Alcohol and rock 'n roll go together by default. Pay a visit to any bar gig or rock concert and you’ll find at least a dozen or so people with bottles, glasses, or cups of liquid courage in their hands.
But coffee?
The combination sounds kind of weird, a bit absurd for some even. But for young entrepreneur Jabez Flores and his team at Café Antonio Los Baños, it’s just another day at work.
Enter Café Antonio Sessions, a music-related operation of the caffeine-based business co-owned by Flores. Its mission is simple: to support the UPLB music scene.
Jabez Flores (center) with some of the Sessions artists
Café Antonio Sessions traces its beginnings to a coincidental meeting between Flores and musician Eric Soliven back in 2010. Flores knew Soliven from a few years back because the latter’s band Soundhole (later renamed Lime) used to play frequently alongside Flores’ own Spoonbridge at the now-defunct Kofiholics Anonymous (K.A.), a local venue that musicians and music enthusiasts used to frequent.
“Hindi pa kami friends noon ni Eric, but we knew na kami yung tumutugtog dun (sa K.A.) dati. Nakita ko sya sa old site ng Café Antonio. Namukhaan ko siya," recounts Café Antonio Sessions’ head. “Nilapitan ko siya the next time na nagpunta siya, tapos tinanong ko, ‘Di ba ikaw yung gitarista ng Soundhole?’ After that, friends na kami."
When Café Antonio was moved to its current location, the idea of having shows at the shop dawned on Flores. He presented this idea to Soliven.
“Balak ko talagang bumuo ng (music) community like the one we had in K.A. way back," narrates Flores. “So, sabi ko kay Eric, ‘Buo tayo (ng sessions). Buhayin natin yung UP music scene dito.’"
Things took off from there. Inspired by the America Online (AOL) Sessions, they built up on the idea of having shows. The idea eventually materialized on July 13, 2011 when the very first Café Antonio Sessions night was performed to an intimate Saturday night crowd at the coffee shop.
Café Antonio Sessions gives its artists full support, including free photo and video coverage of their performances such as that of Segatron.
Fast forward to 2011: at the time of this posting, Sessions nights have already been staged a total of 24 times spread throughout thirteen months.
True to its intent to help homegrown talent, all these Sessions shows featured performances from mostly local acts around the University of the Philippines in Los Baños area
Aside from organizing events, the Sessions team now dabbles in artist promotion too, helping the members of its regular roster – namely Lime, Juniper Face the Corner, Gabes Torres, Yield Avenue, Segatron, Sweet Symphony, Pathway, Riki, Crossroads, From the Author, Komiko, Satori, Playground Nostalgia and Codename Adobo – spread their music via the use of social networking sites on the Internet and having their physical merchandise displayed and sold at the café.
The Sessions team manages to come up with nice ways to make their shows more appealing to the UPLB audience.
Flores offers an explanation as to why they decided to branch out to artist promotion.
“We want to be known as a springboard for artists from LB," Flores says. “We offer start-up musicians our full support and we make sure na may mapupuntahan sila. Tsaka, we’re really all excited na i-share yung music galing dito. Kasi, parang hanggang ngayon, best-kept secret pa rin yan."
But Flores is quick to clarify that their arrangement with the artists is not exclusive.
“They can come and go freely. They can stay kasi they want to stay. Pero, kung hindi na nila feel, okay lang na umalis. At least, dito sila nagsimula."
Despite the buzz that Sessions has generated from its activities in the past year though, its members agree that they still have to maximize the potential of the movement they started.
Their most immediate concern is the day of the week when they do their shows. For now, Sessions gigs are done every third (and in some cases, also the first and/or second) Saturday of every month. Flores thinks it will be more effective if these were to be moved to the weekdays. Most of the artists that play their gigs are students after all, and would therefore be more effective when exposed to a crowd that can identify with them and vice versa.
Eric Soliven (left) and Lenard Gabriel (right) of Lime performed at the very first Café Antonio Sessions night last year.
“Wala pa kami masyadong nape-penetrate na crowd to tell other people about what we do," says Flores. Kasi, yung Saturday crowd namin, usually puro dayo at alumni. Wala kaming student crowd masyado."
But all that is starting to change. The team is starting to get more attention for their work. Nowadays, they are getting more invites from student organizations that hold events frequently, therefore giving them, and more importantly their artists, access to the audience they primarily want to reach.
This attention has inspired them to come up with more plans to help foster the community spirit even further.
“We also want to hold midweek sessions for student bands na hindi part ng roster," Flores reveals, “just to show the students sa LB na merong scene dito."
Things are getting smoother for Flores and company. Being the first organized group in the area’s recent memory to champion the music scene actively, their efforts have been beneficial to the community of musicians in the locale. At this point, it will only be a matter of time before the rest of the student and town population sees the music scene in plain view again.
The Sessions team doesn’t even mind having to pull resources out of all their pockets. After all, according to them, they do this for one simple reason.
“We just love it."
- YA, GMA News
Café Antonio is located at LB Square along Grove Avenue, Brgy. Batong Malake, Los Baños, Laguna. For more information about Café Antonio Sessions, visit cafeantoniosessions.tumblr.com
NOTE: Not mentioned in the article as one of the founders of Cafe Antonio Sessions is graphic artist and barista, Jegar delos Reyes. Also, the first Cafe Antonio Sessions was held in July 3, 2010. - Jabez Flores (Indie Band News)
Los Banos has always been known for its buko pie and UPLB. But our small "university town" has yet to establish itself as a place to find good music. As a musician and writer from Elbi, I am very pleased to report that there is a growing music scene in our community.
