Backout!

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 10  araw, 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.

Any violent reactions, visit our page Triplehorns. Check out also INDIE BAND NEWS, Green Apple Production, and many bands in the Indie Scene. 

Labelling

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 inihahantulad  ang 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!

Everything

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. 

http://www.youtube.com/user/LaBlogotheque

If you have time please visit my band Lalangin! Catch us at our shows and enjoy our music live!

Punk Pop Nowadays!

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!

Redlightgo!

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!

http://rakista.com/RedLightGO/music/view/kapag-tumibok-ang-puso-donna-cruz-cover/

Start It Up!

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!

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_6836567

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.

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_6836687

The Triplehorns

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.

http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_songs/1455832