Everything About Music In Albuquerque & Santa Fe

Local music shops Albuquerque Santa Fe buy drums guitars in your area

Anyone that found this page better be ready to go on a deep dive into everything about music in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Of course this is a really broad topic but we will do our best to share as much info as possible while still getting you out of here quick.

Kicking things off will be a list of the best musical instrument stores in your area. There will even be separate lists for where to buy guitars and the top drum shops in town and while some may quibble about which store should go in which list we will do our best to get things sorted out for you.

Where to get a broken instrument repaired will follow that up. There are many repair companies that can tune a piano, repair a guitar, or work on all varieties of band instruments.

Once all the instrument talk is out of the way we will pivot to local music classes and lessons for kids or adults before moving on to stores for music lovers that sell vintage CD’s and records. You can find numerous places to be entertained at the best concert halls and live music venues near you.

Bars and restaurants with live music will get a shout out as well. A discussion about the Albuquerque and Santa Fe music calendar wouldn’t be complete without mentioning some great festivals and events either.

At the end we will share a map to help you find these stores or venues, and you are all welcome to read more about the scene in some other towns around the region if interested.

Musical Instrument Stores In Albuquerque & Santa Fe

The best musical instrument stores near you would be:

Baum’s Music sells instruments from brands like Jupiter, Bach, Yamaha, Blessing, and Conn and offers repair services as well as classes in your area with hundreds of students taking lessons every week.

Music Go Round buys, sells, and trades quality used instruments near you and features a large collection of percussions, keyboards, band instruments, guitars, and accessories.

The Candyman Strings and Things is one of the best local music stores selling instruments, gear, equipment, and accessories and provides quality repair services and lessons.

Where To Buy Guitars

If you are specifically trying to buy a guitar or guitar accessories check out:

ABQ Guitarworks is ​​home to Albuquerque’s premier guitar and amplifier service experts offering repairs, setups, fret work, refinishing, and custom guitar builds.

Gumpy’s Guitar features new, used, and vintage instruments and accessories including acoustic, electric, and bass guitars as well as banjos, mandolins, and ukuleles in addition to providing professional repair services.

A wide variety of guitars are offered along with Victoria and Magnatone amps, Farida ukuleles, Eastman instruments, AER acoustic amps, basses, and other vintage, new, and used instruments at GuitarVista.

Pimentel and Sons Guitar has a varied selection of guitars and parts plus they provide repair, restoration, and customization services.

A fine collection of new, used, and vintage acoustic guitars as well as repair services are available at Stay Gold.

Earlier we linked you to Music Go Round, LGAW, and Guy Thomas but we also need to mention them here in the guitar stores section.

Drum Shops Near You

You can buy drums in Albuquerque or Santa Fe at just about any of the music stores we told you about in the first list and many of the guitar shops will have a selection to choose from as well.

Instrument Repairs

You can get quality instrument repair services in Albuquerque and Santa Fe at:

Kauppila Lutherie is a full service string instrument repair shop in your area providing quality services for high end handcrafted acoustic and electric guitars and ukuleles.

Guitars that are made from tempered tonewoods as well as amplifiers, repairs, and customization services are all provided at Langston Guitar & Amp Works.

Guy Thomas has been building and repairing guitars near you since 1995.

Plenty of other places we have mentioned in this post are good options for local instrument repairs like Baum’s Music, Candyman Strings and Things, Gumpy’s Guitar, Pimentel and Sons Guitar, and Stay Gold.

Music Lessons

Taking music lessons at these schools can level up your game in a hurry:

The Albuquerque Institute of Music provides theory classes as well as piano, voice, guitar, ukulele, and string lessons.

There are custom lessons and summer camps as well as instrument classes ranging from pop and Latin to jazz and more for students of all ages at the New Mexico School of Music.

Santa Fe Guitar Academy has a proven track record of providing quality guitar lessons in every style from classical to pop.

Beginner to advanced level saxophone, clarinet, and piano lessons are available at Hijiri Shimamoto Music Lessons and Gigs.

Queen Bee Music Association is well known for providing group classes for guitar, ukulele, mandolin, percussion, and ensembles.

You can also try taking music classes at Baum’s Music and Candyman Strings and Things from some of our other lists.

CD & Record Stores

Live music lessons near you Albuquerque Santa Fe vintage CD record stores

Some of our favorite stores for local music lovers with lots of vintage CD’s and records are:

Nob Hill Music is a vinyl record store near you carrying 45’s, LP’s, cassettes, and CD’s that cover genres including world, soul, funk, hip hop, house, disco, reggae, blues, folk, country, vocal, soundtracks, and classical.

You can choose from a curated collection of classic rock and pop, psych, country, blues and folk, funk, disco, boogie, Latin, hard rock, heavy metal, soul, jazz, classical, world, traditional, and electronic music at Longhair Records who also sells genre books, compact disc, machines, equipment, and other music related items.

Vintage vinyl albums, 45’s, cassettes, turntables, and more are sold at Lost Padre Records in Santa Fe which also hosts live music every month.