Indie Band News has helped us promote five major gigs last July involving Elbi-based artists. Wrecked! organized by The Elbi Wrecking Crew (July 7), The Incubus Tribute Party organized by The Incubus Street Team, Philippines (July 14), Gabes Torres' Fairfarren Concert (July 16), Switchfoot Tribute Night organized by Cafe Antonio Sessions (July 23), and the Azkals Game Night organized by IC's Bar and Coffee Shop (July 28).
Elbi music is very diverse. We have a lot to offer people when you visit Elbi to listen to good music. Bands like The Sunday Brew will sweep you off your feet with their brand of soul, funk, and blues; and prominent local funk group, Hyena Harmonies Inc. will make you dance and headbang with their Funky Eating Eagle. Newer groups like LIME and Pathway will impress you with their Incubus and Switchfoot covers, respectively, and their honest and well-written original songs. As for the more indie-side of things, Gabes Torres will serve you fresh and heartfelt songwriting with her album, Quintessence; while Gelo Arboleda and his band, Juniper Face the Corner, will give you a dose of whimsical and perfectly-strewn lyrics with their conFUSION of musical genres. Going further, those on a musical quest will also encounter the party-core quintet of electro-rock band Segatron.
Although I get a lot of messages and e-mails from people asking about the metal scene in Los Banos (which I know but really not familiar with), I still believe that there is more to Elbi than one prominent music genre. All we have to do is find them and enjoy the wealth of music that we keep here in our small town of Los Banos, Laguna.
I was supposed to write this article several weeks ago but a very busy schedule did not permit me to do so. And now that the Incubus Tribute Party is this evening, I will try to cram and share this piece of Incubus Street Team Philippines history to you guys in the indie music community.
My friend from the Street Team, Butch Maligalig, shared with me in an interview how the group all began.
Indie Band News (IBN): When did the Street Team first meet?
Butch: Back in 2004, Sony Music held a contest for Incubus fans. I was one of the fans who joined along with the other Street Team members. Sony told us that we should promote the concert creatively. But during that time, we didn’t work as a team yet. We each had our own individual gimmicks to promote the event. Members promoted the concert with placards; others baked Incubus-themed cookies; while others went poster-happy on different places. Eventually, only one of us won and the rest got Incubus T-shirts.
IBN: So when did you start working together to promote Incubus as a group?
Butch: In 2008, it was MTV’s turn to hold a contest. That’s when we, the fans, decided to team-up and pool our creative juices. I made a flash video and did a mobile promotion of the 2008 Incubus concert (Pacific Rim Tour) around Los Banos, Laguna. We also promoted at Araneta Coliseum. Finally, we won. MTV gave us passes to the press conference and we personally met the band at Crowne Plaza. Brandon Boyd introduced himself to us, “I’m Brandon. Hi.”
IBN: What projects do you have now that you’re more formally organized?
Butch: Now that we all have jobs, the team decided to up the ante by organizing our own activities. This year, we had a tree planting project at the La Mesa EcoPark. The trees were named after us and we put there, “From the Make Yourself Foundation”. We informed Steve Rennie (the band’s manager) and Jake Versluis (head of the Make Yourself Foundation) about our activity and they said that it was good.
Having won Steve and Jake’s trust, we decided to organize our own Incubus Tribute Party for the promotion of this year’s Incubus concert. We chose Kjwan as one of the bands to perform because I was standing beside Marc Abaya during the 2004 concert and he was wearing a “Chuck” mask. So I figured out that he must be an Incubus super fan. Malay was also invited because the band’s drummer, Alden, is a friend of one of the Street Team’s members.
IBN: Where will all the ticket sales from the party go?
Butch: The ticket sales will all go to charity. We’re doing this to promote Incubus, their new album “If Not Now, When?” and their concert on July 28 at Araneta Coliseum. Hopefully, the Street Team will be known for its efforts here in the Philippines to promote all things Incubus.
The Incubus Tribute Party is on Thursday, July 14, 9 PM at B-Side, Makati. With performances from Kjwan, Malay, Letter Day Story, LIME, Soil & Green, an Dash Between Dates. The event is organized by The Incubus Street Team Philippines in cooperation with Jack TV and Universal Channel Sponsored by Ovation Productions, Store and Stack, Sony Music, At the Womb, Indie Band News, Odyssey, Full Circle, and UR Face Radio. Official music channel is Myx. Proceeds will benefit RockEd Philippines, Bantay Bata 163, and the Make Yourself Foundation (MYF).
Hinati ko sa apat na parte ang DAMN na paraan upang sirain ang INDIE scene sa Pilipinas.
Discrimination
-Music Discrimination – Pagiging “Purist” ay hindi dahilan para magdiskrimina ng musika. Kung wala ka namang sasabihin maganda, tumahimik nalang at gamitin yun pagiging “Purist” sa pagpapalago ng scene na pabor sa iyo. As long na hindi kayo naaapektuhan, wag nalang magdiskrimina.
