Boston-based singer/songwriter Alisa Amador came to 88.9 WERS last week as part of Wicked Local Wednesday. After performing, Amador sat down with WERS’ Kenneth Cox to talk about her musical upbringing, experiences performing around the city, and her artistic breakthrough while studying in Argentina.
Kenneth Cox: First, what inspired you to become a musician?
Alisa Amador: I don’t know if there was ever a specific inspiration point because I was raised by musicians, so it wasn’t even like a question. It was like, we do music.
KC: So, it was something that came natural to you?
AA: Yeah, well I was steeped in it, so there was never a point where I said “this is what I’m doing”, there was a point where I just realized I would be lying to myself if I didn’t do it. But definitely the biggest inspiration of my musical career is my family. I was raised by Latin musicians, a band called Sol Y Canto, those are my parents and they’ve played here since the 80s and toured all over the country with us when we were kids. That’s the Latin folk music and singer/songwriter, in English and Spanish, and I was steeped in that all the time.
KC: How would you describe your sound to people who haven’t heard your music before?
AA: Well... I say I was raised by Latin musicians, and then I studied jazz and funk, and I play a hollow-body electric guitar, and I write my own songs. [Laughs] So, whatever happens when you put that all together is what my music is.
KC: Awesome. You’ve played a bunch of shows in the area, are there any pre-show rituals that you take part in?
AA: Vocal warm-up, and warming up the hands for playing. Those are the big ones because if they’re not warmed up, you can’t let the music be the vehicle of the emotion. You’re caught in the fear of like “can I hit that note?”. So those are the main things. Otherwise, the internal ritual is just breathing and becoming present with how I really hope everyone will feel.
KC: Is there any specific show that is most memorable to you?
AA: Wow, there’s been so many. Recently I played in the island of Puerto Rico where my mother’s from. We played in houses for families and friends and that was really, really special — all these intimate concerts all around the island. And we’ve played in this big old church in Maine. We played at the base of a stair in an old ancient town hall in which the town hall’s upper part was condemned, so the performances happen on the stair! [Laughs] Like, to spread awareness about renovating this old town hall. We’ve traveled all around, and every show is so singularly special, that it’s hard to choose one that’s great. But the ones that feel most impactful are the ones where you feel connected to everyone.
KC: Speaking of traveling, tonight in your performance you mentioned your experiences in Argentina. Could you tell us a little about that?
AA: Sure! So I lived in Argentina for half a year. I studied abroad there and wanted to get back in touch with my roots. My grandfather is from there. It broke me apart and put me back together. The musicians that I met there inspired me to start working with other musicians, to start collaborating, and to believe in my work like I never had before. And something that I did not expect when I arrived there, all of my music was in English, even though I speak Spanish and I’m a native speaker. But people just embraced me and everything I did, and called it culture, even though I wasn't from there. They called it a part of their space, and a part of their culture, for us to all play together. So that has really affected the way I move through the world since.
KC: I noticed your songwriting has a very poetic movement to it, and I’m interested in what your songwriting process is like.
AA: It’s such a common question, but it’s still challenging to me because when I write songs I go into this like... alternate state. [Laughs] I’m not even sure! But what I can tell you — I think this is what happens. I’m sitting with the guitar, or standing — I’m playing the guitar. I’m practicing. Maybe a song I’ve written, maybe a song I’m trying to learn. And I mess up, and I go in the direction of that quote-unquote “mess-up”. It’s a new direction, it’s a new sound, and I just start playing with that and investigating that sound. And then stream-of-consciousness melodies or words start to form. That’s one way it happens. And oftentimes, I don’t know what I’m writing about until the words start to take shape. I don’t sit down and say “I want to write about this." I just play and let whatever is happening inside of me just kind of come out that way, without judging it or thinking about it.
KC: So it’s a very organic process that it comes out of.
AA: Yeah, but it’s grounded in honesty. That’s the most important thing. If I’m not being as honest I can be, that’s where I think the power of the song gets lost. If you’re the most honest with yourself, it’s always going to be a new song.
KC: What can listeners expect from you next?
AA: Well, we’re going into the studio and we’re recording for the next month or so. We’re with this incredible producer called Rob Frebonne. It’s a real honor. He’s recorded Bonnie Raitt and The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and Sting... and the list goes on.
KC: That’s incredible!
AA: It’s pretty overwhelmingly wonderful, and a huge honor. So we’ve recording a few songs with him and we’re developing some live recordings, and just really hunkering down and focusing on that because we’ve been performing a lot and haven’t been able to focus on releasing new material. So that’s what's on the horizon for the next month or so. So, really really excited for some shows on the horizon and we’ll continue to develop all sorts of new material and things to share at those concerts.
KC: Finally, where can people find your music?
AA: We’re — I say “we” because I have the honor of playing with Noah Harrington and Jacob Thompson on the drums, but I guess the music technically is under my name, Alisa Amador. And you can find my music on Spotify, on YouTube, and on Bandcamp. And you can find out about anything about where we’re going and what we’re doing under that name @AlisaAmador, all one word. And on twitter I have @Alisa_Amador. You can contact us through those ways, or get on our email list, and whatever else you need [laughs].
KC: Thank you so much, and it was so great talking to you!