Some of the genres featured at The Guy In The Groove include rock, jazz, classical, blues, folk and country, soul and funk, world, and more.

Live Music Venues

These Albuquerque and Santa Fe live music venues are great places to see a concert or performance:

Launchpad is one of the best live music venues in Albuquerque hosting covers by Lovers, Cactus Flower, Diamante, and many more.

The Sunshine Theater has hosted a number of notable acts such as The Strokes, Snoop Dogg, Stone Temple Pilots, The Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse, Rancid, Coheed and Cambria, Social Distortion, Deftones, and Deadmau5.

You can watch live music performances, movies, and acts by Tuckers, DJ’s K.OSS and BC, Elton Dan, Rocket Band, Sleep, and more at El Rey.

Outpost Performance Space is known for hosting live music near you with jazz, roots, folk, world, and more featuring Joey DE, Francesco Trio, Oscar Penas, and many others.

Drab Majesty, Horse Lords, Gauze Veil, Farewell My Concubine, Die Reihe, Ben Kudler, Sean Seaton, Heejin Jang, Extended Release, Terrors, Detached Objects, Ruiner, Lily, Waytansea Point, Theodore Cale Schafer, Chaperone, Silver Shadows, Apps, Ron Spoones, Gustly, Christian Michael Filardo, Angelo Harmsworth, and more have all featured at Radical Abacus.

Vanessie Restaurant and Piano Bar is a design centric social space where people can enjoy food, music, and live entertainment nightly.

Some of the best entertainment and eclectic live music are held at La Fiesta Lounge which is an ideal spot for casual New Mexican cuisine and cocktails.

Gigs has hosted performers such as Mark & Maggie O’Connor, Darell Scott, AZA – Music from Morocco, Kevin Burke, Dar Williams, Alam Kahn, Joel Harrison, Brian Blade, Gary Versace, Rudy Royston, Andy Milne, Clarence Penn, and many others.

Restaurants With Live Music

Have a nice meal and enjoy good music at these restaurants:

Artists like Betty Benedeadly, Cursive, and Nightmare Band have all performed at Sister.

Bourbon and Boots brings you dancing, live music, sports, and some of the best cocktails in the Southwest.

Many people enjoy dinner shows featuring musicians and dancers of the renowned National Institute of Flamenco at El Farol as well as their traditional Spanish tapas, paella, steaks, and daily specials.

La Fiesta is one of the best spots to go for margaritas, Mexican fare, dancing, and live music near you featuring artists from a range of genres including Eryn Ben, Nacha Mendezt, Bill Hearne, and others.

Tiny’s is a family friendly restaurant offering New Mexican cuisine and margaritas along with live music in Santa Fe.

You can catch Mar and Paula, Bill Hearne, Shane Wallin, Oscar Butler, and many other local musicians performing live at Cow Girls.

Bars With Live Music In Albuquerque & Santa Fe

Plus there are bars that play live music too:

Uptown Funk is an energetic spot with a full bar featuring interactive sing alongs with professional piano players. You can also request any music genre such as rock, country, hip hop, and more.

Some of the artists that have performed at Dirty Bourbon include Kyle Murphy, John Mathew, Nathan Dean, and more.

Club Legato is one of the newest jazz clubs in Santa Fe with a full service bar serving craft cocktails, award winning wines, and epicurean dishes.

You can enjoy signature cocktails, mezcals, beers, wines, and sakes along with live music ranging from soul shaking blues, alternative folk, a little bit of Southwest country, and everything in between at La Reina.

Tonic serves classic cocktails and creative comfort chow in a buzzy dimly lit setting along with live local jazz acts and other performances.

Music Festivals In Your Area

And finally for the top music festivals near you:

Tacos and Tequila is a live music festival boasting numerous artists and bands along with good food and in 2021 artists like Twista, Amanda Perez, Juno lost, Bone Thugs in Harmony, Lito Gracia, and VIC Villa all performed.

You can find local bands, food trucks, and show vehicles at Albuquerque Summer Festival which has featured Surf Rock, New Mexican and Spanish, blues rock, blue grass, and Cuban style salsa.

Lensic Performing Arts Center has been hosting live events since 1999.

Thousands of enthusiastic young and old patrons return year after year to enjoy more than 80 concerts, recitals, youth shows, and open rehearsals at Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Santa Fe Music hosts free performances every afternoon and evening ranging from jazz to Latin to rock and country in the historic Plaza.

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Enjoy The Albuquerque & Santa Fe Local Music Scene

Well guys, we tried cover as much as we possibly could. You read about the best musical instrument stores, drum and guitar shops, instrument repair services, where to go for lessons, vintage CD and record stores, concert halls and other live music venues like bars and restaurants, plus the best festivals near you.

Anyone that is still here probably knows bit about the local music scene themselves. If so feel free to tell us if we got anything incorrect, if we left any cool spots out, or just share your own thoughts in the comments at the end of the post. Now go have fun enjoying the music in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

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