The campus of St. John’s College may seem tucked away in isolation in one of the hillier parts of Santa Fe, but with the recent opening of a student-run coffee shop and concert venue, the distance between its student body and SFUAD’s may begin to feel a bit shorter. Dubbed “The Cave,” calling to mind Plato’s famous allegory, a space has been established by St. John’s students for their schoolmates to congregate and caffeinate. In addition, the coffee shop plays the role of both an art gallery and concert venue thanks to students’ visions. In a phone interview with Theo Krantz, a junior at the school and sole booking contact for musicians and other performers, he shared his thoughts on the possibilities The Cave holds for better integrating St. John’s and SFUAD students. Krantz himself has experienced this integration of artistic communities by playing a show in SFUAD’s O’Shaughnessy Performance Space with his band High Diver. He said, “I do love the Benildus Hall space,” later adding that the experience made him feel that getting St. John’s students to attend more SFUAD events, and vice versa, would be good for both student bodies. “I would love to have the two communities be much more entwined than they are,” Krantz said. The first event held at The Cave seemed to reflect that as several SFUAD students attended and played the concert (including the author of this article’s band Sex Headaches). The show lineup also included Thieves & Gypsies – whose lineup includes CMP alum Adam Cook – and CatNip Tea. Krantz said he was enthusiastic about the event and felt positive about the interactions between both groups of students, saying he felt the SFUAD attendees were “really respectful and nice.” When asked why he felt...

There’s a fire going outside and people huddle together, laughing and otherwise going on excitedly about “have you heard this band? And this band?” There’s even a trampoline, one of those big ones. Inside, past the front door that never seems to be locked, a band sets up in a large warehouse space. The energy is buzzing, people are smiling and, best of all, there’s no cover at the door. This is all a very regular sight for Radical Abacus, a warehouse in one of Santa Fe’s more business-oriented areas that has become one of the city’s more prominent independent performance venues in the past few years. Contemporary Music Program major Angelo Harmsworth, who recently became one of Radical Abacus’ residents, has been increasing his involvement in booking shows for local musicians as well as touring acts from around the US. “Nicholas Chiarella [former SFUAD Studio Arts administrative assistant/contributing faculty] was responsible for the current incarnation of the space…,” Harmsworth said in an e-mail interview, “He made the space available to the local and larger DIY community for art shows, little happenings, and concerts.” Following that legacy, Harmsworth’s role is simply that of a host/curator; he and his housemates do not take money for hosting these shows. Donations are often requested to be given to touring bands, mostly for gas money, but other than that the focus is on music. This model differs greatly from that of a more traditional venue, such as a bar that features live music. This use of non-traditional performance spaces has become a more frequently seen phenomenon in Santa Fe as well as cities across the country as a larger DIY-based musical community grows. Why do some gravitate toward DIY over a bar or another more established business? Harmsworth...

SFUAD music student Christian Castellanos, aka Keyboard Chris, discusses how he discovered Djing, what his style is, and how he approaches writing his music by building around the drop.

Contemporary Music Program student John Church discusses his path toward and goals with music.