ERASERHEADS: The Reunion 083008

SA WAKAS! The Eraserheads reunion concert is the best concert i've seen so far--from the stage, to the lights, to the giant video screen using rope lights a la U2. But most of all, the satisfaction that it brought not just to me but to the thousands of fans who went there is priceless! The emotional investment we put into this event has been returned in kind by the band. Indeed a group hug is in order! Not just for the band but more so for the jubilant crowd!

Alas it had to come to an abrupt end after the first set of 15 songs! I was backstage downloading files to my hard disk when I heard someone calling "Eon, Eon!" The tone in the woman's voice was unmistakable, something was terribly wrong. I watched as people came in and out of Ely's dressing room including Raimund who looked so concerned. Finally I saw a gurney being wheeled out of the room and I recognized Ely's shoes. God I was so scared. I approached the ambulance to get a closer look but moved back again because they might get upset with the camera i was holding.... I saw Diane crying.

Now how to tell the people outside... not knowing how the crowd would react, I called my friend and told her to meet me at the car na. I did not mind missing the photo opp, I came here to shoot the show, and there were many photographers around so I knew it was covered. And everybody was being asked to leave the backstage and the pit anyway.

I'm happy Ely is OK now. I am extra glad too that all four seem to be getting along na. There is talk of a repeat too, yeah! I hope I am still around to see it, the second and third set daw was the rocking part! Kung ngayon "ako'y lumilipad at nasa alapaap na..." sa susunod alam ko matitikman na ang langit! =)

VIEW THE FULL SET:
ERASERHEADS: The Reunion 083008

mari in METRO POST Mag!

Hey check this out: I was featured in the maiden issue of METRO POST Magazine (July - August 2008)! I was tapped to photograph SITTI for the cover story--see the spreads here. The magazine is for free and can be found at San Francisco Cafe, Old Swiss Inn, Malcolm's Place, Metro Bar and Cold Rock.


i shot the photos for the Sitti cover article

ERASERHEADS Reunion Concert!

THE MOST exciting, MOST anticipated and MOST historic music event of the year!!! =)

I have read the blind items about the reunion days ago but it was hard to believe since people at the eraserheads YahooGroup have been pining for an EHEADS reunion for so many years na. after so many false alarms it was so easy to dismiss the buzz created last week. Ricky Lo's article came out last Saturday claiming that it was confirmed but i still had my doubts. sa takot ko na ma-kuryente ako, i emailed a few people who should be in the know and ayun na nga! Yesterday i got a couple of confirmations! Then ELY BUENDIA himself confirmed it during Pupil's gig at Blue Wave Sunday!

i have shot all four, but never together--ngayon na ang pagkakataon!!!

Hail Kitchie, full of grace!

I have been reading a lot of rave reviews of Kitchie Nadal's new album LOVE LETTER starting with the nifty album design, to the great production, great songwriting and new sound, and most especially the beautiful voice of Kitchie. Everyone knows how scary and difficult it is to come out with a sophomore album lalo na if the debut is as successful as her "Kitchie Nadal"--dang, how do you top that! But Kitchie apparently is not mindful of the commercial success (problema na ni ms. roca yun hehe) and just strove to come out with the album SHE wants. Overseeing everything herself, from art directing to arranging and recording, she had no intention of producing a sleek album "designed" to become platinum but rather chose to put her self out there, unabashedly displaying her spiritual and personal side. This album is indeed her love letter to us who have been waiting patiently for this CD for years. But more importantly, it is Kitchie's fragrant offering to her God, a musical public declaration of her convictions. well done, Kitchie! :)

I struggled to pick my favorite track but couldn't--it's like asking a parent to choose a favorite child haha! I like all the songs! The closest to being "the one" was the Tagalog song TADHANA probably because I have been hearing Kitchie sing a couple of lines from the song since years ago as an intro to her live performances of Wag Na Wag Mong Sasabihin when Tadhana was still unfinished.

"minsan nagbiro sa 'yo ang tadhana, o bakit pa binigay sa yo kung babawiin lang?"

I am a sucker for Tagalog songs and the melody is very catchy plus the arrangement they made is so beautiful, it was done sans the techno sounds of the other tracks and treated like a regular love song, Kitchie's soulful voice accompanied by an acoustic guitar, much like the classical version of WNWMS they did last year for the DQTV EP.

