Saturday, May 21, 2011

Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira

I've seen this band twice now and both times they have managed to blow me away. Nykó Macá is an awesome singer whose sound minds very soul tones the likes of Erykah Baduh and Jill Scott. She's been around in the scene for quite some time now showcasing bands that mesh well with her sound. This time she's been associating with herself with Gafieira.

I was lucky to catch her last May 13, 2011 at B-Side, at the Collective in Makati. My friend Joseph and his wife Sarah were supposed to meet up at my place before heading out. But they were running late. So I thought I would not be able to catch Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira's set. When the pair arrived, we got in a cab and started heading to the Collective (where B-Side is a part of). I remember the cab driver distinctly because I wasn't sure whether he was playing dumb or really was just having difficulty understanding directions being given. That and the fact that he was severely ngongo made the trip to B-Side hilarious.

Luckily Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira hasn't played yet when we arrived. Sarah ingeniously was able to work up a table for us and seats closest to the stage despite the place being packed. We watched a band (the band name escapes me at the moment) with a French singer who despite saying his Tagalog wasn't so good managed to sing an entire song written in Tagalog. His two chick singers were kinda useless. They didn't provide any harmonic back-up to the vocalist really. Either that or the tech just really sucked and kept their mic volumes low.


After a while, Nykó Macá Presents Gafieira started setting up. That was the only time I found that they haven't played their set yet. Definitely a pleasant surprise.


I dug the percussionist's technique. She's not so glitzy with her fills. But the tone of her strokes we full bodied. It's either her technique skill, or the fact that her congas were really nice (expensive LP Tumbadoras) that made her sound that way, or both.

Below is a video I took of one of the songs they played that night.



Obviously the band's mission is to not stop until Kakoy (the guitarist) says they're done with any given song. LOL! I love the Deep Purple riff they stuck in the the song for flavor. They be good. I can't wait to watch them perform again some time soon.


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