Monday, June 29, 2009
Funniest Eraserheads interview ever
This was just a train wreck from start to finish.
Labels: eraserheads, hehehe, music, video
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Seven days will quickly go
Fact remains, I love her soSeven days, so many ways
But I can't run away
(Will Sunday be too late? Do I have to tell the story of a thousand rainy days? It's a big enough umbrella, but it's always me that ends up getting wet.)
Monday, March 09, 2009
Heads up ulit
Tonight's i-Witness by Jay Taruc is all about the Eraserheads. With GMA-7's co-presenting the big concert, the i-Wit documentary crew got unfettered access to the rehearsals leading up to the show. Catch it tonight after Saksi.(Or don't, it'll probably show up on YouTube this week anyway.)
Labels: eraserheads, music, television
Thursday, March 05, 2009
O ayan, excited na talaga ako
Raymund Marasigan posted this on the Cambio mailing list:dear kids
its thursday morning. i woke up too early (played a late pedicab gig last night). i'm getting excited about the eraserheads show this coming saturday.
i haven't been excited up to this point so let me back track a little. sandwich just got back from rocking singapore, pedicab is preparing a new video and getting ready for the mosaic festival, cambio is writing songs for the next album, gaijin (my new band)is in the studio recording.
aside from the busy gig sked, i've been (distracted) skateboarding downhill with the whiskey hill crew.haha
the eheads rehearsed again last tuesday. we played the whole show without breaks. we did it that way the previous session to test our endurance (and to go home early haha). rehearsals are more taxing mentally and physically than the actual show. we played for more than 3 hours straight repeating a few songs that needed some work. some friends dropped by, romeo lee even jammed some old tunes from the u.p. days.
i'd like to report that everyone is healthy and in tip top shape to perform this saturday. (i had a minor surgery early this month and have been recovering steadily these past few weeks.)
the stage in moa is getting built as i type, i've picked the shoes i'm wearing haha if you don't know what to wear check out the team manila website for some shirts we designed.
excited is good, the band seems to be in good spirits. ely hinted that we might extend the show if the crowd behaves haha.
its going to be a different show from the previous one. its a different set of songs. no countdowns, no wigs, no green hair, yes yes yo! i'm going to play drums now, see y'all this saturday!
raym < s >
Hala, let's all behave!
Labels: eraserheads, music
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Jazz
Here's a good interview at Pulse.ph with Itchyworms drummer Jazz Nicolas about being the fifth Eraserhead during last August's concert. Apparently, when Buddy had called him up to do session work, no one had confirmed the gig to him either:“’Uy, busy ka ba? Kailangan namin ng keyboardist.”
“Para sa’n?”
“Sa…gig.”
“Ano’ng gig?”
“’Heads.”
Labels: eraserheads, music
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Final set
Supreme carries the scoop that the continuation of the Eraserheads reunion concert will be on March 7, 2009.UPDATE: Raymund Marasigan posted this in the
dear kids
i got a lot of messages yesterday asking about the eraserheads concert. apparently there was a press release already in the papers. anyhoo, here's what i got so far.
yes its true. that much i know. but after the first one i got darwin (soupstar, sandwich) to iron out my concerns before anything.i want this one to be smoother. in other words i just want to rock.
the band has not me yet officially but i know the promoters have been talking with our respective representatives since december.
we have a dysfunctional relationship haha. we play well together but i think we can only stand each other for short periods of time.
i see buddy a lot cos were band mates in cambio. i bumped into marcus at mogwai last week. he just got back from the beach. im glad ely's getting his groove back. sandwich played with pupil at guijo last friday.
we dont talk about the show. i know everyone agreed to do it so ill guess well see each other at the presscon or rehearsals , whichever comes first.
this wont be as top secret as the marlboro gig. there will be tickets, sponsors and details in the papers. and well be allowed to talk about it. haha.
PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL OR TEXT ME about it. its just a rock show. i just want to rock.
see you all there
raim<s>
Labels: eraserheads, music
Monday, January 05, 2009
Heads up
I haven't read any written confirmation from anyone who would know, but people in the Eraserheads and Sandwich mailing lists are saying that apart from Pupil (and the other bands), Sandwich (!!!) will also be playing at Friday's benefit gig.Let's see, the last time Pupil played a benefit gig (at Route 196), they were in need of an extra hand. Oh, and Markus just happened to be there:
[T]here was already beer-fueled Markus Adoro, who went there as a customer.
Since Adoro didn’t bring any guitar, Buendia handed his to the former bandmate.
Then they played three songs from their original group—“Alapaap,” “Pare Ko” and “Huling El Bimbo.” It must be recalled that “El Bimbo” was supposed to be the last song in the aborted August 30 reunion.
That night, it was goose bumps all over. But as a final song, it’s Pupil’s “Disconnection Notice.” Adoro was hesitant to play it but Buendia insisted. On the spot, Adoro asked Pupil’s original guitarist, Yan Yuzon, who took on bass duties, the basic chords and the magic continued.
UPDATE: A friend who's related to the band just confirmed that Sandwich will indeed be playing this Friday. Ayus!
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Disconnection notice
Pupil is playing Saguijo on the 9th, along with Sugarfree and the Itchyworms. Haven't seen them play since that final Rivermaya gig a couple of years ago. Let's watch!Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Really
At our team building activity last week, in the tell-everyone-about-yourself segment, I started talking about High Fidelity (which is, aptly enough, my desert-island top book of all time), and I ended up speaking to a dumbfounded audience. No one there knew anything about the book or even the movie. I guess John Cusack is not so big around these parts.Then at our company Christmas party, The Camerawalls (Clem Castro's new band) played a cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven, so I started singing to it. The only problem was, of the 100 or so people watching, I was the only one who seemed to know the song. Not only that, but when some officemates noticed me singing along to it, they were all like, Hey, you know this song? We've never heard of it before. You're such a dork.
Which I am. Really. But still. High Fidelity, really? And Just Like Heaven? Really? What the fuck is this place and how did I get here? Hehehe.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Klosterman on Chinese Democracy
And Chuck does it like only he can:Reviewing Chinese Democracy is not like reviewing music. It's more like reviewing a unicorn. Should I primarily be blown away that it exists at all? Am I supposed to compare it to conventional horses? To a rhinoceros? Does its pre-existing mythology impact its actual value, or must it be examined inside a cultural vacuum, as if this creature is no more (or less) special than the remainder of the animal kingdom? I've been thinking about this record for 15 years; during that span, I've thought about this record more than I've thought about China, and maybe as much as I've thought about the principles of democracy. This is a little like when that grizzly bear finally ate Timothy Treadwell: Intellectually, he always knew it was coming. He had to. His very existence was built around that conclusion. But you still can't psychologically prepare for the bear who eats you alive, particularly if the bear wears cornrows.
The surprise verdict? It's pretty good.
Labels: chuck klosterman, guns n roses, music
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Postcript
Isa lang yung wish ko. Siyempre, hindi siya natupad.Anyway.
Admit One anniv mamayang gabi sa Saguijo. Nood tayo. Tabi lang ng bahay ko yun eh.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Johnoy and Kakoy
There are at least a couple of reasons to post this cool feature on Johnoy and Kakoy, which includes funny behind-the-scenes moments and a rare pure acoustic performance.Also, Johnoy YM'd me a couple of minutes ago and asked me to post it. Hehehe.
Labels: music
Sunday, September 28, 2008
32
A few minutes ago, there was a FrancisM tribute on SOP, and the best part was the Girl Be Mine number with Ogie Alcasid singing with Raymund Marasigan. Rayms totally nailed the rap-rock part (Is this the one that I'm supposed to be afraid of, is this the one I'm supposed to be ashamed of) before the chorus.It's my favorite FrancisM song, and I couldn't find any good video online, so let me just post this:
Tell the truth, when will you be mine?