-Band Discrimination – Para sa mga production, kung hindi rin naman kayo pabor sa tugtugan ng iba, wag niyong iset na Open Genre ang event nyo hanggat maaari. “Open Genre” nga bawal naman Metal o Punk. Anong open don? (Genre night ay hindi isang pamamaraan ng diskriminasyon ngunit isa itong paraan upang mapalakas ang isang eksena.) Eh kung puro sikat, matunog, madami magdala ng guest, kamaganak, kaibigan, maraming likes sa facebook at chicks na banda ang laging kinukuha ng production, wag nalang tawagin na production yan kung hindi “group event maker”, “featured artist event maker”, “for guests only event”, “family reunion”, “facebook contest event maker” at “Pimp event maker”.
Attitude
-Rockstar – Hindi pa nga sikat “Rockstar” na. Late na nga nagdedemand pa ng slot pang “exposure” daw. Tsaka “rockstar” ka nga di ba? Edi hindi mo na kailangan gawin yan, papanoorin ka nila hanggang sa huli “sikat” ka eh di ba? May mga“Rockstar” din na prod, sa sobrang pagka “Rockstar”, mga hindi na sila ma reach ng iba kaya sa huli, nalulugi din. Sa mga “Rockstar” mainstream bands, dyan nalang kayo sa taas, nakakahawa ang sakit niyo eh. Walang rockstar sa INDIE scene lahat tayo pantay pantay marami man likes mo, napunta ka man sa mainstream at nalaos, may kapit ka man sa taas at super over ka man sa galing, mabaho pa rin ang TAE mo.
-Boredom – Sa pagbabanda, hindi ka lang taong may hawak ng instrumento o music lover kung hindi combination of both. May “responsibilidad” kang dapat hawakan sa pamamagitan ng pagdagdag ng kaalaman mo sa eksena at sa musikang tinutugtog mo. Ganyan kaversatile sa art in terms of music ang mga nagbabanda. Nakakatamad noh? Nakakabagot? Huwag nalang tayo magbanda ganyan pala yun nakakatamad akala natin “tugtog alis lang”. Maraming Production at Nagbabanda ang nawawala dahil sa pagkabagot na resulta ng kawalan ng Passion (pagkasawa), Wala talagang Passion (goal lang pera o maging sikat) at pagkalulong sa luho at bisyo (paglipat ng kinahihiligan). Katamad talaga noh? “Tugtog alis” nalang noh, at least masaya! kabagot sumuporta eh.
-Selfishness – “pasuporta po kami”, “palineup kami”, “pasabit kami sa mga gig niyo”. Nakakarindi di ba? Ayos lang yan. KUNG! Sumusuporta din sila. Minsan maitatawag natin silang “Suportang Plastic” kung hindi naman taos an gag suportang pinapakita. Kapag magbabackout, sige lang, wala na silang pakeelam sa production. Kapag nakatugtog na, aalis agad, uuwi na conyo friends ko kailangan nila ihatid sa bahay nila ng naka-car. Hindi na nga nagdadala ng guest, hindi pa oorder sa bar at makikita mo pa nagiinuman pa sa labas. Umaapaw na nga ang banda sa event, pangit din ang gamit, magbabayad ka pa para tumugtog. Sinuportahan mo na pangit pa ang ibabalik sa iyo (wala man lang effort?). Pakelam mo sa kanila noh? Gusto mo “lang” ipamahagi ang musika mo. (Plastic!).
-Kapit System – Pati ba naman sa Indie Scene naapektuhan na nito akala ko sa gobyerno lang. “First come first serve”. Kayo unang bandang dumating sa bar tapos taken na mga gitnang slot? Una ka nagpalineup, tapos ikaw pa ang mawawalan? Una kang nagpareserve, tapos ikaw pa mawawalan ng event? Una ka sa lahat ngunit huli ka pa rin kasi wala kang kilala.
Monkey Business
-Scam – Scam na production, bar, bands, individuals at recording studios. Huwag suportahan!. Ipakalat ang mga artikulo ng IBN upang makatulong. Maging aware tayo at ipaalam sa marami ang mga issue ukol sa mga ganyang bagay upang hindi na sila makaapekto.
-Fame – Huwag ka nalang dito sa INDIE scene. May Showtime, Talentadong Pinoy, at meron ding Face to face, Maalaala mo kaya o Manghold-up ka nalang ng bangko at mabalita kaysa gumagamit ka ng ibang paraan dito sa Indie Scene upang sumikat at iangat ang sarili mo. Katulad ng pagiging sipsip, panloloko at pangaangkin ng bagay, materyales, komposisyon o banda na hindi sa iyo. Goal mo maging sikat? Halika gawa tayo dance crew o carnival manage ko kayo. (Kung sakali man sumikat, hindi masama yun basta hindi ka magiging “sellout” at pa”rockstar”).
-Money – Kung pera lang habol mo, huwag ka na magbanda at magproduction. Tapos, hindi na kailangan ng explanation para diyan.
Non-Support
-Foreign – Gumagastos ka ng libo libo sa mga foreign act na pumupunta dito (kahit siguro Justin Bieber pinanood mo, aminin!), ngunit manood ng 100 pesos ang tiket na may libreng serbesa ay hindi ka makanood nood. Dahilan numero uno, minsan lang sila pumunta dito. Ang tanong, minsan ka rin ba nanonood ng mga bandang local (maliban sa mga farewell party o last gig ng sikat na banda)? Tapos hihingi ka ng suporta? Tapos sinusuportahan mo musikang pinoy? Daig ka pa ng mga guests mo sa pagsuporta sa INDIE scene. Halika mag ibang bansa nalang tayo, labo mo eh.
