cynthia alexander 2007

Cynthia's first hand at bass came when she was asked by Joey to fill in for an absent bahista for a show called Lansangan which had travel photography and music. That led to singing and bassing RUSH and Led Zeppelin for a band called Moonstone in little bars in Davao City.

Not content with that, she took the bus to gig in Dadiangas, Cagayan de Oro, Marawi, and then boarded a ship to Manila. Her band failed auditions at the Hobbit House and Shakey's for lack of a ‘female singer'(!).

Finally she found work as bass girl for a rock showband doing the rounds hotel lounges and bars in Manila and then Singapore (Peppermint Park, Atlantis, Brannigan's at the Hyatt Hotel).

Returning exhausted from playing top 40's music, she joined a 'classical rock' band called HAYP and cut an album with them. HAYP competed at the Yamaha Band Explosion here and in Tokyo where Cynthia won best bass player award.

On the side, she tried her hand as a session musician as a stand in bassist for the Apo Hiking Society. She also gigged with blues guitarist Jun Lopito, rockmetal guitarist Mike Hanopol and poprock diva Lou Bonnevie.

Born in Quezon City, Philippines, Cynthia is borne of the Ayala (Davao) clan of artists, daughter of poetpainter Tita Lacambra-Ayalaand fictionist painter Jose V. Ayala, Jr.; She is the younger sibling of ethnic folk-rocker Joey Ayala. Playing chess with the kuya led to learning guitar chords A E and D at age 7. Years were spent growing up in 166 20th Avenue Cubao and then as a teen, in a seaside home in Hijo Plantation, Tagum, Davao del Norte.

Kingfishers! Diamond! Dagat! Dad! Paintings! Hijo! Mum! Unabridged Webster's Dictionary ! UFO's! Driftwood! Bopeep! Acrylic! Habagat! Bicycles! Saging! Durian! Summer! Ateneo! Aldevinco! Bass! Buhangin! Tito Chito! Alikabok! Eden! MTS! Init! Langit! Langit! Langit! Guitara! Bass! Piano years!

After all that, she decided to spend a few more years playing gongs, other percussion and bass as the then pinakabagong Bagong Lumad for brother Joey Ayala.

She travelled with the group to India (New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Goa, Chandigarh, Pune, Madras, Calcutta), Hongkong, Japan (Okinawa, Osaka), US (New York, Washington, California), Canada (Toronto, Edmonton) Borneo(Rainforest World Music Festival) and New Zealand (Wellington, Aukland) before she finally decided to go solo.