Outcasts of the Outcast

Once, I told a college acquaintance that there were still class distinctions in PSHS, like any normal high school. There were the popular kids and there were the geeks. He incredulously replied, “What?? Nerds persecuting other nerds?? Okay yun ah…”

The other night, we played at Buzz Night. As expected, it was packed because of The Lubitels’ admirers. Ayn and I arrived there at around 10 pm because Allan said Roel had another gig to go to afterwards. As we were bringing the bass out of the van, we saw a guy wearing a red, hooded sweatshirt, cap and glasses entering Mayric’s.

“Uy, Ralph wears glasses?” I raised my eyebrows.

“Now he does.”

Well, at least he had arrived already. We sat down at our usual table and he wasn’t there. We thought he had gone to the bathroom. Minutes later, he still hadn’t come to sit with us. “Maybe that wasn’t Ralph. It sure looked like him. Tingnan ko nga.” I made as if to go to the bathroom myself, but stopped when I saw a girl waiting in front of the door. At least I could see “Ralph”. I turned around to walk away, but took a last look at him—nope. Heehee.

Later, Ralph came in wearing a big ratty shirt. He looked really tired and not his usual red-sweatshirted self. “Still sick,” he said.

“We thought this guy sitting in front was you.”

“Really? Haha.”

So we sat around waiting for the rest of the troop. Allan, Roel and John Paul were stuck in SM North and Charles was off to a date, according to Antz. Antz gave Ayn and me a compilation he made of indiepop and we were delighted. He had even made little sleeves for them and drawn a cover design of sorts with permanent marker. Very thoughtful of him.

Balloon Derby decided to be proactive by getting up to play even if the night hadn’t officially started. They played a good, loud set, keyboards galore. The crowd was pretty enthusiastic that night, and politely so. After Balloon Derby, everyone waited a while for Allan to come around, but he was still nowhere to be seen. Carnival Park rescued us from boredom with their “super twee” sound (a friend’s words, not mine). Outside, Lei of Spring Boutique was begging Antz to let her leave for a party. Charles and John Paul didn’t look like they were arriving any time soon. Shucks… I was hoping to hear her sing that night.

Finally, Charles and Allan, Roel and John Paul hurried into Mayric’s. Candyaudioline immediately started setup. I suddenly became very nervous just before I went onstage and it killed my first notes. I tried not to think too much during the set, but I appreciated how we sound so loud during “An Empty You” and “Nothing Much to Lose”. I recognized an unexpected friend from the audience and it relaxed me a bit. The crowd was very polite. Really. I was grateful.

Lara told us she really liked our set. Ayn’s friend, the one who wants to use our music for a film score, was impressed, too. She showed us her short film outside and we gave her the freedom to pick bits and pieces of our songs for her score. Allan even toyed with the idea of making it a music video for “Empty” and she agreed heartily. It was a cool film and a good idea.

Allan bought me some orange juice. Yummy. I told Kaye that she looked like that girl from “My Love, Cindy” and she laughed so loud. I told her that Charles had a look-alike from the Sexbomb Dancers, too. It’s true. Just watch “Daisy Siete”. These two suspicious looking men wanted to sit down beside Kaye and me, but we gave them such odd looks that they opted to sit somewhere in front. That was fortunate because it turned out that those two guys harassed a woman later that night. They claimed they were CIDG so the Buzz Night guys could do no more than make them leave the venue. Kawawa yung babae. She left soon after that in tears.

Soul Connection and The Lubitels played to an animated audience. Spring Boutique played sans Lei, plus Lara. Soft Pillow Kisses ended the night beautifully. Was there a Shuffle Union? A Ciao? I forget. I’m sorry… I must have stepped outside for some air. Maybe they didn’t come. The Einstein Chakras didn’t. That was a pity. I wanted to hear that “Johnny is a name of a dog in the Philippines” song. I’m not sure I got that right, either.

Allan kindly treated some of us to Mister Kebab after Buzz Night for once. He wanted to stay away from certain areas. Ahem. Before we left for the restaurant, the Ralph doppelganger went to get a taxi with his friends and I pointed him out to the real one. “Yun o.”

Pause. “He’s too healthy.”

Tonight, we’re fronting for Parokya and Kamikazee at Mayric’s.