in Spanish.

Paula Deen’s Holiday Hosting Guide is a free recipe and holiday eBook with cooking and hosting tips, including edible gifts, table decorations and ornaments to make - plus some that are easy for kids. There’s a lot of good advice and holiday ideas packed in the 36 page PDF, and free recipes include Christmas Morning Casserole, as well as some recipes and ideas more targeted to Thanksgiving, but still relevant for Christmas.

These New Mexico Holiday Free Recipes for tamales, posole, empanadas and biscochitos from the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau might also come in handy.  The recipes are from Flying Star Cafe, Jane Butel, and other feastly locals.

FELIZ NAVIDAD! We’ll be back with more Albuquerque freebies, discounts, and deals in 2013.

– Tania.  

Free Holiday Music to Download

From classic Christmas songs to new versions, country, pop, jazz, choral… here’s a Santa’s sack of festive free music for your party playlist.

If you’re looking for a little holiday atmosphere while you work / cook / PARTAY! then here are some Christmas 2012 freebies to download for your listening pleasure.  Some may only be free for a limited time so download fast if you want them.

Previewing these tunes put me quite in the mood to wrap tinsel round my head, which always makes Mr Cheap nervous that I’ll start chasing him round the house with a sprig of mistletoe.

25 Days of Free Holiday Music Get 5 new free MP3s every 5 days from Amazon through Christmas. Freebies so far  include Blue Christmas by Cyndi Lauper, Wonderful Christmastime by The Shins, Carol of the Bells by Capital Kings, and more.

Free Holiday Music from Country Stars including Brad Paisley (Away in a Manger), Lady Antebellum (The First Noel), Katie Armiger (I Just Want to Be With You This Christmas) and more, courtesy of People magazine and iTunes. You need iTunes to download, or get it free at the link. The holiday country music is available till January 4,  2013.

Green Hill Christmas Music Sampler by Beegie Adair and friends, with 12 easy-listening and jazzy tracks of holiday favorites - just the ticket for a mellow dinner party. (From Amazon, as are the rest below.)

Christmas at Home free sampler of five tracks including The Twelve Days of Christmas, Deck the Halls, and Ave Maria. I don’t know why this is called a children’s sampler, it’s very classical Christmas music, beautifully performed by a professional chorus.

Free Must-Have Christmas Masterpieces with four tracks that are just what it says in the title, performed by the International Childrens’ Choir, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, and other such luminaries. Individual tracks are 99 cents, but it’s free to get the whole MP3 album.

Christmas Anthem by Albuquerque locals Landon Smith & The Real Matt Jones.

Jingle Bells / Deck the Halls by Clay Crosse – a very lively version, you’ll get the turkey stuffed in no time listening to this one.

Jingle Bells goes smooooooth in lovely grown-up jazz version by Jen Carrozza and band.

O Holy Night by Rick Springfield – very stirring stuff.

Christmas Train by Carey Bell is really rocking! It’s great.

The First Noel by Lady Antebellum brings the spirit of Christmas right through my speakers.

Classic Christmas Singers with Bell Medley. Such an evocative song and if I had a dollar for every time I’d heard it in a movie or on TV, I’d be rich enough to pay for my own music.

God Rest You Merry Gentleman in a soft jazz guitar take by Dan Baraszu and Joseph Patrick Moore.

The Nutcracker Suite Waltz Of The Flowers by Tchaikovsky – a magic and sparkly harp piece that’s perfect background for Santa’s little elves when they’re wrapping gifts.

Winter Night by Little & Ashley, indie pop with a bit of a jingle, and a far cry from Annie Little’s performance in Mad Men.

Christmas Song by Mogwai, kind of a cool and hypnotic instrumental.

Ave Maria by On The Rocks, a beautiful and haunting choral rendition that sounds like you’re in a monastery or cathedral.

O Little Town Of Bethlehem by Nature’s Harmony. A sax version with birds tweeting in the background. I’m in two minds about this one, but it’s certainly different.

