a weekend in singapore [part 2]
continued from a weekend in singapore [part 1]
The following day, after a quiet breakfast of hard boiled eggs, bread toast with butter and jelly and numerous cups of Malay instant coffee, I spent most of my time at the wooden floors of the elevated lounge area of The Inn Crowd, reading some pages off Morrissey’s Autobiography, planning a nature trip to Pulao Ubin, writing a set list and recalling lyrics for my first gig in the evening. Mind you, I did have an exciting gigging schedule.
December 13 – O’Learys Sports Bar & Grill @ Singapore Flyer
December 14 – Lorong 24A Shophouse Series @ Geylang
December 15 – Hardrock Cafe @ Orchard Road
Gig #1 is in some way a ten year anniversary show celebrating my songwriting in the past and present, singing songs from Orange & Lemons to The Camerawalls and a preview of new songs for my forthcoming solo album as Dragonfly Collector. Gig #2 is the primary reason why I am visiting Singapore… to support our dear friend Michael Cu Fua in his 13th solo art exhibit entitled “Selfie” dubbed as a Morrissey night. The other gigs, especially the first one, is a means for me to maximize my stay. Gig #3 is an open mic session group where I was invited to perform as their special guest.
Each and every gig is a unique experience. A memorable way to spend my last performances for 2013 before my self-imposed holiday break.
then and now unplugged at o’learys
Monx picked me up at the hostel late afternoon using a borrowed car. I’m still not used to right hand driving. Do you know that only 35 percent of the world drives on the “other” side of the road? This is mainly attributed to the British colonial rule. It’s a little intimidating, maybe one day I shall try.
We arrived early at O’Learys Sports Bar & Grill. A cozy American restaurant. I’m not much of a sports fan although I can say my skills in chess are commendable. But I do appreciate the concept of the venue. The interior is full of sports memorabilia, mostly Boston stars. I did noticed a signed tour poster of Aerosmith somewhere.
A portion of O’Learys wall interior. Photo by Paulo Legaspi.
We dined outside overlooking the bay area just when the sun is saying its last goodbyes behind the cloud covered skies. I heard a forecast of rain over the radio, and it’s one of those rare moments I wish it wouldn’t rain. It’s already a challenge organizing a gig on a busy December weekend when everyone is busy shopping or attending Christmas parties of their own. The prospect of rain will make it worse for gig goers.
While waiting for the opening act, I found my hands clutching a glass filled with bourbon whiskey courtesy of Requiem Rising and Jim Beam. I’m excited to see the all female band Narcloudia perform. I saw one of their videos on facebook and they remind me of the band Cocteau Twins. I was surprised to see them play as a trio. The vocalists’ eerily beautiful vocals reverberated all over the place. They didn’t disappoint. Discovered later on they are currently working on an EP. Something to look forward to in Singland. Check them out on Facebook.
Bea Alcala of Narcloudia during their set. Photo by Paulo Legaspi.
And then it was my turn. For the record, that night was the first time I played dozens of original materials from each album I released from different outfits. For the longest time I was hesitant to do so, quite noticeably with my songs from Orange & Lemons. It’s a floodgate of good and bad memories rolled into a joint that makes me heady. That night I smoked a lot of nostalgia by singing more than a dozen O&L tunes. You can check out my setlist HERE.
I realized after the set that I terribly miss the songs and the music, but I’m sure as hell do not miss my ex-bandmates. From now on I decided not to be selfish to myself and to music fans by including those old songs in future gigs or whenever an opportunity presents itself.
Photo by Paulo Legaspi
Photo by Paulo Legaspi
Photo by Paulo Legaspi
It was an incredible night. I think I played for over two hours. Midway through the set I had to sit down to rest my legs and occasionally had to get a hold of my glass and ask for refills to catch up on my fix. I really appreciate everyone who chose to spend the night with us. :)
Group shot with the organizers, musicians and some of the beautiful people in the audience. Photo by Paulo Legaspi.
View the full set of photos at O’Learys Sports Bar by Paulo Legaspi at the PHOTO GALLERY section of my website.
brotzeit and spize
O’Learys was already closed when the folks and friends of RR decided to leave to transfer to another place. Obviously I would tag along. We did a quick stop at Brotzeit, a German Bar at Raffles City Shopping Center, upon the invitation of a Pinay friend who works there, and tried a tall glass of Paulaner, a famous German wheat Beer on the house.
Filipino/Singaporean friends and German beer.
It seems every establishment we go to there’s always a Filipino employee. Such is the case with our last stop at Spize, one of Singapore’s popular restaurant after clubbing or gigging along River Valley Road. Everyone was hungry after all the booze and excitement. I helped myself with food from everybody’s plates: satay, mutton soup, maggi goreng pattaya noodles, and some ice cream with prata. Their menu offers a variety of authentic Asian, Indian and Western cuisine. Ang sarap!
Our “medyo badboy” no-longer-hungry-at-3am look.
…to be continued
Dragonfly Collector 
Leave a Reply