The experience was formative, as was “seeing how seriously my parents took their work as composers and interpreters and the intense presence that they had with each song,” Amador says.īut life as New England-based, Latinx folk singers was not without its complexities. The family used to go on tour together, with Alisa and her twin brother singing backup to her father’s bilingual children’s songs. The Cambridge singer grew up in a musical and multilingual household her parents, Brian and Rosi Amador, founded the Latin-roots band Sol y Canto. Amador seemed for all the world like a budding neo-soul belter in the mold of Amy Winehouse or Emily King now, she shares more with quiet, probing folk of singers like Adrianne Lenker or Joan Shelley.īut Amador says that, rather than reflect a shift in her songwriting, “Red Balloon” and “Milonga Accidental” are simply expressions of her polyglot influences. They’re quieter, more contemplative, than the songs on her 2018 EP “Salt,” which showcased a big voice and jazz-inflected melodies. “Red Balloon” and its accompanying “B-side” single, “Milonga Accidental,” are Amador’s first releases in nearly three years. “And the song just takes it right out to the surface.” “Songwriting, for me, is like going to the bottom of the well, like the thing you buried the deepest inside of you that's troubling you, but you don't want to face,” Amador says. Cover art for Alisa Amador's "Red Balloon/Milonga Accidental." (Courtesy)Īmador wrote “Red Balloon” to process her blossoming feelings for someone. The song is about the apprehension that comes with falling in love: it’s beautiful, but potentially destructive. “I pray it hits the beach,” she sings, as a string ensemble swells above whispery finger-picked guitar. Catching sight of a balloon rising in the distance, Amador worries it might land in the ocean. Please don’t feed me penicillin.The first thought in Alisa Amador’s “Red Balloon” is fear. I hope both is an option! Sweet and savory! I love all food! Except penicillin.
And, sometimes their poetry is spot on.Īutumn, through and through! I cry happy-sad tears when I step out into a sunny- chilly autumn day. Not a band that people would first guess I listen to very much, more than I listen to Lake Street Dive (which people often compare my funkier folk-rock songs to) I love their creativity and rambunctious expressive energy.
#ALISA AMADOR HOW TO#
Pterodactyl – it flies! (Yes, I did just look up how to spell it, hehe)Ī band that no one would ever believe you love:ĭirty Projectors. Maybe as a result of being born a month premature? I’ve learned to accept it! My pinkies don’t straighten all of the way. Strangest bit of useless information that you share with people: I try not to leave the saddest song for the end, and tell stories only when it serves the song or brings in the audience. I always want them to feel taken care of and uplifted by the end of the set. When people give me their attention for the length of a set, it’s an honor! And also a responsibility. Going on a walk (especially on a hill, mountain, or by a body of water) and singing songs with loved ones. The way my parents just give themselves completely to the music, the way they move people – it taught me so much about performing. A recent highlight is the Sol y Canto 25th anniversary concert at Croma theatre (inside of Arlington Street Unitarian Universalist Church in Copley Square). I can play it whenever and it’s just so joyful and healing to sing.įavorite memory of seeing your parents in concert:
My Gretsch-style electric guitar never ceases to amaze and inspire me, but I think the number one is still singing. To learn more about Alisa, check out her website. Alisa and her parents will be playing at the 60th-anniversary concert for Club Passim at the Shubert Theatre this Thursday and will be opening for the amazing Billy Wylder band at the me&thee in Marblehead on Friday, November 15, 2019. Be ready to wipe away a tear or two as she sings her lovely songs.Īlisa is the daughter of Puerto Rican/Argentine singer and bongo player, Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist and composer Brian Amador who make up the ensemble known as Sol y Canto. She brought people to tears with her original songs in English and Spanish. Getting to see Alisa live at last week’s Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference in Connecticut was a memorable experience.
I first witnessed the joy of Alisa’s interpretations of songs at one of the Club Passim tribute nights and fell in love with her velvety voice and so-so-so wonderful stage persona. The impact that she had made on music lovers in the Northeast is spreading rapidly since she recently came on the local scene. Alisa Amador is a name that you need to remember.
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