The magic of Malasimbo

In totality, the energy, people, place and the music of the Malasimbo Music & Arts Festival can create pretty remarkable connections. Whether it’s a connection with the music, with a stranger, or with a moment, Malasimbo creates these unique nuggets of experience that you really need to venture out for (it is, after all, a bus-boat-trike-jeep-and-hike away from Manila).

Now in its third year, Malasimbo proves to be ever growing. Two international names grace the humble stage of Malasimbo this year: pioneer reggae singer Jimmy Cliff and Grammy Award-winning soul singer Joss Stone. Also in the festival are the likes of local bands such as Grace Nono, Bob Aves Group, Flippin’ Soul Stompers, Outerhope, Similar Objects, Jeck Pilpil and Peacepipe, Quest, and DJ’s Freddie Joachim, Kristian Hernandez, dj To-Ru.

Meanwhile the festival also gives recognition to the arts, featuring works of visual artists Niccolo Jose, Agnes Arelano, Olivia d’Aboville and Leeroy New to name a few.

Much to the dismay of many though, Malasimboat, or the Liki Tiki mobile bar on sea, did not happen. Due to what I overheard to be some permit problems, our tickets were refunded. Just goes to show perhaps that the crowd flocking to the event is growing faster than expected.

Nonetheless, Malasimbo still makes for moments that cannot be made anywhere else. If you aren’t in the right mindset, or your heart is not open to the spirit, then you might just come home with a wrinkled forehead and an underwhelmed feeling. But don’t come unprepared. Magic is waiting to happen. Such as:

• When a couple decides to MOMOL in the front row during Jeck Pilpil and Peacepipe’s set, giving everyone front row seats to “love in the midst of chaos.”

• When Jimmy Cliff on Saturday night pumps up an overzealous crowd of reggae music fans (the man is, after all, a legend), and everybody is dancing to their own beats, Jimmy himself included, and a six-foot-tall man behind you is yelling “Jimmy, Jimmy” in your ear, clapping his hands over your shoulders, so that you are in reverse hugging position with this stranger, and he grasps your arm every time he feels the music. Bizarre.

• When Jimmy Cliff makes an exit and plays an encore almost three times.

• When a man with long stringy hair, a leather vest and loose pants, carrying a bongo, forces himself to the front row squeezing himself beside me. When I see he is carrying a drum, I make space for him. He plays his own beat as Jimmy and the band, now also all seated on bongos, play a song. Security tries to take the drum away from him; I yell “Boo!”, pretty certain that this man is harmless. He just wants to play music, for crying out loud, and isn’t that what this festival is supposed to be about?

• When they ease off. The man says thank you by shoving his hands in a heart shape in front of my camera when I try to snap some pictures. We spend a few attempts to get a good shot. And even when I’ve given up, he pulls me by the arm so I can take some more, while he holds his hands in heart position for me. When I manage to get a shot, he says, “Wow,” then we high-five. The song ends, and he walks away.

• When a grasshopper perches comfortably on Joss Stone’s collarbone, and someone in the front row points this out. She runs screeching to one of her back-up singers, flailing her arms and begging to shrug the bug off. Meanwhile the band continues to play interim music as Joss Stone kneels on the floor, flustered and embarrassed, trying to keep composed and unable to finish the rest of the set list without breaking into chuckles. She asks everyone, “How do you live here? It’s beautiful here, but the bugs are an issue.”

• When an audience member asking Joss Stone to sing Spoiled and she answers, “Really, Spoiled?” and proceeds to say that she stopped singing that song, forgot about it, because it was written for an asshole. And “Pfft, you just don’t need to sing that anymore,” she says. “No one ever mention it again.” The crowd cheers on. 

• When Joss Stone starts to sing, Right to be Wrong, a girl in the front row starts crying, and various people in the audience yell “Thank you”s to Joss Stone. Yes, thank you, Joss Stone. Thank you.

• When, on the jeepney ride back to the hotel one night, there is a group of elderly women who also indulge in a mini post-evaluation of the festival. “Yung si Jimmy Cliff parang familiar sa akin ang mga kanta niya eh.” “Eh mas matanda pa kasi yun satin!”

Malasimbo knows no age. No class. No race. Just lots of music, dance, and love.