Mga Orig na Tula, Kanta, at Dalawang Gitara at the Conspiracy Bar

November 8th, 2006

I remember seeing Anne Curtis once, at the set of Nuts Entertainment when she was with GMA 7. There was another time my friends and I saw Christine Jaca - though I can’t for the life of me recognize her - and there was another time I saw Arnold Clavio in Megamall. Nancy Castiliogne and Alessandra de Rossi used to be regulars at a coffee shop near where I live. Truth be told, living in Manila, you see celebrities all the time even without meaning to, so city-folk are pretty much used to it. Even growing up in the province as I did, it wasn’t that big a deal. They’re just people. I don’t get star struck, and I’m almost never at a loss for words.

Until I’m face to face with Joey Ayala and Heber Bartolome, that is.

These people aren’t just musicians, they are makata - poets of the highest order. Poets who believe in something, who stand for a cause - the event, aside from something of a birthday jam for Heber, is a fund raiser for Dr. Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo, who was charged with harboring fugitive rebel soldiers belonging to the Magdalo group. I have no words to describe the experience of coming face to face with someone who had such a profound influence in me wanting to play music (Ayala), and someone who is such a cornerstone of Pinoy protest folk-rock (Heber and Levi Bartolome). Well, maybe one comment: it’s weird looking at Joey Ayala with short hair - considering all the tapes I used to have had pictures of him with long hair :D I told him about how I loved his instrumental song “Duyan”, spending hours trying to play it, and how his song “Ikaw ug Ako” was key to my earliest relationship. He laughed, and said congratulations. Yup, star struck.

It was standing-room-only for most of the night, and I felt like a fish out of water at first: it was such an intimate affair (Heber’s birthday celebration/jam) that everybody seemed to know each other. I finally made my way to an empty seat up front, literally spitting distance of the small stage, beside a makata (apparently a good friend of Heber’s). Sometime during the show he asked me what I did, and I was at a loss: do I say web developer? Too techie. Musician? Here, amongst people what define the word? I wasn’t worthy of the term. I finally said that I’m here because I have write a music blog and that Ka Heber mentioned the event, to which he said something like, “cool, I write too.” Which had me kicking myself in the head - the guy recited a beautiful poem about Heber’s painting just moments before, and I couldn’t help but think to myself: he writes, I just relate.

Like I said, star struck.

All this, of course, while Pete Lacaba was on stage reciting his poems and reading a moving letter sent to him from a jailed activist. I don’t much remember the details of the letter, just the gist, which went something to the effect of (and I’m translating from Tagalog) “By November 11 I’ll have spent 200 days in this tomb for the living … I lie in my cell but I must not grow comfortable in this cage … I must not come to accept my situation … (implying) I am meant to be free, and I must not accept this”. Notes. Dammit. Next time, I’ll write down notes. I’m working from memory here, and everything’s so fuzzy at 2 AM.

Other things of note: there was an impromptu(?) balagtasan - the first I’ve seen, I’m ashamed to say - and it was both hilarious and amazing to watch. Here were two guys (one more than the other, though), deftly sparring with words in Tagalog so profound my head spun. I could swear they were making it up as they went along, and it was an amazing display of wordsmithing, lunge, parry, riposte, counter. Armida Siguion-Reyna sang, too, and it was a sight to see. I never knew that about her (then again, I don’t know much about her). She had such a powerful presence, and the songs were so moving, it was all I could do not to choke up, particularly when she sang a song about a parent’s love. Awesome stuff.

Enough talk: I uploaded what videos I was able to take on Youtube, so here goes.

I took some pics too, you can check them out at my Flickr account.
 

7 Responses to “Mga Orig na Tula, Kanta, at Dalawang Gitara at the Conspiracy Bar”

  1. jhay Says:
    November 8th, 2006 at 6:45 am

    waaa! Now I wished I have been there. Conspiracy is definitely the bomb! Be back to spend more time with this post and to see all the videos. Salamat sa pagbabahagi! :D

  2. Jorge Says:
    November 8th, 2006 at 9:33 am

    Forgot to add… there was a moment when Armida Siguion-Reyna was singing, and Heber quipped: “galingan mo ma You Tube yan”, referring to a professional-looking guy taking photos and videos. Ms Siguion-Reyna didn’t get it, but I couldn’t help but chuckle, as I was taking a video myself :p

  3. heber Says:
    November 11th, 2006 at 4:33 am

    jorge,

    my gig last tue sa conspiracy was dedicated to my plebeian brod dodong nemenzo, not a fundraiser for him, wala naman kikitain yung P100 entrance sa dami ng libre, simpatya lang dahil si dodong ay tunay na makabayang kinasuhan ngayon ng rebellion.

