that was great!

buzz night started off pretty slow but ended with a bang.

from an outsider's perspective, asprin really rocked. we couldn't hear all the little flubs you made, and if we did, we didn't care. it was amazing. napanis nga kaming lahat dun. to think you guys hadn't even played together in 4 years. that performance was incredible. i think the people present thought it was worth the wait. you guys really were meant to play together... you did so as a unit. tsaka biglang tumaas ang respeto ko kay kerwin hehehe...

by the way, i took the liberty of attaching the aspirin pic to the last entry. here are some other pics os candyaudioline and two bands i hadn't shot before:


candyaudioline [kumpleto kami diyan... natakpan si roel]



buzz veteran carnival park



newcomer poopoo vox

i think poopoo vox has improved since our gig at freedom bar but i didn't like their last song. too grunge. anyhow, i'm glad they were tight last night.

hope candy has a last gig before work/school starts in january...

aspirin at last... after 4 years of waiting

hello everyone...

first of all, i would like to thank all the bands who played in this month's buzz night (despite it being on a sunday), and to all those present, thanks for giving us your ears, precious time and hard earned money... this is one buzz night that i will truly remember and cherish because of the fact that my old band "aspirin" (original members--- me, kerwin, kelvin and allan chua--- intact) did play... after 4 years of waiting...

here's an account of what transpired last night...

9:15pm, me and selena arrived at mayrics. already there were roel and ralph... played "the meeting places" cd then followed by a malory (not here...) cd. omnie from 5 leaves asked me if he could have the malory cd, i said "ok". gilbert (former SPK drummer, now a member of a very popular mainstream band) paid us a surprise visit followed by Lara (SPK bassist)which gave me an idea to include Soft Pillow Kisses in the line-up. soon after, members of other bands arrived...

10:15pm, only candyaudioline was complete but ayn didn't want candy to play first so selena and i decided to let SPK play first... gilbert was so surprised when he learned that he would be playing drums for us. he begged me not to but, knowing gilbert very well, i insisted and threatened him. soft pillow kisses played only three songs but was enough to kick off a somewhat lazy sunday buzz night... candyaudioline followed soon after. i think we did very well (as usual) inspite of a very limited volume level brought about by the venue's failing PA system...

carnival park followed (i went outside to see if Allan Chua - aspirin drummer had already arrived, fuck wala pa 11pm na! pasok ako ulit...). i was a bit excited to see them once more but last night's performance was a bit of a let down. aside from the vocalist being a bit under the weather, a few things were missing especially in the guitar and keyboard department of carnival park. i hope they can do something about this soon. sunsetdrive came next. they played a very inspired set in spite of having an absent member...

my science project followed. (i went out again to check if some of my aspirin bandmates arrived already. Ayos, allan chua was there so with much excitement, i texted kerwin - bassist, and kelvin rosete - guitarist- that allan was aready there... alam nyo ba sagot nila? "hindi daw sila pwede" ayos parang nagunaw bigla ang mundo ko, pero d ako sumuko. i texted them repeatedly... still no answer. so i decided to go in again...) honestly i don't like this band. trying hard yung pagka - indiepop nila. some of my bandmates say that they sound like a raw version of superminty (one member being a former minty dummer and wannabe vocalist). actually 2 of the songs sounded like very lame variations of soft pillow kisses' "it will never last (forever)". there was even one song in which 3 of my soft pillow songs could be sung with it... although the last two songs they played that night was pretty decent. maybe i'll find some time to give this band some guidance, saying din kasi. konti na nga lang kami tapos tatablahin ko pa. five leaves left followed... i went out during their set but was able to hear them from outside... (i received a messge from kerwin na gagawa raw sya ng paraan which somewhat helped me lighten up a bit pero walang text from kelvin... i told allan na mukhang malabo but i still kept my fingers crossed...) this is a three piece band that produces a very thick guitar oriented sound, the first 2 songs they played caught my attention but the following songs were a bit __________. i hope that the malory cd that omnie got from me could influence him a bit... poopoovox came in next and played a very tight set. the first few songs were quite good and very fresh in a geek rock sense. (i texted kerwin and kelvin for the last time telling them that there was only one band remaining and begged them to come... after a few minutes, kelvin replied saying that they were on their way... grabe, di ko ma describe yung saya ko that moment so i informed allan chua and selena, natuwa rin sila...)

tether came in next. what can i say? the band is really very good and the songs are really top quality live!!! walang stir... one of the very few local female fronted bands that don't sound like they're from the philippines... (kerwin and kelvin arrived at last and it was tether's 4th song already... syempre batian at kulitan muna... we had enough time to reminisce the past and after tether's last song came the moment that i was waiting for...)

aspirin followed and i was very excited to show the people present what this band was truly capable of both in skills and in the materials that we play, ignoring the fact that 4 years have already passed since the last time we played together and that we were only human... as soon as we were able to set up our equiptment, kerwin went for the mic saying that it's been a very long time since we've been together and that they could expect really funny things to happen during our set. i followed him up saying that "if ever we're not able to finish a song, pagpasensyahan nalang nila hehehe..." then we looked at one another not really sure of ourselves but since it's been a very long while, we all decided to fuck the rest and give it a go!


aspirin fucking the rest and giving it a go

the first song was a tough one because we didn't know what to play first (actually, we never even talked about what songs to play prior to going up the stage) i decided on "hello everyone" but to my surprise, it seemed that they had already forgotten the song. i was in panic for a while there but being the band leader, i had to put things into order. kelvin was trying to recall the song with success and so did kerwin. so we decided to play it but in the middle i sort of went blank i forgot the song. good thing that aspirin is so used to doing on the spot improvisations that we got thru it in no time. I decided to do “love my stereo” for the second song but to my surprise and amusement we forgot the song except for Kelvin. after that song, by this time I began to realize that we did these songs in dropped tunings and that I’ll be having rough time singing these songs in standard tuning… I told the audience that we got the song all wrong that I forgot a whole stanza. They were very understanding hehehe… the third song was “effects of b” this one was ok at least a 70% accuracy as to how we originally do it back in the old days. The 4th song “moving up” was another disaster. We got the intro and the 1st two stanzas right then I forgot the lyrics and the pattern so I had to end it at once. Again I apologized to the crowd saying that I forgot some of the parts… sorry… I thought of doing two more songs, songs that I think we’ll be able to execute properly so that we’d end our set on a positive note. “don’t know why” was properly executed save for it’s being slower than usual making it really hard for me to sing it and some missed lyrics… the last song was “count to four”, if the stone roses have “I am the resurrection” and the charlatans end their set with “sprongston green”, then aspirin has “count to four”… one of our best truly unique songs. This really closed the night for us I think most of the people present was blown away by that song… it was like the old days again except for the volume and a few doubts as to whether we can do that song justice… It was like that scene in shaolin soccer wherein they all got their powers back… oh well. Another part of my own personal musical history… for now…

the bands who weren’t able to make it were Sonnet 58 (roniel was not available) and scarlet tears (roel’s other band can’t make it due to some member’s holiday commitments)…

popular days was sorely missed…

it’s been another great year for buzz night despite some unfortunate events which led to a split between the more discriminating part of the crowd and yours truly… hope that next year would just be as great if not better… expect releases from populardays and tether

buzz night dec 26,2004 (sunday) @ mayrics in front of ust

Merry Christmas!

Here's the finl lineup for this month's BUZZ NIGHT:

Candyaudioline
Sonnet LVIII
Tether
Scarlet Tears
Sunsetdrive
My Science Project
Carnival Park
Poopoo Vox

please do come, i think Monday's a holiday...

see you there

Buzz Night for December

Hey, friends! Buzz Night is this Sunday @ Mayric's! :) 10 pm!

Well, Allan's very old band won't make it to Buzz Night because Kerwin suddenly has a Parokya job on that night. Too bad. But since the members are now open to the idea of a reunion, it's safe to say that we can look forward to them trying again at a Buzz Night to come...

Hopefully, Sonnet LVIII can still make it. They're practicing for it, that much I know, but you can never tell what might come up.

I'm still very excited about Buzz Night because we will be playing. But--- oh geez, I forgot. If Kerwin can't make it, this must mean that Roel can't either... and so Scarlet Tears might not make it, too! Well, we'll see. For Candyaudioline, we can still play with a sessionist, and there isn't a shortage of bands for Sunday night. I'm confident everything will be fine :)

Merry Christmas!

Here's the tentative lineup:

Candyaudioline
Sonnet LVIII
Tether
Scarlet Tears
Sunset Drive
Popular Days (maybe, but it depends if Ian can get to Manila by then)
Poopoo Vox


It's not a hundred percent sure yet, but why not surprise yourself by showing up? :D

Yipee. Christmas party.

+++

Colegio de Sta Rosa was great. We were all there: Roel, Ralph, Ayn, Allan and I. We played a kickass set and the crowd was good. I felt so comfortable onstage, but the others weren't because the monitors weren't working so well. They persevered, though, and the sound came out right. I could hear everything. It was wonderful. Allan felt SO good. He said the stress of trying to contact Ralph for the gig was worth it, after all.

I was just trying to view that video that Ralph posted from our first (or second) Kafe performance. I've realized that I didn't used to have a butt before! Ang payat ko! Now my butt's so big hehehe. It's so funny to see how much I've changed in some aspects, like my appearance and my singing (slightly better now, i think). My cropped hair used to fit me (don't you think I heavily resemble someone in particular from the old pinoy indie scene? I do! haha!), but now I'm sick of it. The anxiety and stage fright of that time comes back to me while I watch that video... however nervous I appeared to be there, multiply that a hundred times and you'll get a sense of how psychotic my thoughts were while singing in those early days. The horror! It's simultaneously amusing and disturbing to watch that video.

