ELLA MAY SAISON and SOUTH BORDER To Bring 80's-90's Hits at Soundtrip Sessions Vol. 3 Concert

I would have wanted to start this article with a little story about ME but that would be funny. See, I sing quite often in Karaoke places and part of my repertoire would actually include very iconic female singers, with so much gusto in fact, I'd be doing it in every session I could take myself to. I'm a big guy, so it is unbecoming for someone who looks like this to have a voice too high pitched for comfort. Enough about me. 

See, I was told a few nights ago about this chance to actually interview two artists. The first being Jay Durias of the famous band South Border, and two, the iconic vocalist, Ms. Ella May Saison. Just thinking about it made my jaw drop, and guess what, I was super late because of a prior event (kahiya!). They patiently waited for us, it was really so nice of them to do that.

The concert is entitled Soundtrip Sessions Volume 3. The previous Soundtrip Sessions had artists like Luke Mejares, Jinky Vidal (for Volume 1), Nyoy Volante and Juris Fernandez (for Volume 2). This time, it'll be their turn (on November 9th!).

Ms. Ella May and Jay are actually not new to the band scene, it was something that was common to both of them. Back in the days, Ms. Ella May was part of Artstart Band, it was something she did because she's one of the few who could excellently do all the hits, whether it's jazz, blues, and RnB. She left the band and got a lot of hit songs in the airwaves later on, cementing her status in the music industry then, and now. She went to the states and had the pleasure of working with some of the greatest singers, music producers, musicians our generation has ever known. She had a shot at a career in the US and took it. She's now back singing the way she did, even better in 2024. 

Jay on the other hand could do pop, ballads, and also RnB. They both could also write songs, legibly produce it, much of which have become hits for other artists (i.e. MAPA of SB19 and more). You wept to his songs "Kahit Kailan", sang along with "Rainbow", wished for one in "Love of My Life" and a few more in his repertoire. He told us how much of a dream this is because once he got a call from the producer and heard the name Ella May Saison, he immediately said YES without hesitation. Jay told us about the first time she saw Ms. Ella May, where she described him as a "genius!". Here's our interview with them that evening:

They are making history just by being seen together in this concert. What to expect? All their hit songs, some of which will be sung in duets. Imagine Jay singing Ms. Ella May's songs, and the other way around. Wouldn't that be a sight for sore eyes? Aside from that, they have a few songs up their sleeves which will be revolving around the 80's and the 90's music. An added plus to this is that they're performing at The Theatre at Solaire which houses some of the country's best acoustics, I think it is the perfect venue for it. This will also be a family affair for Ms. Ella May Saison as she will be with her sisters and her brother Elhmir Saison who will be directing music for the show. I am as excited as you. This will be one epic musical night!

As for this fan boy, he got his wish!

Tickets can be purchased at Ticketnet.com.ph or at the Solaire Box Office. Prices are SSVIP 8755, SVIP 7210, VIP 6695, Gold 5150, Silver 3605 and Bronze 2060. This is produced by Dragon Arc Events Management who did the previous Soundtrip Sessions. Again, November 9th at The Theatre at Solaire!

Don't miss this one, it'll be good!

JR De Guzman in Manila to do LATER THAT EVENING in June

MYX is bringing Filipino American comedian JR De Guzman at the Theatre at Solaire this coming June. You've been with him all throughout the pandemic and also to through different social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok. He has entertained a LOT of people in the US and different countries, and this is a good time to do it in the Philippines.

JR De Guzman says "I'm a comedian and I think I have the greatest fans especially after the show when the Titas set me up with their daughters. They'll show me the pictures and when I say I have a girlfriend, they'll just say.. that's okay! then proceeds to hit on me themselves!"

 

He mentions one of his most viral songs about interracial babies, and says it was about a friend who owns a comedy bar, she had a kid who's African American and White. A lot of people connected with it because they are in the situation. There will be several people opening for him too like his friends Ryan Puno and Red Ollero, who also did their share of Tita encounters during the mediacon.

 

JR adds "Experiencing comedy in different countries means doing what you know in local context. Having music is helpful because it's very universal. You just have to do shows there, that's how you adapt, you have to travel.That time I bombed a set, I blame Alex, he was really good. I wanted to erase that story, but I kept on mentioning it. That was a valentines day, they asked Alex to come back to the stage because I bombed it. I know I could do it well, hopefully to make it to the end of my set. I built my base online during the pandemic, I think it was digitally good, but I need to do live, when I did it, I got COVID, it was just God punishing me. At that time, it was a silver lining, I learned how to edit, get a camera, that was the good part of it."

If you want to see the sexy guy do his stuff on stage, head on to ticketworld.com.ph and secure them seats now. It's surely going to be one heck of a funny evening!

Ticket2Me Launches New Ticketing and Video Platform

My first encounter with Ticket2Me was about a little over 2 years ago when I watched a musical in PETA here in Quezon City. Back then, they were still in their infancy but I could tell they've handled online ticket sales quite nicely. It was fast, easy to use, and secure. I got my taste of shows and could get tickets mighty fast as soon as they're listed on the app and platforms.

As you might have guessed, they're bound to be heavily affected by the closures of entertainment areas and theatres as this pandemic didn't spare any business. True enough, they had to transform their business model, innovate to survive. It was in March 2020 wherein they started the lockdown period, and it earmarked efforts by Ticket2Me and their Founder/CEO Darwin Mariano to cooperate with the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership and find ways to aid the country’s health sector frontliners. They started a huge fundraising campaign and worked with the Office of Vice President Leni Robredo in the hopes of raising funds to supply personal protective equipment and food and care packages for these health workers. In just a span of a few days they got to raise millions surpassing their goal by a mile and got to help thousands of people and mobilize help where it's needed, a noble gesture indeed.

Ticket2Me then also started the Open House campaign which they did together with Artist Welfare Project, Philstage, SPIT MNL, Third World Improv and the Theater Actor’s Guild to benefit of the performing arts community which also got heavily affected by the COVID19 outbreak. It was one of 20 they did with different organizations including one for displaced film and performing arts professionals plus funds to build emergency quarantine facilities in Metro Manila, a tough hot spot for the dreaded virus.

Recently, they also catered to the demand of online events. Adapting to the new normal meant they also need to launch their own pay gated video platform so they can hold concerts, theatrical productions, workshops and more. They also launched Dok2Me, a patient-doctor platform so they too would be able to do online consultation. They will also start production of their own online series called Boys' Lockdown come this September. 

With over 11,000 combined cash and online payment options throughout the country, Ticket2Me is achieving its goal to be one of the largest ticketing and events tech company. They can help you manage your transitions to online processes. Download it off the App Store or Google Play now or visit their site Ticket2Me.net to try it out and find more information about them.

Sounds good.