Enveloped Ideas - A Tribute to The Dawn

Being one of the most respected bands in the Philippines since the 80's, I guess it's just time to pay tribute to The Dawn. The Enveloped Ideas album launch was held at the Hard Rock Cafe, Makati last Thursday, June 30, 2011.

The album packaging is really nice. Took me back to early 90's which is probably the last time I received a mail with this kind of envelope, hehe. :)

I may be biased but I have to say that Lip Service's version of the song Living Seed is one of the most intense track out of the album. It's evident that The Dawn themselves liked it when Buddy Zabala and Jet Pangan approached them after such a nice performance on stage. The band is just very vocal about being grateful to be part of the album. I also liked the performances of Enemies of Saturn, Flying Ipis, Rubberpool and Techy Romantics.

The night ended with The Dawn playing three of their most well-known songs Iisang Bangka, Salamat and Enveloped Ideas with a little version of Foolish Heart on the side, hehe. It was a fun-filled event and everyone just can't help but sing their hearts out as we look back at all the good things and, as quoted from Lip Service's vocalist, Pat Co, "Mabuhay si Teddy Diaz!"

♫You'll Be Lookin' Groovy..♬ - The Mr. Big Hangover

So the Big Day passed and I'm still in this post-concert hangover. You can't blame me. Words can't describe how I felt that day.

Wild World, Wild Crowd.

And the day before that.

Press conference/Meet and greet at the SM North EDSA Skydome.

General Luna and Lip Service did a great job as front acts for Mr. Big. To be handpicked by such a legendary band is a huge deal and I am just so proud. Eric Martin is the most vocal about his fondness for both bands.

General Luna

Lip Service

That was an evening to remember. Spotted in the crowd are some of the local musicians Barbie Almalbis, Aiza Seguerra and Vinci Montaner [of Parokya ni Edgar]. Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan, Eric Martin and Pat Torpey gave us all an awesome night.

The Big Dome, The BIG Performance

PULP Magazine Features Lip Service

This month's Pulp issue features Lip Service, the return of Wolfgang, a cover art of Mr. Big (awesome work by JP Cuison) and many more.

Great photography and layout. Lip Service is out for more. Their songs Chandeliers and Patintero are both getting good number of votes in a couple of radio stations and they're just warming up. See them live this Saturday with The Dawn, The Pin-Ups and Threadstone so you can see what I mean. ;)

STP and The North Park Incident

Prince and I are regular customers of the North Park restaurant in Makati Avenue as well as the TriNoMa branch. We love the Boneless Honey Lemon Chicken, Beef with Broccoli and Yang Chow Rice but once in a while we try other stuff in the menu such as some congee and dimsum. Makati Avenue branch is open 24hours so we can drop by and have good food even when the gig ends at 3am. I've always been a satisfied customer.

Last night, however, was different. Prince went to the Stone Temple Pilots concert in Araneta Coliseum which is very successful, as expected, so congrats to STP and we hope that you can come back for some more. :)

Prince waited for me and my officemates to take our break and we tried the North Park branch that recently opened in the Araneta Coliseum. It's open 24hours so perfect for people in graveyard shift as well. We arrived at around 1am, there's about three tables occupied with customers and a male staff took our orders. He said waiting time is 10-15minutes. He gave us hot tea and one of us asked for sweetener. He said they only give sweetener if we order drinks (we all had water). When we asked why other branches give sweetener even without having to order drinks from the menu, he said ok and gave it anyway. Our orders arrived after more than 20minutes, after a follow up that we had to ask from one of the female staff. I noticed that other unoccupied tables are very messy.

Try to zoom in this picture and you'll see a couple of chopsticks, chopstick wrappers, the table surface looked sticky and used water pitcher can be seen even without zooming in. We stayed there for more than 30minutes but it remained that way before and after we ate. Nobody in their staff seem to care to clean it up. Maybe because they think that since there's not a lot of customers around, there's no need to clean up for the FEW customers eating at that time. It's the first time that I got disappointed with their service. I guess the Araneta Coliseum branch needs to keep up to the standards that other branches never fail to give to their customers.

The BIG Day!

Since we missed the Gin Blossoms concert last November because baby chose to be born on the same day, I will never forgive myself if we ever miss this one.

May 10, 2011 is THE BIG DAY as Mr. Big will be playing at the Big Dome, Araneta Coliseum. I can't imagine how starstrucked I will be when Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey play live in front of me.

In 2009, Billy Sheehan was here for the bass clinic by Yamaha and this is how I looked like.

Stunned and smiling the whole time. Hihi. :)

See you there people!

Back on Track

Last week, I played as the new bassist for an all-female band, Dress. Buzz Night was last Friday at Sazi's (old Mayrics) and Saturday at Route 196. It's good to be back on stage after almost a year-long break.

This week, I started going to the gym again. Finishing 5Km in 45minutes is the most that I can do for now as I alternate brisk walking and running. I'm giving myself a 3-4 week headstart and I should gradually improve my speed and distance to be back to how I used to run. So good to be back to getting enough exercise. :)

Thank You Sir For THE MUSIC

I've been a fan of different bands since I learned to listen to different kinds of music. Being a part of different bands allowed me to experience the fun of making music with great people and it's been a pleasure to work with them for quite some time. As a fan, I hate it when a band I love to listen to just breaks up. However, as a musician, I understand that things change.