-Mainstream – Hindi masamang sumikat at suportahan sila. Pero sana suportahan din natin mga INDIE bands at productions (lalo na kayong mga sponsors). HI-TECH na po ngayon, nasa internet na rin mga INDIE bands at productions. (Kaya mga bands wag kayo mahiya magpromote sa internet, hindi kayo magiging sellout at libre yan.) Mga naririnig niyo sa sikat na sikat na telebisyon at radyo? Sa INDIE scene maririnig niyo rin kung hahanapin niyo lang sila. At pag sumikat ka wag mong kalimutan lumingon sa pinanggalingan, sige ikaw rin pag umatras ka baka wala ka ng babalikan.
-Articles – Blogspot, Online Radios, Facebook Pages, Zines at kahit na anong naglalarawan at sumusuporta sa Scene. Libre ang maglike, Libre ang magbasa, Libre makinig, Mura lang ang Zines, Sila na gumagastos sa iyo ng panahon, pagod, pera at kung ano pa man para ipaalam sa iyo ang gusto at dapat mong malaman. May kilala akong isang creator ng Page na sumusuporta sa mga banda ngunit banda niya hindi sinusuportahan ng karamihan. Mahiya naman kayo para sa kanya o sa kanila na nagbibigay suporta at kaalaman kahit walang tinatanggap na kapalit. Tapos ang ibang may Attitude puro Pa”support!”, ano kayo Call Center Agent?
Hindi aangat ang eksena kung lahat tayo magiging mangmang at magiging makasarili. Sabi nga sa kanta ng Streetlight Manifesto, “And when we will fall, we will fall together”. Huwag nalang natin suportahan ang mga indibidwal na gustong sumira sa eksena, kung isa ka man sa mga ito, alam mo naman siguro gagawin mo.
Sama sama tayo Magtulungan, Makialam at Sumuporta sa musikang pinoy at sa INDIE scene. This is a wake up call!
Salamat sa nagbasa, medyo mahaba, ayoko man habaan ngunit hindi maiwasan eh. Any Violent Reactions? Visit our page TRIPLEHORNS. Please support INDIE BAND NEWS, productions and bands who keep the INDIE scene alive.
Hindi natin maiiwasan ang pagbackout sa gig. Pero aminin natin sa mga organizer ng event ito ang pinakaiinisan na problema nila. Isipin mo, Gawa ka ng gawa ng plano pero in the very last minutes mababago ang planong ginawa mo ng ilang araw. Hindi ba nakakabugnot yun?
Paano ba maiiwasan itong pagbabackout? Pag hindi maiwasan, Paano natin bibigyang suporta ang nagbibigay sa atin ng suporta sa pamamagitan ng pagtugtog ng libre o pag pinalad may TF pa kayong matatanggap?
1. Iwasan magbackout 1 week before the event:
-para sa akin ideal timespan yan. 1 week before ay sapat na araw (pwede itong 10araw, 100 araw o 1000 araw bago ang event), hanggang diyan ba naman hindi mo malalaman kung ano ang activities ng bawat kabanda mo? Nagbibigay oras ito sa production na palitan ang isang banda kasi sa isang linggo maaari pa makapagprepare ang magiging kapalit. Sa magiging kapalit, wag naman kayo magpapalineup kung hindi kayo sure. Maraming banda sa Indie Scene give way doon sa sure na makakatugtog. Baka instead makatulong kayo sa prod, mabuntungan pa kayo ng init ng ulo.
2. Humanap ng back-up sessionista:
-In case of emergency, halimbawa nahulugan ng paso sa ulo kabandmates niyo, dapat may sessionista kayong papalit sa kanya para tuloy ang gig at ang kasiyahan.
3. Iwasan ang dahilan na baluktot:
-pasensiya na hindi kami nakatugtog kasi “umuulan eh”, “ang layo eh”, “may pigsa ako eh”, “may ubo ako eh”,hmmm, ano pa ba? Tumahimik nalang kayo at magpasensiya tapos. Hindi rin naman makakatulong ang pagdahilan ng baluktot eh kaya magsinungaling nalang kayo ng magandang dahilan para pag nalaman ang katotohanan lalo pa masira ang pangalan ng banda niyo. May ibang banda tumutugtog kahit dapat magbackout na sila, (may lagnat, baha sa kanila, nahihimatay na, etc), kaya mahiya naman kayo sa kanila.
4. Tulungan ang production:
-Minsan hindi maiwasan ang biglaang backout. Sana sa rami mong friends na banda ay may mairecommend ka naman sa prod na magiging kapalit niyo. Naging anghel pa kayo sa Prod at ibang banda, ayos ba?
5. Sumuporta:
-"support" is an empty word unless you apply it with action. Support “Blah blah Prod”! tapos magbabackout ka at magsosorry lang. sa tingin mo sumuporta ka? Pag hindi natin maiwasan ang apat sa taas, sana ang ibang miyembro ng banda ay makilahok din sa event na iyon. Makakapanood ka na ng local talent (hindi yun puro foreign band lang pinapanood mo), magkakaroon ka pa ng bagong band friends at good vibes ka pa sa production. Para sa akin, mahirap suportahan ang isang banda kung sila nga hindi sumusuporta sa iba.
