Made In Manila – A Chicagoan’s Love for Dharma’s Music

It’s opening night for the Chicago Filipino Film Festival at the Portage Theater and first-time filmmaker Tony Rago stands quietly on the side while photographer’s go flash happy with the “show opener” star, Bessie Badilla.  Former suburban Connecticut housewife turned Brazilian carnival queen, the celebrity of the night Badilla graciously poses in front of her carnival costumes used in her documentary, “Dance of My Life”.

“We are so excited to show the documentary tonight,” said Badilla to each person who asks about her experience as a “first time Filipina” carnival queen.  “We just showed it in New York two months ago and had to extend our trip because people still wanted to see it!”

Cheers of “congratulations!” soon follow as more visitor’s pile into the theater, huddling their turn around the beautiful and welcoming lady of the night.

Across the room are tables filled with endless sheets of white frosted cakes and fresh banana lumpias, luring in each guest after their photo-op with the beauty queen.  Echoes of laughter and clinking glass dominate the theater lounge as Rago sips his white russian, anxiously searching for someone in the crowd.  This is all very new to him.  It’s almost surreal since the past month has been an accidental blessing.  For it seems just yesterday Rago was introduced to the Filipino based music band, Up Dharma Down, and a year and a half later he’s featuring a documentary about his trip to visit the band in the Philippines.  No interviews for now, at least not until tomorrow as his debut film, “A Week in Metro Manila:  Up Dharma Down” will be featured for the first time on the big screen and a part of the 2011 Chicago Filipino Film Festival.  Finally relaxed after testing his film in the theater earlier in the day, Rago happily sticks around to network and eagerly help the scrambling volunteers needed to make this night possible.


Larry Versola, one of the film festival coordinator’s, quickly shuffles to and from guests and sponsors, unnoticing he left his professional digital camera lying on one of the vendor booths.


“Hey Larry I grabbed your camera if you’re looking for it,” said Rago relieved to have finally found its owner while holding up a boxy and very expensive looking Canon.


“Oh thanks man, you can take pic’s with it if you like,” said Versola walking up to his next meet and greet as if he already knew it was in good hands.


Rago nods and smiles as he joins the rest of the black t-shirt and pants wearing photographer’s flexibly bending and kneeling their bodies for the perfect shot of Badilla and fans.

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Four days past since his documentary debut and Rago couldn’t be happier with the turnout.  Standing a head taller than most people with a shaggy beard and hair-do, the 30-year-old Italian-American Chicago native beams a child-like smile with every opportunity to talk about his “awesome” time in the Philippines one year ago.


Computer software technician by day in downtown Chicago and music lover of “all kinds” in his spare time, Rago first heard of Up Dharma Down from a co-worker’s friend.  One of many “friend’s of a friend” who’s helped him through his journey into film-making.


“I’ve always liked any type of music no matter if it’s in another language or not,” said Rago attributing a Japanese rock band called Asobi Seksu, whom first got him into international music.  “After hearing Up Dharma Down, that was it.  I became an instant fan.”

Up Dharma Down - Indak - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb2uJtlZzbk

Up Dharma Down, a popular indie rock band from Makati, Philippines, sensually attracts locals and non-Pinoys like Rago through their jazzy, rock-inspired, hypnotic tunes and commitment to fans.  A self proclaimed “official unofficial promoter”, Rago created a friendship with the band via email and one day decided to fly down to meet them.


“I went down in hopes of doing a radio broadcast for Chicago Is the World,” said Rago recounting another friend of a friend who worked for the local radio station at the University of Chicago.  “I brought my camera to film the band playing and the interviews to broadcast later for the online website.”


But once Rago arrived in Makati, Philippines – a business area in the bustling city of Manila – he became part of UDD as they took him along to local gigs and behind the scene glimpses of their humble town.  The footage soon grew in to more than just five minutes of online material to share.

UDD bassist, Paul Yap with Tony Rago - https://www.facebook.com/tragecapone

“We’re really a camera shy band,” said Paul Yap, Up Dharma Down’s bassist, in an email who often receives messages from fans abroad saying they’ll be coming down to watch them play, but had no idea the amount of support they’d be receiving from fans over the film collaboration.  “We are touched that our fans put so much effort in this film.  The Manila crew who helped out are the same people who supported us since day one.  All thanks to Tony for starting and putting this together.”

Quick to acknowledge the many contributions in his “collaborative” film, from local Filipino fans turned “production assistants” to YouTube video snippets of time-lapse images and other documentary segments filmed in Manila, Rago only takes credit for “boldly asking” questions without the fear hearing “no”; a main ingredient to the overall success of finishing his film.  Something Rago would have never done in high school, just ask his mother Delores:

“In high school, Tony helped decorate the school marquees for events and school plays.” said Mrs. Rago recalling his interest in the arts when he was younger but points out the contradiction. “He was never adventurous…Not one to venture out.”  So when Rago broke the news to his parents that he was traveling halfway across the world to visit a band he communicated mostly through email, they thought “he was kidding”.

