Passion saves soul: UP Fair

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Valentine's Day Salubong at #UPFair2016

"Roots."

Franco, Amen.

The title of UP Fair's show last night, February 13/14, was so fitting. It felt good to be back.

Well, to be clear, I am not an alumna of the University of the Philippines. But since college (PUPian at iskolar din ng bayan) and a few years after graduating, it has been a tradition of mine (together with my college barkada) to watch the uni's annual fair that has featured up and coming, as well as already established acts in the local, alternative music scene throughout the years.

Unfortunately, as I got absorbed by my profession, I found less, lesser and no time at all to go the fair even if I wanted to, badly.

This year, plans to return to UP Fair finally fall through once again despite the backing out of my favorite gig buddy Xerlyn Lanaza. I had three persons to thank, Grace and Guian, two of my good friends at work who also love rock/alternative Filipino music, and my cousin Charles from UP, who bought us tickets ahead of the Saturday concert.

But why go to the #Roots2016 show? Well, of course there is Franco, my favorite local band since Sugarfree disbanded. Speaking of Sugarfree, its former frontman Ebe Dancel was also part of the line up. Completing my must hear musician is indie artist Bullet Dumas. I first heard him in an acoustic set last year and I am hooked. Iba siya.

Another big name in the Saturday line up is mainstream act Parokya ni Edgar, which has been in the music industry for quite a long time already. Matibay ang staying power ng bandang ito. There is also UP Fair favorite Tanya Markova, known for their quirky melodies and lyrics. I quite like them and it would be my first time to hear them live.

As usual, Roots remained to be one of the most-awaited among UP Fair's five-day concert. It is staged by the UP Economics Society and UP Underground Music Community.

With a week of excitement building up in me, it was a bit unfortunate that work finished late last night. We were able to leave office at 9 p.m. already. Tapos trapik (tangna this). Sucks right.

Because of this, I arrived to hear Ebe Dancel's soulful voice already filling the humid air of UP's Sunken Garden. As he wailed the lyrics of "Tulog Na," I was reminded Sugarfree's farewell performance at the fair some three years ago, and other memories related to the song sans UP Fair. Haha.

Now indulge me. After all, it was the night before Valentine's Day and the last time I was at UP Fair was Valentine's Day (click here to read). The difference, I was in a relationship then. This time, I was "independent." #IndependenceDay

Red is the color of love. Love for music. Parokya ni Edgar on stage.

Lest I digress.

Thankfully, despite missing Ebe's set, my friends and I were still in time for the other much-awaited acts. Honestly, I did not know what to expect from then.

Until Parokya ni Edgar started playing. Although I am not really a fan, it was enjoyable enough for me to see the audience singing and jumping along with the band. Simple pero rock, kumbaga. Also, kudos to Chito Miranda, the band's frontman, for attempting to sing "Bagsakan" alone. For those who do not know the song, it is the one where his band collaborated with the late and great Francis M, and today's most prominent Filipino rapper Gloc 9.

The ever quirky and lively Tanya Markova

And then a few underground acts like Tard and The Gory Orgies played in between until Tanya Markova was up next.

I had high expectations from the band, they sound awesome in record. In live, it was so-so especially in terms of vocals. Nevertheless, they fed the crowd with much needed energy as the night was getting deeper.

After Tanya Markova, I thought I was just waiting for Franco to perform. I had lost hope in watching Bullet Dumas live again because I believed he would play earlier than those who had big record labels under their belts.

Not that I belittle him or anything but of course, being an indie singer-songwriter makes him less known to the general public. But not to Roots' concertgoers. Many were awaiting his return after his debut at UP Fair only last year.

And so when I saw him preparing his guitar, my heart leaped. The perfect Valentine's gift.

I soon noticed that I was not the only one shrieking in impatience to hear Bullet live. It was good to hear many youngsters cheering for him!

Si Bullet at ang kanyang gitara.

Bullet opened his short but sweet 15-minute set with my favorite song of his, "Ninuno," which calls on Filipinos to honor our ancestors by protecting Mother Earth.

It was followed by "Tugtog," which as he told in his spiel, was inspired by the the beating sound of the heart which as he observed, sounded like "tug-tog, tug-tog."

