THE ZOMBIES

The music of the legendary Zombies will reverberate around the Pacific Ballroom of Waterfront Cebu tonight in the first of a series of concerts featuring Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent. The concerts, the second to be held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) on Oct. 19, are presented by Steve O’Neal Productions and Redstone Productions.

Cebuano music lovers will certainly be enthralled as Blunstone and Argent will bring them down memory lane with the songs that made The Zombies one of the bands to reckon with in the ’60s. Among these songs are “She’s Not There” (1964) which was a big hit both in the United Kingdom and in America, “Tell Her No” and “Time Of The Season” (1969) which were also successful in the US.

It is recalled that when The Zombies established a reputation after winning a beat-group competition sponsored by the London Evening News, they signed up with Decca Records and recorded their first hit “She’s Not There,” written by Argent. Like many other British Invasion groups, The Zombies went to the US for a concert tour to promote their hit single.

Among their early gigs in the US were Murray the K’s Christmas shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre where the band had seven performances a day. After that, The Zombies made their first appearance on US TV, on the first episode of NBC’s “Hullabaloo” where they played “She’s Not There” and their latest single “Tell Her No” to a screaming and hysterical audience full of teenage girls.

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America & Kalapana To Perform Their ’70s Greatest Hits 

Expect the legendary folk rock duo America and Hawaiian band Kalapana to blow their audience away as they share the same stage in their concert tonight at 8 at the Smart-Araneta to perform their greatest hits.

“America with Kalapana 2012 Philippine Tour,” a musical presentation from Ovation Productions, kicks off tonight at Smart-Araneta Coliseum a three-city series of live concerts that will include shows at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino on Oct. 19 and at the University of Baguio on Oct. 21.

America returns to the local concert scene more than two years after its successful four-city tour here in 2009 that was highlighted by a sold-out performance at the Big Dome.

America’s self-titled debut album was released in 1971 and quickly went platinum after it was re-issued with “A Horse With No Name,” while the second album, released in November, 1972, won a Grammy Award for “Best New Artist of 1972.” America finally won recognition from the entertainment industry when it was inducted into the Vocal Hall of Fame in 2006 and given a Star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 6, 2012.

Kalapana, on the other hand, which is celebrating its 39th year in the entertainment industry, was formed by childhood friends David John (DJ) Pratt and Carl James Malani Bilyeu, it made its debut in the entertainment circuit by playing its first gig at Chuck’s in Hawaii Kai. It gained wider exposure when it opened for the concerts of Earth, Wind & Fire, Batdorf & Rodney, The Moody Blues, Sly &The Family Stone and fellow homegrown artists Cecilio and Kapono.

Kalapana made a successful breakthrough when it performed with the LA-based fusion band Hiroshima, played at the grand opening of Hard Rock Café in Honolulu and performed in two-sold out concerts in the Philippines with an attendance of 10,000 each night.

(“America with Kalapana 2012 Philippine Tour” is produced by Ovation Productions in association with Philippine Airlines, ETC., 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Talk TV, History Channel, Edsa Shangri-La Manila, Gerry’s Grill and Baguio Country Club. It is also supported by the Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, BusinessWorld, philStar.com, Inquirer.net, 96.3 Easy Rock, RX 93.1 Monster Radio, Mellow 94.7, RJ 100.3 FM, 97.9 Home Radio, ABS CBN and OptimaSignsolutions.)

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Legarda To Launch HIBLA Pavilion

Sen. Loren Legarda underscores her commitment to the welfare of our indigenous peoples through her latest initiative, the HIBLA Pavilion of Textiles and Weaves of the Philippines, to be launched at the Manila FAME 2012 today, Oct. 17.

“After the resounding success of the first permanent textile galleries in the country which we launched last May, we are now going beyond promoting awareness about our traditional arts and crafts. We are opening doors of opportunities for weaving communities and Schools of Living Traditions (SLTs) through the HIBLA Pavilion, and generating greater patronage for cultural enterprises and creative industries of our indigenous peoples,” she said.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and patron of the National Museum’s Hibla ng Lahing Filipino: The Artistry of Philippine Textiles, added that a website featuring all the HIBLA Pavilion textiles and crafts, as well as the SLTs and weaving centers that created them, will be launched at the event.

“The HIBLA Pavilion will showcase the best textiles of the Ivatan of Batanes, Gaddang of Mountain Province, Mangyan of Oriental Mindoro, Panay Bukidnon of Iloilo, Subanen of Zamboanga del Sur, Ata Talaingod of Davao del Norte, T’boli of South Cotabato, B’laan of Saranggani, among other cultural communities,” she said.

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Tidbits: Happy b-day greetings today, Oct. 17, go to Bea Alonzo, Vina Morales, director Olive Lamasan, Dante Silverio, Alona Alegre, Christine Manalang, Maria Montelibano, Ester Barbin, Bienvenido Rodriguez, Nards Ocampo, Marie Grace Cabanizas, Jose Fombuena, Jay Carlos, Mariz C. Ricketts, Bert Nievera, Enrique “Quito” Pili, Dr. Andy Reyes, Florence Cruz, Dante E. Gerella, Minerva Baquiran Castillo, Norma Constantino, Rene Pilande of Tacloban, John Jacaria, Marge Rogan of ACCRA Law Office, and Sam Concepcion of Star Magic… Happy wedding anniversary to Jun and Pearlie Cabanizas…