Does having a butt outweigh the benefits of wearing anything you like? ;P I'm still figuring that out. Somehow, I like myself better now.

and for that...

hindi kami naka-practice nung isang gabi. pero tuloy kami tonight. at sa buzz night sa sunday.

some bands who will be playing this sunday are:

sonnet lviii
tether
candyaudioline (of course)
soft pillow kisses

hindi pa nagcoconfirm yung iba.

see you...

gigs for candyaudioline

December 21, Tuesday - Colegio Sta. Rosa, near Rockwell
December 26, Sunday - Buzz Night

we'll probably be practicing this sunday night (that's when roel's available tsaka kailangan daw sabi ni allan). i think allan won't chedule it too late, don't worry. i'm looking forward to seeing everyone again and playing with the complete, original members. see you guys!

Very Busy

hi everyone...

been very busy for the past few days with work... also, i haven't gotten over the death of FPJ... i'm also having problems with 2 bands of mine, one lacks a drummer while the other... i'm being forced to look for a new bassist... i also haven't spent time with selena that much... the last time we saw each other was last sunday... dundundun duoodoodundun... lecheng baaaaasssssssa yan. ang pangit ng mukha... pang horror flick...

to emodog, text me if you happen to pass by manila...

buzz night is on the 26th

bahbye

if i find time, i'll write something about FPJ, credit cards and dear far away friends...

candyvideoline

lo and behold...

a clip of candy's gig @ the now-defunct kafe katipunan (featuring sonia on bass) can be viewed here.

you need to have flash 7 player installed on your browser first. click here to download it.

dial-up users beware.

exagg sa pics

grabe. scary palang i-view tong blog natin.

gigs for candyaudioline (tentative):

December 21 - Colegio de Sta. Rosa (near Rockwell)
December 26 - Buzz Night, Mayric's (Sunday)

+++

grabe. kitang-kita ang pagtaba ko through the months hehe. pero oks lang. cute pa rin. astig, ayn :)

allan, ang liit pa ng tiyan mo diyan sa klub 102 pic with ayn and me. nami-miss ko na yung squid balls. yan yata yung night of CHANGE (dundundundun)!

Post Party

Location: Ayn's House
Event: "Trista Turns Two" post-party

Ultimate Camwhores

If "camera-whoring" is a crime, Selena and I will definitely get the death penalty despite our plea of guilt.

Selena's 2nd gig with Candyaudioline;

and that is a preggy Ayn.

(Summer 2002)

At the resthouse in Subic.

Female Force Gig

Our first time at the now-defunct Millennia.

Our nth time at the now-defunct Millennia.

Back in the day when shrimpballs was the "in thing";

and that's Allan's tummy.

Our most recent camera whoring pic during last Buzznite.

she said, he said

Buzz Night for this month is on December 26, 2004. It's a Sunday and it'll still be at Mayric's.

+

Allan and I are at the mall right now checking our email. how cheezy hehe. later, we will be going to Altered Native where he is going to do his chore, as everybody knows. Of course, he is dictating all this to me. While, I, on the other hand, am looking forward to seeing Tether (fronting for Moonstar88 and Kamikazee) play live at a foreign venue far far away... from Mayric's. Although, just last Wednesday, they played at a much farther far far away venue somewhere in Cainta. But Charles was the farthest of them all when he unknowingly reached Rizal due to visual constraints caused by hair covering his left side vision.

good thing Yoyong got tired of spinning and spitting air and water in some parts of the country. If not, we wouldn't have eaten at French Baker where allan enjoyed green garlic bread. very Shrek-y.

(if only i could type all the dramatic pauses allan has used in dictating this post to me. i think it adds greatly to making it sensible. unfortunately, i can't.)

+

astig talaga ang scriptwriter ng rock awards, lalung-lalo na yung tagasulat ng intro ng Hall of Fame Awardee. Ok naman yung The Jerks sakin (ewan ko lang kay allan) kasi tingin ko deserving sila, kaya lang tingin ko naubusan na lang ang NU nang mabibigyan. dapat kung sincere sila sa pagbigay sa kanila dati pa nila sila binigyan, bago pa binigyan yung eheads. ang tanga pa ng hirit: "they're one of the bands that defined the word independent way before it was abused as a name for a subgenre" (roughly quoted). whatever. maybe if they just praised the band's merits instead and not injected another half-baked jibe at a tired topic. may nagsabi nga sakin, "ganun na ba ka indispensible yung linyang yun para magamit na pang-intro sa The Jerks??" what if gumawa na lang sila ng isang buong show para lang i-trash na naman o i-debate yung topic na yan. parang nangangati na kasi silang gawin yun. uyyyyy, aminin.

allan's corner:

"sino kaya yung nang-abuso ng word without really knowing what it meant? hahaha. parang kailan lang nila nadiscover yung word na 'indie', akala mo alam na alam na nila 'to. tumatahimik na sana ako, kaya lang lalong nangingibabaw ang kabobohan at katangahan. piece of informative background shit....

'70 to '79 - nakakasabay ang pinoy sa ikot ng mundo ng musika to the point na nagkaroon tayo ng sariling tunog, manila sound, ika nga.
'80 to '82 - confused ang pinoy, nalito sa lakas ng dating ng disco, post-punk, new romantic tsaka glam rock. '83 - michael jackson rulez all over the world.
'84 - sa kabila ng kabaduyan ng mainstream, may namumuong eksenang tulad ng breakdancing movement at underground pinoi punk movement.
'87 to '90 - nauso na naman ang glam rock, nangibabaw ang metal.
'90s to present - uso pa rin ang glam rock, nangingibabaw pa rin ang metal, mali pa ang pagkakaintindi sa emo...

kaming mga indie, during those times (early '80s to present), ay cool na cool lang at alam ang aming gusto at ayaw. gets nyo ba? kung hindi, mag-headbang ka na lang to any song of Beyonce.

... hindi ko na pinansin yung mga boybands kasi eksaktong pang isang oras lang ang kaya naming ibayad sa pag-rent ng internet."

selena's hirit:

bahala na nga. oks lang. alam mo ba, allan (and bandmates) na enjoy na enjoy na ako sa aking newfound awareness of absurdity. alternately akong natutuwa at nasusuka every day (baka buntis ako). it makes me feel alive.

Allan's B-day Buzz Night

Buzz Night last Nov. 27 was absolutely fun.

I arrived with a cake at 9:05 pm and no one was at the venue. The fact that no band members had arrived yet stressed me a little, but not as much as it would have before. I sat down and doodled in my notebook waiting for people. Eloha and boyfriend arrived fifteen minutes later and people started trickling in. Allan and Charles were stuck at the Morayta Myx street party.

Finally, they arrived too. I presented the cake and the 30 candles with my homemade plus sign. Allan blew it out and told me not to make him blow it in front of everybody later.


Allan and his cake

Bands arrived at almost the same time so it was a little difficult to decide on a sequence. Roel was away in Canada for a PNE tour but thankfully Ezekiel of Tether was ready to help us out. Velvet (Ixan's band) started the night with their deep female vocals and new wave-ish (but not really), poppish tunes. Einstein Chakras played next. They made a strong impact on everybody. I liked their second song about workers in the Philippines. "PRED!!!" Allan says they'd be better if the vocalist goofed off a little. Ralph and I were so glad they played our favorite, "Johnny is the name of a dog IN THE PHILIPPINES!"


einstein chakras, semi-unanimously (hehe) voted "band of the night"

We followed with a great set. It was lovely and loud, although Kiel kind of extended the endings. But he was stupendous for a guy with no practice, and we were so grateful he enabled us to play.



Sunset Drive played fourth with a new song or two. Harsher guitars. Ekong was showbiz again hehe cuz he kept greeting Allan a happy birthday over the mic and thanking us for granting his request of "Flaming Walls". Haha!

Tether came next. While they were doing soundcheck, I brought out the cake again as Gilbert and Joey were singing the happy birthday song to Allan. We re-lit the candles, but Allan fanned them out and refused to blow on them again. So I took the candles away, but Gilbert folded up a Colt 45 label and put it on the cake as a joke. Tether started playing. They decided to lower the volume of their instruments and so their vocalist sounded very comfortable. It showed how great their songs were. Of course, Popular Days followed and they were amazing, as usual. I took a lot of pics of them. Too bad they didn't sing "Watch Out For Me" like I requested. Damn.

Dennis' band, My Science Project played next. Soaring keyboards good. Soft Pillow Kisses played after them with Eloha on vocals. Gilbert played the drums on one or two songs. Hale was a no-show. I tried to distribute the slices of cake but was too shy to approach some of the people I didn't know.


fooling around outside mayric's

Throughout the night, friends kept coming and going, wishing Allan a happy birthday. It was a carefree night that was a lot of fun. People were still hanging out in front of Mayric's when the gig ended. I made a fool of myself while I was slightly drunk. Too bad... that was one of the few times i was audacious enough to say what i really thought. We were reluctant to end it right away so some of us went to Mr. Kebab for more food and talk. I arrived home at 5 am.

More pictures are posted on the site of the candyaudioline yahoogroups. I took pics of the other bands as well, so you can check them out there...

Recording and Other Things

I listened to Candyaudioline's old recordings last night because I wanted to remember what the older songs sound like, the ones we don't play anymore due to lack of practice. While doing so, I made a few observations in general. The ones we recorded in November 2002 (the supposed "An Empty You" EP) do sound kind of two-dimensional compared to the newer versions we recorded in January 2004 for "Saved It For Torture Reference", so it's great that we grew in that aspect. When it came to other songs (the "Paint Your Silver Smile" album and the as-yet-I-can't-remember-what-it-was-supposed-to-be-called one), it was sort of a toss-up. Some elements in the old songs sounded better (cooler effects or chord placements, a better mix for the vocals, slightly better beats, etc.), but you could also notice the improvement in the recent versions (cooler effects or chord placements hehehe, a jauntier feel in certain songs, more layers, etc.). I think overall, though, we've improved a lot… of course, the songs still need a lot of tweaking.

