NEW MEXICAN NIGHT AT SF BANDSTAND

Here's one I'd better cross-post on my music and politics blogs.

Wednesday night is Santa Fe New Mexican Night at the Santa Fe Bandstand series on the Plaza. My co-worker Robert Nott and I are co-hosting the show, which begins at 6 p.m.

On the program is former Lt. Gov. Roberto Mondragon, who for the record, was the very first person I ever interviewed at the Roundhouse (back in 1980) and one of the very few known New Mexico Democrats not currently running for lieutenant governor.

I guess there's something of a tradition of public officials in this state being musicians. There's New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels, like Taos Mayor Darren Cordova, like Court of Appeals Judge Rod Kennedy. A few years ago I wrote a column about Mondragon leading a whole chorus of politicos singing "De Colores" at a rally for then presidential contender Wesley Clark.

Mondragon and the mariachis then proceeded to sing three or four other tunes. He even got Mayor Larry Delgado to help him out in "The Fiesta Song." Delgado, former Gov. Jerry Apodaca and state Sen. Mary Jane Garcia swayed along with the music, playing The Pips to Mondragon's Gladys Knight.

I'm not sure whether any national television cameras were there, but it would have been a great CNN moment showing a unique side of New Mexico politics.

If you saw the movie The Milagro Beanfield War, you heard Roberto sing "De Colores" at the end of the film.

Also on the program are Mariachi Buenaventura, Santa Fe’s first all female mariachi band and guitarist Antonio Mendoza.

See you on the Plaza Wednesday.