Garden Music: Chris Dracup

Bring the family to enjoy an evening in the Garden. The Shark Reef Cafe will be cooking up delicious food for the perfect picnic on the grass and local bands will provide a dinner soundtrack. Kids can get their face painted and adults with an ID can order a drink from the variety of bars around the Garden. Plan for a relaxing time in one of the city’s most beautiful settings as the entire Botanic Garden will be open to experience.

Chris Dracup is a lifelong New Mexico songwriter, guitarist, performer, and true original. Known for his soulful vocal style and masterful guitar performances, he draws from a wide range of musical styles – the Blues being his home base. His bottleneck slide playing evokes the southern delta tradition and his unique electric blues style is steeped in the classic Texas and Chicago tones. His original songwriting and regular performance schedule have garnered him critical and popular acclaim, earning him an enduring Southwestern fan base. For over four decades he has been active as both a solo artist and as lead guitarist and vocalist with some of New Mexico’s top live bands including The Muttz, The Rattlecats, and Soul Kitchen. His most recent project – Chris Dracup: Funk of the West artfully combines American funk and blues with Afro pop style percussion – keenly orchestrated with the dance floor in mind! The group prominently features West Mali djembe and percussion virtuoso Malé Fainke as well as Chicago blues veteran Melvin Crisp on drums, New Mexico top tier bassist Jose Romero, standout saxophonist Lee Taylor and B-3 organ master and internationally touring keyboardist Brant Leeper.