by aLfie vera mella
The recent concert of Parokya ni Edgar in Winnipeg was fairly successful. Despite the fact that it was already the fourth visit to our city of the Philippine Alternative Rock band in the last several years, the attendance was still impressive. This may be attributed not only to the enduring popularity of the band and its mass-friendly music but also to the fact that the young members of the Filipino community are obviously craving for Filipino band music. Yes, we may estimate that Winnipeg has not even one big Rock concert like that in a year. And concerning our local band music scene, our local producers are yet to put their faith and investment on our fledgling Filipino-Canadian bands, many of which have long started to write and record original compositions. It’s just a matter of time when the best, unique, and hardworking of these lot get noticed.
The vocalist of the now-defunct Philippine Alternative Rock band Afterimage, Wency Cornejo was slated to perform also at the said concert; however, Cornejo failed to arrive because of an apparent problem with his travel documents. In lieu of his absence, a local band named Synergy opened the show with a number of Afterimage songs that included “Bai (Sa Langit ang Ating Tagpuan)” and the piano-led ballad “Next in Line.” But before the opening band, an onstage parade of female models sponsored by the women’s clothing store DKF Fashion (located at Portage Place Shopping Centre) wowed the crowd. The other local band that graced the show, Lycosa presented a tight and solid set comprised by two originals and a cover of Sugarfree’s “Mariposa” (which was timely because one of the crew members of Parokya ni Edgar used to be a guitar player of the Philippine Alternative Rock band Sugarfree). According to Lycosa’s vocalist, they would soon be releasing their debut album. We better watch out for that. The best way to support artists is to buy their music. Before the main act, another opener gave the crowd a different flavor of music. The now-Winnipeg-based member of the ’90s-originating Philippine Hip-hop group Death Threat dished out a couple of his rap ditties.
Finally, the crowd went ecstatic when the main act entered the stage. Parokya ni Edgar, as always, delivered a fun-filled rocking set of engaging songs peppered with vocalist Chito Miranda’s comedic spiels that clicked with the audience. Even his bandmates were pitching in on the stage antics. The only drawback of the gig, aside from Cornejo’s absence, was Miranda’s being sick (perhaps because of the weather changes; imagine they were travelling from one time zone to another each of which has a different weather). Because of this, Miranda and the rest of the group performed a short set—obviously to ensure that Miranda didn’t strain his voice too much. They still had a few more shows to play in the U.S. Regardless, the a good percentage of the crowd sang along with most of the songs that Parokya ni Edgar played, which included “Buloy,” “This Guy’s in Love with You, Pare,” “Mr. Suave,” and the machinegun-rap-flavored “Bagsakan,” which Miranda was able to pull off despite his condition.
Overall, the whole event was worth raving about. It was actually the third time that a show that featured Filipino performers was held at the newly renovated event center of Club Regent—March 14’s OPM Legends (Rico J.Puno, Marco Sison, Hajji Alejandro, and Eva Eugenio with locals Levy Abad, haLf man haLf eLf, and Traffikk Jamm), March 21’s Lea Salonga, and this.
I’ve heard from the grapevine that Eraserheads, or at the least the solo band of the frontman of this epic Philippine group, might be coming to Winnipeg this year. Let’s all hope that this materializes. It’s about time that fans of Filipino Alternative Rock music in Winnipeg experience an authentic live rendition of the likes of “Toyang,” “Pare Ko,” and “Ang Huling El Bimbo” from Ely Buendia himself.
