From Macau to Manila in search of the blues

Blues legend B.B. King once said of the late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan: “Playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed.”

The same can be said of the seven Pinoy bands featured on the recently released compilation “The Roadhouse Manila Bay Pinoy Blues Jam” under Roadhouse Rekords. The all-blues album features 18 tracks, 14 of which are original compositions by select homegrown blues bands that regularly gig at The Roadhouse Manila Bay blues club. Four of the 14 originals are in Filipino.

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The artists include Dr. Crowley, Memphis International Blues Competition sensations the Bleu Rascals, 69 Proof (60s garage rock by way of Screaming Jay Hawkins), self-confessed Chicago blues fans Ian Lofamia Band, the pop-rockish Tarantulas, rockabilly slashers Sangre Blues Revival and blues-with-a-metal-makeover Plug.

Heart and soul

It is this mother lode of blues talents that drew Irishman Ciaran Carruthers to Manila in the first place.

He was running The Roadhouse Macau where he kept hearing about the high quality of blues musicianship in the Philippines.

“When we got here, I was surprised at how good and passionate the true blues talents are around here,” Carruthers told Yahoo! Philippines OMG.

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“The extent of bands that are just into the blues is just amazing. It’s their passion. The blues is what they want to play. I can tell it’s in their heart and soul.”

Reviving interest in the blues

Soon, he set up The Roadhouse Manila Bay. In the year since he opened the bar at the back of the Mall of Asia, he helped revive interest in the blues as well as discover new talents and resurrect the waning enthusiasm in old blues hands like Sangre Blues Revival and Dr. Crowley.

Said Carruthers, “When we opened Roadhouse bar here, one of the bands that came to play was Dr. Crowley. They brought along a copy of their CD which I played in the car stereo on the way home. Apart from being blown away by the talent of the band, the production quality and packaging of the CD also surprised me,” the Irishman recalled.

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“I found out that a regular at Roundhouse, Gerry Diwa, produced Dr. Crowley’s album so I approached Gerry and told him I was interested in starting a small record label to provide a venue to record the incredible talents around here. We eventually put together the compilation album.”

Not just a bar, but a record label as well

The Roadhouse bands were asked to record a demo of original compositions and covers. From the demos, Carruthers and Gerry Diwa chose the seven bands appearing on the "Pinoy Blues Jam" compilation.

In the end, the final selection came down to personal choices, specifically the kind of blues Carruthers himself would like to listen to in the car on the drive home.

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His choices were also driven by his influences: as a kid, listening to his parents' Elvis Presley records; in his teens, Muddy Waters and Jimmie Rodgers; and later, Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Steve Ray Vaughan, Joe Bonamassa (who played at The Roadhouse Manila Bay last year), as well as Irish bluesmen Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher and Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott.

New blues places popping up

Carruthers sees the compilation CD first as a marketing tool. “Over the past 12 months, there’s been an explosion of blues venues like (The Peninula Manila's) Salon De Ning with its regular blues nights,” he observed.

“The push behind the CD is to promote Roadhouse and to open the music to a wider audience. The CD will help bankroll the growing interest in the blues then we can move on to produce a full album for one of the promising bands on the compilation.”

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Business-wise, the financial performance of Roadhouse Bar for the first six months of operations was typical. Carruthers, who is also a consultant at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets and the president and CEO at Asia Pacific Gaming, said more money went out than came in because they were building awareness on both the bar and the blues.

Pursuing passions

But, he remains grateful. “Me and my wife Tess are big blues and motorcycle fans. With Roadhouse, we’re lucky to pursue our passion for the blues and motorcycles as well,” he told Yahoo!

Fortunately, things are looking up for the bar.

Said his wife: “The last four months we’ve been doing very well. Now, we’re in a position to talk about breaking even. “We‘ve also just been selected among the top seven music venues in the Philippines. We’ve had a DOT official come down here to use Roadhouse for the More Fun in Philippines campaign.”

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While Carruthers is quick to point out that his bar caters not just to blues or motorcycles fans, his passion project is putting the lie on what’s often been said: that the blues is everywhere in the Philippines but you just can’t see it.

Thanks to the bar and the CD, Pinoy blues is finally coming out of the woodwork.

“The Roadhouse Manila Bay Pinoy Blues Jam” is currently available at The Roadhouse Manila Bay and as digital download via iTunes and Amazon.

Read more Tony Maghirang in his blog Pinoy Rocks.