Get ready for the ultimate throwback of your favorite songs as Mossimo Radio proudly brings you one of the most breathtaking concerts this year: “3 Voices, 1 Journey.”
This one-night only concert features three of the most sought after vocalists in the industry: Joey Generoso, Top Suzara, and Jinky Vidal.
After years of glory as frontliners for Side A and Freestyle, Joey G., Top Suzara and Jinky Vidal will take the stage and perform their best concert to date as solo artists. The concert will also feature both their hit songs and cover songs that you fell in love with.
“3 Voices, 1 Journey” will be held at the Music Museum this Friday, June 19, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are now available at the Music Museum 721-7626 and Dragon Arc Events Management (63) 917 803 2571. Ticket prices are P2,500, P2,000, P1,500 and P1,000.
Follow “3 Voices, 1 Journey,” on Instagram and Twitter, and like them on Facebook. For ticket inquiries and concert bookings, please contact (63) 917 803 2571 or email 3voices1journeytheconcert@gmail.com.
If you were ever wondering where all the kids have gone last Friday night, they were all probably out with their friends at the Bonifacio High Street Ampitheater, having a crazy good time with Owl City!
Up All Night!
Owl City is an electronica, EDM project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young. Owl City gained mainstream success after its release of Ocean Eyes, with Fireflies as its carrier single. Today, we know them for their songs Deer in the Headlights, Hello Seattle, Good Time, among so many others. Last May 8, the Philippines was so lucky to catch them perform at the Bonifacio High Street Ampitheatre!
Reverb Manila did not pass up on this chance to join the crazy crowd for an evening oozing with good vibes! After all, the concert was free for everyone to watch.
5 | You would not believe your eyes with this huge of a crowd.
Jam-packed. I’ve never seen the Bonifacio High Street ampitheatre this full. Wow! The show started at around 7:30 PM.
4 | They prepared such a generous set list.
Deer in the Headlights. They played Fireflies, too!
That night’s set list included: Angels, Up All Night, Dreams Don’t Turn to Dust, Dementia, Speed of Love, Beautiful Times, Cave In, Designer Skyline, Shooting Star, Kamikaze, Meteor Shower, This is the End, Sky Diver, Fireflies, Gold, Take It All Away, Deer in the Headlights, Wolf Bite, Tokyo, and Hello Seattle!
3 | We want more! So Owl City went back onstage with their cover of 99 Red Balloons.
99 Red Balloons. Breanne Düren and Adam Young.
2 | Owl City concluded their concert with Good Time.
“Everytime I come to the Philippines, it’s always a…GOOD TIME!”
The concert would’ve surely felt incomplete if they hadn’t finished it up with Good Time. A special appearance from Carly Rae Jepsen would’ve been too much, but Breanne did a great job singing her parts!
1 | They didn’t really say goodbye.
Adam Young says Owl City will be back!
So for those of you who missed it, don’t worry. Vocalist Adam Young hinted it several times during the concert, at one point even saying, “Thank you guys. We’ll see you next time. We’re all looking forward to it.” So yeah, I’m almost certain Owl City will be back.
Sabel, Love and Passion: A Musical Production is an original Filipino musical inspired by the life of National Artist for Visual ArtsBenedicto ‘BenCab’ Cabrera‘s long-time muse, the crazy dancing lady named Sabel. Throughout his artistry, BenCab created numerous variations of Sabel. And the thought of a Sabel variation as a musical constantly challenged BBC journalist, art collector, BenCab’s friend, and brainchild of this project Rico Hizon since 2003.
Hizon, who graced the audience with a short introduction prior to the much-awaited showcase, candidly shared that everything started over a decade ago, when they saw in a coffee-table book a feature on dancers interpreting Sabel at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Sabel, a musical, he asked himself. He then turned to musical director and composer Louie Ocampo, who then went to Director Freddie Santos. The challenge was, indeed, accepted. However, amidst several talks of a production, the musical had not seen light until April of this year. Finally, last Thursday (April 30), thanks to the collaborative work pursued by Ocampo and Santos, and everyone behind BenCab’s 50 Creative Years, a sea of guests flocked to the Theater at Solaire to witness the successful World Premier Gala of Sabel, albeit the heavy traffic caused by the coinciding concert that evening.
