reunited (and it feels so lewd… ;)

yehoo.

Ayn picked me up at around 9:30 and when we arrived at Mayric's, everyone was there (except Roel, who was still on his flight from Cebu!): Allan, Charles, John Paul, William and Ralph. Ralph was eating a pork chop meal, which was a relief because he looks so very, very, very thin now. He said that work has been hell for the past month and that he now has insomnia. It's not that all this has affected his appetite but that all the unhealthy parts of his lifestyle have refused to let him get fat. Remember the Colasa's jokes Allan was making about Ralph and the barbecue stick? Well, he wasn't that far from the truth after all. But it was really good to see him and I'm sure my other bandmates felt that way, too. Again, Allan's frivolous plans of disbanding candyaudioline have been foiled, mwahahahahaHAHAHAHA!

John Paul and William were two more refreshing faces as we hadn't seen them in a while. John Paul has been busy with studies while William has a controversy of his own, about which he reluctantly told me after a lot of wheedling on my part hehehe. Gosh. Dapat talaga magka Grand Buzz Night Reunion. Hindi lang alam ng mga tao na marami palang mga behind-the-scenes action hehehe. Exciting!

Superminty opened the night without keyboards, but they still impressed the people. Hebert and Acel kept asking, "Original nila yan???" in tones of disbelief. After 4 songs, Moonstar88 took the stage with their new member. We were getting nervous because they were about to finish their set and Roel had just arrived in Manila. He still had to work until the very last minute before rushing to Mayric's in record time for our set. Hats off to you, Roel!

We played a wonderfully loud set of four songs: An Empty You, Better View, Something Wrong and My Silver Chair. Hopefully, we'll get to practice again soon so we could refresh the old candy songs (which I really miss). During Empty, Roel took a long time to do the first "bagsak" which is supposed to set everyone off into instrumental, and it was amusing. Hindi rin kami kasi nagkakarinigan masyado sa stage and I couldn't hear myself at all. I was just hoping to get by in tune. Afterwards, people were joking Roel about that little mishap hehehe… but everyone said we played a great set and Charles said I didn't go out of tune in Something Wrong (even if Allan thinks I did :P beh!). It was fantastic to play together again and we were so loud that my ears felt funny when I stepped off the stage. Someone even said that we looked like the main act because we were much louder and rougher than the other sets that night. Yebah.

It wasn't a perfect set… we've had much better ones, but the fact that we were all together again was remarkable :D Nakakamiss talaga si Ralph… buti na lang aalis na siya sa trabaho niya next week hwehehehe! But of course, that's more because he's so pooped out from so much work than anything else…

Ayn had to go home early because she still had to finish some stuff for school so it was only Allan, Charles and Me who went to Timog Food Plaza for some Zamboanga chicken. Kakaiba talaga yung manok dun.

And then we went home.

I don't think we're going to push through with the Wow Philippines gig this Friday but I'm not sure about that. Buzz Night might be held on Black Saturday, but keep posted so you'll know kung tuloy. Ang tuloy yung Easter Sunday gig sa Millennia na medyo In BeTWEEn Days ang dating. More updates on this soon.

A scene

Candygirl: (to candyboy) Alam mo ba na kami na ni *********?
Candyboy: (with true pinoy shock and matching thrown-off-balance action) NGYEH!!!
Candygirlette: (laughing) para kang taga AngTV niyan eh!
Candygirl: (suddenly and with thrice the feeling of Candyboy's reaction and twice the facial expression) NGEEEHHH!!! (and much more calmly, without missing a beat) wag mo yang ilalagay sa blog ha.

gig tonight---- with ralph!

we have a gig tonight at mayric's and ralph will be playing with us again. yehey. kasama namin ang moonstar 88 at kamikazee.

finally, a candy reunion :)

hope this will be the first of many to follow...

Two Gigs, One Night (March 15th, 2004)

Act One: "Against Perfection"; Millennia

Let me explain what happened. Last Friday, during our Deadpan Society gig, Tiffany casually said, "Hey, I heard you guys are playing here on the 15th."

"Huh? I don't think we can. We have a gig that night with The Mongols at Mayric's."

"Talaga? Eh nakita ko dun, eh…" she trails off, leaving me guessing on where "dun" was.

Later, I'm hanging out by the doorway, looking at the posters when I happen to glance at the Millennia calendar. I do a double take. "Hey! We're here on the 15th!"

"Sabi sa 'yo eh!"

"Oh, no… nakakahiya naman kung di tayo sumipot eh kaya naman natin ngayon dahil nandyan si Charles. Sige, lagari na lang tayo on that night."

And so the stage was set for this scenario 2 nights later:

Allan, Mike (of Weedisneys and Chicken Pao Productions) and Charles were sitting at a table and Ayn, Roel and I walk in. I say to Mike, "Ayan, hindi ka na galit samin kasi sumipot na kami ngayon," to which Allan interrupts with, "Sabi niya hindi tayo naka-lineup ngayon," and laughs. Mike laughs, too and says, "Hindi, ok lang!"

"Talaga?? Pero nakalagay dun sa calendar sa------" I whirl around to point at the evidence…. And discover that it's no longer there! Mwahahaha…

I examine the night's poster and see that there really is no candy in the line-up for this night (Mike probably thought we wouldn't be able to make it this time either hehehe). But Mike lets us play anyway, which was nice of him, considering we had just showed up. Also, Twisted Halo graciously agreed to let us play ahead of them so we could make it to our Mayric's thing earlier (but that's another story). One of them also lent Ayn his strap. Thank you.

We did an ok set. I flubbed the song titles due to some misinformation. Ah well. Allan got really tired after it so we had to wait there for 20 minutes while he caught his breath again. Meanwhile, he talked to Diego Cambio about cd production (thanks for the tip… can't wait to "hook up" with the cd guy hahaha) and he gave him previews of our upcoming album, pati na rin yung mga Eps ng Pillow at Minty. Sabi niya, "Wow, thank you! Ba't ang bait niyo sakin??" which caught us off guard and I smiled and said something lame like, "Kasi pamangkin kita!" hahaha. Actually, siguro Allan was just feeling… I dunno… nice and Diego happened to be there and he's receptive to that kind of material. Well, he did give us an idea of where to go to publish the album.

So… Lara dropped by pala because she had a friend who wanted to do a production at Millennia. Soon after, we left for Mayric's.

*
Act Two: "The Mongols and Friends" [title, mine]; Mayric's

We arrived at Mayric's around midnight and Kiko Machine was in the middle of its set. "Wala si Spiderman."

After Kiko Machine, the main act, The Mongols were set to perform. We were to do our thing after them so we decided to while the time away eating. Allan ordered sisig and liempo and rice and we dug in. The Mongols did about 5 songs, I think. I liked them.

Then it was our turn. Well… we did ok, too. I couldn't hear myself over the mic but Allan said he could hear me. I was just praying I wouldn't go flat. But I didn't. It was fun. Allan's back was killing him halfway through the set and he badly needed to rest. He asked Jerome (of The Mongols and Teeth, former guitarist of candyaudioline, too) if he wanted to play on "Flaming Walls"--- he agreed to do so for fun :) It was great, but the dilemma was that Jerome had done lead for the band before, and Allan does rhythm, and Charles doesn't know anything but lead for now. So we had two lead guitarists… and Jerome kept doing different chords for the pre-chorus part hahaha. But it was really fun and he obviously enjoyed it. He was even singing with me and he'd sing "It ain't right" with this exaggerated articulate accent hehe (It aynt rawyt!). Ely B. (or whatever he'd like to call himself now) just had to take a peek at Jerome playing for us. After that song, Allan came up to play the last one with us, "My Silver Chair" and we finished the set. Later, he told us that watching us almost brought tears to his eyes (NO KIDDING!!! He meant this!) because we sounded so good onstage. "We never get to see ourselves actually playing and, you know, I've found that it's a really great experience to be part of the audience while candyaudioline is performing." Awww… *sniff*, *sniff*.

Anyway, Roel and Kerwin had to leave because they had a 5 am flight to Davao that morning, but the rest of us decided to hang out after that…

*

Act Three: "The Grand Exeunt" (or "Angels Can Dance Really Well in Knee-High Leather Boots")

In gratitude to Charles' heroism these last 4 gigs of candyaudioline, we felt like giving in to his innermost (though unarticulated) desires and return to… er… shall we say, an "old favorite haunt" of our group of friends, the majority of which are male. Allan, Ayn, Charles and I hopped into a taxi and sped off to…

As expected, The Ladies were very polite and welcoming--- some perhaps delighted at the return of their prodigal friend Sir Charles, others clucking their tongues in reproach at the newfound detachment (totoo ba yan?) of the magnanimous Sir Allan. We were escorted to our table with a lovely view and given the plastic binder to make our selections for the videoke, which was to happen after the "program". Of course, the DJ greeted the two men warmly, asking Sir Charles where "Sir Jann Faul" was. Also, he asked Allan over the sound system if "it was true"… and then promptly welcomed the anonymous "first lady". Hmm… where'd they hear about that??

And yes… angels do dance well in knee-high leather boots.

It was still relatively uneventful, but fun. Allan sang "Regret"; we did duets for "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Careless Whisper"; Charles sang "Gaya ng Dati" and dedicated it to The Ladies, and he also sang "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get"; Ayn didn't sing at all, but enjoyed just the same. I think The Ladies were sorry to see Sir Charles go.

We needed to wait for Ayn to be fetched so we had coffee, pineapple juice and bread and scrambled egg at Ongpin's along Quezon Ave. We had a good long talk about---- you guessed it.

Then, Ayn and I exited stage left while the curtain fell silently on Allan and Charles waiting to pay the bill as the lights faded.

Bow.

Deadpan Society; March 12, 2004; Millennia

Our first gig in a little more than a month, due to Ralph's unavailability, Deadpan Society at Millennia was something the band looked forward to. We forced Charles to study our songs so he could sub for Ralph; by 8 pm he was texting Allan that he was apologizing in advance for ruining our gig.

Allan and I arrived at Millennia at 9:30 pm and some of the bands were already there. Tiffany was worrying and moaning about the fact that Incubus was playing at CCP that night. We told her, don't worry, there are probably lots of people who couldn't afford going to Incubus who will probably drop by, don't worry, let's just have fun. I forgot the name of the band that opened for the night… Charles arrived around that time and we were busy reassuring him that he didn't have to feel pressured because we were just happy to be playing again.

"Eh, hindi, eh… 'di ko kasi makapa lahat tapos sobra na akong kinakabahan!"

"Ok lang yon! Kahit gumawa ka na lang ng version mo ng mga lead parts!"

