Ever heard one recall those talented Pinoy cover bands live-performing somewhere in time at a pizza parlor we all know? Such legacy was actually passed on and in actual existence for the past 25 years.
The restobar that inherited the legend is now likewise a familiar name to its own credit: Cowboy Grill. Thus, it is a given that customers can find some of the finest showbands around in one or many of its outlets.
“A total of 36 bands circulate among our branches; some doing R&B, others performing classic rock or new wave,” sharedAvie Centeno, the newly installed entertainment manger who used to be a regular Cowboy Grill performer herself, fronting her own band She on the bill for eight years.
In fact her band experience goes back two decades and she has plenty of memories rehearsing songs, old and the latest, here and abroad. She surely knows the life being led by showband acts.
Avie mused, “Dati problema ko lang ay kumanta at basahin ang crowd. Ngayon I regularly do reports and talk to the owner and bosses for updates.”
She is among the key figures who welcomed the press and bloggers last week Thursday for the bar’s 25th anniversary celebration at Cowboy Grill Delta Quezon Avenue. A new logo and signature dishes were presented in the presence of branch managers and department heads and featuring performances by LED Tron Dancers and, later in the night, Aegis.
It was a perfect occasion to cherish the brilliant decision by COO Jun Caasi to keep that pizza house live music experience intact which in turn gave birth to Cowboy Grill in 1994. “Apart from the great food, people come for the live music,” he said.
While many restobars only last for mere, say, five years before transforming into new names or losing it altogether, this hangout place for friends and families has remained to be one “that didn’t have to overhaul itself through the changes.”
For Avie, who naturally cares for the bands’ welfare, stressed that even with the rise of acoustic and DJ acts, plugged-in, full-band set ups still rule. She has likewise initiated bringing in current toasts for special shows, with December Avenue set to play on the 28th at Cowboy Grill Mabini and on the following day at Cowboy Grill Delta.
The milestone is also marked by plans to expand in Northern Luzon and put up kiosks for schools and hospitals where the bar’s specialties will be offered.
Back in the day under the name Golden Pizza, the Pinoy live band routine that produced the likes of Arnel Pineda was about to be lost forever as some sort of crisis forced owners to remove bands. The idea to establish Cowboy Grill came at the right moment as the “bandemonium” of the 90s reached its peak. Pinoys‘ admiration for electric guitar groups has, in one way or another, been around since, with the bar serving as a proper-key go-to place.
