Jam at Pete's Place - Nov. 25, 2016 - Nisee Lapeña & Pat Concepcion (Oo)

NOV. 25, 2016 - FRIDAY JAM UPDATE & PHOTOS

As if a part of a grand design, being a bit under the weather and needing some ample time to rest and recover, the jam night timely took off quickly and ended way much earlier than usual rewarding me an early sleep. SomeONE surely must be looking after me...praise and thank God. Suffering from dry cough and colds that had lingered since Wednesday, I certainly was not at my 100%. But, come hell or high water, i will not be denied. The show must go on! No better way to treat an ailment but a solid dose of good music.

Although the festivity lasted comparatively shorter in duration than the ordinary, it was nonetheless productive and packed with quality time. Mark Longos and his office mates Eman Yuzon and Dan Garces had decided to come early specifically to rehearse before the other guests arrived. It was going to be their very first time to merge and interact as a band. They are still at the organizing stage hoping to be ready for an event they will be participating at in a couple of weeks. Timely the stage was all free allowing them enough needed time for familiarity.

Just when the neophyte band was about to finish, my sister-in-law Tintin Mara Reed and some friends (they came from another party) stormed in and quickly took over center stage. They've been wanting to come over and sing karaoke to cap their night. Tintin came with a friend and music room newbie by the name of Avon Morales and some others. Tintin and Avon got what they came for and sang a few tunes to the delight of the cheering crowd in the room. As fast as they came in, soon bade goodbye and rushed out the door. Minutes later they came back. Apparently, on their way out, they chanced upon Kiko Montecillo who was just coming in. Unsurprisingly, with the keyboard encyclopedia and the rest of the band around to accompany, the two ladies were right back on stage performing. Well, there's no question that a live band will be way more exciting than singing karaoke.

Another highlight was having witnessed my daughter Nisee perform on stage for the very first time along with her good friend Pat Concepcion. The young ladies nailed the vocals trying out an OPM song with Kiko and the band in the background. Appearing shy at the start, Nisee quickly got into the groove and spirit and did a good job with the vocals along with Pat, who i was told, was really the singer in their group. Great job guys! Keep it up!

And finally, late at the magic hour, the house band finally had their stage time. In the roster were Kiko Montecillo, Monchie Henares, Rick Trinidad, Bubui Colico, Vincent Garrucho, Mark Longos and myself. Newcomers Eman and Dan, who were still around, joined in on some occasions. As usual, we enjoyed covering a variety of pop songs from different genres and eras. I immensely enjoyed the band's effort in striving to achieve the proper synchrony of the instrumentals in impromptu to as close to how it should be. The satisfaction of having completed a song decently on the spot is so much rewarding. That is, after all, the thrill of it all musicians in general can comprehend. At least it holds true for me.

And so we finally ended early at just 3:30am..totally a record of some sorts for our regular weekend jam. And yes, more time for me to rest and recover. God is truly good!

Thanks to all the other friends and guests who dropped by. See you all next time!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE! GOD BLESS US ALL!

Jam at Pete's Place - Nov. 18, 2016 - Mason Ring & Fritz Barth (Crossroads)

NOVEMBER 18, 2016 - FRIDAY JAM UPDATE & PHOTOS

With the onset of the Advent season and Christmas day just some weeks away, it was finally time to put up the decorations. I certainly can't speak for all but for me Christmas season is definitely my most favorite time of the year. Slowly but surely the warm and festive atmosphere had begun to manifest with holiday glitters and ornaments arranged all around the place. Unquestionably, no amount of bad traffic, chaos or whatever national issues will ever be enough to spoil the yuletide spirit for me.

Surprisingly last night, the gridlock was not a problem to deal with for the music room goers. Despite some crazy events and uproar happening around, the music room thrived, unaffected and was in business as usual. I Thank and praise God!

Good friend and Pete's Place pioneer Luisa Distor was the very first one to show up. Gab Villanueva was next on the list. Soon, more and more guests arrived. At past 9pm, our Friday Jam Night officially started. Time to party.

Among the regular music room musicians who joined me on stage were Loren Orendain, Jun Bediones, Monchie Henares, Joaco Marco, Tinnie Esguerra, Dennis Espiritu, Vincent Garrucho, Michael Puyat and Bubui Colico.

Balik-musicroom guitarist/vocalist Mason Ring surprised us with his presence after some years he had not visited. A US national, Mason came unannounced with his fellow compatriot drummer Fritz Barth along with sultry power belter Joanna Fian on vocals. Reminscent of their last stint, they performed their usual classic bluesy tunes along with the houseband. Mason sang his familiar Clapton and Steely Dan tunes apart from the other songs he did with Fritz playing drums. Meanwhile, Joanna made a good accounting of herself, as well, with her own repertoire. Good jam guys!

Amusingly, the jam prospered all night long till a quarter to 5am with fly boy Loren Orendain still with us on stage. It was actually a surprise for most to see Loren in the room still playing at that time. With his former busy flight schedule, he usually comes to the room very early and not stay very late. But with his new work arrangement, we expect to have more time with him around.

Kudos to Ed Diano, Arabelle Jimenez, Selo Cruz, Nikki Segundo, Tristan Bael, Marc de Asis and his girlfriend Grazia Gabayoyo, neighbor Robert and Tina Cruz and to all the other guests who came that i failed to mention. Thank you all for your presence!

