Asthmatic in Katipunan
November 11th, 2006
Bar none, Mag:net Cafe in Katipunan is easily my favorite bar not just to play in, but to watch other bands, too. They have among the most attentive waiters I’ve ever encountered. The restroom is quirky, with signages plastered all over the wall saying “Bawal Umihi Dito” (Don’t urinate here) - which is exactly the kind of humor I find absolutely hilarious, seeing as I have a no smoking sign in my room too. 
The jam area is small enough to permit a certain sense of intimacy with the band playing, which is always a good thing. The amps are cool - I played with my first tube amp in Mag:Net - and the outlets for my gadgets are well positioned. The bands we play with are always awesome, too, which I’ll get to in a bit (Lee’s Night). And the crowd has been consistently wonderful, which is a welcome surprise 
All in all, I always have fun playing in Mag:Net. Even despite the fact that it was in Mag:Net that I discovered I most likely have asthma. Now don’t get me wrong - I never claimed to be the healthiest guy in the world *coughCHAINSMOKERcogh* - but I was always proud of the fact that, nicotine aside, I have a healthy, robust pair of lungs. So, now, argh. Argh. ARGH I say! As Quin once said, “loser ka na!” (you’re a loser!). Can’t win them all I guess.
So anyway I was having trouble breathing, and was actually thinking about backing out tonight, which would mean canceling the gig because, as of a couple of weeks ago, FMD is now a four-piece band with me working double-overtime on rhythms and lead - which wouldn’t normally be had except that most of our songs are arranged to have multiple guitars. Did I say argh yet? To add to my worries - I’m always a worry-wart pre-gig - my bandmates haven’t arrived yet, as is their wont. I can’t honestly remember when FMD was actually early for a gig, always in the nick of time. So there I was, palpitating, my heart racing. It’s a good thing I had two gorgeous ladies for company (you know who you are heffa :D) or I might’ve just called it a night. Then Romeo Lee and his band, the Brown Briefs, came on, and I discovered an unlikely cure for asthma: the Blues.
I’m a blues man at heart, and at the first sound of a bent note, followed by a call-and-response, is enough to soothe this troubled soul. Or lung, as the case may be. Yes, I love the blues, and it had me thinking of my days with Far From Sober, with Bugoy and Kuto. Yep, those were fun times, playing without a designated vocalist or drummer and just groovin’.
There’s not much more I can add to describe Lee’s performance except to say that you gotta catch it sometime, as it is well and truly (I know I’m using this word too much now) awesome. The guy can put on a show, I tell you. 
It’s like watching a cross between Pepe Smith, James Brown, Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger, with a dash of slapstick comedy thrown in for good measure. Rock and roll personified. To end their set they played “Wild Thing”, which was a very fitting exclamation point, I think.
Up next were the Snake Charmers, another excellent blues band. By this time I was smoking and singing along, asthma be damned, though I stayed away from alcohol the whole time - a herculean feat, dontcha know. They had this girl jam with them - she had such a superb voice you’d think she was born to sing the blues. Good times all around, and it’s too bad Bajie wasn’t able to make it. If ever I had a friend outside of the band who could really dig the blues, it’s Bajie. But if he was there, I’d probably be drunk, and wheezing, and, well - maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all.
We were next up, and after hearing the other bands perform Carlo (our bassist) and I were into the blues groove as well, and we actually did an impromptu funk soundcheck ala Parliament Funkadelic minus the horns. It’s not a big secret that I love that era of music, from the 40’s to the late 70’s, and I was pumped. I think we played well, all things considered. I finally got our version of Lumba down pat, adjusting it for a single guitar, and Ding, my favorite FMD song, is always hilarious - I’ll probably do a Single Song Breakdown of both as soon as I’m through with the other ones requested by my readers. Tado was supposed to play too, but his band, Live Tilapia, didn’t show up so we ended up having to extend our set, which was fine by me. Everybody had fun, which is always a good thing 
So come watch us play sometime - we have a gig next week in Eastwood City, and I’ll be posting out gig sked as soon as I have confirmation. Till next time, rock awn! \m/
4 Responses to “Asthmatic in Katipunan”
November 18th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
Hey! Nice blog here!
And you don’t mind if I put you in my blogroll…
November 19th, 2006 at 12:13 am
By all means, link me up!
And thank you for visiting 
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:21 pm
[…] on display. Sayang, it was a clever way of telling patrons “CR this way” jut like a smoker has a “no smoking” sign in his room, pa naman sana. Sarcasm is a brand of humor that finds it hard to […]
March 16th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Maybe I’m just not used to loud music, but once I had a terrible experience at Magnet when the music was just so loud my ear drums could not stand it. After wincing through a couple of songs I had to retreat for the gallery below. Otherwise I agree with you its a nice warm atmosphere for jamming sessions.