That question Francis Reyes asked us long ago in our second (my first) In The Raw experience came to mind: Are you more comfortable in the studio or onstage? Back then, we sort of answered ambiguously, not really considering the question, but now, I think that we do better onstage even with all the little mishaps. There's just something about being in a studio that's unsettling. It's probably the pressure of getting it right or the weirdness of the environment. In Tracks (Ortigas), we felt like we were in some kind of holy place--- everything was dark and quiet and looked fragile. It felt like we were in a really old cathedral. And I think the other members had some kind of supernatural experience there (or maybe it was pseudo-supernatural… whatever, they were still freaked out!). At Pink Noise (Roces Ave.), we were much more at home, sleeping on the giant couches or watching reruns of "Alive" in the TV room, but we still weren't entirely comfortable. I think maybe the soundproofing of recording studios makes them seem ominously sterile, and that accounts for the odd feeling.

I went on listening to the songs and, as I reversed chronologically, I recognized some of the band's so-called influences in them. It was an epiphany of sorts. When I first joined the band, I didn't really know where to place it in the spectrum, but now, after having been exposed to a lot of music (at least, much more than I've ever been exposed to in my entire life), I'm finally recognizing its musical origins. It was like an aural history lesson. Hopefully, this will help me find my place in the band itself.

+++

Buzz Night is tomorrow! So is Allan's birthday. Candyaudioline is playing.

Buzz Night @ mayrics on November 27, 2004

here's the line-up for this month's Buzz

soft pillow kisses
tether
populardays
sunsetdrive
hale
my science project
velvet

angus
wishing wells
candyaudioline
tv guide

see you there

Buzz Night on November 27, 2004

Buzz Night this month will be on the 27th of November @ Mayric's, 10 pm. Bands performing will be:

Candyaudioline
Hale
My Science Project
Popular Days
Soft Pillow Kisses
Sunset Drive
Tether

Baka meron pa... i'll just update this particular post...


+++

Tristania's 2nd Birthday Party (Nov2104)

Yesterday, Allan, Ralph and Charmaine and I attended Ayn's daughter's birthday party at their home in Fairview. It was a festive affair with Mich (Death By Tampon) and Jovy (Matilda) hosting the event. Ralph and Charmaine brought Thor with them. He's sooo cute.

Of course, Tristania was cute, too. She had the time of her life. Ayn had commemorative cds made for the guests (songs were compiled by Allan). The food was superb. Wish Roel had come, too.

Happy birthday, Trista!

+++

we hope to play this november 27th at Buzz Night. we might also play at the UP Quill folio launch this first or second week of december.

Buzz Night for November is on the 27th...

i've been very busy for the past few days and i
almost forgot about buzz night. so... this month's
event will be on the 27th at mayrics... there are a
few bands that have expresses their interest in
playing but have yet to be comfirmed. here are
some of them:

populardays
hale
my science project
tether

here were a few acts from abroad that i had to turn
down because of budget problems... i'll be posting
the final line-up this monday...

Allan

PS: to my friendships... don't forget... umaasa ako
sa mga regalo nyo!!!! :)

23!

Ayan. Finally found a pic with Allan in it. :)

weird

is it me, or does the time between last month's buzz night and this month's seem too long? it's like it's been ages.

just my perception of things...

Notice To The Public....

we, members of candyaudioline had a great time playing at altered native last wednesday, november 10. this time, we were able to have control over our instruments unlike the last two gigs we had recently wherein our gear would always seem to fuck-up everytime we are about to "take-off"... even the crowd was pretty receptive. sadly i guess that gig would be our last for the meantime because ayn will be busy again with her studies (ayn! pagbutihn mo yang pag-aaral mo ah... marami akong mga i-dedemandang tao pagkagraduate mo... ikaw ang gagawing kong lawyer ko. syempre bilang ninong ng anak mo malamang d mo naman ko sisingilin...)

hay naku... life is really cruel... especially here in this pathetic country of ours wherein the wrong people always seem to get the upperhand over the truly deserving ones... look at philippine politics, look at our society, notice our system of education lalu na dun sa mga public schools, punahin nyo ang ating punyetang sining... they are full of truly STUPID PEOPLE!!! STUPID PEOPLE of different levels of stupidity... the worst thing about them is that people listen and believe in what they say, read and agree with what they write, and they even identify with what these baboons show them...

i was once associated with some of them but not anymore... they're not my class. i think they really hated everthing about me. they never liked the things i did, or maybe they can't accept the fact that i was always a step ahead of them and my views were too ridiculous for their limited comprehension capabilities... they might've seen me as a virus or something... i like being different and at the same time i can blend in with everyone else because i still see myself as a part of society... i pride myself in helping to improve society in whatever little way i can because i admit that aside from having very little if not limited capabilities, i have loads of detractors ready to eat me alive if the slightest opportunity presents itself... im not hoping that someday we'll have a society full of intellectuals (kaya ngang pangit ng sistema natin ngayon kasi maraming intellectuals eh) what i want is a society that is abundant in common sense, aiming for a common goal which i hope would be for the common good of everyone...

notice to the public #1:

allan siegfried t. montero, accused of the crime of being ALLAN SIEGFRIED T. MONTERO, pleaded guilty and found guilty, is sentenced (by himself) to stay away from the CIRCLE OF THE SELF RIGHTEOUS MANILA CHAPTER for the time being...

notice to the public #2:

BUZZ NIGHT this November falls on the 27th... line up will be announced next week...

notice to the public #3:

Mayrics is closed for renovation from November 1 - 14...

notice to the public #4:

I'm looking for a bass player, female, intersted souls can get in-touch with me thru 09209610348...

notice to the public #5:

Birthday ko two weeks from now...

2.50 lang naman eh

hehehe.

yes. please spare P2.50 of your cellphone load to support my site in this year's philippine web awards.

type in: MYVOTE WEBBIES PERSONAL RALPHOT and send to 283 (smart) or 2363 (globe).

Candyaudioline at Altered Native, Fairview

Candyaudioline will be playing at Altered Native in Fairview, Q.C. this Wednesday, the 10th of November.

URGED TOUR OCTOBER 2004

"Only one can of beer per 'unknown' band...

...xxx...xxx...

...by reason of the fact that only 'known' bands

may reserve the right to get drunk."

-City Ordinance No. 04-2334678

----*----

See us sober.

Still sober.

Very very sober.

"Beautifool!… Naks!"

Famous last words hehehe.

It's amazing how bright lights can reduce a fairly articulate person (*ahem*… moi) into a stuttering idiot. No doubt, some of you have seen the infamous "OUT!" episode. It was an interesting experience, at best. But, in retrospect, I have to say that they edit their show and present it very well.

Charles picked me up at an early 6:30 pm with Ralph's guitar. We passed by San Juan for Allan and decided to meet Ralph at Greenbelt in Makati. We hovered over a few racks in Tower Records for a while before Allan finally picked a CD to buy, then we went to the food court to eat our blah-tasting Japanese dinner. We didn't know where in hell Peligro was, but sensing it was too close to take a cab, we decided to walk it.

Peligro. Whenever I say that word, I can't help putting a faux Spanish accent to it: Pehhl-lí-groh! We almost got lost in Legazpi Village, too, because the security guards kept giving us weird directions. Allan's legs were killing him because we had to walk so far, and Ralph and Charles were lugging the guitars around. Finally, we found the building, and it turned out that Pehhl-lí-groh didn't have decent signage. We entered the bar and found the interior very homey yet chic. What I really liked were the photo tarps hung on the walls; my favorites were the ones of the girl underwater and another girl raising her arms to a cloud-filled blue sky. It was weird because people kept coming in and heading up to the second floor into I-don't-know-what. It was like there was this black hole that sucked up all the people. I think it might have been a chill-out room. Maybe Pehhl-lí-groh is some kind of low-key exclusive hangout.

Ayn finally arrived with the TV crew and her made-up friends. The three of them looked really uncomfortable in their new dos… but it was fun to see Ayn look drastically different. Allan and Ralph and I kept laughing outside because we didn't even recognize her right away, and then Roel came out and totally overlooked her and he screamed like a girl when he realized it was her. These reactions, the camera wasn't able to take so, to my chagrin, they made me "react" again to "seeing Ayn for the first time."

I hate cameras. I only like them when they're held by friends and they're for the exclusive purpose of hamming it up. Sigh.

So, knowing full well that I had just made a fool of myself with my speech (full transcription to follow), I went inside and we started our gig.

This is what happened in front of the camera, by the way, which was mercifully edited by GMA 7 into the less cruel form above in this entry's title field:

Selena: (oh-so-blandly and sticking her arms out limply to Ayn, who is coming up the steps towards her) Oh my god, Ayyyyn… I can't believe it… hindi ako makapaniwala… um… uhhh… ibang-iba ka na…

Avi (the transsexual host): So, Selena, what can you say about the new Ayn?

Selena: (grasping desperately for Tagalog words because the host made her do her spiel over) uhmmm… ok!… Beautifool!…(painfully realizing how lame she sounds and attempting to make a joke of it; looks at Avi witheringly) Nakss!

Avi: (sensing the desperate situation) So… ibang-iba na ba siya?

Selena: (overly zealous) Grabeh! Ibang-iba talaga… hindi ko na-imagine na pwede siyang mag-mukhang ganyan (catches Ayn's discomfort and is instantly afraid she has said something offensive)… I mean--- astig! She should dress like that more often to… uhmmm… break the monotony… (trails off)

Mwahahaha! They should have interviewed Allan instead so he could have made it more comedic. Fortunately, Candyaudioline's set was amazing that night, and it helped me recover from the absurdity of it all. By our second song, people were coming down from the black hole upstairs and listening to us. The sound system was great, too, and we could all hear ourselves and play comfortably (despite more camera nuisance). It was great. We all loved our set.

