Red Light Cameras RETURNS to Levitt AMP series
By Steven Hughes
Sun Correspondent
The Levitt AMP Gallup Music Series is celebrating its fifth anniversary with its next lineup of 10 free family-friendly performances throughout the summer season.
“We aim to feature a diverse range of genres, not just typical music commonly found in Gallup,” Michael Bulloch, executive director for the Gallup MainStreet Arts & Cultural District, said.
This year’s show features music from indie rock to R&B, and some metal performances.
In tandem with the music series, the Sun will produce Q&As that give a glimpse of the minds of these performers.
THE JULY 26 PERFORMANCE
Red Light Cameras will perform again at the Levitt AMP Gallup Music Series at 7 pm on July 26 at the Courthouse Plaza. Barney Lopez, the bassist for the group, said the band acted as an opening act at last year’s programming. However, this time, Red Light Cameras were requested.
Their Gallup performance comes after the band released “Anxiety” on May 30, earning over 1,000 streams on Spotify.
Lopez said the band tests drives developing songs to witness audience reactions for feedback on whether to have it as a single or potentially in an album. He said “Anxiety” premiered approximately a year ago and became a crowd favorite.
The band also performed at another music series in El Paso, Texas, at the Cool Canyon Nights Music Series June 5.
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Gallup Sun: What do you hope to achieve during your second Gallup performance?
Lopez: “We want to put on a big show, have a longer set, and bring intimate moments. We’re working on a new album right now, and we have a bunch of new songs in our rotation for our lineup. We’re getting them ready for the studio. We’re excited to share those with everybody, to be back to have a good time, and be part of the community.”
Gallup Sun: What’s your goal as a musician?
Lopez: “Our goal is to spread our music as far as we can and make lasting connections with people who like our music. Our music is all about expression. Amanda [Machon]’s songwriting is personal, and she opens up very much to the crowd. We love to build support and make connections. We’re hoping to do more touring. We’ve got more touring this year. We’re going to California to play another Levitt show in Colusa, Calif. So Levitt recommended us to them because of last year’s show. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll have a new album out that we can share.”
Gallup Sun: Why did you think you’d garner such a listenership?
Lopez: “When we started as a band, I started the band with some friends, it was an older project. We invited Amanda to the band because we couldn’t sing. We can, but not in the way we want these songs to be. We reached out and invited Amanda to audition. We immediately clicked, and the energy was good. Once we wrote some music and played shows, it was apparent that something was working. The audience’s response was pleasant.
Gallup Sun: When did you last learn something that improved your musicianship?
Lopez: “I’m always learning. I feel like every time I practice, I push myself. I’ll pull out YouTube and find songs I like and try to play along with them. I think all of us play in other musical projects in Albuquerque to push ourselves outside of the band to try different genres and styles. Then there’s so much learning on the business side of music, having to learn how to do booking, reaching out to venues and agents, setting up shows, marketing and promotions, and researching distributors.”
Gallup Sun: What’s your next project?
Lopez: “This will be our 15th year as the band, so we want to have something like a quinceañera. We’re brainstorming ideas for that. We want a big celebration. We’re doing a tour in August to California, five or six dates there. We’re staying active. We’re trying to get in the studio by the end of summer to finish recording an album with Marcus (mscottloveslife) Scott.”
For more information about the incoming performance, email Bulloch at director@gallupmainstreet.org.
Follow Red Light Cameras on Instagram at redlightcameras.
