Noel Cabangon stages benefit concert for PETA

September 28, 2012, 8:00 PM

Music Museum

Greenhills Shopping Center

San Juan

Noel Cabangon in concert.

I guess that’s already enough for a blog entry. Kidding aside, singer/songwriter Noel Cabangon’s upcoming concert entitled Tuloy ang Byahe The Concert at the Music Museum happening this September 28, 2012 at 8:00 PM is not just a regular concert that will feature some of the greatest OPM hits sung by him. This music event will also be a fund raiser for the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA).

Noel Cabangon

Speaking of PETA, most people don’t know that Noel Cabangon is a member of PETA since the 1990’s and has been a music director and also composed music for some of the company’s productions. He is also married to PETA’s Executive Director Maria Gloriosa “Beng” Santos-Cabangon. So when I saw the press preview of Bona, it was no longer surprising to see Noel Cabangon among the audience. PETA is currently celebrating their 45^th year and they’ve established a PETA Endowment Fund that aims to raise 50 million pesos just in time for their 50^th anniversary five years from now. Proceeds of Noel Cabangon’s concert go to this fund. Joining Noel in this concert are Bamboo, Christian Bautista, Gloc-9 and other special guests.

I’ve always liked Noel’s music with the Panaginip album being my favorite among the three he has released so far under Universal Records. The other two are the double platinum selling Byahe and Tuloy ang Byahe which was just released a couple of months ago and now fast approaching gold status. 

Noel Cabangon and Kean Cipriano of Callalily

Another thing aside from the PETA connection that most people don’t know is Noel Cabangon’s collaboration with the Embassy of Israel. I’ve been their friend for just a few years but I’ve learned that the Embassy, specifically the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. Yaniv Revach considers Noel Cabangon as one of his favorite Filipino artists. Late last year, Israeli musician Tal Kravitz came back here for the fourth time and recorded a duet with Noel for a CD project by the Embassy. The two recorded Pagdating ng Panahon, a song originally done by Aiza Seguerra who is also one of Yaniv’s favorites. I asked Tal if he could say a few words about Noel and this is what he has to say:

"Last October, 2011, I had the great privilege of recording together with one of the Philippines angels, Mr. Noel Cabangon. 

Apart from the great talent, soothing voice and the guitar virtuosity, this wonderful musician is no less than a modest, humble, sensitive person with a beautiful smile and good eyes!

Tal Kravitz and Noel Cabangon

I do feel very lucky to have met this dear artist and friend!"

These nice words only prove that Noel’s music reaches out to a very diverse audience which are not limited only to Filipinos. And these listeners are in for a treat when they head over to the Music Museum for Noel Cabangon’s Tuloy ang Byahe The Concert. Noel Cabangon is being managed by Orion Entertainment. For inquiries and bookings, please call (0916) 414-0358 or e-mail olrac1023@gmail.com.

Ticket prices:

P2500

P1200

P500

For inquiries:

(0917) 518-3654

TicketWorld 891-9999

6th International Silent Film Festival Experience Part 2

International Silent Film Festival organizers trying out ethnic instruments

Missing one film during the second day of the 6^th International Silent Film Festival made me more determined to complete the rest of the festival’s run. I adjusted my travel time in preparation of whatever unfortunate incidents I might encounter along the way. Amazingly, I experienced little or no traffic at all during the last two days of the festival so I was able to arrive at the Shang Cineplex at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall with lots of time to spare.

La Signora delle Cameglie

With all the opportunities that the Embassy of Italy has given me, there was no way that I was going to miss their film for this year, La Signora delle Cameglie accompanied by music act Garlic. And I should also note that I am familiar with some of the members of Garlic, namely guitarist Francis “Brew” Reyes, bassist Louie Talan and drummer Zach Lucero. So this screening was yet another one that I could not afford to miss. Well, think that this year, I had an impression that I couldn’t afford to miss any of the events during the entire festival.

