First Rays Band appearing Saturday, March 4

The First Rays Band, made up of Nick Gold (lead guitar/vocals) Charles Oteyza (drums)
Andrew Beck (percussion) and Jomil Madrid (bass) are four musicians who compose thier own material and combine styles from jazz, rock, reggae, hip hop to make up their unique sound. They have played at the State Theatre on Lee Highway and various clubs in Georgetown, Richmond and clubs up and down the East coast.
They have volunteered to perform for free to help raise funds for the mudslide victims in the Philippines.

Gus Alzona and Trademark Band Rock the Cafe

Gus Alzona and the Trademark Band rocked Manila Cafe and gave them a taste of a real live band from the 70s and 80s.
They helped raise quite a bit of money for the mudslide victims in the Philippines. "Thank you very much for donating your time and energy to support a good cause. We look forward to having you back with more rock and roll tunes" from. Julian and Linda

Rodney Concert - Big Success (click on images to enlarge)

It was standing room only at Manila Cafe. Julian and Linda started off the evening with the story of a filipino inventor of a vehicle powered by water. Linda read a very touching poem to Rodney.

Rod sang original compositions with his daughter Jitter.

February 4 - Night of the Yoyo, Karate Kids, Art, and Song

Tonight the crowd was informed of the origin of the YOYO, which was invented by a Filipino. It's main use was as a weapon before it evoloved into a toy. The Virginia Martial Arts Institute students and parents were in the crowd. They just came back from a competition in Baltimore where co-owner Jun's son, E.J. brought back a trophy for placing second. Linda taught and inspired some kids to color and draw. Griffin was the guest singer/guitarist who sang some Metallica tunes. Also present was the staff of BC Construction. It was a great night!

A folk tale of the yo-yo is that it began centuries ago as a Filipino weapon. The story is about an assailant in a tree with a heavy oversized yo-yo waiting for a victim to pass below. At the critical moment the yo-yo would be hurled at the victim’s head presumably rendering him unconscious. A near miss would still allow the assailant a second opportunity. Physics of the yo-yo make the story improbable. Although there is no question that the toy existed in the Philippines for centuries, as a popular toy, there is no documented evidence that it was ever used as a jungle weapon. The story was popularized by Duncan yo-yo demonstrators in the ‘30s, many of whom were from the Philippines. It was a great story and helped to sell yo-yos. The word “Yo-Yo” was introduced to America in 1916 in an article in the Scientific American Supplement titled “Filipino Toys”. In 1928, Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant began manufacturing the toy as a yo-yo in the United States and the history of the modern yo-yo began. The demand for the toy was so great in 1929 that Popular Mechanics published an article on how to make a Filipino yo-yo. Flores trademarked the name yo-yo and then sold the trademark and company to Donald F. Duncan