In the Net: Adult Wednesday Addams

Came across a little gem in YouTube...

Imagine if Wednesday Addams (from the Addams Family) grew up and tried to be an independent modern woman.

Created, written and starred by actress Melissa Hunter, its a funny take on a girl like little ol Wednesday facing the woes and troubles of a modern woman.

"Naname Aya's Japan Surplus" at Shaw Blvd.

I have a habit of going to Japanese surplus goods store because even though they sell second hand goods, they are still in good quality...or some of them.

Situated beside the Honda center near the main gate of Brgy. San Antonio, is a small shop in #10 Shaw Blvd, called Naname Aya Trading Japan Surplus.

Aside the normal face of porcelain, clothes, bags and electronics, there are some hard to find items available.

Want your own video arcade? they got machines...working ones. small 12V LCD TV...some with dvd players. Camera lens (mostly Minolta and others... no such luck for Nikon or Canon) and toys.

They also got a huge selection of vintage audio players, recording devices, mixing boards (for sound engineering) guitars and the such.

I got myself a pair of leather boots for 400 pesos.

Ingay sa Kalye

Want to be kept up to date with the latest in the local underground indie and punk scene? Now there is a fanzine out there that could give you the low down on the bands thats making wave right now in the underground scene.

"INGAY SA KALYE"

A monthly fanzine which has interviews and information relevant to the Pinoy underground indie band scene.

You can grab a copy at Middle Finger at Cartimar, Recto, or look for it on the next gig at your local venue.

Teeth: Live at Venice Piazza

For some, it was a chance to see what the hype is all about. For most, it was a chance to relive the golden days of Pinoy alternative music. First timers and long time fans alike gathered at Venice Piazza at McKinley Hills last June 7 to witness the live performance of Teeth, one of the most influential local rock act from the 90's.

The encore event was made possible by Megaworld and the establishments at Venice Piazza. Having missed the previous "long overdue" reunion event, this one was a pleasant rebound for a fan like me. Singing along to their hits like "Laklak", "Prinsesa", "Shooting Star" and with personal faves "Gubat", "Sorry", "Epekto" and such made me feel like being back at my senior years in highschool. Not hearing "Galit sa Mundo", "Chicharon" and "Dogs Can Fly" was a bit of a disappointment, though...but who cares...I got to see them again live after almost 19 years.

Teeth is remembered for giving a grungier edge to the pinoy rock alternative scene with their gritty music, down-to-earth rocker stage persona and lyrical hooks which anyone can relate to. While staying true to their roots, their works from their sophomore release onwards played on a more mature and experimental approach on hope and melancholy, at par with international indie rock acts at that time.

   

 
 
 

National Geographic Channel and Fox Channel Philippines launches "COSMOS: A Space-Time Oddysey"

National Geographic Channel and FOX Channels invited media people and bloggers to the advance screening of the first episode of "COSMOS: A Space-Time Odyssey" last March 7 at the Mind Museum, Taguig City. It is the highly anticipated sequel to the "COSMOS: A Personal Voyage" series written and hosted by space visionary Carl Sagan back in the 1980's. The new series tackles how humans develop their concept of the laws of nature and their place in the universe, with contemporary ideas and theories aided with stunning visuals and powerful narratives. The series will kick-off on March 12 at 10pm simultaneously on National Geographic Channel and Fox Philippines.

The show is hosted by popular astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, known to "Big Bang Theory" fans as Raj's friend who apologetically faces off with the guilt-ridden Sheldon. Riding the "Ship of Imagination", he does a very powerful delivery of explaining various concepts and theories of cosmology and astrophysics that anyone with a basic knowledge of the universe can follow it.

I brought along my son to the event because he was going on and on for the past few weeks about how he's looking forward to an upcoming series called COSMOS on the NGC. We were both expecting a sort of symposium about the different concepts to be tackled by the series, but we were surprised as we were treated to cocktails, champagne, and a blissful selection of entrees and pastries by Bizu...in a setup like, as my son puts it, "a kind of party Tony Stark goes to". And when they said we were to watch the first episode at the auditorium, we both were freaking out.

The series also gives a more human side to science and discovery. Of passing the torch of imagination to fuel future thinkers and scientists. Like the story of Carl Sagan leading and sharing a path for Tyson. And how NGC broadened my horizons through their National Geographic Specials series in the 1990s, I hope the same would lead my son with COSMOS.

