BORACAY (Chapter 2) - IN BETWEEN DAZE

(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)

I shared my first glimpse of this magical island in Chapter One of this article, going back in time from 1989 up till 2006. As a frequent visitor I got to experience firsthand - an island filled with beauty, warmth and certainly not lacking in party, style and its ability to bring your heartbeat to pulsating levels.

The attraction was simply magnetic. In my stint as resort manager for DOLPHINBAY BEACHFRONT RESORT in PUERTO GALERA, we made a quick stopover to Boracay during one of our yacht cruises around the Visayas. Other than the fact that it was a natural progression to expand my skills in a more progressive and busier destination, I somehow felt invited back to Boracay.

After that DOLPHINBAY experience, I decided to explore and luckily, good friend and original AZKAL, LOLOY FUENTEBELLA had taken the first step - hired by FAIRWAYS & BLUEWATER RESORT to manage their upcoming sports complex project - a standard sized beach football pitched. Tasked to organize the first INTER-RESORT BEACH FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT, he invited me to be tournament commissioner, thanks to our previous union in organizing the first of its kind for the PUERTO GALERA SUMMER FESTIVALS. 

It was then that I met the coolest, hippest and perhaps the craziest members of Boracay society – JUDE ADAMAG, GENE DELA CRUZ, ANCHO ANCHORES, MALOU DE JOYA & KEVIN, future proprietor of EXIT BAR, who welcomed me with open arms for a picnic and jam at Casa Anchores, up the hill in DINIWID. We then formed the group POKPOK UNITED, a congregation of beach football and rock and roll hooligans- the bond was formed.

I then set my sights on exploring opportunities in Boracay – work, music, play, and through the kindness of football compatriot and good friends GENE DELA CRUZ & MALOU DE JOYA it arrived. Starting with this gig at DOS MESTIZOS and by the mercy of the Lord a job opening for resort manager at MANDALA SPA & VILLAS became available and through the consideration of ABEGALE COURANT CLARINO & mentorship of the late DIETER SCHROTTMANN (who taught me the art of digital marketing) that my transformation begins. 

I was a frequent guest to DOS MESTIZOS and KASBAH BORACAY, a Moroccan restaurant situated at the stunning end of station one, for a few bevies after work, becoming more frequent over the succeeding weeks and months as the network of friends grew. Joining performers on stage for a few songs every time, it became obvious there was a craving for rock and roll, a degree of which I’ve gained from the master guitarist, JUN LOPITO, a Puerto Galera neighbor during my stint there.

On occasion, we’d do jams at the newly opened EXIT BAR, which of late has come to be the hippest place on the island with frequent performances by the ISLAND RHYTHM FORCE, an island based percussion quintet from La Carlota, Negros.

And in the early days of my resettlement, I found Gene, Malou, myself and some other friends engage in some stoner and drunken stupor of conversations where I’d suggest an infusion of some much needed rock and roll to this island. Then in 2010, my close friend & drinking buddy, ANDRE PERREIRA & the beautiful wife, CHARMAINE BORDALLO decided to spend their anniversary in Boracay and bring in the Filipino guitar marvel, NOLI AURILLO to join us in celebration.

We book NOLI AURILLO to do performances at DOS MESTIZOS and it was in KASBAH BORACAY, where I met the musically inclined owner MARTIN ENGLISH, and his equally talented wife MADONNA ENGLISH who were captivated with the Maestro after the first few chords. This is perhaps the validation for my contribution to the musical genes of the island vibe.

Then I formed the ROCKOUSTIC BLUES EXPERIMENT that brought in BOB MIRANDA & BONG LENNON for some special island gigs at these familiar venues and likewise joined the DOS MESTIZOS musicians; LEENVIR SOLARTE & RYAN SOLIMAN for regular Wednesday nights that grew in popularity perhaps due to the repertoire. Then CHEF ANDREW MALARKY decided to experiment with ROCKEOKE Wednesdays to spur more participation and interest. And that really picked up as DOS MESTIZOS was the place to be on Wednesdays.

But sometimes, changes don’t come easy; as the music expanded the compatibility with the job became precarious and I made a decision to move on and left IN BETWEEN DAZE in Boracay. Luckily, that serendipitous occasion on chancing upon MARTIN ENGLISH at KASBAH BORACAY was enough to secure his trust for a job offer. And that my friends, is another chapter in this story – Boracay.

In Chapter Three of this series, the fabulous time at KASBAH BORACAY

More photos on Facebook!