Labels: music
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Kahit ayaw mag-group hug, 'di naman 'yon problema
The best talaga si Bitoy.
Labels: bubble gang, eraserheads, music, television
Friday, September 05, 2008
Reunion
My absolute favorite thing about the Eraserheads reunion weren't the songs, although they were brilliant; like a lot of people, I felt that they gave us more than we could ask of them at the time, and wasn't that electric Alapaap opener worth the price of admission already?But the best thing about the reunion is that the guys are okay. Not health-wise (although we all got the good news that Ely's on his way to recovery), but that the guys are okay with each other. It's no secret that the members, particularly Ely and Raymund, have had a gap. In fact, when Ely had his first heart attack, Raymund was the only Head who didn't send his regards to the old comrade. It's a divide that affected not just the band, but the fans and the rest of the local music scene.
Prior to the group's first rehearsal, Raymund expressed some apprehension about the awkwardness that would surely be present during the session. He did say that he'd approach the preparation for the reunion concert in a professional manner and give it everything he could, but there was no indication that the gap would be bridged.
The rehearsals went well enough after the initial awkwardness, according to accounts by Raymund and Marcus, but again, it could be the guys just doing their job. Then when the situation with the tobacco company was about to boil over, Raymund sent another email where he expressed some frustration about the situation, a frustration that was shared by the rest of the band. He went on to describe the band as a "four-headed hydra" that had awakened, and it struck me as the first indication that there was a chance that we were going to witness the Eraserheads, instead of four guys from different bands who just came together for a gig that paid them a wild amount of cash.
A few hours before the concert, Raymund again posted a message about the preparations, and again, it was encouraging because he cheerfully mentioned visitors during the soundcheck, which included "friends from Pupil." He also wrote about his busy schedule the past few days, which included a visit to the wake of Ely's mom. Then in a post after the concert, he gave everyone an update on Ely's condition and later mentioned that he did visit Ely. He also promised another Eraserheads reunion show as soon as possible.
A couple of days ago, Pupil manager Dr. Day Cabuhat finally posted photos from the soundcheck and backstage before the big concert. And it's the best set of photos from the concert you'll ever see. It wasn't just Ely, Marcus, Buddy, and Raymund. It was the Eraserheads. And they were in UP Centennial hoodies, too!
Yesterday, there was a thank-you message posted on the Circus mailing list from Dr. Day, and she thanked Raymund, Buddy, and Marcus for "being there every step of the way." She added, "It is a reunion in more ways than one can ever imagine."
I know that the Heads won't ever be best of friends, and it's the most natural thing in the world for four guys who met in college, to grow up, to grow older, to grow apart. But it's not so much to ask that they be okay with each other, that they exchange hellos when they run into each other at gigs, that all the animosity is gone. Like the song goes: "At kung sakaling mapadaan, baka ikaw ay aking tawagan, dahil minsan tayo ay naging tunay na magkaibigan."
And that would be enough.
It's provident timing, but tomorrow evening, a week after the Eraserheads, we'll be having a reunion of our own. It's my 10-year high school reunion, and like the Heads, a lot of us have grown up, grown older, and grown apart. Still, it'd be good to see everyone.
Labels: eraserheads, music
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
The band is back together
Well my lola, she told me, well she told me not to smokeWell my lolo, he told me, well he told me not to smoke... dope
So I, I promised to myself, I will never never smoke... Hope
-- Eraserheads, "Honky Toinks Granny"
Just got word that the Eraserheads concert is pushing through after reports that it was going to be cancelled, after the cigarette company that was organizing/sponsoring the reunion backed out (apparently because of legal issues). I had refrained from writing about the issue prior to this because there was nothing confirmed, and the whole charade really annoyed me. Anyway, I had been hoping for this scenario to happen for the longest time. Some thoughts:
#1 - It was illegal
You can probably find a better summary for this if you went Googling around the internets, but basically, there's a law that went into effect last July prohibiting tobacco companies from becoming sponsors for things like, you know, Eraserheads reunion concerts. So anyway, there was a release from the tobacco company that this wasn't technically sponsorship, since the firm was organizing the event itself, and that it was an invitation-only private event that wasn't open to the general public. Of course, this private event just happened to include about 35,000 people and the organizers just happened to leak the details to Ricky Lo, who's only the influential Entertainment Editor of the Philippine Star. Way to keep the event private.
