Ako ang Simula: "Himig ng Pagbabago"

Featuring my favorite musician brothers - Ebe and Vin Dancel - along with other local musical greats. A call for awareness and vigilance for next year's elections.

Video grabbed from YouTube, c/o xtingraphix.

Info below also from YouTube, c/o janmeynard, who posted "AKO ANG SIMULA: The Making of a Revolution", a behind-the-scenes look at this music video.

Director: Paolo Villaluna
Executive Producer: Patricia Evangelista
Lyrics: Ira Zabat
Music: Mike Villegas
Performed by: Bayang Barrios, Barbie Almalbis, Bituin Escalante, Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree, Kat Agarrado of Sinosikat?, Pochoy Labog, Teddy Corpuz of Rocksteddy and Vin Dancel of Peryodiko

Note: In "The Making of a Revolution", there's a bit of a preview of the "Agawan Base" video, for those (like me) who weren't at the launch and haven't seen the vid yet :P

NU107 Rock Awards 2009: And the winners are...

Listening to the RA2009 on the radio. I miss the feeling of excitement attending the event itself, especially the first time I went back in 1998 at some disco...Limits nga ba yun? Basta yung nasa Ortigas. 11 years ago na pala yun, grabe :P

Anyway, tonight started out great - one of my favorite bands won the award I wanted them to win most:

Congratulations to PERYODIKO for being this year's Best New Artist! Yey :)

Props to KAKOI LEGASPI for winning the Guitarist of the Year award! Yey ulit :)

Woohoo to EBE DANCEL for bagging the Vocalist of the Year award! Congrats din kay ARMI MILLARE who tied with him for this award :)

Yey for INKSURGE for the Best Album Packaging award for their work on Sugarfree's Mornings and Airports!

Much respect to Sir ROBIN RIVERA for his Producer of the Year award for his work on Peryodiko's self-titled debut album!

Peryodiko got 3 out of their 6 nominations! They missed out on Best Album Packaging, but that went to Inksurge for their work with Sugarfree so all's good.

Congratulations to all of this year's winners :)

Drummer of the Year - Allan Burdeos of Kamikazee
Bassist of the Year - Ivan Garcia of Hilera
Guitarist of the Year - Kakoi Legaspi of Peryodiko
Vocalists of the Year - Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree, Armi Millare of Up dharma Down
Album Packaging of the Year - Inksurge for Sugarfree's "Mornings and Airports"
Producer of the Year - Robin Rivera for Peryodiko's "Peryodiko"
Video of the Year - Last Days on a Cruise Ship by Pancho Esguerra for Bamboo
Listener's Choice Award - Chicosci (Did I get that right? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention.)
Best Live Act - Hilera
Hall of Fame Awardee - Francis M

Performing now: Rommel dela Cruz on bass, Wendell Garcia on drums, Francis Brew and Mike Elgar on guitars, and Ely Buendia and Elmo Magalona on vocals! It's a Sickos song, I think...Now THAT I would've loved to witness live.

Song of the Year - "Antukin" by Rico Blanco
In the Raw Award - Dimmerswitch

At this point, I fell asleep. Hehehe. So, 2 days after the awards show, I finally found out through Google who won Album and Artist of the Year. I'm still missing one award, though I'm not really familiar with the nominees so it's ok with me I guess.

Smart / U Rock College Band of the Year - ???
Album of the Year - Bipolar by Up dharma Down
Artist of the Year - Up dharma Down

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Post-show commentary:

• It was a great night for Peryodiko. Initially, I never realized they got quite a number of nominations (6); other bands with the same or more nominations were Kamikazee (6), UdD and Kjwan (7), and Hilera (9).
  
  
• Bands that I think should've had more nominations: Sugarfree and Wolfgang.
  
  
• Bands that I think should've won more of their nominations: UdD, Kjwan
  
  
• I don't understand why Hilera has so many nominations...though I admit maybe it's just that I'm not too familiar with their new material. I do believe I didn't like one of their songs from the latest album, the one with the Western style video.
  
