another music appreciation lessons @ 19East

I get regular gig updates from 19East, and for the month of May I zoomed in on what gigs are set for my birthday weekend...and when I saw that on May 22 there were 3 musicians up - Itchyworms, Julianne and Silent Sanctuary - for a small and affordable entrance fee..and I thought...why the hell not?!

Unfortunately though, since we had dinner first - me together with mJ and Patch - we kinda missed the first set which was Itchyworms! We were having dinner outside the venue which had it's own music blaring in the outside speakers so we didn't realize that the band was already playing inside....By the time we went in - to a not so SRO crowd - they were down to their last 2 songs?! Huwat?! Well it was around 11pm by then anyway...Still the band was good they seem to be just like having a jammin of their own in one of the bandmates' living room haha... Will have to watch them live again to give them a more appropriate "review"

And up next...Julianne! wohoo! It's been a loooooong time since I've seen her perform - live or on TV (which I hardly do much of anyway)...and still she makes each performance endearing and intimate with her soulful and passionate renditions of her originals...We were glad to hear too that she has plans for another album...and she sang her new song "Liwanag" - will watch out for that for sure! Isn't it obvious that she is one of the musicians that I love to watch?

The next band to perform that night was not familiar to me - like all the other bands haha - But Silent Sanctuary amazed me to say the least... I didn't expect that you can mix string instruments - violin and cello - with the usual band instruments of rhythm and bass and all that... At first their songs were too loud for my taste - maybe beacuse they were singing live and the acoustics in the place really amplified their performance - but their songs whihc were mostly in Filipino seemed more heartfelt and "totoo"... I honestly don't like songs "na pang-masa" and those novelty songs coz their too cheesy for me ... but the band's songs were hmmmm worth listening to even if I hardly understood the lyrics haha... maybe this is a sign for me to get a copy of their album and see for myself really...i mean really....Hmmmm.... Silent Sanctuary seems like another band that I can look forward to ...

to see more of the photos taken @ 19East click on any of the photos above

old school...new repertoire...same worries

I believe I mentioned before that I have friends who are getting married this year - among the hundreds of brides this year haha...and I accompanied my friend to her wedding gown designer - well it isn't a closed deal yet but it seems a given anyway

But gosh! just listening to them talk shop...I mean talk about wedding preparations...any groom who's financially restricted would gag and or faint at the figures...goodness! This is the first time I've heard how much a wedding dress and entourage package would cost...and by golly! pwede bang ready to wear na lang?! but of course...you only want the best for your wedding right? hahaha... I bet you guys know some figures and designers and I will not bore you anymore... but what really fascinated me that night was how candid the designer Reggie was...he said/she said haha...that it's nice to establish some kind of rapport or friendship with the bride so they could meet everyone's expectations...and be invited to the wedding too! haha... and listening more to them swapping stories of other wedding experiences - not theirs of course but of others - and comparing venues and caterers and all that...was starting to give me this tingly excitement down my spine for my friend's wedding...which she hasn't prepared much for! haha! kidding!

*****

After our stop at her designer...and having another mini burger and tacos at Icebergs (you should have seen this mJ! another Hooters experience haha) we headed off to 19East that night to have... a bottle of CALI SHANDY! woohoo!

I remembered that the first few times when I was watching gigs here... I only drank this non alcoholic beverage...coz aside from me not wanting to drink beer or any alcoholic beverage that time...I really can't stomach drinking San Mig beer or watever kind of beer... but oh well things have changed...haha!

Now that is old school... enough said! haha

*****

The real reason we were at 19East was to watch this gig of my old-favorite band MYMP... gosh! so missed watching them and it was such a treat listening to them perform that night... and it was really apparent from their new repertoire that yup! it's been ages since I last watched them...I think that's roughly 2 years ago! haha

Unfortunately and as expected I wasn't able to name all the songs they played that night.. and Joy was no help either! We just had fun guessing the song title and getting it wrong I believe! haha... I also just had fun going trigger happy with Joy's camera - which photos I would see in roughly by November! haha - and darn! I didn't to catch the green stage lights with my digicam! haha

as expected from my digicam...grainy shots

Throughout their 2nd set... I made an effort and recalled and listed down their songs.. there were a lot of new more recent songs... like I'm Yours by Jason Mraz - this impressed Joy so much and made her proclaim "gusto ko na sila!" haha...and That's What You Get by Paramore - they had fun playing that one! and a few others which I can't name! haha...

