Alfonso Velez
Gig Seeker Pro

Alfonso Velez

| SELF

| SELF
Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

Calendar

This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


""Electrifying!""

"Monopoli has struck an electrifying balance without compromising any approach. There's something magical about these songs that rushes up from between your feet, lifts you off the ground and sets you back down gently so that you don't completely recognize the world as it was before. " Tamara Turner - CDBABY.COM


""Different""

"So, so good. Monopoli is something different and that made us happy." - JANE Magazine


""Stunning!!""

“This is the kind of thing that we should be supporting. Monopoli have self-belief in spades, and as yet, that’s all that’s getting them through. There’s no record company pushing them, no label sustaining them, and yet, they’re hanging in there, gaining support from tiny strongholds of fans all over the world. That this is their first EP is nothing short of stunning!!...Quite how Monopoli have gone for so long being unsigned is anyone’s guess: after all there’s a lot of stuff out there that doesn’t come close to being this good. ” - Losing Today Magazine


""Captivating!!""

“As of right now this Washington, DC based band is unsigned ... but you can count on that changing soon. Their tremendous following and the deafening buzz surrounding their recent debut has caught the eye of several music industry insiders. These guys are clearly professionals and they have come out swinging with a solid, well-produced first effort. Monopoli’s self-titled EP is instantly addictive with catchy hooks, but original and substantive enough to satisfy your inner music-snob. Their sound is stripped-down and pure and incredibly captivating. Catch them now before they make their big break.”
- Earvolution.com


"Best Unsigned Band"

"The velvety-toned Nick Drake-ish vocals of lead singer Alfonso Velez shine through on the band's born-to-be-on-The-O.C. single, 'Love.' The song was also selected as part of Jane magazine's hot Reader CD of the best unsigned bands the staff could find." - Arrive/Forbes Magazine


""This band has something extra about it besides the shoes""

"Call it charisma, star quality, moxie, or just plain confidence, but I think this band has something extra about it besides the shoes. Their songs are tightly built and played with precision, highlighting the curiously gentle singing of Alfonso Velez, and they have an impact. Others seem to agree. For a new band like Monopoli to get billed as headliner after supercompetent veterans, somebody has to think they got it going on. Even more indicative was the enthusiastic crowd reaction - at 2 AM, mind you - including the all-important DGSI measure: Drunk Girls Shakin' It. When a DC crowd, full of crossed arms and ironic sideburns, yields up multiple DGSI, you know the people on stage are doing something to get the juices flowing...Maybe collecting a few pissed-off critics at the ground floor is just a necessary step in a successful band's career."
- BigYawn.net


Discography

Monopoli- Monopoli EP
"Love"- (single) Monopoli
"Earthquakes"- (single) Monopoli
"F.E.T.K.Y""- (single) Monopoli

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Globetrotters Alfonso and Rube met while working at adjacent dives on DC's roaring U Street corridor. They called up Tracy and Dave, formed Monopoli and got to work touring the East Coast and the Great White North. They have played to sold-out hometown crowds at the infamous Black Cat and sold-out all merchandise from their debut EP.

Monopoli's music is at once international and urbane, and independent in the most literal sense. Their upcoming record is currently awaiting release, a collection of songs which is sure to convert audiences with every spin. Monopoli's time is now. Are you coming for a ride?

"SO, SO GOOD. MONOPOLI IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND THAT MADE US HAPPY."- JANE Magazine (with Shirley Manson of Garbage)

"STUNNING!!"- Losing Today Magazine

"THE AMBASSADORS OF NEW ROCK & ROLL"- El Diario

"BEST UNSIGNED BAND"- Arrive/Forbes Magazine

"MAGICAL"- CD Baby

"INSTANTLY ADDICTIVE" - Earvolution

"THE FIRST ALBUM LIT THE MATCH... THE SECOND WILL KEEP THE CIGARETTE BURNING" - OnTap Magazine (2007 watch list w/ Bloc Party, Georgie James, the Shins, Mess Up the Mess, Interpol)

Recent shows with:
Robbers on High Street (NewLine Records), Army of Me (Doghouse/Atlantic Records), US-Canadian Tour w/Spookey Ruben (of Beck's band - TVT Records), Ike Reilly Assassination (Universal Records), Bob Mould (Husker Du - Granary Music), Travis Morrison (Barsuk Records, Dismemberment Plan), Judd & Maggie (RCA Records), Hopewell (Mercury Rev), the Meek (Blind Melon, Squirrel Nut Zippers), Aberdeen City (Dovecote Records), the Black Arts (Aus.), Pepper's Ghost (Hybrid Recordings), Paul Michel (SMOD Records), Soft Complex (SilverThree Records), Dex Dubious (DCide Records), Routineers (Dischord Records), Washington Social Club (Badman Recording Co.), Spiraling (Yes), SXSW offers, headliners at Canadian Music Week (sponsored by Rogers Wireless), NXNE, SixPoints, CMJ, etc.

Press: Forbes Arrive Magazine / Washington Post / DC 101 FM/ XM Radio / El Diario / CDBaby.com / JANE Magazine / CNN Headline News / Kinda Magazine / Mudsugar.com / Losing Today Magazine/DC Style Magazine/ DCist.com/RockCreekRambler.com/kindaMuzik(NE)/PopMatters.com/Mudsugar.com/BigYawn.net/On Tap Magazine

Tours: Montreal / Toronto / Ottawa / Kingston / Burlington / Boston / Cambridge / Providence / New York / Philadelphia / Baltimore / Washington DC / Arlington / Richmond / Chapel Hill / Columbia / Atlanta/Pittsburgh, etc.