It was the NU Rock Awards 2003 when I first saw Bamboo play. It was a comeback for the former Rivermaya vocalist and everyone was excited. I found them a bit lacking on the songwriting part but putting together Nathan Azarcon, Ira Cruz, Vic Mercado and Bamboo Mañalac in one band is sure to delight the fans. We're sure to get quality music and they delivered.

The band called it quits, it's not a good start for 2011 however, no explanation is necessary. I can only be thankful that they gave us 8 years full of the nicest melodies that will forever be in my iPod.

SYNAPSE, Lip Service

Finally, Lip Service's debut album was launched last night in B-Side @ The Collective. Performances from Lip Service joined by Pedicab, Turbo Goth, Taken by Cars, DJ Ornusa Cadness and DJ Mia Ayesa rocked the house. The album which contains 9 tracks and is packed in a non-conventional way is definitely worth your Php200!

This is just a start for I'm sure we all can expect more of the Lip Service music soon. Congratulations Lip Service!

They Definitely Rocked the Riles!

Rock Ed Philippines just held the annual event they called Rock the Riles. Huge number of musicians played in different MRT stations yesterday and two of Prince's bands were invited to be at the Buendia Station. The Naked Lights and Lip Service definitely rocked the riles along with the other bands who just went out and played for this year's cause: Human Rights.

Komikon 2010

Prince and I went to the Komikon 2010 (Comic Convention) at the Starmall Trade Hall after their band practice last Saturday. The venue was packed with comic-loving kids and kids at heart. It's sad that we're not able to arrive earlier for their special guests Jess and Manix Abrera's talk. There's been a shortage of cabs when you need one and the traffic is horrible as usual.

It's our first time to attend such event although I've been a Kikomachine Komix fan for a couple of years now. I was able to have the first four Kikomachine Komix signed about two years ago at the Visprint's book signing in Cubao X. I didn't expect that the line for Manix Abrera's book signing would be five times (or more) longer this time.

The event is only from 10am to 7pm so when it's already past 7pm and there's still a couple of people in line for Manix Abrera's autograph, some of the organizers told us that we'll have to proceed outside the venue. Manix, however never stopped signing, hehe.

After about three hours of waiting, it's finally my turn. Yay!

I had my Kikomachine Komix Blg. 5 and 6 signed. 'Til next time! :D

The Barbie Almalbis Experience + Banapple

Prince went half-day yesterday as The Naked Lights played at Route196 in Katipunan Avenue. He picked me up from work at 10pm, had a really quick dinner while in the cab and we arrived at the venue after 15minutes. The good thing about Route196 is that ambiance which reminds me of Saguijo. The audience can have enough intimacy with whoever is playing. Best thing about it - being next to Banapple! haha ;)

We left Prince's gear at the venue and went to Banapple to have dessert. Their cakes are about Php80-Php100 per slice so it's really reasonable. I had a slice of blueberry cheesecake and Prince had coffee toffee. If you're feeling full, my suggestion would be sharing a slice because it may look like a small serving until you realize how generous it was. I'm sure we'll be coming back to try out more of their food soon.

We went back to the venue and found increase in the number of audience. It was understandable because Barbie is about to play. Although I've been listening to her since late 90's, I first saw her live during her 10th year in the business launching her DVD concert at the Eastwood City when Prince and I had dinner to celebrate our 2nd anniversary.

Barbie Almalbis-Honasan is one of the musicians who gained my respect in my early years of exploring Pinoy music - she was able to balance the ability to express herself in her music and be in the mainstream scene at the same time. The ability to make your private life interesting but far away from the public while being a celebrity is not something most people can do. It was a really good set especially when Roger Alcantara did bass and they played Money for Food (one of my favorites in Music Under the Buffet Table album). Her guitar playing improved a lot, her voice is as sweet as always and I'll be looking forward to the release of a new album. :)

The Naked Lights played after Barbie and I knew each of them feels the pressure but they did manage to give us a fairly good set as well. I will always be a fan! ;)

Beat Bandits! Let's Go!

From the successful Neon Knights comes another event this month as Outtaspace Productions presents Beat Bandits. Performing live at B-Side @ The Collective are Lip Service, Taken By Cars, Turbo Goth, Nameless Heroes, Menaya and [the ever-entertaining and always fun to watch] Us-2 Evil-0 so be there on October 21! ;)

UPDATE: Here's a link promoting the event posted last Friday, October 15 at The Philippine Star. Also, Lip Service will be guesting this Saturday in NU107's The Magazine Show so stay tuned at 12nn-2pm. :)

Badburn's New Album - Crack the Weakened Surface

It's another week after a very busy weekend. Badburn just launched their new album Crack the Weakened Surface last Saturday at Ten02, Timog Avenue. I must say that I am not really into listening to metal/hardcore but I enjoyed watching gigs from time to time. Other bands who played that night includes Hampaslupa, The Crimson Cartel, Intolerant and Sin.

