On Sunday, June 20 at 6:16 p.m. Randolph “Randy” Bassig Maguigad died due to blunt trauma to the chest at the Illinois Masonic Hospital in Chicago.

He was found unconscious mid-afternoon on Saturday, June 19th pinned between his vehicle and an electrical post in the back alley of his home by his neighbors. His lungs were severely damaged and had blocked oxygen to his brain causing severe brain damage. Upon arrival of paramedics, he was recessitated and immediately brought to the emergency room and later held in the intensive care Unit at the Illinois Masonic Hospital assisted by life support. Through the night, Randy’s vital organ’s began shutting down caused by the trauma with his heart compensating for the loss - he was a fighter. On Sunday afternoon, the decision to remove him from life support was made. His heart continued to pulse for about an hour until he finally passed.

He is survived by both his parents Romeo Sr. & Celia Maguigad, his two brothers Romeo Jr and Ralph. His memory and legacy also continues through his girlfriend Theresa Alanis and through his work through various community groups including the BAGWIS Collective and the Committee on Pilino Issues.

Wake services will be at the Hollerbach Funeral Home on 4024 N. Elson Ave. (north of Irving Park Rd) from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday June 24th. The family is also asking for Food Donations during the viewing services. Guests are also invited to bring their own printed image of Randy to share on a display during the services.

The Funeral will take place at the Immaculate Heart of Mary at 3834 North Spaulding Avenue (near Byron St.) on Friday, June 25th at 10 a.m.

Monetary donations can be made to support the family by making checks made out to Celia & Romeo Maguigad.

Randy was a poet, lyricist, Hip-Hop Artist, a community activist, a mentor and an inspiration to many people. He was widely known for being one of the lead vocalists for the Chicago-based music group and collective BAGWIS. His music and performance moved the public and for those that knew him personally, understood that it was his compassion, spirit, selflessness, curiosity, charm and beautiful heart that made him loved by us all. His love for music was powerful - believing that it could change the world. His latest project this summer was to organize an on-going open mic series for youth and artists in the Northwest side of Chicago - these open-mic nights will continue in his honor.

He facilitated community educational workshops for youth across the city of Chicago on identity, culture, community violence, Hip Hop and more for not just CPI and the Bagwis Collective but for other community arts organizations including Video Machete, Pintig Culutral Group, the Center Immigrant Rights and Community Arts and more. He was studying to become a Nurse at both Malcolm X and Wright College in Chicago.

For more information, please contact Demetrio P. Maguigad Jr. by calling 312-203-0562 or contact Theresa Alanis at 773-288-9120

Chicago, IL - Bagwis has been relentlessly been working over the winter time. Each collective member has been enriching our community through, music, theater, conferences, radio and various other forms of community work.

This spring time we have some things in store for you!!

March 20, 2010 - Census Event - Wilbur Wright College at 2pm

April 30, 2010 - Chicago for the People May Day Release Party - Logan Square Auditorium at 7pm

May 10, 2010 - Maya Essence 3rd Year Anniversary - Maya Essence (Lincoln/Montrose) at 6pm

to be announced:

Tagalog Lessons, if you need more information or inquiries please contact Raven at raven@bagwiscollective.org

Please come out and support us, we would love to see you at our events!!

Purchase the Album Now on at Soulworks Records!

CHICAGO - BAGWIS, a musical and performance group collective of Filipino immigrant and U.S. born activists, cultural workers, and musicians is releasing UMALPAS KA! (Break Free!) as a digital download available from Soulworks Records. UMALPAS KA! is the second release by the Chicago band and is a collection of seven previously unreleased studio sessions recorded in 2008.

The music follows the bands continued experimentation in fusing traditional instrumentation, hip-hop, funk and other global rhythms that began in its 2007 album premiere release of Imulat Mo! But true to their nature is their core message of raising social conscious, love for the motherland and creating a united front in the name of peace & justice for the Philippines and its people abroad in over 170 countries around the world.

As a commitment to their belief in social justice, BAGWIS is a sponsoring group for the upcoming national Filipino American youth consultation, Daluyong: Surging to Confront the Crisis of Out Times from July 24-26.

The conference aims to provide a venue to discuss, analyze, share and strengthen the work of progressive Filipino and Filipino American Youth/Student groups; to better serve and effect their local regional communities, build mechanisms of coordination on National Issues, and bridge the divide amongst the Filipino Diaspora in addressing Philippine and International concerns.

100% of all proceeds of the sale of the UMALPAS KA! release will be given to support the three day conference in L.A. up until July 24th.

For More Information:

BAGWIS
Contact Natalia Alvarez at  312-804-6898 or email
Natalia@bagwiscollective.org. Visit the Bagwis website at
http://www.bagwis.org.

Daluyong Conference
Call 213-241-0906 or email daluyong.filamyouth@gmail.com, visit the
website at http://www.daluyong.com.

