ICONIC singer Lolita Carbon (of Asin, Lokal Brown and Tres Marias) is ready to excite and thrill loyal Pinoy rock fans on February 14 at the legendary Manila Hotel with her signature OPM hits and never-been-heard-before covers of love songs.
On her first-ever big-time Valentine’s Day show, the folk-rock songstress’ inimitable bluesy voice will be accompanied by respected guitarist-arranger Noli Aurillo and the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra.
Coming off the huge success of Full Blast! Pinoy Superbands in October 2017, concert promoter Anton Pascual conceived of a different kind of Valentine’s Day show that suits Carbon’s artistic temperament and image.
Pascual told SoundStrip, “Traditional Valentine’s Day concerts usually feature silly and cheesy love songs. My wife and I then thought that a Valentine’s show does not necessarily have to revolve around love songs that are mushy. The songs can be about love for the environment or the country, and not just for somebody else or your loved ones.”
From various encounters with Carbon, especially after the Full Blast! concert, the Pascual couple was so enamored by the folk singer’s performance that they decided to do a unique Valentine’s Day concert with her.
“If you listen to [Carbon’s] music, it transcends the kind of love [that’s just for couples]. They’re more about love for the environment, the masses and country. Her upcoming Valentine’s Day show will definitely have a few things that are different from the rest,” Pascual shared.
Fronting an orchestra
ONE added twist is that an orchestra will play at the dinner before the show and during the concert with Carbon, which will be a taste of something outside of the Filipina musician’s typical folk-rock orbit.
Carbon herself admitted that there would be surprises in her Valentine’s concert at the Manila Hotel. She said in Filipino that she would be rendering songs that the audience would not imagine that she would perform.
“That will be the biggest surprise!” Carbon exclaimed.
She related that, when she was young, a lounge singer who did a very convincing interpretation of a Shirley Bassey hit song inspired her—and she thought of the performance as something great.
Now fronting an orchestra, she feels the time is right to give that classic Bassey song a try. Her performance will certainly be a far cry from her rise as a preeminent female folk rocker of her generation, but it should pin another feather on her colorful cap.
Pinoy rock: alive and well
THROUGH the years, Carbon remains busy and visible playing music outside of Manila. She mused that she still plays in provincial festivals and even in remote areas. And, if ever she sings to her faithful, they know her songs very well, much to her amazement.
The lady rocker has always been appreciative of audiences enjoying her live music. Carbon is proud to be part of a generation of artists who lives—and sometimes dies—by their live performance.
She argued about the emergence of “minus one” or karaoke music and its entertainment value, as well as the cost of enjoying them, compared to live musicians.
No doubt, Carbon is living proof that Pinoy rock is alive and well as it reaches out to new audiences. For her, it is already part of the country’s music industry. Trends come and go and listeners’ tastes change, but “the roots stay.” That said, the muse of Pinoy rock might yet find new routes for her music when she hits the Manila Hotel stage come Valentine’s Day.
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Himig ng Pag-ibig: A Lolita Carbon Valentine’s Special tickets are available through Ticketnet Online, Araneta Coliseum box office and Rockford Productions Inc.
Image credits: Butch Giovanni Capoy