    sa lunes, 13th, kailangan nya ng suporta, eto yung kanyang txt msg sa akin atbp: i need all my friends in my hearing for charge of rebellin. it’s backed by malacanang so i’ve little chance for justice unless UP people stand by me. if convicted, penalty is life imprisonment. if u think i dont deserve that fate, pls show up and bring others at multipurpose hall, dept of justice, padre faura, on nov 13 at 10am.–dodong nemenzo

    heber

  4. Pete Lacaba Says:
    November 19th, 2006 at 1:30 am

    Nabanggit mo rin lang ang sulat na binasa ko sa Conspiracy, narito ang ipinost ko sa aking Plaridel Papers egroup tungkol sa detained activist na nagpadala ng sulat:

    Kahapon, Nobyembre 11, 2006, ay ika-200 araw sa
    kulungan ng limang detenidong nakilala sa tawag
    na Tagaytay 5–Axel Pinpin, Aristides Sarmiento,
    Rico Ybañez, Michael Masayes, at Riel Custodio.
    Ang lima ay inaresto sa Tagaytay City, inakusahan
    ng rebelyon, at kasalukuyang nakakulong sa Camp
    Vicente Lim.

    Nakilala ko ang isa sa mga detenido, si Axel
    Pinpin, noong maging fellow siya sa isang UP
    writers’ workshop at kabilang ako sa panelists.
    Pagkaraan noon ay nagkita-kita kami
    paminsan-minsan, halimbawa’y sa annual reunion ng
    workshoppers sa UP Diliman tuwing Disyembre.

    Nitong nakaraang linggo ay nakatanggap ako ng
    sulat mula kay Axel. “Malamang ay absent ako sa
    poetry night ngayong December,” sabi niya. “Wag
    kayong mag-alala, kaylanma’y di nila
    maibibilanggo ang aking dila at diwa.”

    Parang prose poem ang simula ng sulat, kaya irereproduce ko rito:

    ——————————————————–

    Pinakamaalab na pagbati sa kabila ng napakalamig
    na pakiramdam sa likod ng mga rehas! Sa Nov 11
    ‘06 ay ika-200 araw ko dito sa libingan ng mga
    buhay. Dito sa hindi ko naman bahay. Dito sa
    hindi ko tirahan. Ayaw kong masanay sa lamig ng
    sahig. Kaylanma’y di ako rito dapat mahimbing.
    Ayaw kong masanay maligo nang paupo, kaylanma’y
    di ako rito nagiginhawahan. Ayaw kong masanay sa
    ilang hakbang sa galaan, kaylanma’y di ako rito
    makakarating sa aking pupuntahan.

    Ayaw kong masanay…

    ——————————————————–

    Ang hiling pala ni Axel: Sana makapagpadala kayo ng mga babasahin.

  5. jorge Says:
    November 22nd, 2006 at 8:11 pm

    Sir Pete,

    Salamat sa pagbahagi sa amin ng poem na yoon, subukan kong kausapin ang mga kaibigan ko baka may mga lumang libro sila. Nandun kasi sa probinsya mga libro ko eh.

  6. JOEL MALABANAN Says:
    November 27th, 2006 at 12:57 pm

    Jorge,

    Ako iyong isang nakipagbalagtasan sa CONSPIRACY. Si Mike Coroza ng Ateneo
    yung isa na mas magaling kaysa sa akin. Kaibigan ako ni Axel Pinpin na nakakulong
    sa Camp Vicente Lim. Malaking bagay na matulungan natin si Axel kahit sa
    pamamagitan ng pagdalaw at paglalathala ng mga tula niya (may websayt din
    ang mga tula niya.) Panghuli, baka may kuha ka ng larawan ng balagtasan namin
    o nung kumakanta ako ng AWIT KAY MACARIO SAKAY (kung napanood mo), malaking bagay para sa akin kung mapapadalahan mo ako ng kopya. Isang
    malaking karangalan na si Joey Ayala ang nagsilbing gitarista ko noong gabing iyon. At siyempre, malaking karangalan din ang maging kabahagi sa programa
    ni Heber Bartolome. Malamang, ang nakausap mong makata ay si FRANK RIVERA.

    Daghang Salamat,

    Joel Costa Malabanan
    Guro, Saint Vincent de Paul College
    Bacoor, Cavitite

  7. JOEL MALABANAN Says:
    July 21st, 2007 at 3:17 pm

    Kumusta? Nasa iltabenla.multiply.com
    ang aking mga kanta. Sana
    ay mapakinggan mo. Salamat.

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