Southwest Roots Music presents

KATE VARGAS & ERIC McFADDEN

junkyard folk & virtuosic guitar

at Engine70 Studios (formerly The Kitchen Sink)

December 21, 2025 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
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Time: 7:00pm     Day: Sunday     Doors: 6:30pm     Ages: All Ages     Price: $25
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NM-raised KATE  VARGAS is known for her folksy storytelling and darkly melodic, reverb-washed sonic palette of dream-pop, folk and junkyard blues, all carried by rough-hewn vocals and guitar playing. She has played venues as varied as Ireland’s Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival, the Troubadour in London, and NYC’s Bowery Electric. Her 2014 debut, Down to My Soul, hinted at the promise of a vibrant new voice. 2016’s Strangeclaw was recorded at New York’s Mercy Sound Studios (Blondie, Macy Gray) and mastered at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London, capturing Vargas’ impressive growth as an artist in gorgeous fidelity. Vargas really hit her stride with 2018’s For the Wolfish & Wandering, culminating in invitations to perform on NPR’s Mountain Stage, an official showcase at Nashville’s AmericanaFest, several performances at the 30A Songwriters Festival, as well as her songs appearing on several television shows. Her latest release is Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi. 

ERIC McFADDEN has crafted an enticing brand of high-desert blues and gritty, flamenco-infused rock that has charmed audiences all over the world. From the moment Joe Strummer spotted him in San Francisco, nicknamed him ‘Lightning,’ and gave him a gig opening for Strummer & The Mescaleros, McFadden has wowed with his guitar playing, touring with the likes of George Clinton, Eric Burdon, Anders Osborne and Tab Benoit and collaborating with Bo Diddley, Nels Cline, Les Claypool, Reverend Horton Heat, Fishbone, Jackson Browne, Widespread Panic, Ron Wood, and many others. A six-string virtuoso, his command of so many genres is accentuated with meticulously crafted songs that boast a poppy twist on traditional psychedelia, poetic yet sinisterly distorted punk, rowdy rockabilly, dark foreboding grunge, and seriously catchy choruses.

Vargas and McFadden released their 2022 collaborative debut under the moniker Sgt Splendor, featuring Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) on bass, and Paulo Baldi (CAKE, Les Claypool) on drums. Their sophomore release Death Of The Hoochie Koo was released in 2023.

Doors @ 6:30 / show @ 7PM / no opener. 100% of proceeds go to artists.

PARKING: There is no event parking available at the studio. Parking is available in nearby Guadalupe Street parking lots, in the municipal lot next to Allsups gas station, and ample parking is always available across the street from the studio at the DeVargas Mall. Limited ADA parking is available. Please email info@engine70studios,com at least 24 hours prior to the event to make arrangements.

Presented in collaboration with Engine70 Studios.