MARTIN  AS  GARY;  GARY  AS  MARTIN

[PHOTO AT LEFT - Martin Nievera (left) and Gary Valenciano will perform for the first time in As 1, the concert, to be held at the MOA Concert Grounds at SM Mall of Asia on Sept. 19, 8 p.m.]

MANILA, SEPTEMBER 14, 2009 (STAR) SOUNDS FAMILIAR By Baby A. Gil - Martin Nievera just made one of his best recordings ever. And it is a Gary Valenciano song. No, not Gary V’s Hang On. Nobody does that Tats Faustino composition better than Gary and Martin’s take on this song is just fine. Neither is it the classic Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos written by Nonong Buencamino. Martin did not take a crack at that one.

The song Martin recorded is Sana Maulit Muli, which Gary V himself wrote with wife Angeli. Martin’s version is right up there with his most memorable renditions. Think Kahit Isang Saglit and You Are My Song. Every bit of it is goose-pimple-inducing drama.

Now what on earth is Martin doing with a Gary V song? Aren’t they supposed to be rivals who would never touch one another’s materials lest they invite comparison? Well, that was so 20 and more years ago. Times change. Maturity has endowed these two with enough wisdom for them to see each other as individuals and as artists with their own unique qualities. They can now sing each other’s songs. They know they will do this well and the result will be new and different.

Martin’s Sana Maulit Muli is one of the cuts in As 1. The album is a first of its kind released in the Philippines. It has Martin and Gary in one duet, the title cut Together (As One) and then singing each other’s hits. Martin pulls out all the stops as he sings Sana Maulit Muli, Reaching Out, Hang On and a very contrite Take Me Out Of The Dark. In contrast Gary lays back and takes a more pop, contemporary approach with his turns in Be My Lady, How Can I, You Are My Song and Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin.

The rest are previously released songs, but are among their best. So I am sure nobody will mind getting new copies of these in the As 1 CD. These are Kahit Isang Saglit and Ikaw Ang Pangarap by Martin and Tayong Dalawa and Natutulog Ba Ang Diyos by Gary. It is noticeable that although dance is one of Gary’s strong points, no attempt was made to have something like Jump For Joy in the album. Just as well. We would have lost Martin in the shuffle with that one.

Maybe he will try dancing in As 1, the concert. This show is the reason for the release of the album. The two pop icons will perform for the first time in a full-blown concert. They are both great singers with large bags of hits. They are also known for total dedication to their art. So the outcome of this performance should make for superb entertainment.

Martin and Gary share the directing chores for the show. The musical directors are Louie Ocampo, who is closely identified with Martin and Mon Faustino, who has done the same for most of Gary’s shows these past years.

As 1, the concert, will be held at the MOA Concert Grounds at SM Mall of Asia on Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City on Sept. 19, 8 p.m. Tickets are now available in TicketNet with tel. no. 911-5555; TicketWorld, 891-9999; Manila Genesis, 706-2170 and 470-1672; Studio V, 726-4614 and 724-9020. Ticket prices are P6,000 for Titanium; P3,000 for Platinum; P1,500 for Gold; P750 for Silver; and P300 for Bronze.

You find those prices too steep? Go instead for the CD. The As 1 album costs only P395 and it is a real keeper.

And now here is news about another local talent, and it is one who is making a name for herself abroad. Charmaine Clamor, a dusky beauty who is America’s foremost Filipina jazz vocalist is in town. She will be launching her album Jazzipino with a showcase at the Podium in Ortigas Center on Sept. 18, 6 p.m.

Charmaine has a sultry, smoky style that has been described as a combination of jazz legends Julie London and Sarah Vaughn. What makes her very interesting is that she uses this bedroom voice to sing kundiman songs. Check her out on Friday and get a thrill with how she treats Dahil Sa ‘yo, O Ilaw, Lahat Ng Araw and other classics.

Gary & Martin: One on One By Chuck Gomez (The Philippine Star) Updated September 13, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines – Show business, perhaps more than other industries, thrives on and is energized by rivalry. The body of work of any great artist intensifies when it is pitted against the craft of another equally exceptional artist.

Here in the Philippines, where the denizens of the showbiz world are revered as gods and goddesses, intense competition paved the way for the emergence of divas, icons, stars, idols, and even television networks.

The 1980s marked the birth of one of the most sensational rivalries in Original Pilipino Music (OPM): The Concert King and Mr. Pure Energy.

The Concert King romanced the nation, especially countless numbers of women, with ballads and a gift of gab unsurpassed by his contemporaries. Mr. Pure Energy, on the other hand, electrified the concert stage with an indefatigable spirit and upbeat dancing that elicited mania from his fans. It was clear then, as it is today, that both artists would become two of the greatest rivals in the music industry. Their individual and collective histories will show that the spirit of competition played a pivotal role in their success.

But amidst and despite all the intrigues and manufactured conflicts and invented issues thrown their way, The Concert King and Mr. Pure Energy managed to keep their relationship intact, with a mutual respect and genuine admiration for each other’s craft, fueled by an interesting blend of friendly competition and brotherly love.

