Singer-songwriter Brian Sombero of the indie rock band Menaya is wearing two hats for the Ogie Alcasid concert “The Idol Experience: Ogie Sings with the Idols”—one as performer and another as concert producer.

The two-night concert that he is producing brings together Alcasid and American Idol season 7 Fil-Am finalist Ramiele Malubay. Joining them are “graduates” of GMA 7’s Pinoy Idol competition: grand winner Gretchen Espina and finalists. Sombero himself was a contestant in the former Philippine Idol on ABC 5.

Sombero envisions “The Idol Experience,” which runs at the Aliw Theater in Pasay City on December 20 and 21, to be a big show. But for someone who only recently put up his own company, The UnderGround Studio, to organize this concert, it must be a risky endeavor. It may be so, but Sombero is willing to take the risk as the project involves people whom he knows very well.

“Ogie is a family friend while Ramiele’s dad is a friend of my dad,”Sombero reveals.

Sombero knows what risky is. Aside from being a musician, he’s a mean poker player. Carrying the poker name “The Bandit,” Sombero has played in major international poker tournaments, which he likes to think of as “mind sports,”among them the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, World Poker Tour (WPT), British Columbia Poker Championship in Canada, Bellagio Cup in Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas, Venetian Poker Tournaments in Las Vegas, Commerce Poker Tournament in Los  Angeles, California, Asian Poker Tour (APT) in Manila, Asian Pacific Poker Tour (APPT) by Pokerstars in Manila, World Poker Championship (WPC),  and the Manila Cup  of APPT by Pokerstars in Manila.

He landed in the top 12 in the Asian Poker Tour recently held in Manila. He also placed second runner-up in the Manila Cup of Pokerstars’ Asia-Pacific Poker Tour.

Sombero’s involvement in poker comes as no surprise as his father, Las Vegas gaming executive and international poker player Colonel Wally “The Dream” Sombero, was the one who brought the game to the country and the Asia-Pacific region. In fact, Pinoy poker enthusiasts consider the senior Sombero a “spiritual leader” of sorts in poker.

Sombero reveals that his father exposed him to the international poker scene to get his mind off the indie music industry in the Philippines. In Atlantic City, Sombero says, “My faher allowed me to play poker every day for several months to hone my skills and gain experience against foreign players.”

For some time, Sombero also went to the Les Roches School of Hotel Management in Switzerland to give in to the senior Sombero’s wishes that his son get a degree. After three months, however, he came back to the Philippines to pursue his true love: music.

This year Sombero’s group Menaya came up with the album, The Worst News, which featured edgy pop rock tunes such as “Safer,” “Happiness,” “Everytime,” “Idiom,” and “Bakit Kailangan,” the lone Filipino piece in the 11-track album. Completing Menaya’s line-up are guitarist Mike Bacalzo, drummer Hepe Lavador, and bass player Sherwyn Olivar. The group recently signed up with the IMusic label, which Universal Music distributes.

An indie guy to the core, Sombero thinks that blending genres and styles creates a more exciting musical stage. “Filipinos love great music and those who try winning in competitions,” he asserts, thus “The Idol Experience.”

Concert tickets are priced at P10,000 (already sold out), P3,000, P2,400, P1,400, and P650. To purchase, call Ticketworld at (02) 891 9999 or Ticketnet at (02) 911-5555 or TheUnderGround Studio at (02) 376-2732.

“The Idol Experience: Ogie Sings with the Idols” is presented by GMA 7, QTV, TheUnderGround Studio, PCSO, PAGCOR, Grand Villa Resort and Pepsi.  Major sponsors include Chowking, OgieDogie, Autohub, Bingo Bonanza, Bodega ng Bayan, Blue Dot, Delimondo, Pacific Blue Shades, Worldwide Gaming Group, Philippine Poker Tour, Metro Card Room, Air Force One, Classmate, Kremlin, Danny’s Grill, Crown Regency Hotels.  Media partners include The Manila Times, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Manila Bulletin, Police Files, Hataw, X-Files, People’s Journal, People’s Tonight, Taliba, Women’s Journal, Tempo, Myx, Magic 89.9, Yes FM, and Love Radio.