Gnostic rock: Catnip Tea

The Santa Fe band Catnip Tea celebrates the release of its new CD, Ouroborealis, with a concert at Ghost (2899 Trades West Road) at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 7. The album is full of heavy, solid rock featuring clarion guitar lines, strong drumming, and trippy vocals, sometimes calling to mind Pink Floyd, The Ramones, or Queens of the Stone Age. Guitarist Miljen Aljinovic said Ouroborealis is a 10-part musical narrative “steeped in various spiritual, gnostic, and occult symbolism” that was recorded over the course of five years. The members call their music “grok rock” — the term “grok” was coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his novel Stranger in a Strange Land to denote immediate, deep understanding of a thing. “We consider our music a way to grok our lives, and our intention is to help others grok theirs,” Aljinovic said. “Live shows are just an effort to grok one another — together.” The other members are Nikola Aljinovic (vocals, keys), Jackson Mathey (drums), and Daniel Lockley and David Badstubner (bass). Donations are accepted. Call 505-603-5079 for information.