A couple of months ago, I got the chance to meet The Concert King and Mr. Pure Energy up-close for the very first time. Star-struck fan that I was, I learned though that beneath the pomp and pageantry of the stage, The Concert King and Mr. Pure Energy are essentially just Martin and Gary – as regular as their stardom allows them to be.

Laughing out loud

Martin discloses that laughter is a daily habit for him. “I laugh every time I look in the mirror. From the moment I open my eyes in the morning until the lights go out at night I always find something to laugh about. My mind never sleeps mostly because I am thinking of something naughty that makes me laugh even on the inside.”

For Gary, laughter is a major treat that he enjoys whenever he gets the chance. “I can’t say I’ve had a one-time moment of continuous laughter any time recently, but I’ve had meaningful moments of laughter with my sons Paolo and Gabriel, my daughter Kiana, Angeli my wife. A couple of weeks ago I saw a movie with them. There were some scenes where I really laughed with my sons. Another recent laughing time I had was with Martin Nievera. He always makes me laugh. You have to catch his punchlines as Martin is a man with a bag full of wit tucked inside his brain! He is hilarious!”

Big boys don’t cry?

The larger-than-life theatrics of show business may have concealed the tracks of their tears but Martin and Gary do cry ... a lot!

“The last time I really cried was when I saw myself in a totally different light with regard to how God really sees me. I am in the process of learning so much about my God that many times, the tears I cry are not because of guilt or shame but because of utmost gratitude for how I am accepted and forgiven regardless of what I’ve done, or what I may still do in the future. Many people expect me to be perfect and I am far from it. So sometimes I cry when I pray because I can’t believe how God could truly love someone like me who isn’t really as ideal as what people perceive me to be,” explains Gary.

In jest, Martin says that the silliest scene in a B movie could easily make him cry. He takes a more serious tone, however, when he recalled the most recent tear he shed. “I find myself in a puddle of tears every time I watch a movie about a father and son, or a man who loses a love, or a child left behind by a broken marriage. That’s all I need to cry me a river and the last emotional storm I had was just a month ago when I said goodbye to my two-year-old son for the nth time. I always seem to see this same scene in my own personal B movie and it kills me every time. I think the day I no longer need to say goodbye to my sons will be the day I will stop crying.”

Fear Factors

Gary reveals the major disadvantage of the pre-conceived notion that he is perpetually perfect. “I used to fear how people may react if one day they would find out that I’m really not any different from them. How some may turn away when they realize that I am not perfect as some view me to be. But things have changed. What matters to me now is what God thinks of me and what He sees deep within my heart. Because of this, somehow, that fear has gone.”

For Martin, his fears today are “very much the same as those of yesterday.” He fears the day when there are no more songs to sing and no people to inspire. He fears the day that he can no longer provide for his children. “I believe my failures have made me successful, but it has always been my fears that define me,” says Martin.

Anger management

In a cut-throat and high-pressure industry, Martin and Gary acknowledge and embrace the fact that anger is actually necessary and it is one of the most natural things in an environment that has a huge tendency to be so unnatural.

Martin explains that anger is a fleeting feeling: “I get angry at myself sometimes. I feel frustrated if things don’t go the way I plan, or if I feel that I’m not doing a great job as father to my kids. The good thing is that whatever anger I would feel easily goes away because basically, I’m a very happy person.”

The source of Gary’s anger emanates from a more spiritual perspective: “People don’t easily associate this character trait with me. I do get angry too and sometimes I even use that line in the movie of ‘The Hulk’ when Bruce Banner says something like: ‘Don’t get me angry, you won’t like it when I’m angry’ when people refuse to accept the fact that, yes, I get angry too.

“One of my biggest problems used to be that I would get too hard on myself when I failed at anything. I recently made a wrong decision and I got down real hard on myself. I was so angry that it somehow affected the way I ran my life. It hurts me to know that I may have unintentionally hurt someone because of my anger.”

Hopes and Dreams

As fathers, Martin and Gary’s hopes and dreams are anchored on their children, who they consider their greatest blessing.

“My hope is for my children to have dreams. The kind of dreams I can help realize with them. I don’t expect them to follow my footsteps, in fact I hope they don’t, but if they have the desire and talent to join the world of showbiz then so be it. But I believe I should not dream their dreams for them. They should dream their own dreams and not have to follow a path their parents sprinkled breadcrumbs on. I hope and pray I live long enough to see that day when they too can be living proof that dreams come true,” says Martin.

Gary is equally passionate about his hopes for his children. “My children are three totally different characters, all with their own skills and talents. But regardless of how different they may be from each other, they all are called, and I believe are chosen, for great purposes that the good Lord has already set out for them. Paolo has awesome ideas in video production and direction and has an amazing singing voice. Gab is a music producer, a musician apart from being a dancer. Kiana will be a major performing artist one day. But more than their dreams, I pray they will fulfill God’s design for them.”

AS 1, Martin and Gary’s first major concert together, is on Sept. 19, 8 pm at SM Mall of Asia Open Grounds. Universal Records has recently released a commemorative CD also entitled AS 1. For tickets call Ticketnet (911-5555), Ticketworld (891-9999), Manila Genesis (706-2170 to 72), or Studio V (726-4614).