Something Special: One year of music & magic

MANILA, Philippines - Every Friday night of the month, Bistro Miyake in Greenhills, San Juan City will feature hits of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s as the show band Something Special has been providing music and magic for a year now.

The celebration caps 52 weeks of live performances by Something Special at the dinner club along Annapolis St. that has attracted diners and guests who have enjoyed not only the musical entertainment, but also the good food and drinks, fine service and the relaxing atmosphere it offers.

For its anniversary offering, Something Special has prepared a revitalized line-up of songs showcasing its unique sound and smooth vocal blending as it performs classic hits, exceptionally-arranged medleys and catchy, danceable tunes.

Among the repertoire of the group that club regulars enjoy are ’70s hits such as Cherish, Mr. Dieingly Sad, Moonlight Serenade, Mr. Sandman, How Deep Is Your Love, We’ve Only Just Begun and You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.

Other crowd favorites are My Girl, Moon River, Twilight Time, See You In September, The Young Ones, Dancing Queen, Copacabana, Surfin’ USA and Pretty Woman.

Guests keep coming back for more of the band’s medleys of songs by various artists, such as Frank Valli, Cris Montes, The Everly Brothers, The Cascades, Sergio Mendes, Santana, The Lettermen, The Beatles and The Apo Hiking Society.

Danceable tunes guests can’t resist grooving to are Funky Music, Last Dance, Sway, Route 66, Mama Don’t Dance, Rock Baby Rock, Bongga Ka ‘Day, Blue Suede Shoes, In The Mood and Head Over Heels.

Regulars are occasionally taken on a trip down memory lane with OPM hits like Buhat, Maalaala Mo Kaya? and Bakit?, aside from Something Special’s original and award-winning song, Ikaw, Ako, Tayo, Magkakapatid, and its English OPM hits, Smile and I Don’t Love You Anymore.

Something Special entered the music and entertainment scene as the second generation of The New Minstrels, then touted as Asia’s most popular show band, until it decided on a change of format and image and shifted to its present moniker.

With its flawless vocal blending and great showmanship, Something Special enlivened the night entertainment scene with its regular performances in popular night spots of that era, such as Kachina Lounge, El Camarote Alibi Bar, Cusco Lounge and Tavern On The Square, among others.

It was acclaimed by club habitués and the music industry for its Smile and I Don’t Love You Anymore.

The New Minstrels disbanded when the members decided to pursue individual interests, but reunited in June, 2008 for a reunion concert that paved the way for a meeting of its members with colleagues and friends from other New Minstrels generations to form a new group that eventually became Something Special.

After being launched at Bistro Miyake last year, Something Special embarked on a series of live engagements and performances. It has just concluded several months of nightly gigs at Strumms on Jupiter St., Bel-Air Village, Makati City.

Contributing to the excellent live performance of Something Special is its technical excellence brought about by the quality instruments and state-of-the-art, all-original US-made sound engineering system it uses, thus ensuring a truly world-class quality of its sound output.

The members of Something Special are Grace Pimentel, Arlene Arcilla and Dingdong Fernando (vocalists); Bert Escario (lead guitarist/vocalist); Rolly Abalos (bass guitarist); Ariel Vitan (drummer); and Dodong Salcedo Jr. (keyboardist).

(For details, call Joan Pempengco at 0917-8121537, 288-3401 to 03 or 287-4523)