Olympic Smoker then took the stage and wowed even more of the people from upstairs because of their funky approach. Ralph, Allan and I stepped out to a nearby Mini Stop for some juice; poor Ayn had to stay inside to shoot more footage and Roel was catching a few winks on the side. After that set, Moonstar 88 played. By that time, the TV crew had gone ahead and Ayn and her friends had changed back into their old skins. It was an unbelievable relief to see Ayn as herself again… she looked cute in her makeover getup, but it wasn't HER. I was so glad she changed before the night was over. They weren't even able to keep the stuff they wore because they were so expensive; instead, they were given cheap tees and a tiny honorarium each.

Ralph and Roel had to go home early so it was only Allan, Charles and I who got to go back to Ayn's house for her birthday Japanese (again) dinner. It was really nice and authentic, even if it was prepared at home, and Ayn's daughter was awake to entertain us with her antics. We had a lot of fun and food (yum), although it was early morning already and we were all very tired.

Postscript:

I watched the featured episode and it wasn't bad, really. I was afraid that, since it was a gay show, they'd make it ridiculous and flamboyant, and perhaps make fun of the three women's chosen lifestyle. I know that was grossly bigoted and biased for me to believe such stereotypes about gays, but you can never tell with Philippine media, you know. Instead, I found the episode, especially the makeover segment, to be intelligently produced and smoothly edited. There's hope for Philippine TV yet, especially in the hands of those gays and their production staff.

But I hated how fat I looked when they filmed me for my reaction. I will never smile again!


+++

A Rare Feat of Candid Blogging

This morning, Allan called me before I went off to work and told me he was considering including the old version of "Felt So Fine" in the album, since the newly recorded one sucked so much. "Natatakot kasi akong maglabas ng 13 songs lang… baka malas."

I was surprised. First of all, Allan is actually thinking about the release of our album again, which means that there is hope of it actually coming out! Secondly, I couldn't believe that sensible, old Allan was giving in to superstition. "'Wag naaaaaa… hindi naman malas yun 'no. There's no such thing."

"Pero, babbygub… si Paul Westerberg, naglabas ng 13 songs, tapos, ayun."

PAUL WESTERBERG??!! "Paul Westerberg??!! But he's Paul Westerberg!!!"

"But I am Allan Montero…"

We both snickered. However, I still felt that he shouldn't include the old version. "Allan, iba yung vocalist diyan. Won't that be weird? People will be wondering what the heck is going on."

"Eh hindi ko naman sasabihin na iba yung vocalist eh."

"NGE! Eh di unfair sa kanya yun!" I could hear him snickering even more but I was in a mild panic. "ALLAN! It's just too weird… wag naa. Kasi iisipin ng mga tao, 'So sinu-sino ba talaga kayo sa Candyaudioline?' Di ba??? Ok lang yan… thirteen songs na lang tayo… wag mo nang ilagay yung lumang 'Felt So Fine'."

More snickering.

Grrr. "O sige na nga… I admit na part of it, on my part, is just the ego thing… pero di ba? Mas may unity kung hindi mo na isasali yung luma. O kaya… kung gusto mo, mag-record na lang ulit tayo kina Billy para mas mura…"

"Magre-record tayo ulit?"

"Oo!"

A chuckle, low and cynical. "Hehehe… you… are making… me… laugh."

At that point, I cracked up, too. I don't know what Allan will finally decide to do, but I think I presented my case pretty well... don't you think so, too? Haha!

First Gig in Two Months and "Happy Birthday"

Candyaudioline played at Mayric's last night.

I was about to type "We played at Mayric's last night," but it suddenly occurred to me that I have been so used to writing about Soft Pillow Kisses in this blog that "we" just didn't seem specific enough. That's how long it was since we last played.

We were there to front for PNE. Allan told everyone else to be early (9:30 pm), and surprisingly, they were. He picked me up, and Roel and Ayn were already there when we arrived. Ralph made it to Mayric's by about 10 and, when Charles arrived with the guitars, we immediately set up our instruments so we could play more.

We started the set with "Broken to Pieces" and played about 7 more songs after that. It was a bit unnerving onstage because a camera crew was there to shoot some footage of us for an upcoming episode on a local TV show. They weren't really supposed to shoot US, though, and I felt really uncomfortable, especially because we hadn't practiced for a long time and I was trying to concentrate on hitting the right notes. The cameraman became downright bothersome when he started doing these "variety show" camera tactics where they film you from below and tilt the camera upward to your face and all such antics. There was one particular song which was tricky for me and I was trying to remember how it went… and then they suddenly panned to me, and I was looking down at the time, so all I could see was that annoying red light on the camera, and it almost threw me off. They should have stayed on Ralph, who seemed like he was totally oblivious to it, and besides, he was doing the kickass stuff hehehe.

But Ralph was having problems, too. His guitar socket (sorry, I don't know what you call that socket where you plug the PL cable into the guitar) was loose and acting up, so he had gaps in his leads. Sometimes, the gaps would be short and rapidly coming so that it sounded like another effect that made the song sound trance-y. Charles said he could fix it, though. And I think Allan was complaining about his effects box and how it was getting old and tired. Roel seemed to be doing well and having a blast, and I don't think that Ayn had any problems. The crowd was subdued, except for the Backbeat peeps who were teasing us hehe. Volume-wise, I think I did ok, although I really am rusty.

When we sat down, Allan and Ayn ordered a plate of buttered chicken, and all of us munched on that while Ralph talked about his recent illness and the new candy baby. Alam na namin ni Ayn ang secret mo, Ralph… "dengue" pala ha hehehe…

The buttered chicken was good, and it was funny because it was supposed to be a whole chicken, but they cut it up in such a way that you couldn't tell which part you were eating--- it was just a bunch of tasty, breaded balls with bones in them. Despite the mystery, they were still yum.

Midnight passed, and no one said anything… but then I realized that it was Ayn's birthday! Happy birthday, Ayn!!! I wished her a happy birthday last night… I mean, this morning. It's her birthday today!

After a while, Allan brought me home because I still had to go to work that morning. All in all, it was wonderful to play together again, and it's even better because we're going to do it all over tonight, too.

Fully Clothed and Feeling Fine

Buzz Night last Saturday was a success.

But first, let me tell you about our Urge Tour experience.

Allan had arranged for a van to pick me up at 1 pm. Mike the driver and I then went to Jollibee Rotonda to pick Lara up. We picked Charles and Jann Paul up at Charles' place and landed at Allan's at 3 pm. We waited around a bit for him to make a business call. Jann Paul and I pooled our money together to buy P50 worth of fried chicken skin (yum), and we all snacked on it while waiting. I'm sure we all subtracted 5 days off our lives doing that. Then, we started for Blue Wave.

Ayn was texting us because she wanted to meet us there, and I was becoming anxious that we wouldn't get there on time. Binondo had really bad traffic and I kept squirming nervously in my seat. Fortunately, we arrived only 15 minutes past our 4 pm call time and Ayn arrived there at almost exactly the same moment.

We had a little problem with the contact, and it turned out that they had scheduled us to play an hour after the original sked, which was a problem because Allan, Charles and Jann Paul had to leave the venue by 6 pm to work at the two Moonstar gigs set that night. But, after we explained the situation to the organizers, they let us set up and be the first act. The guy said we could play six songs, which surprised us because Diego told us to prepare three to four. I was really nervous about the fact that we weren't exactly the appropriate act for a skateboarding competition, but I remembered that Diego had told me the night before that Urge really wanted the talents to be diverse and so they got everything from ska to pop to punk. Oh well, bahala na, I said to myself. So we started playing "Vodka Ice # 3", and it was really funny because the crowd was kind of surprised. But they were polite. I was jittery for the first two songs, but I got used to the strangeness and relaxed after a while.

It was a surreal experience. Try to imagine singing "Bathing In The Sun" while bikers and in-line skaters are doing somersaults and stunts right in front of you… and then off into the distance is a wide, green field of cogon grass… above that, there's a blue expanse of sky marred only by a thin vapor trail from a jet engine… to the left, planes are taking off…

Everything went smoothly. We finished and accepted the snacks the organizer gave out. Then, Allan, Charles and Jann Paul left for Eastwood, while Ayn and I dropped Lara off at Buendia, where she had another gig with Death By Tampon. Ayn and I hung out at her house. We lounged on her black satin sheets and did lesbian acts. Just kidding… I was testing to see if you were still reading hehehe. Ayn and I are past that stage. Haha. Just kidding again. We were both tired and we listened to NU 107's live broadcast of some gig. Sandwich was playing, with the singer of Imago jamming with them. They started to sing one of their old songs and I was so tired and listless, but I couldn't help chuckling after a while because their vocal improvs reminded me of the way hosts on ASAP try to outdo each other…

Anyway, lest I start another controversy… we played with Tristania for a while and then we had dinner. Ayn and I started for Mayric's and got there late. I was so worried because Allan had entrusted Buzz Night to me again, and I had no way of knowing who came first… but then he said that Jil of Angus had already set a sequence and he even asked Einstein Chakras to start playing already. Jil saved my life! I thanked him profusely. Later that night, he told me that he just sort of went from table to table asking the people which band they were and what time they arrived so he could figure out a sequence. Galing! All I had to do when I arrived was fill in the gaps, and we were all good to go. But I couldn't rest completely until every band had a place, which was why Ekong asked me at one point if I was okay because I looked a little out of it. My mind was in bits and pieces all over the floor, and I was only able to relax when the last missing band member was there. I was also trying to time the event so that the rest of Soft Pillow Kisses could make it to Mayric's in time to perform last. They almost didn't.