Originally shown back in 1915, La Signore delle Cameglie, directed by Gustavo Serena and Baldassarre Neuroni was the oldest film screened this year and it showed. The film was shaky with lots of scratches and the storytelling style and shots employed wasn’t as clear or creative back then. But this film was a great window to see how movie making was during the early days and that interested me more than the actual plot of the film which was adapted from the novel La Dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The novel and the film told the story of a sickly courtesan named Marguerite Gautier who became the object of affection of Armand Duval. Marguerite’s declining health coupled with Armand’s father objecting to their love affair both lead to the tragic ending of the film. It’s a good thing that I am already very familiar with the plot of the film thanks to the opera La Traviata which was adapted from the same novel. Throughout the film, I couldn’t help but take note of which parts were similar to the opera and which parts were not. I also noticed that this film used tints to give “color” to the film. Despite being technically a black and white film, the picture had a reddish tint when the story took place during autumn. And then it took on a bluish hue once the story progressed into the winter season.

Embassy of Italy officers and Garlic

The music that accompanied the film could be best summed up in two words for me: understated elegance. Playing down and solidly supporting the film, the music captured the happy go lucky, free wheeling lifestyle during the earlier part of the film. And then the trio was able to switch into a contrasting and heartrending feel when the film got to its tragic ending. They didn’t go for the authenticity of the music of the era but rather went for emotional authenticity.

Pelikula and The Eternity

Before the two films presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines was screened, an art talk featuring French film critic and historian Max Tessier and Filipino film maker Raymond Red. Max Tessier talked about a lot of old films but since I am not really knowledgeable about film history, I wasn’t able to relate much. Raymond Red used the floor to serve as an introduction to the two films, Pelikula and The Eternity that were shown right after the art talk.

Both films were experimental and they are not to everyone’s taste. There wasn’t really much of a narrative especially on the first film Pelikula which focused more on the form rather than the content. The second film, The Eternity had more of a story but it wasn’t easy to grasp. I remember a man submitting an application a few times and then he ends up killing someone. A chase ensues until the man finds himself trap with no way out of his predicament.

FDCP Officers, Max Tessier, Raymond Red and Diwa de Leon with his band

The music for this film was played by Diwa de Leon who also collaborated with Raymond Red with the recent Cinemalaya film, Kamera Obskura. Diwa once again used the hegalong (he brought two in fact), an unusual instrument that is rarely seen and heard in mainstream music. Despite a brief technical glitch, he made the film more accessible through his use of music. After the film was screened, he and the rest of his band played an encore which sent some of the organizers on their feet. So delighted were they that they gamely posed for photos holding the various ethnic instruments.

Safety Last

The film Safety Last, presented by the Embassy of the United States of America was the closing film of the film festival. I am so glad that Mr. Alan Holst, Cultural Officer of the US Embassy chose this film among the many films out there from the United States which was briefly shown through a short clip prior to the screening of the movie. And I am very pleased that they found the perfect music act for this film which is the equally fun band Radioactive Sago Project. At first, I was a bit disappointed that front man Lourd de Veyra wasn’t with the band. But after watching the film, I think that his vocals which are actually spoken, would only serve as a distraction. Instead, the rest of the band played snippets of their vast repertoire throughout the film, cleverly fitting the characters and the hilarious situations from the movie.

US Embassy Cultural Officer Alan Holst and Radioactive Sago Project

I was amazed on how well preserved this film was since it was first shown back in 1923. The film directed by Fred C. Newmeyer and Sam Taylor told the story of a young store clerk who got into a huge mess just because he wanted to impress the girl of his dreams. A quick cash making scheme in order to keep up the ruse that he has actually made it in the big city turned into a hilarious chase up a tall building. One thing I realized while watching the film was that comedy during the silent era had to be physical. Puns, play on words and other spoken things would not be as effective on silent films. While some physical and slapstick comedy may not click with modern day audiences, Safety Last is one prime example of an enduring work whose effectiveness in eliciting laughter didn’t fade over time. One thing I also noticed while watching the film was that the standard of beauty back then was totally different from what is beautiful right now. The female protagonists from the Metropolis, La Signora delle Cameglie and Safety Last all fit the same template. So it was very interesting not only to see the evolution of film throughout the decades but also to see the perception of beauty as well.

