On Unfinished Businesses, The Resurrection, and Serendipity: At Long Last, A Playlist!

It is but serendipitous that the ninth day of novena for the late Je Bautista fell on an Easter Sunday. Personally, this is a very comforting sign, in more ways than one, and those who have been around and have cared for Je may probably look at this coincidence the same way, regardless of religious belief.

When Je was in the ICU, he was very restless. He was raring to get out and be transferred to a regular room where there is cable TV so that he can watch Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Food. He missed going online terribly: his laptop was on his bed but he could not catch a signal inside his cubicle. (His unspoken motto: No internet, no life.) So Je was stuck with Buy and Sell, bland hospital food (he was on a low-fat, low-salt diet), and a signal-less computer. His boredom was a bit alleviated when I brought him, upon his request, Pat Gilbert's book on The Clash, Passion Is A Fashion.

One of the fruits of Je's boredom is this rather "unfinished" playlist. (Beethoven would be probably squirming in his grave in reaction to this horrid pun.) Unfinished, because Je was not done with the mixing when he suddenly dropped on that fateful day (while still in the ICU) and passed away. Je was assuring me a couple of times that he was doing a playlist for me, which speaks tomes about his own kind of passion.

A few days after Je's interment, I found this list, which I completed mixing (yes, I do have many tricks up my sleeve too), and am now sharing with you. Oh, there are a few more of those "unfinished" playlists coming up soon.

This playlist is kind of long, but I opted not to trim down nor exclude any song. As you may have probably noticed, Flogging Molly and The King Blues are some of our favorites, but Je recently stumbled upon this artist named Adrianne, a lady who can play compelling acoustic-based songs. A must-check, if I may say so. Do take a look at the titles.

1. FLOGGING MOLLY - Requiem For A Dying Song
2. FLOGGING MOLLY - Wrong Company
3. FLOGGING MOLLY - Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering
4. THE KING BLUES - Hold On (Acoustic)
5. BILLIE HOLIDAY - Me, Myself, And I
6. ADRIANNE - New Kind Of Cool
7. BUNNY WAILER - Get Up Stand Up

I hope you enjoy this playlist. After all, it was Je who handpicked the songs. For me, Je had one of the most sophisticated pair of ears in the business. As such, his death is not just a personal loss, but a loss of the local music scene as well.

And for this reason, among countless others, Je Bautista is and will be truly, sorely missed.

(Frozen moment: Photo of Adrianne from her website. Photo of Je taken during the first matinee gig by A Happy Face Productions at Ten02 last March 1.)