The joys of music and mud

Vispop Music Festival keeps the Bisdak spirit alive

MY feet were ready to jump along with the music. But what welcomed my shoes at the very first Vispop Music Festival were raindrops and mud. Nevertheless, I was surprised myself when the one-night event had me diving into the muddy ground.

Held at the University of the Philippines Cebu last Sept. 13, the biggest Visayan music festival gathered homegrown talents to celebrate purely local music and culture.

Big winners from the Vispop competition, which started in 2013, together with veterans from the Bisaya music scene, fed my soul with their melodies of romance, heartbreak and varying themes of life’s daily endeavors. My midnight jam “Duyog” — Vispop

The biggest Visayan music festival gathered homegrown talents to celebrate purely local music and culture.”

1.0 champ and a constant radio favorite — was brought to life by Cebuana music stalwart Anna Fegi.

Nostalgic memories came flashing back when Bisrock (short for Bisaya rock) legends Aggressive Audio brought the house down with their “Liar Evil,” a local classic I got to hear only on the radio in my childhood years.

Apart from the great lineup of bands and singers, the night was also made magical when award-winning Bisaya poets Shane Carreon and Jona Bering took centerstage with their romantic works of poetry that had me remembering an unrequited love, while couples at the back giggled.

Of course, a festival can never be complete without fave treats such as sisig and mango-flavored taho, which went perfectly well as I witnessed wordsmiths battling it out in a Bisaya-spirited fliptop session.

But what really got me hooked to the event

was that I got to celebrate the night with those who shared with me the same culture I’ve grown up with. How lovely it is to bond with people who speak the same language with you and swap jokes only Bisayas can understand.

Even the mud caused by the rain held some significance: it reminded me of something that is rooted from the ground. Something that is homegrown. And that is what Vispop is trying to get across — to serve as a reminder for us Bisayas to never forget how colorful our homegrown Bisaya culture is.

The Vispop Music Festival may be in only its first run, yet it has already made great strides in keeping the Bisaya spirit alive.

* Denzel Yorong is a Mass Communication student of the University of the Philippines Cebu.

And that is what Vispop is trying to get across — to serve as a reminder for us Bisayas to never forget how colorful our homegrown Bisaya culture is.”

Anna Fegi with her powerful rendition of “Duyog.”

Palanca-awardee Shane Carreon delivers her poetic thoughts on long distance relationships.

Budoy of Junior Kilat performs his band’s quirkiest Bisaya compositions.

VISPOP MUSIC FESTIVAL. Celebrating a night of locally produced music at the University of the Philippines Cebu grounds.

Hope Tinambacan goes live with his original “Tug ta Tug,” a Vispop finalist that has been making waves on the airwaves.