Archive for March, 2006

20
Mar

What’s My Age Again?

By earlpunk 0 Comments
Categories: Musings

For most of us, birthdays are times for reflection. It is a time when we love to look back (hopefully, not in anger) to all the years gone by and recollect some memories which are gathering dusts in the vaults inside our heads. It is also a time to assess ourselves on the things we accomplished and how far have we gone.

As I celebrate my 29th March 17 last Friday, I pondered on these things and realized that I have done and accomplished nothing much for one simple reason—I’m still here. Yup, I’m still here and nothing much has changed. I’m still staying in my parent’s house (which, I supposed I will inherit anyway.hehehe), still sleeping in the very same room I had since high school. My walls are still plastered with Guns N’ Roses Live, San Mig Light promotional and FHM centerfold posters. My closet is still filled with years-old clothes, magazines (FHM, Pulp, Men’s Health) and plenty of boxes containing my cassette tapes collection, some dating back to my high school days when the damn thing still costs around 45 to 75 pesos each. While some of my friends already have their own homes, apartments or pads, I’m still here in the only place I’d love to call home all my life. When it comes to career, I’m still here doing the same job for the past seven years. While some of my friends have already climbed up the corporate ladder or successful in their own business, I’m still here receiving a meager salary which, from time to time, would make me think twice in buying that original Oasis CD and branded clothes. Eventually, I’ll decide to just download Oasis tracks (sorry Noel and Liam) from the net and buy new shirts only when it’s on sale. While some people I personally knew are already living their dream lives in foreign shores, I’m still here in my hometown, stuck between the green, green grass and the clear blue skies. And this is the heaviest reason which made me feel stalled so far—while many of my friends are already married, and some already have kids who are in pre-school and elementary grades, I’m still single. And almost everyday, you’re being asked the same old fuckin’ question—“so, when are you getting married?” To borrow a line from U2, I’m stuck in a moment and I can’t get out of it.

Yet birthdays are also high times to count our blessings instead of sheep, wolves, hyenas or whatever. And this made me realized that the reason which made me feel stuck is also the very same reason I feel blessed. Yes, I feel blessed because—I’m still here. I’m still here with my family and we’re still intact. I’m still here with my girlfriend and through thick and thin, summers and storms, we are still together. I’m still here with my old friends, a little group who’s always been and always will until the end. I feel blessed to have this job and while my salary is not that much it afforded me my life’s simple pleasures such as pirated CDs, DVDs, MP3s, magazines, gadgets, clothes and basketball shoes-on-sale and group vacations to nearby tourist destinations. I may be doing the same job for years now but it offers me some luxury—not much pressure, opportunity to be on field and some time to write this blog (hahaha!). I may not own a car (not yet!) but my 4-year old Honda motorbike (whose only prominent feature is the Metallica sticker in the front plastic cover) never fails to take me to my countless dates, errands, gimmicks and basketball games. I feel blessed because I can still play the game and can still hold my own against younger and stronger players. I feel blessed to be single (though I suspect it won’t be for long.hehehe), which gave me one thing most of us would really hate to give up—freedom. And I definitely feel blessed that I was able to watch Rivermaya (along with Brownman Revival) performed in Malaybalay last week. The concert was a nostalgic rock n’ roll trip, which brings back memories of my youthful days (as if I’m really that old).

While singing along to Rivermaya’s Awit ng Kabataan, I wonder if I’m still a part of that generation the song was written for. Well, I do believe that age, like contentment, is a state of mind. I may be stuck in this moment, but this moment is a gift. As some guys from a band called Jethro Tull blurted, “You’re never too old to rock & roll if you’re too young to die.” For this I say, thank you Lord for thinking ‘bout me, I’m alive and doing fine (now, that’s a line from Tesla’s Signs).

13
Mar

One Explosive Night

By earlpunk 1 Comment
Categories: Music

The moon shone brightly, twenty million diamonds crowned the sky and the night breeze is distinctively cool as people from all walks of life convened at the Capitol Grounds in Malaybalay City last March 10, 2006. The night’s big event is the culmination of the Kaamulan Festival and the Bukidnon Charter Day. The crowd is so big that it is almost impossible to move around without bumping into someone or stepping on some beer bottles and plastic cups scattered on the ground.

The host for the night made a rather brief and generic introduction unfitting for a band whose royalty status and longevity in the Pinoy Rock Kingdom remains unchallenged. The country’s only 4-time MTV favorite group awardee has, for more than a decade now, continues to churn out music which is an enchanting mix of poetry, heart-thumping beats and pure rock anthems resulting in a massive strings of hits thus earning them the dub “Ang Banda Ng Bayan.”

And there they are up on the stage– Japs, Mike, Mark and Rico collectively known as Rivermaya, my favorite band of all time. At the first strains of Elesi,
we were already jumping along with the mammoth crowd, the biggest I’ve seen so far in all Kaamulan celebrations. Being a Rivermaya fanatic since their early days, I’ve memorized all their songs by heart. The band played all their biggest
hits much to the crowd’s delight and throughout their set we were singing along, jumping, swaying, headbanging and flashing the devil’s horn, the universal hand signal in every rock concert. Rivermaya performed Ulan, Alab ng Puso, 214 interplayed with Balisong, Awit ng Kabataan, Nerbyoso, Bye Bye Na, You’ll Be Safe Here, Umaaraw, Umuulan, and Posible In some of their songs, they playfully inserted excerpts of Cindy Lauper’s Time After Time, their past
hit ballad Himala and more chanting and shoutouts. They were supposed to end with Liwanag Sa Dilim but upon the prodding Cong. Migs Zubiri, who was chiefly responsible for bringing the band to Bukidnon, and the still hungry-for-more crowd, Rivermaya played once more, singing Kisapmata, as their encore. Somewhere in between the song, Rico urged the people to jump together. The energetic crowd obliged and that particular moment was a showcase of true rock and roll passion. It was indeed a magnificent show of a band whose greatness is not only evident in their studio albums but is more so magnified in their live performances.