Ayn and I were only able to catch Einstein Chakras' last song, so I'm not sure how they turned out, but Jil told us that they agreed to play and start the show even if their bassist hadn't arrived yet, and for that, I am grateful to them. Next, played Dennis' band, My Science Project, and they performed well. I wish I could play like their keyboardist. I enjoyed their indie tunes. Helen then took the stage, and I got to listen to them more. I like their slow, smooth feel, but I think the bass is what gives them their kick. I love their bass lines. Sunset Drive played after them, and I think this time I've realized that they really sound much better than and really different from their popular counterparts. By that time, I was feeling a little calmer; Ayn and I were just drinking our beer and watching. But then, Jil came up to me and said that their vocalist was feeling under the weather and that he could probably only sing a few songs. I suddenly panicked again… they wanted to sing only 4, but I needed them to sing 6 in order for the other SPK members to get there on time. They said they'd try to do more. When they started playing, I expected the vocalist to have a hard time, but he didn't sound off or anything. In fact, Angus was very tight (though I think their keyboards were a little too loud) and Ayn and I couldn't help noting how much they'd improved since the last time they played at Buzz Night. Next played Tether, a little more subdued than usual, but not in a bad way. Their guitars were less loud, but still kick-ass, and this time, the vocalist could be heard, which helped people hear how good their songs were.

Allan, Charles and Jann Paul arrived just as the last song was ending and I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Lara was still nowhere in sight, but Allan said we'd play a laid-back set anyway. But then Roel arrived suddenly, fresh from his three Parokya gigs… I was amazed at his endurance. I suggested to Allan that we play a short Candyaudioline set with Charles on lead, and he asked Ayn if she wanted to, and both she and Roel agreed. It was exciting to do it impromptu… I only wished Ralph were there to share it with us. We played two songs, "Flaming Walls" and "An Empty You", because they were the only ones that Charles could remember. We sort of flubbed through it, but we still did well and it was a lot of fun. Then, Ayn and Roel stepped down and I said, "Now we are Soft Pillow Kisses," which made the audience laugh a little. We played around 4 songs without basslines, and that was it.

Buzz Night was over and we thanked the bands. We, along with Charles, Jann Paul, Jil and the Angus vocalist, and two people from Tether, decided to go to Sizzling Stop in Tomas Morato for some eats. I felt tired and queasy and asthma-y, so I had to go home early, but I think the rest of them stayed there until 7 am. Woah.

***

This Wednesday, Candyaudioline will be playing at Mayric's… but keep posted because PNE might have a video shoot and not push through with the show. On Thursday, though, we will definitely be playing at Peligro Bar in Makati. Be there.

Candyaudioline sked:

October 27, Wednesday - Mayric's
October 28, Thursday - Peligro, Makati

candy news

ralph came out of the hospital last wednesday. he did not only have pneumonia but was also in the early stages of dengue hemorrhagic fever, which was fortunately nipped in the bud. he says thor was able to leave the hospital before he was himself.

roel is still at whatever he is doing, which is probably roadie-ing for PNE and having a good time. he also buys and sells really good ukay finds for his friends and many acquaintances (and this is true).

ayn is finishing finals at law school. she will be able to play and practice starting next week. (yipee!)

allan is back to working himself to death but he now alternates that with splurging on dragonball dvds.

i am emailing stuff for work. bleeagh.

***

buzz night is tomorrow night! don't forget to pass by mayric's!

also, if you will be in the manila bay area tomorrow afternoon, soft pillow kisses will be playing at the urge tour at blue wave. weird. hehe.

Buzz Night Lineup for Saturday, October 23

Hi! These are the bands lined-up for this Saturday's Buzz Night:

Einstein Chakras
Helen
My Science Project
Soft Pillow Kisses
Sunset Drive
Tether
join the club

Buzz Night Lineup for Saturday, October 23

Hi! These are the bands lined-up for this Saturday's Buzz Night:

Einstein Chakras
Helen
My Science Project
Soft Pillow Kisses*
Sunset Drive
Tether

* 'Di pa confirmed.

Buzz Night is on October 23 at Mayric's, Espana, in front of UST. Shows starts at 10 pm.

*

Candyaudioline will be playing on October 27, Wednesday at Mayric's, too. More info on that soon.

*

Ralph was hospitalized for pneumonia at Delgado, too. He and Thor have not yet gotten out of the hospital, but I don't know how accurate that piece of news is as I just got it from Allan. He might be coming out today, though. Ayn's daughter Tristia was also hospitalized this week but she's out now. Lara said last night at an SPK gig at 70's Bistro that ex-candy vocalist Mich has also been hospitalized, but we don't know if it's true or why yet.

Hope everybody gets better soon.

gigs in the near future

next week, candyaudioline will be practicing and playing again. it's semestral break and everyone will be a little freer. we'll probably be fronting for PNE at Mayric's on the 27th. Don't miss that. I won't. hehe. he.

will be updating shortly.

myspkexperiencelastnight

last night, it was only us and tether because popdays couldn't make it. we kind of expected that, so it wasn't a problem. we decided to treat the night like practice. tether played first. they were really tight, and everything was relaxed so their vocalist was too. i think their other two songs, aside from that angas one i really like, are starting to grow on me. tapos... they sang "space manatee" by heavenly and said it was for me. apparently, they are under the impression that i love heavenly, which isn't entirely accurate. see, before allan and i stumbled on them at millennia in october or november 2003, i had not yet heard a heavenly song. but since then of course, i have and i do like their music. still, it was appropriate, i think, for tether to have played that song for me because... well, i'm the "spacedust" in it and allan is the "space manatee". :D hehe.

tether played around 6 or 7 songs and even previewed two new ones for us. soft pillow kisses then set up their instruments. i was itching to play the guitar because i knew it would only be us, so i begged allan to let me fool around with his before our set. he then had the idea of letting me play guitar for a camera obscura cover, and i did, with lara sharing vocals with me. it was really fun and went pretty well. but allan wanted me to try playing other pillow songs. so i tried. and some parts were good, but others, i flubbed. it was kind of embarrassing and i hoped i wasn't wasting too much of everyone's time. i think i have to practice with an electric guitar before i try performing onstage like that again.

but it was fun. i do have to admit that.

allan took the helm after a couple of songs and we finished the set impeccably. afterwards, we all sat around and talked and joked around. allan made this little monster sketch with lara's bag. lara and i sang videoke-worthy songs while waiting for a taxi; we kept trying to best each other cheesily haha.

then we went home.

+++

Buzz Night is on October 23 at Mayric's.

Some Pictures at the Delgado Hospital

With the new mom

With the new parents

"You think you can bribe me with that???"

Soft Pillow Kisses at Freedom Bar

hi!

Soft Pillow Kisses will have a long set this THURSDAY, Oct. 7, 2004 at Freedom bar, Anonas.

The night will also feature Tether and another band...

Entrance is at P100.

See you there!

A Glimpse of Thor

Ralph and Charmaine’s son is named after one of the most prominent gods in Scandinavian Mythology and it is no surprise that Thor survived the distress that he had to go through in his journey. Like the Roman Statesman, Gaius Julius Ceasar, his mother also had to go under the knife at the last minute because, according to Ralph, the birth canal was too small for the baby to go through. Despite the foetal distress, the 8-pound Thor is healthy, though he still has to be under observation at the nursery room for a few days more.

Tristia and I were able to get a glimpse of him there and we were also able to watch a short video of him that Ralph was so eager to show us. Thor is fair skinned, good looking and has a big built--he will one day make many girls cry like his dad. He he.

We spent more time in the room talking about Charmaine’s operation, chatting with the other visitors who were all so giddy about Tristia, eating the cake we brought, and taking pictures.

Tristia also kept us busy, most of the time, watching her steal the food on Charmaine’s tray, grabbing my cup of soda, and letting us hear her sing the ABC song. I bet Ralph and Charmaine are both excited about their son who will soon be as big and as entertaining as her. In a few months, Thor will also be tagging along our gigs and parties.

Who knows, in the future he might also be as good a guitar player like his dad—or maybe even better like the god Thor with his magic hammer.

Congratulations Ralph and Charmaine!!!

A “Thor” is Born!

Yesterday, I woke up at 9 am (very reluctantly) after only 4 hours of sleep and took a peep at my cellphone messages. Ralph had texted at about 7:30 that Charmaine was giving birth. I asked him where they were; he replied, “D place 2 be. Delgado :)”

My head was still reeling, of course, so I wasn’t sure about any plan of action. After establishing that Charmaine was safe and, so far, having normal labor, I decided to postpone any decisions until I felt better myself. At around 11, Ralph told me he had a ton of stuff with him and had difficulty snatching yosi breaks and he was bored. I took a short jeep ride to the hospital to lend him one of Allan’s old Alternative Press issues to read. As I got off the jeep, I encountered Ralph himself in front of Mercury Drug. Charmaine’s in-law had arrived and Ralph wanted to get a drink. We went inside the hospital and caught up a little, and he told me that Charmaine was fine generally. He was just hoping that they’d let the baby sleep with them once he was out so he could take a video of him. Ralph kept jogging back and forth to Information to take care of room arrangements. He finally was able to get a semi-private room (114-B), though he had been hoping for a private one, except that there were none available. We put his things there so he would be free to roam around and pace nervously, like all expectant fathers do. Seeing he was settled, I went back home to unsuccessfully catch more sleep.

I spent the early afternoon visiting my niece Nona with Khalil and their family. By 3 pm, I was really tired and very sleepy. Allan had called me on my cell because we were supposed to go out this afternoon, but it seemed it was too late to follow our original plan so we decided to postpone it ‘til early evening. My phone went dead then. I got back home at 5 pm and charged it; then I received Ralph’s text that Charmaine had to undergo a c-section because she was at 5 cm for three hours. I asked him if it was absolute because my sister-in-law had the same problem, only Khalil was born naturally at the last minute. Ralph said it was inevitable because Thor was an LGA baby, too, and the umbilical cord was wrapped twice around his neck. Yikes. Ralph said he went home first because Charmaine was scheduled to come out of the recovery room at 9 pm this evening. I told him I’d pray for a successful operation. It was also about this time that Ayn texted asking if we wanted to visit them later that night. Thinking that Charmaine would be tired and visiting hours would be over, I told her that I was going to go the next day after work.