And if you’ve ALREADY had enough of Christmas, try Extreme Party Animals with Ain’t No Mountain High Enough. Nothing to do with the festive season, but always a dead cert winner for a party.

Oh yes, did we mention that they’re all FREE?

If you still need to buy holiday music after all that, Amazon has 100 Holiday MP3 Albums for $5 ranging from Rod Stewart, Harry Connick Jr, and Andy Williams, to A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Polar Express soundtrack, and a Disney holiday playlist.

If you know of any Albuquerque or New Mexico bands with free downloads by iTunes or MP3 that we can import to our various music playing devices, please let me know.  I’d love to update the list with more locals!

And thanks to Mr Cheap for letting me chase him with mistletoe.

–Tania. Note: I’ve given my Amazon affiliate links to plug you straight to the free music.

Free MP3s include Blondie, Jazz, Relaxation Music, and free $2 MP3 Credit

Free music MP3s to download in individual tracks or albums – some are available for a limited time, plus how to get a free $2 credit to spend on MP3s at Amazon.

Get the free $2 Amazon MP3 credit when you fill in the box at the link to say what you’d put in the best care package and then click the button to share on Facebook. Claim the credit and then spend it by December 15, 2012.

Amazon offers a free Artists on the Rise MP3 sampler album each month. You get a free track from a selection of up-and-coming musicians and the choices vary, so if you’re reading this in a future time-warp check out the latest freebies at this link. In October, the free music includes:

• Lindi Ortega’s great country sound on Cigarettes & Truckstops
• Nathan Pacheco with the always heartstring-twanging classic Nessun Dorma
• Let her Go by Passenger - so romantic!
• The very mellow and super-sultry Poinciana by Elizabeth Shepherd
• Plus Family Band, Jillette Johnson, Black Prairie and more, twelve tracks in all. Download just the tracks you like, or the whole free album.

Blondie fans might find their heart of glass melted by three free songs by Blondie:

• Bride of Infinity
• Dead Air
• Rock On

I also found this free Green Hill Jazz Sampler of smooth jazz, recently released with very good reviews. Individual tracks on the album by Beegie Adair & Friends cost 99 cents individually, but if you download the entire album it’s currently free – I downloaded it!

The free Relaxation & Meditation album has 60 minutes of chill-out sounds from Native American and Andean flute pieces to “monsoon lullabies” and some really dreamy Tibetan music.

It’s also worth checking out the 100 albums for $5 deal this month that includes classic albums by Bruce Springsteen, The Fray, Kenny Rogers, George Michael, the Footloose soundtrack, and more.

The MP3 single Don’t Dig Here by Crosby and Nash (no Stills) is still free to download and sounds mighty fine.

Don’t Mess With Texas: SXSW 2012 New Music is also still free to download, with music by bands who performed at the South by Southwest 2012 Music and Film Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

Other free music downloads include:

• Free MP3s of songs with a wide variety of genres and artists familiar and new
• Free MP3 albums including options from children’s music to hard rock, plus opera, rap, classical, latin, country, blues, and jazz.  You can sort the free music by selecting the genre to the left at the link.

If you’ve found a great piece of music free or on the cheap – don’t keep it to yourself! Tell us about it in the comments box below.

–Tania. Note: I’ve given my Amazon affiliate links. 

Free Ukulele Lessons & More

Free ukulele lessons, free recording-made-easy lessons, and some coupons for discounts on music equipment.

I can honestly confess that in all my years of hunting out freebies and deals for Albuquerque on the Cheap, this is the first-ever mention of a ukulele deal.  So (drumroll) here’s our ukulele debut for players and wannabe players…

Guitar Center Albuquerque offers free ukulele lessons every Saturday starting September 29 through October 27, 2012. The lessons at the Menaul store start at 10:15 am, and are for beginners and experienced players to learn about the ukulele and play music together. It’s the same lesson each week, although you can go to more than one if you want a refresher or if you just enjoy yourself so darn much.

