IT’S another Wednesday night at Conspiracy Garden Café and Bar and that means it’s Noel Cabangon’s gig. But joining him onstage are his dear friends Joey Ayala, Cynthia Alexander and Cooky Chua. They clown around. And then they get to sing one of Ayala’s trademark songs. They know them by heart. Ayala and Cabangon even dare a “brokeback” (that’s man-to-man action, clueless dude) duet version of Ayala’s immortal anthem to long-distance love, “Walang Hanggang Paalam.” Despite chuckles and snickers, audiences are enthralled by more than just a conspiracy of artists; they are witnessing a synergy of talent that can only come from true friendship that cannot be found in any other venue.

What they have in common is that they do everything the hard way: with principle and conviction. Struggle is their nature. In an industry crowded by crowd-pleasing, pretty-boy rock bands singing sappy odes to love, they sing about what matters to them most: environmental songs, nationalist anthems, genre-defying instrumentation and arrangements and confessionals about the complexities of mature relationships. They along with fellow musicians Bayang Barrios, Mike Villegas, Lyn Sherman and Gary Granada put up their own bar—Conspiracy—thereby empowering themselves as artists, when many would deign to risk such a venture. Ayala notes, “We put up Conspiracy when the economy was down four years ago.” Nearly all of them also produce albums independent of major recording companies, allowing them more artistic freedom. As Cabangon says, “The target is not to be a rock star.” He adds, “Struggle is the twin of our artistry.”

The one thing they have learned in our years in business: “We truly are artists,” says Alexander. Cabangon puts it more bluntly, “We are not businessmen.” They credit Granada for possessing business acumen—a rare thing among them. Granada became Conspiracy’s business manager four months ago has since turned things around.

These days, Conspiracy attracts as well the biggest and the most promising new bands, many of whom openly confess to being fans of the bar’s owners/artists, playing stripped down acoustic sets. Often, there’s that impromptu jam session that audiences love the most.

These four couldn’t be more different. To oversimplify, Joey Ayala’s music is neo-ethnic, Cooky Chua is post punk and jazz, Noel is folk and blues and Cynthia Alexander is Indian-inspired. Even in temperament and character, they are at times worlds apart.

Alexander is a strict vegan who cannot stand the stench of tobacco smoke. Chua is inseparable from her brandy and cigarettes. Chua, a master of vocal improvisation, confesses that the first time she met Alexander she thought Alexander was an “isnaberang parang senyorita [perfectionist snob].” Alexander jokes that she thought Chua looked like then-matinee teen star Sheryll Cruz. (Chua begged me not to print that first impression.) Yet Alexander and Chua have been the best of buddies for years.

Ayala simply writes what he believes in and lets the advocates of various causes make his songs their anthems. Cabangon’s lyricism flows from his clearly defined ideology. Yet after all these years they are the best of friends and fans of each other’s music; the two often play at the same rallies and demonstrations.
Cabangon remembers the first time he met Ayala, singing his songs at an anti-US bases rally in Makati and being nervous about getting it right. Ayala for his part confesses undergoing a midlife crisis in 2003 after he came back from a stint in the United States. Feeling unsure if he still had what it took to play music, he found his inspiration watching Cabangon play live. He could feel the man’s love for music. Ayala later went on to produce the phenomenal independent album 16 Love Songs. Alexander and Chua also confess to watching Cabangon play live and count. “How can you not watch him play his guitar?” says Chua. Besides Conspiracy, each of these four artists is deeply involved in their musical endeavors. With all these artists at crossroads in their midlives, they promise mature songwriting and progressive musical arrangements that go beyond the trite (boy-meets-girl) youth-oriented songs that fill the airwaves. Noel Cabangon Cabangon confesses, “It’s been a roller-coaster ride this year. The best part was that I came up with an album. But it was really a struggle. When Ballyhoo [Records] got my album it was already a finished product. The target market are OFWs [overseas Filipino workers].” Ballyhoo Records through Thumb Media Interactive sells songs online to Filipino without credit cards by allowing them to purchase songs online with their prepaid mobile-phone cards, which Thumb Interactive also sells. The songs of Cabangon’s latest album, Himig Nating Pag-Ibig, are all available online individually at http://www.noelcabangon.com.

On the album, Cabangon explores various kinds of love, most especially love for the motherland. His stirring rendition of Juan dela Cruz Band’s rock classic has modified the lyrics to have more a poignant impact. The album finally features his trademark song “Kanlungan,” previously released in the album of the same name by the duo Buklod of which Cabangon was a part. For his next album, Cabangon promises more rock and blues. He admits going through his own midlife crisis as Ayala did years ago. Just like Ayala, his process of maturity serves as fertile ground for inspired, vivid and personal songwriting.

Joey Ayala

For his part, Ayala has recently released two albums, Basta’t May Saging and Joey Ayala: Raw. Ayala explains, “These are demand-driven albums. Most albums are supply-driven, when a songwriter has enough songs.” The two albums are commissioned works for pre-orders. Basta’t May Saging, with a title track expressly written for Department of Trade and Industry Region XI “one region, one product” drive, also features materials never before released in a Joey Ayala album such as those from plays, musicals and dances as well as those featured in various artists compilation albums. Joey Ayala: Raw captures the vitality and energy of Ayala performing live his best love songs such as “Magkabilaan,” “Padayong” and “Walang Hanggang Paalam.”

Ayala is challenging songwriters for lyrics to use in an upcoming album.

Cooky Chua

The self-titled Color It Red album is the best by far from the band. Boasting mature lyrics and jazzy and bluesy arrangements, its best songs are “Panalo” and “Dalwa” that have been receiving airplay. “Our songs have always been about relationships. They reflect growth through our 17 years. We’ve had changes in our personal lives. Many of us have kids and wives,” explains Chua. She was most recently involved helping columnist Conrado de Quiros organize the Stop the Killings bar tour to heighten awareness about the continuing extrajudicial killings that have decimated the ranks of activists and journalists since the Arroyo regime came to power.

Color It Red also has a double-disc compilation of its classic songs currently available. Together with their most recent album, these paint a picture one the most progressive bands in the country. Cynthia Alexander Comet’s Tale, the most recent album from the much-acclaimed, singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, is her most well-crafted studio album to date, fused with many east Asian instruments such as the tabla and lyrics inspired by dreams of the Bhagavad-Gita. The album is propelled by ponderings on mortality, specifically the death of her and her brother Joey’s father, the artist Jose V. Ayala Jr. It’s most stirring songs are “Empty Handed” and “Mortal Merry Go Round.”

Alexander reveals her upcoming album will be stripped down and naked, just like her songwriting. She confesses to being at a crossroads in her life. As always, she promises highly poetic confessions.

The four confess that the idea of Conspiracy album featuring the bar’s artist/proprietors has been floated around for years. But as Ayala explains, there are many considerations, such as the need for new material or the possibility that releasing old material that may compete with existing catalogues.

Noel Cabangon, Joey Ayala, Cynthia Alexander, Cooky Chua as well as Bayang Barrios, Mike Villegas, Lyn Sherman and Gary Granada offer something no other bar can give, a Conspiracy from the heart and a synergy with the soul.

Conspiracy is at 59 Visayas Avenue, Quezon City. For details, call 453-2170 and 920-6517.