Last Friday, Allan planned a practice for us. We met Ayn at Jollibee Kamias and then proceeded to Sam’s. It was there that Allan told us that we’d be playing at City Jam that same night! Well, we already had our safe songs lined up, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Allan asked me to play the guitar first because he was feeling lazy, and I asked the others what we should practice first. Ayn said we should try “broken to pieces” and we did. Dennis and Kiel knew enough to get by. Allan said we should continue practicing it and he started tweaking the guitar and drum lines. When we got our polished version down pat, he took the guitar and suggested we do our “today” cover again. It was really fun to go back to that song and try to remember what we used to do on it. We didn’t realize that it was already 11 pm and so we had to cut the fun short and rush to City Jam. It was great to jam again and try to improve the songs. We hope we can do this more often, especially since Ayn is having some good-but-challenging changes in her life that will enable us to be more active.
I was really nervous about the City Jam gig because I doubted it would be able to withstand our volume. I remember from the times we used to hang out there that it was a really small place and so was the stage. Some friends were there, which was a pleasant surprise, but I kept worrying about our set. Finally, we played. I had to stand in front because we all couldn’t fit on the stage. It was a good set.
Afterwards, we enjoyed the rest of the night, watching Popo’s band Gish and meeting new people.
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The next day we had a 3-song set at Rajah Sulayman Park. We picked up Allan at his house before going to the Park for the gig, which turned out to be a free concert sponsored by SK. They treated us well, giving us food and a small, but appreciated, honorarium and even printed out certificates of appreciation for the bands. Mostly, the other bands were fellow unknowns who played different genres. Call time was 8 o’clock, which we thought was early because we thought we were supposed to play by 11, but the program went by rapidly and before we knew it, the organizers were panicking because none of the bands were complete yet. They were threatening to cut latecomers completely out of the program. So we were worried because Dennis hadn’t arrived yet—apparently, he had been given the wrong directions and had to walk all the way from CCP. Poor guy. Next time, we have to remember to let him hitch with us!
We were the 4th or 5th band to play. It was a very good sound system and Allan had asked the sound guy to record our set and Tether’s. I got off to a shaky start with “Better View”, I think because I suddenly realized how big the crowd was and so I sang the wrong words to the first stanza, then I realized I was wrong and my voice went too high on “don’t you appreciate the way that I have given myself to you,” and I was so horrified, but I looked back at Allan who gave me this dirty/amused look and so I couldn’t help laughing into the microphone, hehehe. But after that, the rest of the set went really well. Allan listened to the tape last night and he said we sounded good except that he and I were flat and sharp, respectively, on “An Empty You.” But I don’t think anyone else noticed it.
Joel also played bass for a band called Misua, and they played My Vitriol covers (I wouldn’t know, though, this is just what Dennis told me). I thought their set was really good, but the crowd thinned out by that time. Poopoo Vox also played and I must say that they’ve improved again… maybe they really weren’t themselves the last time I heard them. They were good, but I would like them better if the vocals were a bit more relaxed.
Kiel also sessioned for the Philippine Violators and they reminded me of Einstein Chakras. Wish those guys can play this coming Buzz Night, which is on the 28th. Tether also played. They had a really good set, too, and I love how they made that last song kind of dance-y.
Lastly, Kiel’s other band, Sick Pig, played and they drew the crowds back with their hardcore stuff. He played well during their songs and Ayn even didn’t know it was Kiel while she was watching them. Ayos talaga tong si Kiel… shoegaze na, punk pa, hardcore pa! he must have been really exhausted afterwards.
Charles had arrived earlier in the night so we wanted to have a band meal at Mister Kebab, but Tether had some internal problems that needed to be discussed, so it was only Allan, me, Charles and Ayn. We chanced on some ox brain.
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Upcoming Gigs:
Tonight – Mayric’s
May 14 – Padi’s Point, Cavite City
May 28 – Buzz Night, Mayric’s
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