Although the classes are free, Guitar Center requests advance registration at the link, and then you select the Albuquerque store – unless you’re planning a vist to one of their other national stores, in which case don’t forget to pack your ukulele.  Select the date you want and register for the available dates:  

• September 29
• October 6
• October 13
• October 20
• October 27

Guitar Center also hosts free Recording Made Easy classes showing how to use Avid’s Pro Tools 10 on a Mac computer. Those are on Saturdays September 29 through October 20 at 10 am. Details and registration at the link.

Finally, these Guitar Center coupons offer discounts if you’re planning to buy musical equipment by October 1, 2012.  The coupons are for:

• $10 Off a purchase of $49
• $100 Off a purchase of $499
• $200 Off a purchase of $999 or more

You can either use the promo code SAVING200 for online shopping, or get a printable Guitar Center coupon to take in store by filling in your name and email. Some exclusions apply, details at the link, and the coupons are valid until October 1.

Guitar Center Albuquerque is located at 6001 Menaul Boulevard NE.

–Tania. Thanks to Jody at Charlotte on the Cheap for strumming in my ear about the free ukulele lessons!

Globalquerque 2012 Free Global Fiesta

Know much about Tahitian dance, Colombian long flutes, or Estonian runic singing? Here’s your chance to enjoy song and dance from around the world at Globalquerque, Albuquerque’s annual celebration of world music and culture.  There’s a free global fiesta with family-friendly entertainment and activities on Saturday September 22, and tickets for the main festival are discounted if you buy in advance!

Globalquerque 2012 takes place September 21-22 at The National Hispanic Cultural Center, including a day of no-ticket-needed events at the Free Global Fiesta on September 22 from 10:30 am to 4 pm.  Live performances, crafts, and activities are appropriate for kids as well as adults.

Some of the free Fiesta fun includes:

• Dance workshops from Flamenco to Tahitian dance
• Estonian runic singing talk and workshop at 11 am
• Mongolian throat-singing workshop at 12 noon
• Guided tour of the Mexican ceramics show Fabuloso in the Art Museum at 12:30 pm
• Wordplay / World-Play poetry presentation at 1 pm
• A talk on New Mexican Musical Traditions at 3 pm with Cipriano Vigil and Alicia Lueras Maldonado
• Crafts including making musical instruments and the chance to make Andes Mountain paper hats and embossed tin animalitos
• Drumming
• Performances by Circo Latino and the Duke City Hoopers
• Live raptors and bird-related crafts presented by Bandalier National Park

And lots more – including the GlobalCOOKIE contest! Plus, world food vendors cook up dishes to go with the world music, and everyone gets free admission to the National Hispanic Cultural Center Art Museum all day. Check out the full Free Global Fiesta schedule.

If all the free festivities aren’t enough, order tickets for the main festival by September 20 to take advantage of Globalquerque advance ticket prices. An adult two-day pass is $50, or a one day pass is $30. (Children 12 and under = $25/$15). If you wait till the day of the event, tickets cost up to $10 more, so don’t miss out on a chance to save a few bucks by purchasing advance tickets by September 20.

Performers at Globalquerque include:

• Soul singer Bettye LaVette
• New Mexicans The Big Spank
• Spanish band Canteca de Macao
• New Mexicans La Familia Vigil
• Bombino from Niger
• Plena Libre from Puerto Rico
• Keith Secola Band featuring the Wild Band Dancers
• EarthRise SoundSystem, Zeb and Haniya, Razia, and more.

Globalquerque takes place at the The National Hispanic Cultural Center, located at 1701 4th Street SW, Albuquerque.

–Tania

Free MP3s include Smooth Jazz, New Artists, & Songs for Kids

Free music MP3s to download in individual tracks or albums – some are available for a limited time.