Para sa akin, ang pagbabackout ay isa sa mga dahilan, (maliban kung gusto mong gatasan ang mga banda, ibang usapan na yan), kung bakit nagkakaroon ng mga scum productions at mga production na sobrang rami magpalineup. Sabi nga ng tropa ko, “line up lang ng line up, may magbabackout naman diyan eh”. Paano pag walang nagbackout?
Sana sundin natin itong madadaling paalalang ito. Huwag natin hayaan ang mga production na gumagastos, nagaasikaso at nagsusumikap na ipalaganap ang bawat musika ng INDIE SCENE ay mawala dahil sa kawalan natin ng suporta at pakialam sa kanila. Huwag tayong maging sakim na puro tugtog at palineup lang ang ating nasa isip na pag dumating na magbackout tayo ay wala na tayong pakialam sa kanila.
Nandito ako ngayon para magbigay ng makabuluhang paksa kakaiba sa nauna kong artikulo dito. Ito ay sariling opinion lang at kung may reaksyon man, masaya ko kayong pauunlakan. Medyo mahaba pero aasahan ko na babasahin niyo ito at iinitindihin niyo mga nakasulat dito.
Ano nga ba ang labelling? Labelling ay isang paraan ng pagkilala sa isang bagay at mahiwalay ito sa iba. Kung walang labelling lahat ng bagay ay tatawagin nalang natin non-living things o kaya bagay lang. Imagine bibili ka sa tindahan, “Kuya pabili nga ng inumin yun hugis babae na kulay itim ang likido.” Di ba mahirap?
Sa musika ginagamit natin ito para malaman kung ano bang tugtugan nabibilang ang isang banda. Inilalabel natin ang banda o musika sa pamamagitan ng genre.
Sinong gumagawa ng labelling? Kahit sino pwede. Ngunit, nagkakaroon tayo ng mga “mislabelling” na hindi natin alam nakakaapekto sa pagiging edukado sa musika ng mga nakikinig at sa scene ng apektadong genre.
Eto ang mga hakbang para sa maayos na labelling:
1. Huwag maniwala sa iisang pinagmulan o “source”.
- Lalo na sa “mainstream sense of labelling”, wag basta basta tayong maniwala sa pinagsasabi nila. Hindi porket sinabi ni MTV na “punkrock” ang Blink 182 at “HeavyMetal” ang Metallica ay mananatili sila sa ganyan tugtugan o naging ganyan nga talaga ang tugtugan nila. Maswerte tayo sa panahon ngayon at may internet na pwede ka magtype sa Wikipedia o Google about sa paksa na gusto mong iresearch. Ngunit huwag ka lang babatay sa iisang “source”, titingnan mo rin ang citation na ginamit kung reliable ba ito. The many the sources, the better!
2. Alamin mo ang ugat!
- Parang batang hindi kilala ang magulang ganon inihahantuladang mga labellers sa ilalabel nilang kanta o banda na hindi alam ang ugat ng kanilang tugtugan.Lagi niyong tandaan bago maging Poppunk, Post hardcore, Death Metal, etc. ay may pinagmulan parin yan purong genre. Nasa inyo yan kung aalamin niyo. Kung wala kayong makitang ugat niyan, malamang gawa gawa lang yang genre na iyan.
3. Humingi ng tulong sa 10-20 na kritiko.
- Wala kang oras para magresearch? Humingi ka ng mga opinyon sa mga kritiko na maraming alam sa musikang gusto mong ihalintulad sa banda mo o sa paksa mo. Hangga’t maaari ay hindi magiging Bias ang opinyon nila para sa inyo. Humingi ka nga ng opinyon sa 20 taong kaibigan niyo pero pinangunahan niyo na “hardcore” kayo at hindi nila alam ang tunog ng hardcore malamang sasangayon yan. Ginawa niyo lang kalokohan ang sarili niyo at mga kaibigan niyo.
4. Mas mabuti ilabel ang kanta kaysa sa banda.
- Huwag kayong babatay sa genre ng banda ngunit suriin ang mga kanta nila. Sa pagiging creative ng isang banda, nahihiwalay na minsan ang tugtugan nila sa genre na kinabibilangan nila. Masama ba iyon? Hindi. Ngunit sa simpleng pagbabago ng tugtugan, dapat dagdagan o baguhin ng isang banda ang genre kinabibilangan nila. 311 ay isang halimbawa ng mixed genre na banda ngunit hindi ito naging hadlang para sila ay macriticize about doon. Hindi kasi sila claimers at hinahayaan nila ang mga kritiko ang humusga sa kanila.
5. “to label with standards or not to label at all”
- Kung hindi mo alam ang ginagawa mo, better yet manahimik ka nalang o hayaan ang iba ang humusga sa iyo. Parang pag nasira ang electric fan mo at hindi mo alam gawin, di ba pinapaayos mo ito sa may alam? Ganon din sa paglalabel. Kung hindi mo masunodsunod ang 4 na madadaling hakbang sa taas at wala kang mailagay sa band info mo, Ilagay mo nalang“a 5-piece band” , “playing rock and pop” o yun paborito kong linya ni Neyo “It is not rock, rnb, pop, trance. It is just good music.” Play safe di ba? Uulitin ko, “To label with standards or not to label at all”.
