Susan Fernandez, RIP

IT'S incredibly sad that so many celebrities and musical artists have been passing away in the last few weeks.

I never knew Susan Fernandez personally, but have been one of her silent admirers. She has been dubbed the "voice of protest" back in the day, but I was never part of that circle given my youth. I discovered her rather belatedly when I started hanging out in folk bars. And I have been a fan ever since. The last time I watched her perform was at Bro's Mustache along Sct. Madriñan about 2 yrs. ago.

She passed away this afternoon after a mightly battle with ovarian cancer. Her fans will miss her, but her voice, so angelic and glorious, will surely be a welcome addition to God's heavenly choir above. The video below is rather dizzying, so I suggest you just close your eyes and listen to her sing, Awit ni Canuplin, which is one of my favorite tunes of Susan.



This one moved me to tears, Sangandaan (repost from Chickoy Pura)
Click here.

If you found a bag w/ a million pesos, what would you do? And the best lamb adobo

Finally some good news amid all the posturing over the Meralco/high power rates issue, and rice crisis created by the presidentita herself. Ano ba 'yang babaeng 'yan, walang ginawa kundi pumunta sa DOJ at lumabas sa TV at magpa-photo op! I think she must have visited the agency like four times already to check out kuno the progress in cases against so-called rice traders. Micromanager? No, super KSP lang, graveh! Anyhoo...as promised, the good news...

Waiter returns a million pesos
ABS-CBN News online
May 12, 2008

What would you do if you discovered an abandoned bag with a million pesos in it?

A waiter at a restaurant in a mall found one on Wednesday and decided to look for the owner and give the money back.

Alexander "Stitch" Latag found the money in a blue SM plastic bag on a seat outside Cyma restaurant in Greenbelt 2 where he works. At first, Stitch thought that the bag was just trash but checked the contents first before throwing it out.

"I looked at it to check whether it was trash or a bomb," Latag said with a laugh. Latag said he got nervous when he saw bundles of P1000 bills inside the bag. When he showed it to a colleague, a lot of things played on their minds, he said. They thought it might be ransom money or for illegal purposes.

Latag said he saw the woman who left the bag outside Cyma. He waited one-and-a-half hours for her to come back and when she didn't, Stitch gave the bag to their manager, Jay Espinosa. (Read on at Waiter returns millions.)

Kudos to Chef Robby Goco and his professional and honest staff.

* * * *
Okay, the honesty part done with, but why the Eff would someone bring around P1 million in cash and in a plastic bag man din? I mean are you nuts, lady? Haven't you heard of attaché cases? Ahm chure napagalitan ka ng boss mo at ang kapal mo'ng kumain muna bago i-deposit yang pera sa bangko. Someone at POEA better check if this manpower recruitment agency even has a license! Imagine charging their clients P200,000 each?!

* * * *
Speaking of Greek food, I went to this Greek resto by the beachfront in Boracay last Saturday, and gads! that was the driest and saltiest lamb adobo I've ever tasted! (Why lamb adobo is in a Greek menu to begin with is beyond me. After all, adobo is more a Pinoy thing although technically, it's Spanish in origin, i.e. "adobar", to marinate.) Miggy and I also had the spanakopita (feta cheese in a rather thick phyllo pastry) and a Mati salata (greens, walnuts in a tart vinaigrette)...which were quite ordinary. If I may quote one respected young food writer's text message to me, the food in this restaurant is "nothing to write home about." No wonder the resto was empty except for three tables, and that included us.

Anyhoo, for the best lamb adobo, go to Bro's Mustache at Sct. Madriñan in QC. Eat it with garlic rice (or crusty bread and sop up the juices in the olive oil mix), while drinking San Mig Super Dry and listening to an acoustic Chikoy Pura sing Joe Jackson. Coolness, and yummy-ness! (Yummy lamb adobo, not Chikoy ha, although pwede na rin! he-he)

Anyway, I once asked Gigi Vinzon, co-owner of Bro's Mustache, the recipe to her lamb adobo. (Whoa, this lady can cook!) But try as might, I couldn't get it down to perfection. Ahm chure she left out a secret ingredient. Oooh Francine, I am so missing that lamb adobo now. Lesgow!

