the new show “The Lylas” –
Love you like a sister show – it’s a reality tv show of Bruno Mars
sisters trying to make a name for their own singing group…
I just started watching it this weekend… I even made my
sister watch it with me… I started BALLING, CRYING like a baby when they showed
their mom… Ohhh DEAR LORD.- Sucha blessed musically inclined family… and how
they show the story.. how their mom and dad was in the music industry, how they
instilled it in their children as well… and look how far they’ve all come… and
then the mom .. unexpectedly passing away..
I think I like watching the show soo much because it reminds
me of … me and my brothers and sisters growing up…
My dad Mel has ALWAYS BEEN in music.. its his heart, his
passion… My dad used to be in a band called Highway 54 they would play top 40
hits, Motown, Earth wind and fire… some old school filipino songs… they played for
conventions, weddings, parties, etc…. it was soo fun growing up, listening to
them play live… I used to love how uncle
Rico would give me the mic and let me sing my heart out… how this pinoy OG with a pinoy fro grooving, shakin
his head to the beat with his bell bottoms and butterfly collar… dancing
towards me.. singing at me… pointing at me, signing me to join and sing with
him… I LOVED THAT as a little girl… absolutlely LOVED IT-
My dad had me and my
brothers and sisters all learn piano at first… I started at the age of 4 ½ when
we lived in Daly city- I played till I was 14 years old.. then I started
teaching piano myself. As we became older my dad encouraged us to learn other
insturments- my brother learned the clarinet and drums, my sister stuck with
the keyboards, and me… Music became my
flow- my release-I learned how to play saxophone, then got into the drums,
played with the drum line, percussions, bass-
Shiela E was my thang… I remember seeing her LIVE in concert… she did HER THANG… you could see and feel the rhythm in her the
way she hit it.. the way she rolled with the beats…
I think for a good solid 3 years when I was in my Tiny
Bopper years- we were all REALLY in to it.. my dad had us playing in a group
together- my sister did key board, my brother was on the drums, I did Vocal and
Keyboard at the same time.. we played for church YOUTH groups.. a lot of teen youth outtings… we would re-do Christian songs that we
normally would sing at church and take it up a notch, gave it more beat, made
it sound more pop like to contor to the kids our age… it was fun.. we literally
played up and down California.. felt like we were on tour… during the
summertime.. that’s what we pretty much did… live on the road.. go to different
churches, play for youth group concerts, meet other jr. church bands, have jam
sessions with them…
I miss the Jam sessions, the practicing, singing, playing
the piano, jamming on the drums… I miss all that…
I feel like somewhere along my path of life… I lost all that…
I lost that love or that fire I used to have in me.. the little things that
make my heart melt, the things that seemed small or so simple but matter a
great deal… I love how my parents made music a big part of my life.. it would
be a waste not to move forward with it, to forget how much it meant to me, to
not share or teach that passion, the art of it…. I think about the music I wrote,
the songs I used to make… I remember my
teacher in Benicia High School, he was my Choir and Acting teacher.. gosh I
forgot his name… he was soo impressed with one of my piano pieces I had made..
and told me to write it into music, show him the notes, the chords I played…
I don’t know what happen to me…. I grew up?? Had kids? Became a wife? Went thru
shit? Forgot?..... I know I shared my
knowledge of music with my kids.. all 3 know the basics of piano- Lala has gone
further with the Uke, Jrod with the drums… I wish I could put them more into
like we were.. I know its never too late...
I think one of these weekends… I’m gonna take
a trip to Santa Cruz by myself.. take a
pair of my own drum sticks… and play my game on the board walk… haha… I miss it
…