“Yea they were worried but I just told them to chill out, and to just trust me.” laughs Rago remembering the moment he told his parents.

“We were concerned for his safety,” said Mrs. Rago, a former travel agent who reluctantly helped Rago find the best flights to Manila.  But now looking back on his experience with the band, the Rago’s believe his trip turned out to be the “best decision he ever made” for both him and the band’s possible exposure to a wider range of audience.

“In terms of overall criteria, films need to have people of Filipino descent in primary roles as filmmakers or performers, or they need to focus on topics that would be relevant to a Filipino American audience.” says Jonathan Laxamana, Versola’s partnered coordinator for the annual Chicago Filipino Film Festival.  Laxamana stated that though Rago is not of Filipino descent, his film features a story about Pinoy culture, particularly music, which attributed to the line-up of another film in the festival.  “Since the deadline of film submission had already passed, Tony contacted us just for advice about supporting his film within the community.  But I thought his film’s subject matter, about a Filipino indie band, paired nicely with another film that we were considering for this year, ‘Rakenrol’, a narrative film about a fictional Filipino indie band.”  Laxamana’s interest quickly perked for Rago’s unfinished project and asked him to complete it by November…of this year.

“I wasn’t even finished yet and this was in October of this year,” says Rago chuckling, recalling his month’s worth of heavy tweaking and editing.  “Jon (Laxamana), didn’t even see the whole movie until the opening night of the festival, he just trusted me to get it done.”

Laxamana, a digital product developer for a textbook publishing company, Nieman, Inc., credits the 2001 film, “The Debut” – a first Filipino American film released theatrically in the United States from March 2001 to November 2002 - as the inspiration to create and help coordinate the Chicago Filipino Film Festival.

The Debut - Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6htYeILov58

“It brought a lot of energy in the Filipino community,” said Laxamana recalling other Filipino films, “Lolo’s Child” and “Small Voices” that sparked momentum from the Filipino American Network of Chicago, which Laxamana helped partake in.  “I had a background in writing about film, freelancing at the company AMG (All Movie Guide – now called Rovi) so I was recuited to help out, primarily focusing on film selections.  Larry (Versola) focused on the day-of-event logistics at the 2004 festival, and then we were asked to head up the festival the following year.”

A dedicated fan of Asian-American cinema, Laxamana was discouraged to find very few films about Filipino culture.  Though he chooses a good handful of feature films through networking and personal invitations, mostly because filmmakers in the Philippines don’t actively submit to film festivals in the U.S., Laxamana finds many films to showcase in the festival through open call submissions.

Courtesy of Tony Rago

“Tony Rago’s film falls under the category of telling a relevant Filipino story,” says Laxamana commending Rago’s niche in indie Filipino music particularly in the Philippines.  “A number of Filipino American people who have never listened to contemporary Filipino music have told me they’re now going to listen to Up Dharma Down.”


“Life’s too short,” said Rago attributing his favorite quote, and now official name of his film production company, as the motivation to take on this film project.  “Just putting yourself out there, in this case, can sometimes lead to awesome results.”


Though the film festival is over, the Portage Theater in Chicago’s northwest side is still dazzling tonight.  Only half of the light-bulb drenched marquee warmly sparkles the dimly lit North Milwaukee avenue, but the bold lettering “Filipino American Film Fest” still pronounces nicely to passers-by.  A marking in the marquee that Tony can claim he made, only this time he’s one of the stars of the show.

A Week In Metro Manila:  Up Dharma Down Trailer - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSBOy4fVgEY

Book 'Em Andy! Talent Agency Hopeful for Hawai'i's Film Industry

*ADR official logo

It’s a sweltering, stuffy day in Hawai‘i.  More so than usual.  The air-conditioner is out again at ADR agency – a talent company that has helped recruit new “faces” for TV shows and feature films on the island – and talent agent Nazarene Anderson sits calmly at her desk.  A somewhat sleepy town compared to its former home in Honolulu, ADR now resides in the city of Kaneohe, a scenic half an hour drive Northeast from the hustle and bustle of Nordstrom shopping, movie theaters, and trendy restaurants.

“It’s okay,” says Anderson as she keeps her cool with a small desk fan and comfy flip flops (a.k.a. – slippers).  “We get used to changes around here,” she says with a big smile.

