70's Bistro, Quezon City22 June 2012Before meeting with Cynthia, I hadn't been to 70's Bistro since 2008 when I'd last seen the Jerks play. On that night, it was raining, humid and full of people. The day I met Cynthia it was still humid and, apart from the bar manager and a guy delivering ice, the place was deserted. I received a text message on arrival from Cynthia's manager, Ricci, advising Cynthia needed to pick up guitar strings and run a couple of small errands. By this stage we were used to working on Philippines time. We grabbed a drink and waited. Cynthia arrived with a confidence that was partly aloof, partly social butterfly and all rock star. An accomplished musician proficient in genres including world music, folk, acoustic rock and celtic, Cynthia's aura would be equally at home in bands like the Rolling Stones or Motley Crue.Cynthia told us about her plans to move to the States, how the music industry in the Philippines is becoming difficult, and how artists are not given the opportunities they need. Listening to Cynthia, I internally reflected that her experience was similar to experiences of musicians worldwide, certainly of those in Australia. But in Cynthia's case she is a seriously talented songwriter who delivers a powerfully emotional performance, reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, Jewel or Tori Amos (if Tori played a guitar). It is easy to conceive that her style of Filipino music would appeal to a worldwide audience, if given the opportunity. For now, moving to the US will bring opportunities that simply are not available in Manila.Later that night the 70's Bistro transformed from an empty hall with a bar at one end, to a music venue packed to the street with fans who were seeing yet another of Cynthia's farewell shows. I was told this was the only one with a full band. I jostled for a position with other press photographers and TV cameras just to get a shot of Cynthia with her hair blowing in the fan, eyes closed, trying to keep herself cool and in the zone in a venue that was likely to have twice the number of people that it normally is capable of even holding. The fans waited patiently for Cynthia and her band to begin, to awe them with world beats, beautiful musicianship and the raw emotion of Cynthia's voice and songwriting.And Cynthia delivered. The crowd screamed "we love you Cynthia" and "please, don't go!"