And so, to God be the glory, the Christmas spirit in me and in our humble place lives on! Truly a wonderful blessing!. Looking forward to more on the coming weeks ahead!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE! GOD BLESS US ALL!

Jam at Pete's Place - Nov. 11, 2016 - Tintin Mara Reed and Monchie Henares (Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang)

NOVEMBER 11, 2016 - FRIDAY JAM UPDATE

Traffic gridlock all over the metropolis had become a norm in today's times that it had caused a lot of inconveniences and is life changing to most if not all of us. Having to endure hours on end on the road just to get to your destination is quite frustrating and discouraging, to say the least. Most people would rather just stay home than to get themselves stuck in traffic en route to their respective gatherings, subsequently spoiling their spirit and mood altogether before they even get to the place. Now that Christmas season is near, it is certainly going to get even worse. With these irrepressible reality upon us, it was indeed humbling and inspiring as well, to see the music room still holding on, not losing its tradition to this day. Thirty-six fun filled years in existence is a long time. Truly God's blessing.

The evening started on schedule with family, good friends, musicians, regular and surprise guests showing up last night. Some unannounced appearances by old friends and musicians alike had surely made the gathering even more special. Having an overflow of talents to top the affair was a delight. The jam quickly progressed with Brat Pack's Xtine Mercado, David Koenigswarter, Loren Orendain and Rick Trinidad taking first crack on center stage. Soon, vocalist Monchie Henares, Marc de Asis, percussionist Vincent Garrucho, guitarist and vocalists Richard Parcia and Mar Longos joined in. Later on, house band honchos Tinnie Esguerra and KIko Montecillo arrived and completed the cast.

The live music was non-stop, awesome and exhilarating with a wide array of genres covered all night. It was great to see my sister-in-law, Tintin Mara Reed, on stage with us. Thanks to Kiko's expertise and knowledge on the keys, Tintin finally was able to sing some of her favorite songs she had yearned to do for a long time now. Awesome job Tin!

Surprise...Surprise! And just when everyone thought that the jam was about over, Rock band Yamato's guitar wizard Michael Pariñas and Bleu Rascals' inimitable drummer extraordinaire Allan Abdullah makes a surprise appearance. You can already figure out that it would be totally crazy if we had not let them perform...would you? And so they did. With the versatile Kiko taking on bass chores along MIchael and Allan, the trio blew the roof right off with some kick-ass rock classics featuring the three virtuosos. Such awesome display of guitar and drumming skills!

And finally at a quarter to five, the stage was quiet and empty. It was closing time. Mission accomplished!

Special thanks to Ana Distor -Macgroarty and Luisa Distor, Arabelle Jimenez, Matt Freeston, Nikki Segundo, Selo Cruz, Tristan Bael and his partner Raquel Hupton, and to all the other friends and guests who joined us. To all those whom i had failed to mention, please accept my apologies. Must be my senior moments kicking in. Nevertheless, it was super fun having all of you around! We hope to see you all again soon!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE! GOD BLESS US ALL!

Jam at Pete's Place - Nov. 6, 2016 - Abee Concillado (Someone)

NOVEMBER 4, 2016 - FRIDAY JAM UPDATE

Last night we were back to our regular Friday schedule with last week's jam moved on a Saturday for a special event. Habitually, i am already in the music room at 8pm setting up and getting the place spruced up and ready for the evening's festivity. When everything is in order, i put on some nice jazz music, sit back, relax, and just chill while waiting for the first wave of guests to arrive. Occasionally, there are indeed early birds who comes but definitely not last night. It was already past 10pm when the party started. 

As if pre-arranged,  Arabelle Jimenez, Luisa Distor, house band bassist Rick Trinidad and vocalist Monchie Henares finally made an appearance, arriving timely one after the other. Minutes later, good friend and music room regular Nikki Segundo showed up next. Our Friday Jam Night had officially started.

At the onset, the prospects seemed like it was shaping up to be another slow and somber night. Still without a good list of musicians available earlier on, we just chillaxed and took our sweet time setting up on stage.  We needed more jammers before we could play. But soon, when guitarist Joaco Marco, drummer Bubui Colico, keyboardist Roger Zalazar, guitarist/vocalist Richard Parcia, vocalist Marc de Asis, percussionist Vincent Garrucho and "Mr.Total Performer" Nick Mangubat arrived, we were on a roll and back in business.

The jam went on smoothly and progressively all night with Nick and the house band taking over and performing on stage most of the time. The live entertainment even went up a notch higher with the sultry and talented guitarist/vocalist and balik-music room Abbee Concillado in the house performing on stage. Despite appearing tired and reserved, she gamely obliged and heeded to everyone's request to perform and sang some familiar tunes in her repertoire. Good job Abee!

At past 3am, thinking that the gathering was about to be over, the jam breathed new life when keyboard lord Kiko Montecillo suddenly made a welcome appearance. To no surprise, we stood our ground and jammed some more till past 4:30am before finally calling it a night. Mission accomplished! As i always say...all's well that ends well. Praise and thank God!

Special mention to Michael Puyat and Loren Orendain for their presence as well. God bless you both!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE! GOD BLESS US ALL!