Radioactive Sago Project

Prior to the screening of the closing film, closing cocktails for invited guests were held at the Shangri-La Plaza Atrium. It was nice to see Radioactive Sago Project guitarist, Junji Lerma who was a co-adjudicator during the Philippine Popular MusicFestival. In conclusion, it was a very satisfying film festival for me and my only major gripe was that I missed one screening due to circumstances beyond my control. There’s nothing left for me to do but to aim for seeing all films next year when the 7^th International Silent Film Festival happens.

6th International Silent Film Festival Part 1

6th International Silent Film Festival Experience Part 1

Goethe-Institut Director, Dr. Richard Künzel and wife Ricarda

My Cinemalaya experience this year wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I decided that I would make up for it with the next film festival that I would be able to attend. And that film festival happened to be the International Silent Film Festival, the only silent film festival in Asia now on its 6^th year. The main draw in this unique film festival is that while silent films are being screened, a music act performs and scores the film live. It’s this combination of old films from many decades ago that are screened only once and for free along with contemporary music acts that drive people to the Shang Cineplex over at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall. And this year was no exception as people patiently lined up for every screening during the festival’s run.

US Embassy Cultural Officer Alan Holst, Stephane von Bothmer,
Dr. Richard Künzel and Ricarda Künzel

During the opening cocktails, I noticed that the director of the Goethe-Institut Philippinen, Dr. Richard Künzel was taking a lot of photos of the event. It’s not surprising considering that this was going to be his last festival since he’s retiring about a month later. But during the press conference that was held about a week before, he hinted that he might drop by next year, not as a Goethe-Institut official but just as a regular member of the audience.

Metropolis

The opening film for this year presented by the Goethe-Institut was the newly restored Metropolis with live music accompaniment by Rubber Inc. composed of Malek Lopez and Noel de Brackinghe, and supported by Germany’s most celebrated silent film accompanist Stephan von Bothmer. Before the screening, Dr. Künzel told the audience a brief background about Metropolis which was directed by Fritz Lang and was first shown back in 1927. He informed us that the version that we were about to see that evening included about 20 minutes worth of footage that were thought to be lost but was found in Buenos Aires, Argentina just a few years ago. The film told the story of a sheltered, young man named Freder who trades his life of comfort and luxury for a life of an ordinary, nameless worker in perpetual service to the machines running the city Metropolis. I am not entirely sure but this might be one of the earliest science fiction movies that were made. And for a very old film, it’s very impressive that the themes presented in the movie still hold up to the present. It was also very amazing when I saw some shots of Metropolis during the earlier part of the film that looked eerily like present day EDSA.

Noel de Brackinghe and Malek Lopez of Rubber Inc.

As for the music, Rubber Inc. made heavy use of thumping, electronic, techno beats that one might hear at a rave whenever they showed the workers or the depths of Metropolis where the machines are. I was pleasantly surprised when I heard in a couple of occasions portions of Gustav Holst’s The Planets specifically Jupiter and Venus. These two famous tunes were used in a couple of key scenes like the introduction of Maria, the female protagonist and the end when everything gets wrapped up nicely.

La Casa dela Troya

I thought that I was off to a good start but things didn’t go my way on the second day of the festival. Despite timing my journey well, I got stuck at such horrible traffic that made me miss the screening of La Casa dela Troya, the film presented by the Instituto Cervantes. What made me feel more disappointed was that the music act accompanying the film, Sinosikat? along with Spanish musician Ignacio Plaza was among those that I was looking forward to the most. I was really interested to hear how the two acts would collaborate since I had no idea how Lopez’ music sounds. It didn’t make me feel better at all when I heard some feedback from the people regarding the screening. While some people had some reservations about the film, like it being too long, I heard generally positive buzz about the music.

Kat Agarrado of Sinosikat? and Ignacio Plaza

I was Born, but

My friend Roland Samson from the Japan Foundation, Manila would be very disappointed if I failed to catch the screening of I was Born, but featuring the music of reggae band Tropical Depression. This film, directed by Yasojiru Ozu was first shown back in 1932. The Japan Foundation’s director, Mr. Shuji Takatori told the audience before screening the film that Ozu’s masterpiece, Tokyo Story has been regarded by the British Film Institute as one of the best films ever made. And that the film to be screened marked the beginning of Ozu's maturity as a film maker.

