LAS CRUCES — Texas country music arrives this Friday at Blue Moon Bar & Grill in Las Cruces in the form of singer Curtis Grimes.
Grimes will perform at 7 p.m. on March 25. The Blue Moon, located at 13060 N. Valley Dr., is north of Las Cruces near the town of Radium Springs. According to their website, the place is described as a “modern dive bar”.
Tickets can be purchased online at bluemoonnm.com for $10 or at the door for $20.
The country singer is traveling to New Mexico from San Antonio. He made a name for himself in the Texas country music scene, winning multiple awards from the Texas Regional Radio Awards and the Texas Country Music Association.
But music has not always been his passion. Grimes was a “baseball guy” – a pitcher. He even received a scholarship to play in college. While in college, his roommate introduced him to the guitar. His attention eventually turned to country music.
“Music was exactly that – the hobby that I clung to and the kind (of) thing that I did in that vacuum,” Grimes said. “I was just a big fan of the Red Dirt kind of Texas country scene that we had and so when I started playing…guitar and learning songs, those were the songs I was playing.”
In 2008, Grimes and his band entered an open radio contest in which the winner would open for Kenny Chesney. They won and quickly grew from 50 to tens of thousands. Several years later, he was one of the final eight performers of “The Voice” TV singing competition, which expanded his national exposure.
“It’s easier for me not to feel like if it doesn’t work out, like my life isn’t worth anything,” he said. “It’s not just, ‘If it doesn’t work, what do I do.’ It’s just kind of like, ‘Well, that’s a hobby that I decided to do and I’ll do it for as long as I can.'”
He has since released several albums, the latest being a self-titled album released in July 2021. Grimes already has another album in the works but said he wanted to “ride the tail” of the latest one for a bit longer. His 2020 single “Ain’t Worth the Heartache”, which he described as a saddle song, was also well received by fans.
Grimes said his musical inspirations include Randy Rogers, the Eli Young Band, Aaron Watson, Kevin Fowler and others who were prominent in the Texas country scene. Another important source of inspiration for Grimes is his faith.
He said he grew up in the Southern Baptist Church, where he was active in the youth group. But his actions strayed from his religious teachings in high school, college, and early in his career.
“Not only was I not using this gift to glorify God, but I was doing the opposite in most ways,” he said. “And so I just felt very hypocritical as professing to be a Christian.”
Now, he says his denomination is Jesus.
He pressed reset – and now much of his music falls into the Christian Country Music category. He also started the Ten Finger Ministry, through which he distributes free copies of the Standard Christian Bible at concerts and online. The idea is to reach as many people as possible.
On Friday, Las Crucens can expect to hear newer and older songs from Grimes. He said he likes to take requests at the end of his set. He described the concert as “wholesome” and a “soft place to land” for those who want to express and discuss their faith.
Most of the songs are rhythmic and his band includes a fiddler, so expect plenty of excitement at Blue Moon.
And although he’s new to The Blue Moon, Grimes said he’s played Las Cruces before. He also frequents Albuquerque and Roswell. He credited Las Cruces-born Bri Bagwell with introducing him to his hometown.
“When you’ve been there with someone for a long time, you kind of appreciate the family aspect,” Grimes said.
Leah Romero is the Trending Reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, [email protected] or @rromero_leah on Twitter.
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