Next, Silent Sanctuary played. I liked the strings. Then, Paramita performed. Ria, the drummer was the organizer of the event and she was the one who contacted Ayn and booked us (Thanks again!). Next, played Bagetsafonik, whose set impressed Allan, who is considering including them in a future Buzz Night now that he's actually heard them. After that band, we performed with Charles and it was a considerably good set. As usual, I felt a little rusty after our hiatus, but it was fun to be onstage again. We were really satisfied with Charles's performance, too, because we didn't feel as if Ralph wasn't with us------ he had to modify some guitar lines, but he was able to simulate Ralph fairly well. It was almost the same level of… um, I don't exactly know what to call it… "intensity"? In any case, it was a lot of fun and we were really grateful that Charles agreed to do it for us. Of course, we still miss Ralph.

Then, Agartha's Remorse, last band for the night, performed two songs. We were especially waiting for them because the band is composed of Ayn, Charms, Lara and my younger sister Edwina, who is a fledgling guitarist. The latter's friends had come to support her and they were screaming her name, along with yours truly, who was in turn marveling at her "baby sister growing up" hehehe. I know. I'm cheesy :D kulang na lang mag-baby babble ako dito, eh hehehe. Natuwa din sina Charles, Roel, Kaye at Allan sa kanila kasi the girls had had only a few practices and they were performing Within Temptation and Sisters of Mercy fairly well. Natuwa sila especially kay Lara kasi hindi daw siya nag-kick sa last part ng "Lucretia…" They were shouting, "Dream come true para sa drummer!!!"

After the gig, we brought Lara and Kaye to where May was waiting for them (Freedom Bar) so they could pass by the Amoeba event of the Lubitels, TV Guide and Carnival Park. Then we went on to Colasa's for a food trip. After eating, Allan started goofing off. We were talking about Ralph and then he picked up a barbecue stick and said, "Ralph… Ralph… kumusta ka na?" Tapos sa kalamansi na piga na, sabi niya, "Roel… Roel…" and then he picked up two barbecue sticks, formed them into a cross, then pointed it at Ayn and said, "Ayn… Ayn…" Sayang nga kasi wala siyang ginawa para sakin… it's either wala siyang maisip or he was scared of consequential "sanctions"--- hehe! Basta ang dami pa niyang ginawa tapos tawa kami ng tawa dun. Hay.

Buzz Night; March 13, 2004; Mayric's

Allan was a little worried about Buzz Night because he had unwittingly lined up 11 bands for the night. Still, there's something positive about that… before, he had been hard pressed to look for bands who wanted to play. Now he has enough to resurrect the sometime active event In BeTWEEn Days. He's thinking of changing the name, though, so that it doesn't have to be specifically restricted to twee, which the event never really was in the first place with bands like us lined up. I hear there are plans to begin this coming Easter Sunday and he's already asked Weedisneys and Balloon Derby to perform. Expect more to come about that.

Anyway, back to Buzz Night--- being worried about the great number of bands set to perform, he decided to start it early. Kaya lang, pag dating namin dun, wala pang kumpleto nung 9:30, puro mga kulang ng isang member. Suddenly, the band Five Leaves Left, which played last month but wasn't on this month's line-up, arrived thinking they were set to play. Since they had come all the way from Paranaque, they begged to perform under any conditions. Allan decided to let them play 3 songs first so the program could start and they were grateful for the chance. It was a good idea because it gave the other bands time to complete their members. Matilda was up next, with Ayn sessioning for one song (but it was good to see Yvette again). Then the much awaited Sonnet LVIII. Buti na lang nakakapagtugtog uli si Nelson, kaya lang paalis ata yung brother ni Rommel for abroad so Buzz Night was supposedly going to be their last performance. Aww, damn. They gave an awesome set, and next came Popular Days. Lasing na si Charles by then. Don't ask. Pero syempre, hindi naman sila nagkalat.

Skrew Ups played next and they gave a refreshing set… my gosh, if I remember correctly it's been a year since they last performed at Buzz Night. Then came candyaudioline and Charles, despite his tipsiness (a little of his buzz had worn off by then), did us justice. He was even brave enough to do "My Silver Chair" with us, though he was caught off guard by Ayn and Roel conspiring for a long version.

Balloon Derby followed, with Wally greeting the audience with, "Welcome to Buzz Nights(!)" Hehe… pero ok yung set nila ha, kahit wala nang nagke-keyboard. This Buzz Night ko lang sila talaga pinakinggan and I liked one of their songs. Hmm… teka… kasalanan ba ng Superminty kung ba't wala na silang keyboards??? Si William kasi dati yung nagba-bass para sa kanila, kaya lang, ngayon na wala siya, yung keyboardist na nila ang nagba-bass! Oh no…

Hmmm… should I start a blog for Superminty, too? Si William nagtatampo ata samin kasi wala kami masyadong tugtog na lined up. Feeling niya ata, we're leaving him out. Hindi no! I asked Allan, "Ba't di mo siya pinapunta dito sa Buzz Night??" Allan said, "Sinabihan ko siya! Ewan ko kung ba't wala siya dito." Naku, William, wag ka nang magtampo… tapos na nga yung ating malupit na EP eh… ;)

Next, performed the ever-reliable Tether. I really liked their last song, but I noticed that the oomph I was looking for wasn't there. Then I realized it was because they had a different drummer that night. Later, I learned that their real drummer was sessioning for the Phil. Violators so he couldn't make it. Finally, Skies of Ember performed as the last band for the night. They gave a great set, although Dott-dott was having difficulty because his guitar kept going out of tune… was that why he wasn't able to sing the chorus for their song from the Mutual compilation album? Sayang. Pero ok na ok pa rin sila despite the setbacks.

Weedisneys passed by, but since they weren't lined up, Allan had to put them last… only Mike had work at 1 am so they ended up leaving. Well, it was good to see their continued support for Buzz Night.

Afterwards, we weren't able to eat out because nobody had money. Sigh. Because recording sessions are officially finished, it's time to pay the bill. Oh well.

Tonight, we will be playing with The Mongols, Stonefree and Gish at Mayric's and then we'll be heading to Millennia after that for a gig as well. See you!

soft pillow kisses and superminty ep's finished at last!!!

soft pillow kisses and superminty has finished mixing sessions
also at pink noise, for their respective eps which is also set for
release within the next two months...

mixing of the soft pillow kisses ep was done last wednesday evening at around 8pm with selena of candyaudioline / superminty taking up producer's chores during the first half of the mixing sessions while your's truly was busy as usual with with being pathetic while doing managerial chores for backbeat... upon my arrival, they were already in the last part mixing "special day"... the session ended before 3am...

the superminty ep mixing session on the otherhand started 8pm thursday night and ended at about 1:30am as witnessed by the entire popular days gang while occassionally going in and out of the booth hoping to get a glimpse of the lovely ladies who was with lito camo on the other studio while yours truly fell a sleep in the middle of the mixing of the superminty song "sink into something" up to the end of "when we smile"... sayang ang dami pa naman nilang tirang pizza...

a listening treat is in the works for the candyaudioline, soft pillow kisses and supermity recordings on saturday before buzz night, hopefully during buzz night and most probably during the end of buzz night...


soft pillow kisses will be releasing and ep tentatively
called "wasting opportunities".
here's the track list...
01 wasting opportunities
02 i was right
03 bathing in the sun
04 special day

superminty's 4 song ep on the otherhand is called "sink into
something"
here's a track list...
01 bitter art
02 when we smile (formerly song #1)
03 silly thing (formerly song #2)
04 sink into something (formerly song #3)

Buzz Night on March 13, Mayric's, 9 pm!

Kaya pala di nakapagpost si Allan kasi di siya makapasok sa blogger. anyway, here's an updated lineup for Saturday:

March 13 - Buzznite, Mayric's
Starts at 9 pm

Skies of Ember
Tether
Balloon Derby
Popular Days
Soft Pillow Kisses
Matilda
Candyaudioline
Skrew-Ups
Children of Eden
Sonnet LVIII


GO!!! :D

si allan talaga, di na nagpopost...

... eh may internet naman siya. dapat dito mo linalagay din yung news mo, chong. pano... hmp.

sent by "allan siegfried" through the candygroups:

Buzz Night this coming Saturday, March 13, 2004 at Mayrics!!!

featuring:

popular days
candyaudioline
soft pillow kisses
skies of ember
velvet
matilda
screw-ups
tether
balloon derby
children of eden

gig starts at 9pm (hopefully)entrance is at a very cheap 100 bucks...

additional news:

candyaudioline has just finished mixing the final 2 songs ("don't go
away" and "something wrong") off their supposedly 14 song album
called "saved it for torture reference" slated for release within the
next month and a half... three songs didn't make it to the final cut
namely "can't sleep", "all smiles" and "felf so fine" (although a
decision is yet to be made if "felf so fine" will still be re-mixed)
due to artistic reasons of your's truly. hehehehe

here's an almost final track list:

candyaudioline "saved it for torture reference"
01 sad inside
02 waste my time
03 light a candle
04 discarded toy
05 flaming walls
06 don't go away
07 an empty you
08 better view
09 my silver chair
10 wicked glances
11 for all i care
12 something wrong
13 nothing much to lose (my bloody valentine cover)

all songs were recorded and mixed at pink noise except for track 11
and 12 which was recorded last year at tracks studio in pasig as part
of the never-to-be-released "an empty you" ep.

also, soft pillow kisses and superminty has finished lay-in sessions
also at pink noise, for their respective eps which is also set for
release within the next two months... mixing is expected to be
finished before friday (March 12, 2004) in time for a listening treat
this coming buzz night...

soft pillow kisses will be releasing and ep tentatively
called "wasting opportunities".
here's the track list...
01 wasting opportunities
02 i was right
03 bathing in the sun
04 special day

superminty's 4 song ep on the otherhand is called "sink into
something"
here's a track list...
01 bitter art
02 when we smile (formerly song #1)
03 silly thing (formerly song #2)
04 sink into something (formerly song #3)

Ralph

Ralph is alive. He texted yesterday. He won't be able to make it on the 12th and 13th because he'll be in Caliraya then, and the 15th is still iffy for him. buthe's good to go for the 26th.

we will still be playing at all the said gigs because Charles will be subbing for Ralph and this time we'll drag him to the venue. hehe

yay!

btw, the pics show up on this pc so it still works. i think. could it be my temp files lang? but i wouldn't know. ralph, enlighten me. does nobody else see the pic? just a survey to let me know if it works. on a pc using windows 98 last friday, the pics didn't show, but now on an xp pc, they do. hmmm...

