A Plot for Music

Candice Lopez uncovers a band of conspirators channeling creative energy into a new musical haunt.

When a restaurant-cum-bar opened just months ago along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City, the buzz was that musicians had mutinied from the norm and put up a place of their own—a business where they were serving not only music, but food too.

If an eavesdropper had heard Cooky Chua tell me about how difficult it was to actually serve diners, eyebrows might have raised at the news that the the noted vocalist of Color It Red fame had somehow succumbed to waiting on tables and fleshing out the romanticized idea of a starving artist. There may be essentially some kind of truth to that hasty assumption, though somewhat skewed. After all, Cooky was talking about the launch night of her new undertaking, where she could be spotted serving drinks alongside jazz vocalist Lynn Sherman—but it was a special night. In collaboration with other musicians, the idea that was Conspiracy was finally unveiled and made tangible.

A HOME FOR MUSIC AND ART

“Conspiracy” seems to be a fitting name for the venue where musicians take a crucial part on the other side of the stage—off it. There are about ninety owners, Joey Ayala shares, all of whom now have a place to call there own.

The initiators—as Joey had called this group of conspirators—include besides Cooky, Lynn and himself, folk icon Gary Granada, ethno enchantress Cynthia Alexander, acclaimed singer-guitarist Noel Cabangon, and world music songstress Bayang Barrios. Naturally, the restaurant is an artist-run establishment and the names of the musicians may give a certain impression of a musicians’ den, but Conspiracy is a home for music lovers and art supporters.

Lynn mentions how she has always wanted her own bar, and how she thought it would be nice to have a place that’s safe, friendly, and where you can have your very own favorite corner to lounge at. Cooky relates how, in good camaraderie, impromptu jams happen, and suddenly there are waiters and workers to think of.

But in a home such as Conspiracy, they’ve found the location for an uninhibited stay. Furthermore, it’s giving them insight on the ins and outs of running a business—and a new perspective on people whom they’ve performed for through the years. “Now we appreciate other people more [bar owners, for instance],” Joey says. “Di kami minamaliit; they’re just saving their business.”

BUSINESS AS USUAL

In between putting in their share of time managing the restaurant, the musicians take the stage to give life to the vocation we know them for. A corner serves as the performance area, its size calling for stripped-down sets, with just enough room for a vocalist and an accompanist. The intimate setting is the stage for new kinds of musical magic right in the abode of those we have come to respect.

“Freedom is defined by the audience and by your own taste,” Joey tells us, to which Lynn agrees. They’re still consummate professionals, so don’t expect to see inappropriate fooling around or primadonna tantrums simply because they are part-owners. But maybe, due to the comfort of proprietary, we can hear a barrage of new songs being road-tested for the first time or even some surprising collaborations. Conspiracy is still building its steam, but it is the general consensus that much can be hoped and expected out of it. And thankfully, there’s no password necessary to all who want to enter and take part in the whole scheme.

Conspiracy is located at 59 Visayas Ave., Quezon City; tel. no. 453 2170.

published in Preview, April 2004