More than the blues: Alfonso Velez back in D.C. for Georgetown gig

Here’s a quick rundown of people mentioned by musician Alfonso Velez during a short phone interview: Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, Salvador Dali, Ayn Rand, Bill Withers and Philip Glass.

Goes to show you that, with so many different interests, influences and pursuits, why it can be difficult to define Velez’s music. While it’s not off the wall or experimental, the conglomeration of major American musical influences creates an infectious, satisfying sound both easily accessible yet sonically satisfying.

“I’ve tried to do that a lot,” Velez, who performs at Blues Alley in Georgetown on Tuesday night, said of defining his music. The one-time D.C. resident now lives in New York City, where he works as a do-it-all for the New York Times editorial department, including writing obituaries. “I find it’s difficult. I’m a musical kid growing up.”

The music is definitely rock ‘n’ roll, with Dylan and Elvis influences. But it’s an old-school, ’50s-tinged rock ‘n’ roll that comes across as genuine and lacks the level of kitsch retro acts present. It can also be bluesy, folky and poppy, at one time rollicking, the next sleepy.

In August of 2007, Velez moved from D.C. to New York. The 28-year-old has always been nomadic, giving a truthful definition to the modern concept of a traveling troubadour musician, and lived in D.C. for four years. He had a brief run in the local pop-rock band Monopoli before stretching his solo legs. When he got the itch to move, he chose NYC, which has had a tremendous effect on his music.

“It’s made it a lot more relevant,” he said. “It allowed me to find my own voice. It adds an edge to everything. It’s a hard city to live in.”

Why he moved to New York wasn’t Velez turning his back on D.C., but pursuing a lifestyle in one of the world’s most influential cities.

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” he said, adding that he makes his home in a dance studio in Manhattan, giving him enough space to live and record music, a rarity in the city. “I’m young. It’s a great city.

“There’s people there [in D.C.] I hope to keep in my life forever,” he added.

The Blues Alley gig will be a pair of shows featuring a quartet comprising Velez, keyboardist Will Rast, bassist Jerry Ratner and multi-instrumentalist Jerry Busher. Velez promises not to repeat any songs in each of the sets. He also plans to explore his musical life in a progressive manner, touching on his three albums — his debut “Make it Plain,” the recent “The Weather” and the upcoming “Russian Bear” — as well as covering some of his influences.

“My experience and music has been very chronological at this point,” Velez said.