Aireene & The Itch

Aireene Espiritu creates music that embraces folks from all over. Born in the Philippines and raised in the Bay Area, she’s a veteran singer/songwriter who’s honed an extensive book of original songs combining Afro-Caribbean and African rhythms, American folk forms, bluegrass techniques and gospel music fervor. As a young musician she absorbed the sounds of Alan Lomax’s field recordings from the South, as well as her uncles’ Filipino folk guitar fingerpicking. Accompanying herself on guitar and ukulele, she gained widespread attention with her critically hailed 2016 tribute to the great R&B singer Sugar Pie DeSanto, Back Where I Belong (Little Village Foundation). She followed it up with A Color-Coded Symphony, an album and interactive musical experience designed to nurture curiosity and openness towards other cultures through music. She’s also part of The Sampaguitas, singing Filipino folk songs and originals in three-part harmonies. Her primary project, Aireene & The Itch, features a veteran cast of masters with Karl Sevareid on bass, Derrick “D’Mar” Martin on drums, Tony “Macaroni” Lufrano on keys and Bob Welsh on guitar. The group plays mostly Espiritu multi-genre originals, drawing on the blues, alt-country and roots influences from a third-culture Filipina-American.