Nursery Rhymes: The Reunion 1/20/2012
Captain's Log....Stardate...2012....it has been a good 20 years or so since the local New Wave scene last heard them play...I was first contacted by their former PR/Manager Quelly Sace (who now runs a curious and fanciful home-made custom cake shop aptly called Cake My Day) asking if I had a busy January 2012 and if I still have time to handle another event...when she told me that their gregariously cordial vocalist Ace Clavecillas and the rest of the band were reuniting....it was a resounding yes! I met up with him and his lovely wife Rosey on a very rainy afternoon last November 2011 and sealed the deal there on...hindsight...Ace still possessed that exuberant smile and that remarkable youthfulness that has endeared him as a singer towards a demanding crowd way back in the eighties and yet remained down-to-earth and as humble as a gleeful pie...it is seldom that you see this nowadays with singers in particular since somehow...although trying to maintain a low profile, some of them tend to have a hypocritical notion of impressing on people to remember their past glory but not in this case....their reunion, fittingly titled "The Unguarded Moment" was mainly produced by him along with Monx Moncayo and Winston Bautista, who are the forerunners of Requiem Rising, the same production outfit that rocked Manila back with the reunion of Identity Crisis on September 2011. I was and still is extremely elated to be a part of this show (enough...now the tale begins)!
Club Phi, Metrowalk, Pasig city
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On the show date itself...I arrived a bit late because of the heavy traffic..and people were steadily streaming to buy their tickets and and gather on tables. Others, like me, were smoking outside...I couldn't eat, much less drink anything since this was my first offing for the year under and yes, I was feeling a little hot under the collar. People were texting friends and relatives giving directions...it was a very good pensive mood that people emulated as they were also tensely excited to see the show underway.
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My good friend and Creative Director of Subkulture Productions, Miggs Marfori aka Lestat DV also came to watch and support the event.
tito George Frederick Gaballes aka tito Geoff to most and yes, the one and only DWXB 102 DJ that kept the flame alive resurrecting the music DWXB 102 (the only alternative station during the 80s) spun for the crowd.
The very bashful Aldrin Ignacio from the mobile Harmonic Trend was the main man as far as photographing the gig was concerned.
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He was known (and still is) as The Ghost during his stint with DWXB 102, also came to support everyone involved with the event. Thank you tito Manolet!
Angel Lorbes (UK Based) endeared to watch the show despite a short vacation.
Charina Oyong, Chris Merto (102 Club of DWXB 102 founder and co-sponsor) and Dalisay Letaban
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The room was brimming....let the music play
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For a band that has laid low for so many years, the crowd was a deluge of bodies, both familiar and unfamiliar faces, to the point that people didn't care if they sat or stood. The orders kept on coming and the waiters hustled double time to just keep an apprehensive drove happy. In the meantime, tito Geoff (former DJ of DWXB 102 who now now runs WXB102 internet radio) had the audience in a state of anamnesis as he spun new wave hits reminiscent of his DJ days during the eighties. Several personalities also graced the show such as DJ Liza Solano-Aguila, Alfie Mella and his lovely wife of Half Life Half Death, Boyet Garcia and Mike Timbol of NoMixx, The Ghost aka tito Manolet formerly from DWXB 102, Haro de Guzman (producer for the Philippine show of Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark) Chris Merto and Emy Vivas of 102 Club of WXB102, Mel Gonzales from the band Caffeine (tribute band for The Railway Children) and his lovely wife Evs. Aldrin Ignacio of Harmonic Trend was as busy as a bee taking pictures of the event.
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....cursory after the fact....
Nursery Rhymes has made history once more blissfully shining through that evening with their repertoire and their two originals, "Shuttered Dreams" and "Treasure For Pleasure". Unknown to many, they have been continents apart for so many years that it only took them less than a week to practice their song repository and yet they have managed to captivate and had the audience spell-bound from start to finish. They struck a chord in the hearts of the young and contemporary public that a wave of memories suddenly filled the room reminiscing their past events and their journey into the musical scene. Their range, depth, energy and showmanship had gotten people excited that they danced and swung from their seats or went in front just to sing, chant and clap with the band. The way they arranged every song was passionate enough that people can feel their memory during the times that they ruled the underground concert scene and incorporated them with their personal memories. Our creative director for Subkulture Productions, Miggs Marfori, who has heard them play for the very first time, told me that it's as if they were meant to play all of these songs and couldn't believe that they just had a very short time to practice the entirety of their song choices. The band closed with a cover of The Clash's, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and fans from all ages and friends swooned over the stage armed with tickets, memorabilia and even pieces of paper for a quick autograph and have their pictures taken along with those that brought their grown up children. The concert was not just any reunion gig since the band fortuitously turned it into one big family gathering that strangers from yesteryears suddenly connected and instantaneously became friends. The legacy that the band brought to it's audience is priceless which are reminiscent of two things: good times and good music.
Onward to infinity and beyond
....after the gig...each and every band member went back to their daily grind.....Ace Clavecillas has gone back to performing but carries the name of Nursery Rhymes (Achi of Nursery Rhymes)....Jay Paloma (credits go to him for the cover picture above and the videos) has gone back to Singapore and performs with his band The Cajooters .... Dennis Sarte is still making music and is one of the directors of Requiem Rising on the SFO front.... while Joseph Cuenco and Jong Perez has gone back to living a quietly active life but is still in touch with the music scene....
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE FOR NURSERY RHYMES (please click on the link): Nursery Rhymes Fan Page
FOR BOOKINGS (please click on the highlighted links):
Ace of Nursery Rhymes (Philippine Based): Ace Clavecillas
The Cajooters via Jay Paloma (Singapore Based): Jay Paloma
For Requiem Rising Events: Dennis Sarte (SFO), Monx Moncayo and Winston Bautista (Philippine and Singapore Gigs)
FACEBOOK FAN PAGE FOR NURSERY RHYMES (please click on the link): Nursery Rhymes Fan Page
FOR BOOKINGS (please click on the highlighted links):
Ace of Nursery Rhymes (Philippine Based): Ace Clavecillas
The Cajooters via Jay Paloma (Singapore Based): Jay Paloma
For Requiem Rising Events: Dennis Sarte (SFO), Monx Moncayo and Winston Bautista (Philippine and Singapore Gigs)
