The Karl Roy Benefit Concert

As you may have heard, local music icon Karl Roy (vocalist of the bands Advent Call, P.O.T., and Kapatid) suffered from a couple of strokes recently (one would think that one was enough).

That’s tough. The funk-rock-jazz P.O.T. album - the band’s one and only album recorded back in 1997, and remastered and rereleased a decade later - remains a seminal touchstone of contemporary Filipino music, as influential today as the day it hit the record stores. Karl Roy, together with co-songwriter and guitarist Ian Umali, unleashed a collection of instant classics such as “Fishcake,” “Ulitin”, “Piece of This”, and “F.Y.B.” - though the band was just as well known for its cover of “Yugyugan Na”, from the 70’s soul band The Advisors.

Here’s a transcript of a short thread on the subject from my PinoyRock mailing list, with my unabashedly emotional response.

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From: Solo

I got this in my ym:

Benefit Concert for Karl Roy Mar 28, ‘08 9:00p Music Museum, Greenhills, Pasig We are doing a benefit show, proceeds will go to the treatment of Karl Roy Date: March 28 Time: 9pm Venue: Music Museum Tickets: P300

Artists: Razorback, Sandwich, Kjwan, Sugarfree, Mayonnaise, DRT, Playphonics, and More… Tickets will be available at Music Museum the week of March 24-28

What happened? O:

Solo
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From: Jim Ayson

yes good question - i know he had some sort of stroke but wonder what are the developments since then.
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From: Jay Ortega (DRT)

Hi Jim,

He had yet another stroke a number of months ago, and has since not been able to recover much. The right side of his body got paralyzed. (Although there has been some improvement) and he has a hard time speaking, let alone sing… It is very difficult for him to work, obviously, so it was decided to help him out with this benefit concert. Proceeds of which will be used for more therapy and Karl’s daily needs as well

Hopefully with more therapy and help, Karl will be able to fully recover

Ciao,
Jay

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From: Jim Ayson

Thanks for the explanation. I’m reading this at work, and for some inexplicable reason a profound sadness has just come over me as if this had happened to a close relative. I guess all those hours listening to the classic P.O.T. album (over the past decade!) has formed that bond between listener and artist. I’m sad for Karl, but I’ve also known some people who have been able to survive strokes and with rehab, have been able to live out their lives.

One thing about strokes is though the body is paralyzed, the mind is still running at full speed. I hope Karl will be able to find a way to rechannel his creative energies somehow, maybe through technology? I’m convinced that the world still has a need for Karl’s artistic genius.

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Update!

Here is the final lineup of bands playing at “WISH YOU WERE HERE”: the Karl Roy benefit concert at the Music Museum this Friday, March 28, 2008 (alphabetical order):

1. Cosmic Love
2. DRT
3. Gayuma
4. Greyhoundz
5. Itchyworms
6. Kastigo
7. Kjwan
8. Mayonnaise
9. Peryodiko
10. Playphonics
11. Razorback
12. Sandwich
13. Sugarfree