Today

When I was a kid, being lugged off to weddings to be the ring bearer happened rather often. My earliest memories of weddings were that the churches were always hot; the clothes I had to wear always felt itchy; and, because nobody paid attention to what a kid could possibly hear, people were always complaining.

As a grown-up, I attended only a couple of weddings: Isabel's grandparents' golden(?) wedding anniversary and Maria's cousin's wedding. In both cases, the relatives invited me.

I had been invited though to three others — all of which I didn't attend. I apologize to those concerned, but I really do not like weddings. The formal clothes, the tense atmosphere, the Roman Catholic (Ack!) ceremony, the emotional bubbles waiting to burst, the sheer number of people — things and situations which I am not or, perhaps, never will be comfortable with.

Today is different though. I was up rather early, despite having drunk a bit too much last night. I spent the better part of yesterday preparing my things, my barong Tagalog, my mind.

Today is Manang's wedding day.

I have tons of memories I would love to share, if only I could find it in me not to cry while writing. So, here are some photos instead that I dug up from the hard drive. A sort of tribute to those times she spent with us.

This was taken during the summer of 2005 in Calamba. She went with us to the cast party after the band played for the SSC production of Lean: A Filipino Musical.

Always the goofy one, here she strikes a pose during one of our outings at Banio Creek in Tagytay. 

She always finds time to watch our gigs, even when she's tired and sleepy  after doing shows or tapings. 

Four girls in the bedroom.

The boat ride to another beach in Batangas.

I explained to them the physical relationship of oysters and phlegm, complete with a demonstration. 

Here, she's with Maria and Mer at Ascott for a double birthday celebration.

—

I'm definitely going to miss you once you move to Canada. But, for now, I'll be trying to hold back the tears.

Best wishes, Bebe! 

The Only Reason

My sister beat me to it. But, had I known what was inside, I would have bought this month's issue of FHM. Only for these:

He's THE MAN!

Wan-Tu-Tri

I've just finished posting a comment on one of Chelot's entries, where the discussion had spun from the amazing talent of ordinary bus drivers to the amazing knack of Filipinos for enjoying freebies on the road. (Read: Not paying for the fare.)

The whole thing reminded me of a gig at Purple Haze Bar. It was raining and I wanted to catch a bit of fresh air before going onstage. There were two punks talking in hushed tones, right outside the door. As I shifted my weight from my right foot to my left, I overheard their conversation.

Punk A: Pare, pasok na tayo. Kanina pa yata nagsimula e.

Punk B: Ang mahal nung ticket e. Kulang ang pera ko.

Punk A: O, pahiram na lang ng beinte. Babayaran ko sa iyo bukas.

Punk B: Kulang nga ang pera ko. Pamasahe na lang natin 'to pauwi.

Punk A: Pasok na lang tayo tapos bili tayo ng beer.

Punk B: 'Di nga daw puwede pumasok kung 'di ka magbabayad para sa ticket.

Punk A: 'Tang ina, ginawa na natin dati 'yun a! Diyan pa nga tayo sa tapat pumuwesto e. Pahiram na kasi ng beinte para nga du'n tayo sa harapan ng stage manood.

Punk B: Pamasahe na nga lang 'yung meron ako.

Punk A: 'Sus! E 'di mag-wan-tu-tri na lang tayo sa jeep; tatlong sakay. Ayos na 'yun…

I didn't get to hear the rest because I had to go back to my seat and prepare my things. I felt a bit sad about hearing what they were talking about. I would've wanted to hand them some money for the tickets but, alas, I didn't have much on me too.

The saddest thing about it though is that, evidently, poverty does drive some people to commit crimes - though petty at times.

And yet, the lingering malady in the distribution of wealth goes unrectified.

Instead, laws have been passed for stiffer penalties for even the slightest of offenses — without actually addressing the roots of why crimes are being committed in the first place.

Have You Seen This One?

—

If you have, chances are you have a copy.

Pahiram… Kokopyahin ko lang…

Tonight!

5 July 2007 

KADANGYAN
SYALAM
THE OUTLAWS

at

ROUTE 196

Katipunan

Show starts at 10 PM.

Tickets are 70 Php each, and comes with either iced tea or beer.

Behind The Kits

Since I am finding it hard to sleep, I have decided to make a list of my favorite drummers.

Some of them are either famous or infamous; most of them are rarely even recognized for what they do.

Which is exactly why I like them: they stay right behind their respective kits; rarely dish out flashy tricks; and lay down solid foundations for the rest of the musical ingredients.

And, because most people know bands for the boys up front, this is my tribute to those at the back who keep the beat going.

