Ely sings for peta

Ely Buendia is extremely busy these days. He has a solo career. He is fronting two bands, Pupil and the Oktaves. Then once in a while, he would also give in to requests from old-time fans of the Eraserheads to dish out a Toyang or an El Bimbo. Despite this, Ely, who is one of the country’s biggest rock stars, still finds time to devote to worthy social causes.His latest is the survival of Philippine Educational Theater Association or PETA.

The rocker will be performing in Ely Sings for PETA, a very special gig that will be held at the PETA Theater Center on Friday, Sept. 20. This will be a rare chance to watch Ely sing solo in an intimate show at PETA’s black box theater. The concert is part of PETA Beyond 50, PETA’s fundraising program that aims to raise P50M in time for PETA’s 50th anniversary in 2017.

Founded by Cecile Guidote Alvarez in 1967, PETA has successfully fostered an interesting mix of artistic fulfillment and social transformation these past years. Among the stellar line-up of talents that helped PETA realize these goals were director Lino Brocka, screenwriter Orlando Nadres, musical director Lutgardo Labad and many others. It has also funded the staging of hundreds of plays, a theater training school, workshops and other activities.

It was while thinking of how PETA can keep on going beyond its 50 years that current PETA president Cecilia Garucho decided to put up an endowment fund. “PETA’s commitment to its vision remains steadfast,” Garucho said in a statement, “However, it needs a viable and long-term solution to sustain its mission.” And that is where the endowment fund comes in. This was launched a year ago by Noel Cabangon, who is also a PETA talent, in his concert Tuloy Ang Biyahe that was held at the Music Museum.

Other artists have since then also joined in the fundraising activities like Aiza Seguerra, Ogie Alcasid, Christian Bautista, Gloc-9, Jim Paredes, Buboy Garrovillo and Chito Miranda. And now the latest among them is Ely. Tickets are priced at P5,000 VIP; P2,000 orchestra and balcony center; and P1,000 balcony. Call 725-6244 or 0917-5183654 or 891-9999 or go online to www.ticketworld.com for tickets to the show.

 All proceeds from the show will go to the PETA Endowment Fund. If you watch, you will not only be getting a performance by Ely but also helping PETA carry on its work. The money raised will allow PETA to continue its cultural work, to develop a new generation of artists as well as provide a chance for those who do not have the financial resources to gain access to PETA’s unique creative programs.

Also unique is Ely’s latest album. This features The Oktaves, which is composed of three generations of rock artists from various bands. These are Chris and Bobby Padilla and Ivan Garcia of Hilera from recent times; Nitoy Adriano of The Jerks, which dates back to the ’80s; and Ely of Eraserheads and Pupil. They first got together for a project with the late Francis M, did a few gigs and then decided to go all out as The Oktaves with a CD and a tour.

The sound is unlike any that we would associate with Ely. His music is more pop, a Iaidback sort of rock, but the Oktaves, thanks perhaps to punk guitarist Nitoy of Sayaw Sa Bubog fame, is all-out rock, a multi-layered mix of driving fun tunes. The album is made up of new works by Ely and Chris but the sound is classic rock. Best among these are the closers, Bungo Sa Bangin and Langit Express. Maybe they can help Pinoy rock get its energy back and become noisy again.

And now from MYX, the Pinoy music TV, here are the Top 20 videos of the past week: Pansamantala by Callalily; Saludo by Quest; No Limitations by Sam Concepcion; Tamis by Kamikazee; Help Me Get Over by Jonalyn Viray; Gilid by Moonstar88; Ilusyon by Abra feat. Arci Muñoz; Back To You by Luigi D’Avola; Broken Heart by Kaligta; High by Save Me Hollywood.

Sandata by Yeng Constantino; Tonight by JayR & Mica; Atat by Ron Henley feat. Muriel; Dati by Sam Concepcion, Tippy Dos Santos and Quest; Lapit by Ebe Dancel; Chupoy Chupoy by Hoodlum; Malayang Magmahal by Rivermaya; Drown by Rocksteddy; Bespren by Coach Jungee feat. Yeng Constantino; and Malaya Ka Na by Armchairs.

More local hits. As per the Astroplus and Astro Vision hit lists, the top-selling Filipino albums of the week of Aug. 26 to Sept. 1 are the following: Esoteric by Urban Dub; Juan De La Cruz, Volume 2, the original soundtrack of the TV series by Various Artists; The Sound of Love by Mark Bautista; Muling Buksan Ang Puso, the soundtrack of another teleserye; Melodramatic by Silent Sanctuary; Expressions by Sarah Geronimo; Sings Just For You by Gary Valenciano; The Original Pusong Bato by Aimee Torres; 10th Year Album by Erik Santos; and Dreaming of You by Juris.