Funabashi ROOTS (Funabashi, Chiba)

Tucked inside Honcho's 4-Chome in Funabashi is the Live Hall called Funabashi Roots (船橋ROOTS). Aside from being a rental hall, it also hosts live events (Live@Roots) that gives a chance for some underground indie or up-and-coming bands to get the full 'live concert' experience with its kick-ass sound system and lighting.

It has a spacious ante-room/lounge at the front which serves as a buffer from the sounds produced inside the hall so no sound escapes outside. You do have to remember to close the door behind you as the doors, although heavy set and seems soundproofed, isn't equipped with a door closer.

The finishing inside is almost bare. The exposed ceiling and mechanical ducts above does give this place its underground flair (beside the fact that its is under the ground, its in the basement of a building).

I was able to attend one of Funabashi Roots' 8th anniversary live events. And there are few tables with chairs on the sides, mostly the patrons are standing up, with enough space to dance around or slam and stuff.

And yes,they do have a bar. Located inconspicuously at the rear at the hall, without any fancy design or gimmicks, dishing out beverages. I wasn't able to check their food entrees as we were just handed the beverage menus and there are no tables to place our food if we did manage to get any.

Sokehs Rock (Yotsuya, Tokyo)

 I spent a lot of time looking for venues that cater to underground Japanese indie music. And with not much to go on to with, I ended up failing.

Until a friend invited me to this place called Sokehs Rock (pretty easy to spell, but I find it hard to pronounce at first). They don't necessarily cater to the undeground scene but they do offer a pretty spanking place for bands. Its like the 6Underground (at Ortigas) meets Watering Hole (at Mandaluyong)

This cozy venue located at Yotsuya's 3 Chome, just right across the...uhhh...Yotsuya 3 Chome station of the Marunouchi Line, offers good food (I recommend their Mixed Pizza), good booze, friendly service and an intimate setting for where bands can perform.

The venue is a small, which at times the patrons are persuaded into sharing their seats and tables, but I saw that in some cases, the guests are now interacting with one another.

As I understand, Sokehs has its own roster of bands but are open for some events.

Featured Band: RunByNine

Hailing from the City of Taguig, the collaborative group of Axel, Nad, Jon-jon, Aljon and Jade brandish their own brand of groove based Pinoy Metal as they actively gig around the Metro. They are steadily gaining popularity with a steady line of gigs from various productions that cater from heavy alternative to metal bands.

The Runbynine sound is heavy, pounding with a thick layer of groove which you can jump around to. They have two songs that are guaranteed crowd pleasers. The first one is called "Tansan" about a special alcoholic beverage, and "Run", about drug addiction. These songs makes you want to bang your head and shout along with Axel at the chorus.

Their name is derived from their usual practice schedule routine where in they have to ‘run by nine pm” to get to the studio.

Check them out

"Backdraft" Reunion Event on July 14,2012

(event poster by Romano Ramos)

No, its not the movie, but the Filipino metal band that was one of the pillars of 90's Philippine rock/ metal/ music scene. Me and my friends are big fans of this band, even getting together to cover Metallica and Backdraft songs (yung madadali lang ha).

Backdraft was a Filipino metal band back in the 90's whose brand of metal is said to boarder on  "aggressive as well as the progressive."

The band started out with Bim Samson on vocals, Mirt Togle and Ferdie Aquino on guitars, Tyrone Borromeo on bass, and MM Morales on drums during their 'garage days'. Bim was later replaced with Benedict Versoza and Jigs de Belen took over the skins. Later on, they then released the song that catapulted them into fame, S.M.B. (Sad Mad Ballad), in the now defunct rock station LA 105.9 back in early '94. (thanks R.Ramos for the info)

The band exploded into the Philippine music scene with the release of the 90's metal anthem "Anak ng Gabi" from the 'Dozen Alternatives' compilation album and their self-titled album from Neo Records back in 1994. A lot of the rockers and metal heads back then regard hits like "Asong Ulol", S.M.B. (Sad Mad Ballad), "Munting Hari" and "Sinungaling" as a staple, or a 'must-listen-to primer' into Pinoy Metal. Personally I also like "Manyika" because I get to laugh like a hopped up demon everytime I sing along to that song.

