IN BETWEEN DAZE - BORACAY (Chapter 1)

 

(A story by Stiff – Proprietor at Loudhouse Music Enterprise, lead vocalist of Rizal Underground and a musical voyager to some of the most beautiful destinations of the World)

(Photos taken from the BORACAY RETROSPECTIVE 1974-2011 37 years and counting FACEBOOK page) 

Ranked by TRAVEL + LEISURE as 2012’s number one beach destination in the world, BORACAY ISLAND remains to be the most popular island paradise in Asia. With its pristine white sands and aqua blue waters so stunning, you just keep coming back.

Beachcomber, Boracay

And so I did after that first visit in 1989. Strolling on the beach with them topless sunbathers and joining them later for drinks at the early proprietors of party - COCOMANGAS, BAZURA BAR & of course BEACHCOMBER, owned by Boracay’s original party boy ANDREE ABRIAM, whose stories of early Boracay were surely a feast for my senses. A lot of us remember the swing hanging from a tree right in front of the bar. 

Back then, Php 300.00 nipa huts were a dime a dozen, but there were those classier joints such as LORENZO in Station Three & PEARL OF THE PACIFIC in Station One where the pavement ended and the dirt road began. Food places were quite scarce except for those early restaurants such as DEPARIS, MANGO RAY and NIGI NIGI NU NOOOS, who to this day continues to play the best retro tunes and serve the best burgers in the island.

8 years later in 1997, after the success of the SABADO NIGHTS campaign for SAN MIGUEL beer, RIZAL UNDERGROUND released its sophomore album “DISKARIL”, under POLYCOSMIC RECORDS (now MCA Music). I took the band to an unforgettable 18-day, 9-City tour called “LOKOMOTIBO ‘97”. The first stop of the VISAYAS LEG of this tour was a concert performance to celebrate the ATI-ATIHAN FESTIVAL in Kalibo that was followed by a side trip to Boracay - A first for most of the members and crew. It was a windy January evening and a good crowd of locals and foreigners alike were treated to an awesome show at COCOMANGAS.

Such a lovely and inspiring destination and, with the warmth of the locals as a definite addition, one I would recommend to travelers all over the world. From the grapevine, I’ve learned that a few other artists lived in the island. In particular, a friend and prolific songwriter, YSAGANI YBARRA, whose compositions (BILOG NA NAMAN ANG BUWAN, BIYAHENG LANGIT, etc.) were covered by some of the most popular groups of our time. (LOLITACARBON of ASIN & TROPICAL DEPRESSION) and recently featured in BORACAYMAG is the prolific percussionist DJANGO and also the much talented artisan NONET PILLORIA.

But many years went by before I could return to Boracay. Over those years, many musical events were held, the Millennium concert headlined by my good friend, PAPADOM & his TROPICAL DEPRESSION and plenty of other corporate sponsored events that featured some of the biggest names in the music industry and other events like BIKINI OPEN pageants and water sports events put together by the indefatigable NENETTE GRAF who until this day actively pursue these endeavors.

After a short stint as a doting and dedicated parent I made a comeback in artist management. In 2007, I was invited to manage the super ska band, COFFEE BREAK ISLAND which brought me back to Boracay via the musical route. It was a solid performance at SUMMER PLACE and soon I also got my mojo back.

So much had changed since the nineties, tall buildings, many loud establishments and the DJ revolution had begun. And Boracay became a huge and albeit proper venue for the new rock stars of this generation. HEY JUDE BORACAY where the locals converge, lead the way while others like SUMMER PLACE and such were sprouting. Somewhere close to the now D’MALL was this small bar by the beach called BOMBOM BAR that featured regular performances from a host of local percussionist - they would soon afterwards split up into blocs – EXITBAR, JUNGLE BAR, PATS CREEK BAR,  and  AREA 51, where the FULL MOON PARTY organizers, the JUNGLE BOYS, reside. BOMBOM BAR continues to draw crowds today but gone are the local percussionists and it has transformed into a reggae bar. These days, you can watch the new percussion group DAGSA perform at CONGAS BAR, headlined by the talented I-DREN ARTSTRONG and the formidable La Carlota based percussion group ISLAND RHYTHM FORCE doing shows at EXIT BAR. (More on these in the coming chapters).

Fast forward to 2009, through the benevolence of my buddy GENE DELA CRUZ and then girlfriend MALOU DE JOYA, the musical journey back to Boracay comes full circle. The couple organized a show at the popular indoor Spanish restaurant DOS MESTIZOS, owned by the energetic BINGGOY REMEDIOS, who recently opened a new Spanish restaurant at the veranda of FAIRWAYS & BLUEWATER called ROJO. DOS MESTIZOS in Station 3, is a popular locals’ hangout that serves live entertainment year round was the venue where a select pool of friends of the couple came, cheered and partied with us.

In the succeeding episodes of this article, I will share with you the grooviest times of my life when I relocated and worked in this magical island. It was then when I learned more of its history, the players and the awesome activities we did during my stint in Boracay with partners DOS MESTIZOS, MANDALA SPA & VILLAS & last but not the least, KASBAH BORACAY. I apologize to those people or venues that were not included in this article; I did not visit this island as often as I should to recognize everyone. Please stay tuned!

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