Bakit ko nagawa itong artikulong ito? Hindi para manghusga ngunit magkaroon ng batayan at gawing edukado ang mga banda at mga makikinig sa tamang tugtugan na gusto nila. Hindi porke’t pinabilis ay “punk”, hindi porke’t mangiyak-iyak ang boses ay “emo, hindi porke’t malaki boses ay “hardcore”, hindi porke’t upbeat ang gitara “reggae”, hindi porke’t may torotot “ska”, hindi porke’t mabigat “metal” at marami pang iba. At isa pa, hindi porket nakaporma ang isang tao ayon sa lifestyle ng genre na iyon ay ayon ang pinakikinggan niya. Sana ishare niyo ito at baguhin na natin ang maling pananaw na ito.
Naniniwala ako sa maayos na labelling lalong uusbong ang music scene sa Pilipinas lalo na ang mga scene na hindi nabibigyan ng pansin. Salamat sa pagbabasa. Any violent reactions? Sige lang! :)) Nasa labelling na rin naman tayo, pacritic yun banda naming TRIPLEHORNS. Salamat!
Music is so incredibly diverse, and in my opinion, that's what makes it such a beautiful entity. I treat music as if I were exploring a whole other world--or universe even, and I feel like I'll never quite cover it's entire topography. It's literally infinite.
Having said that, listening to different genres really requires open ears and most of all, an open mind. I have met too many people who are purists to "their" genre and I was once like that too. "Only Rock," I'd tell myself while scoffing at all the Pop listeners out there. But I later grew out of it, needing a break from distorted guitars and whatnot. Breaking out from the "purist" mindset helped myself both as a person and as a musician.
As of now, I'm the worst person to ask about favorite genres or bands. I simply have no answer. My head goes into overload from over-processing all the things I've listened to and I answer with a long "Uuuummmm.." instead. I'm not too good with specifics (haha).
Listening to practically everything opens your mind to, well, everything (forgive the redundancy) and I think this is exactly what listeners and musicians nowadays need. Open-mindedness. Then maybe every damn thing wouldn't sound the same.
In my opinion, being a listener comes before being a musician. We have to take in what we hear and let it soak in, whether good or bad. And as a musician, you'll learn how to apply it one way or another and be something progressive. Because the music industry needs progress, not things that we've all seen/heard before. Strive to be different.
Even if you aren't a musician, you'll find that broadening your music preferences even just a tiny bit does wonders to your soul, and even your mind. You learn about different people, beliefs, cultures. It's amazing how much you gain and where you could end up. Also, I think it's important that listeners be open-minded (even more so than the musicians) because in the end, you're the people we musicians are clearly trying to impress. And frankly, if you don't like it, then we're out of business.
This whole topic was extremely difficult to write about so I apologize for being so scatterbrained. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure you'll understand what I mean if you try it out. Let me tell you, it's amazing what music you'll find if you just look. There are tons of songs/bands to listen to on YouTube alone, and with the added websites which are purely dedicated to music, you're pretty much all set. Good luck.
By the way, here's a link to a little inspiration.
I’ve been a fan of Punk pop for years now and still I haven’t been able to get over this simple yet fun genre of music. Yes, this type of music tends to be a little bit uncomplicated and very easy to learn. But the Up side of it is the music is really fun to play. It is described to be catchy but they still retain the speed and aggressiveness of classic punk rock. Laced with heavy guitar riffs, pulsating bass lines and relentless drum beats, punk pop has acquired its poppy side as well seen in its lyrics.
Punk pop has its origin entwined with punk rock music from the States. Punk pop has its minions and supporters in the Philippines. Acts like Boy Elroy, The Ambassadors and Hilera are some of the noticeable bands that are somewhat categorized in this genre and has stood the test of time. Growing from the pinoy punk scene in the 80’s and 90’s, punk pop has garnered new blood this new age to rock the shit out of all of us!
The band started with vocalist Remar Sabangan and Guitarist/Vocalist Adrian Balagot wanted to form a band that has a new and refreshing sound aside from what they are used to like. Only problem is they needed some recruits. Enter drummer Niko Tolipas. Niko was a former bandmate of Remar back in high school. Then Migz De Guzman, bassist, join the wacky group on June 2009 to form the band. Their songs are mainly about their personal experiences and some of their friends and people they are with. Although their songs are about hardship and about misery, the band opted to stay fast paced! Every member of Redlightgo has their contribution in writing and making music. Team work is a must in this gang. With noticeable influences like Fall Out Boy, All American Rejects, Eraserheads and Mayonaise, the band is determined to live out their dream! A 4 song performance by Redlightgo requires you to jump up and down to their music as the band methodically rock out on stage.
The band will have you asking for more upon playing their song “Telepono”. It is about a person who has a transparent relationship with someone over the phone. The person wants to talk about his or her feelings for the person on the other line. Uncertain that the act of confronting the feelings for the later, the person is confused by the actions that the other person is showing.
Another song from this band is a cover of an old Donna Cruz song “Kapag Tumibok Ang Puso”. The band overhauled the song to fit their liking giving it a Redlightgo make over!
