Wednesday, April 29, 2009

New Song on MySpace!

Okkkayy, so it's official. "Love as Tragedy: A Play in Three Acts" is on the MySpace! Check it, homeslices: www.myspace.com/alfa

Lyrics here:

Love as Tragedy: A Play in 3 Acts

Act One was brilliant, we played our parts so convincing
and I still remember the lines.
You had me going on first dates and I fell
like Icarus falling away from the sun.

Chorus:
Now that it's all over and done, I notice
you just needed someone to play your damsel
Now that I can see things a little clearer
I feel sorry for the next girl
and you will always see, you'll always see love as tragedy.
You will always see, you'll always see love as tragedy.
Act Two was gripping, she came out of nowhere
Storm in a teacup, the irony bare.
And you seemed so honest, playing your part so convincing
but she is speaking my lines.
Chorus Interlude

Now that it's all over and done, I notice
you just needed someone to play your damsel
Now that I can see things a little clearer
I feel sorry for the next girl...

Now that it's all over and done, I notice
you just needed someone to play your damsel
Now that I can see things a little clearer
I feel sorry for the next girl
and you will always see, you'll always see love as tragedy.
You will always see, you'll always see love as tragedy.

So don't let me sit through another minute
'Cause Act Three's the part that I couldn't get right.
And you'll be persistent, 'til somebody gets it
but I don't intend to find out tonight.

Copyright Alfa Garcia. 2008. All rights reserved.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Virginia debrief and CAPA Festival this weekend!

Talk about one heckuva hectic weekend in D.C.! After the initial 20 minutes of our road trip down, my sister, our friend Mariah and I took our first stop at the Bergenfield Dunkin' Donuts (oh what a distance!) then continued onward until about 12:30 at night. Our hotel was in Old Town Alexandria, what turned out to be a really gorgeous place (see photo), especially with all the sun this weekend. I wanted to spend more time gallivanting, but sadly couldn't!

We squeezed in time to sight-see where we could, but the sweltering heat made it hard to have energy to do too much. I had rehearsal with Derek Lee of The Speaks and my bassist Jon McElroy, who came down on Saturday.



We met up with an old friend, Beisa, and her boyfriend Ricky and had some Lebanese food in Arlington after rehearsal. I then had to get to Maryland for a quick rehearsal with Rod Garcia's band for two songs that I was playing violin for.

The thunderstorms began shortly thereafter so we headed back to the hotel. Jon was having issues with the place he was staying at, so he ended up crashing on the pull-out couch in our suite. He had the sheer honor of hearing me cough, spit and sneeze all night from the ridiculous allergy attacks I was suffering. . . wish someone had told me the pollen count would be sky high in D.C.!
Anyway, Sunday we had lunch at a seafood place by the Alexandria waterfront called The Wharf where my sister and I devoured some raw oysters (YUMMM). Jon and I skipped out early to catch soundcheck at the venue, Manila Cafe - Springfield, VA.


The show went really well, and I managed to sell some pre-release copies of the new CD. Rod seemed to be doing a lot better after his stroke. The crowd was super friendly and attentive, and Derek rocked out on the drums, despite having just one 2.5-hour rehearsal the day before. I knew he would rock it!


(L to R: Playing with Derek and Jon...Rod Garcia, Rick Brigham, me and sis, Jitter Garcia, Matt Magnaye and Rocky Garcia)

We bounced out of there soon, but not before catching up with some friends from the area who we hadn't seen in months. I sadly drove the whole way home, even though I was pretty exhausted from the show. Oh well! At least I managed to catch some shut-eye...

Coming up next!


CAPA Asian American Heritage Festival
This Sunday - May 3
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
47th Street between First and Second Avenues, Manhattan
Noon to 6 p.m. (my set at 3:40 to 4 p.m.)


:) My last show in the area for at least another month and a half...

Alfa

PS: Check out some updates on my West Coast dates on the MySpace.

Monday, April 20, 2009

New songs on MySpace?

Oh and one last thing. . . most importantly, actually . . . I'm looking for a fourth (and possibly 5th) song to post on MySpace. If any of you have been to a show recently and have a favorite... please let me know what you'd like me to put up.