Reverb Manila first found out about the production when Ms. Iza Calzado started posting tidbits about Sabel via her Instagram account over a month ago. And although only a few articles surfaced in the weeks that followed, we had to rely on the cast members to spoil us with updates regarding the progress via social media.
We knew instantly that Sabel, Love and Passion: A Musical Production was relevant.
For those who missed out, Reverb Manila gives you ten reasons why Sabel is not your average musical production.
10 | In a world where even visual art has gone digital, it’s quite hard to find avenues that strike a balance between modern and traditional visual art forms. However, the production had allowed its viewers to experience the best of both worlds, in fact even marrying other art forms imaginable – song, ballet, poem – which all came together as one grand production that is Sabel.
The stage employed a rather minimalist design, consisting of asymmetrical canvasses that were assembled to frame and add dimension to the stage. It was beautiful enough being simple. But wait until it drastically transforms through the help of strong imageries projected via LCDs, transporting us to different eras, unraveling the deepest emotions in the story. There was even a scene where the paintings projected on the panel would follow the young character Miguelin‘s hand as he painted on the canvass. It was refreshing to have witnessed such visual effects.
9 | It’s the only time you get to see all of BenCab’s works since most, if not all, of them now belong to somebody else.
Lo and behold! The stage drastically transforms into a BenCab masterpiece. From simple asymmetrical shaped panels, these instantly turn into a collection that depicts the national artist’s numerous interpretations of Sabel.
8 | Iza Calzado makes a grand theater debut. In her Instagram account, Calzado said: “I am over the moon with joy because I’m finally doing my first theater/stage production! Though it is not exactly a straight play I think it’s a great start to doing stage work. Yes, I am still nervous but I hope my angels guide me so I can give a heartfelt performance on Thursday. Here with me in the photo is Bianca Trocino from the Philippine Ballet Theatre dancing as Sabel. She is amazing on stage. And so are Antoinette Taus and Aicelle Santos who will be the voice(s) of Sabel. Brilliant Women! Together I hope we get to bring Sabel to life! See you at Solaire at 8pm on Thursday.”
Iza Calzado clad in a flowy cape by Rajo Laurel.
She’s a mainstream success as a TV/Film actress, but the beautiful Calzado was such a delight even onstage. She delivered deeply moving narrations that made us shed a few tears here and then, and we’re pretty sure the audience, too, felt her joy, her pain, her longing through every word and movement. Iza’s angels had, indeed, guided her well throughout the night.
7 | The Power of Dance. It’s one of those few musicals that put the spotlight on dancers.
The Philippine Ballet Theatre as amazon warriors during war.
We seldom get to see a musical that gives an amazing amount of credit to dancing since productions tend to focus more on the singing aspect to judge if a musical is good over all. It was great to see these ballet dancers dominate the stage. They were composed of very young and talented individuals who are part of the Philippine Ballet Theatre, by the way. They stood out on their own, without being overshadowed by the stellar voices behind each of the main characters.
Audie Gemora sings Look at Her for the first time.
6 | You’ve got a Triple A powering all-original compositions plus two balladeers to complete an outstanding vocal showcase.
Former child star Antoinette Taus lends her voice to the Young Sabel.
TRIPLE A. Theater veteran and Audie Gemora, Former child star Antoinette Taus, and Rak of Aegis’Aicelle Santos exceeded expectations in their moving solo performances of Look at Her, In Love, and Smoke and Mirrors. Balladeers theater veteran Bo Cerrudo and The Voice of the Philippines Season 1 contestant Timmy Pavino excellently lent their voices to the characters of Luis and Miguelin respectively, alongside Philippine Ballet Theatre’s Ian Ocampo and Matthew Davo.
The promising Timmy Pavino and Matthew Davo as Miguelin.
