Unwind . . Get a Dose of Music @ Gigs

Music—the language of the world. No city in the world (or any place for that matter) can do away with it. This would neatly bring me to one of my pastimes here in the city.

Nights could never have been more boring (for people around my age bracket, that is) without getting that dose of escape brought about by immersing oneself into music. And nothing could be more enjoyable than to sink into the sound around all those lights, drowning volume, and a lot of other people who seem to be enjoying it as much as you do.
Are you in to bands? Do you occasionally go to local gigs in your hometown to check out what some of the bands there have to offer for that night? Well, if you enjoy doing that, then you're never going to miss home when you're here in Cagayan de Oro City.

Cagayan de Oro City occasionally gives birth to young talented local individuals who form a group out of nowhere, with their own sets of reasons, and contribute to the flame that's sparking up the city's life. Some of them form bands, and those bands yet form another group which we know of as a Music group. Lucky for me, for I am a music lover, they give me yet another reason to stay alive at night.

Gigs—in the local lingo we call it tukar. Gigs aren't new in the city's premises. They have been in existence for as long as 8 years ago, as far as I can remember. But I'm pretty sure it dates back farther than that; I have witnessed that part of the city's scene only 8 years ago, and I was amazed at what I saw back then.

Gigs that happen in the city don't follow a fixed schedule and they don't have a fixed venue. What usually happens is people get information by word of mouth. Some would also distribute flyers or post posters about the upcoming event usually a week before it happens. Lately, some of these local music groups put up websites that contain information about that group and their schedule of gigs. Two of the groups I know that have done this include Corridor Music Group and SLAM (the last time I checked, the latter doesn't seem to be that active anymore). On their websites, you'll see on their friend's list the bands that are regularly performing for them.

Some of the bands that made it to the mainstream started from these small gigs. And I tell you, how they play prior their way to the pop scene isn't much different compared to when they were still playing at these small gigs. And before you get me wrong, these guys still play at local gigs. (I was afraid I might give the impression that those guys are bloated enough for them not to play at local gigs anymore). Almost all the guys I know of who play at local gigs play without a charge. The organizer most likely give them free beers and stuff, but fees other than, you won't hear that from any of them. Those guys are pure music enthusiasts; they perform because they love to play music.

Here are some of the notable bands that made it to the mainstream: (Click on their names to open a window directing to their homepages)

• Tabularaza,
  



• Gasulina,
  



• Fayeed Tan,
  



• K9,
  

and a lot more.

So if you are somewhere around the city, watch out for the events happening for the night. You won't regret spending P50 - P100 for a night floating on music. These guys are just amazing.

*First, second and fourth photos in courtesy of Pancho Trinidad.
*The rest of the photos in courtesy of Corridor Music Group.