I guess all forms of transformation go through some precipice.

Sunset while driving up to Los Angeles.

I’ve been fighting for peace of mind and acceptance. However, there are times when I stumble on thoughts that upon looking back with rationality, I ought to have dismissed. I promised myself that after this post I will never again speak on the subject again. After this post.

Months ago, I had been listening to a song as I always do when my heart is afloat. This song carried me through those days that I would look forward to see and hear from a certain someone. It captured how I felt about her at that time.

Right now I am marinating in the tragic implication of the song: how as time passed she relates to it with no connection to the time we shared whatsoever. It feels like…I am moved by a musician’s song not intended for me. That’s fine. That’s life.

And so I looked for other versions and I found one by The Kooks that still has that uppity beat I love about it. It’s imperative not to be a slave to something I like – the song for instance. It’s just a song, I tell myself. The one I found is different in many ways from the original, but it still carries the same poignant theme no matter how I listen to it.

The Kooks – Young Folks [ Download ]

Time to put this song to sleep and find another one.

Pretty much what LA looks like from the plane (c/o: TG Daily)

About forty minutes flying in to Los Angeles, you are greeted by an aerial view of rocky terrains, deserts, (what looked to me as) solar farms and block after block of gray little boxes. Trees are spaced every few blocks, unlike back home where there are lush landscapes covered in green not too far from the city. If they say the Philippines is in bad shape in terms of forest cover, I think this part of the states will clearly put up a stiff competition. It is instead a sprawl of concrete from coast to in-land. The good thing though is that every thing seems a lot cleaner, a lot more organized… But then again, these are just first impressions.

I live about 45 minutes away from LAX. The drive was seamless, freeway after freeway. On the road, my mom put the radio on at KIIS FM, which is not a surprise. I suddenly remembered my good old days as a disc jock and getting samplers from the station – music imports of hits. In fact, stations like KIIS make hits which trickle down to the rest of the world. Somehow it came full circle, being in the place of the hit maker. I then asked my mom what she considers driving music. Apart from listening to KIIS, she was in to a lot of old stuff, not surprisingly. But that’s cool.

When I put on my mom’s CD, her friend who accompanied her was surprised that I didn’t mind the music. According to her, I wasn’t even born at the time. True. I explained I have a WIDE taste in music and didn’t mind listening to some oldies when I’m in the mood.

Welcome to America, Kim.

Here’s the soundtrack of my ride to my new home. I have to say, yesterday’s weather was perfect. It’s true what they say, it’s always sunny in…you know where I am.

To which he agreed, before realizing the consequence. He later realized that we had roughly about 12 hours to kill.

“So where are we going?” I asked him.

“I don’t know…” he said, as panic crept up in his expression.

“But you’re supposed to know this city better than I do!”

He looked dumbfounded.

I got up and went to the counter of the coffee shop. Shortly after I asked a few questions, I went back to our table and started packing up.

“Uh…where are we going?” he asked me.

“Trust me.”

“Do you know where we’re going?”

“I think so.”

In the jeep, my friend looked uncomfortable.

“Looks like I’m taking you out of your comfort zone.” I said to him.

He nods.

We finally reached our destination. It is a quaint place in the other side of town called, “The Strip”. Literally. There’s a sign that says so.

We found a place where we could have a warm cheap-ass meal and we decided to have a few drinks.

Over drinks the man could barely hold his alcohol. And then he said, “This is so new to me and yet you do this all the time…these spontaneous trips. My life, on the other hand, is summarized like this: work and home…” After a few more drinks and some issues sorted, he drawls, “You know, I haven’t talked like this with anyone in eight months!”

I just smiled. Mission accomplished.

We capped the night in a corner store with a videoke coin-slot machine. He dedicated the songs, “Puff the magic dragon” and “Leaving on a Jet plane” to me. I understood why he picked the latter song…but PUFF THE MAGIC FRIGGIN DRAGON?! The former on the hand, if taken literally, is a fucked up song about this dragon who eventually lost his friend which prompted him to become a recluse. Gee.

Never too old for videoke.

