Noel Cabangon: From 'simpleng musikero' to PNoy's troubadour

It was a Wednesday night at Conspiracy along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. Almost 9, but still early for the gig and so far, no tables were occupied. I was waiting for Noel Cabangon to arrive, and wondering what was meant by "I won't arrive 'til nine." Those were his words in his text message earlier that day, when I had asked if I could interview him at his gig. Would I interview him before his set? Or after? How would I approach him? Those questions made me nervous, not to mention the other questions I had in mind. After all, he had recently sung in front of half a million people, stealing the show at PNoy's inauguration. Not only did he get the crowd to sing along - he also got several important officials, including the president, to swear they would be better Filipinos. I didn't have much time to dwell on my anxiety, because he walked in shortly, right on time. If there is one thing about Noel Cabangon, he isn't unprofessional. Of course, he walked right past me, and I took the advantage of my anonymity to observe him. He moved quietly but quickly, as if not a single step was wasted. He was dressed simply, in an unassuming dark- colored shirt and jeans, and his trademark sneakers. He had brightly colored bracelets on his arm.

He moved from room to room, setting up while talking to someone on his cellphone. Eventually, I mustered the courage to approach him and introduce myself. He asked if I minded waiting until after his set. Of course I didn't, and looked forward to watching the set. Although his impressive tour history includes France, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland, as well as places all over the Philippines both as a solo act and with his former group Buklod, his usual gigs are like the one that night, in low-key bars and nightclubs, where the stage is really just a slightly, if at all, elevated area of the room. Tables were barely visible beneath the weight of empty and near empty bottles, plates of pulutan, and elbows of customers propping up their faces as they gaze intently at the performer. Noel Cabangon seemed perfectly at ease in this set up, perched on his stool a bit awkwardly and yet perfectly balanced. He balances his guitar on his leg and reaches for his beer bottle on the floor. He raises the bottle to the audience, laughs a bit and says "Cheers for fears," before drinking quickly, setting it back down, and beginning the song. He goes through his laidback set, engaging the audience in pleasant conversation. While his larger concerts have the benefit of bigger sound systems, his performances in small spaces are more charming. His powerful voice fills the room, and without much to distract the audience, his lyrics stand out. Some requests are made and he obliges gladly, a performer through and through. He plays Kanlungan, an obvious favorite which gets almost everyone in the room to sit up straight. When he plays Tatsulok, he jokes that it’s a Bamboo cover. The song is actually an original by Buklod. He ends his first set, tells the audience he'll be back, and mills around for a bit. He taps me on the shoulder and says, "Wait lang a, five minutes," and then he disappears into another room. Video by Michael Benedicto True to his word he returns in five minutes, sits at the table and leans forward. Before we begin, he asks the waiter for a bottle. Simpleng musikero Asked to describe himself in three words, Noel Cabangon needs only two. "Isa akong simpleng musikero," he says. Considering his popularity these days, the idea of him being a simple musician seems a bit incongruous. But right after seeing him play his regular, no-frills set, it makes perfect sense. Noel Cabangon learned to play on a borrowed guitar when he was just ten years old. He would join local contests where he grew up in Rosario, La Union, and it is there that he traces his roots as a musician. These days, when he isn't performing for intimate crowds at the regular haunts, he can be spotted touring the malls promoting Byahe, his latest release under Universal Records, which has been a bestseller. Roots His discography began not as a solo artist but with Buklod, a group formed in 1988 with Rom Dongeto and Rene Boncocan. An offshoot of the progressive activist musicians' organization Bukluran ng Musikero Para sa Bayan, Buklod was a favorite performer at rallies and picket lines. Their first album, Buhay Bukid, was released in 1988, followed three years later by