I slept one blessed hour, which felt unbelievably short. Then Allan called me and asked me to come with him to buy a DVD at SM City. On the way, Ralph called him up and told Allan he would be back at the hospital by 8 and that visiting hours would in fact be over by 10 pm. Allan then decided we should pass by the hospital before then, and we tried calling Ayn, but she, because I had told her we weren’t going to visit that night, had already fallen asleep. When we arrived at the hospital, Ralph was pacing around in the driveway, so the two guys smoked outside for a while. Ralph told us Charmaine was ok and was in the recovery room, which relieved us greatly. It was only 15 minutes into the conversation that he informed us nonchalantly that Thor had been born at around 3:30 pm. Ralph!!!

Ralph showed us the video he took right after Thor was brought out. He is a big baby, 8 lbs. heavy, and he has a mop of black hair. On the video, his mouth was open wiiiide and his chest was heaving in great gulps of air. He was crying very loudly; we could hear him well through the tiny speakers of Ralph’s videocam. It was great to see him like that. We couldn’t help feeling proud, too. Allan said, “Ralph--- AMA KA NA!”

After a half hour more, we decided to go home and call it a night.

Congratulations, Ralph and Charmaine, on the birth of your baby boy, Eniamrahc Thor. :)

In Between Days 9/28/2004

this isn't really candyaudioline related, but here goes...

allan had booked "in between days" at freedom bar two weeksbefore, but he forgot about it. as a result, he was only able to line up SPK and tether. his freedom bar contact booked another band, poo poo vox. i hoped they would be ok.

the great thing about being alone was that we'd get to have long sets.

i got there at 9:30 pm. allan was still caught in san juan. i was the first and i was alone. after 10 minutes, jil of angus and rp of tv guide arrived, surprised to find that i was the only one there. we talked a bit and the conversation eventually drifted to last buzz night hehe. rp thought it had been a girl who stripped at first and said, "sayang di ako nakarating!" and then he found out it had been a guy and he was just disgusted. haha. we decided to enter the place when jann paul arrived.

allan wasn't able to promote the gig either, so we decided to nix the ticket thing because we knew it would be just us bands there. it was actually very nice, though. it turned out to be intimate and very relaxed. tether played really well and this time the vocals cught up with the music. their drummer's very skilled. poo poo vox was a little more conventional, but some of their songs sounded a bit popsicle-ish (around "abstinence" time) and the vocals were good, though a bit dramatic at times.

after the bands, rp and jann paul and charles jammed a few songs together and everyone actually stayed to watch. it was fun.

then allan took me home and afterwards joined the guys for sizzling at t. morato.

there will be another such gig on october 7th. hope candyaudioline can play then. pwede ka ba ayn? we'll promote it this time.

+++

hi ekong and jpeg :) jpeg, ikaw pala yun hehe, sunset drive ka rin pala. ikaw yung initial contact ni allan di ba?

i heard that you guys were expecting that little incident to happen because you'd seen them before. erick of popdays told me that he searched the net for info about that band the day before and saw naked pics and he realized that it must be SOP (no pun intended) for them to do that at gigs. well, i guess it's not their fault, really, because it probably would have been acceptable at any other production--- just not at buzz night. and, as i said, we should've screened more carefully. anyway, i'm starting to see the humor in the situation. haha. ha.

The Lighter Side of Buzz Night 9/25/04

Teehee.

I just recalled some funny stuff. Popular Days had given a good set that night and people were really impressed. They had some fans in the audience who, when Charles was about to announce their last song, shouted excitedly, "Me and My Bicycle"!!! Only Charles hadn't really heard it and so they played an Adorable cover instead. Wow. Fans.

And then, (this, Erick recounted to us at the 24-hour Jollibee in Welcome, Rotonda, 4 am) just after Erick had peed in the Mayric's men's room, someone came up to him and congratulated them on a great set. He reached out his hand, which Erick took, despite the fact that he hadn't yet washed it. We laughed and laughed over our food when he told us about it. He said he felt little horns on his head while laughing to himself about it as they shook hands.

Allan said Ekong asked him what the title of Popdays' first song was, and he replied that it was "December Song." Then, Ekong said in a dandy voice, "AAyy, malapit naah." Later, as he and his friend were leaving, he told Charles, "Uy, maglabas na kayo ng EP ha. Nakakabakla kayo eh." Haha.

***

Maybe the reason that guy stripped was because, as I was introducing the song "It Will Never Last (Forever)" in the Soft Pillow Kisses set, I said, "Sabi ni Allan sakin, this is about his ex-girlfriend's breasts." Allan said, "Suso naman."

"O sige, suso daw."

Tsk. Kasalanan ko pala eh.

Trial By Disaster: How a Perfectly Good Buzz Night Can Go Wrong

Ayayay. I think this incident has shown me once and for all that I’m still something of a prude.

So there I was, with my tacky glittery shirt feeling all positive. Ayn picked me up earlier and we went to Mayric’s together. Allan and Popular Days were already there; and most of the bands had come early so we were able to set a sequence with no problem. Allan wanted Soft Pillow Kisses to go first because he still had to go to a Backbeat gig at Amoranto, but Lara took a while to arrive.

Buzz Night September 2004 started off with Bagetsafonik minus their percussionist. They played a great set, and Ace their vocalist sounds like he’s really in control of his voice. Maybe internal hemorrhage did the trick (hehe, just kidding). Then, Soft Pillow Kisses came next and we played a great set. Sunset Drive followed. Napaka-showbiz ng vocalist hehe. Ang kulit!

Popular Days played after them. Jann Paul askd me to shoot a video of them, and I was so stupid about it. I kept wondering why the LCD only registered black and then Allan pointed out to me that I had kept the cap on. Stupid me. I was so embarrassed haha.

The following is an honest account of my perception on the matter. I know I’ve promised to be objective in narrating events in this blog, but this I absolutely cannot do for this particular event.

Next up was supposed to be Tether. Unfortunately (and you’ll understand my choice of word as you read on), they opted to swap places with the band they recommended Schimouche-whatever. Because we trusted that they were going to fit in or at the very least be decent, Allan had agreed to give Schimouche a try. They opened their set with the intro of “Magasin” by the Eraserheads, which immediately made us cringe, and then they transitioned into Blink182-ish tunes. Fine. Tolerable… barely so, but tolerable. And then……… the vocalist was apparently hoping for a bigger reaction because he actually begged us to clap hands “Sang Linggo nAPO Sila” style. By this time, Allan had already left with Lara and Kelvin for the Cheese gig, leaving me and Charles in charge. The vocalist said, “Uy, bahala na kung anong mangyayari pagkatapos nito ha, pero para sa inyo to!” then he turned around and took his shirt off; I thought, Ok, big deal, he’s gonna show some skin. Then he took his pants off; Ok, so he’s gonna do it Kamikazee style in his boxers. Then he took his boxers off, and I saw his pasty-white butt which was absolutely disgusting, and I put my head down before he faced the audience again, completely naked. The audience shouted, but it wasn’t exactly the “go for it” thing he was expecting because he kind of hesitated and then said something vaguely like, “Come on, this is for you guys!” then they continued their last song. I think the audience wasn’t exactly thrilled he had done that---- some of them were laughing, but most of them were kind of nervously heckling him just because it was something so unthinkable at Buzz Night.

I’m not really sure what else happened because I was on the phone outside to Allan, panicking and asking him what to do. He was helpless because he couldn’t get out of his work, so he just said grimly, “Hayaan mo na lang. Kausapin ko na lang sila mamaya.” Oscar was really mad and he said we shouldn’t get that band anymore… duh! I was furious, but I couldn’t exactly go up to the stage and make them come down because I was revolted at the thought of facing more than his butt. If Allan were there, he would have dragged them off, I think… but I asked him later that morning and he said he probably would have talked to them instead.

Thank god Soda Jerk took the stage after them. They were probably pissed or else morbidly amused at what just happened, but who wasn’t? Thankfully, they played a great set; covered a Pavement song, easing my frayed nerves a bit. Their mantra of “mature pop” made me focus on the high points of the night, some of which were to come. Next played Tether, who shamefacedly admitted they had no idea that other band would play and do the things they did. Oh well. Tether played a good set, too, and their vocalist was doing better than last time.

Lastly, Carnival Park played. I love the vocalist’s voice. This was the first time I got to really sit down and watch them play. I used to think that she sang in the generic indiepop-high-cute-notes way, but there’s a certain quality to her technique that’s different. It was great that they got to perform at Buzz Night again, and I hope they get to play in the future. Wish they had played earlier in the night.

Okay, more ranting about the naked guy. I’m sure this is all Freudian of me and I’ll get to see it later on, but for now I am really pissed. Did they not have ears? Could they not tell that the crowd was different??? The biggest thing that pissed me off was that he didn’t exactly leave us a choice on whether we wanted to see his dick or not!

Oh well. I guess shit happens, especially if you’re trying to start over. Lesson learned. We’ll laugh next week. You, however, are entitled to it now.

:P

Buzz Night on September 25

Buzz Night will be held this Saturday, the 25th of September at Mayric's in front of UST. Tickets are priced at P100 each and show starts at 10 pm.

This month's Buzz Night will be featuring:

Bagetsafonik
Carnival Park
Children of Eden
Popular Days
Schimoch
Soda Jerk
Soft Pillow Kisses
Sunset Drive
Tether



See you there.

goodbye jeff...

last friday, during a moonstar gig at gasoline alley, i got a call from robert javier. he distressedfully broke to me the news of Jefrey Felix's death early that morning due to heart attack. i got shocked becuse me and jeff had just been talking about adjustments to be made on the recent youth recordings and at the same time told him that i wanted him to master the candyudioline, soft pillow kisses and superminty recordings that we did a few months back so that i can be released na anytime...

personally, i'm not that close to jeff but of all the sound engineers that i've recorded with, he's one of the best especially when your dealing with noisy guitar-oriented stuff... he's very friendly and would alawys crack a few jokes here and there specially when he feels that you're not being comfortable while working... there were times na kahit antok na antok na yan during a session, kakayanin pa rin nya... he's worked for the recording industry for a very long time. he even did a number of punk and hardcore recordings in the early days of the local philippine underground scene...