I know only a few people have heard the recordings so far, so I know it might be a longshot to ask if people have favorites yet. :) But thought I'd be democratic anyway.


<3
A

The Virginia Show... totally on!

So Rod Garcia (visit him here: http://rodshacienda.com), who suffered a stroke last weekend, is pushing through with this weekend's show. Hope he can recover 100% so the night doesn't become too difficult for him. He did, however, extend my set to a full 45 minutes. So... I'll probably be throwing in some solo stuff. :)

I also found out that I'll be playing my Seattle show with Washington-based singer/songwriter Micah Thompson... I have yet to get his MySpace page, but I'll be sure to share that as soon as I do.

Anyway, sorry I haven't been posting pics recently. I've been meaning to share a cool video of Michael Dadap rocking out on the ukelele... but alas, me and technology are (as my producer likes to say), "like fire and water."

Speaking of technology - and to continue this rambling streak - check out this fun article about Twitter on Pitchfork: http://pitchfork.com/features/puritan-blister/7642-puritan-blister-43. Everyone from the NYTimes to the paper where I work seems to be talking and pondering on Twitter, trying to figure what to think and how to accept it. I think this article, by William Bowers, expresses the mixed emotions and thoughts that I've been having about it...

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Virginia Show... maybe postponed?

Got a bit of sad news here... my good friend and wonderful songwriter/musician Rod Garcia, who I was set to perform with next week (April 26) in Springfield, VA had a stroke a few days ago. He's just been released from the hospital and sounds like he's in better spirits, but he may have to postpone the show - understandably.

I had been really excited to play this, also because another good friend, Derek Lee - drummer for a great band that just finished off their Philippines tour, The Speaks - was supposed to play with me. Hopefully we'll be able to jam another time...

In the meantime, I'm going to see if there are coffeeshops or other places to play down there, since we might still take the VA trip after all.

On a lighter note, I'm glad (and honestly a little surprised) to see seven followers on this blog! Woo! :) Thanks for caring enough about my music and my life to want to stop by and listen in for a bit...


Alfa

PS: I am going to be reproducing the new album soon, at least so I have something to show for during the May shows in NY, Seattle and LA... stay tuned! Plus, looks like I may be playing 2 shows out in LA...
:)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Arario Gallery, 4.9.09


It was a little crazy, but I managed through the short set at Arario Gallery, an Asian art gallery in Chelsea. A USC-based group called NetKAL put together a fancy networking function and my new friend Jinny Jung, who co-chairs Kollaboration, invited me to play. My friend G*Lee also DJ'd the event and I got to see some of the Kollab gang again. Hollaaa! :) 
The place was littered with drunk high-rollers by the time I took the stage, and sadly I didn't have my quarter-inch cable (rookie mistake ... oy), so I had to contend with a microphone on my guitar. How positively amateur! 
Kindly, many of the folks standing closeby were supportive, and clapped
 on for a second song, even when I was ready to leave it at one. Good times at the end of the day, and some fancy art too!  Check it...

Two pieces by Hyung Koo Kang.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

After the Bitter End...


It was a fun night at The Bitter End. Super big thank you to the great folks who dropped in, including friends from Kollaboration, VuDoo Soul who took a bus down from Boston to surprise me (and then proceed to request the "Pi Song" for the encore), some co-workers, old college buddies, my producer, friends of Alex Sovronsky the violinist/melodica player, some family members and even some friends I had made on assignment for my work - they were sweet enough to bring me a bouquet of flowers! 

I was feeling slightly off during my between-song banters... I'm not really sure why. May have had something to do with how busy this day was (had to go to church in Queens and then teach a violin lesson before driving down to Manhattan) as well as a slight wardrobe malfunction ... but my voice was feeling good and Alex and I had fun up there, which is what matters the most!

I also got to play a mellow piano version of "Don't Write Your Goodbyes", which is usually in the fast-paced band format (see MySpace).

Next one... Dag Hammarskold Plaza for the CAPA Festival!
**************************

I always told myself I'd chase rainbows until the end
hover over oceans until I reached land
save tomorrows at the palm of my hand
somehow I never thought
that endings sometimes come too soon
or demons overtake simple tunes
that it's remarkable how wheels can grow
to move even when the heart stops. 
 - Alfa | 4.6.09