Tower of Power also in Manila Sept. 7

The Manila performance of Tower of Power (TOP, photo) is finally happening Sept. 7 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to be mounted by Ovation Productions. The triple bill event also features Dennis Lambert and Kalapana.

Tower’s musical odyssey actually began in 1968 when Emilio Castillo met Stephen “Doc” Kupka in July of that year. When Doc auditioned during a band rehearsal at Emilio’s house, Emilio’s father called him into the kitchen and offered the following advice: “Hire that guy, he’s got something.” This was how Doc and his signature baritone sax came to be a major part of the band’s sound, and on Aug. 13, Tower of Power, as we know them today, began playing gigs and soon became well-known in the area.

Since the beginning, Tower of Power has never stopped touring and recording. Tower is blessed to have a dedicated following that often travels to see the band. New generations of fans come to see the group perform.

Another featured performer in the Sept. 7 event at the Big Dome is songwriter producer and singer Dennis Lambert. Dennis’ album Bags and Things was very popular in the Philippines in the early 1970s and contained hit songs Of All the Things, Ashes to Ashes, Somebody Found Her Before I Lost Her and So Little Time.

Lambert was the subject of an award-winning featurelength documentary film, Of All the Things, directed by his screenwriter son Jody Lambert, which followed him on a cross-country tour of the Philippines promoted by Ovation Productions.

As for Kalapana, it emerged as one of the most popular bands in the Hawaiian music scene in the ‘70s, and is much loved by Filipinos for the songs Nightbird, The Hurt, You Make it Hard and When the Morning Comes.

Kalapana enjoys frequent airplay in Manila’s top radio stations to this day. It received the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Ovation Productions took Kalapana on a Philippine tour back-to-back with the band America in 2012.

It will be a thrill for Filipino music lovers to see all three of their favorite artists perform together in one evening of retro music at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (Tower of Power 50th Anniversary Tour featuring Dennis Lambert and Kalapana is produced by Ovation Productions. Media partners include The Philippine

STAR. Ticket Prices are P5,250, P4,750, P3,750, P2,750, P1,750 and P750. Tickets available via www.ticketnet.com.ph and regular TicketNet outlets, or call TicketNet at 911-5555 or Ovation Productions 532-8883.)