It was in green rooms, living room rehearsals, and cramped mini vans that Alisa Amador received her first musical education, singing backup vocals since the age of five for her parents’ Latin band, Sol y Canto.

But, how did Alisa’s sound grow into the Latin- Jazz- Soul and Blues-influenced folk rock that it is today? Start with years of jazz study, solo performance, and training in vocal harmony and improvisation all while pursuing a degree in gender studies at Bates College in central Maine. Add a life-changing trip to Buenos Aires where she met the brilliant songwriter, Mica Ipiñazar and her husband Facundo Parla of the Argentine rock band, Rabiosa. Together they started an amplified band outfit that toured through Buenos Aires and the United States. Alisa returned from Argentina with a renewed belief in the power of music to break down social, political, and emotional barriers and create a space where everyone belongs.

She picked up some incredible collaborators along the way. Jacob Thompson, a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter of his own right, who has collaborated with great songwriters across the country, from Grammy award-winner David Mullins to ASCAP award-winning singer-songwriter Erica Leigh. And Noah Harrington, a lauded bassist who has played in Lincoln Center, Jordan Hall, festivals across continents, and studied with luminaries such as David Hope, Kayhan Kalhour, Béla Fleck, Mike Marshall, and Julian Lage.