  
• Peryodiko and Up dharma Down were the big winners of the night, winning 3 of their 6/7 nominations. Followed by Sugarfree and Hilera with 2 awards each. I guess the awards were pretty much spread out this year, which is good, because remember how folks reacted when the 2007 awards show seemingly favored just one particular band?

Peryodiko's AGAWAN BASE Video Party @ Pablo Gallery, Cubao X

Catch the launching of the video for "Agawan Base"!

with guests

Playphonics
Gasulina
Sugarfree
Cambio

NO ENTRANCE FEE!

Please bring relief goods for survivors of Ondoy+Pepeng; the band will deliver these to relief centers for you! :)

http://tugtugangperyodiko.multiply.com

WWF's "Don't Wait Until It's Gone"

I like that they used Counting Crows' version of "Big Yellow Taxi". Would've been better if they used the version without Vanessa Carlton :P

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From WorldWildlife.org:

Don’t Wait Until It’s Gone

We have reached a moment in the history of Earth where the actions we take will determine whether or not our children will live in a world with magnificent animals such as the polar bear, swim in an ocean filled with iridescent corals and marine life, or stroll through a dense forest.

While issues such as climate change, scarcity of freshwater, overfishing, and deforestation are covered in the news, many people don’t understand how it can affect their lives. In response, WWF has launched a new Public Service Announcement campaign to make these connections and show what is at risk if we wait to, or worse do not, take action.

At WWF, we’re working harder than ever before to save threatened and endangered species and the habitats that sustain them. Learn more about our work to protect the future of nature.

Read more and watch the video here.

Peryodiko Album Recording FINALLY! - a behind-the-scenes blog by Robin Rivera

I know ZILCH about the technical aspect of music. I'm just a music fan who likes listening to the stories musicians tell so well. But tonight, as I went through all the entries of Robin Rivera's blog about his work as producer of Peryodiko's debut album, it made me appreciate all the blood, sweat, and tears that go into making an album (as well as refreshed my memory of why music piracy SUCKS!).

If I remember correctly, I was aiming for a Robin Rivera Hum class back in my UP days, all for the simple reason that he produced the Eheads :P But now, more than just knowing him as the one who gave us the Heads, I have a more profound respect for the man.

Like the musicians he coaches, Sir Robin (sige, makiki-"sir" ako, hehe) is a wonderful storyteller. He isn't shy about the thoughts that roam inside his head, and he lets them out so eloquently. Reading about what he believed and hoped about the local music industry made me want to clone him and put more Robin Riveras in studios and record label offices. Also, reading about how he shaped Peryodiko - the album and the band - made me respect and appreciate the band and their music so much more than I already did.

This blog is a must read. In Mel Gibson's words in "The Patriot", "I've just been through the mind of a genius."

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"Vin said it is a very easy album to listen to, and I agree. It never hits you over the head with a sledgehammer to get attention. Its like the ocean which ebbs and flows with some kind of rhythm, each wave having a unique way of advancing and receding. It unfolds with the logic of a mathematical equation, the creativity of a chord progression, and the organic timelessness as ocean waves."

- Robin Rivera, Producer

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You may also want to check out his blog while producing Sugarfree's "Tala-Arawan"

Kala mo turistang namamasyal...

...at nagssight-seeing si Pepeng.

Talagang tumambay siya sa northern Luzon eh no. I stopped keeping track of Pepeng once I was assured we weren't going to be a direct hit. Then tonight, as I watched news on QTV, I was surprised to see that Pepeng was still hanging around, and that various places Pangasinan are now in deep floodwaters. My mom also mentioned landslides and flooding in Baguio. Now on the news are the scheduled brownouts Meralco has been implementing as they fix their transformers.

Haaay. When will it all end...? Ang dami nang malulungkot na pangyayari sa taon na ito.

The power of prayer...?

I'd like to think so :)

(For Ondoy's victioms, at least. I hope those in northern Luzon weren't severely affected by Parma...)