While Bullet was at his element as usual, his male percussionist and female bassist (sorry I did not get their names) that night were also awesome. Thanks to them, Bullet's music became fuller and even more intricate.

To cap his performance, he was suddenly joined by spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo for a truly heart-breaking, hugot-filled collaboration. The feels man!

Salamat sa malupit na set Bullet. Sa susunod muli.

And finally, Franco and his band. What is there to say? Whenever that man is on stage, he is sure to set it on fire.

He started his gig with a song nobody seemed to know. I hope it's a new one for a new album. Wished he talked about it naman.

Francoception.

And then the classic "Castaway" from band's the self-title debut album released way back in 2009. This definitely pumped everybody up. Picking up the pace even more was another hit "Better Days," but this time from second album Soul Adventurer. Without a doubt, both songs brought hands and horns up in the air.

I did wish Franco played "Uprising," because it is timely now that election period in the country has began. It about "Babylonian politicians" after all!

Ending the Valentine's eve was "Song for the Suspect," to which the musician of Cebuano descent said: "Sana hindi pa kayo nagsasawa dito!"

I say never.

One love, jah love
Come and feel the vibe
He's given us the herb
Rising from under the earth
With soul we can unite
So give me and pass me the light
Throw away all your hate come, come with me

With that, I am happy to report that despite only six and a half musicians left to listen to, my thirst for live alternative Filipino music was quenched. Solb!

As a side note, I was a bit disappointed to see how UP Fair had become overly commercialized with booths of big enterprises scattered all over the Sunken Garden. Of course this is positive development but it made one feel that the fair had lost ample space for concertgoers to just hang around.

But well whatever. As long as one is there for the music. Hope to be back next year!

As post script, I finally returned to UP Fair with a decent camera! So...

(ALL PHOTOS ARE MINE. TAKEN FUJIFILM XE1)

Saturday, March 9, 2013

The UP Valentine's (a)Fair

The morning after Valentine's Day, I woke up with my body sore from slamming, and voice hoarse from screaming. It was a passionate night--of rock and roll.

For a young pretty (yes, I just had to claim that) woman who did not have a Valentine's date, the next best thing (probably even better) to do was to party rock at the annual University of the Philippines Fair concert.

A five-night undertaking, the UP Fair is a much-anticipated event for bringing in many amateur, underground and mainstream bands to play on just one stage.

I had been witness to three UP Fairs already back in 2009 and 2010, then missed the 2011 fair. It is my aim to make it a yearly ritual so that I can unleash my inner rockstar slash hipster slash "koboi" soul. (The truth is I really want to go to so many gigs but I cannot afford because of my very busy work as journalist. A once a year affair will be good enough.)

This year, the universe transpired for me since most of my favorite local bands and artists--Franco and Urbandub most especially--were scheduled to play on Valentine's Day! Besides the first two mentioned, more popular bands included in the awesome line-up were Kamikazee, Up Dharma Down, Sandwich, Itchyworms, Moonstar 88, Maya's Anklet and Giniling Festival, plus the many independent and amateur bands.

The poster for the Roots: A Music and Arts Festival
for Valentine's Day 2013

The very able UP Uderground Music Community was responsible for bringing together these musicians and artists for their Valentine concert titled "Roots: Music and Arts Festival."

From the line-up itself, I knew that it was the night I was supposed to go to! And since it landed on Valentine's Day, I knew immediately that I would date my single girl friends. Unfortunately, from the four, only one was available. But nonetheless, one is better than no one! So hooray for Xerlyn, my awesome (not-so-certified) rakista friend . Also, my UP Fair buddy Julie was greatly missed for she was the one that began this tradition with me!

The perfect date: My rock and roll bestie Xerlyn

Another good friend, whom I will hide under the name Indio Bravo, was also with me most of the night. Thank you tol, kahit na hindi ka babae, ahahaha!

And now to the more exciting part of the story!

The pack arrived at UP at 6:30 pm. We did not want to go in so late, as we were very aware that lines to the ticket booths could go so long you might miss half of the concert.

However, I also realized that when you get too early at the Sunken Garden (the yearly venue), you might find it a bit boring and lifeless! It was not the UP Fair beaming with people and activities that I know!