Amazon offers a free Artists on the Rise MP3 sampler album each month. You get a free track from a selection of up-and-coming music makers and the choices vary, so if you’re reading this in a future time-warp, check out what’s up for that month. In September there are so many good tracks it’s hard to pick just a few, but my favorite September freebies include:

• I Don’t Care by Elle Varner really caught my ear.
• I Could Be a King by The Dunwells. Inspiring lyrics!
• Pow by Kendra Morris, with a bit of an Amy Winehouse catch in the voice.
• Leaving Me Later by JT Hodges has a sweet country twang that wrapped me round its finger.
• Plus Milo Greene, Charlie Mars and more, twelve tracks in all. Download just the tracks you like, or the whole free album.

I also found this free Green Hill Jazz Sampler of smooth jazz, just released last week, and with very good reviews. Individual tracks on the album by Beegie Adair & Friends cost 99 cents individually, but if you download the entire album it’s currently free – I just downloaded it!

It’s also worth checking out the 100 albums for $5 deal this month that includes classic albums by Meatloaf, Sam Cooke’s greatest hits, The Best Of Santana, plus Train, John Mayer, Joss Stone, and more.

If you’ve got kids, the Free Children’s Music Sampler from Trio Lane Records looks a bit hokey by the cover, but actually I think the tracks I’ve heard are pretty good and fun for kids.  I especially relate to the song called Land Of I Don’t Want To.

The MP3 single Don’t Dig Here by Crosby and Nash (no Stills) is still free to download, and sounds mighty fine.

Don’t Mess With Texas: SXSW 2012 New Music is also still free to download, with music by bands who performed at the South by Southwest 2012 Music and Film Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas.

Other free music downloads include:

• Free MP3s of songs with a wide variety of genres and artists familiar and new
• Free MP3 albums including options from children’s music to hard rock, plus opera, rap, classical, latin, country, blues, and jazz.  You can sort the free music by selecting the genre to the left at the link.

If you’ve found a great piece of music free or on the cheap – don’t keep it to yourself! Tell us about it in the comments box below.

–Tania. Note: I’ve given my Amazon affiliate links. 

Santa Fe Opera Free or Cheap Events

Santa Fe Opera season is of course a highlight of the year in the New Mexico arts calendar. But if ticket prices have been beyond your budget, here are some ways you can still enjoy opera on the cheap for the remainder of the summer 2012 season.

Santa Fe Opera Family Nights August 18, 21, 22, and 23

You need to have at least one child aged 6-17 in your party to get the reduced priced tickets for family nights. These are full opera performances, with tickets at $25 for adults and $12 for children. The offer is on performances of Tosca on August 18 and August 21, The Pearl Fishers on August 22, and Arabella on August 23. Note that admission is only for kids aged 6 upwards, they don’t let ‘em in any younger! To book tickets, call the Santa Fe Opera Box Office (505-986-5900) and do it fast as limited seats remain.

***

Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Scenes August 19

Today’s apprentice singers are the opera stars of the future, and they take to the stage on August 19 at 8 pm for a concert produced by apprentice technicians, with heavily discounted ticket prices. The evening features fully staged scenes from popular productions, including Don Giovanni, West Side Story, and Romeo et Juliette. It should be an opera-accessible event for a family visit. Tickets cost $21 for adults and $7 for children aged 6 to 17, and you need to book in advance at the above link.

***

Free Santa Fe Opera Apprentices at Rancho Encantado August 23

Opera apprentices present an evening of operatic music and show tunes on August 23, starting at 6 pm at the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado in Tesuque, just outside Santa Fe.

***

Free Santa Fe Opera Backstage Tours August 18 and 25

If you missed our earlier mention of the Free Santa Fe Opera Insider Days, you can still join these Saturday morning talks and backstage tours until August 25 – they even provide free refreshments! The Saturday morning events start at 8:30 am with coffee and muffins and a talk by an Opera staff member,  followed by the tour. Just turn up at the Santa Fe Opera Box Office.

–Tania

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