At Folk U, indie musicians show the way

The best-kept secret of independent/alternative live music in Manila is the Folk U series of gigs. It does not draw the crowds that flock to the periodic series of Meiday concerts of Mei Bastes. It is not tied to a specific place—it has been staged at the admittedly hip B-Side and the artsy but laid-back environs of Conspiracy. Folk U is, instead, a moveable feast that delivers on its promise of bringing together songwriters and musicians who have something to say through their music. Mikey Amistoso's Hannah+Gabi had its early performances at Folk U, which later turned up in the Haha Yes EP. Musicians as diverse as Kate Torralba and Johnoy Danao have played there. It has had quite a few “imported" acts such as Luke Chow, a Hong Kong-based alternative musician; Jesse Grinter of Gaijin, Raimund Marasigan's other band; and Andrew Plan, a Fulbright scholar.

Most recently, the instigators of this event, the filmmaker Khavn de la Cruz and his sister Ledh, have released an album -- Found and Lost by Fando and Lis -- full of songs we “folkers" (as habitues of this series are supposed to be called) first memorably heard throughout the dozen different stagings of Folk U. And yes, it has changed my life. In a way, Folk U is an extension of the Mag:net Katipunan sound—it started in June 2010, just as Mag:net Cafe slowly began winding down. Some of its featured performers used to play between poems at the Happy Mondays Poetry Night, where I first heard Fando and Lis. I liked what I heard, and so when Ledh, one of the most charming people I know, told me what they were up to, I decided to go to a preview gig at Green Papaya. Amistoso and his girlfriend attended the gig, and then he performed with the assistance of an iPod. Then, as in Mag:net, Fando and Lis came up on stage and did a mix of their original songs and some covers. The following Saturday found me at Saguijo in Makati, where I was reunited with an old friend from high school. It was the first time I did not step out often from a place where the sound overwhelms the listener, especially when the amplifiers are on. Five months later, in the same place, a life-changing experience happened to me. The night Luke Chow came to town, Folk U featured extended sets, so each performer had about 45 minutes. Fando and Lis did their original material, but their choice of covers was inspired. Without warning, they broke into one of my favorite songs, Billy Joel's “She's Always a Woman," and I was moved to tears. To say more would be giving too much information. But don't just take my word for it. Ask GMANews Online reporter Melay Lapena how Folk U changed her life. “I'll always think of Folk U fondly, because my not-so-secret wish to have someone sing for me was fulfilled one Folk U night," she says, “when my name and Nick Drake's Northern Sky were mentioned in the same sentence." There's also Amistoso, who says Folk U gave his career a boost. “I didn't really intend Hannah+Gabi to be playing gigs, but because of Folk U, nagkaroon ng venue," he says. “So I was encouraged to do gigs [on my own.] Before that, I had come to the point where I got tired of playing gigs." Apart from the emotional roller-coaster that accompanied my Folk U encounters with music, the experience also changed my view of musicians. I discovered that there were people who enjoyed making music that spoke from the heart—in the sparse atmosphere of Folk U, the voices were heard more clearly. I also learned that it was possible to enjoy music in the usual watering holes without worrying about losing one's hearing. But I also got to meet musicians, both seasoned veterans and newcomers, who loved what they were doing and wanted to share it with the rest of us. Of course, this is not for everyone, and I suspect that if one counted the number of regular “folkers" other than the performers, there would just be enough to fill a little more than half of Conspiracy's music room. However, I have a sense that it is perhaps where our next generation of singer-songwriters could find a home, sharing their stories of love, longing, loss, and life. I hope, like me and the others who enjoyed Folk U over the past year, that lives would be changed in the process. - YA, GMA News Ren Aguila is a writer and researcher in the not-for-profit sector. All photos by Jeanie Sison. On September 3, the singer-songwriter event Folk U moves to Greenbelt 3 Park as part of the .MOV festival. Show starts at about 6 PM along with the launching of Songs from the End of the World: Philippine Singer-Songwriters, an album featuring musicians who have appeared on different Folk U gigs.