www.rockedphilippines.org

Last March 3, my friend Gang Badoy, head of the charitable organization Rock Ed, got married to her love, Jay Capati. As expected, since Rock Ed is all about promoting literacy and helping students in need and basically saving the Philippines from itself, all with the help of local bands, radio stations, gig venues and various other music-related means, it was a ceremony marked by music, that turned into a party with live performances and much dancing around.

Held at the Ramon Magsaysay Center Courtyard, where Gang and Jay first met several years ago (she was delivering a lecture I believe, and he was covering the event), it was my kind of wedding: the ceremony was short and sweet and even funny (courtesy of a certain wisecracking judge), and when Gang was walking down the aisle, I noted with amusement and not a little nostalgia that the song being played over the sound system was Strawberry Switchblade’s “Who Knows What Love Is.”

Food and drink followed—excellent fare, without the typical four-hour wait in between that has marred many a wedding I’ve attended in the recent past—and then the bands played. And what a lineup it was. Noel Cabangon on acoustic guitar filled the hall with his powerful voice and unstinting sincerity, and soon led everyone in a sing-along affirmation of our worth as Filipinos. If only fixing the country were as easy as singing a song, we inwardly lamented, but it was nice to believe and hope for the span of three minutes or so, and everything has to start somewhere.

The amazing Itchyworms took the stage next, kicking the party into high gear. As they were setting up, I remarked to a friend, “But the Itchyworms have no happy love songs.” Sure enough, the first song—and Gang and Jay’s first dance—was “Beer,” an inebriated anthem for the brokenhearted. Somehow the wrist-slashing lyrics didn’t matter though, even as everyone swayed and sang along and had a great time. The Itchyworms played all the crowd favorites: the bouncy “Akin Ka Na Lang,” disco sensation “Freakout” (complete with backup dancers), and so forth, every single one of them sporting sad or cynical or otherwise inappropriate words, but irresistibly lively tunes.

Since Lourd de Veyra is Gang’s frequent partner in crime, on the Rock Ed radio show among other misdemeanors, it was only natural that his band, the raucous Radioactive Sago Project, played as well, profanity and punk-jazz and all. (Gang even joined Lourd and company onstage, helping out with percussion.)

Up Dharma Down, without a doubt one of the country’s best young bands, played after Sago. Though somewhat hampered by the absence of their guitarist Carlos, the strength of their songs could not be denied; they played mostly material from their much-acclaimed second album, including the instant classic “Sana” and the exciting “Every First Second.” Dance floor favorites Juan Pablo Dream were up next, and they whipped Gang and guests into happy motion, with Motown tunes and inspired originals.

We left soon after JPD played, at a little past midnight, but we hear the party rocked on well after, with guests going up to sing backed up by the bands, in a sort of impromptu rockeoke. Like I said: my kind of wedding.

And I’ve been writing about the whole thing as if it were a great gig—which of course, it was—but of course it was also so much more: a declaration of undying love (we all teared up a little when Gang described Jay as “the most real thing” in her life; so much more affecting than the usual worn-smooth sentiment), a celebration of two lives well lived joining forces, on their own terms, with respect and love for family and friends but with irreverence towards the typical notions of what such a celebration should be like, and all the more fun and meaningful for that.

(Also, John Lloyd Cruz was there, which was a thrill for the girls.)

Congratulations Gang and Jay, and thanks for inviting us to party with you! Here’s to forever.

Help Gang and friends help our country: visit www.rockedphilippines.org. Send comments and questions to Luis at thekingofnothingtodo@yahoo.com.