Entertainment Landmark - Zest

e n t e r ta i n m e n t
Entertainment Landmark
A Suburban Hideaway Showcases World-Class Entertainment
B y
D e n n i s
V.
Exactly 19 kilometers from the Rizal monument in the heart of the
City of Manila going south, on a ridge that overlooks the Bicutan side
of Laguna de Bay, sits hidden away a lovely suburban bar and grill
restaurant that seems to have something for just about everyone. Its
main dining area opens out to a wide manicured lawn where yayas
(nannies) chase their toddler wards around a fountain in the center of
the garden. Tucked in a corner on the opposite side of the lawn are
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G a r g a n t i e l
two pool tables where a barkada (group of friends) of late teenagers chill
out and play 9-ball - actual wholesome interaction among real friends,
nothing virtual, no cyberspace networking. And as the sun goes down,
pairs of lovers or would-be lovers have hushed conversations at a row of
romantically lit tables lining the eastern edge of the restaurant-bar with
a gorgeous vista of the bay, the charming skyline, and the lights dotting
Angono and Binangonan, Rizal on the other side.
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It’s one of those rare hang-outs where you can be sure
that each night the main performer is an A-list act - no
wannabes, no up-and-comings, nor garage bands
waiting for the proverbial big break.
Just wonderful, right? Well, as they say, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Or, more aptly, you ain’t heard nothing yet. As the night deepens, the
local musical entertainment industry’s worst kept secret haven comes
alive, because at 19 East (short for Km. 19 East Service Road, Sucat,
Muntinlupa), the real attraction is its Music Hall, where great live music
can be heard every night - from nothing but the best homegrown talents
in pop, rock, and jazz fusion music today.
Only The Best
It’s one of those rare hang-outs where you can be sure that each
night the main performer is an A-list act - no wannabes, no up-andcomers nor garage bands waiting for the proverbial big break. You can
expect nothing but great stage performances from only the big-name
bands, professional musicians and accomplished recording artists in
the industry. Bands and artists who have performed at the Music Hall
form a long list of today’s who’s who in the local music scene, including
Side A, Bamboo, Wolfgang, Razorback, Cooky Chua, Ella Mae Saison,
Freestyle, South Border, Parokya ni Edgar, Johnny Alegre, MYMP, Kitchie
Nadal, Nina, Rachel Alejandro, Sugarfree, Rivermaya, Stonefree,Wally
Gonzalez & Friends, True Faith, The Dawn, Nyoy Volante, Orange and
Lemons, Francis M, Christian Bautista, Hot Dog, Jun Lopito, Pido, Nikki
Gil, Sitti, Spongecola, Chicosci, and many more.
If you’re really lucky, you may chance upon extra-special
presentations like the 2006 reunion gig of Powerplay (we miss you,
Jo Ramos), or the 2008 Howlin’ Dave (rest in peace, bro) tribute and
benefit concert that featured in one gig Razorback, Sino Sikat, Wally
Gonzales, Gary Perez and other pinoy (Filipino) rock luminaries, and
more recently, the once-in-a-lifetime on-stage face-off between pinoy
rock living legends Juan dela Cruz and Maria Cafra – a production coup
that everyone said was impossible - with jazzista Wowee Posadas sitting
in on keyboards and guitar heroes Wally Gonzalez and Resty Fabunan
trading licks in a smoking hot blues jam for the finale.
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Sound’s Great
Perhaps the main reason they all love
to play at 19 East and draw many a serious
audiophile in the crowd is the Music Hall’s
topnotch sound and stage lighting system as well
as its well thought-out acoustics design. Being
a jazz musician himself, owner-entrepreneur,
Wowee Posadas, knows what even the most
meticulous artists want, and made sure the hall’s
sound equipment set-up is up to world class
standards, as often stipulated in the technical
riders of engagement contracts of foreign acts.
The equipment is a musician’s and a sound
engineer’s dream playground: Midas Legend
3000 44-channel mixer main console, a killer
Meyer Sound loudspeaker system, High End
Intellebeams, an array of 18 top-of-the-line
electric, acoustic and bass guitar amplifiers, more
keyboards than you can see in a music store, and
a huge motorized 7.5 ft. x 10 ft. white screen
stage monitor. Posadas, being a keyboardist
himself, is indicative of why it is no big wonder
that there are no less than 14 types of state-ofthe-art organs, electric pianos and synthesizers
available for performers to choose from.
For even heightened audio quality, the gear
is complemented by the installation of acoustic
panels in the Music Hall’s walls, cleverly masked
by canvas, including several large modern
paintings by artist Philipp Badon. The audio
that reaches your ear is full, direct and clear,
wherever in the hall you’re sitting. No unwanted
echoes bouncing off the walls muddling up the
sound, as what usually happens in big venues,
even the venerable old Big Dome. The sound
quality is so good that, in fact, some of the bands
have cut CDs at 19 East’s Music Hall.
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Inspiration
Location, Location, Location
Musicians and fans have only owner Wowee Posadas to thank. The lawyer, entrepreneur and
jazz keyboardist all-in-one, whose band the Jazz Volunteers also goes on stage on some Sundays,
took note of his experiences visiting music bars abroad, including the House of Blues chain
in the US and the iconic Blue Note in New York City, and insisted on nothing but similar gear
and acoustics when the Music Hall was set up in 2005. He bewailed the contrasting conditions
prevailing in many of the music bars that have grown over the years like weeds along the nightspot
belts in Metro Manila - many of them converted residences with poor acoustics and owners who
tend to scrimp on sound equipment – and explained then, “I wanted to change all that. Sure, we
have the talent, but how can you highlight such talent when you can’t bring out the artist’s best
sound in even a small, intimate club setting?”
Situated just a stone’s throw from the Sucat
exit of South Luzon Expressway, music bars in
downtown Metro Manila cannot compete with
19 East’s scenic nightscape of Laguna de Bay,
nor its seemingly incongruous cosmopolitan
yet homey ambiance in a suburban, off-thebeaten path setting. About a half-hour’s drive
from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport,
it is a tourist spot by day or night due to the
scenery that’s just as good as Tagaytay’s, as
well as the restaurant’s Filipino cuisine, and
has become a favorite place for many locals to
bring visiting friends from abroad to.
Its strategic location is a welcome
alternative to the traffic, the search for a parking
space and the generally madding crowd of
Manila’s nightlife scene. Through the years,
the bar and grill has managed to increase its
number of regular habitués coming from the
nearby villages of Alabang, Paranaque and
Makati. Don’t be surprised, though, if you find
some coming regularly every weekend from as
far as Antipolo, on the other side of the lake.
Why do people keep coming back? For
Posadas, the answer is simple, saying, “Just
give your music patrons more than what they
expect, and that simply translates to good food,
a homey ambiance, and a listening experience
they won’t easily forget.”
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