FINDING A PATH TO MUSIC

Climbing The Charts

The pandemic might have done Jimmy Climbs a favor.

The San Diego native arrived in Albuquerque, drawn by a love affair, just before the lockdown, his degree in mechanical engineering technology winning him a job at Sandia National Laboratories. Climbs, who’d been honing standup comedy routines in San Diego, was looking to continue that project in his off hours, but the lockdown came just a few weeks after his arrival. With no way to perform, Climbs focused his down time on songwriting. A little more than two years later, in October 2022, he released his first album, "Platypus", a polished collection of high-energy rock and roll originals that had been preceded by six singles and five videos.

Judging from the album’s songs, the love affair might not have worked out the way he’d hoped, but he’s OK with that. “It gave me an album,” the vocalist/guitarist says. “That’s the dangerous, weird side of writing music. You kind of look at a situation, if it’s good or bad, and you’re like, ‘Oh, I can make a song about that.’ ” For Climbs, songwriting provides a “means of understanding how I’m feeling.” (Working at the lab can complicate the process. With no phones or note-taking gear allowed in the workspace, if an inspiration strikes, Climbs has to navigate his way out of the building, get to his car, retrieve his phone—all while continually humming the inspiration so he won’t forget it—and record it.)

Music has long been a part of Climbs’ life. Climbs found that the only time he could stay awake in church as a kid was when the music was being performed. He remembers singing his speech as a candidate for class vice president in fourth grade, and he performed in musical theater and show choir as a youngster. But it was a connection made in Albuquerque that set him on a serious musical path.

During the pandemic, the Ancora Cafe and Bakery was one spot where musicians routinely gathered. Climbs was polishing his song “Liquor Store” (destined for the next album) at Ancora’s open mic one day when producer Edgar Wonder approached him. “He ended up like singing the words back to me,” says Climbs. “I was pretty new to the scene. He was kind of really the first one who was overtly social and interested.”

Climbs was also holding open mics in

Corrales at the communal house where he was living at the time. Wonder, who formed the Monsoon Music House collective, showed up and offered to produce Climbs’ music. “You introduce a demo, and he’s like playing the keys on it. He’s playing the guitar and bass. He’ll even help you out on vocals,” says Climbs.

“He’s just that good.”

A s good as the album is—and it captures Climbs’ high energy and robust vocals exceptionally well—the live show is “paramount” for him. “That’s my favorite thing—the performance aspect,” says Climbs. “That’s where the magic is.”

Climbs is careful to limit his exposure in Albuquerque. “I want the shows to be special here, and I want them to feel like an event,” he says. Meanwhile, his live band—with Miles Chavez (lead guitar), Abel Gonzalez (bass), and Luke Seelau (drums)—is gigging in Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and California.

You can keep up with Climbs, an avid rock climber, via his Instagram account (@jimmyclimbs music), find his videos on YouTube, and stream "Platypus" on the usual services. Contact him at jimmyclimbsmusic@gmail.com.

Music Calling

Graphic artist or musician? For years, Pennsylvania native Shaun Hettinger was caught in that conundrum. It wasn’t until he moved to Albuquerque that music finally won out. His recent album, “Invoice Attached,” offers a look at where his musical journey has led him.

For Hettinger, the initial answer to the question was a move to California, where he enrolled as an art major at USC and, with 14 years of piano lessons behind him, started his first band. Hettinger and Jeff Wild were the primary songwriters in the band, the Squares, “and we really thought we were destined to make it,” says Hettinger. The band had a 10-year run until Wild quit to work with Chelsea Handler, actress, writer, television host, and producer. “It really broke my heart,” he says.

Looking for a change of scene, Hettinger moved to New York, where for seven years, he worked as a graphic artist and moonlighted as a band leader. His fivepiece synthpop/chillwave band, originally called "Kitten Berry Crunch" and later "Memoryy", generated a viral wave, winning Hettinger a following. Kismet struck in New York when he met his wife-to-be, a native of Corrales, which ultimately led to their relocation to Albuquerque in 2016.

“When I moved here, I said to the universe, ‘I’m going to figure out how to make music my job,’ ” says Hettinger. Apparently, the universe was listening. Hettinger continued to release "Memoryy" material for a couple of years but found a new path when a friend started a music-licensing business. He asked Hettinger to “write a bunch of stuff” for the catalog. Hettinger did just that, and he passed the demos on to other friends, as well, including Wild, who was the head writer for Chelsea Handler ’s Netflix talk show, due to premiere in just 10 days.

Wild said, “Hey, I love this song. Can I pitch it to Chelsea [for the show’s theme song]?” Hettinger said, “Are you kidding me? Yes!” Ultimately, after several anxious days of back and forth, the show turned down that song. Instead, it chose another one that Hettinger sent Wild as an afterthought, opening the door to a new career path.

With this major credit to his name, Hettinger established Neon Moon Studios, upgraded his gear, and dove into the TV/ film world. “It took me four or five years to figure it out,” he says. Industry friends in New York and LA “would throw me a bone,” and from those leads, Hettinger began developing a clientele, which eventually included heavyweights such as Amazon, Gatorade, Revlon, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and others.

Meanwhile, he was networking in the New Mexico film industry. “I had always secretly wanted to do film scores,” says Hettinger. He’s scored the award-winning TV pilot "Die Pretty" and the feature film "Summoners", which premiered in October at the Brooklyn Horror Festival. Hettinger recently wrapped up scores for upcoming films from New Mexico filmmakers Matt Page (Cop vs Killer) and Alejandro Montoya Marin (Demos).

Hettinger’s recent album “Invoice Attached,” double-billed as "Memoryy and Shaun Hettinger", features custom electronic instrumentals written for clients. “I’ve backed away from being the gigging/ working artist—the ‘Memoryy’ side of my brain—and have been releasing my film score albums under my ‘Shaun Hettinger’ composer side of my brain,” he says. “So this album will hopefully serve as a bridge between those two worlds and help some old "Memoryy" fans discover the more recent film score stuff.”

You can see what Hettinger’s up to at neonmoonstudios.com and reach out to him at neonmoonstudiosnm@gmail. com.

A Bit Of The Old Country On Tap

You'll find plenty of potatoes, beef, cabbage, and Guinness at Two Fools Tavern, which brings a taste of Ireland to ABQ with classics like hearty bangers and mash. (p. 130)