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Appreciating Alfa

Written by Ted Reyes

Tuesday, 01 July 2008

Alfa
Alfa Garcia at Five Points (Photo by Michael Lesley. More photos here )

THE first time I heard Alfa play was about three years ago at Five Points in Mott Street. Back then it was still carrying the name Teabag, and it was being staged in the basement of Silk Road place.

Two things struck me the first time I heard her play: Brilliant songwriting and guitar skills. Her songs even back then were mature–devoid of bubblegum and sugar coating. There were no pretentious attempts to be cool, angry and cute– just real and honest songs.

She sang about airplanes, meaningless conversations and being un-Filipino.
She played her meticulously crafted songs with above average guitar skills that reminded me of the Indigo Girls and Joni Mitchell.

Right then I could tell she is special.

Alfa nad the F-Words?
Alfa and the F-Words? (Photo by Michael Lesley)

Last Friday, I caught Alfa at Five Points – this time, she played with a band– a trio that goes by the temporary name of “Alfa and the F-Words.”

Alfa plays guitar and piano, and she has a bassist that plays an upright and a drummer that swings with a brush.
The trio played Alfa’s new songs and they sounded good.

Alfa is now incorporating cool rhythm changes and more intricate chord progressions in her songs: some elements of Jazz and Dixie, as well as tinges of Vaudeville.
She has further matured as a tunesmith and arranger that I could hardly believe the songs are all coming out of the creative mind of a young artist below 25 years of age. Her songs sound like an industry veteran does them. The complexity of her new music is compelling.

Among the new songs that I totally admire are “Wear Your Shoes,” “Home To Me,” "Goodnight Romeo," and “I Won’t.”
Too bad, she does not have a CD yet containing these gems; it is on her Myspace page, though.

Alfa is perhaps the most famous Filipina– American singer-songwriter here in New York. She is well-known in the college circuit all over the US as well as the singer-songwriter circuit from Boston to California.

A friend of mine from LA even asked me if I am fortunate enough to know Alfa personally. Of course, I said yes and even managed to up my ante by stating I shared the stage with her a couple of times. My friend from LA just smiled and uttered the familiar: “Yeah, right.”

*Alfa Garcia will play alongside 28 other Filipino artists from all over North America for the Rock in the Box Weekend shows on August 29 and 30 at Rehab, NYC and Crash Mansion, respectively. *Alfa will play on the 30th at Crash Mansion.
*Visit www.soulworksrecords.com for ticket info.

* Special thanks to Michael Lesley for the photo coverage.

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