The Historic El Rey Theatre

We were welcomed into the upper level of the Historic El Rey. The quiet ambience of the room began to settle in as couples laughed and sipped mixed drinks from the back bar. A friendly tender approached to make sure we were comfortable. The show was ten minutes till and the crowds began to fill the lower level while chairs and seats around us were pulled closer and closer the the ledge overlooking the beautiful architecture of the once movie theatre. The architect, Joseph B. Burwinkle, combined his efforts with the Lembke Construction company in 1981 to create what we now know at The Historic El Rey, a pivotal point in the New Mexico music scene.

Originally established on June 27, 1941 as a movie theatre, it soon changed to a adult movie theatre in July 30, 1969 when it became the Reel Art Theatre. It wasn’t until 1972 that it closed it’s doors down and was transformed into a night club.

It took another nine years for it to settle into what it is now known for which is a live venue for musician traveling the Historic Route 66 called The Historic El Rey.

As the room quieted, a simple strumming began as the blue lights reflected off the opener, Jess Williamson. She has a long dress that sat just above her shoes as the shimmering light bounced off her.

She began a ballad that felt like a precise mix of singer songwriter and country. The first song was called sorceress, off her first album which she completed in the middle of the pandemic. She was delicate in her Melody as if each thought was a whisper she discovered over time. After the last words rolled out, she told a story of her dog she found on the streets of “Old New Mexico” and how she was so grateful to be back in ABQ which felt a lot like her home in Texas.

With each changing song, the audience slowed it’s babble and fell silent on her guitar picking and her humble voice. Her music seems to have grown from a deep well stemming from the contrast of the Texas life and the years she spent in Los Angeles.

She began a song titled “Pictures of Flowers” with a quiet picking that transitions into a strum that felt like a smooth summer breeze.

“If it's the end of Los Angeles
Guess I'm not gonna be a star
If it's the end of travelin'
Where are we gonna sing and play guitar?”

Her performance was humble, gentle and represented exactly the reason she is a rising star musician currently opening for Jose Gonzalez. The crowd chapped and clapped as she left the still blue lit stage.

After a still pause of anticipation, the crowd rumbled with excitement as Jose Gonzalez stepped onto stage with his guitar in hand. He didn’t say a word.
The crowd became dead silent with anticipation and his melodic and smooth voice moved through the crowd. His perfectly tunes picking and reverbed voice was calming, like a rain after a long drought. As he sung, it felt as though that rain was trickling until a rush of rainfall would rush over the crowd leaving the them in a cheer.

He played a few songs and then briefly stopped and mentions just how happy he was to be back in ABQ and just how amazing the crowd is. Not a moment passed before a fast paced rhythm began to make the crowd sway.

His ability to completely consume an audience with a simple guitar and voice is a talent unmatched which adds to the spectical. As every song passed, the audience was dead silent and then cheers erupted. This pattern continued through out every moment as his earthy beats moved like telepathy through the crowd.

The lights beamed down on him as he began“El Invento”.

The crowd cheered and he quickly transitioned into Teardrop.

The crowd knowing this classic bounced up in excitement. The acoustic rhythm bounced and leaped from each wall of the historic building. the tension was precise as he strummed and sung.

“You're stumbling in the dark
You're stumbling in the dark”

The energy dissipated, the crowd cheered and he stood and left the stage. Pure magic. Minutes passed as the crowd continued…

They would not relent their cheers as they knew if they pleaded long enough, he would return.

Jose returned to the stage with a song called swing. He began it’s rhythm when the crowd began to stop and clap along. After a brief pause, a beat track emerged as they continued their stomping feet accompanied by his delicate voice. This was a driving evolution of sound as it continued to build and envelop the whole crowd into a unstoppable sway. Own strong strum and the energy dispersed Into people cheering “I love you” and shouts as he moved into “heartbeats”.

A friendly silence rippled into the audience as if they were remembering moments from their past. A woman danced with her hand in the air as her dress swayed. A couple leaned together and delivered a soft kiss. The song ended and once again, loud cheers and shouts of joy erupted. He finished and explained “it’s not the architecture of albuquerque that makes a city, it’s the people.”

They cheered louder as he laughed. Not long after, someone from the venue walked over and offered to buy us a drink. The El Rey’s rustic and nostalgic feel paired with a fantastic and amazing acoustic and country driven set left not only us but the audience stunned in electric excitement.

He took a breath.
. “I think this was one of the first songs I learned.”

He began to strum“Black Bird” by the Beatles. He whispered each word with delicacy celebrating the song that began his crusade into music.

Everyone sang together.
“you were only waiting for this moment to arrive”

he said “thank you” and he was gone.