On October 1995, tragedy struck the group during a concert in Cebu as Ferdie Aquino, the guitarist, was rushed to the hospital due to a heart ailment.  Sadly, he became unable to continue with the band, as he slipped into a coma as a result of this. (from "Backdraft: The Reunion" site). I only got to learn about this recently. I knew that Ferdie slipped into a coma, but I never knew from what. ("...gising na kaibigan ko..." -B.Versoza).

In 1996, with the addition of Anton Yap on guitars,  Backdraft released their second album "The Shadowland Deep", which (I think) was more melodic, more theatrical, and more technical than their debut album. Springing from this 12-song album are hits like 'Empty', 'La Propaganda', and the instrumental "Gorgatz". I was even surprised with that epic song... "The Epic" and "The man with no Face" (with its Carnival of Horrors kind of ending).

By 1997, they decided to call it quits after their Philippine concert tour; The Shadowland Tour. The guys went their own ways with Benedict eventually handling the vocals for the rock band Virgin Hunters.

Now, years after they split up, they are going on a reunion gig at Makati's B-Side bar on July 14, 2012 which is dedicated to their long time friend Ferdie Aquino.  Ferdie's ailments and the status of his current condition  has been circulating as urban legend around the underground community about , filling up school forums, music forums and social media. The proceeds of the event shall be used to assist in his medical expenses.

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And now, a special treat for all you Backdraft fans out there.

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(information for this article was researched from:
  - resident Backdraft historian Romano Ramos (thanks, dude)
  - Backdraft FB page
  - Backdraft Everbrite page )

Behind the Scenes: Ashley's Playlist

Me and fellow blogger and bandmate Paulo, was fortunate to take a behind the scenes look at the internet TV show 'Ashley's Playlist' which is shown on Thursdays at 10pm to 12am in Flippish, the premiere Filipino Internet TV channel. The show showcases various local solo artists and bands, as well as the musical talent and ability of its host, Ashley Gosiengfiao.

THE HOST

Ashley Gosiengfiao is a well known figure in the cosplay community, stepping into the shoes of numerous anime characters and bagging awards and recognition along the way. Aside for being a model and a product endorser, she is also an active blogger and a budding photographer.

With a guitarist/ gearhead as a father, and an equally talented musician for a mother, Ashley was raised in a household with a deep appreciation for the art of music. As a child, she was, as Ashley puts it, 'bribed' with a Playstation game, so she would attend voice lessons after school, and also took up piano until the age of 7. The love for music began to blossom from her later on as she taught herself to play the guitar at 13 and, while being in various bands throughout her highschool and college life, she was able to pick up a thing or two about playing the drums.

As for the type of music, her videoes always feature her covering a popular tune or acoustic ballad. Although open to a wide range of music genres, she prefers alternative rock, looking up to acts such as 'Up Dharma Down' and 'Company of Thieves'.

THE SHOW

The show concept stemmed from the videos of Ashley singing popular tunes produced in Flippish. While attending a production meeting for her sister's segment, she was asked to make a few videos with them after finding out about Ashley's inclination to music. A concept for the show was then developed after producing videos of Ashley covering the songs 'Super Bass' and '

At the start of every episode, Ashley would cover some songs by herself (both vocals and guitar).

As a person into music, I know how hard it is to study a popular song before performing it in front of an audience. In the show, Ashley covers at least five per episode. A daunting task, remembering all those bits and pieces that makes up each tune and making sure you give a solid performance everytime. She prepares by practicing at least one song a day so she can deliver the songs each week. She does this by picking off the guitar chord by ear (tagalog translation: kapa...kung musician ka, alam mo yun). And in the way she explained it to us, it seems like she has the gift of perfect pitch, where one knows the key of a song just by listening (that is sooo awesome, now I know 3 people who posseses this talent).

And then show continues with performances by the featured artist or band. Most of the time, Ashley would jam along and sing with them. And somewhere in the middle, Ashley interacts with the guests with the flair and charisma of a talk show host, and interact with the viewers via online messengers, forwarding their messages and questions to the featured artists.

The atmosphere in their modest studio is open and fun, with the help of the show's multi-tasking 3 person army of Ms.Maui, Sir Almond and Sir Joey. Its a wonder that they could operate and run the show while attending to the different needs of all the people involved. Sometimes, an idea would come up from either any of them, which is developed in a mere seconds, and then executed and integrated into the program. Now that is what I call a spontaneous and dynamic approach into production.

