MANILA, Philippines - Top cover act Original Spirit of ’67 obviously has for its name some inspiration from the Summer of Love, which the world embraced during that culture-changing year in the 1960s. On Oct. 2, the members will share the love in the form of a benefit show to raise funds for the scholars of SEED Philippines, the acronym being School for Experiential and Entrepreneurial Development.
In the ‘60s, it’s flower power and free love. Nearly 50 years later, the landscape has changed and in this part of the world, the Gawad Kalinga movement, which planted the SEED, is guiding the less privileged Pinoy youth to develop skills in doing money-earning ventures and owning their own businesses.
The concert is meaningfully called Imagine and set 6 p.m. at the Pavillion AB of Wack Wack Golf and Country Club in Mandaluyong City come first Friday of October.
During the press conference to promote the coming concert, the group’s members, well-established as businessmen who perform quality live music in their spare time, rendered their version of the John Lennon classic of the same name.
“The show is about building a Filipino dream. Can you imagine the Philippines as the hub for social entrepreneurs in Asia?” asked Tony Meloto, who founded the now world-renowned Gawad Kalinga (GK) Community Development Foundation, Inc., which aims “to end poverty for millions by restoring the dignity of the poor.”
The Original Spirit of ’67, who promised to do lots of upbeat, danceable songs, will be joined by the student choirs of GK Enchanted Farm as well as by the now-well-groomed street children of Tatalon.
The Enchanted Farm, specializing in agriculture and social business, is located in California St., Brgy. Encanto in Angat, Bulacan, and now dubbed as the “first farm village university in the world.” A number of foreigners, including the eloquent Malaysian blogger Shirley Maya Tan, has found fulfillment in immersing themselves in the work at the Farm.
Meloto pointed out, “Our ambition is simple. A decade from now many children of the poor will become business owners, not laborers.” The social work executive is colleague to members of the featured band.
“Spirit of ’67 is known in the gig scene as a cover band and that identity is something we are proud of. We wish to make original music but we leave that to those who are experts in that field,” echoed the group’s collective voices.
That implies a set list of popular tunes and carefully treated renditions, mostly from the era of the big decades — ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The country is loaded with show bands and the Original Spirit of ’67 belongs among those fitted into the upper class, especially with its members being corporate executives themselves.
“The show aims to generate awareness in the Farm’s ongoing development,” Meloto noted.
(The show invites individuals and corporations to participate by way of donations. People may contact Angela Monique Angelo at ambangelo@gawadkalinga.com. For tickets, call 8864950 or e-mail adcentralevents@gmail.com.)