The unforgettable Ang4

If it were true that laughter could literally bring a house down, then Merk’s bar and bistro in Greenbelt 3 in Makati would just be a happy memory of the past now. When nothing but, oh well, rubbles were left of the watering-hole, Richard Merk, its owner, could put the blame on Ang4 – the wacky singing group of Pinky Marquez, Dyords Javier, Bimbo Cerrudo and Isay Alvarez. But how would you "criminally charge" a quartet whose "weapons of destruction" were their adept talent in singing and their innate craft in making people laugh? This early, I could hear the sound of the pounding gavel: case dismissed.

Just recently, the well-heeled and perfumed crowd of the bar laughed with their feet up in the air – of course you knew that this was a hyperbole – when they watched the Ang4 perform. No one seemed to care about poise and pedigree as long as they could listen to real singing and let out a good dose of laughter. That night, the uppity crowd put down their guards and just laughed their heads off.

Imagine this: Marquez, Cerrudo and Alvarez soulfully singing The Prayer, giving the song a tasteful and original flavor so they would not sound like aping Charlotte Church and Josh Groban or Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli. While the three were almost teary-eyed internalizing the number, Javier, on his little corner of the stage, was irreverently interpreting the song replete with his funny antics. The performers were unaffected while the audiences were left confused whether to laugh or cry. Well, I opted for the easiest choice – I laughed and cried.

The Ang4 is short for Ang4gettables, a moniker derived from the Nat King Cole classic "Unforgettable." The group, bonded and bounded by their solid commitment to bring joy not only to others but to themselves as well, has been in existence for 12 years. Nanette Inventor and Mon David used to be part of the group until Cerrudo and Alvarez took their place. At present, the group is preparing for another album with mostly original songs written mostly by Javier.

Since each member of the Ang4 is a respected solo singer, expect them to render their many solo numbers. Each can do a number or two of Beatle’s originals without sounding like a direct copycat of the English band. In any of their songs, they rearrange the music, leaving nary a trace – except for the lyrics, of course – that a particular Ang4 number is an interpretation of an old ballad, a pop song, an acid jazz piece or even a rock ‘n roll rendition.

Their four-part harmonies were a sell-out among the crowd. Watch them perform Platters covers and surely you would become an instantaneous fan. In fact, my friends Armand Padilla and Mel Martinez, who baptized me to be an Ang4 convert like them one Tuesday night, informed me that The Platters, when they were in Manila for a concert, went to see the Ang4 perform their medley in one of the bars in Makati. The Platters were so flattered they gave the Ang4 a standing ovation.

The Ang4’s impromptu numbers (including the most requested songs written on table napkins) will make you fall off your seat. Close your eyes when Cerrudo does his oh-so-good falsetto and somehow you will think that the one singing is a girl. Alvarez, a Miss Saigon alumna, gives a first-rate taste of Broadway musical from time to time. Marquez belts out a song without necessarily resorting to annoying histrionics the way many popular songbirds of today do. Javier, celebrates singing in revelry and reverence of his choice song. (And I thought Freddie Mercury’s Bohemian Rhapsody was such a tragic song until I heard it again coming out fresh from the voice box of Javier. If you want to laugh more, request Javier to deliver his naughty Mr. Donut commercial or his rendition of Just Once and you will laugh hard until you find yourself panting your way to the restroom.)

Once the Ang4 set the stage on fire, there’s no way you can douse them from spitting fiery performances. Even if you’re not familiar with the songs of the defunct Eraserheads, Alamid and Yano, you will begin to see the farcical beauty of their songs like Magasin, Tsinelas and Santong Kabayo, Banal na Aso.

Of course, the group undoubtedly sings best when they do their OPM numbers. Their take on Freddie Aguilar’s Anak, Apo Hiking Society’s Batang-bata Ka Pa, Rey Valera’s Doon Lang, Ogie Alcasid’s Nandito Ako among other Pinoy originals proves how excellent they are as artists.

If you feel down and out, alone and lonely… fret not for the Ang4 will surely take your hurts and pains away even for a moment. Only then you will believe that laughter is the best medicine.

If you happen to be in the Greenbelt 3 area on any Tuesday night until November, and you hear Merk’s resonating with superb music and simultaneously pulsating with comical energy, just don’t walk past the bar. Instead, go through its entrance, find yourself a seat (if you’re lucky enough to find one) then plant yourself there. The Ang4 will take the rest in entertaining you. A word of caution though: the laughter offered by the Ang4 is infectious and too much of it may cause your urine sac to explode. Oh well, all these in the name of good music and clean fun.

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