Ebe Dancel, Armi Millare, Jugs Jugueta, and other musicians pay tribute to Route 196 as QC bar shut its doors
Filipino musicians can't help but look back at the good memories they have of the iconic Quezon City bar, Route 196. This came after the management of the 15-year-old live music venue announced its closure on Facebook on Sunday, August 23.
The management did not say the reason for closure but they wrote quite a farewell to its loyal patrons.
The caption read: "Alas, we're at the end of the road for Route 196."
"We may be walking towards a different direction for now, but we wanted to make sure you had something to always remind you of our crazy ride together, the things we learned, the noise we made, the rules we broke, and the friends we picked up along the way."
Country's top band vocalists and indie artists like Ebe Dancel, Armi Millare, and Jugs Jugueta bade farewell to the famed bar where they had significantly played their gigs.
Ebe penned an emotional post reminiscing the glory days of Route 196 as he shared one of his memorable gigs that took place there.
The former Sugarfree frontman said, "Marami [pang alaala], pero 'yung iba, dahan-dahan nang kumukupas dala ng panahon at patuloy na pag-ikot ng mundo. Ang mahalaga, pinuno mo ang puso ko at ng marami pang iba ng pag-ibig, pag-asa, at tunay na kaligayahan. Napakarami mong napasaya at nabigyan ng tahanan.
"Siguro, ang pinakamabuti ay hindi magpaalam kundi ang sabihin sa 'yo 'to...
"Maraming salamat. Iingatan ko ang mga alaalang ito. Mahal kita. Hanggang sa muli, @route196rocks."
UDD vocalist Armi Millare remembered the laid back atmosphere in Route 196, citing it as one of her favorite places in Manila.
She shared, "Route always had a crowd that listened. Always. This light-hearted collective with whom I would have a more comfortable banter with, cracking sad bastard jokes every chance I got. I could say a good chunk of our listeners saw us there. Here, I also called a man out, drunk beyond belief for the first and last time in my life (clearly he wasn't a regular). Some nights I would attend my friends' shows which I couldn't do in other bars as much. With 98% good memories and 2% not- so, you know my Northie heart breaks a bit to see it go. They took such good care of the bands playing there."
For his part, Route 196 co-owner Jugs Jugueta recalled the humble beginnings of the bar whose goal was to give back to the local indie music scene.
"We played in @route196rocks even before it was called Route196," the Itchyworms frontman and TV host stated.
"@itchykel and I took over the operations back in 2013, when @jpb1974 offered it to us. It was our passion project; our way of giving back to the local indie music scene, which was very supportive of @theitchyworms when we were just starting out.
"We wanted a venue where new bands could play their original songs and hopefully find their niche in the industry. We wanted a place where musicians, artists and like-minded individuals could hang out and maybe collaborate."
Jugs then thanked their patrons, staff, artists, and partners who have been with them through the years.
Other musicians, like Marc Abaya, Bullet Dumas, Johnoy Danao, Hilera, and Paramita, among others, have also paid tribute to the now-closed music venue.
As a remembrance, Route 196 is selling farewell T-shirts, designed by artist Rob Cham, on manilatakeout.com at Php 850 a piece.
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