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By Rome Jorge
IT’S another Wednesday night at Conspiracy
Garden Café and Bar and that means it’s Noel Cabangon’s gig.
But joining him onstage are his dear friends Joey Ayala, Cynthia
Alexander and Cooky Chua. They clown around. And then they get to
sing one of Ayala’s trademark songs. They know them by heart.
Ayala and Cabangon even dare a “brokeback” (that’s man-to-man
action, clueless dude) duet version of Ayala’s immortal anthem to
long-distance love, “Walang Hanggang Paalam.” Despite chuckles
and snickers, audiences are enthralled by more than just a
conspiracy of artists; they are witnessing a synergy of talent that
can only come from true friendship that cannot be found in any other
venue.
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Co-conspirators
Cynthia Alexander,
Cooky Chua, Joey Ayala and Noel
Cabangon, ham it up at Conspiracy |
What they have in common is that they do
everything the hard way: with principle and conviction. Struggle is
their nature. In an industry crowded by crowd-pleasing, pretty-boy
rock bands singing sappy odes to love, they sing about what matters
to them most: environmental songs, nationalist anthems,
genre-defying instrumentation and arrangements and confessionals
about the complexities of mature relationships.
They along with fellow musicians Bayang Barrios,
Mike Villegas, Lyn Sherman and Gary Granada put up their own
bar—Conspiracy—thereby empowering themselves as artists, when
many would deign to risk such a venture. Ayala notes, “We put up
Conspiracy when the economy was down four years ago.” Nearly all
of them also produce albums independent of major recording
companies, allowing them more artistic freedom. As Cabangon says,
“The target is not to be a rock star.” He adds, “Struggle is
the twin of our artistry.”
The one thing they have learned in our years in
business: “We truly are artists,” says Alexander. Cabangon puts
it more bluntly, “We are not businessmen.” They credit Granada
for possessing business acumen—a rare thing among them. Granada
became Conspiracy’s business manager four months ago has since
turned things around.
These days, Conspiracy attracts as well the
biggest and the most promising new bands, many of whom openly
confess to being fans of the bar’s owners/artists, playing
stripped down acoustic sets. Often, there’s that impromptu jam
session that audiences love the most.
These four couldn’t be more different. To
oversimplify, Joey Ayala’s music is neo-ethnic, Cooky Chua is post
punk and jazz, Noel is folk and blues and Cynthia Alexander is
Indian-inspired. Even in temperament and character, they are at
times worlds apart.
Alexander is a strict vegan who cannot stand the
stench of tobacco smoke. Chua is inseparable from her brandy and
cigarettes. Chua, a master of vocal improvisation, confesses that
the first time she met Alexander she thought Alexander was an
“isnaberang parang senyorita [perfectionist snob].” Alexander
jokes that she thought Chua looked like then-matinee teen star
Sheryll Cruz. (Chua begged me not to print that first impression.)
Yet Alexander and Chua have been the best of buddies for years.
Ayala simply writes what he believes in and lets
the advocates of various causes make his songs their anthems.
Cabangon’s lyricism flows from his clearly defined ideology. Yet
after all these years they are the best of friends and fans of each
other’s music; the two often play at the same rallies and
demonstrations.
Cabangon remembers the first time he met Ayala, singing his songs at
an anti-US bases rally in Makati and being nervous about getting it
right. Ayala for his part confesses undergoing a midlife crisis in
2003 after he came back from a stint in the United States. Feeling
unsure if he still had what it took to play music, he found his
inspiration watching Cabangon play live. He could feel the man’s
love for music. Ayala later went on to produce the phenomenal
independent album 16 Love Songs. Alexander and Chua also confess to
watching Cabangon play live and count. “How can you not watch him
play his guitar?” says Chua.
Besides Conspiracy, each of these four artists
is deeply involved in their musical endeavors. With all these
artists at crossroads in their midlives, they promise mature
songwriting and progressive musical arrangements that go beyond the
trite (boy-meets-girl) youth-oriented songs that fill the airwaves.