(Totally random Ricky Lo story: a few months ago, when I was still a productive member of society, I was having a late dinnner alone at World Topps in Timog, and the place was empty. A few minutes later, a noisy group of about ten people walked in, and I recognized the entertainment editor as the leader of the bunch. The group included a bunch of middle-aged gay guys and young boys in their late teens/early twenties. Who knew Ricky Lo walked around with such a huge posse? It cracked me up, but I just ate my dinner quietly and didn't make eye contact. I didn't want to be the guy who got beat up by Ricky Lo's entourage. But I digress.)
Anyway, my point is, it was a brazen move for the tobacco company, and I, for one, just don't appreciate being lied to. I already do that for myself, all the time, thank you very much.
#2 - It was dumb
Can you imagine how this thing went down inside the marketing department of the big tobacco company?
Marketing Head: "Ok guys, we need new ideas for promoting our little candies of death now that we can't do any advertising anymore. I need ideas people! [Name of marketing guy #1]! Give me something?"
Marketing Guy #1 (still hungover from the previous night's drinking session, just throwing shit out to get his boss off his back): "Uhm, how about... an Eraserheads reunion concert?"
Marketing Head: "The Eraserheads?"
Marketing Guy #2: "Well, it's gonna create a really big buzz. They're, like, the Beatles of the Philippines."
Marketing Head: "Wow, The Beatles. I love the Beatles. I always thought Paul was cute."
Marketing Guy #1: "We can make everyone register for the concert. Grow our list of smokers."
Marketing Guy #2: "Plus, the media and the blogs will be all over this. We can do some viral marketing to promote the event."
Marketing Head: "Blogs. I like blogs. Guy, let's make this happen."
Marketing Guy #2: "Just a slight problem. The guys really hate each other. Well, Ely and Raymund"
Marketing Head: "I don't care guys. Make it so."
The members of the band were reportedly getting eight-figures for the gig. Each. Everyone assumes it's Php10 million, but I've heard rumors (from people who are close to people who are close to the band) that the figure was closer to Php20 million. Either way, it's enough money to salve old wounds for the band members.
Is it worth it? For this discussion, let's peg the total cost for the tobacco company at Php50 million. They're paying for two things, basically: the buzz from blogs and other non-traditional media (and some traditional media as well), and the growth of their smokers' list. Let's say they split it halfway for each, Php25 million for the buzz and Php25 million for the list.
Is Php25 million worth it for the blogger and the Ricky Lo buzz? Abe Olandres thinks so, but then, Abe gets excited whenever a big company starts doing Internet campaigns.
I can't go into much detail about the figures, but I used to work for one of the biggest online publishing firms in the country, so you just have to take my word for it. Php25 million is right near the sales target for one quarter for a big news publishing site. Now, go look at your favorite Filipino Internet news/showbiz site. Count the number of paying ads (you can disregard house ads). Your Php25 million could buy you placement for all those ads. Everyday. For three straight months.
Now what about the list? Say, they're looking at 35,000 people attending the concert, but they're probably more optimistic about the list growing much bigger. The only problem was, they made it so hard to register that it's going to be impossible for them to get to the figure. Again, you're going to have to take my word for it here, but I've had experience maintaining a registration system that required the user to jump through hoops to register. It was ugly. 35,000 just wasn't going to happen. I bet the smokers list would be lucky to get 10,000 people had they gone through with the concert idea.
Php25 million for 10,000 people would make cost them Php25,000 per person. For that amount of money, they might as well just ask their promo girls to give handjobs to male listers during bar tours. It'd be much more memorable, and it'd be just as illegal as an Eraserheads concert.
