The Kipsies

Thanks to the New Mexico Music Commission and the Friends of the Public Library for funding these library shows!

Register for the event and we'll send you updates if there are any schedule changes, as well as info on future free programs and other events around Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

We wanted another dose of The Kipsies after they wowed us during the Bands of Enchantment filming. Look for their BOE episode debuting on KNME on March 2.

Imagine living room conversations with your friends become melodies. The times you've cried and laughed with your community are audible in the instruments and lyrics. That's what the newest record from Albuquerque-based quintet The Kipsies sounds like. After twelve years of playing together, this band has seen it all and found a way to pour both joy and struggle into their art.   

Out of the ashes of their previous group Breaking Blue, The Kipsies gathered as long-time friends and collaborators to try something new. They've played at major festivals like the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, and enjoyed intimate stages in hippie towns in Colorado. It's rare to find a folk band that lists Opeth as an influence over Woody Guthrie or Joni Mitchell. But, The Kipsies are not your average folk band. The band makes modern music on traditional instruments. Though they're from Albuquerque, the instruments that fill the songs on Breathe In Deep are from all over the world. Using the cajon from Peru, the harmonium from India, and clawhammer banjo style originating in Africa, the band composes songs that walk the fine line between technical skill and passion. Guided by Randy Martin's banjo stylings and Cassie Rogers' heartfelt vocals, the band crafted intricate, full arrangements for Breathe in Deep with amazing performances from multi-instrumentalist Tim Engelmann, bassist Shawn Berkompas, and drummer Isaac Sanderville.  

Their newest record, Breathe In Deep, captures the group's balance of head and heart perhaps more than any of their previous work.