Music and Coca-Cola

I do not know if there are still places in the world today where the Coca-Cola song goes “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.” I know that jingle is so ages ago but it came to mind again because of the arrival of Coke Studio in the Philippines. Coke is teaching the Philippines to sing?  OK, not really, since we already do that well, I say, Coke Studio is here to open new musical possibilities. Based on a successul TV series in the Middle East and other Asian countries, this is proof that Coke’s vaunted commitment to creating music continues to this day and now includes giving Filipino musicians a chance to shine on TV and hopefully everywhere.

Airing at 7 p.m. on Saturdays over TV5, Coke Studio is a series that features live performances by local artists but in a unique way. It is set in a recording studio that Coke has turned into a stage so that we, the viewers can get a look and a listen at what goes on when talents get together to work in a typical recording session. This is an interesting concept. Although we will never know how much of the show has been rehearsed and if the artists are merely acting, finding out what new tunes the sessions will produce should be a treat.

Hosting Coke Studio are Raimund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala, once members of the iconic Eraserheads. They guide the guest artists and the viewers through the process of creating music. Adding excitement to every episode is the fact that Coke brings big names and rising stars together for that now most popular of recording styles, the collaboration. Everybody collaborates in music nowadays. That is how Justin Bieber got into Despacito. He collaborated with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. So for Coke Studio, viewers can look forward to watching collaborations come to life.

The Aug. 19 episode has host Raimund together with Sandwich band members Diego Castillo, Mong Alcaraz, Myrene Academia and Mike Dizon collaborating with electronic pop artist BP Valenzuela. Sandwich has been around for nearly 20 years and made big hits like Sugod, Betamax and Butterfly Carnival. BP is only in her early 20s and has one album to her credit.  How Sandwich will react to having electronica brought into its pop rock milieu and how BP will go rocking with these “Dad” should be fun to watch. 

Come Aug. 26, it will be the turn of rapper Abra together with the classically-influenced band Gracenote. Abra, being in hip-hop is no stranger to collaborations. In fact, he has already worked on several as in Dedma with Julie Ann San Jose; Diwata with Chito Miranda of Parokya Ni Edgar; and Gayuma with Thyro Alfaro and Jeriko Aguilar. Gracenote is into  alternative pop rock music and can go from covers like When I Dream About You to originals like Minsan Lang Naman and Amnesia. I can already hear a lightened up Abra rapping to the dreamy music of Gracenote.

Coke Studio has more collaborations in store for televiewers with featured artists like Noel Cabangon, Franco, Ebe Dancel, Moonstar 88, Gabby Alipe, Curtismith, Ransom Collective, Jensen and the Flips, John Dinopal and others.  Who knows that line-up might also soon boast of today’s big-selling acts like Sud, Up Dharma Down, Silent Sanctuary and maybe, even of the most iconic Pinoy band of all time, Hotdog joining hands in suspenseful collaborations.

And that is not all there is about Coke Studio. It is more than a song creation show among collaborators.  It is also the Coke Studio truck that will go around providing interactions between school bands and Coke Studio artists to create, what else, but more collaborations. It is also the Coke Canreoke which is loaded with music of old and new Pinoy favorites where singers of various levels of expertise can sing their hearts out. And Coke is taking this Studio and Canreoke out to the people. So keep a look out for the Coke Studio truck in your neighborhood. It is loaded with music goodies.

So as the world sang back in 1971 with the greatest commercial jingle of all time, we can again go, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony/ I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company/ it’s the real thing/ Coke is what the world wants today.”