Help us celebrate the encore appearance of Philly soul sister Alma Horton (a.k.a. Lady Alma) as we drop a special "Extra" Garage 416 event. In addition to her classic floor shakers like "Count On Me", Hold It Down" by 4Hero and "Happiness" by King Britt's Sylk 130 which blew-up the last Garage 416, Alma will be singing her new single "Lies" on Diaspora Records and her soon to be released single "In The City" on King Street Records! This special presentation will also feature Dave Campbell on the second floor of Una Mas spinning a mixture of classic house, soul, funk, disco, and R&B. The first floor will feature our regular format with the Garage 416 favourites Blueprint and Moreno. Plus, we'll have live afro-percussions by iDrum.

Alma Horton's Bio:
Firmly ensconced as true force amid Philadelphia's thriving music scene is Sylk 130's Alma Horton, one of the most celebrated vocal talents emerging from the City of Brotherly Love Introduced to captive audiences worldwide via King Britt's acclaimed 1998 LP, When The Funk Hits the Fan, Lady Alma now stands on the threshold of solo stardom. Her debut single, "Count On Me" on Diaspora Records, bowed to enthusiastic reviews at the 2001 Miami Winter Music Conference, and thanks to nightclub demand, buzz is brewing for "Hold It Down", her infectiously funky contribution to "Creating Patterns", the recently-released LP from pioneering UK outfit 4Hero.

This past year was an especially rewarding one for Alma: she dazzled audiences nationwide with a white-hot string of successful shows, including opening for Moby and David Morales in Acapulco, Mexico; Mos Def in Austin, Texas and The Roots and Jaguar Wright in Philly and New York City. She bested over 80 contestants to win first place in the 2001 Absoult Jam Session, an eight-week, cross-genre artist's competition. And, after wowing standing-room-only crowds everywhere from Los Angeles and Toronto to Atlanta and London, she's currently a Best Female Vocalist nominee at the 2001 Philadelphia City Paper awards.

A standout among OkayPlayer's Black Lily all-stars, Alma is Renaissance woman of the realest kind, with a vocal range as vast and fluid as the music she embraces - gospel, R&B, house, acid jazz and of course, soul. An appreciative editor at Mixer magazine declared that "finally hearing 'Happiness' [from King Britt's Sylk 130 Re-Members Only] made the hair on the back of my neck stand up." Alma's distinctive voice, described by a recent profile in Philadelphia Weekly, is "like a roller coaster, dipping, then racing to the top. She can scat like Louie Armstrong, then hit a note once thought to be the exclusive domain of Chaka Khan. From chillin' with friends in the light dance track 'House Party,' to the love story that is 'The Way', Horton's lyrics incorporate her life experiences."

And what a life it's been. Born in San Diego, Alma found her voice at the age of three, performing with an adult church choir. By the time she was 10, Alma had already toured the country coast to coast, a firm foundation for the extensive musical and vocal instruction gleaned from celebrated Philadelphia institutions such as the Girard Academic Music Program, Settlement Music School and the renowned Freedom Theater, where she also studied theater and dance. "The best part of that type of creative environment was learning and grasping musical theory, but not just the stodgy kind," Alma says of her formal-yet-informal training. "We were reading notes and writing songs, but also being taught to be individuals, to find our own unique selves in music. And I learned that, where others walk straight, I'd rather zig-zag. I don't want to be boxed in."

A performer, songwriter and arranger of the highest caliber, Alma's had many an opportunity to put her philosophy into practice over the years, having collaborated with some of music's most progressive artists: rocker G. Love ("Music Is Love"), renowned poetess Ursula Rucker ("Spring"), drum'n' bass forerunners 4Hero ("Hold It Down" and "Somethin' But Nothin'") and, of course, King Britt and the Sylk 130 collective ("When The Funk Hits the Fan," "Last Night A DJ Saved My Life," "Happiness" and "Give It All You Got"). Remarkably, the only thing these acts appear to have in common is Lady Alma's searing, soaring vocal blessing. Both she and her music have a contagious energy that resonates long after the song's over.

"I was 22, and standing on a stage at Drexel University," Alma says, describing her "ah-ha" moment -- the minute she knew she was on her chosen path. "The reaction from people in the crowd, people who didn't know me, was overwhelming. They clapped for me like I was the number-one artist on Billboard, and that adoration, that feeling … I knew this was something that I needed to do." With an innate love of all things creative, the support of a loving, musically-inclined family and influences like Walter Hawkins & The Hawkins Family, Billie Holiday and Jimi Hendrix, as the wind in her sails, she's been flying since.

"I'm ecstatic about being able to work with so many great people on so many great songs," Alma says. "You can't have a closed mind in music. If your mind's closed, you're not going to grow. Music's not just one petal, it's an entire flower with many petals, many seeds, made up of many sounds and inspirations. Growth comes from inspiration, but in order to be inspired, you have to first inspire yourself."

Alma Horton set Garage 416 afire with her funk & soul and electrifying stage presence in her last appearance; do not miss it as she does it again!