Small town singer and songwriter Neil Michael Anderson is based in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico and just received an award for his T or C inspired single “What’s Your Truth?”

Anderson received the Best Music Production Award at the 2024 New Mexico Music Awards hosted May 19 in Albuquerque.

The song “What’s Your Truth?” was inspired by the town of T or C and New Mexico.

Anderson said he felt like he was “visiting a new country” when he began meeting new people in Truth or Consequences, whom, he said have done nothing but welcome him with open arms.

Anderson, who is originally from Kansas City, Missouri said that when he first began traveling, he never found a place quite like T or C. He said the town provides a wholesome experience for travelers as he was able to immerse himself in the culture.

“The question kind of implies that this is a message for the world. So, I am singing this song from New Mexico to the world,” Anderson said.

He said that he loves how accepting people are and that New Mexico has a culture that allows people to be themselves.

“For instance, this song when I was writing it, I had the doors open and all the birds chirping. I was trying to write a song that was like a slow Pink Floyd type ballad of “Wish You Were Here.” I had some lyrics, like what’s your truth or consequence, and so that question is always asked but no one ever addresses the consequence part,” he said as he laughed.

“I think it’s wise to ask questions and allow people to arrive at the answers, right? Asking questions is powerful as it allows people to progress their thinking and that’s what this song is for.”

Anderson said although he wanted to mimic a bit of Pink Floyd, he sped up the tempo and found himself with his own song, “What’s Your Truth?”

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Anderson said the environment and community had much influence on his song as he found himself writing many of the lyrics among ocotillo cacti and pulling narratives from his everyday conversations.

“The song is about finding what we can all agree on when personal truths do not align. I wanted to emphasize how the song presents “love” as being key to finding an agreement,”

Longtime friend Ryan Strong said Anderson has always been a traveler whom allows his environment to influence his music in a purely positive way.

“I think with anything in life, especially with creatives, when you change your environment it kind of changes your perspective and I would not say New Mexico or Kansas City is a negative change or positive but when you’re a visual artist and sonic artist like I know Neil is, it just changes your inspiration and aspiration and Neil loves being outside, the nature, hiking,” Strong said.

“Although Kansas City is great and has its beauty in the Midwest, I think New Mexico has a vastness and a number of places for him to hike that can truly inspire him and his creativity. I can feel that vastness when I listen to his single. I can almost picture Neil driving in the New Mexico skyline.”

Strong added that Anderson is a people person who loves to engage in any conversation, as he admires a person with passion for a topic they feel strongly about. Strong said he thinks in this way, Anderson is able to grow his discography as he “can hear it in his music.”

The song was submitted in categories as an americana-country rock song and a religious/gospel song, but Anderson said he is not a traditional gospel artist. Although the award was given for Best Music Production for Religious/Gospel, he said he was happy that his music could reach other genres.

Anderson has been working on three different albums but has a new single he hopes to release before the end of summer 2024. He said oddly enough, his next single is also inspired by T or C and New Mexico.

“I am currently working on scheduling some shows in Kansas City this summer but also some shows in late summer and early Fall here in New Mexico but no dates yet,” Anderson said.

“It’s fun to mention the three albums because I have built off quite a few songs that I felt were stand out songs that were worthy of recording. I call them jangly-12-stream power ballads, they are great but then I came to New Mexico, and it just captivated me so much. So, “What’s Your Truth?” is the first single but targeting the next month or two, I want to release another song. Kind of a cross between the Black Crows and The Oasis but with a country twang.”

“Say You Would,” is inspired by a conversation with his co-producer and a random group of travelers at the Truth or Consequences Brewery Company. “Say You Would,” is about the joy and experience of meeting new friends and being on the road, Anderson said.

“Say You Would” was supposed to debut on June 28 but Anderson said he is not sure if that is finalized and hopes it debuts no later than July.

To listen to “What’s Your Truth?” find it on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Tidal and at the following link, Freshnoise.com.

Juan Corral can be reached at JCorral@gannett.com or on twitter at @Juan36Corr.

This article originally appeared on Alamogordo Daily News: Truth or Consequences, New Mexico inspires award winning song

State regulators moved forward with approving the Public Service Company of New Mexico’s application for new solar and battery storage despite concerns that there are not enough new energy projects in the Central Consolidated School District to replace property tax revenue lost when the San Juan Generating Station closed. On Thursday, the New Mexico Public […]

State regulators moved forward with approving the Public Service Company of New Mexico’s application for new solar and battery storage despite concerns that there are not enough new energy projects in the Central Consolidated School District to replace property tax revenue lost when the San Juan Generating Station closed.

On Thursday, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission unanimously approved a recommended decision from the hearing examiner, Hans Muller, with one amendment.

