Sometimes, magic happens in music- unplanned magic.
It was a very open Friday night and I met my mate Pido and his lady Jed for dinner at WTF in Lower Elgin Street for one of their seafood paellas.
(Source: I Food)
Pido is one of the best guitarists I have heard anywhere, especially on acoustic guitar, and who has been gigging here and there.
On Friday, he had a gig at the very casual venue called Joyce Is Not Here in Peel Street who also owns jazz venue Peel Fresco.
(Source: Corbis Image)
Owner Joyce was there along with an audience that appreciates and understands what is good and what is mediocre music and those who deserve to be called musicians.
Too many “musicians” in Hong Kong are “musicians”, but people like Anna Fan, below, whose band was having their EP launch at The Fringe Club, brilliant saxophonist Blaine Whittaker, Ray- the rock solid bassist from Philly whose surname remains a mystery to me- Jun, Eugene Pao and Ted Lo are the real deal.
(Source: maRK – Facebook)
Sure, some are not exactly spring chickens and have been gigging in Hong Kong for decades, but Hong Kong needs some big cocks in a city where big dicks think they are making great music but, in actuality, are affected poseurs. Affected and afflicted with what? Ego.
(Source: Classy Art Work)
As for Pido, he played a string of covers- in his own style- and then saxophonist Blaine Whittaker walked in for a nightcap after playing a gig somewhere else.
(Source: Jazz And Beyond)
He sat in with Pido, someone he’s played with as part of the band backing Welsh singer-songwriter Ben Semmens.
The addition of Blaine to a typical rock sound adds a new dimension to the overall mood and ‘feel’ and he playing with Pido took the music further.
It is a very unique sound that really needs to be heard and recorded. Yes, magic happened.
All these hoteliers who hire very average lounge acts based on a song list of covers really are a pox on this city’s tiny music scene.
They can do so much more as they have the budget and manage venues, but are happy not to fix the wheel that was broken long ago and so continue to plod along with the usual female chanteuse- and almost always a Filipina- who is happy to be paid to sing every predictable MOR song.
Who are they singing to? Usually some horny tourist who thinks he can spin some yarn about knowing a “great producer” as being a short-cut to getting laid by one of these singers. Fat chance.
(Source: Skintartist)
As for Pido, he has the talent to be doing so much more and making a real name for himself.
But here lies another Hong Kong problem: racism rearing it’s ugly head and with Pido being a Filipino, relegated by many here to be some second class music citizen.
Reading in the SCMP recently about some American kid in Hong Kong and his gawdawful rap about local kids- expat kids- and dying brand g.o.d. giving this twat the opportunity to sell his line of merchandising in their stores made me lose all respect for those behind the brand.
What makes me more ill is knowing all the groveling and publicity that would happen if Pido was white and not a Filipino- and if this expat kid who is one of those “musicians” were a Filipino.
(Source: Carol Cassara)
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