This band was formed in June of 2008. Starting as a bunch of friends was the backbone support of this band. Even though the band itself took the stabs of changes in their lineup, still it goes forth hitting the right spots and making a mark in the music scene with their own taste of tunes. Start It Up! Is composed of guitarists Marvin Zamora and Robin James Medina, Drummer Benjo Criste and Synth player Hanna Acabado. Often times Redlightgo’s Remar Sabangan take turns at manning the guitars for this group.
The band goes for their unique style of music that is composed of catchy punk tunes with crazy synths on the side. Taken from their influences (All Time Low, New Found Glory, Four Year Strong), the band mostly creates their own mix and boastfully calls it their own. With fast beats and guitar infused songs, who will not be bewildered by the talent and camaraderie of these talented youths? The secret of this band is giving all they got in every performance to give you a show you won’t forget
Their song “Its You Game Over” is the best example for their musical diversity. With hard kicking guitar parts and those non-stop synths, the band delivers!
The band mixes it up with their tagalong song “Bantay”. The band continues to shred and hits up with undying guitar riffs! Simple yet straightforward lyrics makes this song so catchy and will make your head bop to the beat.
Low and behold the 3 piece band The Triplehorns. Formed in mid 2010, this punk pop group is heavily influenced by punk bands from the States, U.K. and also from local punk groups here at the Philippines. What started as a 5 piece college band bloomed and shed some members to form this group. Their transition from being a 5 piece band to a 3 piece is very complicated actually and very mixed up. Vocalist and bassist Jan Echano was their former drummer. The inexorable Jaime Castro was their vocalist then but she is now their drummer. Bryan Mangabang, although being the rhythm guitarist back then is now doing a solo job at the guitars.
At first, the guys are in it just for the heck of it and just having fun. But unknowingly they knew then and there that its not just having fun, it is their passion to be the best at what they do. Not just to be the best, but to be responsible musicians which we should all become. They even quoted, “Kung gusto nyong sumikat at yumaman, mag show band kayo o kaya naman mag dance crew at sumali sa Show Time.” They would rather stay as Brand X, simple yet real, brave yet responsible.
Currently, the band’s first Demo Album “Herbal Tae” has been released last May, 2011 with 4 original songs Nowhere, Change, Alone in Pairs, and their first single TAE (yes, you read that right!) You can listen to these songs on their official band page or just ask a copy of the album (if you wish to) and they’ll hand it to you willingly for FREE.
Most of their songs are about how they see, criticize and make fun about life and society. They have fast paced verses, sing able choruses and silly lyrics (sometimes), with tunes that are likeable that you won’t notice they’re singing about criticisms of life unless you listen well.
Persistence of artistic success, persistence of commercial failure
In the West, a band's history is often measured by its level of media mileage, tours, record deals, album sales, controversies, and etc.. Blood of the Stone surely won't pass basing on these standards in its three year history. But it has a story to tell.
Cebu - Rock n' Roll Periphery
The island of Cebu, in the first place, is not a good place to start a paying career as an artist musician. Although it is a city, it doesn't have the machineries to sustain an independent music scene. Most of its bands replicate their albums through burning not pressing. There is no local paper that writes mainly about music. Normally, Cebu's music activity is seasonal. Most concerts happen during college intramural season ( August - September), Octoberfest, and Sinulog Festival(January).
The picture began to slowly change in late 2005 when Bisrock (Visayan Rock) rose and dominated the local scene. Thanks to local station, Smash FM, for earnestly promoting music sung in Visayan. The broadcasting of Bisrock, however, has no quality control that even garage quality demos often get airplays which draws criticism from discriminate listeners. Although chaotic in its infancy, Bisrock is still a promising movement with musicians working in progress. Blood of the Stone is a proud participant of Bisrock.
Brief History and of Love Crime Calligraphy
Blood of the Stone is the concept of college dropout, mail clerk, janitor, usher, teacher assistant, artist, musician, and poet Eric Goden Lomocso. In the spring of 2003 in Los Angeles, California he recorded a three song demo with bassist Tobar. The meaningful musical partnership lasted 5 months. Under heavy economic pressure and stress from the fast time pace of LA, Lomocso decided to fly back for good to Cebu, Philippines in November to continue working on his idea.
The rock scene in the West overcrowded with bands could not care much if a two month old band had played 8 original songs in its first gig. In Cebu, however it is a record worth noting for no band has done it, yet, in the island's rock history. Lomocso did not express much pride over the so-called new record, because it only made him realize Cebu's cultural depression which will give him serious problems by the end of 2004.
In March 2004, the 11-track album, Love Crime Calligraphy was recorded with Alexter Sopsop on the bass and Eduard Tompong on the drums. Amidst of the fatigue, fever, and infected throat Lomocso was suffering from, the album was nonetheless completed in 8 hours. For the record, Love Crime is a highly technical album recorded at raw punk rock speed. Three weeks later, it was mixed and mastered by Kerryl Demeterio. It was music instructor, Christopher Racal, that got BOTS a recording session at Backyard, playing the implicit role as the catalyst for putting the band on the map in just a short time. Cebu was unaware that there was a new band with avant-gardist aim moving underground.
