Keep on dancing
A few words on recent events (and why we need art now more than ever)

Greetings, dear readers! The bubble of Durango officially popped for many this past week after Tuesday’s events at the makeshift ICE detention center in Bodo. There’s a new kind of tension in the air as our community wrestles with the aftermath of federal immigration agents “just doing their jobs.” Truth is, they’ve been doing those jobs here for decades – not just at the whim of any one administration.

The protests that followed ICE’s detention of two children and their father on their way to school were met with one agent breaking out moves straight from a ’90s wrestling video, plus chemical irritants and pepper bullets on seated demonstrators – a sight few of us ever expected to witness a stone’s throw from Ska Headquarters and Durango’s former public enemy number one, REI. Family separations are nothing new to this land. Masked federal agents in camo fatigues confronting protestors on Shepard Drive? Yeah, that’s new.

Before the ink dried on the Emancipation Proclamation, federally run Native boarding schools sought to erase Indigenous languages and culture by removing children from their families and communities. What does it say about us that those echoes still ring today? What roughly 0.5% of our city witnessed in person – and the rest of us saw on social media or in print – feels like the latest chapter in that same story, especially for those privileged enough never to feel its reach. But now it’s spilled into the collective consciousness of our town, like the Gold King spewing toxic waste into the Animas. It’s an unprecedented moment – one that asks what kind of community we want to be, and how, amid all our good intentions and talk of “community,” we somehow ended up here.

It’s easy to think this kind of thing only happens in big cities, not tucked beneath the shadow of Smelter Mountain – but here we are. And so, alongside voting and engaging in the democratic process many of us take for granted, it feels critical to keep gathering – to sing, to dance, to listen, to remember that we still share a common humanity, even when we disagree on policy. Live music won’t solve immigration or the algorithm-driven polarization of our politics, but it can hold space for grief, hope, dialogue and connection to coexist.

From underground shows at the brand-new Swarm to big nights at the Animas City Theatre, this month offers more than entertainment – it offers a chance to reflect on and shape the kind of community we aspire to be. For those wanting to do more than dance, connect with organizations like Compañeros, which is doing meaningful local work in our community. To all the artists out there – including the ones who don’t know they are yet – write a song. Share it with your friends. It’s courageous to keep creating and sharing art with your community in times like these. It’s brave. It’s essential. See you on the dance floor.

• SHU, ORA, Moon Farmer & Acid Wrench, The Swarm at The Hive, Thurs., Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m. – Doom, psych, punk, sludge! The Hive just celebrated its grand opening at a new downtown location with an indoor skatepark and a much-needed, all-ages, sober venue. Expect grunge from SHU, heavy-mellow rock from ORA, punk chaos from Acid Wrench, and blistering doom from Moon Farmer.

• “Squid Game: The Challenge” S2 Watch Party, iNDIGO Room at iAM Music, Thurs., Nov. 6, 7-9 p.m. – Jesse Ogle and the iAM crew continue their mission to keep music in the hands of local youth. Ogle, a contestant on Season 2 of “Squid Game: The Challenge,” hosts a special screening of Episodes 1 and 2 with an open bar and music to keep the party going.

• The Drifters, Community Concert Hall at FLC, Fri., Nov. 14, 7 p.m. – Rock & Roll Hall of Famers The Drifters bring timeless harmonies, sharp suits and nostalgia that’ll have you swaying in your seat to the soulful sounds that shaped the ’50s and ’60s.

• Elder Grown & Float Like a Buffalo, Animas City Theatre, Fri., Nov. 14, 8 p.m. – Durango’s own Elder Grown teams up with Denver’s Float Like a Buffalo for a night of funked-up jam grooves. Always a party when Elder Grown comes home to Durango. Let’s show them how much we’ve missed them.

• Deca, SaveJ & Codestar, Animas City Theatre, Sat., Nov. 15, 7 p.m. – Underground hip-hop heads, this one’s for you. Denver-born, NYC-based Deca brings poetic flow and dreamlike beats, joined by locals SaveJ and one of Durango’s best, DJ Codestar.

• Western Wallflowers & Safety Meeting, Durango Arts Center, Sat., Nov. 15, 7 p.m. – Safety Meeting continues to be a force in the local scene, blending styles into one joyous racket, and now with an expanded lineup including six of Durango’s most treasured musicians. Joining them are The Western Wallflowers, a twangy indie-folk outfit sure to shine under the DAC lights.

• A Hundred Drums & Brain Spiders, Animas City Theatre, Sat., Nov. 29, 7 p.m. – Gabrielle Watson (aka A Hundred Drums) is shaking up the global bass scene as Community & Partnerships Coordinator for Beatport, championing inclusion and culture. Behind the decks, she delivers heavy, heady sets. Opening is Brain Spiders, arguably Durango’s most innovative DJ. ■