Tatsulok. The problem then was the same as it is now, which is basically funding. Dongeto recalls that the Ecumenical Movement for Justice and Peace took interest in producing their second album after Buklod was involved in the Dear Cory album, an effort to engage the government on various issues such as land reform. In 1992, they released Kanlungan, their third and final album which contained the album-titled song written by Dongeto, which was much later heavily popularized in the McDonald's advertisement. Their relationship was harmonious, but the group eventually disbanded following the split in the leftist movement between the reaffirmists (RA) (those who continued to believe in protracted armed struggle) and the rejectionists (RJ) (or those who rejected the protracted armed struggle). "Andun siya sa rejectionist, ako nasa reaffirmist. Ang biyak nun grabeng biyak. Intensity 8 kumbaga sa lindol," said Dongeto, clarifying that despite the split, there was no actual clash. "Ang mga musikero kasi, cool na species 'yan e. 'Di masyadong magsasalita, pakiramdaman lang kasi 'yun ang nature ng sining," said Dongeto, recalling how they would still play for both RA and RJ events. “Ang problema ngayon pagka inimbita kami sa RJ malungkot ako, kasi hindi ako makaikit, kaya sa sulok lang ako nagtotono ng gitara. 'Pag siya naman sa RA, parang isdang tinanggal sa dagat," Dongeto said. They eventually agreed to part ways. Fish back in the sea If he was ever out of his element during Buklod's last days together, he thrived in his solo career in the following years. Though no longer connected with the movement, both remained active in advocacy projects, Dongeto remaining on the organizational side, later establishing Musicians for Peace and today, working as director at PLCPD, Noel Cabangon kept composing and performing songs, including those of Buklod. Dongeto has no qualms about this, though he does say that Kanlungan's unexpected rise on the mainstream radar is reflective of the music industry's current situation, where the songwriter rarely gets recognized. "Kunwari sa mga music video, may makikita ka bang written o kaya composed by? Usually, performer ang nilalagay," says Dongeto, adding that there is really nothing wrong with performing a song, even without acknowledging who composed it. "I think if you are a progressive musician, you should acknowledge that. Ako naman, I am not taking it against him, 'pag performer ka naman puwede mo talaga tugtugin," he said. Performance level Of his skill as a performer, Dongeto said Noel Cabangon had always been excellent. "As a soloist, talagang crafted siya doon. Kasi bata palang polished na e, as a working musician," he said. He had no one but Noel Cabangon in mind to sing Kanlungan, and he recalled that the recording, which they did in the morning, and with a single take, was 'fantastic.' "Gusto ko 'yung parang kagigising lang yung boses, 'di pa masyadong polished. Ang husay ng tenga ni Noel," he said. Folk singer Jess Santiago said similarly that Noel Cabangon had always been a good singer. "Teenager pa lang 'yan lagare na 'yan sa mga folkhouse kaya hasang hasa na talaga 'yang vocal chords niya sa kantahan," said Santiago. "Nakakatuwa kasi 'yung pagod niya medyo nagbubunga na, marami na rin siyang nagawang mga kanta, nakapaglabas na siya ng mga album, kung saan saan na siya nakakarating, nalilibot na niya bong mundo, sa pagkanta," said Santiago, adding that volunteering for the Noynoy campaign turned out to be very fruitful. Playing a part in history Noel Cabangon says he chose to support PNoy because he wanted change. "If you really want to, it has to be someone people would be able to place their hope in. It draws inspiration. 15 million...that's a mandate, 'di mo puwedeng isampader 'yan. People voted because they want change.'" On the other hand, he believes that it is not enough to place your faith in the President. "I realized it wasn't really the president's burden for this country to bring significant change, but the burden lies also on the people who voted for him," he said. For him, this means continuing what he started. "I have plans to continue that awareness thing, instilling the value of being a good citizen sa mga schools," he said, adding that he has started setting up the Ako'y Isang Mabuting Filipino foundation. The song, which was first released in 2007, as part of the Jesuit Communication Foundation's anti-corruption album 'Ehemplo' is like the Panatang Makabayan, except it's conrete. The lyrics are no-nonsense and