If you haven’t heard of Cathy Go, you should
On any given night, Cathy Go wears one of four different hats.
Three nights a week, she fronts an alternative pop covers band plying the chicken houses along Morato Ave. in Quezon City.
On certain weekends, she rocks live with the studio band that helped her put together one of the finest OPM debuts of 2012.
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On Sundays, she sings with the church choir, and on some evenings, she’s at home cramming to complete a project in her chosen course in Mass Communications.
The break
Making music has always been Cathy’s constant passion, and one humdrum evening, her muse gifted her with an unexpected break.
Cathy and a guitar-playing friend formed an impromptu acoustic duo to open for Aiza Seguerra’s show in Marikina.
While they were jamming backstage in preparation for the gig, good luck struck.
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She recalls, “This guy came over to our corner and asked us why we were fooling around with songs that were older than us. He had this wide grin on his face. Then, he introduced himself to be a composer of commercial jingles and asked me to audition in his studio.”
Maestro Mike discovers Cathy
The stranger turned out to be Mike Villegas of the Villegas musical clan, former lead guitarist of the celebrated Rizal Underground and husband and chief musical partner of world music songstress Bayang Barrios.
He is referred to as Maestro Mike in professional guitar players circle.
“I was actually passing by on the way to the dressing room," Mike recalls. "I was struck by this duo who was turning hard rock tunes by AD/DC and Mr. Big into acoustic numbers.
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“That time, I had also written a batch of pop songs and I was looking for a particular voice to sing my songs. I heard what I was looking for in the quality of Cathy’s singing.”
Happy hooks
Cathy passed the audition and Mike took out a sheaf of songs in progress for Cathy to sing. He then assembled a studio band to back up the recording sessions that led to Cathy’s first album as a solo artist.
On her debut entitled “Find My Way to You” for Mayumi Records, label owner and record producer Mike drew out the pop-rocker in Cathy.
It’s best displayed on the first single and radio hit from the album, “Ayaw na Kung Ayaw.”
In the opening track “Ngayong Gabi,” happy hooks paired with karaoke-worthy lyrics make a pleasant first impression that’s sustained through the frenetic rock & roll of “This Circle” and punk-pop of “Start Kissing.”
The mid-tempo gallop of “Alon” should create the same waves as the very best of today’s acoustic pop.
Straddling mainstream and alternative
Cathy was a 14-year-old high school sophomore when band bug hit her. She fronted an alternative pop band named Sopiz, which eventually released an album for a sub-label of Universal Records. That was also the time when she discovered her knack for writing original compositions.
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She credits five years of pwestos and counting in entertainment establishments for molding who she has become today.
The confluence of acoustic makeover of pop hits by feisty women from Alanis Morrisette to Carly Simon and her own sharp music-making abilities has resulted in an ear-bending debut that straddles mainstream tastes and alternative inclinations at once.
Live at 7th High at The Fort last year, Cathy, backed by a crack band of sessionistas, opened a Friday night showcase an unknown quantity. She and the band went on to turn select songs off the album into high-energy rockers and blues bruisers. At the end of the performance though, her radiant reading of Adele’s “Someone Like You” brought the crowd to its feet, as enthusiastic as the reception to the night’s headliners, Up Dharma Down.
‘Every gig is memorable’
“That show went well for us because we played what we wanted to play. In my regular gigs, I get paid to play what the diners want to hear and what gets requested," Cathy remembers.
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“Just the same, every gig is memorable for me since I make everyone happy including my band mates. I also feel blessed to be playing with people who I like to work with.”
Cathy knows she has a long way to go to fulfill her dreams, but with the friends she now keeps and those she will stumble into, the way ahead will be a pleasantly creative and enjoyable one.
You can buy Cathy Go's debut album "Find My Way to You" here.