In 1983, three “local boys” named Amos Kotomori, Doug Kaia, and Ray Sasaki combined their interests’ in the growing entertainment industry on the island of O‘ahu and created the ADR (Amos, Doug, Ray) Agency.  Sasaki soon took over and handed the reigns over to local model Ryan Brown in the early nineties as he portrayed the very passion to discover unknown local talent that helped the success of the company.  ADR has since survived through the unpredictable weather of easily canceled TV shows looking for an excuse to work in the sun to box-office hits ready to sword fight with Johnny Depp.  Brown’s sister, Anderson, soon peaked interest in the company as she helped coordinate ADR’s events, and became a booking agent in 1998.

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“The greatest part of my job is calling the talent to let them know they received a role.  I love it,” said Anderson, her voice beaming with pride.  “The excitement…especially if it’s their first booking.”

A self-proclaimed “work-a-holic” and busy mother of four, Anderson has helped ADR become one of the “top model and talent agencies” in Hawai‘i.  All of which she credits her models and talents for being highly trained “professionals”.  No matter if they’ve studied in Los Angeles, New York City or Honolulu, “training” has been the main ingredient to her talents’ and ADR’s success.

“The industry gets more and more competitive each year.  If you look back to the 80’s and 90’s, the level of acting skill was definitely not at the standards as they are now,” says Anderson.

Production costs have also increased throughout the years since then and it’s not just actors in front of the camera anymore.  It’s actors and special effects, car bomb or pirate ship explosions, stunt doubles, personal trainers, caterers, make-up artists, production assistants, dog walkers, dog walkers’ assistants and so on.  With that, Anderson feels more pressure to drill the word “training” to all her newbie’s heads.

So called "Baywatch beauties of the 90's" says Anderson -
need more than just good looks for show business today.
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“Without training, you will get no where in the business.  You can no longer just be booked for a project because you have a great look.  You have to know what you are doing on set and you have to know how to hold your scene.  Productions have no time or money for re-takes, which is the most challenging part for any large production.  As it is right now, stunts are being done by digital imaging.  Soon they are going to figure out how to computer generate a leading man.” says Anderson laughing with a tinge of panic.

As ADR and other talent agencies throughout the island (12 total), continue to adapt to the growing entertainment industry, ones things for certain that keeps productions coming back:  Location.  Location.  Location.

“People love to see our beautiful island,” says Anderson.  “They want to see and be a part of what our island has to offer.”

Nazarene Anderson (pictured second from right) along with 

brother Talent Agent Ryan Brown to left, meeting with SAG 

Agent Kathy Muller, SAG Hawai'i President Glenn Cannon,

 and SAG Agent Scott Rogers at the annual SAG Hawai'i

 branch meeting in Honolulu, HI (9/2011).

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Night falls and Anderson is still on the phone.  There’s still no air-con, not even a slight breeze outside their doors to endless concrete highway, or to compliment the planted coconut trees in the one-way-in one-way-out ten car parking lot.  But Anderson remains optimistic as she happily tells a client she just booked them a gig.

Dancing with Carl Andre

Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art - The Language of Less (Then and Now) exhibit

As visitors curiously glide through each sectioned room of the Museum of Contemporary Art’s new exhibition, “The Language of Less (Then and Now)” (showing now – 4/8/12), spotlights from above shine brightly on to each minimalist art piece, reminding the viewer to, “yes, look at me.”  While head tilting their thoughts and whispering a critique or two about the piece to a friend next to them, a very low-key six by six checkerboard of sheet and gun metal grey squares lays casually in the middle of the room.  Without a spotlight, the sweet floor-flower remains confident as each hopeful date passes her up for the sassy criss-cross neon lights or the voluptuous stack of green blocks in the corner.  When accidentally stepped on, visitors’ frantically look up in hope that the watchful eyes of the chaperone didn’t see and if they did, wave apologetically and move on.  If further flirting took place, the viewer would have discovered a name, “Zinc-Lead Plain” and brief background of the 1969 piece, where artist Carl Andre encourages visitors to participate and dance on his gal, in order to “feel the different densities of metal through our feet”.  Sadly not many suitors take notice and continually waltz around the camouflage squares, making their way to the next room of easy spotlight pieces.

