Cup of Joe’s Japan trip ends with special award, new fans

Sad news. Cup of Joe lost out at the Japan Music Awards, which was held in Tokyo last June 13. The band from Baguio was nominated in the Best Song Asia category for their big hit Multo but did not win the prize.

Hu hu hu moment for the Joewahs. But be accepting of the loss. There was no way they could win against Golden by HUNTR/X, the nominee from South Korea, which was, as expected, named winner.

Still, it was a great trip for Cup of Joe. The group was given the International Special Award for Philippine Popular Music. They did a successful set at the Shibuya Sound Scramble, where they won a lot of Japanese Jowahs. And despite the loss, it was really such a thrill to be mentioned on stage at the Toyota Arena in the same breath as the Oscar- and Grammy-winning Golden.

Happy news. Jose Mari Chan has entered performing mode. The singer and songwriter has a September show date. Chan is top-billing Timeless Harmonies with The CompanY at the Music Museum in Greenhills on Sept. 12.

I am sure he will give in to requests to sing Christmas in Our Hearts. That can only mean one thing. Christmas is coming, and it will be on the Pinoy’s very own timetable.

Pinoys love the Christmas celebration. It is now acknowledged that we have the longest Yuletide season in the world. That became official when Chan released Christmas in Our Hearts thirty-six years ago. And that ended our sneaking around listening to Christmas music or surreptitiously wrapping presents in September.

The song proved to be so irresistible that fans refused to wait for December and started listening to it earlier and earlier and earlier. The malls followed suit as the tune encouraged shopping. Christmas in Our Hearts has now become the accepted harbinger of the holidays when it starts playing every Sept. 1. And Chan has joined the celebration with live performances.

By the way, Chan, who turned 81 years old last March, is also doing a US concert tour with The CompanY in November. He is set to visit Las Vegas on Nov. 6; San Bernardino on Nov. 8; Chicago on Nov. 13; and Houston on Nov. 15. Pinoys in those places will surely be teary-eyed remembering Christmases back home when they hear Chan perform Christmas in Our Hearts live.

More happy news. Just got reminded that Ramon “RJ” Jacinto turned 81 last June 3. Happy that our other octogenarian music idol goes on board in the mornings on radio station DZRJ and gets the dancing and the rock and roll going at Bistro RJ at Dusit Thani in Makati.

Just in case you do not know, RJ has been making music longer than the best-known octogenarian pop star in the whole world, Paul McCartney. The 15-year-old RJ started making guitar music inspired by the Ventures, and that was some years before the Beatles came along.

And one more. Barbie’s Cradle is back. I am sure there are many of you who still remember. This was the band with the pretty girl vocalist Barbie Almalbis who did the theme for the TV series “Tabing-Ilog,” a sweet cover of Hotdog’s Langit Na Naman and their own originals like Dear Paul.

Barbie’s Cradle ended more than 20 years ago when Almalbis decided to go solo and turned out to be just as successful. So what prompted her to go back to Barbie’s Cradle now? Likewise, members Kakoy Legaspi, Rommel de la Cruz and Wendell Garcia?

We still do not have the answers. But who cares. Barbie’s Cradle is back and the first single release in over two decades is sounding good. The song is titled Emergency. It is alt-pop with a millennial vibe and is about existential issues.

By the way, a one-night-only reunion concert is scheduled at the Music Museum come Aug. 1.