Noel Cabangon
Cabangon confesses, “It’s been a
roller-coaster ride this year. The best part was that I came up with
an album. But it was really a struggle. When Ballyhoo [Records] got
my album it was already a finished product. The target market are
OFWs [overseas Filipino workers].” Ballyhoo Records through Thumb
Media Interactive sells songs online to Filipino without credit
cards by allowing them to purchase songs online with their prepaid
mobile-phone cards, which Thumb Interactive also sells. The songs of
Cabangon’s latest album, Himig Nating Pag-Ibig, are all available
online individually at http://www.noelcabangon.com.
On the album, Cabangon explores various kinds of
love, most especially love for the motherland. His stirring
rendition of Juan dela Cruz Band’s rock classic has modified the
lyrics to have more a poignant impact. The album finally features
his trademark song “Kanlungan,” previously released in the album
of the same name by the duo Buklod of which Cabangon was a part. For
his next album, Cabangon promises more rock and blues. He admits
going through his own midlife crisis as Ayala did years ago. Just
like Ayala, his process of maturity serves as fertile ground for
inspired, vivid and personal songwriting.
Joey Ayala
For his part, Ayala has recently released two
albums, Basta’t May Saging and Joey Ayala: Raw. Ayala explains,
“These are demand-driven albums. Most albums are supply-driven,
when a songwriter has enough songs.” The two albums are
commissioned works for pre-orders. Basta’t May Saging, with a
title track expressly written for Department of Trade and Industry
Region XI “one region, one product” drive, also features
materials never before released in a Joey Ayala album such as those
from plays, musicals and dances as well as those featured in various
artists compilation albums. Joey Ayala: Raw captures the vitality
and energy of Ayala performing live his best love songs such as “Magkabilaan,”
“Padayong” and “Walang Hanggang Paalam.”
Ayala is challenging songwriters for lyrics to
use in an upcoming album.
Cooky Chua
The self-titled Color It Red album is the best
by far from the band. Boasting mature lyrics and jazzy and bluesy
arrangements, its best songs are “Panalo” and “Dalwa” that
have been receiving airplay. “Our songs have always been about
relationships. They reflect growth through our 17 years. We’ve had
changes in our personal lives. Many of us have kids and wives,”
explains Chua. She was most recently involved helping columnist
Conrado de Quiros organize the Stop the Killings bar tour to
heighten awareness about the continuing extrajudicial killings that
have decimated the ranks of activists and journalists since the
Arroyo regime came to power.
Color It Red also has a double-disc compilation
of its classic songs currently available. Together with their most
recent album, these paint a picture one the most progressive bands
in the country.
Cynthia Alexander
Comet’s Tale, the most recent album from the
much-acclaimed, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, is her most
well-crafted studio album to date, fused with many east Asian
instruments such as the tabla and lyrics inspired by dreams of the
Bhagavad-Gita. The album is propelled by ponderings on mortality,
specifically the death of her and her brother Joey’s father, the
artist Jose V. Ayala Jr. It’s most stirring songs are “Empty
Handed” and “Mortal Merry Go Round.”
Alexander reveals her upcoming album will be
stripped down and naked, just like her songwriting. She confesses to
being at a crossroads in her life. As always, she promises highly
poetic confessions.
The four confess that the idea of Conspiracy
album featuring the bar’s artist/proprietors has been floated
around for years. But as Ayala explains, there are many
considerations, such as the need for new material or the possibility
that releasing old material that may compete with existing
catalogues.
Noel Cabangon, Joey Ayala, Cynthia Alexander,
Cooky Chua as well as Bayang Barrios, Mike Villegas, Lyn Sherman and
Gary Granada offer something no other bar can give, a Conspiracy
from the heart and a synergy with the soul.
Conspiracy is at 59 Visayas Avenue, Quezon City.
For details, call 453-2170 and 920-6517.
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