The case stems from a 2023 application to add 100 megawatts of solar through a power purchase agreement with the Quail Ranch solar project as well as three energy storage agreements for a total of 250 megawatts of four-hour storage at different sites. The application also requested approval of a utility-owned battery storage facility known as BESS Sandia Storage Project. PNM requested the additional resources, including the contract with Quail Ranch, as a way to meet peak energy load requirements in 2026.

However, concerns arose during the case that the Quail Ranch project is intended to replace the Rockmont Solar Project that the PRC approved to replace the San Juan Generating Station.

The Rockmont project is located in northwest New Mexico and within CCSD boundaries. But it ran into delays and ultimately PNM canceled its contract with the developers.

Commissioner James Ellison noted that PNM never asserted that Quail Ranch was intended to replace the Rockmont project. However, replacing Rockmont with Quail Ranch is mentioned in Muller’s recommended decision.

Ellison said that the possibility that Quail Ranch would replace Rockmont was “never really litigated in this case.”

“I think it would be a mistake to reject the resources before us now over concerns that there is not a replacement in the school district,” Ellison said. “Rejecting them or delaying the process does risk these contracts falling apart and, given the timelines around the procurement process, it really leads to big questions about will we have resource adequacy in 2026 if we do that.”

CCSD and San Juan County maintain that the Energy Transition Act requires PNM to install 450 megawatts of generation or storage capacity within the school district’s boundaries to replace at least some of the property tax that was lost when the power plant closed.

They say that, without Rockmont, PNM is short of meeting that obligation.

Quail Ranch is located in Bernalillo County and the other resources in the application are in Valencia, Cibola and Bernalillo counties.

Former PRC Commissioner Steve Fischmann, who was on the PRC when the replacement resources were decided, said that part of the portfolio of solar and battery projects that PNM proposed in the current case needs to be treated as replacement for the San Juan Generating Station.

“In our commission, we took very seriously the need to get replacement resources into the San Juan community and the Central Consolidated School District to help ease the economic pain caused by the closing of the San Juan coal plant,” he said during public comment.

He said that he feels that the San Juan County community is “getting hosed” because the PRC did not discuss the current solar and battery projects in relation to replacing the San Juan Generating Station.

“It appears that all parties in the case failed to recognize the San Juan replacement aspect that needed to be considered in the record,” he said.

Fischmann was not alone in those concerns. Two members of 350 New Mexico who were involved in drafting the Energy Transition Act also spoke during public comment.

“I remember very clearly that one of the negotiated agreements was that PNM, in return for very favorable bond financing provisions, was to build about 450 megawatts of replacement resources in ‘the school district in New Mexico where the abandoned facility is located,’ meaning the San Juan Central Consolidated School District,” Tom Solomon with 350 New Mexico said.

He said only 300 megawatts of the 450 have been built and that PNM has no apparent plans to add another 150 megawatts in the CCSD boundaries.

The location of replacement resources and how many megawatts must be located within the CCSD has been a subject of debate since the passage of the Energy Transition Act in 2019. 

This is because the ETA states that replacement resources means that “up to 450 megawatts” identified as a replacement for San Juan Generating Station “provided that such resources are located in the school district in New Mexico where the abandoned facility is located, are necessary to maintain reliable service and are in the public interest as determined by the commission.”

San Juan County and CCSD have maintained that the law means that PNM is required to locate 450 megawatts of replacement power such as solar arrays and battery storage in CCSD boundaries.

But PNM and some others have said it only requires that up to 450 megawatts must be located in the CCSD boundaries. During the replacement power case, the PRC ultimately ordered close to 450 megawatts of replacement power to be built in the CCSD boundaries. Those replacement projects were the San Juan Solar Project and the Rockmont Solar Project. 

Commission Chairman Pat O’Connell said the issue of replacing the Rockmont project is important and that PNM has testimony on the record in this case that addresses the efforts the utility made and explains why none of the projects are located within the CCSD boundaries. O’Connell said there are challenges in getting projects within CCSD boundaries.

“It’s an important issue. It’s also, for me, an issue where we’re in a world of multiple truths,” he said.

He said that PNM’s system is short on capacity.

“Do we delay or postpone a decision on these resources now because another important decision is not being addressed?” he said.

O’Connell said he couldn’t support that.

But, he said, PNM is developing a request for proposals for an integrated resource plan. The IRP essentially serves as a roadmap for the utility and O’Connell said there will be opportunities for stakeholder engagement during that process. He encouraged PNM to reach out to the people who have expressed concerns about the Rockmont project not being completed during the IRP process.

O’Connell said that moving forward with the case that the PRC was hearing on Thursday does not negate the need to address the San Juan Generating Station replacement resources.