Biography of Blood of the Stone (Eric Goden Lomocso) A quick history of the Cebu Music Scene

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

http://www.myspace.com/bloodofthestone/blog/194930600

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-Goden-Lomocso-Music-Foundation/321241165374

Easy as do re mi

It may sound cliché but yes everything can be studied and learned if you have the drive and the conviction to pursue something. I wasn’t born with with a good singing voice but I grew up in a world of music. Having the chance to hear records playing at my dads phonograph every morning was a big part of my childhood. I sang as early as I could remember. I learned music far more easier than reading or writing, but I was nasal. 

My parents noticed that I enjoyed singing a lot and that I a could carry a tune but the problem is i sound nasal at times. I didn’t know how to breathe correctly while singing, so they decided that id take voice lessons and they enrolled me at a program. I enjoyed the lessons I had even at a tender age I understood that the talent that was given to me by God should be treated as a craft and that I should hone it and improve in the best way that I can. 

I joined a lot of singing contests as much as I could before to observe and to put to action the things that Ive learned from my mentors. You see learning is a never ending process and by that I meant all things that there is out there that we can learn and not just subjects at school. 

I discovered at the age of 12 that I can write songs, that inspiration just comes to me like a voice calling in my head. I knew that it was another blessing from God. I had a hard time finishing my songs though because I didn’t know how to play the piano and so I picked up my dad's guitar and tried to learn how to play it.. It was hard at the beginning but I was really determined to learn and now that I know how to play basic guitar chords, it helps me a lot with my songwriting. Ive been honing it since then..hence, I have written for a commercial and films already.

Right now I know how to play the guitar, drums, harmonica and the xylophone. What could be next? Maybe the flute? Maybe you could start trying other instruments too. Whatever floats your boat. Being a beginner maybe hard but I know you can be better or even great! Right?

I get a lot of comments that my voice sounds so small and I accept and regard that fact. One thing that I can share about learning and I may say that it’s the best thing and the most significant that Ive learned so far is that Ive learned to accept who I am..i have learned to embrace my uniqueness. 

So if your at school, at work or any other place and you find that learning is hard. Remember that you have got to have faith in yourself. In the back of your mind, it maybe hard but you can turn things around, believe that you can make it! 

Easy as learning Do re mi…


Check out my band Persephone over the web and catch our shows!

Musicians: Blue Collared Artists

"Saan napupunta yung mga sweldo mu? Ilang buwan ka ng nagta trabaho wala ka pa ringnaiipon? Puro ka kasi kalokohan eh, sinasayaang mu yung pinagpapaguran mu sa mgakalokohan mu."

I can still remember my Mother telling me that I needed to use my money on more important things. Yes, I know they wouldn't and probably wouldn't understand that being a musician or in a band really requires money, lots of it actually. It got me thinking that yea, with my meager income I should have saved or invested my money on things that will benefit me most in the future. But heck, did I care? Hell no!

When I started working I made a list of things that I want to buy when I have the money already. The list includes things like Zoom B2, a Behringer DI, guitar strap, a better gigbag, D'Addario bass strings and a pedalboard. It never hit me that all of these stuff are band related, until my mother saw it, preached the importance of saving for the future and me thinking about how I could get this stuffs.

Being a musician requires dedication, perseverance, passion and yes, money. Being a member of a band requires gears; guitars, effects and stompboxes, cymbals and the common miscellaneous like drum sticks, a set of guitar strings, guitar picks and straps. And these things aren't for free. Quality guitars would cost you about three thousand to as much as thirty thousand, depending on the brand and type. Drum sets, cymbals, skins and even drumsticks costs much too. Gigs and events requires moolah too and of course there are still occasional expenses like fare expenses and food. These are the things that most people who are not in the music scene couldn't understand; a lot of underground artists who are not that famous are struggling to acquire their gears, through blood, sweat and tears, literally. Though some of us might have day jobs, it's still not enough and this is where a true musician rises.

