Xaymaca
Life is one big roadWith a lot of sign
so when you riding thru the ruts
don't complicate your mind
flee from hate
mischief and jealousy
don't bury your thoughts
put your vision to reality...
from Bob Marley
Xaymaca, a reggae bar along Timog. My X-years of being a night owl is, I admit, limited to the preppie-type hangouts with clean glasses, good food, and of course, an interesting mix of people. I was actually curious of what Xaymaca is. Why it gets jampacked especially after 9pm on a weekend. And why guys like T and E would let themselves loose as the band hits it with their favorite reggae tunes.
We came in a bit early, or probably because the band was just late. The place looks so bohemian and as the minute passes, a bunch of groupies began filling up the place. A cute girl fancied our friends' interests but her bouncer-like boyfriend literally intimidated all the guys who'd come close to her. Oh, and a very young and hot couple was providing us with some entertainment as they went about groping each other for the next hour or so. The house music being played was something local and is definitely alien to me. I was amused with how Pinoy artists went about singing in reggae. I actually thought that they were just making fun of the lyrics.
1 beer and a few nachos after, Coffeebreak Misery finally hit it off with their first set. I'm quite amazed on how good the band plays, even if they just looked like a bunch of geeks. Some punks right next to our table put on a nice little sideshow as they began stomping ang jumping in place. . well, they're really just dancing i suppose, reggae style. A handful of guys were wearing dreadlocks. And somewhere behind me, someone's lighting up a joint.
As this is my initiation to the world of reggae, i noticed how light and tribal the music sounds like. Picture it as an island getaway mixed with real world stories, wrapped in rythmic everyday tunes. That's reggae in Xaymaca, a strange trancelike beat that can drive anyone into a dancing frenzy. And what's odd is that guys mostly dig it.
By the time the band was playing their second set, almost everyone was standing, swaying or stomping with the beat. The atmosphere was pulsating, the air grew thick and bottles of liquor kept moving around. The punks seemed to grow in number, influencing those around them with their jumping and swinging. As the music went wild, so did the crowd. The stomping, jumping with the "he-he-hey!" and the furious atmosphere was eventually too much, that I had to step outside to breathe.
Outside, the place is filled with the non-dancing crowd. I can still see the people inside, moving rhythmically with the music. I sat next to this really cool Harley that was parked by the sidewalk. I felt relieved, amused and exhausted all at the same time. We were lucky to see a good band play for us. Their playlist was mostly of foreign pop hits like those from Sublime. And as soon as the show was over, so was our night.
Experiencing Xaymaca on this ordinary Saturday night is truly cultivating. The people, the music and the place reveals a lot about the reggae faction in Manila's crowd. The genre may not be as popular as rave or pop music, but it certainly has a solid and unique following.
posted by kquill @ 9:36 AM
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