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.

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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...


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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!

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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!


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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!