I settled on picking my top 5 tracks:
- Walk On Water
- Wide Awake
- Tadhana
- Takipsilim
- Love Letter

[To listen to this selection, please go to my multiply account.]

Aaaargh, can i make that a TOP 7 list?! Add Lala Land and Unconditional Love... ang hirap! :) Together this set of songs showcases Kitchie's new sound. They are a bit edgier than the rest of the tracks.

I love WALK ON WATER which is yes, as the title implies, about faith and to me it sounds autobiographical ("I am a human shooting star...to be humbled by your grace...").

I realize that these songs were also among the first tracks she wrote for the album, they were written years ago kasabay ng BUWAN. Somewhere along the way towards the end of recording, Kitchie's songs became, as she puts it, "more positive" -- they sounded happier! And why not, Kitchie does look happier now, and less introverted. Indeed during the Listers' Night last April 5 I was surprised to see a different Kitchie--i was amused to watch her candidly answering ALL the questions from the fans, playful, smiling all night. Peace written all over Kitchie's face. :)

It's not that i do not like the happy songs, I just like my music a bit dark. :)

Kitchie Nadal's LOVE LETTER was worth the wait and does not disappoint: it is innovative, bold, new, well-produced--a must-buy. It comes out at a time when remakes are again starting to make a comeback and foreign acts are making stopovers here in Manila promoting their albums. It's great to hear that aside from Kitchie lot of new albums from OPM acts are getting released lately.

Kitchie's songwriting appeals to my mind, her music trips my soul. Kitchie's vocals still rocks me to my core, sigh.

Kitchie's Love Letter

Kitchie Nadal's much-awaited second album will be launched this March finally! I have had the privilege to hear most of the tracks from this album (there will be 15 daw) since more than a year ago and have witnessed how it has evolved and oooh all this time i have been wishing that it will be released na so you guys can hear Kitchie's new songs. Aside from her new sound and arrangements, Kitchie's talent as a lyricist continues to grow keeping in pace with her music which has evolved enormously as she experiments and makes use of the various inspirations she has picked up in her travels and experiences from the past 4 years.

Here's one of the songs, probably the first single that will be released from the album to be called Love Letter. It will be played over NU 107 FM starting today! :)


ARMOUR BEARER
Words and Music by Kitchie Nadal

biting back my smile and tears
waiting for the fireworks
counting backwards 6 5 4 3 2 1
darkness can't be as reassuring as this

Chorus
by many or by few
do what you have in mind
i'm with you heart and soul

by many or by few
i'm your armour bearer
i'm with you heart and soul

are we walking along abels street
Chasing each other's polarities
orphan widow and innocent blood
oh we were raised, we were raised, we were raised
beauty from the ashes

Chorus
by many or by few
do what you have in mind
i'm with you heart and soul

by many or by few
i'm your armour bearer
i'm with you heart and soul

Bridge
for the accuser
day and night has been hurled down
by the blood of the Lamb
and the word of our testimony
we did not love our life as to shrink from death

Chorus
by many or by few
do what you have in mind
i'm with you heart and soul

by many or by few
i'm your armour bearer
i'm with you heart and soul

i'm with you heart and soul

Listen to it at KitchieNadal.net or at garageband.com.

Dutdutan 2007: whose ink are you wearing?

I have never seen so many tattoos under one roof before haha! PhilTAG (Philippine Tattoo Artists' Guild) had their annual tattoo convention last December 15 called DUTDUTAN '07 Philippine Tattoo Xpo. Aside from being a convention for tattoo artists and the tattooed minions to exchange notes and display their latest tats, they also had merchandising exhibit booths, a live tattoo competition, and a rockfest that featured a helluva great lineup of bands--the bands i shot: Valley of Chrome, Queso, Slapshock, Greyhoundz, Sinosikat, Kamikazee, Sinag, Nini Skirt, Cosmic Love, Kadangyan, Concrete Sam, Kamikazee. I was able to get access to the rockfest's pit courtesy of Greyhoundz manager Bubi Sanchez (thanks man!). Otherwise I would have gone home rather than shoot from the crowd which, as expected, was a bit 'animated' hehe. Siyempre, astig kasi lahat ng tao dun! ;-)

