NM-raised KATE  VARGAS has received praise from Billboard, NPR, Noisey, and the Huffington Post for her folksy storytelling and darkly melodic, reverb-washed sonic palette of dream-pop, dusty folk and junkyard blues, all carried by rough-hewn vocals and guitar playing. Vargas really hit her stride with 2018’s For the Wolfish & Wandering, culminating in invitations to perform on NPR’s Mountain Stage, an official showcase at Nashville’s AmericanaFest, as well as her songs appearing on several television shows.  

ERIC McFADDEN has crafted an enticing brand of high-desert blues and gritty, flamenco-infused rock that has charmed audiences all over the world. From the moment Joe Strummer spotted him in San Francisco, nicknamed him ‘Lightning,’ and gave him a gig opening for Strummer & The Mescaleros, McFadden has wowed with his guitar playing, touring with the likes of George Clinton, Eric Burdon, Anders Osborne and Tab Benoit and collaborating with Bo Diddley, Nels Cline, Les Claypool, Reverend Horton Heat, Fishbone, Jackson Browne, Widespread Panic, Ron Wood, and many others. A six-string virtuoso, his command of so many genres is accentuated with meticulously crafted songs that boast a poppy twist on traditional psychedelia, poetic yet sinisterly distorted punk, rowdy rockabilly, dark foreboding grunge, and seriously catchy choruses.

Vargas and McFadden recently released their 2022 collaborative debut under the moniker Sgt Splendor, featuring Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) on bass, and Paulo Baldi (CAKE, Les Claypool) on drums. Their sophomore release “Death Of The Hoochie Koo” was released in 2023 on Buena Vista West Records.

Dec. 20, 2024. Doors @ 7 / show @ 7:30 / no opener

Southwest Roots Music presents