The Dream

The Oktoberfest Cebu celebration of our company, LTP, held last October 10 2008, gave me a chance to do one of my student day dreams: play for a band.

I got interested in playing the guitar in the latter part of my elementary school years. It all started when I found an old guitar, owned by my father but which he didn't use anymore, in the attic, or bolada of our small house. If I remember right, it was cracked, had only 2 or 3 strings left, and the string tensioners or tuners, where the string is wound ,were made of wood which were forced fit into 5 holes in the guitar head [it was a five string only guitar]. I told myself then - I will buy a guitar one day. I didn't have any allowance at that time because school was walking distance from our house, so there was nothing to save from to buy a guitar.

In high school, I was able to start saving from my baon and before the end of first year high, I was able to buy a guitar. I borrowed a guitar chords booklet from a classmate and slowly learned the basic chords: majors, minors and sevens. Some friends gave me songs on paper with guitar chords written, but my major source of chorded songs were borrowed songhits which had one or two of this. I was very excited to watch people play the guitar. During novenas for our fiesta, I would go to the chapel just to watch the magduduyog or guitar acccompaniests of the cantores. My excitement rose highest when in one of the school events, a combo, as it was called then, composed of students from our school, played. I remember distinctly one of the songs, Hurting Inside, by Dave Clark 5. It started in me the dream to be a combo member. During fiestas, when a combo plays, I watched even if I had to walk home from a neighboring barrio. Transpo in the late evening was almost nil at that time. I didn't mind because there was this dream. I continued practicing to learn to play the guitar even into college. I accompanied singers during some presentations, but I never really got to joining a band as the combo metamorphed into. The most that I got into was when I was one of the guitarists of the SVD Brothers of USC when they did a 'concert' at the USC-TC auditorium and at the USC Main gym. That was about it then. When I started working at PAL, my affairs with my guitar slowly waned, and because of non use, the glue on some parts of it started to fail. I repaired it myself, but its sound was no longer like it was before. I hold and play it once in a while, but this seldom happened.

Then, in the last days of September this year, Rico, a junior colleague who is still very much into guitar, broached the idea of substitute playing for the band, which will be invited to perform in the Oktoberfest, originally scheduled for October 24. The idea got me excited and I immediately said, "why not, sige". So together with Jimmy, another colleague, we decided to do it. Rico knew of one OJT who plays the drums, we got him. Problem was, who will handle the base guitar. I volunteered. I knew deep in my heart I could do it, despite nil experience with it.

I have never played a base guitar in my life, but I had once held the base guitar of the accompaniests of the cantores for our chapel's fiesta way back in high school or was it college na, I don't remember anymore, just to know how the base strings were tuned, plucked it a few times, then returned it to the owner. That was my only experience with a base guitar. But knowing how the base strings were tuned, I sometimes did on my own, base accompaniments of songs played on the radio, just to experience playing base.

Rico, had been slowly building up on his band equipment; guitars, amplifiers, drums, a guitar sound processor or synthesizer, tuner, etc. What was lacking at that time then were cymbals.

We scheduled practice every Monday afternoon, 12 to 4. First practice was set for September 29. Rico bought cymbals in the morning of that day, and we practiced the songs we intended to do in the afternoon. I was introduced to the electric base. And I think I just did fine. We sort of accomplished the accompaniment of two songs. We thought of doing about eight songs, just enough for the four weeks of practice. Other singers would join us in the next practice sessions. We called it a day a little past 4pm. Next practice would be October 6.

When I reported for duty in Wednesday, from day off, I learned that the affair was rescheduled to October 10, to coincide with the ground breaking ceremony of a joint project between LTP, PAL and Airphil in Mactan airport. That left us with only one more Monday to practice. Because of this development, we agreed to finalize the songs to sing and just individually practice on our own our parts but synchronize and polish evereything during practice.

In the morning of our next scheduled day of practice, October 6, I received a text from Rico that our practice was rescheduled the following day because he wanted to have his snare drum replaced due to some defects which showed after our first practice. He said he will just bring all his quipment to the office so that we can practice also during slacks in our duty hours on the two days that follow before October 10. That, we did. We practiced several songs, more than ten total and kept our fingers crossed.

Came October 10. By three pm, all the equipment of the band were set up. We decided earlier that we will use Rico's guitars because we already had the feel of these. We listed eight songs to do for the first set, and had reserve of six more for the second set if there was need to. The hired band started playing after dinner. After their thing, games were scheduled while we connected our equipment. Then the games ended.

We were introduced as the LTP band. First piece was an instrumental-Faithful Love. It was done well and the audience applauded also well. I dont know if they did so because we were co-employees. The next song was 'When You Say Nothing at All'. David sang it ala Ronan Keating, and he received claps and whistles after. Next was Lido with 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain'. Then Rudy did 'You'll Never Walk Alone', followed by Noe's 'High' of the Speaks. Then, Lido came back to do 'Proud Mary'. Before he sang, he urged everyone to dance. When he started to sing, the audience filled the floor and danced. Among them were the LTP president, two vps, and many guests. The locals were also there. After the piece, the people stayed on the floor and asked for more. Since the next scheduled piece was slow rock, we called on Nestor, who was supposed to be a second setter, to perform. He did 'Totoy Bibo', to the delight of everybody, and they continued to dance. After the piece, there was a loud ovation. Next to sing was Maxi who received a loud applause just as he came to the front, maybe because he was not known as a singer. When he started to sing 'Skyline Pegion', another loud applause was heared. When he raised his hands and waved to the rhythm of the song, everyone also did in unison. When his song ended, there was another loud applause. Maxi received handshakes as he walked back into the crowd. Our last piece for the set was "Hotel California' which Rico himself sang. Rico, being the lead guitarist, did the instrumentals and as he did it with such finesse, everybody was staring at him with such awe. Even the hired band members were awed at his performance, this we learned later. When the performance ended with a synchronized end strum, everybody broke into a long and loud applause. We disconnected our equipment and noting that we had ended our performance, the officers of LTP came up front and shook our hands and congratulated us and said we were very good.

It felt like being on cloud nine when the president and the vice presidents of LTP came up to us and showed real appreciation at what we did. More so when co-employees told us that they could not believe that we just did what we did. It filled our hearts.

We did another set of songs but the officers of LTP had already left by then. These were practiced songs and some imprumpto ones from co-employees who volunteered to sing.

That was one night that I will never forget, for the rest of my life. It was a fulfillment of a dream and a passion that had been put in the backseat for quite a time already. It made my years, not just day.