Candyaudioline March Gigs

12 - Dead Pan Society, Millennia

Silent Sanctuary
Paramita
Mr. Mindbender
Bagetsafonik
Nityalila
Agartha's Remorse
Candyaudioline

13 - Buzznite, Mayric's

Skies of Ember
Tether
Balloon Derby
Popular Days
Soft Pillow Kisses
Matilda
Candyaudioline
Skrew-Ups
Children of Eden

15 - Mayric's

The Mongols
Candyaudioline
Gish
Stonefree

26 - WOW Phils, Intramuros

Matilda
Candyaudioline
and many more.

News (for once)

Candyaudioline will be playing at Buzz Night on the 13th. I don't know the final list of performers yet but Allan will probably post it within the next few days. Also, we'll be playing on the 15th at Mayric's with Stonefree and The Mongols and Gish. Ralph, for the umpteenth time, we wish you could make it because we really miss you. Please. But if not, we are making sure that somebody else will be there to sub for you. By hook or by crook, we will play on these dates.

The other night, magkasama si Ayn at si Allan sa Ratsky Malate. I was at home resting. Sayang. Last night, I ignored my fatigue to meet Allan and Roel at Lyceum, Intramuros because I needed to get out. Some bastards there harassed Acel by holding her and pulling her hair and pushing her head while she was walking past. We had been way behind her around the corner, so we weren't able to catch them in the act, so we couldn't beat the crap out of them. Fricking bastards. I wanted to be violent last night. I know that if I had gotten into a fight, someone would most probably have kicked my teeth in or something, but I was in a seething, silent rage and didn't really care. If only we had seen the guy. I would have loved to elbow him in the face and feel his eyeball pop into his skull.

Ew. Did I just type that? That was gross. But it would have been lovely.

Tonight, we will be doing vocals for the two remaining songs in the candyaudioline album. Yehey.

totoong candy

pero wala si roel. oy roel kelan ba tayo uli magpipicture taking?

The Rewards of Stage Management

Saturday night, Allan brought me with him to work in Baguio. He clarified from the start that it wouldn't be a leisure trip since he had to help oversee Parokya Ni Edgar's welfare during a Bombo Radyo stint there. I was just eager to tag along for a refreshing, albeit brief, change of scenery. We left Manila Sunday early morning and made several Shell Select stops on the way before finally reaching Baguio at 6 am.

Roel was there to roadie. We felt a little wistful that the three of us were already there--- with Ayn and Ralph along, we would have been complete! Maybe they'd even have let us play front act if we were all there, since the only performers that night were Aleck Bovick, the Sooperbabes and PNE. But of course, just bringing me along was already a burden on Backbeat, and besides, hindi siguro sulit kung lahat kami pumunta dun tapos balik din the same night. But going to Baguio last Sunday did serve as an initial scan of what we could possibly do if there were to be a candyaudioline Baguio trip in the future. Going home, the wheels in our heads were turning on how to make such an outing feasible.

Anyway, I'm not really going to talk at length about my personal Baguio experience. We didn't really get to roam around and do the usual things. When we arrived at the transient house, we slept until one then woke up to have lunch at the ihaw places next to Burnham. Allan and I hadn't even bathed yet because we had only planned to eat then go home but we started browsing through ukay for a preview of things to purchase in the afternoon. Suddenly, Roel texted that they were already on their way to the radio station and so Allan and I had to nix our plans (including baths!) to accompany them. It was like this for the rest of the day--- tight schedules--- but we were finally able to bath in the afternoon, at least. So we weren't really able to do any sightseeing… we just visited the SM Baguio (which isn't all that bad with its wide terraces perfect for a view of the metro) and Allan shopped for underwear. Haha.

What I really want to talk about is the concert itself, or rather, the preparations for the concert. It was held at the oval behind Burnham Park and by the time we arrived there (7 pm) people were streaming in by the hundreds. Then, the fireworks started and they were soooo beautiful! I had never experienced fireworks like that before, missing both the Centennial and Millennium celebrations. Afterwards, the people's energy was so high and they closed in on the stage--- Bombo Radyo security had to step in and push people back to make leeway for the crew and the artists. The audience did comply, but already I was thinking that Bombo Radyo lacked a bit of foresight with the preparations if they hadn't thought of doing that at set-up time.

So the Backbeat crew started doing soundcheck. This is something they usually do hours before the program, but until 6 pm there had been another event at the venue and a different sound system was being used. When they were finally given the go signal to soundcheck, Backbeat encountered several problems: the sound system was undermanned, the board was set up weirdly and had to be heavily troubleshot, and the set-up onstage wasn't working properly. Particularly, the monitors for the drums was kaput and Roel spent more than 45 minutes pounding the kick while Rommel (of Sonnet LVIII) fixed the board. They were so pissed at the inefficiency of the sound system that tempers started to rise at nagtampo si Kerwin (bassist of Aspirin, who was setting up onstage) kay Rommel. The crowd was getting restless and so was the organizer… but of course, the guys refused to start until they had fixed everything because the band would suffer under existing conditions. It was becoming frustrating for everyone… so much that the guys started making wry jokes over the monitors. Some examples:

1. (After a particularly exasperated comment from Rommel)
Allan: O, puso mo, Rommel. Alam mo namang matanda ka na. Paano na yung pamilya mo? Yung boyfriend mo? Sino na ba ngayon--- si Randy na ba?
Rommel: Hindi. Si David na. Ikaw ba, sino na?
Allan: Bago na. Si Benjo na. Guwapong-guwapo. Itong si Sherwin may hinahada din kanina eh. (Points microphone at Sherwin the driver in talk show host fashion) Ano bang pangalan nun, Sherwin? Peter di ba?

2. Rommel: O, ayan. Umaandar na ba ang amp?
Allan: Hindi "umaandar" ang amp, pare. "Tumutunog".
Rommel: Yun na nga yung tinatanong ko, eh. Kasi kung umaandar, pigilan niyo sana at delikado na. Baka wala pa tayong magamit mamaya.

3. Rommel: May tao na ba diyan, Lan?
Allan: Ay hindi, pare, wala pang tao. Tingnan mo nga, walang laman nga yung field, eh. Ay… ah, tao ng sound system pala. Oo, meron nang tao dito. Naghahanap lang sila ng masasaksakan.
Rommel: Naku. Sino ba yung gusto nilang saksakan?
Allan: Ikaw.

4. Rommel: Kerwin, gumagana ba yung bass amp? Kerwin? Kerwin?
Allan: Pare, wag mo nang utusan si Kerwin at nagtatampo yan sa 'yo.
Rommel: Ah talaga. Sabihin mo sa kanya, I love you.
Allan: I love you, too, pare.
Rommel: Hindi, para kay Kerwin yun.
Allan: Pare, hindi ka niya mahal.

Of course, this was all on the monitors, so people couldn't really hear the bastos parts. I think they should have done it on the house speakers, though, para naaliw naman yung mga tao kahit papaano habang naghihintay.

People were really pissed off by 9 pm because Bombo Radyo had promised that it would start by 7. The organizers were getting impatient, too, and Allan had to use all his self-control to be polite about the situation. The fact was that if the planning had been more efficient, even with a sucky sound system, they would have been able to fix the problem way ahead of time. In fairness to the people in Baguio, organizers and audience, even if they were really pissed off, they didn't boo loudly at the roadies as they fixed the stage; the most they did was mock-cheer when Roel pounded on the drums and Kerwin tried the bass.

At around 9:30 pm, Rommel finally gave the signal to start and the Sooperbabes came on. I really enjoyed Aleck Bovick's performance, by the way. She's one courageous chick. Hero na namin siya ni Allan.

Anyway, witnessing this, I realized how difficult the crew's job is. They're the unsung heroes of gigs.

To end this story, Rommel and Kerwin kissed and made up in the following manner:

Kerwin: (to Allan) Lan, hindi ako pwede sa Parokya Mayric's sa Tuesday ha.
Allan: Oo, sige.
Rommel: (annoyed) O baket na naman?
Kerwin: (gives Rommel the evil eye and an "I'm-still-not-friends-with-you-so-what-makes-you-think-you-can-talk-to-me" look) Basta, Allan, di ako pwede nun.
Rommel: (annoyed) BAKET hindi?
Kerwin: (more annoyed) ANO BA? Kung ikaw, makakapunta, wala nakong pake dun!
Allan: Pupunta ka ba, Rommel?
Rommel: Hindi rin hehehehe. (everyone, including Kerwin, laughs)

We left for Manila, Monday early morning at 1 am.

*

Last Wednesday, we spent the holiday resting. I went to Allan's house in the afternoon and let him listen to some funny recordings I made with the minus ones and my own voice. He said he had been doing the same thing that morning! He set up his stereo so we could make more recordings and we played around with some of the minus ones we had made. Ayn had a gig at Millennia with Matilda so it was only me, Allan and Charles who watched a movie, "Lost In Translation". I loved Bill Murray's performance and Ms. Johannsen wasn't too bad herself. I remember she was that child star in "The Horse Whisperer"… it's great that one of her first mature roles was in an acclaimed movie. An Oscar snub won't hurt her career. Pshaw. Hehe… anyway, we decided to pass by Ayn's gig, only we missed their performance. She was outside talking to Matilda. They in turn asked Allan some advice about their recording offers. Afterwards, we went inside to drink and watched a screening of one of Quark Henares' short films. I suddenly had an asthma attack (hindi na ako sanay sa beer) so my friends kindly bought me some medicine and took me home (thanks, guys!). I heard that Charles and Ayn had some more drinks later that night but I think Allan went home, too.

Tonight, Allan was supposed to make candyaudioline play at the PNE Mayric's gig but he texted Ralph last night and Ralph said he couldn't make it. Shucks. He must still be sick. Superminty is playing tonight. I really miss candy. Reeeeeeeally.

The Soft Pillow Kisses recording sounds really good! Luie has certainly shined in this one… we're very impressed at the output. Expect a good SPK EP sometime soon…

I've finished printing the candyblog! It's ring bound and ready for perusal. Allan and I were having fun reading it over the weekend… ang dami na niyang nakalimutan na funny things na sobrang sarap sariwain. 148 pages! Buti na lang I took advantage of our office supplies hehehe. Meany.

Allan made a revised track list for our recording and it sounds great! This time, the sequence of the songs flowed well so that each track complemented the next. We still have to hit the studio for two songs but that will be easy, as soon as Ralph is ok.

Wish we could play together again soon.