... another loss for the locl music scene... to get a sample of this guys genius, try to get your hand on an acoustic version of "mr, suave" by Parokya ni Edgar...

goodbye and thanks for your time, efforts and genius jeff...

Happy Birthday, Roel!

it's our drummer Roel's birthday today. even if he seldom checks our blog and he probably won't be able to read this:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROEL!

earthquake!!!

kakatapos lang... natakot ako dun ah, medyo malakas... napakapit tuloy ako sa pc ko... shit sana tapos na... napa-todo pray ko bigla... baka naaning lang ako or sobrang lakas lang ng palpitations ko dahil sa nerbyos...

anyways Buzz Night will be on the 25 of this month... here are some of the bands that expressed their interest to play his month...

bagetsafonik
shiver
tether
sunsetdrive
children of eden...

hmmmm... nakalimutan ko yung dalawa ah... letse kasing lindol yan eh... nasira tuloy konsentrasyon ko at poys...

anyway... i'll try to give out a confirmed line-up by sunday...

hay lindol... sana d na maulit kasi baka mabakla na akwo!!!

tahimik nga

gusto niyong matuwa? puwes.

allan, hindi ako ganyan ka l***g. i'm a sweet, innocent person... anyone can attest to that just by looking at me :D

kitakits sa gig.

tahimik yata tayo ah

oi!

tahimik yata tayo ah... bakit kaya, cguro may kanya kanyang raket or may kanya kanyang gimik. pwede rin busy sa kung anong pwedeng pagka-abalahan...

tingan natin ang mga candeedoods sa kanilang otherside of being candyaudioline....

roel - drummer (trabaho, lalaki, raket, ukay-ukay, cymbals, drumset, making new friends, annoying old friends, ubos ibang oras to figure out how a computer works...)

ralph - guitarist (racket, charmaigne, future babay, marriage, gig, guitar for left handed people, gen. santos, tuna, durian ubos iba pang oras sa pag tulog...)

ayn - bassist (aral, trista, your honor, i object, kailan ba recesss?, daydreaming about daydreams, boys, and more boys, beer, more beer, rockwell, E-Bay... ewan)

selena - vocalist (isip allan baka nanlalaki pa rin, work, playing with baby nephew, isip kung ano oras sya sundo ni allan, gusto magpapayat, ipon pera para maraming pera, session sa mga banda ni allan, kapa chords ng mga cute na indiepop tunes para iparinig kay allan tuloy allan inggit selena kaya tampo epek pero deep inside elibs na elibs naman, hay sleep-over wahahahaha)

allan (miss girlfriend madalas, trabaho backbeat bilang backstab head, isip kung paano siya bayad katakot-takot na utang, minsan sama sa mga manyak boys para plano recording at gigs ng manyak boys, soundtrip sabay daydream habang byahe papunta kahit saan, dl mp3s sa soulseek para kumpleto na mga albums - tyaga muna sya kahit mp3 copies lang... sleep-over..)

grabe ang dami pala naming pinagkaka-abalahan. mga bagay bagay that could really change the course of history for the betterment of mankind (TAE!)

see this september buzz night!!!

August 2004 Buzz Night

Affirmation rocks.

Buzz Night last Saturday started late. A couple of bands had already arrived, but most of them had a member or two missing and so Allan couldn't kick the program into gear just yet. Roel had just arrived straight from Baguio an hour earlier and we really appreciated his effort to make this night possible for Candyaudioline. Ralph and Charmaine were there, too. Ralph and I were both nervous about our set, especially since our last In Between Days performance was a bit of a laugh (though people said they had a lot of fun hearing us again). People were slowly filling up the place so we had a good-sized audience. We hoped the new bands would enjoy playing. Ayn arrived a bit later with Trina; she said she was studying at their place that night and that was why she could get away with playing. Candyaudioline had a little discussion on the songs to be included in our set (we wanted to take a risk and exclude some safe songs). Thankfully, we were all able to agree on something, and it turned out later that the risks paid off.

Eloha, former Soft Pillow Kisses vocalist, was there with her boyfriend. Later, Apol also arrived, though she left the singing to Eloha because she had to rush to an emergency all of a sudden. The night promised to have more reunions as some Buzz Night peeps from before paid a visit (Ryan from Apple Orchard, Joey from Candy/Pillow/Judith and Mike from Carnival Park), and also ex-Candy vocalist Mich's band Death By Tampon (with Lara SPK on drums!) was on the repertoire.

At 11, newbie band Join The Club kicked things off with their spunky harmonic songs. These guys had played with Pillow and Candy at Backbeat gigs before, but it was only when they let Allan listen to their EP recently that we noticed their infectious, head-bopping music. The people enjoyed their set and Charles heard the vocalist of Easy Mercey comment that bands being lined-up for Buzz Night are quite good these days. Next came Candyaudioline's set. We pulled it off very well, and the crowd really appreciated us starting it with "Flaming Walls". In the middle of the set, Ayn and I exchanged a subtle, relieved, "we're-doing-great!" smile. People liked that we ended with "Nothing Much To Lose".

Death By Tampon played next. Mich called our attention during soundcheck, saying they had a surprise for us. She started playing and singing "So Painful", but she had to stop because she forgot the chords, I think. She explained to the crowd that she used to be the vocalist for Candyaudioline and that it was Allan who had taught her to play the guitar. They gave a very enjoyable performance. They were all eye candy in their dolled-up selves, and their songs were sharply cute. I can't say for certain whether they were everyone's cup of tea, but a lot of us were certainly entertained by them, even Allan. We're happy that Mich and Lara are making a niche for themselves. Their band's personality and gumption will take them a very long way.

Sunset Drive followed with a very tight set. Their guitars sounded great! Next played Helen, which refreshed us with their slow, jazzy tunes after all that guitar angst from the previous four bands. After them, Popular Days took the stage… of course, they were the band that everyone was waiting for :D They played a new song and a cover from Ocean Blue along with a few staples. When they stepped down, they were surprised when people told them they played a great set… and they did!

It was Tether's turn. "Ang galing talaga nilang magpatunog ng gitara," Allan said. At first, their vocalist Joyce was having a hard time keeping up with the volume (Iha, ok lang yun… I had the same problem with Candyaudioline for the longest time, and I still have that problem every now and then… It's tricky when a band loves volume so much), and I could feel the tension of her efforts seeping into the crowd. But they soon won the audience over with sheer talent by the time they played their new songs.

Finally, Soft Pillow Kisses played. Eloha sang for them. She was drunk, but her diminished inhibitions made for good singing, despite the fact that she hadn't practiced in a long time. Allan is considering taking her back into the band now that she seems more interested. That would be good. In the middle of their set, I noticed something big and brown run across the floor from the restrooms, scuttle up onto the stage, make a beeline for Lara's feet and hide behind the amps. I gave out an involuntary cry, while the rest of the audience laughed and instinctively raised their feet. Allan practically did a rocking jump onstage and so did Lara. It was a huge-ass rat! Once again, the sweet strains of SPK's dream pop have lured the pests onto their set, like Orpheus' effect on flora and fauna. What talent.

Anyway, it was a very successful Buzz Night. May we have one again this coming September!

i'm back

thanks to those who wished me well during my few days of hell.





don't forget buzz night tomorrow!

Selena is hospitalized

naconfine si selena sa UDMC last night. asthma kasi. akala ko nga d na nya kakayanin eh. i left there with apol (ex soft pillow kisses singer) at around midnight na medyo okey na siya... if you have time, drop by... room 521 A... i hope she'll be okey soon so she could sing for candy this saturday...

buzz night aug 28 (saturday) @ mayrics in front of ust

here's the line-up so far for this month's buzz night

popular days
candyaudioline
death by tampon
helen
soft pillow kisses
join the club
tether
sunsetdrive

see you!!!

buzz night aug 28 (saturday) @ mayrics in front of ust

hello everyone!!!

first of all i would like to thank those who where at freedom bar last weds for the "in between days" gig!!! ayos na ayos!!!

here's the line-up so far for this month's buzz night

popular days
candyaudioline
death by tampon
helen
soft pillow kisses
join the club
plus many more...

see you!!!

hi coral fang!!!

hi coral fang,

hopefully candyaudioline will play on the 28th for buzz night kasi it might be the last for us for the meantime. and also, i'll try to get bagetsafonik to perform this aug 28, as for aj related bands, sorry to say that they don't like doing buzz nites any more... but the do have a monthly gig called "Girl Boy..." which they do at different venues... which boast of a more "purist" line-up of "indie" bands compared to mine which means that if you're looking for really good "indiepop" bands "girl-boy..." is the gig for you... if ever i see a post sa friendster ko i'll let you know thru the tagboard... adios

Candyaudioline Tonight @ Freedom Bar, Anonas St.!!!

For the first time in months, Candyaudioline will be performing tonight at In Between Days in Freedom Bar, Anonas St. Of course, all of us are excited :D

I guess there's something good about being able to play so infrequently-- when we do get to play, it's all the more sweeter and we look forward to it.

Cliches for everyone! Yipyipyipee!

(Must remember to bring Ralph's adaptor for his gadget.)

In Between Days @ Freedom Bar August 18, 2004 (wednesday)

hello everyone!

in between days will push thru this wednesday august 18...
here's the line up...

soft pillow kisses
tether
sunsetdrive
candyaudioline
children of eden
backseat
switch

gig starts at 9:30pm entrance is at 100 bucks

There's Birth, and There's Death

Last night was Allan's dad's first death anniversary. He invited some of us to go to his house and eat. William, Charles and Lara showed up. We had kare-kare, lechon kawali and giniling. Charles and William initiated some Emperador and Coke consumption. William told us that he now has a job as an encoder at a bank. He has some interesting songs in his new phone.

Charles got drunk. You know how we knew? He actually consented to have his picture taken several times. He was even posing, good grief. Lara told us about some of the projects she was going to do soon.

