A bounty of choices for Platero fans this weekend
(Times file photo)
The Plateros, headed by talented lead guitarist Levi Platero, will be quite busy this weekend with several gigs scheduled in Gallup and Albuquerque. The Plateros will be among a huge list of Native bands that will be hitting the stages throughout the Gathering of Nations Powwow weekend.
By Jan-Mikael Patterson
Navajo Times
WINDOW ROCK, April 28, 2011
The band is scheduled to perform on Stage 49 at 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, located southwest outside of the University of New Mexico's Pit. Admission is included with the powwow and Indian Market at $15 per ticket.
The band is scheduled to perform later that evening at Low Spirits Bar & Stage, 2823 Second Street NW, along with Chucki Begay and the Mother Earth Blues Band, Gabriel Ayala Trio and Scotti Bluff. Admission is $10 for all ages (ID required for the bar).
On Saturday, April 30, The Plateros will open for Indigenous at the El Morro Theater in Gallup. The show begins at 7 p.m. and admission is $15 in advance, $18 the day of the show. Call 505-726-0050 for tickets.
On Sunday, May 1, at 2 p.m., The Plateros will open for reggae artist Steven Marley at the Hard Rock Casino & Resort in Isleta Pueblo. The show is for ages 12 and up, with $35 for VIP standing room, $25 for reserved seating and $15 for general standing room at the box office or online at www.holdmyticket.com.
No matter when or where, guitarist/vocalist Levi Platero said all he wants to do is play. He will be accompanied by his cousins Bronson Begay (bass and vocals) and Douglas Platero (drums).
"I'm really looking forward to it," he said of the Stage 49 show, which drew a huge crowd last year.
"Regardless of how big the audience is, all we want to do is jam," he said. "The audience's are fun and I feed off of them. We just want to play."
Bookings tend to come in spurts for the band, with back-to-back shows followed by dry spells of varying length. It's all part of life as a band still in the emergence phase.
The Plateros have an album of original material out, "Hang On," plus a recording of jam sessions from various performances as well as earlier live recordings and a Christmas album. New material surfaces during the band's off time but there are no plans for a new album.
Platero is looking forward to the Gallup show.
Referring to Indigenous front man Mato Nanji, he said, "the last time I saw him was in Durango a year ago. That was an awesome performance. That was the only time I ever saw him lose himself in his playing. He's a great influence on me."
As for the reggae show on Sunday afternoon, "it's going to be interesting," Platero said with a sly smile.