What to Expect when you're Expecting

Candyaudioline minus Allan and Ralph

ack!

haha.... did i say "delight"? i meant "unnerving"! i've been working offline for about 3 hours and because word couldn't save it properly (stupid diskette confusion), all of the results have been erased. wahwahwah.

anyway, some news: we won't be able to play at millennia tonight because ralph's still sick and charles is too scared to session for us. allan wants to continue the pillow recording session tonight. *grumble, grumble* i do not take kindly to pressure.

tomorrow, i will laugh about all of this (except for Ralph's sickness--- get well soon, Ralph!)... just not today.

pfffffff!

and don't worry about the candy recordings. there's only a little more to go.

must... rest... eyes.

The Journey of a Blog

It's such a delight to be compiling the first year's entries of the candyblog. For one thing, there are numerous laughs to be had over all the situations we've been in since February 2003. Also, the candyblog is part of our history, and we all know that we can learn a thing or two from it. The first entries give general information about the band. Some give views of our lives outside of candyaudioline. I know now why some people have come to dislike us, for instance… a post full of blunt observations written innocently could easily have been taken as a malicious jibe. There is a sprinkling of these posts throughout the year, but we can do nothing to change that. The nature of electronic text is that it can be deleted after retrospection, but the impact of it will already have been made on hundreds of people who have viewed it. This lesson, we have also had to learn in a recent situation.

Well, at least we've learned. But I think the main lesson for me is that someone somewhere will always be offended at what any one person says on the Net. I've been reading my very old posts in this blog and I can't help smiling at the funny scrapes they bring back--- this has largely been due to my detailed, if a little OC, writing style. If I hadn't written all those things, the recall wouldn't be as effective. Ayn has written many posts in this way, too, perhaps in an even more detailed manner. If she hadn't done so, I wouldn't have been able to experience how candyaudioline fared during the month of May (when I was in Bukidnon) or how the first Nymphetz Experience went (I wasn't able to join them that time). Some word choices or selected details in our posts have probably irked some people, but this was never intentional. I think that, in the end, this is what matters.

I've noticed that my recent posts have become blah… I don't know, I guess I've been reluctant to expose my thoughts since… well, I'll be honest… The Blog Fiasco (hehe). But sticking to the facts is just plain boring. This blog used to be so much fun--- it was the band's message board where we'd poke fun at each other or invite each other out for a movie (or to Nymphetz!). We used to assume that no one ever read this blog, and that gave us the freedom to say anything we wanted and we could be the crazy weirdos we really were. Now, though, we realize that some people actually do read this blog and so we have to be a little more responsible about what we say. But I think that we've taken this consciousness a little too far in the past months. This is candyaudioline's blog, and we promised to faithfully document all our endeavors, be they seriously musical or nonsensical fun.

I have no intention of offending people, but from now on, I think I'll be more honest with myself when it comes to posting. I am the fricking Supreme Blog Mistress, godammit! Hehehehe…

By the way, check out our archives. I promise that you'll enjoy them :)

*

Alam ko na kung saan kinuha ni Roel yung "American standard" hehehe. Di ba brand yun ng bathroom fixtures???

the blog

i'm starting to compile the first year of this blog's entries. happy birthday, candyblog! ang dami mong pinagdaanan pero buhay ka pa rin hehehe.

recording

we will resume recording next week! yehey! malapit na... pero please be patient :)

there will also be a gig on the 26th sa millennia i think. ralph, sana pwede ka kahit sandali lang. meron din yatang gig sa assumption, as in binook kami dun pero di rin ako sigurado kung tuloy at kung kelan. sigh. ang hirap.

pero ok lang. basta ok na yung recording :D

Grabe, nakaka-miss…

Ayn and I met up yesterday early evening so I could give her the bass, which she needs for a Matilda gig this week. She suggested an impromptu dinner at Ababu. Over ox brain, we had a nice talk about Buzz Night, Superminty, candyaudioline and the DIY-"indie" dilemma, a topic which was resurrected mainly because JM had interviewed Allan for his thesis again the night before. Basically, we were just catching up on each other. We both miss playing as candyaudioline and hope Ralph would have a freer schedule soon. She said she was meeting up with Charms later that night to watch an independent film where Matilda's music was used for the soundtrack. Told her I was heading off to Pink Noise for Superminty mixing with Charles. The big baby didn't want to be there alone with Jeff sound engineer (Allan had a PUP gig with Moonstar and Parokya) and so he insisted I come along.

I arrived at Pink Noise to discover luie was with him. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Pero ok lang kasi I really wanted to be there during mixing anyway. Jeff was feeling really sleepy and he looked like he wasn't in the mood. He made a valiant effort at mixing though, even if it took him slightly longer this time (two and a half hours!). He was only able to mix "Bitter Art" before admitting that he couldn't stay awake anymore. The song sounded great. We burned Allan a copy and decided to go home. While Jeff was mixing that song, Ayn arrived with Charms and another friend in tow--- they had missed the film showing and decided to crash our mixing party :) Ayn gave me a ride home and that was that.

I feel positive about the Superminty EP because it sounds good so far. I'm sure that when we finish the candy recording, it will give the same satisfaction.

SOFT-MINTY-CANDY flavored ASPIRIN

hello everyone!!!

ever wondered why some things never really change? well, i do and it really frustrates me but what can i do?

last nght was buzz night but i never really got to experience it that much because i got there very late na (i had work coming from sta rosa in the afternoon then on to san mateo in the evening, good thing selena was with me the whole time - valentines eh!) i even forgot the name of the band that was performing when we arrived. they play really decent alternative rock tunes and even sang some tagalog songs! (PLEASE BE INFORMED THAT RECENTLY I'VE COME TO REALIZE THAT BUZZ NIGHT IS JUST AN EVENT AND NOT "THE INDIE SCENE" ITSELF WHICH GIVES ME THE FREEDOM TO INVOLVE BANDS OF WHATEVER GENRE I DEEM APPROPRIATE)... OH WELL... it was really nice seeing familiar faces that night still suporting buzz eventhough they weren't billed to play that night. i saw Dott and some of his bandmates, my ex-aspirin/minty bandmate jeoffrey (probably checking on what has become of minty hehehe... ang lupit namin kagabi ano? mamatay ka nalang sa inggit!!!). i also saw some members of the Lubitels.

i had wally of ballon derby to fill in for me doing the organizing stuff while i was away. salamat chong for the help pero huwag mo na pangarapin yung pinapangarap mo kagabi (over my dead body) ako ang buzz night! pag ikaw na ang mag-take over sa buzz night, iba nalang ang itawag mo. "derby night" sabay may sabong... joke lang pare...

to the bands who played, salamat! carnival park, balloon derby, tether, five leaves left (d ako sure sa name sensha na), archaster, jello torpedo (featuring my much-missed, well-loved friend and recently adopted anak Patty on bass. metal nga ba?), syempre ang walang kakupas-kupas na popular days (these guys are really great... i'm not saying this because close friends ko sila... d ako ganun eh)
sana may mag-comment sa superminty. alangan naman sabihin kong ang galing-galing SOBRA ng set namin except for the last song na d pa talaga namin na-peperfect, pangit din naman sabihin kong ubod ng ganda mga song namin kahit totoo... hay naku, life is so unfair. naaawa tuloy ako sa mga taong d nakapanuod sa amin...

ganyan talaga...

ano? egocentric ako? megalomaniac? self-worshipping? hindi ah... i'm simply just being honest...

___________

oo nga pala...

delayed pa rin ang 14 song candyaudioline recording with still 3 songs under construction...

nagrecord na nga pala ang Superminty ng 4 song ep waiting to be mixed... ABANGAN!!!

soft pillow kisses might record a 4 song ep by the second week of march... song to be considered for inclusion are... "wasting opportunities", "special day", "bathing in the sun" and "i was right".

i've also been talking to my aspirin bandmates and have agreed to record an 8 song mini-lp...

a compilation is also in the planning stage...

ayos d ba!!!

UP Fair, Feb 11

We played Portia Sorority night at the UP Fair; they had commissioned all the Backbeat Bands to play that night and we got included as a bonus. Before this date, we had been worried because we couldn't contact Ralph and weren't sure whether he'd be able to make it. Thankfully, he arrived at around 8 pm along with Charmaine, whom we hadn't seen in a long time. The show was an hour late, but by the time they started, things were running smoothly. There were some stressful moments on the part of Backbeat management due to bands who hadn't arrived at their respective call times wanting to still perform.

Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous that night, probably because I had already been backstage the 2 previous nights and also because I learned from last year's situation. Ayn and I were really anxious last year, always conscious that classmates or acquaintances would see us. After the performance, which went fairly well, we felt like, "That was IT?" hahaha! Anyway, I felt relaxed before, during and after the performance, which was a first! The only thing that probably gave me nerves was the fact that I was dying to pee right before our set ;) what a horrible feeling.

Onstage, we couldn't really tell… we sounded ordinary, which isn't really a good thing… so we were thinking, "Ok, not a stupendous set, but we're getting through this fine." It was fun, though, and I actually spoke a little, even if it was only to say happy birthday to my friends and to say which bands were coming next. Then we made way for the next band. Some people complimented us on our performance and we thanked them. Allan was still stressed about work so he may have seemed curt to these people at first. We appreciated their comments and were surprised that our set turned out well, after all. We listened to it afterwards on John Paul's camcorder.

We had to wait until Parokya ni Edgar finished before we could leave. Then we went to Pares :D Damn, I can't remember all the funny stuff that happened anymore… got sick yesterday and wasn't able to jot this all down immediately. It was just great to be with everyone again: Ayn was with us at Pares, Ralph is still alive, Roel was there (even if binitin niya kami sa "My Silver Chair" hehehe)… even Charmaine showed up. It was a good reunion.

Buzz Night is this Saturday! I think Carnival Park is supposed to play, too… I forgot to put them in last entry's list. Anyway, just be there and see for yourself :)

gig sked for the week

sorry. we won't be able to play at "Against Perfection" at Millennia tonight (punta pa rin kayo, though) because Ralph has retreated into his shell again and we can't find him. Also, Allan has two gigs to work tonight, Roel has one. Oh well. We can't play at Buzz Night either because Ralph hasn't confirmed it yet... mukhang hindi pa siya puwede. However, the UP Fair gig this Wednesday is good to go because Ralph wouldn't miss that for the world (hehehe, iba na kasi pag peer audience). if you're going to catch us at the UP Fair, tickets are P80 each and come around 10-11 pm.