We exited when the table next to us started singing Aegis. On our way out he said to me, “Let’s meet here five years later. Same place.”

I’m writing this down to remember and also because he snores like an ox. Damn it. I guess I’m going to have to sleep it off in the bus.

Note to self: Tomorrow is my last pitstop before I head back to homebase. I think it’s just about the right time.

For tonight’s playlist, I thought I’d pepper it with a bit of nostalgia. As I always say, things are a lot more memorable when you experience them in a new place. If you happen to have a listen, try doing so somewhere new, somewhere outside your comfort zone. Take your laptop outdoors or load the song in your player and listen to it while you drive your way to work or school. Hopefully…hopefully, you’ll remember this post even after five years.

Eva Cassidy – Fields Of Gold [ Download ]

Adele – Hometown Glory (Hotel Cafe Live) [ Download ]

Peter, Paul & Mary – Puff The Magic Dragon [ Download ]

Paul Simon – Love And Hard Times [ Download ]

Sean Lennon – Tomorrow [ Download ]

If you want to search yourself look for inspiration. Simply, travel.

On the road. Where the heck am I?

On the road I’ve been listening to some tunes that are completely off-tangent from what people usually find me listening to. It’s a mix of post-punk with classic bass licks, dubstep, electro-pop, post-punk, and a few…chipmunks?! No, seriously. It has upped my mood tremendously so have a listen if you want some cheer. Traveling is supposed to refresh your perspective…revitalize you. Today’s playlist sort of represents that.

Recommendation: For ideal listening, grab all the songs by right clicking and save target/link as an mp3 file. Play in the order suggested here and if you know how to set up crossfade on your music player, set it at 8. Enjoy!

Starfucker – Girls just want to have fun (cover) [ Download ]

League – Golden Maps [ Download ]

Get People – Away [ Download ]

Kastle – I know [ Download ]

Cassius – I love you so [ Download ]

On board the Red Ball Express

The road from Bukidnon to Davao is the last stretch for cargo trucks en route from other parts of Mindanao to the trade port at Sasa, and as told to us by manong ”Gerry” a driver of 12 years, it is the most arduous.  The road is full of abrupt curves and rocky parts that ought to be driven on with caution, especially in the dark.  Many deaths have occurred along this path and in Gerry’s career he can name a few of his colleagues.  He laments as he points out an area with an abandoned truck at the side of the road, “Katong usa ka biyernes dara namatay tong kauban nako.” (Just last friday, one of my colleagues died right there).  There was a black stain on the street that looked like mud, which Gerry morbidly insisted was blood.

That night, we had mixed feelings about getting home.  It rained hard all afternoon and the biting mountain wind felt too daunting.  It was a carefree decision to wait for it to subside for a few more hours since we were at a coffeeshop by a gas station.  Our party played poker until we lost track of time then came sun down.  After conferring with locals, we found out that the rural transits would only stop terminal to terminal.  And so our only chance to get home was if we got on a non-airconditioned bus, a chartered van, a friend willing to pick us up and finally a hitch.   Our first option was a non-airconditioned bus, but every time one passed by it swept by too fast.  We were stranded even after the coffeeshop and the gas station had to close for the day.  To while away the idle time, we drank wine, some coke and ate packed dinner.  Back in Davao, the night would have been as young as us.  But in the midst of the provincial highlands, we were the only ones awake.

When Jerry spotted us and decided to halt, Karla was apprehensive to climb up the truck and I suppose, some of it rubbed off on me until I said to myself, “There’s five of us”.  I have never hitchhiked before in my life but I’ve always wanted to.  All the reservations I might have to that possibility was due to the obvious fact that it’s not safe to do alone. 

Hitchhiking is a game of chance and has the same risks of being exposed to a potentially dangerous stranger.  This option should only be open when your party is desperate to go home. Yes, traveling is naturally more exciting when it’s spontaneous and less expensive, in fact, Gerry refused to take our money.  But I don’t think it’s wise to travel by intentionally hitchhiking all the way.  Besides, it is virtually impossible to get to hitch on a truck whose driver doesn’t want to run the risk of being caught by monitors, as it is grounds for suspension.  A traveler’s wanton ways could cost someone’s job.