But what we enjoyed was their mushy cheesy old school 2nd set!... Aside from singing their usual covers: Power of Two...Especially For You...Everything Little Thing (He Does is Magic)...Piano in the Dark...and Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now...we were treated to renditions of Fast Car by Tracy Chapman... Iris by Googoo Dolls - I really didn't guess this one till the middle of the song and to think this is one of my all-time fave songs! goodness! - Fallen... When She Cries? haha another guess that one... and their version of Set You Free (originally done by SideA)... they even asked someone from the crowd to jam with them...and a foreigner gamely went onstage and sang My Girl! nyaha! another old school!... They then finished off with their latest song... Now - a song Joy listens to and just discovered that night who sang it! haha - and their anthem Tell Mew Where It Hurts and finally, Get Me...

Obvioulsy I enjoyed that late Monday night/morning haha! Now I know who else I can drag to watch other MYMP gigs! (calling jeff! haha)

to see more grainy photos click here

music appreciation lessons @ 19East

I sooo miss watching gigs at this venue!....and only Sitti can make me watch there again haha...

When I learned about the Sitti Lights bar tour and saw her slated to perform at 19east...I already penciled it in my calendar...so there were a lot? of disappointed people? - I for one was - at merk's bar on my birthday haha...Really didn't plan to watch that gig in Makati in the first place...and was eagerly anticipating the one at 19east coz that was - so to speak - my home turf! haha...(that reminds me same time last year I also celebrated my post bday at one of sitti's gig at the mandarin...this is becoming a habit hehe)

enough of that...

So since I'm used to the gigs at 19East...I knew it would start late....so I left the house around 9pm...and less than 3 hours later...after 2 front acts by this lady named Marielle? (discovery of Marissa Sanchez...she's good huh...may future ang girl) and this contestant of the Little Big Star? contest named Patrice... (I really don't like kids singing songs making them too old for their age)...

Sitti finally hits the stage

There were a few new songs - to my ear anyway...was used to hearing her sing her "intro" song - Berimbau...but she started with the song Batucada sa Calesa (tama ba teri?)...then went into Berimbau...and singing songs from her mybossanova album: Ikaw Lamang (special request ng absent na si flora)...Kung Di Rin Lang Ikaw...Cross My Heart...and songs from her Sitti Live album: Voce Abuso...Lanca Perfume...Pais Tropical (Sitti exclaimed that it's been eons and light years since she sang this song at gigs)...and the famous song by Sergio Mendes: Put a Little Love Away (unfortunately mJ wasn't around to coach me in jotting down the song titles so forgive me for some minor mistakes hehe) - I first thought this was saving a little love or something....sorry! palpak ako sa name that tune...Alvin & Teri had to help me that night haha - another song from her album...Look of Love....and before the next song she sang a bossa nova version of a birthday song and greeted all the celebrants in the house...yey! and sang my fave of course! the medley - O Pato / Bimbom / So Danco Samba (tama ba mJ? hehe)...then she segued to this song that neither one of us knew the title but I think it was Brazil...

then she called on stage - Radha...grabe! can that girl sing! hanep! saan nya nakukuha powers nya?! ang galing ha! They sang Don't you Worry bout a Thing...and Radha sang If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keys....after that short break...Sitti returned to do 2 more sets!...joke!

the next song...she did say...she was singing just two notes..."It's not..." then all the audience exclaimed...awwwwww!...upon hearing the first lines of the song Nearness of You...another special request now by Mayor Bernabe (yup the mayor of Paranaque was in the house) - Girl form Ipanema...gosh! I missed this!...and rocking the house with the aero expert Mhyk with Magalenha - but of course!...

and when she sang Shaker Song (I really still can't identify this song unless someone tells me haha) she introduced our Sittizens Outreach Project for the Batulao scholars and started passing around the canister...thanks for your generosity!

she ended the night with the all time bossa nova theme song - at least for me - Mas Que Nada...

of course not! she had one more set...joking again!...after being egged on by the crowd to do an encore...she finally gave in to the chanted requests and sang Para Sa Akin....awwwww really?! for me? hehe

so do I really need to do this? what else do you expect? of course I loved the show! plus points to the bandmates Naldy and his egg-shaker-jamming, backup vocals of Adam and JC and of course Steven! wohoo!...I give the guys 4 out of 5 for doing a mean Magalenha! wohoo!...and to Sitti of course...biased ako eh...I did love - and always do - her giddiness and playfulness onstage...esp when she discovered that the mayor of Paranaque was in the house haha...she became all prim and proper after that...not! haha...so I give Sitti 11 out of 10 haha...plus points for her flexibility! - she stretched and extended the canister to the audience from the stage haha (wait for Mia's pics to see what I mean)

*****

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