Here are the bands for this month's Buzz Night:

Buzz Night, Februrary 14, 2004
Mayric's @ 10 pm

Archaster
Jello Torpedo
Superminty
Eggboy
Tether
Playfulminds
Balloon Derby

Oh shit, i think i forgot someone. i'll just get back to you guys on this, hehehe. i think this is it, though.

anyway, see you at the fair!

set back of sorts

the recording sessions are almost done save for 3 more songs. one to be re-recorded the two others either remixed or re-do the vocals and then remixed... that's what my bandmates think but personally i find 2 more songs a bit uncomfortable which poses a dillemna as to either bring the songs from 14 to 12 or to release a ten song album and put the other four songs to the reserve list... if you were in my shoes what would you do...

taking into consideration that the cost for recording has reached really un-imaginable heights, it seems that it would be hard for us to finish the recording in the nearest possible time... also i've not been having luck with bookings for studio time because for one, my sched at work does not allow me and second, our engineer is very much in demand these past few weeks... to make a long story short, EXPECT DELAY !!! hopefully it won't take long... also ralph's been out of it lately because of the demands of his work...

maybe it's not yet time for candyaudioline to put out an album... at least we've got a very neat title for it... it's called "saved it for torture reference"...

torture it is...

"the other guy"

i'm sure everyone has noticed that we haven't been mentioning roel much when it comes to matters of the blog or the e-groups. well, he doesn't go online, really, and he'd rather leave the documenting to us (which i'm not so sure was a wise decision hehehe, then again...). i tried to make him a member of the blog team before but he let 3 months go by without accepting the invitation so i took him out. we do update him from time to time by printing stuff out for him though, and of course he hears news from his friends, too. recently, he's been telling allan that he's planning to buy a computer (roel, priorities mo, ha!) so he may eventually be playing a bigger role online with candy in the future. we'll see.

anyway, roel's still the same these days, for anyone who wants to know. he's still the candy drummer, of course. syempre, happy kami na bumalik siya, kahit papano. sana one day makapagpost na rin siya dito.

we may be playing on friday at amoranto stadium but that depends on ralph because he's still swamped with work. ralph, if you have time, give us a shout!

bandnames galore!!!

HI PEEPS!!!

eto wala lang, nakakatuwa lang... huwag sana ika-pikon ng mga bandang kasama ang pangalan... kung may idadagdag kayo, ako ay sabihan. kung gustong magpatanggal sa amin ay ipaalam (pwede kayo mag post sa tag-board or email me at ashtrayboy@hotmail.com)... okey?


candyaudoiline femenine wash ( it will wash your femininity away...)
pentavia lighter fluid (fire from hell...)
popular days soy sauce (MANImanman, pa parah paparah...)
eternal now memorial park (NOW is the right time to die!!!...)
skies of ember crackers (wala nang mas lulutong pa...)
concrete sam pawn shop (sanla mo, tubos mo. kundi, bili nya...)
sunsetdrive driving school (magda-drive ka lang hangga't may buwan...)
superminty toothpaste (ang lamig, ang bango. pwede rin i-shampoo...)
wagmagpinsantayo christian fellowship (salvation is LASt...)

... marami pa ito,,, ABANGAN!

kulam?

yesterday was really weird for me health-wise... i woke up feeling 100% rested but for some unknown reason got really sick an hour after... i remember feeling very cold and chilly, then i suddenly started coughing which really hurt because it was a dry phlegm-less coughing... i decided not to go to work to rest... i tried to sleep but couldn't. so there i was lying on the sofa waiting for myself to get better. what i did was talked with some friends on the phone and also called up some of my work related acquaintances... after 2 hours of doing so, i suddenly felt that i was fully recovered. it was a bit weird for me because by that time a doctor arrived at our house to check on my younger brother who was having these really bad coughs. i took time to have a check-up and guess what, i'm a very healthy person! fuck! for someone who appears to be 2 times overweight, my bp was 120/80... weird? after the doctor left, i was so sure that i was in good condition so i decided to confirm a practice session with one of my bands, but one of them suddenly couldn't make it because of commitments so i decided to call it off. just as i was doing so, i began to feel a twitching pain under my lower left rib and another just at the left side of my upper chest near the arm pit. weird weird weird. feeling ko tuloy may kumukulam sa akin...

oh well

salamat naman at nakapagpost ka after the longest time, allan. i guess people have begun to think all of candyaudioline thinks like me because i've been the only one posting here and i look like the official spokeperson. well, all i've been trying to do these past months is document all our experiences... i can't help it if they're filtered through my perceptions, faulty or otherwise. at least, i've finally put up a disclaimer (that may not be much help, but it's worth a try), and i hope you, ayn and ralph could start posting more often so that we could get different views on what makes candyaudioline go.

on to some news: we're about 85% finished with the album. allan's still deciding on whether to rerecord my vocals for "something wrong" but that depends on the mix... we might redo "don't go away"... hmmm.... medyo malabo nga yung mga plano namin eh hehe. we might redo the whole of "felt so fine" as well, and, so that studio time isn't wasted, Superminty might jump in and record a few songs, too. it all seems very flighty, but circumstances change so quickly and we have to be on our toes all the time.

upcoming gigs are:

feb 11 UP Fair, UP Sunken Garden. we're playing at around 10 or 10:30 pm.

feb 14 Buzz Night. some of the newbies who weren't able to make it last time, like Tether, will be there (hopefully), as well as some of the regulars.

ok, that's all, for now.

sharing a little piece of heaven

this is a review from "indiepages.com" of a recently released local independent compilation showcasing some of what this country has to offer...


V/A - "Dashboard Teddy Version 1.0" cd (Dorothy)
This is a fun comp CD from this small label fom the Philippines. Many of the bands come from the Philippines, including Soft Pillow Kisses, Happy Showers, Spring Boutique, Fantasy Lights, and Sodajerk, though there are a handful of groups from around the world, like Simpatico (Australia), Bobsy (Singapore), River (France), and Laura Watling, Evening Lights, Lil' Hospital & Suretoss (USA). The songs on here are all basically indiepop, both of the jangly and the dreamy variety. I think that most of the songs are exclusive to this release; (though most of the non-Filipino bands' tracks are not, except for Laura Watling & Suretoss, the latter being a cover of the Verlaines' "Death & The Maiden"), and a damn lot of them are quite good. Lots of new bands to be introduced to here, and I was especially impressed by Soft Pillow Kisses (and their terrific Rocketship-ish tune), the dreamy Sonnet LVIII, the TFC-ish Sodajerk, and the very jangly Fantasy Lights. Overall, an excellent sampler of indiepop from the Philippines and beyond! MTQ=14/18

-- Listen to "Candybar" --

praying for friends

i posted this as a comment on dino's livejournal:

HI PEEPS, ako nga pala si allan montero tubong manila at taga CANDYAUDIOLINE, nag iisa palang sa buhay pero may kinakasama. tao lang. nag enjoy ako sa mga nabasa ko. at in a way, na hurt din. not only for my own self but also for my bandmates. i was able to read their entries (including blog ng candy, blog ni ayn, at lj ni dino) as dino suggested narin when we talked kahapon. wala naman akong makitang sobrang dapat ika baliktad ng mga underwear niyo. maliban lang sa pinost ni ayn regarding the "character choo choo". i talked with ayn about that and she had a valid reason naman. siguro sa inyo hindi pero wala na akong magagawa dun. sayang matalino pa naman kayo. pwera lang si jef. she posted something sa blog namin which i think very well states her side, na kung babasahin niyo ng may malinaw na isipan at gabay mula sa espiritu santo ay maliliwanagan kayo. amen.

ayoko na sanang mag-react kasi ayoko ng ganito, pero...

TO DINO: kala ko ba malinaw na yung usapan natin kahapon? hindi ako nakaluhod, nakahiga ako, kung ako yung tinutukoy mo dito ["it's like in the old ages and by old ages i mean that scene in braveheart (sorry i just watched it eh), when william wallace (gibson) came back to his village and was challenged to a duel by that BIG GUY. BIG GUY threw this big rock at william wallace but failed but when it was wallace's turn he just threw a small pebble and BIG GUY was on his knees."]

["9. Allan calls me up. Because I gave him my word I won't talk about the conversation in my journal."] ANO TONG MGA TO, dooD...
----[Your friends are way too eager. (Mine were driven to tears and had to make phone calls)]
----["gusto mo marinig yung reaction ng kabila? "ed di bumuo sila ng sariling nilang eksena!" ]

["di ko gets yun. pero ang gets nagmuka na silang tanga at alam ng lahat ng tao kung sino sila. di pa rin nila tanggap ang criticism"]------diba sinabi ko sayo kahapon na alam namin na mukha naman talagang tanga ang CANDYAUDIOLINE sa lahat. shoegaze metal ika nga diba. kahit kami nga tinitira namin sarili namin eh. i just want to make it a point na hindi naman namin inasam na mag mukang number one. we're just friends who happen to be in the same band. siguro mabigat lang talaga ang dugo ng mga tao samin. san ka ba naman makakakita ng indie-indiehang banda na may bokalistang iyakin pero maganda (yeehee i lab you), may isa pang miyembrong mukang hip hop pero mahilig manlibre ng mga tinuturing niyang friends at hatak narin ng mga tinuturing niyang friends, bahistang nagpapaka anonymous according to you guys (eh hindi naman lj user na may username) at naka black at mayaman, lima sasakyan at may magandang anak na balang araw ay magiging diva, gitaristang ang impluwensya ay gitarista ng suave band pero kamuka ang bahista ng gorillaz, drummer na pwedeng tumakbong presidente ng pilipinas dahil sobrang dami niyang prends pero tingin sa kanya ng mga friends niya pet sya.

["i love playing this flame war game. it's just a game. it doesn't really matter who wins or who loses, just pure unadulterated real time online entertainment."] --- i hope you really mean what you're saying.

TO JEF: hindi na kita paaabutin sa korte. ngayon alam na naming lahat ang ugali mo. di bale, pwede ka pa namang makikain at magpalibre at humingi ng pera sakin.

TO ZJ: bakit ano ang nagawa ko sayo? mas kampi pa naman ako sayo kesa kay.... kala ko ba friends tayo? bakit mo naman kami tinawag na insecurity guards? puede naman insecurity blankets or inSECURITY bank. kras pa naman kita nun. idol ka pa naman ni ayn. kaya nga sya nag bass eh. buti pa si mel nag hi sakin. ikaw may pa irap irap ka pa. buti hindi pinasok ng lamok yung ilong mo. joke. pasensya na at hindi ko alam na apektado pala kayo dun sa pagbabago ko ng line up. honestly, i was trying to be fair to all. alam ni dino yan. an in-explain ko kay aj yan. nung mga unang tugtog niyo naman, lagi ko pinagbibigyan si dino kung anong gusto niya. yun lang time na yon ipit din ako. di bale sana prends parin tayo. hindi ko rin kasi gusto ang narda. pero friend ko yung singer because she is a good. naalala ko nga nung kelts cross ka pa dati...