New music from old guitars

(The Bro's Mustache house CD at last! Restrung: Lumang Gitara, Bagong Kanta)
TUESDAY, January 30, was a milestone of sorts for My Bro’s Mustache, a popular folk music bar in Quezon City owned by lovable couple Gigi and Boy Vinzon.

The venue was packed with all its friends and supporters waiting for the grand tadaah of the night—the launch of its CD featuring its stable of musicians. Mind you, these musicians are not just the usual flash-in-the-pan, one-hit-wonders now filling our airwaves. The names will probably sound familiar to most of you, especially those who were already lovin’ and rockin’ in the ’60s and ’70s – Florante, Joey “Pepe” Smith, Wally Gonzalez, Heber Bartolome, Lolita Carbon, Susan Fernandez, Lester Demetillo – permanent fixtures in the folk music and rock and roll scene in those decades.

(From left: Noel Cabangon, Rannie Raymundo, Mon Espia)

Aptly called Restrung: Lumang Gitara, Bagong Kanta (The Artists of My Bro’s Mustache), the CD features all these great music legends singing new songs, but still doing what they do best, providing searching commentaries on present-day events and political situations. Their music is still edgy, almost militant, which harks back to the tumultuous years of the First Quarter Storm, but very much applicable to our lives today.

Among the crew, my favorite has to be Florante’s Araw, Gabi, which talks about the pitfalls of a drug addict’s lifestyle; and Susan Fernandez’s haunting Dalagita sa Dilim. Fernandez’s divine angelic voice provides an effective counterpoint to the otherwise heavy topic of prostitution.

(Wally Gonzalez)

But the CD isn’t all just political and social commentary. There are stirring love songs and simple sweet melodies by a number of today’s finest musicians like Noel Cabangon, Mon Espia, Rannie Raymundo, as well as a few surprises from relatively unknown singers but who are extremely talented, if their first songs are of any indication.

For instance, I am taken by the unpretentiousness of Hans and Reagan’s Patty (dedicated to one of the boys’ crush), moved by Joniver’s soulful Cursed By Your Love (he sounds like a rougher Binky Lampano, but a fine bluesman nonetheless), cheered up by Espia’s affectionate Caleb (his son who makes a debut as well on his proud papa’s cut), and enamored with Raymundo’s charming Stop Me.

Of course Cabangon’s passionate Tinitiis Kita has long endeared me (taken from his 2003 opus Medjas) and someone called Rey Almentario has written the most poignant music and lyrics to Walang Katulad. While not a love song, The Storm of Chickoy Pura will show you the softer, acoustic side of The Jerks’ frontman. Even Lolita Carbon (of the famed Asin) surprises with Hawak Kamay because she croons her blues instead of screaming her usual passions. Paul Galang wraps up the entire package with his tribute to the great singers and hymns of our time (like the Juan dela Cruz's Ang Himig Natin) with a song for Pepe Smith entitled Salamat Pepe. The ex-Juan dela Cruz lead singer does a cameo on the cut.

(Boy Vinzon)

Produced by Espia, acknowledged as the real genius behind the erstwhile Labuyo and Gary V.’s fave guitarist (he never travels anywhere without Mon), Restrung is not only just a bunch of artists getting together to make fine music but a family who has found a home in Boy and Gigi’s bar. Even during the night’s album launch, there were no egos as each artist was willing to take a back seat, and accompany the performer of the moment. (But of course, one couldn’t help but allow the spotlight to shine a bit longer on legends like Pepe and Wally. Expectedly, there were a lot of weed jokes from Pepe.) The entire evening felt like one grand music peace-out...I mean, how often can you get all these legendary performers on one stage and in one night alone? It was truly one of those rare events that only Bro's can accomplish.

(Joey 'Pepe' Smith)

It is in this bar where these stars shine even brighter, energized as their old fans relive their wild days even as they reach across to a younger generation of passionate lovers of honest and outstanding real music. At Bro’s, and its CD, there is only love and great music. And that’s good enough for me.

Restrung: Lumang Gitara, Bagong Kanta (P299) is available at My Bro’s Mustache, 68 Sct. Tuazon cor Sct. Madriñan, Quezon City. Proceeds from the sale of the CD go to the artists.

(This is an expanded version of my story which came out in the Life Section of the BusinessMirror, Feb. 2, 2007. All photos by the author.)