Mike Hanopol Aug. 11 gig in Winnipeg

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Mike Hanopol
In my point of view, the concert was successful, primarily because Mike Hanopol--with the help of the local musicians who backed him up--was able to perform and deliver many of his hits in a superb manner--technically and passionately speaking. Hanopol, now a born-again pastor, also took the opportunity to preach his newfound belief to the audience. Anyway, back to music, he rendered such hits as "Mr. Kenkoy," "Bayan ni Juan," "Buhay Musikero," and, of course, "Laki sa Layaw, Jeproks," and a few cuts from his latest album, 'Lagablab.' The only two remarks he uttered that turned me off were, first, he slighted Pepe Smith when he told the crowd that, back in the days of Juan Dela Cruz Band, while he was focused on writing their music, Smith was busy indulging himself on the "you know what." I think this was Hanopol's attempt to emphasize that he was the chief songwriter of their erstwhile band--good intention yet left a bad taste. And considering that he is now a reformed Christian--as what he claimed to be--negative comments like that, especially about former friends or colleagues, is surprising and unethical. Next, in an attempt to distinguish himself from the so-called singers of the music industry ("singers," meaning, people who simply sing what composers give to them or just cover other people's songs), Hanopol presented a quite myopic view: He declared that singers/songwriters like himself, Freddie Aguilar, and Rey Valera are already endagered species. I refute Hanopol on this premise. This simply reveals that Hanopol is no longer in touch with the happenings of the music scene in the Philippines; for, if you're really a musician, you also care about what's happening in the scene, enough for you to know that, since the '80s, there's always a pool of songwriters and legitimate artists (bands or soloists) who are able to compose their own materials. The Dawn, Identity Crisis, Urban Bandits, WUDS, Philippine Violators, Gelboys, Alamid, Rivermaya, Neocolours, Eraserheads, Siakol, Ogie Alcasid, Gary Valenciano, The April Boys, and a whole lot more--whether popular, underground, or untapped. So, don't give me that claim that Filipino songwriters are already endangered species. Better to claim is this--that the endangered species are not the songwriters but people who know how to crave for something original and not just renditions and other cover songs. There will always be out there tons of songwriters and bands who sing their own materials. All one needs to do to tap them is to indulge oneself in music.

haLf man haLf eLf
Considering that eLf's band got to practice properly only once (the night before the concert), they pulled their performance off with a blast! The eLf has always been a ruckus onstage, but that night I felt that they nailed it really deep. In tribute to Filipino Rock music, they played songs from Filipino bands which immensely influenced eLf's own musicality and passion to get involved in the band scene since the '80s. They played "Nagpapapansin, Pansinin" by Urban Bandits, "Susi" by The Dawn, and "High School (Life)" by eLf's very own erstwhile band Half Life Half Death. Of course, their set wouldn't be complete without a Cure song. haLf man haLf eLf performed also "Just like Heaven." The eLf didn't fail to mention that Urban Bandits was among the pioneers of Filipino Punk Rock music, and The Dawn was among the instigators of Filipino New Wave music. The entire event was caught on video. Urban Bandits and to The Dawn, some members of such bands are acquaintances of mine.