TO MELANIE: sorry din sa line up. tanong niyo nalang kay dino kung ano yung real reason.

["this cracked me up! yeah, i seem to remember there was only one band playing that night :)"] ----kailan? pati ba naman ikaw? aahhh, lubitels lang pala. playing to their friends. okay. klasik (pinoy tayo eh).

TO ARNI: ["the thing that i dont get is this.. let's say yung band nga na yun yung tinutukoy... kunwari yun nga yung sinasabihang pretentious kuno.. fine. why cant they take it then?'] ---please refer to deleted blog entry. didn't she say "you win some you lose some"? wasn't that acceptance of criticism that may or may not have been directed to us? kung di namin matanggap ang criticism dapat matagal na kaming nag disband.

["not every night will be good, but if you had fun playing then thats good enough. not everyone will like lubitels, not everyone will like their band, not everyone will like each others bands, but what the fuck right? di pa nakakalabas ng pilipinas mga banda dito nasasaktan na sa mga comment na ni hindi naman sa kanila directed. kaya walang growth sa music dito.. puro gusto naririnig kapurihan. nagbanda pa!... and im generalising OK!!! pasalamat at walang mga NME, Uncut at Q magazine dito.. or taina maski mga DiS at pitchfork kung saan tinitira mga tugtugan... ewan ko na lang. baka maHURT masyado mga tao.. pepersonalin pa siguro.."]----sana nga you're generalizing. and also hope that you could help by organizing other events kasi i know may experience ka dyan. diba sa milenya you have your own event?

alam mo ba kung bakit walang growth sa music dito? ako hindi ko alam. basta alam ko na i'm doing my best to look for fresh new bands lalo na yung may potential para lang tirahin nila jef and company.

--your "UNKA PESTE" at oo tama ka hindi nga "vengeance" pangalan ng anak ni ayn as you posted sa e-groups ng dating myx.



TO THE FRIENDS AND FANS OF THE LUBITELS: i also admire them naman (although i don't think that they take me as a friend anymore). i see them as one of the bright hopes for the scene kasi sobrang bihira ang may bagong banda na may sariling tunog agad. that's why i keep putting them up, asking dino kung kelan sila available.

TO THE PEOPLE CONCERNED: about my comment "bumuo na lang sila ng sarili nilang eksena", I really meant it when i said that to dino because there have been so many complaints about the way i've been handling buzz night. pasensya na, pero busy person talaga ako. although i really care for the scene, i think i can no longer satisfy the tastes and standards of its more discriminating members. it is more of surrendering na lang to people who think they can do better events that will cater to their tastes. I WILL STILL CONTINUE BUZZ NIGHT pa rin, but i won't promise it to be an all-out indie affair because, as i've said, halos wala nang bagong banda. everyone who wants to play at this event is welcome.

but then again, as someone said, "this night is not working for [you] anymore." since when?

sincerely yours,
allan

ps. maglalabas nga pala ang CANDYAUDIOLINE ng album. sure na to. sana suportahan niyo kahit gamitin niyo lang siyang salamin pag nagsusuklay kayo. ang title ng album ay "SAVED IT FOR TORTURE REFERENCE." oh diba goth?

sige na. GOTH-om na ako. di bale sa birthday ko imbitado kayo. i've said my piece. now i will rest in peace. sagutin niyo nato hanggang gusto niyo at sana ikamatay niyo kasi huli nato. dapat kahapon sana eh pero may hindi sumunod sa usapan na walang lalabas sa pinag usapan namin. diba nakaka degrade naman yung malamang may iyakin pala sa isang death metal band? sorry kung naka offend ako kaya lang naka offend din kayo.

["that buzz night dangerously lacks a lot of rock."]

----sana nandun kayo nung november at december...wala kasi kayo eh... pwera kay jef. rock on.

***

grabe ngayon ko lang uli nagawa 'to.

"Insecurity Guards"

I've been advised not to react and post anything anymore in relation to Selena's "excuse me, please" entry. However, after having done some thinking and after everybody has said their piece, I figured that it's fair enough that I post my own piece. Here goes..

"So what the hell is this about," you may ask. I say, it's about some people who can never accept "unsolicited criticisms" of some person's observation. It's a lesson for me and my band, for the most part actually:

1) Now we know that there are people who only welcome praises;
2) Now we know that some people do have a life---a life defined by the internet;
3) Now we know that some people get a kick out of jumping on someone who dare said something in opposition;
4) Now we know that some people can never get what an apology means.
5) Now we know that contradicting someone is an equivalent of wanting to initiate a word war; and lastly,
6) Now we know that it's possible for someone to "get off" through a pseudo word war on the net.

Pardon my ignorance about all this. I was being such an idiotic oaf that I really am (no wonder I didn't make it to the Cum Laude list in my university).

Oh yeah, some other allegations I want to dispell:

Many people said that I had "no right" to react to what was posted. The fact is, I do have the right. Everybody (at least in the free world) has the right to say what they want. It doesn't matter if their opinions are distasteful, hateful, or backed with stupidity. Nobody should be told to shut up because somebody else doesn't like what they're saying. Every human should have the right to their own opinion. (Or in my case, I had the right to pretend to hold whatever opinion I wanted...) Of course you already knew that. I just found it funny that these words had to come out from you and from your minions when I was the one who was hounded when I posted a comment. This is no skin off my back and you're free to do what you want. It's merely a point I disagree on.

I mean, take a look at this blog. There are so many entries here that "ragged" on so many bands and people. Many people have reacted to them-- some have even confronted me in person. But I never took their reactions against them. If I haven't written those things, they wouldn't have anything to react to in the first place. It seems to be a rather immature and selfish stance to be angry (oops, of course you weren't angry, you just have a bad temper) when someone attacks you, and then use a bigoted slur to try to insult them. Tapos sablay naman.

Well, as an answer to that, I have seven things to say:

1) I do not identify with any group (ie, preppie, indie, punk, goth, etc.). You and your friends' attacks on goth were the ones that came out as hilarious--to the point of becoming ridiculous already. I'm not denying that I have "goth" friends and that I've supported the goth subculture in manila. I have my preferences that are similar to other people's preferences but they weren't and will never be based on a group of people. (if this is to be used to disprove an opponent's claims, maybe I should have said something like: "at least, I'm not the one who looks like one of 'em cast rejects from the Brady Bunch" or something to that effect);

2) Within Temptation is definitely NOT my favorite band ;) No offense to the fans of the band. I'd have to say though that I'm not ignorant about WT since I had to listen to them for a time when an ex-"pseudo" band had to do a cover of one of their songs and I do listen to almost everything anyway (ah, however, you prefer your own scenario so any further explanation would be pointless); now finally, something that has a connection to the topic--

3) It's irrelevant to know which band I thought you "ragged" on. It could be us, it could be Weedisneys (which you later on admitted), it could be some band that defines "your bad taste in music," as you admirably had put it, and it could even be your own band. But as I said, it's irrelevant. We were caught guessing and didn't exactly assume on anything. You did. If my memory serves me well, I never mentioned any band that I thought you were referring to. I played safe, just the way you played safe. However, I can't help but find it funny too that you and your friends all concluded that I was trying to defend my own band. But then again, if I were, am I not allowed to do so?;

4) In relation to that, just in case some of your friends think that I have something against your band, I'd have to say that it's the opposite actually. In fact, I was even all praises for your band when a friend asked me about it. I even introduced one of your bandmates to him, referring to her as a part of the band that I was telling him about. Ironically, some of your friends still felt the need to imply that it just isn't so. Oh well;

5) "Shows more of your character than the band's"... this is the line that really got you. You told my bandmate yourself. Why were you so affected? It's something rhetorical and need not be explicitly said anyway (although I did he he). Everybody's writings show more of their own character rather than what is being written about-- no matter how hard we try to deny it. And, it did show more of your character, just the same way that everything I've written and am now writing show more about my character. This also applies to your friends who seemed so eager, possessing such admirable enthusiasm, to ride on their "word war";

6) At least you took it as a compliment, when I tagged you as "THE rock critic" --though taken a bit out of context and that's quite understandable :)You should feel flattered (and not just say that you are). Really; and lastly,

7) No sweetie, I sincerely think that I/we have nothing to apologize for --not even for the "wrong things."

(Just the same that you don't have to apologize for anything --not even to Weedisneys-- even if we know very well that they're bound to find out about all of this in their own way. As you said, you were merely expressing an opinion. And you're right. Alongside that, you always have your friends to run to and cheer you on-- this kinda reminds me of myself and my friends when we were still in first grade, but when we grew up, we finally knew better.)

So there.

Anyway...

The lesson here is that not everybody has a sense of irony.

There are a lot of lunatics on the internet out here, and they can say whatever they want without any ramifications. You should take everything you read, including stuff posted in chat rooms and e-groups, with a grain of salt.

Once again, you are free to hold your own opinions, but as long as you're unwilling to accept others, I fail to see how you will be able to attain respect for your own self.

So that's that. I hope this clears everything up. If all of this crap ends in this post, good for us all. If it doesn't, that's no longer my problem. I've said my two cents worth on this. And I've had enough crap to deal with. I'm not one person to let my bad temper cramp my style, you know ;)

Have a great life!

If you still feel offended by what is said on this blog, then e-mail me. Also, there's a tag-board to the right side of this blog, just in case you haven't noticed (I know it isn't all that great like having a guestbook or a comments page but that's all we can afford to have and we all --except for Ralph who's a genius as we already know-- are internet idiots who can't even tell HTML from URL as Ralph had once put it.)

There isn't really much of a need for you to "make us post your entry here." Right? ;)

In the meantime.... bend over as I pucker up.


Love and slack and everything in between,
Ayn Ruth Z. Tolentino

See you at the gigs!

excuse me, please

i'd like to clarify what i said in my last post, which has been deleted because it offended some people.

it was a post I had written. Nobody else was at fault. The names I mentioned in that post had nothing to do with the opinions I expressed in it. they were my own opinions. the livejournal i was referring to, i could not even read! hence, the opinions i had about it were admittedly half-baked, therefore mostly bull. small wonder why it offended the writer. i hadn't meant to do that. i apologize.

however, i just want to request that any bad feeling that post had created be shifted towards myself, since i was the author of that post. none of my other bandmates expressed those opinions (which i tried to make open for any interpretation in the first place, but failing to do so, supposedly raised some eyebrows). i only heard the ghost of a reference to the mentioned livejournal, and that's all. everything else was mine... all mine!

i'm puzzled though, because i can't find any trace of the tension my post sparked. was it in the buzz night egroups? if so, i'm sorry i missed it (since i'm not a member) and so i don't really know how to answer the people i've offended. all i can do is apologize for reacting while uninformed on the whole of the matter. i hope this is enough, but if it isn't, i'll just have to accept that, won't i?

you all must think i'm such a dolt. well, perhaps you may be on to something there... ;)

but, please... i implore you to give crap where crap is due and not pour it out on people who are innocent. thank you.

p.s. now i know why i can't find a trace. the internet explorer i'm using refuses to refresh and so i can't see it. well. i've said my piece anyway.