leave no room for misinterpretation. When you sing along to lines like "Tumatawid ako sa tamang tawiran, Sumasakay ako sa tamang sakayan," there's no escaping hypocrisy if you don't actually do it. The song took two years to write, and Noel Cabangon said he chose the first person point of view so that when people sing along, they question themselves. "'Pag sinabi, somehow it gets into their psyche, they refer to themselves. While they're saying it, they're also asking themselves, am I a good Filipino citizen?" Ako'y Isang Mabuting Filipino was one of the songs he performed at PNoy's inauguration, when he was suddenly asked to play more than just one song. Despite the high from the inaugural performance, Noel Cabangon remains sober-minded about the new President. Noel Cabangon also said that as voters, we have to keep in mind that voting for the President does not end there. "Bantayan mo 'yung boto mo. We have to be vigilant, critical, ano 'yung mga policies niya, ano 'yung mga gagawin niya," he said. He recalled realizing in the middle of the song that former presidents, dignitaries, the new cabinet, mayors, governors were all behind him. “Sabi ko, wow, sa loob loob ko, this is an opportunity to make them swear, and you have cameras, people are watching, then you have thousands of people in the audience," he said, his eyes lighting up at the memory. "Sabi ko, this is it, nakatutok ang mga camera sa inyo, this is history," he said, adding that though there were other big concerts, none were as big as that. "That's a once in a lifetime," he concludes. Moving into the mainstream Despite his independent roots, Noel Cabangon sees nothing wrong with the mainstream. As he himself puts it, he is a 'kaladkaring artist' with several advocacies in various areas, including freedom from debt, human rights, peace in Mindanao and workers rights. Ironic to some, he performed ‘Kanlungan’ for a McDonald's commercial. "One of the reasons is the song shouldn't just be confined among us in the community of activists, NGOs. It's also one way of mainstreaming the issue," he said. But what of McDonald’s as symbol of American capitalism? Noel Cabangon explains that when they were shown the ad, he saw it as an opportunity to advocate Filipino values. "It wasn't a hard sell," he says. As for the money, he made no mention of it, but Dongeto shared that he was contacted by Cabangon for his approval, and he has received some monetary compensation for it. As he recalls, he was in the United States at the time, and Cabangon e-mailed him saying his manager was talking with an advertising agency whose client was McDonald's. As the singer of the fastfood king’s theme song and now the President’s favourite troubadour, Cabangon has clearly migrated from the fringe and become an establishment star, even if he lacks the airs. As a performer, you want your audience to listen to your songs, Noel Cabangon says simply. He then makes an analogy with water. "The tributaries are the alternative routes going to a larger body of water. Whereas in the mainstream, nagbabanggaan sila, the mainstream is an arena. It is also the way that will lead you faster to a larger body of water which is the river and then the sea," he says. This open-mindedness is easily observed by others as well. JL Burgos, brother of disappeared activist Jonas Burgos, recounts that Noel Cabangon would get teased for listening to mainstream songs in his car. But Noel Cabangon would not switch channels, saying good naturedly, "Research ko 'to." Burgos met Noel Cabangon when he contributed a song to Huling Balita, songs for the disappeared. The song ‘Awit ng Naghahanap’ was first called ‘Para Kay Jonas,’ but was changed to the more generic, applicable name, recalls Burgos. He observes that Noel Cabangon's music is powerful the way it is because of its content. "Kasi tungkol sa tao ang kanyang kinukuwento. Siya ay isang NGO worker dati, so alam niya, marami siyang taong nakausap, may activist background din siya," said Burgos. Perhaps it is his background that keeps him grounded, despite the heights of his success. A few nights after the interview at Conspiracy, I saw Noel Cabangon at a film festival opening. Typically shy, I avoided the possibility of saying hello and not being remembered. But it was he who approached me, tapping my shoulder and greeting me by name. It’s been said that no one knows you better than yourself. I would have to agree in this case. Noel Cabangon put it perfectly, he is, indeed, a simpleng musikero. - HS, GMANews.TV