After Rivermaya, the crowd was treated to a spectacular show of fireworks to celebrate Bukidnon’s Foundation Day. For fifteen minutes or so, oohs and aahs were drawn from the crowd as the midnight sky was illuminated with lights in various colors and shapes, shower of stardust and explosion of magnificent kinds. It was the grandest and longest fireworks I have personally seen ever. I saw some junkies lying on the ground, probably having the trip of their lives.

The technical adjustments done on the stage gave us some minutes of breather before the night’s final performer. And when crowd-favorite Brownman Revival opened their set with Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin, the entire Capitol Grounds became a virtual mecca of roots, rock, reggae fever as people were waving their hands and swaying to the beat of Brownman’s music. This is the
third time for the band to perform here and they were obviously amazed by the
large crowd that gathered before them. I always thought that Bukidnon is a reggae country and the night affirmed my belief. Brownman played songs from their Steady Lang LP–Dahan-Dahan, Salarin, Under The Reggae Moon, Jeggae, Binibini, the monster hit Maling Akala along with their standard covers-Inner Circle’s Sweat (A-La-La-La-Long), Bread’s Everything I Own, Stephen
Bishop’s On and On and Bob Marley’s Jamming and Buffalo Soldier. The night’s
final song was their current single, Lintik, which made the crowd lose all their inhibitions. I saw one group jumping over a small bonfire while others are doing some Kaamulan ethnic dance steps. It was a rare sight to behold seeing people being united through the beats of reggae.  Just like their past concerts here Brownman Revival gave another one hell of a show that satisfied everyone’s craving for feel-good reggae music.

I predicted this night to be explosive and I was damn right, it did turn out to
be a blast. The marvelous fireworks, the live rock and reggae music and the monster crowd made up the biggest party ever held in Bukidnon. Despite all the
dancing and jumping, it was peaceful and no one got hurt throughout the show. We all had a great, great rockin’ time that I almost forgot some local bands and ultra hot babe Maui Taylor performed earlier
that evening.

(Check out the Kaamulan 2006 photo album for pictures of the concert, fireworks and other events.)

08
Mar

Rock Between The Stars and The Grassy Grounds

By earlpunk 0 Comments
Categories: Music

Kaamulan SMB Concert
March 4, 2006
Capitol Grounds, Malaybalay City

It was almost 9 pm when the show, slated to start at 6, commenced. We settled on the grassy grounds and were on our first bottle of Tanduay Rhum long neck and the warm sensation brought about by the liquor flowing inside my body was most welcome in this somewhat cold but starry, starry Saturday night. The first act to perform that night was local band Pixie Dust (I’m not sure if I
got the name right), a rather nice name for a band clearly lacking in musical identity. They regaled the good size crowd with a mishmash of covers from The Cranberries, Avril Lavigne, No Doubt, among others. Judging from their performance, the band still lacks cohesiveness and tightness to their sound. Up next was another local act D’ Moo (I’m not sure if I spelled their name right). I’ve seen this band performed in past concerts and I could say that they already have some kind of cult following with their upbeat reggae-influenced music. Their usual opener, Enchi’s version of Tsinelas, warmed up the obviously
reggae-loving teens and young adults in the audience. D’ Moo proceeded with their renditions of songs from Bob Marley, Jr. Kilat and Brownman Revival which got some of the audience (including our group) hopping and dancing to the beat. This band is obviously good and knows how to play reggae well as they fused some ethnic instruments to their songs. If only they could play some originals (if ever they have one), then I would definitely be a believer. The third performer was Enigma from Davao City.  They opened their set with Imago’s Akap then launched into a mixture of punk and grunge anthems including their own versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Bizarre Love Triangle. The crowd was visibly unimpressed, probably expecting some showbands with mandatory (and monotonous) R & B covers to liven up the show. Well, I don’t care. I’d prefer watching a band like Enigma over any other showband any time. Anyways, my friends and I are already starting to feel heady when Enigma sang the first part of Imago’s Rain Song then suddenly launched into G n’ R’s Sweet Child O’ Mine. I was quiet surprised by the twist but we bang our heads anyway, as a tribute to the song that made us “rockers” in our high school days.

We were already on our second bottle of the long neck poison when the emcee announced the major performer that night, 2005 Red Horse Muziklaban winner Sunflower Day Camp. I haven’t heard of this band before and was clueless to the type of music they will be playing. But a band with some horn players could only be playing either reggae or ska or both. My hunch was right and we were on our feet again when the band started their assault with Reel Big Fish’s Take
on Me. Sweat flowed as we slamdance throughout their set comprised of ska-punk originals and covers from RBF, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and….Apo Hiking Society! Majority of the crowd was still oblivious to SDC’s brand of music but I could see some group jumping and slamdancing like us. In between their set, the band’s vocalist promoted their newly-released album, their myspace account, then performed their first single Paano na ‘Yan, a
song about unwanted pregnancy.

After the show ended, we were already drained and drenched, making me think we already sweated out the liquor we consumed. What a way to avoid hang-over. Then the emcee thanked the audience, the sponsors and yelled “see you in the Rivermaya and Brownman Revival concert on March 10!” And with the much awaited fireworks also scheduled on the same date, the coming Friday night is going to be explosive.