For those about to rock: ABQ Headbanger's Market offers heavy metal memorabilia, macabre wares, live music

Oct. 11—A gathering for the dark at heart is one way to describe the ABQ Headbangers Market.

The event curates vendors who sell macabre and gothic items, as well as offer heavy metal merchandise and memorabilia. It also offers live entertainment by bands that cater to metal genre fans including Savage Wizdom, Regicide, Archiactra, Break the Earth, as well as Rapid Fire, a Judas Priest and DIO tribute band, and Lectricide, a Metallica tribute band from Valencia High School and special guest Sage Bond.

The experience is an inclusive space that welcomes the metal, rock, goth, punk and horror community as well as invites others to explore something different. ABQ Headbangers Market takes place from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, at FUSION, 700-708 First St. NW.

"The idea really came up about nine or 10 years ago, and I noticed that the New Mexico scene needed something different, a different kind of space created for vendors and artists that usually think outside the box, that are not your traditional arts and crafts," said Brenda Enríquez-Lopez, who is the co-creator and curator for the market.

Vendors include Silver Rockit Jewelry, Nehi Wolf Art Studio, Metal Headz, Ghost Krafts, BitterSweet Creations, Unchained Valkyries, artist Stephen Webb, Howlin' Torch Studio, GC Parlor, Apicklelypse, The Rockin Muse, Person of Interest Arts, Lust for Dead Oddities, Godsprosyk, Lunatyk Arts, Crafty Lee, The Reckless Bean and Toasted Sister.

Enríquez-Lopez is a small business owner and said as a tarot reader she was rejected from some events because her craft was considered "too dark" or "weird." She wanted to create a space for vendors and artists who might have turned away for the same reasons. She also wanted to help people in the arts and music scene who had been affected by the pandemic.

She connected with the OT Circus Gallery, where the first ABQ Headbangers Market was held.

"I just thought one day I want to just ask if they can give us a chance to put this together," Enríquez-Lopez explained about bringing the market to fruition. "We'll bring the best of both worlds, a heavy metal concert and arts and crafts. And they gave me a green light. They approved it. And I was like, 'Oh, wow, really?' And this was in the summer of 2021, as a part of the downtown revitalization movement."

It takes a team to put on the market and Enríquez-Lopez receives help from her husband Michael, who serves as the director of operations, and their friend Andrés Díaz, who helps them connect with the community and promote the event.

"My husband has that special eye for detail and planning, so he's the one that got on board right away, like, 'OK, let's build a stage,' " Enríquez-Lopez said. "Our first events were very DIY. It was very grassroots. It's still very grassroots, self funded DIY stage. And (the first event) took place on the driveway of the OT Circus Gallery."

She said she had three months to plan and put on the first ABQ Headbangers Market. Enríquez-Lopez presented her idea in July and was determined to hold the event in October.

"It's spooky season and people embrace the spooky art," she explained. "I just thought it would go hand-in-hand with the theme that we were going for. So we had three months to plan it and it went surprisingly smoothly."

Enríquez-Lopez said the market's skeleton crew reached out to artists asking if they wanted to be a part of the event, and many wanted in.

"Every year since then, it's been evolving," she added. "We kind of keep running into other challenges as the event keeps growing. We run into new challenges and we keep learning through trial and error. We have very positive feedback and a very overwhelming positive response from the community. At first, I didn't know if it was going to be just a one time event, but because the community embraced it and loved it so much, they kept asking us, 'Are you guys going to do it next year?' or (saying) 'You should do this.' "

She said the word about the event continues to spread and vendors travel from different parts of New Mexico to be part of the market.

"This year we're actually bringing an artist from the Four Corners region and bands from Gallup and Santa Fe and other places have started to apply," Enríquez-Lopez explained. "It's definitely unfolding in a nice way. And we're so, so glad and thankful to the community."