Friday, August 17, 2007 Serna: Cascades’ final rhythm By Roger Serna Sounds and images
NO doubt about it. The Cascades’ farewell concert (yes, the group’s disbanding with no future reunions after this tour) tonight is this week’s biggest entertainment event in Cebu.
I saw the group perform at the grand ballroom of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel last year and was glad I did not miss the event as the group’s songs formed part of my life’s original soundtrack (o-ha!).
During that show, I sensed many were teary-eyed as they sang-along, stomped their feet and swayed to the rhythm (of the rain?) of the group’s songs, obviously dwelling on the beautiful memories that went with them.
With the group announcing they’ll be going back to their personal pursuits after this reunion, which was originally planned for only two years, I don’t think their countless of fans have a moment to waste—especially Filipino fans whom the group acknowledges as its “most devoted fans anywhere in the world” based on The Cascades’ official website.
So, catch The Cascades at the Cebu Int’l. Convention Center tonight at 8 p.m., and be a part of the official closure of a musical era. Hah! Sigh.
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Speaking of music, the 28th Cebu Popular Music Festival’s finalists (that’s for next year’s finals) have just been chosen. The 12 lucky songs and their composers are the following: Magkahiusa (Niño Banares and Rex Maribao), Pagpakabana (Father Ponce Jed Bellones), Tuba (Gerald Castro);
Ikaw Ang Bahandi (Father Ponce Jed Bellones), I-Text Ko Na Lang (Fil Cabillar Jr.); Sugilanon sa Hangin ( Nicanor Tampus Jr.), Karon (Fil Cabillar Jr.), Kwarta (Dennis Martin and Norms Tomada);
Bisan Pa (Jude Gitamondoc and Eugene Tan), Sugbu Paraiso (Russel Alegado and Raye Anthony Yoogin); Pasayloa Ako (Jude Gitamondoc) and Mamalik Man Lang (Bernard Gocela).
If you have noticed, the list has at least eight veterans and four new ones.
What’s heartwarming (as far as I’m concerned) is that the songs show more commercial value as compared to what the songfest has churned out in the past. This I gathered in a brief chat with the songfest’s album producer (for three years now?) Gloria Sua-Villarojo of Soundtraxx Production Studio.
Does this mean then that the Cebupop will again come up with at least one hit (more would obviously be much welcome) after close to two decades (might even be more) of waiting?
Hopefully. If I remember it right, Vina Morales’ Paglaum (she was Sharon Magdayao then) was the last hit song that the Cebupop made.
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In the last two weeks, I attended two wakes of two prominent and well-loved persons in the community: Cesar Laspiñas of Mutya Audio-Video fame and Dr. Restituto Soon.
What set the two wakes apart from the usual ones was the fact that music (live and not canned) pervaded in the air, courtesy of homegrown artists whose lives the two people touched, in one way or another.
Nyor Cesar’s had the Mutya Orchestra accompanying Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Max Surban and Girlie Lapinid-Laspiñas in their numbers.
Max’s repertoire and funny adlibs turned the wake even more unique with the mourning people around bursting at their seams laughing.
In Dr. Soon’s case, song belter Dulce (close friend of the family, especially Cong. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz) rendered a line-up of undying Visayan love songs that she almost had a complete repertoire for a concert, complete with what she described as sine-sine. She ended her part with Maala-ala Mo Kaya?, a song requested by the beauteous congresswoman.
Former Tawag Ng Tanghalan champ Novo Bono Jr. and VM Rama (yes, he’s a fast-rising concert artist) also rendered some numbers with Jun Enriquez at the keyboard.
These two experiences just highlight the Cebuanos’ deep love for music; that even in times of mourning, music still plays a major part.
Can others beat that? (On a personal note, let me welcome to Cebu Steve Pincock, straight from Great Britain. May you enjoy every minute of your stay just like what your wife Flor and kids Simon and Tamara have been experiencing these past two weeks.)
