Folking around

CEBU, Philippines - Intimate and raw were what the minds behind the Folk City series were going for when they conceived the local music event.

“The goal simply was to have a venue where our home artists can play their own music in a simple set-up,” says singer and music producer Cattski Espina of the Cebu-based 22 Tango Records.

“The intention was to gather our artists into one venue and transform it into a charming evening of, as it aptly describes it, live-pop-digital-rock-electro-lyrical folk music. Bluntly, it shouldn’t just be another acoustic gig where there’s a guitarist and singer who play cover songs all the way and considered as furniture and background music by diners and drinkers.”

Eight Folk City events have been staged so far at different venues around the metro — Handuraw Events Café last April, Ayala Terraces last May, The Walk IT Park every Tuesday last month and at M Citi Suites during the last week of June.

Cattski declares that the reception has surprisingly been great and exceeded their expectations. “We weren’t looking for the usual concert-goers, we were gunning for the ‘listeners,’ the kind that would sit down and allow themselves to be affected by what our artists have to say. We, at 22 Tango Records, pay particular attention to the art and craft of songwriting and the value of authentic expression. We offer the stories behind our songs, so there is a high regard for our words. This is something you simply cannot have in a noisy rock concert.”

What makes the gigs different from others, according to Cattski, is the maximum spotlight given to original music, as cover songs are “relegated to the periphery of each artist’s set.”

“The diversity of our roster makes for a magical and eclectic blend of singer-songwriters in the fusion genres of folk pop, folk soul, folk rock, all the way to specialty sub-genres of psychedelic folk, techno folk, and even neofolk. The common thread that weaves these songs together is lyrical storytelling and the lilting melodies that provides the home for them.”

Talents not under the 22 Tango Records roster of artists and whose music doesn’t fall under the folk realm aren’t necessarily shut out though. “We have guest performers – we just have to make sure that their music is within our allowed genres and that they should have good original songs.  Folk City is also a venue to discover new talent and music that deserve to be given attention,” points out Cattski.

Additionally, she says music enthusiasts hungry for original music should look forward to Ella Melendez’s debut album under 22 Tango which is currently in production. They are also in the process of compiling music for the Folk City Album. (FREEMAN)