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Headliner for UFO Festival and MainStreet Roswell AlienFest
Submitted Photo Chevel Shepherd will be headlining the main event at the 25th annual UFO Festival.
mUsiC Live music is back
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The 25th Roswell UFO Festival and first MainStreet AlienFest present a wide array of music talent
By Christina Stock Vision Editor
For the first time since the pandemic shut Roswell down and silenced musicians far and wide, musicians will perform live and in front an audience during the 25th Roswell UFO Festival and the first MainStreet AlienFest.
Nobody could be happier than Chevel Shepherd to be on stage again. Shepherd is from New Mexico and is known for winning the 15th season of the TV show “The Voice,” under the guidance of her coach Kelly Clarkson. She is the headliner for the UFO Festival and will perform at its main event the evening of July 3.
In a phone interview, Shepherd said, “I am so excited. I’ve never been to Roswell before, it’s going to be my first time.”
Asked what her fans can expect to hear, Shepherd said, “I have quite a few songs that I am going to be playing. Some new originals that haven’t been heard before ever. And then the one from my EP that has just been released. There’s a lot of variety in there, a bunch of originals and some of my favorite cover songs I like to do.”
Now that restrictions due to COVID-19 have been relaxed in New Mexico and other states, Shepherd said that her concert plans are picking up and that she is getting busier and busier. “I am so excited to finally get back out there and perform in front of people, safely of course. I am so excited that everything is slowly starting to get back to normal. It’s so exciting and I can’t wait to see how everything progresses from here,” she said.
Shepherd said that after the UFO Festival, she has shows lined up for the rest of the year. “I don’t take a break during the summer. I usually am busy all year round. But of course, 2020 was different. I am just so excited to perform live in Roswell and to meet everyone and maybe see an alien or something,” she said and chuckled.
Shepherd said that she can’t wait to watch the band that will be the winner of Battle of the Bands, because the winners will open for her.
Gina Montague is a director and actor at the Roswell Community Little Theatre (RCLT). RCLT is providing the venue for the UFO Festival’s Battle of the Bands. Bands auditioned live or online and out of all who auditioned, four were selected to compete against each other. The public, ticket holders to the event, will vote for the winner. The bands competing are:
Eternal Vernal
The band Eternal Vernal is based in Elephant Butte, New Mexico. They are true to form, considering their music genre in the stargaze and space category.
L25
L25 is based in the Dallas, Texas area. Its music can’t be put in a box, but there is a love of music as the foundation. Experimentation with styles and sound is part of this electro/pop band.
Matthew Palmer Band
Matthew Palmer is well known in the community, having performed for years at venues, festivals and during the pandemic online. His newly formed band includes Brady Chambers and Donny Simmons. They entered the competition as a blues and rock band.
Sycamore Flood
The Roswell band Sycamore Flood has been practicing two to three times per week. According to their Bandmix website, the band plays classic rock, country rock and rocking country.
The Battle of the Bands winner is not the only one opening for Shepherd. Second to open is the band Straight Tequila Night (STN). The band’s manager Eric White wrote in an email, “Straight Tequila Night is North Texas’ best ’90s country tribute band. From Garth Brooks and George Strait to Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn, they play all the songs you love from ’90s country radio, and some you forgot you love! (The band) started ‘just for fun’ in 2012 by a group of friends and co-workers at Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas. They went on to be recognized as one of the best country cover bands in Dallas Fort Worth by D Magazine, The Dallas Observer, and thousands of people all over Texas and beyond who’ve seen their show over the years. Though this was the first time these musicians all played together, there’s about 80 years of combined band experience between them. Known for their energetic renditions of these classic songs, and their engaging and often humorous performances, STN never fails to get the boots scootin’!”
MainStreet Roswell’s first AlienFest has a large variety of musicians performing free of charge downtown at the Chaves County Courthouse. From reggae to Americana, folk to rock, live music has returned. Following are some of the musicians — a full daily schedule with dates and times of performance is in the center of the VISION Magazine.
New Mexico’s own 44th Army Band, “Green Chile” rock band
The “Green Chile” rock band will perform at the first AlienFest at the Chaves County Courthouse. The band is part of the 44th Army Band — New Mexico’s own Army National Guard Band and the state’s musical military ambassador. The 44th Army Band represents the 93rd Troop Command, the New Mexico adjutant general and the governor of New Mexico. The band served during significant periods of the nation’s history, most notably during World War II as the 200th Coast Artillery Band. On April 9, 1942, the band was surrendered to the Japanese and forced to march in Corregidor and on the Bataan Peninsula, thus earning their nickname “The Battling Bastards of Bataan.” The band was deactivated in the 1960s and remained inactive until the late 1970s when it was re-activated as the 44th Army Band. In 2011, the band deployed a team to Kosovo, where they performed over 60 missions in five months.
Today, the 44th Army Band performs in support of military, civic and diplomatic events across the state of New Mexico. Next to the “Green Chile” rock band, the band currently consists of the “44th Army Band Jazz Orchestra,” a 1940s-style big band; “Breaking Brass” brass band; “Mariachi Adelante,” a traditional mariachi ensemble; “44th Jazz Collective,” a small jazz combo; “44th Saxes,” a saxophone quintet and “Zia Winds” wind quintet.
