Alejando Aranda @ The Sultan Room - New York, NY
June 10th 2026: Alejando Aranda, Jake Swamp and The Pine, Amelie Lucille @ The Sultan Room - New York, NY
Alejando Aranda - Photos Courtesy of: Lesley Keller
Out of the gazillion seasons that have aired of the hit music competition show American Idol, there are a plethora of names that spring to mind when you’re talking about memorable auditions. Among those names near the top for me sits Pomona, CA-based Alejandro Aranda. Singing two of his original songs, “Cholo Love” and “Out Loud,” I can squarely remember looking up from my doom scrolling and wondering “Who the heck is this absolutely killing it on the guitar & piano?!?” Naturally, when I saw the chance to finally catch Alejandro live, I knew I had to be at The Sultan Room on a muggy Wednesday evening to witness the talent firsthand.
Easing us into things was NY-based Amelie Lucille. Accompanied by a cellist and violinist, my eyebrows shot up in surprise when I heard her begin to sing. To put it lightly, her voice rang through with more gravitas than I expected, and the crowd was pin-drop silent as she moved through each selection. I would later learn that evening that Amelie is 17 years old, and that fact struck me because at that age I remember sitting at home playing video games. If I was a betting woman, I’d bet that Amelie’s talent will carry her through a long career ahead.
Next up was Jake Swamp and The Pine - hailing from Boston, Massachusetts. Normally a full band, we were greeted by singer, songwriter & guitarist Drew Zieff, who launched into his set after a bit of lighthearted tuning and warm-up. From the first moment he opened his mouth and gave way to a voice that made everyone lower their drink, Drew alternated between captivating stories and immersive songs that touched on themes of triumph, pain and all the things in between.
Finally, everyone came a little bit closer to the stage when Alejandro walked on. Grabbing everyone’s attention, he dove straight into a song that honestly felt like it lasted at least 20 minutes, and I mean that in the best of ways. Everyone else in the room and I were captivated by how effortlessly the music poured out of him. As his hands moved over his guitar, I was in disbelief at how good this performance was, and it was just the first song of the night! A stunningly bold choice to rip 5 blistering guitar solos that morphed with relative ease, coupled with minimal lyrics and tender vocals, but it absolutely worked. Suddenly, I realized this is exactly how those American Idol judges must have felt upon first hearing Alejandro unleash his talent.
Defying standard genre definitions, the musical choices he makes are boundlessly interesting. There seems to be no telling where a song will transition to from one chord to the next, and I have to say, coupled with a gentle voice like his, the juxtaposition works beautifully. After a hilarious story of how he met, recorded music, and eventually toured with Twin Shadow, which then led him to that fateful audition, “Out Loud” settled into his set at the perfect time, and once again everyone in the room was captivated, punctuating the close of a stellar evening of music in Brooklyn.
Jake Swamp and The Pine
Amelie Lucille