They'll probably spin this as a problem with the government, but the truth is, it just doesn't make economic sense for the tobacco company to do this.
#3 - It was a lightning rod for douchebags
Journalist (and Manila correspondent to the New York Times) Caloy Conde, bless his heart, has been all over the Internet advocating the evils of big tobacco and railing against the concert. The only problem was, he was being a total douchebag about it:
Now that the government itself has warned Philip Morris International for possible violation of the law for being behind the Eraserheads reunion concert on Aug. 30, I am tempted to gloat and tell those who crucified me and mocked me (in the comment section here and elsewhere and in various blogs and in the Eraserhead mailing list) to go f**k themselves.
Awesome. You stay classy, Caloy.
#4 - It was annoying
Now, my problem about the tobacco-sponsored concert wasn't a moral one; after all, you're probably going to die anyway. I do agree that yes, the government needs a better job to curb underage smoking in this country, and yes, I believe that smoking causes cancer.
But you wanna know why countries in the European Union and in Japan have taken radical steps to ban cigarettes? It's plain economics. More smoking leads to more cancer, which leads to higher medical bills. For countries with socialized, comprehensive healthcare plans, this amounts to billions of dollars of additional healthcare expenses for the government. Those countries have to prevent their kids from smoking because it's gonna hit them in the pocket.
Here in the Philippines, where socialized healthcare is a joke, it's not going to cost the government a centavo if you get cancer twenty years from now, so there's really not much incentive for them to stop you from smoking now (or from making lots of babies, for that matter). So the question is, why don't we have socialized healthcare?
But that's beside the point. The real problem with the tobacco-sponsored reunion was that it was really, really hard to get tickets that way. Everyone I knew would just rather pay for the goddamn things. Everyone who grew up during the E-heads heydey are pretty much yuppies now. We blow our money watching crappy bands like Lifehouse and Panic at the Disco. So why not the Eraserheads then? We can afford it, really.
But it all worked out for the best. In the Sandwich mailing list, Raymund Marasigan confirmed that the concert is pushing through, and it seems like all the members are in good terms. Perfect! See you all next week.
UPDATE: PEP reports that tickets are going to go at Php1,500 a pop.
Labels: eraserheads, music
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Make you cry, say goodbye, tell a lie, and hurt you
Whenever there's a "major" artist performing at the Araneta Coliseum, the Araneta Center people do their part in promoting the event by playing the songs of the featured artist outside the venue. This was the reason why, like the Angelus, Quando, Quando, Quando played at 6PM in Cubao during the months leading up to Engelbert Humperdinck's holiday concert last year.Anyway, this is relevant because this time around, the "major" artist is none other than Rick Astley. This means that for the past few months, everyone going from the MRT at Farmers to the LRT at Gateway (and back) in the afternoon to the early evening got rickroll'd by Araneta Center. In fairness, they don't just stick to one song-- they also play Together Forever and Hold Me in Your Arms. Me, I keep waiting for Carmi Martin to do a production number in her signature tanga.
Labels: engelbert humperdinck, music, rick astley
Monday, July 21, 2008
Straight from the horse's mouth
Galing kay Raymund Marasigan, sa Sandwich/Cambio/Pedicab mailing lists:dear sandwich, cambio and pedicab listers
yes there will be an eraserheads concert
yes im playing drums
it will be on august 30
i havent met the band
and we havent rehearsed as a group
im thinking that will all happen in august
im sure you have read the blogs and newspapers and whatnot.
a lot of things there are not true.
at the moment
the final venue has not been confirmed.
and the promoters are still dealing with the tickets and crowd control
issues.
the promoters promise to answer these questions soon. maybe this
coming week so standby.
there will be no front acts.
it will be a long set.
no theres no talk of an album or tour.
please dont email me privately. ill answer your questions (if theyre
not silly) in the cambio, pedicab sandwich mailing lists.
have a good weekend
rayms marasigan
Labels: eraserheads, music