Except for Kat Agarrado of Sino Sikat (me tattoo ba siya?), the bands themselves were wearing beautiful tats so bagay talaga sila sa event. I was waiting for Reg Rubio to take off his shirt like Ian (Queso), Jay (Kamikazee) and Jamir (Slapshock) who showed off their inked bodies--beautiful skin art!--but he didn't, sayang. :)

Please check out my Dutdutan 2007 Philippine Tattoo Xpo and Rockfest photos here:
SET 1 and SET 2

Melody del Mundo returns with Stella's Notch

The haunting voice that took us to dreamland with songs such as Five Years, Moden De, Siesyatnebonsotneicostolim (Awa), and Womb was heard again here in Manila, albeit for just 9 days. Melody del Mundo, original vocalist of Sugar Hiccup, visited the Metro with her Fil-Am band Stella’s Notch to promote their new album, "Beyond Wonderland" which features 11 songs written by Melody.

I was looking forward to seeing Melody perform live because I only got to hear her sing on CD. By the time I discovered Sugar Hiccup she had already migrated to the US. Finally I had a chance to watch her and photograph her and, in a way, show my support in her effort to continue making music--that yes, we still remember her and we want to see her sing again. :) After performing as a solo artist in the US for a time she joined a new band called Red Lily then later played bass for all Filipino female band Prettier Than Pink. Melody's current band Stella's Notch is an alternative rock band which she formed in 2003 with Melody on vocals/guitars; Dennis Diaz on keyboards/guitars; Miguel Rodriguez on drums; and Jeremy "Chadface" Arcinas on bass/vocals.

I did not expect to hear anything close to the old SH sound since Stella is more of a rock band, but yes, Melody still mesmerizes. iba talaga pag live!

I love the album although I can't help thinking how much better her new songs would sound if she got to work with some of our best engineers and producers here in Manila. But kudos to Stella's Notch! Even if it took them years to get this album out (alam niyo naman sa states, these guys have day jobs and it takes so much effort and dedication just to find the time to rehearse and play, lalo na to record an album!), it only shows how passionate they are with their music. The songs are pretty catchy, especiallly "Evil Jill," "Sub-rosa," the tango/rock-embellished "Loved Then Go" and one of my fave tracks "Don't Know You Anymore." Melody swoons in "Wounded" and "Blown Away" and I AM blown away. =)

Check out the live photos!
> Stella's Notch @ Magnet High Street
> Stella's Notch @ Club Dredd

Let's support our Fil-Am bands, OPM pa rin yan! Come back to us. :)

For more info about Stella's Notch visit their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/stellasnotch

PS: If you want to buy the CD, limited copies of Beyond Wonderland are still available at MagNet High Street and MagNEt Katipunan.

access, access, access

If location is the key to a successful business, for us photographers it is ACCESS. There may be dozens of event photographers now, both professional and hobbyists, what with the advent of affordable digital cameras and SLRs, but there are only a lucky few who get to step into that most desired piece of space called the photographer's pit.

If you have access, half the job is done. :)

I have been turned away from the pit so many times na, that is the disadvantage of being a freelance photographer. They will always ask you what magazine or newspaper you are shooting for and ayun na. Oooh if i only had a press pass! you can wave it around like a police officer's chapa and it'll get you in almost any gig/concert hahaha.

As a freelancer-hobbyist i try to get hold of a backstage/photo pass before the event by asking the organizer or the artist's manager. Ang hirap minsan--how do you explain to them that you just want to take photos for the love of it? :) Sometimes, if i'm lucky, they will let me shoot when i ask permission from the organizers at the site. It also helps when you know a band and they let you join their entourage so you can get in to take photos of them. Siyempre the best is when you are assigned as official photographer and are granted an all-access pass. you can take photos from anywhere--FOH, backstage, even on the stage. tapos me TF ka pa hehe. :)

Of course you can also shoot from the crowd pero that depends on what type of crowd meron. If it's a free concert and chicosci is playing, hala expect the jologs horde to come. They slamdance and push and lie on the ground (ang dilim pa naman, natatakot ako kung ano mangyayari kapag naapakan ko sila!)--pag ganun uwi na lang ako hahaha, not only because they look nasty but it sure is hard to get a good shot when you can't stand still to focus. And there is a danger that your gear can get damaged, or worse, stolen.