"Zinc-Lead Plain"

Son of a marine craftsman, Andre attributed his love for natural materials through his upbringing in Quincy, Massachusetts.  Growing up near navy shipyards, Andre fondly remembers the “rusting acres of steel plates” which laid out “under the rain and sun.”  It was Andre’s curious intrigue of his own surroundings that lead him to appreciate the simple lines and shapes of industrial materials such as hard steel and stoic lumbers of wood.  His interest in art grew when he attended the Phillip Academy in Andover, Massachusetts through a scholarship in 1951.  It was there that Andre discovered the “joys of making art” and received his only noted formal art training.  After traveling through Europe in 1954 and joining the United States Army Intelligence soon after, Andre nestled in New York where he began creating wooden “cut” sculptures influenced by artist Constantin Brancusi and former Academy classmate, Frank Stella.  Stella, another leading figure in the Minimal art movement, who shared studio space with Andre is noted to have said to Andre as he began removing hunks of wood from his art sculpture, “Carl, that’s sculpture too.”  And the rest, as they say, is history.  A self-proclaimed “matterist”, Carl Andre based his artwork on positioning his available materials of bricks, wood and steel within a particular “place”.  A “place” which helps “make the general environment more conspicuous”, arranging the artwork within the area so as to bring out the “quality of the environment” and the “work which has been done” within.  In 1964 Andre created the controversial Equivalent VIII which consisted of eight rectangular sculptures laid out on the floor, each made up of 120 bricks.  Some called it an “insouciant masterpiece” while others said a “pile of bricks”, yet all eagerly wanted to learn and understand more.

Equivalent VIII (http://art.yorkshire.com/media/33974/andrehuddersfield.jpg)

In an interview of May 1995, Andre remembers a discussion he had with abstract painter Ad Reinhardt as they were jokingly teasing each other about whose medium is better than the other.  “Sculpture is what you trip over when you back away from a painting to look at it.”  said Reinhardt playfully, and Andre quickly replied, “Well, when you turn the lights out, the paintings disappears, but you still trip over the sculpture.”  Andre wanted people to appreciate the beauty and make up of materials with as much admiration as how they see the colors in a painting.  His cool and collected “Zinc-Lead Plain” embodies the spirit, if not viewed on purpose she is there to at least step on and apologize soon after…whichever one comes first.

Jazz Professor remembers Miles Davis

*personal photo

Under rows of warm caramel colored chandeliers and portraits of DePaul University’s past Presidents, the audience of nearly eighty North-faced jackets and suits in the Courtelyou Commons, stare curiously back at a slide-show picture of Miles Davis.  Standing on the podium next to the screen is Dr. John Szwed, author of the 2002 biography “Miles Davis:  The Jazz Musician as Dandy” and Acting Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University, who turns his head to the left and informs the audience the picture is a typical shot of Mr. Davis.  During a time when most jazz album covers hardly showed a face to the instrument player, Davis sits casually slumped in his chair while holding his trumpet rockingly over his thigh, staring fearlessly back at the person holding the album, “Milestones….Miles Davis”.

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He was a man who knew how to “break the rules”, says Szwed smiling as he went on to show many more pictures and videos of Davis’ misinterpreted behavior.  From quirky note changes on familiar songs, to literally “turning his back” on the audience, Szwed commended Davis not only as the “Prince of Darkness” but an eccentric, lonely, and one of the most misunderstood artists of all time.

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“Has anyone seen the movie, ‘On the Waterfront’?” asks Szwed to the audience of mostly early to late 20’s with just a sprinkle of head nods smiling back at him.  He goes on explain his favorite “cool” scene in the movie of Marlon Brando putting on one of actress Eva Marie Saint’s gloves’ after she accidentally drops it on the ground while remaining in character, reminding him of Davis’ demeanor on stage.  “What person could do that and get away with it?  No one.” said Szwed.  Davis constantly refused to assimilate to, predominantly white, audience’s expectations of his performance on stage, purposefully to “treat whites how they treated blacks in servitude positions”.  Sporting his double-breasted silk lined suits and “clean as a freakin whitsle” shoes, Davis, said Szwed, let it be known to everyone watching that he will never “disappear into white society”.

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“I think Dr. Szwed is doing some of the most important, accessible, elegant, and sophisticated work in the field today,” says Professor Jonathan Gross, DePaul University’s Humanities Center Director, who was inspired to invite Szwed because of his “creativity in narratives.”  “I prefer his work to others who write on music because I find it more objective, scientific, and informed.”

Last month marked the 20^th anniversary of Miles Davis’ death, which, even to this day, his legend still lingers on fictional stories that Szwed emphasizes, if any are true, were done purposefully.  A trick that many artists today, such as Lady Gaga’s recent eye-brow raising performance for President Bill Clinton’s 65^th birthday, only hope to gain publicity that’s as highly practiced and emulated.  But because he remained reserved about his past and didn’t care to acknowledge the celebritism of his own creation, blanks were open enough to be filled with such sensational rumors.

“As a classically trained artist, Davis wanted to present jazz music the way the art form was supposed to be done, with respect.”  Said Szwed as he pointed to a video shot of Davis standing motionless while playing his trumpet.  A perfect portrait of a man who just wanted to play music, never caring to notice the obsessive eyes glaring back at him of those who yearned for more despite his “artistic temperament”.