In 2022, my band Goisagi was trying to figure out how to get past the pandemic slump with our music family intact. Taiko drumming is meant to be an in-person dynamic experience. Strangely, that period brought a vibrant new spark to us, forcing us to loudly innovate our way to the other side. That year, we played SXSW for the first time and released our first EP, Alight.
Soon after, we discovered Amplify 817, a Fort Worth Public Library program that boasts a lengthy roster of Fort Worth talent, artists whose music is part of the library catalog open to the public. We inhaled deeply and hit “submit.”
In 2023, we joined the coveted Amplify 817 program, playing at the annual showcase and being promoted around Fort Worth. It was just the boost we needed, especially in a niche category like taiko. I instantly gained an immense respect for the head of the program, Music Librarian Rita Alfaro. As a fellow librarian and musician, I saw all the upsides. Librarians have the keys to access the written word, tools, and art and share that access. Shedding the old impression of what a library is, Amplify 817 brings in today’s music and musicians for today’s Fort Worth.
Rita Alfaro grew up with music. She performed in ensembles and earned an undergraduate degree in music education, studying ethnomusicology with a focus on music communities and border music before eventually becoming a librarian. So, it should not be much of a surprise that she chose to bridge her two passions and form Amplify 817, a program that supports local music and musicians and that’s marking its five-year anniversary this year.
“Aside from academia, I’ve always been a music fan,” she said, “and I love local shows and music history, and there is so much of that in Fort Worth. Most people don’t see that importance of local music on history and how music can shape a community and in a fascinating way. Amplify 817 is helping to record some of that current history.”
Alfaro makes a good point. Music builds, changes, and connects communities. And supporting musicians is essential to supporting culture. Amplify 817 not only adds music to the library catalog but also creates paid opportunities for musicians and artists through shows, workshops, and entrepreneurship opportunities. The winter round of submissions has just wrapped up, so Amplify 817 will be welcoming new artists to the roster of 118 soon.
Getting to know Rita and see her enthusiasm for local music and promoting the art firsthand inspired me to branch out from pushing only my group to also moshing my way into uplifting others as well, which is why I joined the Amplify 817 panel to help curate new inductees. Made up of musicians, music writers, and fans, together we evaluate musical quality, localness, and presence as well as filling out the program with a variety of genres. Through working with Alfaro on the panel, getting to know her at library events, and watching her in action giving music and musicians her effort and applause, it was thrilling to see what a difference the seed of an idea from one person can make.
Today’s music doesn’t make exceptions for keeping your music to yourself and waiting for the fans to come to you. Musicians today must be multifaceted, not only polishing their lyrics and melodies but also being active in the community. They must push themselves to promote, network, and build new listeners and followers outside their personal network. They need open ears to their message, their music, and their purpose. They need programs and proponents like Amplify 817.
Women’s History Month brings women to the spotlight in March, including in music. Amplify 817 pushes artists to feel comfortable with the platform and community so that they can feel seen and appreciated as professionals. Alfaro makes sure to book, refer, and promote Amplify 817 artists in events, venues, and collaborations.
“The city has such a wide range of featured musicians, genres, and music supporters,” she said, “and there is no shortage of amazing women in the field. We’ve been able to work with women who work in the entertainment management side of things, women who are venue owners or bookers, those who are preserving the music in their preferred genre through teaching and performance, and more! We’ve been able to tap into all of that and feature these leaders and collaborate on events and programs with them.
“I’m a huge fan of everyone on the platform,” she continued, “and every single one of our female musicians is so unique and a powerhouse in their own realm. We have strong songwriters, composers, singers, dancers, actors, multi-instrumentalists, teachers — you name it.”
Looking forward to the next five years, Alfaro said the program will continue adding talent to the mix, showcasing new artists with online write-ups and reaching out in the community and beyond to find them more opportunities to thrive through their art. Alfaro also hopes to add some historic music content to the mix to further highlight local influences.
Alfaro is booking their Amped-Up Concert Tour and Amplify 817 Showcase for the summer, along with a few “small house shows” and “of course working with folks in the community to offer some outside and collaborative programming.”
To support Amplify 817 and the music community, the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation does take donations that go toward paying the local participating artists, but social media support like hearts and shares and spreading the word are valuable, too. Serving for the second time on the Amplify 817 panel, I am now a fan of several new artists and hope to see them keep shining. Amplify 817 is currently looking for contemporary music fans to serve on the panel for the next round of submissions, so reach out, listen, support, and help make new Fort Worth music available to all.
With her new EP, Fort Worth rock singer-songwriter Gabby Minton is embracing experimentation. Read about it in Processing ‘Feelings’ in HearSay.
