Revolt Gallery branches out
IF VENUES LIKE ENNUI GALLERY
and the Old Montgomery occupy a certain place in the Taos musical imagination aligned with the ebullient spirit of the Elephant 6 Collective, then the Revolt Gallery’s recently-opened Annex performing-arts space (in the back of 226 Paseo del Pueblo Norte) has become the container for Taos’ David Lynch element.
The eerie and the strange seem to delight in mingling there. The sparseness of the space’s design (four white walls, a few lights and a solid sound system) lends it a permeability available nowhere else in town. Within it, the outcasts, underdogs, and wandering souls making their home in Taos have found a safe space to cultivate community and musical culture.
The brainchild of Steve McFarland, Revolt Gallery’s main space opened at 222 Paseo del Pueblo Norte in September 2017, and quickly made a name for itself as a nexus of underground art, food and music in Taos.
In the post-lockdown era, Revolt has only been more successful. Their Thirst Day events, which ran every Thursday from April through November of 2021, kicked off the latest wave of underground culture in town — seeing early pop-ups from LeeCooks Church and performances from many local musicians in Revolt’s cavernous backyard jungle.
The Annex space, which opened in December 2022, is the latest expression of McFarland’s vision for an artistically vital north side.
And yet, McFarland’s journey as an art world entrepreneur dates back to his senior year of high school, when he was one of the founding members of the legendary St. Louis gallery Fort Gondo. Taking his hometown by storm, Gondo quickly expanded into three buildings: an art-performance space, a DIY punk-rock bar, and a proper gallery space.
The experience of watching a scene emerge was formative, and synced up perfectly with McFarland’s entry into the world of nightlife. It was a natural progression from attending weekly Drum and Bass nights to getting into event production, hosting parties, attending Burning Man, and DJing himself. His radio show, Bangers and Bumps, airs locally on KNCE 93.5FM every Saturday night from 10 p.mmidnight.
In 2006, while McFarland was briefly living in Los Angeles, a friend called to invite him to a land auction in Taos. He had just recently become interested in Taos’ Earthships, and happened to be reading a book on the subject when his friend called.
Struck by the synchronicity, McFarland jumped at the opportunity and made his way to New Mexico for the first time. When he arrived, the land auction turned out to be pure myth. But, in typical Taos fashion, magic was afoot. Driving out to the Mesa to at least have a look at the Three Peaks neighborhood, McFarland stopped in front of a house to take in the views.
A man emerged, telling McFarland and his friends: “You guys were in my dream last night.” Steve asked, rather incredulously: “Oh yeah? What are we here for then?” The man’s reply set the next era of McFarland’s life forward. “You’re here to buy land! You should talk to my dad.” He bought three-quarters of an acre that day.
McFarland’s first few years in Taos were a time of deep soul-searching. As he put it to me: “I put all my focus into growing food, raising chickens and turkeys, building an underground greenhouse all by myself. I thought I was trying to save the world by being sustainable and dropping out. But then, a few years in, I realized I was just running away from the world. I decided I had to get out of there, go to town and do what I know how to do.”
Six years into serving that mission with Revolt, McFarland’s expanding vision for 226 Paseo del Pueblo Norte extends far beyond just the Annex.
In addition to the performing arts space in the back, which hosts roller skating classes on Mondays and other community events throughout the week, the location will be the future home of the much anticipated Godega from LeeCooks Church and the new location for Mark Brumbelo’s Heads Up Music record store — both set to open in the coming months. The top floor of the building will also serve as a residency space for visiting artists, while the bottom floor includes three studio spaces allocated for locals.
After an opening season where concerts were held nearly every week, McFarland is aiming for the Annex space to host two concerts a month: one with bands, and another as a club night.
When asked if the venue would retain its nightlife focus, McFarland mused: “I happen to like the rave culture, late night, dungeon kind of feeling of a space — but, I love creating every type of experience for every type of person.”