House of Blues

"Serenade" at the House of Blues

Filipino-American Artists Showcase

On Aug. 12, one of the most venerable, legendary music venues in Chicago, the House of Blues, became the setting of an entirely Asian-American talent showcase, the kind Chicago has not seen in a decade. “Serenade,” presented by Dynasty Remix, was headlined by the Bay Area’s Sway Peñala, who may be equally popular for being part of vocal groups Drop ‘n Harmony and 6th Day, and a finalist on FOX’s “American Idol Season 5.” On the beats was DJ D Double, a Chicago native who is a household name to the Las Vegas club scene. He is currently touring with Sway.

(Information from Bakitwhy.com)

Media coverage by Jovie from Via Times Newspaper and CPRTV.

In this picture posting with the Manny Gracia Band.

Manny Garcia is a singer, songwriter, and pianist born and raised in Chicago, IL. Starting piano lessons at age four and vocal lessons at age five, it wasn’t until eighteen that he put the two together—writing original songs and putting his own twist on existing ones. Manny’s compositions garnered him attention from the college community, while his cover of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” became one of YouTube’s early viral videos. In Fall 2009, Manny wrapped up his most recent album, the Come With Me EP, and is promoting and travelling for shows across the country.
Manny also gained some media attention from a YouTube video he posted in December. His Glee cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors” and Wicked’s “Defying Gravity” caught the eye of the show’s leading cast member Cory Monteith (“Finn” on Glee), who shared the video via Twitter. Since then, there have been several blogs and articles about Monteith’s tweet and Manny’s video, including TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and The Chicago Sun Times.


About two hours into the concert, crowds were thick and excitement piqued when the host, local disc jockey Julian on the Radio from B 96.3, announced two special guests: Apl.de.Ap and Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas! I took this picture from the VIP balcony. The stars posted with Susie Suchada (far left) from our Thai Community.

Apl got a kick when I managed to ask his personal security guard to take pictures for us.

He was like "How did you do that ? Ha..ha.."

Black Eye Peas members stopped in one night before a performance at the United Center, and they also happened to arrive before the Manny Garcia Band played originals and medleys. The band even got props from Apl himself, who tweeted his impressions of the show on Twitter. In this picture, Taboo was on his iPhone Twittering.

Manny Gracia

To top it all off, when Sway took the stage, he gave Chicago a show that made fans wanting another “Serenade” almost immediately.

The crowd showered Sway with cheers and screams, and rightfully so. His smooth vocals, complemented by a funky live band, shined during hits “Better to Never,” and “Lovely Lady,” to name a few.

The hope is for “Showcase” to return permanently, to highlight the new batch of up-and-coming artists on the Chicago music scene. Artists at Serenade talked about how there is so much talent budding in the Midwest, but the west or east coast scenes tend to overshadow it. However, if another Asian-American lineup were booked at the House of Blues that would not only make a lot more dreams come true yet again, but it would also begin a new chapter in history.

The night was also filled with collaborations among Sway and IBU, plus Bermejo. It was also a night of reunions. Stages, a popular Pilipino/Asian-American Chicago vocal group back in the early 2000s, united on stage for the last song of the night alongside Asian-American boy band icon Sway. It was actually groups like Stages that pioneered the Chicago Asian/Pilipino-American music scene, artists from the early days said. A friend of Stages, barber and music fiend Charles Shang, started the first APA talent concert called “Showcase.” It was held twice a year in prominent Chicago venues, until the late 2000s

Amie & Jovie from CPRTV/VIA Times