WHAT is old is new again. And never more so than in the last few months, when names which rang loud and proud in the recent past have come back to re-stamp, re-brand or re-configure their mature careers.

The nightingale flies home

Begin with the Lani Misaluchi, sorely missed in these parts but a successful draw in Vegas, who came home for free performances sponsored by the Ayala Malls. Lani left the Philippines in 2004 at the height of her career to settle in the United States with her family. Since then, she has been a Vegas mainstay, performing with the Society of Seven and slowly priming herself for whatever her considerable talents may bring.

Lani, looking younger and hotter, took to the Ayala mall stages where she proved she was still the nightingale she was once dubbed back home. She also made an appearance at her old stomping grounds, GMA-7’s SOP, reuniting with former castmates and guests Richard Gomez, Donita Rose and Dawn Zulueta.

She flew for her Hong Kong performance on May 25. She plans to return in July with her husband Noli and children Lougen, 15 and Lian, 12, for a well-deserved family vacation.

On May 19, a teensy bar called Bela’s along P. Guevara in San Juan, almost had their windows shattered when tisoy rockers DRT unveiled their new video, “Impiyerno” and cranked the volume up to 12 to perform the songs off their first album. Self-titled, self-produced and self-distributed—meaning, indie—the album contains 10 tracks that stay true to the boys’ rock royalty roots. Vocalist Jay Ortega was with Gnash, guitarist Manuel Legarda with Wolfgang and drummer Brian Velasco with Razorback. Rounding up the band are bassist Paulo Pacia, formerly with Dogbone, and Martin Jamora on keyboards.

DRT got together in 2003 after singer Jay Ortega saw himself in the company of Manuel, Paulo and Miguel Ortigas chilling at the artsy Sanctum in Intramuros. DRT was formed soon after and the boys did the bar-fest-corporate rock show circuit before they pulled in drummer Brian Velasco to replace Miguel who was leaving for the States.

E bakit naka text spelling ang D(i)RT? Explains Jay, “It’s bad feng shui daw to have four letters in your name.”

Visit http://drt.ph/ to listen to their music, which includes the track, “Bosyo,” a tribute to the late great drummer Edmund Fortuno. “Bituing umaapoy hanggang kumulimlim/
Lumipad na parang kuwago, ilaw sa dilim/Kinuha na ng langit/Kinuha na ng langit.”

Annabel goes Analog

Also at the DRT album and video launch was a group called Analog, featuring Annabel Bosch. Annabel was the vocalist for Electrikoolaid, a short-lived critic’s fave during the Nineties. Annabel is in sterling form, vocally, visually and from the looks of it, karmically. She dropped out of the scene a few years ago after marrying theater actor and singer Jamie Wilson and was said to have suffered a scary case of the blues. Analog seems like Annabel’s new happy ending.