5 | Put two bigwigs in the live performance industry Mr. Freddie Santos and Mr. Louie Ocampo together as director and musical director and you get a production that’s no less than world-class.
Standing ovation. The cast with the Direk Freddie Santos, Musical Director Louie Ocampo, and BenCab.
Kudos to a masterfully written narrative poetry by Direk Freddie Santos and musical direction by lyricist and composer Mr. Louie Ocampo.
4 | The storyline screams Pinoy. It’s pretty simple yet it works.
Miguel and Consolacion
The plot is simple and realistic for anyone to understand and relate with. The audience didn’t need to rack their brains to understand what the story was about. The story has a certain teleserye twist to it. It would reveal how the motherless protagonist would lose her father in his sickness, fall in love and get her heart broken by a man who abandoned her. Her misfortune drives her mad, causing her to abandon her son. It would then take years for them to find each other. Oftentimes a family memento would help, which in this case, was in the form of a necklace. See, these elements make the material unmistakably and genuinely Pinoy. The values demonstrated by these characters are very much reflective of the Filipino culture, with emphasis on often abstracted concepts, such as: family, love, hope, and resilience.
3 | So we just mentioned that the story was simple; and yet, Sabel had to be portrayed by five characters.
It’s now all Smoke and Mirrors. Philippine Ballet Theatre’s Bianca Trocino and Rak of Aegis‘ Aicelle Santos offered a harrowing performance of Sabel gradually losing her mind.
The material somewhat reminds you of Katy the Musical. If you would recall, Katy’s character was divided into three in order to define a particular stage in the character’s life. The intricate dimensions of Sabel’s character inevitably required that she be played by not just three but five characters (as narrating, dancing, and singing Sabels) to walk the audience through Sabel’s colorful journey from being a motherless child, losing her father, falling victim to war, to falling madly in love, and becoming a mother.
2 | The songs used in the production have the makings of a classic. The lyrics to each song was poetically written yet easily understandable. The songs had a lot of recall, thanks to their beautiful melodies. The emotions created were ripe; and the songs, undeniably heartfelt. Our personal favorites are Look at Her and Smoke and Mirrors.
The Finale. Pavino, Taus, Gemora, Santos and Cerrudo belting out the Reprise of Look At Her.Sabel is born and raised by her father Miguel played by Philippine Ballet Theatre’s Lemuel Capa.
1 | We finally answer the question, Who is Sabel?Long before she became the crazy bag lady slash taong grasa, and the muse behind BenCab’s artistry, she was a woman who loved to dance. The story introduces a beautiful love story between Miguel and Consolacion, who would then give birth to Sabel. Since she was born at a critical time of Philippine history, we would experience with her the unfolding of several historical events. It was a difficult time for a lot of Filipinos, and Sabel was no exception.
The Dancing Sabel was played by two soloists, mainly by Philippine Ballet Theatre’s Bianca Trocino.
As Consolacion abandoned her and her father, Miguel was left to raise the helpless Sabel on his own. But the misfortune did not end there. Still very young and unaware of the dangers of the world, Sabel would lose her father after he suffered from a serious health condition, leaving poor Sabel to figure out her life through the next few decades, alone.
The world stopped. Young Sabel and Luis fell in love.
She would live through the World War II as a warrior, a comfort woman to the enemy soldiers, a nightclub headliner in the cabaret era, and a lover…
Darkness ensues.Sabel lets us into a world created by her despair.
We also learn that even love can destroy you through and through. When Luis left her, both unaware that she was bearing his child – their child, her life began to fall apart. She had lost herself. A deranged woman would now take to the streets in search of scraps of plastic she finds and piece them together into something she could wrap around her body. It was a beautiful symbolism; Sabel wanders off to pick up the missing pieces of herself that was wasted away.
BenCab saw through her. She had many dimensions to her life. No wonder she’s come to be a recurring image in his works as a visual artist.
