‘Music Mix’ -Phuket Town’s hottest covers band.

Having managed a band and gotten them signed to a major record label in a previous life (see ‘https://www.facebook.com/theboxerrebellion’) I do enjoy live music. This is what first introduced me to the ‘Papazula’ live music/bar and Turkish food restaurant in the first place. It was here that I came across the resident live covers band ‘Music Mix’ and the incredibly talented Filipino lead guitarist Francis Caldona and lead singer Lovely.

Papazula Live Music and Turkish Restuarant, Phuket Town, Thailand.

I sat with Francis and Lovely at the rear of Papazula and asked them some questions about life in the Philippines, their influences and how they eventually arrived in Phuket. Lead singer Lovely kicked off the interview and told the Bowl how she was from Shabu (in the Philippines) and that she believes her greatest influencers are her parents. Lovely is a pretty lady who looks and sounds like a star. There are rock star qualities in her appearance in the form of tattoos covering both arms, her natural attractiveness and the sound of her voice, a combination of her nationality and the fact she is clearly well travelled. She went on to tell the Farangbowl that the music scene in the Philippines is intense and that there are a lot of talented performers there.

“100% of my passion is focused on the job of being in this band”.
Francis Caldona – Founder and lead guitarist of Music Mix.

Francis self-confesses that he wears his heart on his sleeve (a positive attribute in my opinion) and that shows when you meet him. A smart well dressed and groomed man who believes in what he is trying to create with his band. You also get the impression he would do anything for you.

In line with Lovely’s influences and the music scene where they are from, Francis spoke of what he most enjoyed about being in a band. He said “100% of my passion is focused on the job of being in this band”. For him to perform means everything, to see a crowd appreciating their efforts is what drives him. As for his least favorite part about being in a band he told of how his pet hate is when guests ask him to turn the music down. For him, if you come to a venue where there is a live band, then sit in front of the stage, its clearly going to get noisy. He has a valid point.

Lovely enjoys receiving tips as this again demonstrates an appreciation of their talents, however, she is not a big fan of consuming too much alcohol as (in her own words) “One drink leads to another, you can’t stop and before you know it your performance gets affected”. I hope all those wanna be rockstars out there are paying attention to this!!!

When asked who they’d both most like to collaborate with Francis went for Ed Sheeran and rock legends the ‘Eagles’ and ‘Toto’. It was clear that these artists mean a lot to him and played a huge role in who he is today as an artist. Lovely went for ‘Lady Gaga’ with her favourite song being ‘Million Reasons’.

The interview came to an end with the band accepting a request for a song I previously made called ‘Pandemonium’ by ‘Mondays’. This was a stunning performance recorded during their evening set at their resident venue ‘Papazula’ in Phuket Town.

Thank you to Francis and Lovely from Music Mix for allowing us to interview and film them and also a huge thank you to Eddie from Papazula for allowing us to film in his venue.