Hello, 49 (well, almost)

It’s my birthday week, and it went off to a flying start!

My actual natal day is on Saturday, Feb. 22, and it’s a date I always look forward to wherever I am, whatever I happen to be doing. This year, I’m celebrating it over the course of a week, finding ways to thank the universe for another year of life and being able to love in my life.

On Monday, my day began with seeing my “The Voice Teens” team. This day was our Battle Pairing day, and I had eight pairs of nervous and excited teenagers raring to find out exactly who they’ll be up against … or not. In any case, our afternoon together was a lot of fun, with plenty of laughs, giddy squeals, selfies, questions and, of course, music.

However, as much music as there was during the day, it was only the tip of the iceberg, as the evening would bring so much more.

Nicole Laurel Asensio

It would bring one of our foremost rock bands, The Dawn, and “schizoprano” Nicole Laurel Asensio with her band of absolute music monsters onto the stage at 19East.

This was my first time at this lovely little gem of a venue located in Parañaque, so my friends who were regulars had to explain that its owner, Wowie Posadas (himself a wonderful pianist), really took the time and effort to make sure the sound quality at 19East was topnotch.

The acoustics, equipment, the sound—everything a musician would want to enjoy his time onstage. As a customer, I appreciated that the food was also given care. (My personal favorite: the sizzling balut. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.)First up on the bill was Nicole Asensio backed up by some of the industry’s best: Nikko Rivera (keyboards), Karel Honasan (bass), Michael Alba (drums), Ronald Tomas (saxophone) and Ira Cruz (guitar).

Her selection of covers and originals (she does a kickass version of Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab,” for example) showcased not only her vocal ability (which is kind of insane, one minute belting like nobody’s business, and the next, channeling the operatic abilities of her grandmother, soprano Fides Cuyugan-Asensio). It left all of us at our table ooh-ing and ahh-ing in awe. It also doesn’t hurt that Nicole is stunning to look at, her looks matching her chops.

The Dawn

The night’s main attraction was The Dawn, led by vocalist Jett Pangan. It had been a long time since I got to see the band play, and the last time I heard Jett sing was in “Sweeney Todd” as the title character. It was time to pay the band a visit.

And on this night, they did not disappoint. Every member of the band was on fire: Francis Reyes and Sancho on guitars, Mon Legaspi on bass, and fellow founding member Junboy Leonor on drums.

Jett’s voice, its character marked by decades of club gigs, arena concerts and musical theater productions, is ridiculous and stunning when heard live. At various points, I found myself trying to dissect how he produces that full-bodied, masculine sound.

Everyone performed in perfect sync, and we were truly such a lucky audience to just be in the room where that happened.I headed home on a high with a huge smile on my face having spent the evening with a bunch of great friends and witnessing onstage greatness. Thank you, 19East, for taking great care of us, and to Nicole and The Dawn for blessing us all with your music.

Ohhhhhh, the rest of this week is going to be so gooooood.