Singer-songwriter Rannie Raymundo had people who crucially helped him reach the hit parade, names likes Jun Regalado, Jun Latonio, Jakiri, the late icon Rico J. Puno, and the now-defunct but forever influential APO Hiking Society.
As an artist with a grateful heart, Rannie wants to pay these individuals, and the whole music industry for that matter, back. Paying it forward is rightly the path he’s traveling on.
“I am paying forward because of all the seniors who took me under their wings when I was a greenhorn,” Rannie said.
The recipient of Rannie’s act is a group of artists he sees deserving of support. They comprise the current crop of musicians under Madhouse Music Production which he puts up to formalize his vision. He works with them by trust not by contracts, making the partnerships open for more great possibilities than one can truly see.
“Ito lang ang paraan para makapagpasalamat ako sa mga tumulong sa akin nung time ko. I had a great career. Nagpapasalamat ako by doing this to the new entrants,” expressed the multi-faceted musician best known for his signature hit “Why Can’t It Be.”
Enter Mulat which is streaming live Madhouse Music Production’s Madstock 2022 show on May 30, 8 pm, at 19 East in Paranaque. There, all 12 artists under Rannie’s guidance will perform and showcase what the OPM stalwart had seen in them to deserve their spots in his roster of carefully picked talents, trimmed from hundreds who auditioned.
To watch the event, Netizens need to create an account on www.mulatmedia.com either using their email address or FB account to log-in. Then they can go straight to Mulat Premiere Entertainment to enjoy the show which should feature “The Boss” himself.
Well, Rannie had earned that moniker for being talented, pioneering, and grateful to people. The public at large may have forgotten that he wrote hits like “Tatlong Beinte Singko,” or that his musicality runs notably deep. He originally wrote “Why Can’t It Be” with a funky arrangement, and was asked by the respected Orly Ilacad to turn it into, in his words, the “ballad that it is” which he is thankful for.
Rannie’s not one to forget something important and influential. He recalled having been invited by Rico J. to do a back-to-back show with him. After the concert, he asked the latter how he’d thank him, to which the balladeer in his remarkable wit and tone of humor, responded, ‘Darating ang panahon ikaw naman ang matanda. Tandaan mo ‘tong araw na ito. Gawin mo din ‘to sa iba.’
Rannie got the legend’s point and made a vow. “I’m upholding my promise,” he stressed, noting that Madhouse, which asked for demos and artists wanting support via internet radio, has its own strict process in tapping artists it will actually help in terms of recording and gigging around.
Rannie explained, “Madhouse is not a charitable institution. You have to earn it to get in. Itong 12 na ito nakita ko yung originality and sincerity sa music nila. It’s a varied lineup, there’s an act influenced by APO but sounds current. There’s a duo doing R&B with Ilonggo lyrics. There’s a guy flying in all the way from Australia to join the show at 19 East.”
The 12 artists featured in Madstock 2022 show are as follows: Daniel Cruz, Glottis V, Adriel, Izza, Soul Drift, Lem David, Refeel, The Yellow Casette, Soulful Duo, Jonas Jusay, Dianne Enriquez, and Soul Republiq. For one, Soul Republiq is viewed by insiders as one act that has the arsenal to push for the rebirth of Manila Sound.
“It has always been my mission to bring this glorious era to the present and I saw Soul Republiq as the perfect flag bearers of this movement,” Rannie related.
“I’m hoping once a month magkaroon kami ng ganitong opportunity to gather face-to-face doing the show. Madhouse is a cultural revolution,” he emphasized.
Rannie’s one to keep going. In fact he wrote around 30 new songs in the first quarter of this year, and reiterated he’s “far from over.”
For his partnership with Mulat, he only has, as you’d expect, kind, grateful words. “For me, I take pride in things that are pioneering. I was performing unplugged even before the local acoustic scene started. It’s about time magkaroon ng Mulat. I would love to see Mulat grow and I wish to further grow with them.”
