The sounds of Tapika

The word Tapika means "rays of the sun" in a Native American dialect. It has proven to be most fitting for the sun, plus the moon and the stars have all been shining brightly on the resto-bar since it began operations more than two years ago. Located at 220 Blueridge, Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City, Tapika now plays host to a varied clientele who have discovered the easy charm of its homey ambience, reasonable prices, mouth-watering menu and best of all, great music.

Tapika started out as a place where plates of alimasag, tahong, halaan, blue marlin or tanigue, shrimp and pusit steamed in Tapika’s secret sauce could be had for a song. People also loved the Seafood Chowder, the Wansuy Salad, the Crispy Hito and the gloriously sinful Hipon Express with the shrimps sauteed in aligue sauce and coconut milk. And best of all, there was that perfect ending to a Tapika meal, the Tapika Turon wherein the native saba and langka confection turns gourmet dish when combined with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Those meals are still there and they do make Tapika a great place to go to, but there is now something more that draws crowds of people nightly into the resto-bar. You can easily tell something is happening by a traffic jam along Libis. This is because Tapika is now considered the innest place in the area not just because of the food but also because of the music it offers.

This wonderful change started when students from the nearby UP Consevatory of Music began performing at the place. These were little shows pared down to the basics of voice and musical instruments that sat well with the diners. Others from afar came soon after, bearing their voices and armed only with their guitars. The result was a simple, acoustic scene where the simplicity of the presentation, the expressive singing and instrumental accompaniment all came together for a wonderful evening.

In retrospect, it can be said that those evenings marked the revival of today’s massive interest in the acoustic music. With the arrival of those artists, Tapika started drawing a huge crowd of people who discovered a whole new batch of some of the best and the brightest young musicians in town whom they had never seen on TV. Tapika became the answer to the dream of unsigned talents. Some of these are those who refuse to get tied up in label deals because they prefer to keep their independence. The other kind are those whom record companies turned down because they do not come via the conventional routes. That means winning the grand prize from a high-profile talent show or being managed by an influential manager or being the endorser of a popular product. Then of course, there are also those extraordinary performers who do not have movie star looks and glamor, but there, on Tapika’s little stage they shine brightly every night and have now become stars.

Some of these talents and their performances are featured in the album Acoustic Night Live. Recorded live during one evening in Tapika, the album is made up of the favorite songs of today’s acoustic scene followers as interpreted by six of Tapika’s regular performers. It is a brilliant showcase that makes the listener wonder how prodigious is the wealth of talents we have and of how wrong local music companies are to pass up the chance to sign these kids to a contract, while they spend oodles of time and money on faces who can only carry a little tune.

The songs included in the album are Strong Enough and Don’t Know Why by Eva & John; Bump and Grind and Think of Laura by Dominic & Burton; Mad World and Ants Marching by Invocan; Return to Pooh Corner and Knocks Me Off My Feet by Ryan & Paolo; The Last Days and Englishman in New York by Hourglass; and Hurting Inside and Spend My Life by U Turn.

If you also want to treat yourselves to live performances by the featured artists of the Acoustic Night Live album at Tapika then you will find Eva & John on Monday, Sept. 22, Dominic & Burton on Tuesday, Sept. 30, Hourglass, on Wednesdays, tonight, Sept. 17 and 25, Ryan & Paolo on Sept. 19, U-Turn on Saturdays, Sept. 20 and 27 and Invocan on Sundays, Sept. 21 and 28.