We all watched ETC and the Oprah Queer Eye for the Straight Guy episode. Then we all went home at 2 am.

Eniamrahc Thor!

Saturday, August 7 was Ralph's baby shower. The night before, Ayn and I were discussing what gifts we got for the baby. Allan and I were unsure about ours because we doubted whether he needed more than one crib cover set, but Ayn assured me that, during the first months, it's helpful to have more than one of each cloth accessory, since babies tend to soil them a lot with pee and/or milk and you have to keep changing. That really made me feel better. We also got him a bib and burp set.

Ayn and Trina picked me up at home while I was still taking a bath. When I finished, I rushed outside panting, "Sorry…" and found no one. They had actually headed straight to the rooftop to smoke. We all went downstairs and they looked at Edwina's and my messy room. They marveled at the number of Pinoy cds she owned ("Not mine!" I was quick to say for some reason, but I wished the Eraserheads ones were). I also was finally able to return some books that I had borrowed from Ayn half a year ago.

It was only 1:30, but we decided to head on to Daungan Restaurant, the venue for the baby shower. We were surprised to see a pool there and visions of future pool parties flashed through our minds. A lady in short shorts led us up to the party area where cute, baby blue Styrofoam letters spelled out the day's theme: "Watch Out for Me!" We were the only three there.

We passed the time doing our own things: Ayn drank beer, Trina studied her bite-size law book, and I stared into space and listened to the soundtrack of "50 First Dates" blaring from the restaurant speakers. I was reeling from a late night out (JV's birthday!) and could only find enough energy in my brain cell's mitochondria to silently curse Jason Mraz's rendition of "Melt With You". Trina and Ayn brought me back to earth though by discussing some law stuff in front of me. Egad.

Finally, Ralph arrived wearing a diagonally striped vintage red shirt. He looked like he was a member of VST & Co., especially because of his long, floppy hair. He said that Charmaine was on her way. We talked about what was up and when we could possibly play again.

30 minutes and 30 visitors later, Charmaine finally arrived, bigger than ever, and the feasting commenced. As usual, when it comes to food, Ralph spared no expense, which makes me wonder why he's so thin. There was mushroom soup, lechon, crispy pata, some kind of pork stew, fried chicken, pancit, and I can't remember what else… basta, a lot of food. As I was lining up to get some, I told Charmaine, "Gosh… you are truly Mother Earth!" She laughed.

Basically, we stuffed our faces and talked. Allan arrived a little later. He was able to pass by before having to go to a Subic Cheese gig. While we were having a dessert of fresh mangoes from Ralph's farm in GenSan, we talked about possible ways for Candyaudioline to be able to play this month. There's the In Between Days, which Ayn might be able to go to, if we play really early, and Buzz Night on the 28th. We might even get to play a Backbeat gig one of these nights.

While we were eating, Ralph's and Charmaine's other friends started doing videoke, and we were forced to watch the Viva Hot Babes undress or do suggestive dances in the background. Gad.

We left with Allan because we were all very tired. Welcome to the world, Baby Romero!

new counter

just want to say that i've put a new counter here. countville kind of fucked up the old one when they merged with another company, but it's ok. it would be nice just to keep track of the blog's visitors, that's all.

congratulations to ralph and charmaine again. will write about their baby shower soon.

in between days @ freedom bar

hi there...

i might put up an "in between days" gig at freedom bar this 18th of august. anyone interested to play can reach me through my cell phone 09209610348 or call me at home at around 10am to 12:30pm.

a tribute to 'em manyaks 

Be there or be square! :) 

Buzz Night, July 31, 2004 :)

Having to accompany some Backbeat bands to Lucena last Saturday, Allan gave the reins for Buzz Night to me and Charles. I told Charles that I might be late because I had made plans to visit Ayn right before Buzz Night. He said he'd take care of it until I got there.

I took Edwina with me to Ayn's. She and her law school friend Trina were just getting ready. They had their matching iBooks open on picnic tables in Ayn's room. They seemed to have been constantly working right up until they started dressing. It was great to see Ayn again and meet Trina. We were all excited about Buzz Night.

Ayn brought Tristania into the room and I was surprised at how much she's grown in the past few months. She's so round and pink and healthy, like a pretty little ball, and I teased her that she was getting to be like her Ninong Allan. At first, she was a little reserved, but with the help of some jumping on Ayn's black satin sheets, she became playful and hyperactive. Then she would kiss each of us in turn and hug us tightly; she did that over and over again, much to our delight. She wailed when it was time for us to go, so her lolo and lola decided to take her with them as they drove us to Mayric's.

I think Charles was ready to panic by the time we got there, though it was only 10 pm. I guess he was nervous being alone and having to talk to all the bands, which I wasn't so keen to do, either. Thankfully, most of them were there already and Charles had them settled into a good sequence that everyone agreed upon. I was impressed that he had handled all of it without my help, and it seemed that there were a number of walk-ins, too.

Ralph was there and it was great to see him. His hair was longer and he was wearing his red sweatshirt. He said he was sorry but he had run out of invitations to Charmaine's baby shower. He told us that this was one of the few times he was out of the house as he's been swamped with work-- he has at least four major projects he needs to work on simultaneously. All he does to battle insanity is download stuff from Soulseek (he also told us a pretty funny story about someone's opinion on who to ask about indie if you're from the Philippines).

Suddenly, Charles said that someone wanted to talk to me. It turned out to be one of the new bands, Switch. They had called Allan the night before and he told them to talk to me or Charles when they arrived at Buzz Night. But everything had been settled, so what did they want with me? Anyway, I faced the two guys and they actually just wanted to know about Buzz Night… was it a regular event? Was it a club? Haha… I was really nervous because I didn't feel like I was the person to ask but I told them some basic stuff they needed to know and said they should ask Allan himself when they meet him. I asked them what they played and they said, "Industrial," and I said, "Great." They seemed intrigued by the whole thing.

Ok, no critiques here, just observations.

So Five Leaves Left started the night early minus their curly-haired bassist, plus their pretty boy floppy-haired bassist. Now Allan can't form a band with them and call themselves The Don't-Mess-With-Us band. They seem to be getting better and better and I noticed a lot of heads moving to their music. Next followed the industrial pair Switch. The more aggressive audience members liked them and they gave a heavy touch to the night.

It was then that my friends Dottie and JV arrived (they actually paid entrance!)… they wanted to see Charles perform, having met him during several nights out before, and they also wanted to catch a certain band (secret, hehe). Edwina was sleepy, but Trina graciously entertained her with some parlor tricks so she could stay awake. I suddenly had a bad asthma attack, having left my inhaler in Ayn's van, and so I had to step out with my friends and buy an emergency Ventolin at Mercury Drug ("damn, there goes my chicharon bulaklak money!"). When we returned to Mayric's, it was already Blue Stellar's last song, so I wasn't able to catch much of their performance.

Ralph disappeared around that time, but I hadn't noticed when exactly. He might have still caught some of Sunset Drive, but I'm not sure. Anyway, before he left, he told me that he had an interesting experience while waiting outside Mayric's at 8:30 pm (I don't know why, but he decided to go there really early--- probably to soak up enough Mayric's tugtugan vibes to last him a month of seclusion, hehe!). He said that some people passed by and read the line-up for Buzz Night and one of them commented, "Ay sayang, hindi tutugtog yung Candyaudioline." Ralph just sat there chuckling to himself.

Next came Sunset Drive's strong performance, and then Children of Eden. I remember watching the latter before on the night of my first Mayric's gig… Ayn had brought me with her to Klub Fluid to help her friend's band and they played that night. I was surprised that they were lined up for Buzz Night; I think someone recommended them. Their music did sound right, but I wasn't sure about the vocals as it seemed a bit mainstream. Still, they went with the flow, and people liked them. By this time, since it was early, Charles had already asked them and the remaining bands to play 5 songs each.

Tether took the stage, minus one of their guitarists (the one with glasses). Joel, their bassist, was forced to sub for him and they got someone else to do the bass; these would probably account for the guitars' super loudness later on. I approached them, remembering they only used to have four songs before, so I could request them to play their Heavenly cover for the fifth, but they assured me they could play 5 songs. Their guitars were really loud and there was no one to manipulate the sound system that night, which made it very, very difficult for their diminutive vocalist to keep up, but this did not mask the coolness of their 2 new originals. I was impressed at how much they've grown since they first played Buzz Night. My friend JV, who doesn't really listen to much music, later on commented that the bands he liked best that night were Tether and Popular Days, and that says a lot about those bands. JV generally doesn't like anything that assails the ear, but in spite of Tether's absolute love for volume, he appreciated them. That says a lot, believe me.

Next, Popular Days performed. Once again, they proved to be the darlings of the night. The crowd was charmed by them and I couldn't resist calling out a fond shout of "Manyak!!!" or two. One funny thing happened, though. Charles was nervous in between songs and so he suddenly said, "Pasensya na, wala si Allan ngayon. Meron siyang… proyekto." I was coming from the bathroom and heard one of the walk-in patrons say, "Anong sabi niya?" The girlfriend said, "Si Allan daw…" to which he replied, "Si Allan? Sinong Allan? Maraming Allan eh!" Haha! I remembered that question by one of the Switch guys on whether Buzz Night was a club.

Bagetsafonik sealed the night with pleasing melodies interspersed with electronic beeping. I think it was a fitting end to July's Buzz Night.

After the gig, we were sitting around waiting for people to leave when this old guy went up to Charles and said, "Galing! Sa Tuesday ha!" Charles said, "Salamat, sige." When the man left, I asked Charles what he had meant by that and he said, "Hindi ko nga alam eh!" Haha! Whatever the case, I think the man had been impressed by Popular Days and probably had assumed that they would be playing at Back to The Edge, a New Wave production coming up at Mayric's. I told Charles how much I appreciated him single-handedly manning Buzz Night. It was a pity Allan wasn't there, but I'm glad it was successful anyhow.