In the short time that i have been covering gigs i have managed to meet a number of people who have helped me get access to some events, salamat po! :) Some of them remember me from earlier gigs and they let me in, like artist managers, bands, station managers, even bouncers. yes, i love 'em bouncers, that's why i never pick a fight with them kahit na minsan ayaw nila magpapasok. I submit to them kasi i know they are just doing their job. you'll never know, maliit lang ang gig scene, sometimes they remember you. :)

Sax, Horns, Rakenrol!

Kevin Roy of Razorback

Uhaw na ko sa rock gig after being out-of-town for so long so this trigger-happy tog went off to the Razorback and DRT gig at Handle Bar last Friday. :)

It was actually part of Revolver Productions' series of shows for their 3rd anniversary (sponsored by Jack Daniel's) and on this leg they pitted the two rock bands against jazz groups Saxophoro and The Radioactive Sago Project horns to stir up a rock-meets-jazz jam session. Darn, it sure worked! The show was a blast! =)

Rock meets Jazz!
- DRT vs. SAXOPHORO
- RAZORBACK vs. THE RADIOACTIVE SAGO PROJECT horn section

MORE PHOTOS HERE!

Seksing-Seksi Awit Awards Night!

People forgot about the storm for a few hours as the 20th Awit Awards unfolded at the NBC Tent, The Fort last August 8. That night PARI was able to put up an amazing show with acts that became bigger and bigger as the awards night moved along. Opening the show were great bands like Imago, Sugarfree, Sponge Cola, Itchyworms and Sandwich singing one after the other in a medley of APO songs.

This was followd by performances from (hold on to your seats!) Pepe Smith, Wally Gonzalez, Kjwan, The Dawn, Razorback, Bamboo, Sitti singing a medley of Jose Mari Chan and Cecille Azarcon songs with The Company, Christian Bautista with Rachel Anne Go, Parokya Ni Edgar with Gloc 9 and Francis M, Faith Cuneta with Sheryn Regis singing novelty songs, Kamikazee, Gary V singing and dancing with son Gabriel, and finally there was Regine Velasquez & Ogie Acasid singing "Kailangan Kita" and "Narito Ako."

SO many great acts in one night! It was photo-op heaven! :D

The biggest surprise of the night was seeing Wally Gonzalez walk onstage to play with Kjwan! I tried to get a shot of him with the video clip about JUAN DE LA CRUZ band running in the background (in fact napasigaw nga ako kasi some of my JDLC photos were there! hala...), but i also had to stop and watch him play. WOW.

Now what could possibly top that? Well, Wally moved on over to the other stage to play with Razorback!! AND after playing a song together, PEPE SMITH COMES OUT TO JOIN THEM. WOWOWOW. Then the two rock icons perform HIMIG NATIN--oh my, what a sight! :) Finally I get to see them perform it live together. They played it in their 2005 reunion concert before but they did that reggae version which i do not like and they were with a bunch of other artists. Here it was just the two of them and ANG GANDA po.

PHOTO-OP HEAVEN. Every photographer in the house that night must have gone home with big smiles on their faces haha.

It turns out that Wally and Pepe were there to receive the "Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino Award" for the Juan De La Cruz band. Mike Hanopol was having a tour abroad so hi brother received the award for him.

Back to the other awards, KAMIKAZEE run off with 5 major awards including the top plums ALBUM OF THE YEAR ("Maharot") and SONG OF THE YEAR ("Narda"). They also won for Best Rock ("Narda"), Best Perfomance by a Group Artist ("Narda"), and Music Video of the Year ("Martyr Nyebera"). Seksing-seksi talaga sila that night! Too bad they weren't around anymore during the latter part of the show (they must have rushed off to a gig somewhere) to receive the ALBUM & SONG OF THE YEAR awards themselves.

SITTI tied with Amber for the Best Performance by a New Female Recording Artist award. =)

KITCHIE NADAL had only one nomination--AND WON, for Best Song Written for Movie/TV/Stage Play for "Majika." :D

For a complete list of winners please visit the Awit Awards website. Watch the the 20th Awit Awards on TV on August 19, Sunday, at 10 PM on ABC 5!