So we just spend the time eating, walking around, and listening from afar to the unsigned bands from UP's underground music society. Well, perhaps it was the calm before the storm!

After getting loaded from food (my first was isaw what else?!), and tired from walking around the vicinity looking at stalls (surprisingly, there was nothing I could't not buy and left behind), Xerlyn and I decided to just sit amongst the crowd and listen to the early bands. And, I couldn't remember the names of the bands that played early on, mostly all from the campus' underground music society.

The phase finally picked up when Maya's Anklet played their set, followed by another band with a female vocalist, the Moonstar 88. Which was a favorite band of my younger brother, whom I forgot to mention was also there with his classmates. We only saw each other twice, when he arrived, and when he left with my money.

Maya's Anklet picking up the phase

At some point after these two bands, special hosts of the event Ramon Bautista and Bogart the Explorer came out of the stage, and the rest was history! Ahaha! They were outright funny and full of green jokes. I commend Bogart's British accent which I tried imitating for the rest of the night. They truly made the night more memorable.

Ramon Bautista and Bogart the Explorer host the epic night

Next introduced was Sandwich. Well, I didn't know why but Raymund and the rest of the gang just did not appeal to me that night. By this time, the people, all sorts, had gathered! It was so nice to finally see again the UP Fair that I was so familiar with!

Taking a break, my girl friend Xerlyn and I started walking around again, and was taken by a surprise. Apparently, Xerlyn's best friend, Grace, had been in the venue for a long time already and searching for her unreachable friend. Thank you fate! So there, now we were three crazy girls! :)

Best friends reunited

Closely after the reunion, I was startled to hear a man talking. And it stirred something in my consciousness. It was like I have known that voice from the past. True enough, it was ALREADY Franco Reyes of Franco preparing for his set!

So rush to the middle of the chaos I did--followed by my two girls. And OMG! All the memories of fangirling flashed back in an instant to me. :) It was crazy. It was the same musicality and talent I fell in love with.

Franco first sang "Soul Adventurer," the single for his upcoming album. FINALLY! After how many years and changes in the band, he has a new music!

This was followed by "A Mass for the End of Time", and lastly, "This Gathering." I enjoyed both because honestly, I love all the songs from the band's first album. There was a time in my life that I was only listening to it--nothing else mattered--I was almost breathing them.

Needless to say, it was Franco who first had my body that night. :)

The bearded guy in black Tshirt and darkness, Franco my first love

After Franco, I forgot what else transpired. Ahahaha! Kidding. I think another unsigned band played. But the next popular I remembered playing next was Itchyworms. They were a good entertainer band, in a way that they know how to please the audience especially with their song choices.

After Itchyworms, the next highlight of the night came. They were called the Urbandub. This band, I also started listening to them back in college. From the "First of Summer," I knew firsthand how good they were musically and vocally. They were no nonsense band. And because of that, I did not learn to "unlove" even if they became mainstream and popular.

Why? Because despite the fame, they did not lose their identity. They did not let themselves be carried away with commercialism, just like other bands. Their sound and soul remained intact album after album, in a way that they evolved into something even better.
And among all the bands that played before them, it was Urbandub that made the entire UP Sunken Garden alive. Everyone was singing, slamming, jumping, screaming and raising their horns up, all in admiration for Urbandub.

So far and yet I felt Urbandub touching my soul

They were that good that they were allowed to sing four songs instead of just three! The first three songs were "Alert the Armory", "Soul Searching", and "Guillotine". And to my delight--well everybody else's too--they departed singing "First of Summer"!

I wish Urbandub sang on for the rest of the evening. But Giniling Festival played next with their drummer Bogart the Explorer. Next up was Up Dharma Down. And hearing two songs from the Armi Millari powered band, I felt content and ready to go home.

My insider (younger brother who also watched with his college barkadas) told me that Bandang Shirley followed UDD, and finally, the conclusion from another hella mighty and crazy band, Kamikazee. I felt kinda sad missing their always wild set, but still, it was a night full of love--for rock and roll.

'Til next year, UP Fair! Rock on!

MORE PHOTOS DURING MY VALENTINE'S 2013