Nyahaha

(for the lack of a better title)

Oh shit. I actually forgot about my gig on that date. Shit shit shit. I'll check if there's another sked for the play. Anyway, the play is only for an hour and a half (no intermission). The problem is, CCP is so damn far from the gig venue. I'll check again with the Matilda girls... just in case the gig gets cancelled or something.

Oo nga naman, ano nga ba ang mas ok? Pentavia Jeans and Shirts or Pentavia Lighter Fluid?

Hi Vlad! See you at the gigs. ;)

A funny scene

My sister Edwina approached me the other night and told me what happened to her when she went to her best friend Aryan's house. Aryan is the younger sister of Pentavia vocalist Vlad. (Hmmm… if our younger sisters are best friends, does this mean that Candyaudioline and Pentavia are best friends, too? ;D)

V: Wina, Wina… anong mas gusto mo? Pentavia Jeans and Shirts or Pentavia Lighter Fluid? (knowing look)
E: (confusion and then flash of mind-shattering realization) ha? Aaaahhhhhhh… hahahahahaha! Hehehe…

(later)

E: Aryan, nagalit ba yung kuya mo dun?
A: Ah… ewan! Hindi naman ata. Si Michelle (girlfriend of Pentavia guitarist) ata baka nagalit…
E: Hehehehe…

*

As the first reel completes mixing, we are become more optimistic about releasing the album. We are reconsidering some songs for the second reel, hoping to fix them with some remixing or partial rerecording. However, as we are nearing bankruptcy (hehehe), don't expect the album to be released in the immediate future because we still have to gather more funds. Hopefully, by March, it'll be out.

This week, we have no gigs because Ralph is pretty busy with his projects at work. Come February, we'll be more active as a band, starting off with a February 11 gig at the UP Fair with Backbeat Bands. I think there was supposed to be a February 6 but I think Ayn will be sessioning for Matilda that night. If you want to catch her as Matilda's sub-bassist, go to any MWF Matilda gig.

Or maybe hindi pala gig yung meron si Ayn. I think she'll be watching a play pala...

*

"Candyaudioline Feminine Wipes------ we will wipe your femininity away!"

Wagmagpinsantayo

Check this out:

Candyaudioline
Mail Order Monster
Buy this LP

1998
4 stars


At Candyaudioline's most inspired, you think your stereo is going to spontaneously combust. "Coming Down" shows off their raw, majestic stomp. Their lyrics about the heartland of America ("I See You Found The Chips") and the movie Tron ("Realm of Impossibility") reach a new level of gloomy and post-rock power hooks.

It's their most powerful outing in quite a while. They are a band as much Black Sabbath-inspired as they are exhilarating. Mail Order Monster remains a quietly assured album, packed with amazing sounds. This music is muddily-produced and sizzling. The strength of this album is its ferocious sonic assault.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our readers respond

Dear Robot,

Glad to see Candyaudioline finally getting some well-deserved praise. I listen to Mail Order Monster every day. Keep up the good work.

-- Candyaudioline fan

What do you think?

----------

For Robert and Ian:

Wagpokoya
Use Your Illusion
Buy this LP

1989
1/2 Stars


Whether singing about confused women ("My Mind's Got a Mind of its Own") or the bar where they used to shoot pool ("I'm With Stupid"), the band takes being disposable to the extreme. When I was in high school, everyone I knew listened to Wagpokoya.
"You Are The Love (My Friend)" illustrates the culpability of those who fight to destroy humanity.

Call it a tragical history tour. Most of the time, Wagpokoya can't shake its reputation for being undeniable.

Wagpokoya's attempt to broaden their sound -- even integrating Serbian war hymns with the swagger of the Velvet Underground-esque "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret" -- isn't entirely an artistic success. No surprises here. Wagpokoya has been coasting on their reputation for shameless tunelessness for too long. It's not about a salary; it's all about reality.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Our readers respond

Dear Robot,

Your review of Wagpokoya was dead wrong. Sometimes you just have to enjoy a good rock album for what it is. Use Your Illusion is the record of the year. Your magazine sucks.

Wagpokoya forever,

-- Wagpokoya fan

millennia and buzz night

we played at millennia last night to front for The Youth. Allan played our recently mixed recordings and they sounded good. we played an 8-song set and i was really impressed at how amazing millennia's sound system had become. it was great! i was able to sing in a relaxed manner and everything was so loud. ralph had a problem with the amp and his gadget, though, and he grumbled about it. but all in all, it was cool.

we headed on to buzz night. although allan had entrusted the flow to someone who was already there, they still hadn't started by 11:30! he was kind of pissed so he made us go first. it was ok. i was more relaxed than usual because millennia had been so cool. fours songs lang kasi maraming banda tapos late na.

anyway, it was a success as gigs go :) the real fun was meeting some interesting people and hanging out with old friends (speaking of old friends, charles had a superb birthday party last wednesday. see ayn's blog for details, if you can find it).

2 songs to go for mixing.

tapos na!

tapos na ang lay-in! allan, ralph and i stayed until 3:30 am this morning to finish everything, though ralph left at around 1:30. kulang na lang ng konting keyboard. kaya yun. binisita kami ng mga popular day's plus william minty... ginulo nila si allan habang kumakanta siya ng better view hehehe.

yay!

hay salamat

makakagawa tayo ng paraan sa album... *whew*

happy birthday, charles! punta kami sa bahay niya mamaya. sabay tayo, ayn :) tawag ako sa inyo...

Sub-indie

You're a Post-Punk. You know 70s punk was cool, but
it was mostly just a stepping stone for the
greater intellectualism of what would come
after. The 80s were amazing. You quite possibly
have huge hair, and may wear lots of black.
Snare drums need reverb. Lots and lots of
reverb.


You Know Yer Indie. Let's Sub-Categorize.
brought to you by Quizilla

*These types of quizzes should be enough to confront those ignorant fucks like Alberta Spaghetti and his minions and bands like....hell, you guys know who you are.

um, isa pong pag-drama

ano bang nangyayari sa atin, candymates? ba't ganito???

bow.

sigh.

Pussyfooting

Allan scheduled a practice for us last night at Alberto's along with Soft Pillow Kisses. His aim was to practice Erap of The Youth as a sub drummer and Charles as sub lead guitar for candyaudioline. Unfortunately, Erap couldn't make it at the last minute, and Lara couldn't come either so SPK had the same problem. We were all kind of lazy when we got to the studio and almost decided to nix practice altogether; we were planning to have a dvd fix at Charles's house instead. But of course, me being the goody-two-shoes, I suggested we practice even for a short while because John Paul, having class the next day, was planning not to come along for the movie marathon and I was sorry to see his efforts at attending practice go to waste. Then Mang Jun came out and he was all solicitous and friendly about having the studio ready for us… so we kind of didn't have a choice anymore, did we?

It was fun, though. We practiced as candyaudioline with John Paul as drummer and Charles as lead for three songs: My Silver Chair, An Empty You and Flaming Walls. It took a few tries, but Charles has almost got the guitars for those songs down pat, which was pretty impressive for one practice. Ditto for John Paul. Afterwards, they practiced as SPK (Luie was there, too) sans Lara. Allan was (half) joking that they sounded clearer without the bass, but John Paul said they sounded corny.

We sat around for a while outside before heading to Pares. I tentatively approached Allan about alternatives to releasing the songs we had mixed so far as intended (secret na lang kung ano yung mga proposal na yun). As I've said, I'm not too comfortable with my vocal performance. He told me I was being praning and he tried to assure me that, so far, the way those songs were mixed still fit into his grand design for the album. Throughout the night (because I was being so apprehensive), he kept reassuring me that one of the reasons I could detect these faults was because I had been so used to singing in a certain way and anything different kills my ears (you'll hear what we've done with some songs when the album comes out); also, I can detect them because I'm the one who's singing and I know better. He told me everything was cool so far. Okay. I guess I just need to grow into those songs a little more. Maybe 50 more listens will do the trick hehe. Seriously, I'm still apprehensive, but I also understand that I have to trust Allan's opinion because he knows what we're doing, and that comforts me kahit papaano.

ANYWAY… we had fun eating at Pares because Charles and Allan were goofing off again; add Ayn's comments to that mix and you really have a laugh fest. For some reason, our conversation turned to the subject of penises, specifically, peeing habits of guys (and girls, too, I guess… I mean, they were comparing and contrasting!). It was so vulgar but unbelievably hilarious--- thank heavens the people at that Pares place are so used to us that they didn't kick us out. Apple (former SPK vocalist, before Eloha, I think) arrived later that night with her boylet (sorry, names don't stick with me at first introduction!); she wanted to go someplace and drink. Ayn's parents picked her up first because she needed to go home already, and they brought Tristania with them. She was so cute, pointing at the lights of Pier One in Tomas Morato and saying , "Light!"

So we drank (they had to force me first… I was worried about my voice) and caught up. It was fun to see Apple again and I'm glad she's… ahem… found relative happiness (I say "relative" because it's just starting out). I hope it evolves into something really good for her.

We all went home at around 4 am.

Four more songs to record and then we're all mixing. We've spent a fortune already, but what the hey. Next Pink Noise session will probably be on Wednesday morning.

we're making progress!

we mixed "all smiles/can't sleep" and lapa last night. they sound pretty good (although i'm much too paranoid about my voice... the rest of them rocked, though, i promise!!! :D). we're making headway. still a lot of stuff to lay-in for saturday, but results have made us optimistic.

pahingi ng pera.

hehehe.

Buzz Night is on the 24th! Mayric's, 10 pm. We're playing.

We're also playing at the UP Fair on February 11, UP Sunken Garden. A lot of Backbeat Bands will be there so if you're interested, your 70 bucks will probably take you a long way. Also playing are Softpillowkisses and Popular Days.

"Popular Days Beach Resort--- where all your days are populahhrrrr."

i am not indie at all!