PHOTOS at the AWIT site and here. :)

Kjwan & Vina: The First Philippine IKONS!

Kjwan and Vina Morales emerged as the winners in the IKON Philippines Finals held at the Le Pavilion last night and proudly earned the right to represent the Philippines in the ASEAN IKON Finals in Malaysia on August 12.

Winning both the judges' nods as well as that of the thousands of text voters who sent in their votes during the live broadcast over RPN 9, they bested the other finalists: Sitti and Skarlet in the solo category; Kala and True Faith in the band category. While Kjwan just breezed through with their excellent performance, Vina had to contend with a broken microphone which failed to work as she began her number. Remember it was a live broadcast so there can be no 'take two' but Vina, a veteran showbiz performer, showed that she was a trouper and continued dancing and smiling until the tech people were able to give her a fresh mike. Her display of composure under pressure probably helped her clinch the title since all the finalists delivered such winning performances. :)

Some photos from the finals can be viewed in MY FLICKR. More photos coming! :)

Rock music exhibit opens at The Met Museum

Dong Abay performs during the exhibit opening

Rocked Age:Images of Loud Music Culture
Upper Galleries, Metropolitan Museum of Manila
With live performances by Cesare Syjuco, Elemento, Dong Abay, Markus Highway, and Pepe Smith. Until October 26, 2007.

PRESS RELEASE: The Metropolitan Museum of Manila in cooperation with the Galerie Astra will open Rocked Age: Images of loud music culture exhibit today, July 26, 2007 at 6p.m. at the Upper Galleries. This exhibit will showcase the influence of rock music in the works of Filipino artists.

The exhibit will highlight the works of national artist Ben Cabrera, ace lensman Wig Tysman, Cesare & Jean Marie Syjuco, Romeo Lee, Pandy Aviado, Fil Delacruz, Dan Raralio, Wawi Navarroza, Mari Arquiza, and interaction works of Jose Ibay with various artists. The exhibit will include paintings, sculptures and photographs.

The exhibit will be divided into sections such as rock as expression, rock icons and rock culture. It aims to educate the Filipinos how rock music in the Philippines started and became a popular music genre. This also exposes a deeper understanding how rock music influenced Filipinos, even the most ordinary of Pinoys.

Rock as expression tackles the origins of the Pinoy Rock. Rock icons section showcases the different personalities that became the face of rock music in the Philippines. While, rock culture section will give insights how the popular music genre affects everyday life of Filipinos.

SOME OF MY LIVE PHOTOS are included in the exhibit. :) At first they asked for some of the photos I took during the Juan de la Cruz band reunion concert in 2005, later they asked me to submit any photos I have of the Eraserheads and other bands popular during the 80s and 90s. After several screenings the selection i submitted was whittled down to 9 photos (including 4 solo shots of the eheads members), the final set looked... ahh boring hehe. They did not include the colorful concert shots hehe. Anyway, that's cool, after all I get to exhibit at THE MET MUSEUM and I have a whole wall to myself. I am grateful! :)

The Met Museum took care of printing (thanks!) and I was confident they would do a great job. The printer made a mistake printing the Eraserheads' photos though (the images were resized and distorted and set on an orange background ewww!) but the museum promised me that they will fix it after the opening so okay lang. So if any of you guys see the orange eheads set please lang, di po ako ang me gawa nun haha. They wanted to put the 4 images together in one print, but boy it sure didn't work haha. Hmmm kahit sa picture ayaw nilang magsama? joke :) Sabi nga ni Marcus after I apologized, divine intervention daw haha.

There were live performances by Pepe Smith, Dong Abay, Marcus Adoro, Elemento band and artist Cesare Syjuco during the opening so i just did my thing. :)

MORE PHOTOS HERE.

I met some online buddies in person for the first time: Eddie Boy Escudero, Rain Contreras, Wam Molina. Ebe introduced me to Wawi Navarroza who, aside from being the lead singer of The Late Isabel, is also a very creative artist and photographer. Nice to meet you all! I also saw a lot of visual artists and i suddenly remembered that i used to be a painter in another life haha. I was thrilled that Gus Albor still remembered me, idol ko sila ni Lao Lianben. Tamang-tama, there was an exhibit of their works downstairs and viewing them i felt the artist in me stir a bit. Ah may i find my Muse once again...