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I caught via the tube a live performance on a sports show of a point guard from St. Mary’s University of Moraga, California (East Bay, halfway to Winnemucca), named, and they didn’t even have titles, Alex Carbonel. Pretty passable skill set. I would say one up on Barry Zito in that she wrote her own song. It reminds me of hearing Rachel Garlin, the former Harvard player, doing “Sweetly” on KPFA a few years ago. Or Vienna Teng in that Vienna was a sleeper, doing software by day recently out of Stanford; this lady is a senior with good grades, at a good school. Or my recent meeting with ex-Penn player Ugonna Udweytu. Or Laura Chavez, playing guitar for Candye Kane, a one-time St. Francis prep player and Columbia admit. Or, as I told a Duke senior interested in the biz today, a former Castilleja girls player, the former Santa Clara and Pinewood player Yasemine Kimyacioglu  , who wants to sing,  in Turkish even.

At the very least, you can bet on ex-athletes because they bring a lot of energy into their projects.

Her song was somewhere between Christian rock and a lesbian confessional. And it was kinda wordy like a talking blues; the lines did not scan. But a pretty fair skill set, sent me to my screen here in Plastic Alto land, for two hours.

This could send me to check a game, maybe with a sign YES. and a check mark.

edit to add, part one: Alex Carbonel. Pinay. You can find her doing covers of John Mayer and Bruno Mars, plus a few origis. How about “Prettier than Zee Avi, writes better than Barry Zito and can take it to the hole”? Reminds of me trying to convince Kent Lockhart and Marlinda Fitzgerald, in 1988, when he was MVP of the SF Pro Am league to send a letter to NBA scouts with his original artwork and the catchline “You need a 2-guard who can really draw fowls”. (Village Voice said of then-client Stew, “Dude is funnier than Jimmy Webb and sings better than Richard Pryor”, circa 2002).

Here is “Check Yes” video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzuLbV5SxzM&feature=related

edit to add, part two: She’s a 5’6″ point guard from American High in Fremont –like my girlfriend Terry Acebo Davis, the Fremont part at least, maybe the whole thing — and they play New Year’s Eve at 2 p.m. versus BYU or skipping ahead to Feb. 11 down here in Santa Clara.

She is third on her team in scoring, at 9 points per game, and first in assists and steals. She has game.

I think she could or should hook up with PMSTA. Or West Coast Songwriters, or Folk Alliance. It also reminds me of that label in Daly City Classified Records, Jocelyn Enriquez and all that. Or Megan Slankard.

edit to add, part three: She played for Manny Pacquiao, or I should say, she went to meet him somewhere, got access and for better or for worse brought her guitar and a film crew. He was going to drop everything and be her manager but decided not to quit the day job.

Also coming to mind: a) that I miss Anna Fermin “Northern Lights” and I hope this young lady has at least checked out David Byrne’s Imelda song-cycle “Here Lies Love”. The bubble kinda pops or deflates when you watch more of Alex Carbonel but even still she is young and if she got the chance to focus on her music who knows where it could go? Or, there is always room for good people on the scene.

I would want to check her out both at a game and a show. And I am someone who very deliberately went to watch Johnny Dawkins coach for what I could learn about coaching-management; I was impressed by his immersion into the scene and trying to use body language to get his guys in the right places defensively. Go, Alex!!!