We are not payed for all our efforts just to be able to play in an event. We are not given fares to far away venues and places. We are not sponsored costly promotions, gears and instruments. We might not earn like engineers or doctors or lawyers or those big name bands that brings home a couple of thousand bucks after playing for a three song set. We are musicians who plays with love, passion and pure dedication. We are musicians who struggles through adversities to make our music echo a little louder. We are musicians who makes the most out of everything. I guess being heard and appreciated is a better way of repaying us. It might not buy us top caliber gears but I'm sure it would give a boost to our dedication, to spread our music and help each other. That is the job of a musician.

Thanks for reading this piece of thought. BTW I am Rica and I play bass for the awesome boys of Dubdriven (yes, I'll call them awesome because they're my bandmates. talk about biases huh? :D). Let's continue supporting the underground scene and spread the music!

Soil & Green Band Review

I remember a few years back. My band was invited to play in a place nearby our office. The bar? Dayo. Back then Dayo bar was a haven for bands to play their music. I arrived early as usual and I noticed as time goes by that few people got there in time. There is this one gentleman who I saw eating by the table alone. Instinctively I thought that he was in a band to. I wasn’t wrong. He was part of a band that played that night right after us. The band? Soil & Green. I really liked their songs then. I remember myself unknowingly banging my head to every beat the band made. In short I really enjoyed their music.

Present time. Got to hear them yet again in Genre Bar a couple of weeks ago. Still the brilliance and energy never left the band. I think they played new songs now. The guitars are always in sync and played hand in hand with each other. Drums were relentless. Bass was ear candy for me and played all through my mind like it was lingering back there. Vocals were so much mature now compared to what I remember last time I saw them played. Now the question is does these things also transpired through their self titled album.. boy was I not disappointed.

I listened to 3 songs from their album and found myself head banging to this music that the band created and the majesty of the instruments that played so well together. The guitars on the tracks are not that simple to play yet the band seemed to do this with ease and finesse. I can easily tell their influence on their songs because on some parts you could hear the incubus-filled music. Although the band put their best on making their own style. You could hear that also on several parts of the songs.

Run is a monster song. The intro just sucks you into it and you find yourself waiting for every beat. I like the fact that the band decided to differentiate the verse parts from the chorus parts by not sticking on the main tone of the song. Hence the chorus has a different feel to in compared to the verse. Lyrics as what I have heard was straight forward in this song. Just in your face.

Gullible was just easy listening on the start. But just wait for the chorus and be lead to a mix of ambient guitars. Still I can’t get over the fact that the bass was still lingering on the back of the song just pumping on every beat that the drums make. Drums on the other hand was changing and changing within the song. The cool thing about that is you’ll never get tired of it.

The next song was so hyped up on the start but was lead into a bass heaven of a verse. Guitars are just like the rest of the songs, ambient and mind blowing. Vocals were just like a young Brandon Boyd waiting to rock out the crowd. Although I think vocals are much better live on this song. All in allConundrum I think is the bands heaviest song apart from the two above. I like the part when I can hear screaming in the background. I never expected that.

Soil & Green’s self titled album is a mix of easy listening yet a heavy rock out album. The band was so talented to mix the two together and is heard on every song. Shown in every song are straight forward lyrics muttered through a powerful voice  and drumbeat driven songs coupled with menacing yet subtle guitars plus bass lines that can catch and caress ones ear is without a shawdow of a doubt,Soil & Green…

Confessions Of A Singer In Hiatus

As I parked my car along the curb, I noticed that the scene was not what I had expected.  The place was calm as if deserted. We arrived earlier than the call time, excited maybe but I guess that's how we were trained as courtesy to the organizers.  As we were about to check out the place named after the underworld, we saw that the gates were still locked and there was nobody around.  All the excitement hyped by the long hours of practice and the feeling of being to perform again suddenly dipped to a low.  Where are all the people?  Was this just a scam?  What the hell are we going to do with all these energy? All these questions raced through my mind. I calmed down when our guitarist said that the organizer texted us that we were just early and we'll just wait for the other performers to arrive. So we decided to linger and wait for the other bands to come. 