And, from behind the cameras, you really get to notice the 'grass roots' approach into making the episode possible. While stations that I worked for before invest millions on hardware, today's DIY softwares combined with the latest personal computing hardware ensures a nifty result for the fraction of the cost.

Overall, the show is fun to watch both in the streams, and behind the scenes. With informative pieces about local artists, what's happening around the music community, and the weekly dose of Ashley for all her fans out there in 'Internet Land', 'Ashley's Playlist' is definitely something to watch out for every Thursday on Flippish.

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Me and Paulo with Ashley and that evening's guest Anj Sulit and The Out of Body Special

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DID YOU KNOW: If Ashley were a comic character, the nearest match would be Marvel's Siryn. Along with her other talents, she is said to posses the ability, when she's stressed out or pissed, to let out a high pitch hushed scream that creates a feedback effect on the microphones (I would like to see that in action sometime).

FLuB: A Primer into the world of Wasak Rock

"...after being serious for the past few years and still nothing, we just don't give a fuck anymore..."

As seen from a former header of the band FLuB, which describes their philosophy in playing music, and is the mantra behind the monicker "Wasak Rock" (or preferrably mispelled as 'wasak rak').

Its just not about playing aimlessly on stage or dishing out songs that sounds like new age hippy trippy experiments into audio intoxication. Its music that creates a certain impact, not much attention in making the song or the lyrics into an epic, and a lot of on-stage attitude that aims to make the audience enjoy the night...rock style.

Its not a comedy act mixed with a rock band, nor is it based on 'novelty' songs that began a boom at the start of the millennium. Its the attitude of the song that makes a difference.

Imagine a song about looking back what you wished to grow up as during your childhood, accompanied by a straight up punk riff and progression. The lyrical content may be nuts...but its infusion with rock elements hopes makes a different appeal to the listeners.

Now this is just the start, someday, this genre will be big...as big as punk was once were...(i think)

Follow the antics of the boys from FLuB.

Visit their site at:

https://www.facebook.com/flubmusic

Evanescence and Bush - live at the Araneta Coliseum

I had no intention of going, because of some financial issues, but with a friend as a sponsor, I was able to attend Evanescence-Bush concert last night (Feb.19, 2012) at Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

What excited me was I was finally able to see the band 'Bush', one of the heroes of the 90's alternative-grunge scene, and whose music was a constant companion during my high school and college life. I was also in a band that covers their songs.

Its like revisiting those days as Bush plays 'Machinehead', 'Little Things', 'Comedown' (which made the whole arena sing along with Rossdale), 'Glycerine', 'Greedy Fly', 'Everything Zen' and 'Chemical Between Us' to name a few.

I was surprised to see the moves on Gavin Rossdale, Bush's front man, as the band played hits from their various albums. I was used to seeing the stoic Gavin on one spot during a performance, pounding away on his guitar, whether it be on their videos or live televised performances.

Pandemonium also ensued as Gavin came down from the stage, walked around the audience on the lower ground levels, making his way to the lower and upper box, while singing and guitar in tow, with security personnel catching up with him keeping the fans at bay.

Bush gave an explosive performance. Too bad the crowd is made up of mostly Evanescence fans who, I think, sees and hears about this band for the first time.

"Glycerine"-mode

Gavin Rossdale works his way around the Coliseum, eventually reaching the Upper Box Area

After a very looong setup, Evanescence came charging in with heavy pounding drums, crushing guitars and an incredible blinding light display with their latest single "What You Want".

Now I haven't been much of a fan of Evanescence after Ben Moody left. With due respect with the current lineup of members, the heavy guitars and arrangements seems a bit watered down as compared with their earlier works, except for a few new ones that deviates from the common formula present in almost all current Evanescence songs. But I must say, drummer Will Hunt was pretty intense. He reminds me of Taylor Hawkins from Foo Fighters.

Once in a while they would churn out earlier hits that I was familiar with like 'Bring Me to Life' and 'Going Under'...but I was hoping that they would play 'Whisper', which was my fave. The current Evanescence sound is more ambient and mood driven.

"My Immortal"-mode

Amy Lee's Solo Piano set

"What You Want". An explosive set opener

The night was an awesome experience, as expected from performers of such caliber. As other left elated and feeling happy, I was just downright content. That the only wrong thing happening is that it was raining when we left the coliseum.