We saw through her, too. We can no longer perceive Sabel as the deranged lady who wandered off to nowhere. Sabel was a courageous woman whose spirit may have been crushed due to several unfortunate, heartbreaking moments in her life, but what we need to remember is that, Sabel had loved passionately – even foolishly – with all her heart. Only, she’s lost so much in her life that she in turn lost herself. The story offers stark insights on the dangers of loving selflessly. We can lose ourselves. But life also teaches us that hope abounds – that anything lost can be found.
That’s why Sabel is a story of hope. Sabel had the happy ending her heart truly deserved, as she reunited with a father she thought she had lost, and her son whom she had long abandoned.
And that, my fellow theater fans, is why Sabel, Love and Passion is not your average musical.
Tessa Prieto-Valdez joins the crazy-talented bunch.National Artist for Literature F. Sionil JoseCongratulations! Hizon, Ocampo, Santos and BenCab with the cast.
Sabel, Love and Passion: A Musical Production will hold its rerun at the Music Museum on June 26 and 27. And we dare all brave souls who have loved and lost to witness a compelling story you’ll forever remember. Get to know Sabel, and join Mr. Cabrera as he continues celebrating 50 remarkable years as visual artist.
Catch it while you can! We can’t wait for you to share with us what you think.
Meanwhile, photos and video updates will soon be uploaded here and on Tumblr, and via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube!Search and use the hashtag Reverb Manila | #ReverbManila.
Thank you so much, MuteMath (Church Simplified and Bonifacio High Street) for giving the Philippines a soul-electrifying show to remember, and Todd Gummerman, for handing me the setlist. My heart melted! #OMG #LastConcertSyndrome
We, your fans, are definitely looking forward to your next concert here in Manila! Soon, please!
My current Last Concert Syndrome. MuteMath’s Paul Meany and his intense acrobatics onstage involved wild handstands and piano-playing during the set. The crowd went wilder!
Stay tuned for more of Mutemath’s signature crowdsurfing, handstanding craziness captured in photos and videos soon here and on Tumblr. Search and hashtag Reverb Manila | #ReverbManila via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Meanwhile, for more of MuteMath, their music, and their day-to-day musings, visit mutemath.com and mutefuckingmath.tumblr.com. Search @mutemath @paulmeany @dkthedrummer on social media.
If you’re not planning any out-of-town trips this Holy Week, head on to the Bonifacio High Street Ampitheater on March 31 (Tuesday) and April 5 (Easter Sunday) to catch two great artists MuteMath and Kye Kye perform LIVE, all thanks to Bonifacio High Street and Church Simplified.
MuteMath is a Grammy-nominated American alternative rock band that started in 2003, composed Paul Meany as the frontman (vocals and keyboards), Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (bass), Todd Gummerman (guitar), and Darren King (drums).
I’m particularly hooked on MuteMath’s Blood Pressure. I wonder if this, and Typical, are going to be part of their setlist on Tuesday:
Now I’ve lived through my share of misfortune and I’ve worked in the blazing sun. But how long should it take somebody before they can be someone.
Meanwhile, Oregon-based quartet Kye Kye started in 2010. Fronted by singer Olga Yagolnikov, Kye Kye’s music is an infusion of indie, organic, alternative and electronic beats that make their sound such an easy listen.
Here’s a video clip of Kye Kye’s Honest Affections from the band’s second album “Fantasize”:
My heart was always made to be still to wait because you promised you’d save it.
For more deets on how you can score tickets to the concerts for FREE, visit Church Simplified and Bonifacio High Street on Facebook. #ReverbManila #ILoveBHS #CSWalkway
Stay tuned for photos and video updates soon here and on Tumblr. Search and hashtag Reverb Manila | #ReverbManila via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
#ReverbManila dives into the wonderful world of music, arts, culture and lifestyle in the Philippines. Let’s start a new reverb!
Get ready for the ultimate throwback of your favorite songs as Mossimo Radio proudly brings you one of the most breathtaking concerts this year: “3 Voices, 1 Journey.”
![IMG_20150402_175801[1]](https://reverbmanila.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_20150402_1758011.jpg)
REVERB MANILA 