I respect and admire these musicians' talent in making a different, eccentric type of sound. In my perspective, music, as an art of expressing one's self, will always show individuality.

Badburn will be having a tour after this successful launch. Their gig schedule is stated in the event poster.Congratulations to Badburn! :)

Random.

There are a lot of things I need to be thankful for as the week is about to end (again). Pardon me for I will be using random pictures from the net for this blog entry. I don't have any digicam to use at the moment and I've been eyeing on getting another Samsung (I already gave up on the L73 and had it swapped for the Squier P-Bass). This time, I'm thinking of getting the WP10 model, either black or blue.Aside from getting comfortable in using this brand, I must say that the deciding factor is that the Samsung WP10 managed to be a waterproof camera and look sleek at the same time. Gorgeous. :)

I finally decided to sign up for Twitter. It's good to use if you want to keep posted about the latest happening so I decided to follow GMANews. Sometimes, I still get scared to read the news as majority of them are not good news. :(

ANTM Cycle 15 is SUPERNOTHERLEVEL! This cycle, my favorite is Kayla and I really hope my bet wins this time!

And I finally got to eat Ginataang Halo-halo today! Yey!I can't remember the last time I ate ginataang halo-halo (it's been a couple of years) and I've been craving for months. I texted Prince to buy and bring to my office before he go to the studio for recording today in case neighbors happen to cook some for merienda but I was so surprised to find that they decided to sell it in the office pantry today! I didn't wait for Prince's reply and grabbed myself a serving during my first break. Prince texted an hour later to say that he already bought one for me. I'm just so eager to have more so I asked him to still bring it to my office and I ate it during lunch break. Talk about a "Ginataang Halo-Halo Galore Day"! hahaha ;)

Prince's G.A.S.

Once upon a time, we wanted to learn how to play a certain musical instrument. We used to borrow gear from people until such time that we acquire our own. Then there's this certain urge to buy another one, and another one, and another one.. and so on..

G.A.S. or Gear Acquisition Syndrome is contagious and this year, Prince was badly infected. He's been using an ibby for the longest time and it's been good enough for the past years.Until he told me he needed a short scale and bought the Badtz-Maru.Then he thought a p-bass would sound nice and found a nice deal for a Japan copy of p-bass. Mang Max did a hell of a job in it's pick guard, truss rod, fretboard, body paint and pickups! We just got it back last Saturday, good as new.

Lastly [and STRICTLY, this will be the last], Prince scored this deal for a really nice Squier P-bass Special.The black and chrome looks really good. I know I'll be able to use all of these as well but I begged Prince to stop GAS-ing for now as we need to save up for baby. I promised we'll get a Jazz bass and a custom Tele bass next year though. ;)

Flash Mob Presents Blame the Date

Two of Prince's bands [The Naked Lights and Lip Service] will be playing at Saguijo on Tuesday, August 24. Flash Mob's events are always filled with great bands lined up and it's always fun at Saguijo so make sure to BE THERE! ;-)

Highlights of the Neon Lights

Last Wednesday night was a blast! It seemed like a weekend that we almost forgot we had to go to work the following day as we went home at around 4am. I can say that the Neon Lights presented by Outtaspace Productions is a success and I hope we can have more of fun-filled nights such as this.

I was off from work at 9pm, Prince picked me up and we went to the Hard Rock Cafe in Makati to meet up with Lui Cornelio of Darkuscase. We're both happy with how Prince's custom gig bag looked [I will post pics of it soon] and would definitely recommend them to friends who wants customized bags, guitar straps, etc.

Prince and I arrived at around 10pm when the first band, Identikit,  just started playing. JaPo of Paranoid City is the night's most in demand sessionist as he played for Identikit and Pedicab. Identikit's female vocalist wasn't able to do the vocalist's chores that night but the band still did a good job and so did the Techy Romatics.

It's my first time to see Duster playing live [I saw them approaching the stage at this year's UP fair but I was already about to leave]. I'm inspired. I promise that Damsel in Distort will be more visible next year and we'll have a surprise or two. ;-)

Going back to the highlights of that night, Pedicab with JaPo of Paranoid City is super! They played a few new songs and a surprise medley of the previously released songs.

The most entertaining performance [aside from Lip Service 'coz I'm biased, hehe] of the night goes to Us-2 Evil-0! I've been seeing them in the past MeiDay events, they're always charming and fun.Turbo Goth's performance is as eclectic as always.Finally, to end the Neon Lights with a bang, LIP SERVICE ROCKS THE HOUSE!

I find the B-Side at The Collective as a medium-sized venue that I didn't feel claustrophobic at all, plus they have a nice sound system that's as good as the ones in SaGuijo.

We went to North Park in Makati Avenue for the usual food trip and Prince found out that his cash and debit card were missing. We called the bank's customer service hotline right away to report the lost card and have it blocked. Prince can just get another card in a few days, the night is so good that a little unfortunate thing won't ruin it. Cheers! :D