Seeing is believing

As I was browsing through my photo blog (or log, whatever), I realized that I treated myself to some good music during the first half of the month. I like seeing and hearing musicians live on stage, basically to see what they're made of and to better appreciate their musicality.


1 October - The CompanY at the CCP Main Theater

I am not really head over heels in awe of this group. In fact, I don't recall ever being an avid follower. Besides, I can only manage a handful of their songs that I like. But, hands down, they are at their best doing a cappella. Then again, I haven't watched a single concert of this group, so...

So the timing could not have been more perfect when Meng told me that The CompanY was having a concert to mark their 20th anniversary (!). Not being a diehard fan herself, I wondered why she was quite eager to watch it. Turned out there was a line-up of formidable guest singers in the concert. Okay...

So off we went, buying tickets at the last minute, somewhat surprised upon finding out that they were almost sold out. I think we'd need binoculars?

Our balcony tickets notwithstanding, we saw and heard them clearly. Thank heavens the venue was an auditorium. The audience were expectedly gushing over old OPM faves - Now That I Have You, Muntik na Kitang Minahal, Pakisabi Na Lang, Baka Ikaw. They even gave Eraserheads' Ang Huling El Bimbo and Viva Hot Babes (?) Bulaklak a funky and jazzy twist. Neat! They were nothing if not versatile that night. Maybe that was their whole point. We got it.



6 October - Catherine Tuttle at the Podium

"..that was Alone by Catherine Tuttle. Catch her tonight at the Podium..." That was all I heard as I flipped the dial to 92.3. In the last few days, I was shifting between 105.1 and 92.3 in the hopes of catching her voice. Talk of miserably bad timing.

Dragging Meng along, we found ourselves mingling with predominantly foreign crowd. A few minutes after settling in our seats, Catherine came up on stage unobtrusively. Only 18 years old, she endeared herself to the crowd with her down to earth manner. She was so unpretentious. Why, in the middle of her performance, she borrowed a pen from the audience, flipped her hair with it, and, voila, an instant hairclip! I even noticed she removed her slip-ons, the wooden sandals presumably preventing her from feeling the rhythm of the piano more accurately. I like her! :)

I am not a critic, Bloggie, but I felt like I was listening to a younger version of Carole King, or Sarah Maclachlan, or Tori Amos even. I bought a copy of her cd (of course!). Turned out she composed all of the tracks except for Rescue Me. Neat!

'Twas good! She was good!



7 October - Mishka Adams at the Podium

I was ecstatic to learn that Mishka would be back by this time (from London) to cap the week-long Candid International Jazz Festival. I longed to see her perform live, longer please.

She's better heard live, her voice so smooth it practically rendered the crowd clamoring for more, more, more! Without a doubt, it helped that Mishka was backed up by equally gifted musicians whose improvisation must have stopped passersby on their tracks, pulled by the force of truly wonderful fusion of sound coming from the instruments.

I was with Meng. Again. Come to think of it, Bloggie, she is very much a sport when it comes to indulging my taste in food, clothes and, yes, music. The events of the preceding days could attest to that. Anyway. She'd heard Mishka before but she was not that, uhh, enthralled by her. I can tell you, Bloggie, that it all changed when she saw and heard her in person. She was positively gushing after a few awkward moment. I told her it was all right as I nudged her to look all around.

I can't wait for her next album.