Title: Kultural Night of Resistance
Location: Maya Essence Fair Trade Gallery, 4357 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL
Link out: Click here
Description: http://chicagopinoymusic.ning.com/events/kultural-night-of-resistance
Start Time: 7:00
Date: 2009-06-13

The one beautiful thing about the work we do is the people we work with. Check out these baddass pics from our man Hekter from the VOCAB show organized by Jesus, Kasia and other cool cats in the Chitown’s Southwest side. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hekter/sets/72157605360837111/

Catch us for a free show at the Funky Buddha Lounge at 728 W Grand Ave. Get there before 10 PM and mention “BAGWIS” at the door to ensure your free entrance.

This is going to be a very special show for us. This is officially our first full band and full set performance since taking a hiatus for a number of months… and we’ve been itchin’ to get down with the people…

Also, we will be introducing a new band member… drummer, Ian Caballes. Ian is also the drummer of one of our favorite bands Indiagos that actually traveled to with us to perform at the last Rock in the Box show in New York. We first met Ian when he came to see us perform about three years ago when we opened for Barbie Almalbis when her and her band were last here in Chicago.

For the first time, Ian’s union with BAGWIS fullfills the complete sound BAGWIS has always wanted achieve for its live performance.

Some of you might be asking, so why isn’t Demetrio playing drums anymore… is he still with the band? Yes, D is still with BAGWIS, but due to an accident damaging his left knee, it prevented him from performing drums for quite sometime. Demetrio will now be focusing on performing more percussion, Kulingtang and back up vocals.

We hope you can join us Thursday, if not, perhaps you can march with us on May 1st for International Workers Day! Let’s keep buildin’ this movement!

A new season is blooming beneath the ash of yet another Chicago winter and Bagwis is getting ready for a busy schedule for the next coming months… with a few new changes to the line up!

After a few months of being on performance hiatus, BAGWIS has begun lining up its spring workshops and performance schedules. In February, Demetrio had an accident and tore a ligament in his left knee preventing him from playing drums for the next few months. The collective has asked Ian from the Indiagos to join the collective in its performance schedule for April into May with a chance to possibly be a perminant member. So expect a new and fresh twist to some of our old songs and some new tunes for the people!

This April we will be continuing our cultural workshops at the University of Illinois with the Filipinos in Alliance student association as a follow up from the MAFA conference. We will also be scheduling our Kulture and Liberation seminar with CPI Sometime in May.

Tomorrow, we will be recording a live performance and interview at the Korean Broadcast Channel on CHannel 41 in Chicago.

On April 11th, we will participating and performing at the Immigration RIghts Conference in Chicago.

On April 18th, we will be having a photoshoot with Neal Agustin of Lucid Blur for upcoming promotions. Later that night, we will be performing for a benefit for Comprehensive Immigration Reform efforts in Chicago’s south west side.

We are also expected to perform a full set on Thursday night at the Funky Buddha Lounge on Grand Ave. Admission is free before 10pm, $5 after. Don’t forget to mention “BAGWIS” on the door.

More to come! so keep posted.

RevLove - BAGWIS

On this winter solstice evening, in the midst of a nasty winter storm that just hit Chicago, the Bagwis collective will be heading into the studio tonight to begin working on recording projects… particularly for the submission of the first ever Chicago Pinoy Music Scene double compilation album.

There are a few songs we have been thinking about recording, but it looks like we will be working on Rise up/Part-time Pinoy.

For all of our kasama and kapatid this winter… be safe, warm and let the fire of justice burn throughout…

Je Cacnio Nepomuceno (Singer, songwriter and collective member of Bagwis) is currently working with BeHiv (Better Living with HIV) where she recently helped pull together the current Emerging Energy Art Exhibition of work from Art Therpy Clients and other supportive individuals. Among the artists is also Bagwis’ very own guitarist Raven Guerrero.

Emerging Energy
BEHIVs Annual Exhibition of Artwork from Art Therapy Clients and Supportive Individuals

Better Existence with HIV (BEHIV), a Chicago and Evanston-based non-profit AIDS service organization, is hosting its annual exhibition of artwork created by clients in its Art Therapy Program, as well as supportive community members, at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted. The exhibition, which was preceded by a fundraising reception on Friday, November 7 will run through December 6 at the Center’s Irving Harris Family Foundation Reception Hall on the third floor. Read the rest of this entry »

This post was originally written on my meditation blog (theyellowheart.blogspot.com) the night we performed at the Hot House before it closed its doors for good. Thought this would be a good piece to share with others…

I am so grateful to have people in my life that give me the support i need, the respect, inspiration and love to see so clearly life’s beauty.

I remember a day that i was a bit stressed and frantic. I started a new job and my whole life was transforming along with it. My dear friend Marco Camacho met me for lunch one day and shared with me some of his wisdom. We were talking about how the people we meet is no accident and the relationships we build have a purpose in life. He began telling me a story that I know I always believed, but it wasn’t so clear of a picture in my mind until he shared it with me.

He said… Read the rest of this entry »