Anything On Paper

Just got home from Casa Nami at Jupiter, Makati. Jim, Miwa, Chiqui, Regie, Nouf and I watched several awesome bands play—Severo, Salamin, Kjwan and Malay to name a few. I just needed to write down some of my musings before hitting the sack or I might forget this when I wake up. Besides, that Krispy Kreme Cafe Mocha I took early last night has a high and mighty effect on me still. 

Back in 2007, before I started playing frisbee and I was at the peak of my lomography addiction, this was my life. I took photos and watched bands play. If I didn’t have a gig with my own band, I’d go find a place where other bands played live music. Most of the time my friends and I watched Session Road, Urbandub, Parokya ni Edgar, Up Dharma Down and Top Junk, but we also enjoyed The Ronnies, Techy Romantics, Sando, Discoball and (now defunct) Mozzie sets at Route 196. My work schedule was flexible enough to permit me to stay up late and go to work late the day after, and given that privilege, I made sure I exploited it. 

Lately, I haven’t been watching other bands that much. Time (ahem. Work) didn’t permit me to do anything else really, but today I had a light bulb moment and decided I need to go back to that phase again. I need it so that I can be inspired to write more songs again.

There’s nothing like watching live music. It’s not only audio-visual, it’s multi-multisensory. Of course you’re there to listen and of course you’re there to watch, but then there’s something about awesome mind blowing music that gives you that “goosebumps” moment when the vocalist reaches his highest notes, when you can almost hear him breathing in between phrases, when you hold your breath as he screams his lungs out, when you have that kilig sensation as the bassist makes his signature licks and you feel the guitar distortion making its way through your veins and the bass drum pounding on your chest. You seriously feel the music and the clapping and cheering of other people in the crowd with you. You see them nodding their heads and tapping their feet to the beat and you involuntarily do the same. You feel the band at its euphoric state, and as you close your eyes, you end up joining them. CDs, or even live recordings can’t give you that because no one can replicate what you feel in that moment when you hear that band live.

Marc Abaya of Kjwan. He’s a TV personality/actor now and because of that, I’ve forgotten that he is first and foremost, a musician. While I watched him do lead guitars and vocals, I am reminded that he is indeed a musician with real talent. Today I admired his presence onstage (despite the unnecessary water + saliva pyrotechnics) and his ability to capture the audience with his music. His pants might be too tight, but he has earned back my respect again. 

Pochoy Labog of Malay. I respect his move to deviate from Dicta License’s gritty rap metal sound that made listeners inevitably compare him to Zack Dela Rocha. Perhaps he needed to find his own sound. Although the songs I heard tonight didn’t make me a fan just yet, I just know that Malay’s songs are the kind of songs that you would appreciate more if you knew the lyrics. (Googling starts now). Congrats on being a lawyer too; ikaw na ang multi-faceted. 

And tonight’s most pleasant surprise: An instrumental band called Soju. Is that you Toe? I hear snippets of Japanese experimental rock and a bit of jazz funk and I enjoyed their set the most tonight. In spite of the fact that they only played two songs, their music was spot on—no vocalist required. 

Salamin’s set was so damned intense, I didn’t have time to actually take any pictures. Enough said.