In a few minutes, people with guitars, equipments and the like, trickled in and where approaching us.  A few cars also parked alongside us.  And one person asked us if we were there for the gig, as if measuring us when he quipped "tutogtog din kayo?"  I admit, we don't carry the persona of "a rock band", our band looked so "ordinary".  Anyhow, we just answered the "rocker dude" with a simple nod.   A few minutes after, the "possible" owner of the joint below the place told us "parating na yung magbubukas niyan."  Suddenly, a long-haired man came opening the "gates of hell".  We went up the stairs leading to a room that was screaming with darkness. The walls were painted black, only a few lighted sections illuminated the place.  There was this spotlight on the center stage, but the place was really creepy.  The loud music coming from the sound system kept the feverish feeling of a natural high in us.  The different bands occupied the seats and the then empty room is now filled with smokers making the air damp, stale smelling.  Almost all of the people in the place were members of different bands and only handfuls were guests.  Fortunately, we had some friends to back us up in case nobody would cheer for us.  

At last, the first band where asked to set up.  The brave ones usually start up first, and the late ones end up playing last. The first band was good, took a lot of time to sound check though.  The next band was different; they look and sound more professional, spiels where automatic.  The front man kept on mentioning their facebook page.  The next band was even better.  Hands down to their guitarist! Soon, we were the next to perform; I snapped out from my spectator mode and prepped for the performance.  My day job made me go AWOL from the music scene and it has been quite some time since I held a microphone and sang in front of an unfamiliar crowd.  I had butterflies in my stomach, I tried to recall the lyrics of the song and felt it was useless, since I may forget them if I just use my head instead of feeling the music.  So I just let these emotions pass and tuned my guitar.  

We stepped on the small stage and the spot light kept me safe from the faces of the crowd.  I told myself; at least I won't be seeing their reactions.  I looked like a newbie, as I fumbled with the cord of my guitar and forgot to attach the cord to the distortion.  It took quite some time for us to prep, which is a no-no for any performer. The tension rose and rose, my palms where sweating, and I can't hear myself.  I calmed down, took the mic and introduced the band.  Then we played! It was not as awesome, but I appreciate how the crowd reacted. Egging us with their applause, as if saying "it's okay, good job!" I felt more relaxed, the crowd was so supportive.  I know that it was not our best performance, but they still cheered for us. I suddenly realized, this is the Indie crowd we're talking about.  Bands support each other, everybody is given respect.  I smiled and realized, the baptism of fire is over.  We must rock the house in our next songs, and we did! The hunger to perform and to live the music again is now quenched.  But like vampires with the first taste of blood, “we want more!”

Chronicles of a Frustrated Musician

 

I woke up one sunny morning with “Tindahan ni Aling Nena” yelling on air. It was my eldest sister who played that trusty UltraElectroMagneticPop! cassette tape. I joined her by singing, “Wala… wala… ahh… ahh… oh Diyos ko!”.

I was glued on MTV Asia. One afternoon, the VJs announced that there’d be a contest for youngsters who have a band and original compositions. Suddenly, I remembered that I wrote my very first song entitled “Still Young”. So upon arriving in school, I asked two of my best buddies to help me form a band. “I’ll be the keyboardist”, I initiated. We planned and planned but we never really joined the contest. Wyrd won. Lucky them.

Those were the blast-from-the-past scenes from the 90’s. Fast forward to 2000 and counting.

I began to enjoy listening and appreciating different genres. Blame my siblings (and my parents too) for all these musical influences. I began to ponder and wonder what would happen if I’d be a musician someday.

