Saguijo

Finally, after much texting and planning, DEP and I meet again. We went to our usual hangout, the Greenbelt compound, and tried the mainstream offering at Spicy Fingers. This resto/bar in GB2 now has an in-house band, but the music, no offense to the band who can carry a tune and play music, is so 80s and reminiscent of any band you'd see playing in Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and most other Asian countries. So when L, whom we ditched for our girl talk said he is meeting up with Marku to go to Saguijo, we tagged along.

Taking the Buendia, Pasong Tamo, Gamboa route, then we make a right to Guijo Street where the music can be heard and the crowd spills onto the street. Unlike most commercial places, Saguijo is all about the music- no LV-clad, seen and be seen outfit required. In fact, the more relaxed, the better.

From their website:


On a nightly basis, saGuijo proudly features some of today’s most exciting bands. Just as our establishment is founded on the concept of complete artistic freedom, we encourage our musicians to experiment with the entire spectrum of sound. Genres are unimportant so long as the music is good, true, and sincere. Despite coming from diverse musical and social backgrounds, our artists share a common element of passion. Passion for creation. Passion for composition.




That night Pinikpikan was playing, followed by Cynthia Alexander and Severino.
Talk about seeing all types of people- young and old, dreadlocked or shaved, white, black, Pinoys, Chinese, photographers (amateurs and professionals), one can not be out of place. We saw Ate Loi, our former choirmate who used to be with the UP Concert Chorus, and she played the keyboards plus other instruments to accompany Cynthia Alexander, who was also playing with two Indians who had with them a small accordion and bongo drums. It was a flurry of sounds, there was chanting and yes, there was definitely some Indian grooves; foreign chants which were uttered and repeated over and over again. Razorback's guitarist (or was it bassist) was accompanying Cynthia while we sat on the floor as the small apartment was filled to the rafters. Marku and L were taking photos, while everyone was chugging their Red Horse Beer.



Outside, pretty girl L and DEP went out for smokes, while L and I chatted them up. "We like getting drunk, we can say anything..." and these lawyers laugh their stress away.





I was tipsy by the time Pinikpikan started their set, and I love their beat. The energy of Saguijo is just remarkable and it's all because of the music. There we met musicians, photographers, saw old friends and made new friends. Next time, I'd like to go to a jazz bar. Not the croony, creepy type with a girl in a sexy outfit, but something like Saguijo, an underground bar of some sort, where the main star is the music.







7612 Guijo St., San Antonio Village, Makati City
Tel. (02) 8978629
e-mail: info@saguijo.com
http://www.saguijo.com/calendar.php