As I write this, it is mere hours away from the official launch of Esquire Philippines at The Peninsula Manila. The original US edition of Esquire is one of the greatest magazines of all time, and I am very pleased and proud indeed to be part of the homegrown edition under Summit Media (I’m associate editor, as those of you who read last week’s Supreme section may know).
As usual, though, aside from such pressing concerns as my shirt and suit (get it? Pressing? Suit? Har har), I’m thinking about music—specifically, what I’m going to be blasting later in the car on the way there. Since the car in question is an absolutely gorgeous sleek black 2011 Mercedes-Benz E 250 (not mine, sadly), I was thinking of going with something epic and triumphant and classical, but in the end, at this point in my life, that’s not really me, so I’m probably going with Future Sound by Jurassic 5, Coming Up by Lupe Fiasco, and the Roots Manuva/Bar-Kays mash-up, Too Hot to Witness (Make it Funky Edit), which are all triumphant in their own right.
Displaced Voices
One of my favorite songs at the moment is by a friend, Allan Lumba, better known to local music fans as Multo (he has an album, “Footnote to Youth,” out on Number Line Records). He’s got a new musical project going, which combines the directness of rock with a certain electronica-induced dreaminess, called Third World Summer, and you can listen to/download the excellent song Displaced Voices here: http://soundcloud.com/thirdworldsummer/displaced-voices
Superheavy Superband
Speaking of triumphant, you may have already heard about the Mick Jagger-led superband, SuperHeavy, who launched their debut album in September. Aside from Jagger, the band includes Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, A.R. Rahman, and (best of all, for my money) Damian Marley. Supergroups in general don’t work—and this one does have its drawbacks, though the sheer diversity (almost randomness) of influences is interesting—but watch their video for first single Miracle Worker on YouTube. It is a lot of fun, mostly thanks to Marley’s toasting, Stone’s cute-soul thing, and Jagger’s bright pink suit.
Mayday! Mayday!
The biggest Meiday gig to date is happening tonight, Friday, Oct. 7. Having a good time with music and friends is usually reason enough for Meiday, but this time, you should go for aother reason as well: to help out founder Mei Bastes, who has really done a lot to keep the independent music scene alive and exciting.
“I am throwing an emergency Meiday fundraiser gig on October 7 at B-Side because my health condition has gone from bad to alarming and I need to undergo surgery,” Mei posted. “We’ll be passing the hat for any donations you might want to give an ailing girl with a big heart... I am asking this because I am on my own with this operation as I have no parents to pay for the whole thing blah-blah drama and I still really want to party and not become a vegetable.” So go, show your appreciation for Mei, Meiday and local music, tonight at The Collective, on Malugay Street in Makati. Pupil, Up Dharma Down, Itchyworms, Sandwich, Pedicab, Ciudad, Outerhope and lots of others will be playing.