Pinoy in Dubai leads solidarity gig for ailing fellow musician

From organizing musical events in the middle of a desert in the United Arab Emirates since 2010, a 42-year-old graphic communications manager of the Al-Futtaim Group has produced another gig at the Lotus Grand Hotel in Dubai to show “love and support” for ailing fellow Pinoy musician.

“May sakit yung bassist ng Gravity [na] si Jamaica,” said Ronald Galvez, a Dubai-based OFW, through Messenger on April 7, referring to the daughter of Miguel Perez, guitarist of the ThirdParty.

Ailing Jamaica. Photo courtesy Ronald Galvez

Gravity band. Photo courtesy R. Galvez

Jamaica, 14, was diagnosed with polymyositis recently, a muscle disease that involves inflammation of the muscles or associated tissues, such as the blood vessels that supply the muscles.

The Lotus Grand Hotel in Dubai gig was solidarity event dubbed "Love & Support for Gravity."

Galvez wanted to showcase Filipino talent in a foreign land so he arranged a live music event in the middle of the Al Qudra Desert for his family and friends then.

He has so far led 17 community projects in the Muslim country, including:

• the one on December 4, 2015,
• March 18, 2016,
• July 12, 2016,
• April 27, 2017,
• May 5, 2017,
• May 12, 2017, and
• November 27, 2017.

The Gravity—including vocalists Theojohn Niño Pesebre Sosa, 12, and Zahraross Shariff, 12; bassist Christafari Racal, 15; keyboardist Cheska Mae Castillo, 15; and drummer Chynna Marie Castillo, 11—championed in the “Battle of the Bands (teen category)” held at the Classic Rock Café-Dubai in September 2015; “On The Spot Open Battle of the Band” at the Qube - DJ Academy in Reference Point Studio-Dubai in October 2015; and “Acoustic Battle of the Bands” during the Sharjah International Book Fair (Kids Category) in November 2016.

The other OFW bands that performed for the solidarity event were the Herbalution, 7th Symphony, Pearlipinas, 3Minded , Out of the Blu, Traffic Jam, Karachi Kid, Timeo, Mandirigma, Magnifico, Fat Like Hippos, Kalye Kultura, Camel & Friends and OLA.

The solo artists, on the other hand, were Nico Javier, Elyssa BAcsain, Ronald Mendoza, and Bryan Pepito. —LBG, GMA News