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Gio’s Crib is located in the heart of Davao City. It is also nestled in the hearts and minds of its many underground musicians who’ve come to call it their second home. A place to hang out in, play music, while away the time, and escape to when life becomes just a little bit too much.
Gio’s Crib was located in directly in front of Queen’s Theater. Off to your left, if you were facing the bar, were UM Multi-Test and other schools. The corner was always busy because it also served as a Jeepney drop-off and pickup point.
In the morning, Gio’s Crib served as a place for students to eat meals and spend time in before their next class. This place introduced these young minds to the existence of music that you don’t normally hear on the radio.
For 8 years, Gio’s Crib was the place young bands cut their teeth in, people discovered new talents, and people from all walks of life heard music they wouldn’t otherwise hear anywhere else.
Lasting friendships were made in this darkened, neon-lit bar with labyrinthine passages for exiting when it was far beyond midnight and the threat of cops closing it was averted by simply rolling down the roll-up grill.
It was when the bar was closed that the place started to come to life.
It’s kind of sad that it mirrored how the last night of Gio’s Crib’s existence reflected just that. It was only when it was in the last throes that everyone rallied together and came to the one spot that cemented the existence of local music in Davao City.
But All Good Things Come to an End
Giovanni Gaite’s last message was heavy. It was bittersweet. It was the last message of a man who was saying goodbye to a passion project that could have been bigger if different circumstances presented itself.
Gio’s Crib survived the pandemic. Survived low-economic periods. It even survived the Davao’s apathetic mindset towards underground bands. I can only imagine the amount of sheer willpower and grit he managed day in and day out to keep the bar from closing down before the actual Last Set.
You could also see the silent pride he hid behind those eyes knowing that his place was loved based on the amount of people who turned up for the last gig. Everyone who came was greeted by a handshake and a hug.
What few words we exchanged were an appreciation for the things he contributed to the local music scene. You see, over the years, he had become my friend and not just the owner of the bar that paid my band to perform.
What he said before I left to see other people hit me like a ton of bricks when I finally left the party past midnight. “Nandiyan lahat ng mga kapatid mo.” All your brothers and sisters are there.
And he was right. Everyone I formed a relationship with through the love of music was there. But that kind of kinship wasn’t formed just because we had a common interest in music. Rather, it was through Gio’s Crib that the bonds of friendship were cemented.
Respect was earned or gained by how you acted or carried yourself when you entered the narrow doors of Gio’s Crib.
And you would feel it from your peers or from the strangers who decided to give you a chance and watch you onstage.
Gio’s Crib was a testing ground where you earned your musician’s badge. And I can’t count how many bands owe their existence to this now-defunct bar.
The Last Set
On its last night, Gio’s Crib overflowed with people who gathered to pay homage to the memories created within its walls. Laughter and tears were present as glasses were raised to toast the end of an era.
The place was jam-packed with mostly familiar faces and a few that I barely knew because they were of the younger generation.
The stage bore witness to the furious performances from the last bands to ever step on it and plug in. The usually empty place in front was crowded with sweaty bodies craving that one last touch shared with another brother or sister while drowning in the amplified sounds coming from the speakers.
I tried to make my way to the front, off-stage where bands hung out. I barely made it to the comfort room area. It was that crowded.
Here are the bands who played that night, in no particular order except for Soundtank who took the stage last. All of the bands chosen to play the last set were high-caliber bands who deserved to give Gio’s Crib the send-off it deserved.
I do not doubt in my mind that although Gio’s Crib will no longer be physically present, it will live on beyond its 8 years of existence in the hearts and minds of everyone who enjoyed the place. Many years from now, we will enjoy more stories of what happened within those walls.
Thank you, Gio’s Crib for 8 years of rocking Davao City.
And hey, if you were there, comment below.
Thanks.
I hope another spot pops up just like Gio’s Crib where we can all meet up and enjoy loud music again!