When I started living independently in Manila, I began to explore the world of rock ‘n roll. I would stay through the mosh pits of a free concert in Marikina. I’d probably be seen lurking at Sunken Garden while waiting for the performance of some of my favorite underground bands in U.P. Fair. Sometimes, I’d splurge my allowance and follow my favorite bands in their mall tours and bar gigs. When I got close to a local ska group, it was then when I started to realize the ups-and-downs, good-and-bad rock ‘n roll lifestyle. I guess, it’s never easy at all. One should be dedicated to his craft in order to survive the scene.

From that insight, I still wished to be in a band. I sometimes daydream on beating the drums ala Raimund M. or playing the piano like Billy Corgan. I also like to be that violinist on Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” fame. But I think I will not be one. Will never be one. I’m just a frustrated musician.

This year has been the start of my so-called true “rocking” career. I was not just exposed to the true underground local scene; I also befriended some of the best people of this world. Yes, I am still not a musician. I help out in spreading the music of my friends’ band as well as the other indie bands whose music I appreciate. That’s all.

Then, I began to reflect on my “goal”. So, what if I’m not that musician who plays on stage? What if I am not that person who wows the audience? I now think otherwise. I can sing “Five Chocolate Cakes in the Baker Shop” in order for my pre-school students to learn counting. I can also sing “Twinkle, twinkle, little star” when these kids need to rest. Yeah, I think, that is what I really am. A MUSICIAN BY HEART.

Café Antonio Sessions: Building Hometown Confidence in Los Baños

·         The wholesome, natural union of the celestial and the organic can only be witnessed in one special place: the coffee shop. It is where we experience music (the celestial) and coffee (the organic) inevitably married and intertwined producing caffeinated offspring in the often obscure form of musicians and music fans.

·         When Café Antonio, Los Banos was founded three years ago by my friends and I, music was already a strong driving force behind our business philosophy. Aside from making and preparing, great, artisan espresso-based beverages (we’re professional baristas) we made it a point that people would come to our place and listen to music that’s not being played on mainstream radio. That’s where our café’s image kind of revolved around in. Rotating local and foreign indie artists on our painstakingly-customized and researched playlists provided us an awesome soundtrack that helped solidify our quirky, free-spirited, Do-It-Yourself image setting us apart from the more corporate-looking and quiet cafes in our small university town.

·         We used to have a 37 square meter café where we crammed art exhibits, poetry readings, gigs, and monologues. It was easy to fill up the place with people, we get thirty standing people inside, and then it’s a party. Now that we’ve moved to a bigger place in LB Square, we were given room to conceptualize and formalize our artistic contribution to our community in the form of Café Antonio Sessions.

·         Café Antonio Sessions was the brainchild of me and my friends Eric Soliven and Jegar delos Reyes. Taking inspiration from AOL Sessions, Levi’s Pioneer Sessions, Paste Presents, VH1 Storytellers, MTV Unplugged, and acoustic nights at the now defunct Kofiholics Anonymous (where Eric and I used to play on our respective bands), we decided to start our own music scene at Café Antonio.

·         Café Antonio Sessions held its first gig at Café Antonio, Los Banos in July 3, 2010 featuring Eric and vocalist, Lenard Gabriel of indie rock band, LIME, and me and Gelo Arboleda of our acoustic punk band, Juniper Face the Corner. After three intimate acoustic gigs, Calamba/Los Banos-based OPM rock band, Yield Avenue, joined in the group. Soon afterward, UPLB-based artists such as singer-songwriter, Gabes Torres, and dance rock quartet, Segatron became our first student recruits forming the core of our roster of artists. New bands Sweet Symphony, Sitting on a Cornflake, and Pathway are our newest recruits.

·         I was able to sit down with each of the bands and ask them about their involvement with Café Antonio and Café Antonio Sessions, and their thoughts about the music scene in our hometown of Los Banos.