Japan Foundation, Manila officers and Tropical Depression

When I first read the synopsis of the film which is about bullied brothers who get disappointed and disenchanted upon learning that their father wasn’t as great as they thought he should be, I found it hard to imagine how all this would fit with the type of music that Tropical Depression plays. Seeing the actual film itself made me think otherwise. There were a handful of kids aside from the brothers who practically stole the whole film with their antics, pranks and naughtiness. Somehow, reggae music did become the perfect musical accompaniment for this screening. I asked members of Tropical Depression their initial impression of the film was and how they were able to come up with the music for it. They confessed that the first copy that they were able to see had no English intertitles at all so they had no idea what was happening. Later on, one of the members was able to find a copy of the film that not only had English intertitles but also had piano music that was similar to those heard in Charlie Chaplin movies. And from then on, they viewed the film numerous times and came up with the music that somehow fit with the movie. The only thing that didn’t fit well during the screening was the aspect ratio which was stretched too wide to the point that the people in the film, especially the kids, had deformed bodies.

I really felt bad that I missed Spain’s entry during the second day. But there was nothing that I could do about it since the festival only screens movies once. I just had to let it pass and focus my energy on catching up on the second half of the film festival.

6th International Silent Film Festival Experience Part 2

Aiza Seguerra celebrates 25 years with major concert

September 28, 2012, 8:00 PM

Smart Araneta Coliseum

Araneta Center

Cubao, Quezon City

If Aiza Seguerra had her way, she would just celebrate her 25^th anniversary in the entertainment industry by just having a drinking session. Fortunately for her many fans, a special concert mounted by MediaNation, Inc., Aiza’s own Blackbird Music Creations and That’s Ntertainment Productions will be in store instead. This highly anticipated event, entitled Bente Singko: Aiza Seguerra Anniversary Concert happens this September 28, 2012, 8:00 PM at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Joining Aiza will be an army of guests who all had a significant contribution in her career. It’s a no brainer that Tito, Vic and Joey, the iconic hosts of Eat Bulaga where Aiza made her debut as a contestant of the show’s Little Miss Philippines segment will take part in the concert. Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano, two pillars of the music industry will also join in the celebrations. Other acts gracing the concert are The CompanY, ASAP Sessionistas namely Juris, Richard Poon, Princess and Nyoy Volante, Gloc-9, Bayang Barrios, and Cooky Chua of Color It Redd. Another special guest in this concert is Krizza Neri, the winner of the show Protégé: The Battle for the Big Break where Aiza served as a mentor. The special participation of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra led by Gerard Salonga and the music direction by Mike Villegas and Ria Osorio further adds how truly special this concert would be.

Aiza Seguerra

Aiza recently met with several bloggers over at Sumo Sam at Gateway to inform us about this concert. She admitted that being a co-producer along with Joed Serrano of That’s Ntertainment Productions meant that she had more on her plate than just the performance aspect of the concert. It’s amazing to think that she started out as a phenomenal child star 25 years ago and she’s 28 years old right now. That means that she has practically lived all her life in the entertainment industry. Not everything was rosy for her as she struggled in the transition from being a child star to an adult celebrity. But a song called Pagdating ng Panahon became a phenomenal success and she was able to firmly establish himself in the industry as a bona fide recording artist. And she hasn’t looked back since then as she has also branched out into other things like musical theater where she had a very memorable role in the recently concluded Rock of Ages.

She was also asked what her secret was that she was able to stay this long. Aiza responded that she doesn’t know and doesn’t want to know what the secret is. Or else, she’d be conscious of it and it would restrict her actions. I guess that’s how Aiza is, relying on who she is and how she feels as she manages to thrive in this cruel industry. And that is also probably why people have responded positively to her for the past 25 years. She just wanted to drink to celebrate 25 years? Sorry Aiza, but this time around, you won’t have it your way since your fans want to celebrate this milestone with you.

Ticket prices:

P3000 VIP

P2500 Patron

P2000 Lower Box

P750 Upper Box A

P400 Upper Box B

P300 General Admission

For inquiries:

234-2117

TicketNet 911-5555

Here is the entry when Aiza held a major press conference for the concert.