How indie are you? test by ridethefader

Who are you trying to fool? Just because you own a couple of Weezer albums
doesn't mean that you're uberindie. Indie people don't hear about cutting edge
new bands from MTV. At least the ignorant don't know what they're missing...



EHEHEHEHE...

astig ba?

updates

for posterity's sake, uulitin ko yung sinabi ni allan sa tagboard (kasi baka mawala yung tagboard eventually).

sad inside and don't go away have been mixed. tonight, mixing of all smiles/can't sleep and additional lay-ins for songs from the first reel (guitars of allan and ralph and vocals of allan and selena).

HOPEFULLY, our time will be used wisely tonight.

thanks to all those who wish us the best for our recording, especially to Jovy who cared to say so in our egroups.

Enter the Fist

Candyaudioline minus Selena (because Selena's the one taking this pic)


Roel and his Super Friends

Distorted Toy

I arrived late last night... Why? I'm not telling ;)

Anyway, I would just like to comment that Southwestern Style is the best--- way better than Pentavia wafer sticks. Everybody's been saying that "La Pa" turned out to be a really good song (because of the added affects).

Jeff is a god, according to Ralph. Well, I guess he really is one.

Nothing much happened when I got to the studio. Charles and I just enjoyed the sound of Allan's snores echoing inside the booth while Ralph was busy laying in some tracks for the lead parts. Hmmm... what else? Selena?

Pass a load!!!!!!!

some progress

five and a half hours last night ("ouch!" says the pocket). ayn finished all bass lines. allan finsihed guitars for 3 songs and ralph finished 2. i have yet to sing again. tonight must flow quickly or we will be in considerably deep shit.

recording blues

"Einstein Chakras Drugstore---- lahat ng gamot garantisadong sabog kahhh! Open 26 hours a day... except night time!"

"______ Condoms--- comes in only one size: small!" (Fill in the blanks with your favorite indie Filipino band hehehe)

"Skies of Ember Cornflakes----- sarrraaaaaaaaaap!"

we wasted around 2 and a half hours on the drums for "All Smiles/Can't Sleep" and "Felt So Fine". We could practically feel our hard-earned money clinking through our fingers peso by peso. sigh...

on a lighter note, once the drums were finished for all songs, progress went smoothly for bass and allan vocals lay-ins... hopefully, this will continue for the remaining sessions. also, we were able to add one song to our list because of extra reel space... only we might end up junking it, depending on our budget. sigh...

could not sing well for "Felt So Fine" last night because I was dead tired. 2 am is not a good time for vocal chords to be trying to reach really high notes.

well, we're learning more each day.

p.s. that song Allan made me listen to yesterday was not by Adorable, and I never said it was; mentioned them for comparison. Anyway, I think it was by.... oh never mind, I might actually be wrong this time.

the first night

everyone acted like they weren't themselves. people who were expected to arrive late came early and vice versa. this caused people to be a little jittery at first. stumbled over the first few takes of "Discarded Toy". however, we started warming up to the feel of recording and we were soon being our goofy selves again. charles took some pics with my camera.

side comment: putcha, ralph, may blog ka pala! i-update mo nga! i like the title hehehe... atsaka buking ka na sa musical tastes mo dahil sa archive hehe. "noebahdee cahres for meeh..."

we finished around 7 lay-ins plus recorded the drums for those songs and completed the bass for two of them. we shall continue again tonight. i'm kind of excited. this time, though, the session has been scheduled an hour later than originally reserved to give leeway for unforeseen setbacks such as last night's fiasco.

on the trip home, allan was playing around with band names, making them into products. ayn and i kept cracking up. my favorite is "Popular Days Soy Sauce". And also "Five Wounds to Enter Cheese Snacks--- comes in only one flavor!" And then there was "Pentaviaaaah Lighter Fluid---- Fire from HELL!". Hmm... actually, that last one was this morning when allan called me up at work. Last night, it was "Pentavia Jeans and Shirts--- we will rock your balls away!" this isn't meant as poking fun at the bands themselves, of course... it just sounds really funny when Allan does the voice overs. tawa kami ng tawa ni Ayn.

this morning, ayn and i were the last ones to go home at 5 am--- and both of us had class/ work at around 9! as a result, i had a really bad nightmare about recording. in it, it was 4 am and still going. allan was so delighted with the progress we were making that he kept us going and going and going... till it was 8:30 and we were all so tired! i was thinking, "NO, ALLAN, NOOOOOOOOO!" yun pala panaginip lang hehehe.

anyway, tumawag si Allan nga sakin kaninang umaga para pag-usapan yung "Light A Candle". He was suggesting ways for me to sing it. i wasn't sure if I could do it the way he wanted me to, which was kind of drunk-british accent-y... like the way Adorable does it (sorry, can't remember the name of the artist of that song he made me listen to as a sample). we still have to iron out little details like that tonight and for the following recording sessions.

anyway, i'm sure we'll have a lot more stories to tell about recording adventures. tatah.

Recording

Tomorrow is the big day. Rather, it's the big night. We shall begin recording the album; we've chosen 12 songs, some of them candy gig staples, others, previously unrecorded, still others, really old songs that require new versions. I saw Allan and Roel last night and both of them told me they were excited, although also a little pressured.

We hope everything turns out well. Soon, our efforts will bear fruit…

By the way, Allan tells me that Discarded Toy is top 88 on the soundclick.com charts. That's weird. I don't know how exactly they decide on that, though, or if it really matters...

If it does matter, thanks to those who thought of doing that or who made it possible. hehe...

Tales From the Bermuda Rectangle

SO… you think candyaudioline is dead, huh? No fricking way.

We have not been blogging for the past two weeks because of unavoidable circumstances. My computer at home fucked up. Allan's keyboard is a fuck-up. Ralph is sick all the time, and not just in the head. Ayn has been… er… busy. Roel's religion forbids him to have anything to do with technological progress. Oh yes… there were many attempts to blog during vacation but blogger always has these little surprises for people who type their entries online--- poof! Your words have magically disappeared.

But here we are. We're back.

Let's see… so we DID talk about that comeback gig at the Backbeat Christmas Party. That was a superb gig. So was the Eastwood gig with Moonstar 88 the next day. Ayn had brought Tristania, who showed beginnings of being a night person as well. While other kids were approaching the stage during our set with their hands covering their ears and their faces contorted in disgust, she was sitting in the front row with her yaya staring up at us and probably wondering what her mom, her ninang, her 2 ninongs, and her tito/a were doing there making that (wonderful) racket. She stayed awake through the whole set, too, and when Ayn came down from the stage she smiled widely at her and asked to be carried. Hah! She's a lot tougher than those wimpy 5 year olds were. People gave us kudos for that performance, mainly because we're a lot tighter now, and also because they probably didn't expect us to gel so well with all the problems we'd been having the past weeks. Anyway, we're all a happy family again. Nag-group hug pa nga kami ni Roel at ni Allan eh.

That happened at the December 27 Winston Music Blast. Roel and Allan were there for Moonstar, The Youth and Parokya. We were sitting backstage and Roel was a little buzzed so he started bringing up the reasons he quit. Allan was just nodding his head… it was kind of a blur but Roel was telling Allan basically that he was such a hot-tempered jackass hehehe. Anyway, Roel said he was wrong for quitting the band; he said on principle he should have quit work. So we were just laughing that he had to bring it up and I just said, "Aww, group hug, group hug!!" and, like weirdos, we hugged. Ayn and Ralph should have seen that (heck--- YOU, dear Reader, should have).

Christmas Eve was spent separately, with our respective friends and families. As you know, Allan, Charles and I spent Christmas evening at Ayn's with a DVD marathon. For the New Year celebration, Ralph, Allan and I spent it at Allan's house (Ralph was all alone with Charmaine off to gensan for her sibling's wedding). Roel was in Baguio. Ayn was with her family-- she was kinda pissed we didn't ask her to come with us, but we were thinking it was important for her to spend it with Tristia and her family. Anyway, the three of us didn't do much. We ate dinner and then Ralph watched "So Close" on the DVD while Allan and I dozed in our seats. I woke up at around 11:30 when Ralph switched to the local countdown specials. At 11:55 pm, Salbakuta performed on channel 7 so we woke Allan up. He looked at it and then went back to sleep. Afterwards he told us he didn't appreciate the fact that he ushered in the New Year with Salbakuta on the brain hehehe. Anyway, we barely woke him up in time for the actual New Year, but we all had our coins jingling at the right moment and we greeted each other and---- well, that was it. I fell asleep again while Ralph and Allan tinkered with Soundclick and more DVDs. In the morning, we had breakfast and watched "The Pianist", which was kind of depressing, but a good movie, too. Allan fell asleep and Ralph and I decided to head home at 11 am.

Friday, we met with him again and also Charles at Megamall. We had a slow dinner at Pizza Hut and then they looked around for more DVDs. Ack! DVD fever! Ayn invited us over to her house for some baked tahong. We stopped to eat some tahong and liempo, and then we headed to Jeff Soapdish's house nearby for his birthday celebration. Acel and Popo of Moonstar were there, Jephoy too… and some of Jeff's friends from Soapdish and other bands. He had a lot of booze flowing, which Ayn and I enjoyed, and Jeff was very solicitous to his guests, bringing them food and drink all the time. They tried to have an acoustic set up, but after Jeff's first song of "High and Dry" by Radiohead (hi, thom ;*), it started drizzling. That sucked… but we still had fun. It was nice of him to ask us over.

We have great news. We are going to be recording an album of 12 songs this week. Finally, we are going to have some concrete output here. As allan says, it's long overdue for the band. Well, here we are. Yesterday afternoon, we practiced the songs we'll be recording. We're hoping to accomplish it in a few days so we could save money. This is it, candyaudioline fans--- our second album! Yipee.

Last night, Roel told us that Tiffany was looking for bands for Millennia. We were off to have dinner so Roel said he'd meet us there, if ever. Sabi niya, "Sige, tugtog tayo! I-text niyo si Tepani kung pano!"

Panalo ka talaga, dude. Candyaudioline forever.

p.s.

we did play last night. Someone lent us a cable for Ayn's bass--- thank you! It was great, although weird na naman yung sound system ng konti, pero matinutino na rin compared to before. Ang sarap kasi ang lakas at ang kapal na naman ng tunog kagabi. Sigh.

Happy New Year, candybloggers!

i am an indie snob!




How indie are you? test by ridethefader

You're just too cool for school, aren't you? You're pretty narrow minded
and opinionated with regards to music (and probably most other things
as well). But you're allowed to be, because you really are better
than everyone else. You take pride in obscurity.
You probably prefer vinyl too, you elitist bitch.