Lomocso gave a copy of Love Crime to local labels, Indie Culture Records and Lighter Records but was not received well for reasons only the labels knew. In August 2004, Smash FM started playing several tracks from the album such as: Ninth Life, Bad Love, One Way, Love Crime Calligraphy, & Momentarily. BOTS slowly gained an underground following. Other stations followed airing BOTS songs two years later. Cebuano painter, Andrew Barba commented on Love Crime as "truly a work of art". The album remains under recognized today.
Bisrock - An Infantile Musical Disorder
Kill all the critics. Or let them compose their own songs. Seriously, that's not even the issue now. What is important is the young's burgeoning interest to make songs in their own language. That is for me magical. Every now and then, there will be some of them who'll be dishing out songs with a literary flair. In fact, that's happening now. Literary value and grammar? Oh, hell, let the critics reread Frank Sinatra or Air Supply.
-- Januar E. Yap, Cebuano writer (on his defense of Bisrock)
Visayan rock music has already existed back in the early '70s. A blues rock band named Leon Kilat( Lion Lightning) probably was the first to sing in local language. Unfortunately, the band had no recorded material which virtually left them unknown. Their former members probably had their songs recorded on cassette tape. Twenty years later, their songs were finally popularized by a reggae band that called itself Jr. Kilat.
In the '80s, a local music store organized a long series of concerts called Local Ground. The trend that it set was not to uplift the Visayan culture but a blind assimilation to Western rock. Playing the latest rock hits from Europe and America dominated the mindset. It was normal forSweet Child of Mine to be covered by 5 bands on the same event. Bands during that time did not pay much importance to singing in Cebuano, although some did play a metal version ofBaleleng, an old folk song.
Local Ground evolved into Showground in the '90s. A local radio station, DYRT, produced Brown Under Ground Sound(BUGS), a program that promoted original local rock music. BUGS, also, organized many huge concerts during that decade. The '90s was like Cebu's Golden Age of concerts. Scrambled Eggs was probably the first band to play an all-Visayan original repertoire several years before the word Bisrock was popularized. Sadly, greed and lack of artistic vision by the organizers provided the scene a shaky foundation, which led to Showground and BUGS's collapse in the late '90s.
The consequences of the two scenes' recklessness and demise left a profound impact on the remaining survivors. Some of them express skepticism on Bisrock as merely a fad that it will just fall like the ones in the '90s. Bisrock, however, is more of a youthful musical experience not a low-cultured production like Showground and BUGS.
There has been a revival of concerts ever since Smash FM started airing Visayan rock music in 2005. Bands in the '90s, with very few exceptions, mostly play covers in English. Bands nowadays could play up to 10 original Visayan songs. Present Bisrock, although highly criticized for its predominant novelty and puppy love theme songs with pop flavoring, still can not be denied as the phenomenon that has given Cebu a fresh start. Had it not for the predecessors' mishandling of the scene two decades ago, the situation right now would not have been this messy.
Vigilante - Lomocso's Bisrock Bullet
Masked authority, name your price, let's make a deal
before you go on with your terrorizing
for we need more criminals
so the judicial system could grow.
-- Vigilante (translated from Cebuano)
Lomocso has already written songs in Cebuano as far back as 1997. He used to sing his poem, Dalan sa Kaminyoon (Road to Marriage) at San Francisco State University's The Depot during open mic sessions. A couple more lyrics fusing gothic and tropical imageries were written few years later. Lomocso did not fully realize, yet, the importance of his underground Rock en Español experience in LA in the years to come. Its application now has become invaluable in his contribution to Visayan culture.
In September 2005, Vigilante was written days after someone was executed in the open at dawn nearby Lomocso's place. Three masked men shot their victim who was a known petty thief from a neighboring barrio. The occurrence was just one of the countless killings done by paramilitary and vigilante groups all over the country. The death squads' primary targets are activists, outspoken journalists, and ex-convicts. The local and national government keeps a sinister kind of "neutrality" as the body count rises.
In this kind of reality the song struck a raw nerve in the mass audience. Vigilante's brutally sarcastic lyrics and offbeat acoustic rhythm earned Lomocso a Bob Dylan-like status in the scene. The feedback that Lomocso has received from the audience strengthens his belief that it only takes a heart, guts, imagination, and an acoustic guitar to conquer Cebu by music and use it to address social ills to affect changes. Lomocso calls it art with social responsibility.
Preliminary Conclusion
Three years have passed and Blood of the Stone remains an underrated rock act in the Philippines. Its low profile kind of mass popularity in Cebu is not the fetishism that glamorous indie bands in the West receive from their exclusive fans. Blood of the Stone does not fit in the typical rock band success story whether indie or major. Instead it has earned local popularity somewhat comparable to 19th century troubadours before the invention of the phonograph. Most Bisrock listeners identify BOTS with the single, Vigilante, not with the concept album,Love Crime Calligraphy. It is a rock act with western avant-garde aesthetics fallen victim to Third World politics and economics. However, the internet has made BOTS' case accessible worldwide to those few who would take the time to read, giving its music a fighting chance from being completely forgotten. Locally, Bisrock has given Lomocso cultural solace from his setbacks, to keep him hopeful about the future.
Written from a third person point of view by Lomocso himself from October 28th to November 2nd, 2006
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If you have news and
anything about your
band, please post it here. If you
want your demos/EP/album
reviewed, holler at us! Anything
about the underground scene.
Let's support each other and keep
the industry alive. :) ask us
anything at FormSpring