1. Adrian Young of No Doubt (Fantastic work on Sunday Morning!)

2. Andy Anderson of The Cure

3. Bernie Dresel of The Brian Setzer Orchestra

4. Brett Reed of Rancid (He was taught by bassist Matt Freeman how to play drums just so vocalist Tim Armstrong could be in a band again.)

5. Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers (Has anyone noticed that he looks so much like Will Ferrell?)

6. Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones (Going, going, going… Get the coffin ready, lads…)

7. Chris Knapp of The Ataris

8. Chris Reece of Social Distortion

9. Colin Scott of The Toy Dolls

10. Don Henley of The Eagles (He may be one of the most arrogant men in the music industry but you should see him doing Hotel California live.)

11. Fergal Lawler of The Cranberries

12. Jerry Allison of Buddy Holly and The Crickets

13. Jimmy Chamberlin of Smashing Pumpkins (Check out Tonight, Tonight.)

14. Josh Frieze of The Vandals

15. Larry Mullen Jr of U2

16. Levon Helm of The Band (Having played with Bob Dylan is achievement enough.)

17. Nicky Headon of The Clash

18. Pat Torpey of Mr. Big (Yeah. Everyone knows the other guys.)

19. Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols

20. Peter Yanowitz of The Wallflowers

21. Richard Starkey of The Beatles

22. Roger Taylor of Queen

23. Rory Koff of No Use For A Name

24. Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats (Kick. Snare. Kick. Snare. Jump onto the bass drum. Jump off the bass drum while hitting the crash cymbal.)

25. Stewart Copeland of The Police (Message In A Bottle, anyone?)

26. Taylor Hawkins of The Foo Fighters

27. Tom Erdelyi of The Ramones

28. Tommy Lee of Mötley Crüe (I looked up to him when I was in fifth grade because Steven Adler of Guns N' Roses was wimpy.)

29. Tre Cool of Green Day

(Please note that their names were arranged alphabetically, and not according to who I think is better.)

This list would have reached a total of thirty but I cannot find out who played the drums for Shelter, on their Beyond Planet Earth album. In any case, his work on that particular album showed his versatility.

Now, among our local drummers, here are my favorites, some of whom I have the great fortune of knowing personally:

1. Benjie of The Jerks and The Runaway Boys

2. Brutus of Advent Call, Indio I, Put3Ska, The Jerks, and Tropical Depression

3. Chong of Reggae Mistress

4. Loloy of Indio I and The Jerks

5. Weslu of Juan Pablo Dream, Put3Ska, and The Brown Beat All-Stars

More Crap

Last night, while watching the telly, Maria and I chanced upon this video with lyrics so prolific that we were thoroughly overwhelmed. (Read: What the fuck is that on the telly?!?)

Here is a sample from Soapdish's LSS:

"…'Cause the last song syndrome here / Is your voice I hear so clear…"

I have always believed that musicians, more than any other artist (for musicians enjoy the greatest amount of exposure), have truckloads of responsibilities towards their audience. The lyrics should elevate the consciousness of their listeners, as opposed to patronizing them with quick-selling catch-phrases and cheap anthems that lead them nowhere near getting higher education.

Sadly, it is evident that the music industry is continually perpetuating the crime of commercializing bands that do not even give a rat's ass about the problems that plague the country.

After more than ten years of being a musician, I see that little has changed. I cannot honestly say that, this time, the kids are or will be alright. What with:

1. the proliferation of fuckin' "punk" bands whose members do not even have the fuckin' balls to sport a proper mohawk;

2. the fuckin' "nationalistic" acts who are so fuckin' high and mighty with their worn-out sloganeering and lack of proper revolutionary orientation and/or direction;

3. those fuckin' groups who cash in on heartbreaks with their obviously-copied-from-some-Cliff-notes-on-Romeo-and-Juliet lines;

4. those fuckin' shitheads who cannot even write their own material and bastardize great songs like The Cure's In Between Days and Lisa Loeb's Stay;

5. and, most of all, those fuckin' actors and actresses who cannot even carry a decent tune but get up onstage to sing; and have released albums.

I only hope Rico Blanco stays out of the music business for good.

Crap

I am pissed off. To say the least.

That 5th of July booking need not have been cancelled. There were three groups who made up that particular production. But, just because one band could not make it, it does not follow that everyone else had to miss the opportunity.

OUR NAMES WERE ON THE LINE THERE.

We could have held the fort for one whole night, just for the collective. If only you let us.

You could have, at least, consulted us too.

I am still waiting for an explanation.