·         ON INVOLVEMENT WITH CAFÉ ANTONIO AND CAFÉ ANTONIO SESSIONS

·         Francis “Khitz” Contemplacion of Yield Avenue: I had no idea na mahilig sa music ang mga barista doon. Nalaman ko lang ang café through Sherwin Felicidario (one of Cafe Antonio’s regular customers) kasi ginamit nila (College of Development Communication, UPLB) yung song namin na Tungkol sa Pangarap for the indie film, Limang Pasko. And then ginawan namin ng tribute video ang Café Antonio gamit ang song namin na Hanggang Dulo bilang pasasalamat. Nagkataon na may shooting din sa cafe ang NHK channel ng Japan, narining nila yung song naming tapos ginamit nila sa documentary na ginawa nila for Café Antonio. Bale, dun nagsimula ang involvement ko sa Café Antonio.

 

·         Gelo Arboleda of Juniper Face the Corner: High school palang ako tambay na ko ng café. Nagustuhan ko dun kasi same wave-length, at artsy-fartsy ang crew dun sa café. Dream ko kasi yung setting na may café tapos parang may jazz na atmosphere, yung chill lang. Nawala yung career ko sa music nung nag-college, na-revive lang uli nung nag-jam kami ni Kuya Jabez. Tapos dahil sa musical similarities namin, binuo namin ang Juniper Face the Corner for the first Sessions.

·         Christian Gonzales of Segatron: Once lang ako nakapasok dun sa old site. Nakita ko maraming tao tapos may gitara sa loob. First time ko talaga sa Café Antonio sa new site na sa LB Square nung nag-gig ang Segatron nung Café Antonio Sessions VIII. After nun nakahanap na kami ng bagong tatambayan.

·         Eric Soliven of LIME: Gusto lang tumugtog ni Lenard Gabriel. Kaya nung July 3 nag-gig kami with Juniper Face the Corner. Pa-jam-jam lang yun. First gig namin as LIME nung Female Artists Tribute Night na, kasama na kapatid ko si Ian at drummer naming si Maya Miranda.

 

·         GabesTorres: First time ko manood nung Sessions nung third gig, Dave Matthews Band Tribute Night. Sinama ako nung friend ko na si Marisse Bautista tapos sinabi nya kanila Kuya Jabez na marunong ako kumanta tapos pinakanta nila ko tapos niyaya nila ko mag-gig. Dun na-rekindle yung desire ko tumugtog uli.

·         THOUGHTS ON THE GROWTH OF CAFÉ ANTONIO SESSIONS AND THE LOS BANOS MUSIC SCENE

·         Gelo: Sa music itself, may potential ang bawat banda. Yung growth ng Sessions napaka-sporadic at medyo unstable pa in the sense na parang masyado pang mabilis ang mga pangyayari at dumadami ang mga gigs at mga artists na sumasali.  But ang goal nga ng Sessions is ma-share natin ang ating music at tulungan ang mga artists sa Los Banos na mag-grow. Yung pagiging organized representation of a music community ng Sessions ang may kapangyarihan mag-connect sa mga artists dito.

·         Khitz: Passion ng bawat isa ang kelangan, musicians, photographers, videographers, fans…as long as may support ng ibang tao may future ang Sessions. Pero ang cycle nga ng music ay napaka-unpredictable. Di kakagat agad ang mga tao, kelangan ng matinding influence. Maraming gusto makibagay, marami din gusto maiba.

·         Ian Soliven of LIME: Medyo humina ang music scene dati sa Los Banos. Nabawasan din ang mga nagko-concert sa loob at labas ng campus. Mahirap kasi maraming residential areas satin, di pwede mag-ingay masyado. Problema din kasi wala din confidence ang mga taga-ELBI na tumugtog dito kasi may connotation na baka “tayo-tayo” lang yung manonood. Kaya dati lumuluwas pa kami ng dati kong banda sa Manila para mag-gig. Bihira din kasi yung mga bars na papayagan ka tumugtog ng mga original compositions mo. Ang sa tingin ko ay kelangan muna ma-establish ang music scene dito bago tayo lumabas. Problem kasi masyado tayo nagre-refer sa mga music scene sa labas. Kelangan muna natin magtiwala at mag-build ng confidence sa Los Banos.