As it turns out, hithhiking was as fascinating as I had thought it to be.  I was quickly enthused by the driver who had stories to tell about other hitchhikers and of the road.  The idea that I was on a twelve-wheeler truck carrying pineapples from Mao, Lanao due for shipment to Japan was infinitely more intriguing than taking the bus from point A to point B.  I imagined what it would be like to regularly hitchhike, and my conclusion was that the journey had an indirect sideshow, like it was its own mobile entertainment.  The stories that could be told between the hikers and drivers amounted to more travel experience that Confucius would probably be proud of.

May the universe gift your soul with more good vibrations, “Gerry”.

Anyway.

It’s been an interesting month, thus far. And I can say the same thing about the previous month. I went to Cagayan to check out the music scene there and quite frankly, I was impressed. My heart bled over the fact that the Cagayan music scene seems more enthusiastic and more, shall I say, formidable compared to Davao’s. Not that I’m dissing our locals, no no. My point is, I wish the scene here would grow in terms of musical taste, and maybe even music support.


Just a week ago, I had a talk with several Davao local bands and one of the guys from the undergrounders told me that the music scene in Davao literally DIED for a year or two and now, it’s been trying to come back – no, crawling back. I mean, if you’ve visited my website over the year, I did plug several events alluding to such a “music scene”. But I did make it to a time when the scene was actually crazier, more visible and more immense – at least as far as the undergrounders are concerned. But for the rest whose heads are above the surface and only listen to bands who play when they play and who happen to be at the place where one is having their evening beers and sisigs, I guess there really isn’t much scene there to see since most of the local bands I talk about in this blog play for a specific crowd (I quaintly call the undergrounders). I’ve been observing this notable disparity for some time now: I know artists who are afraid to be labeled as a “mainstream” band when they step out of the so-called underground. Seriously, what is this obssession between distinguishing a band between mainstream and underground? There really shouldn’t be any difference. If you play music, you just play music. I mean, audiences are supposed to vary seeing as how tastes vary too. So if you have an audience with a predictable taste in music and they start listening to you – it’s really not a bad thing. Some underground bands are afraid to share their music to audiences outside the underground because the undeground might perceive it as the band trying to get into the mainstream. That’s peer pressure in your face. And I don’t get why bands should even care what “peers” should think. Unless of course they’re playing the music for them and not for themselves or to have fun with it. I don’t know, just a food for thought. That’s just me ranting.

I hate to see underground bands just stay underground. They happen to be the most original and most creative type of bands. Is it too much a stretch to share the music to “everyone else”?

***

The Muzika del Sur Music Awards 2007 is going to be held on August 19, 2007. See you guys there!

***

Meme time! Thanks Andrew for tagging. Sorry took a while to comply, but at least it’s here now, yeah!

Three Things That Scare Me

1. Crawling things
2. My mom raising hell
3. My girlfriend raising hell, hahaha. Peace, hun!

Three People Who Make Me Laugh

1. My brother
2. Mark Limbaga
3. Benedic!

Three Things I Love

1. Schneider – my laptop
2. *toot*
3. My Thai pants!

Three Things I Hate

1. Whistles
2. Whistles being blown! God.
3. Whistles being blown repetitively!

Three Things I Don’t Understand

1. Marriage
2. Russian
3. Married people

Three Things On My Desk

1. Laptop
2. Chicken – my Phone
3. My Italian hand sanitizer, hah.

Three Things I Am Doing Right Now

1. Typing THIS.
2. Furrowing my brows.
3. Slouching.

Three Things I Want To Do Before I Die

1. Live in New York
2. Get famous and filthy rich, hahahaha!
3. Bungee jump

Three Things I Can Do

1. I can play several musical instruments.
2. Walk from Katipunan (Quezon City) to Welcome (Nearing Espana)
3. Not leave an answer for number 3.

Three Things I Can’t Do

1. Kiss my elbow
2. Quit smoking. Fuck.
3. Sleep. (At least right now. 6:20 AM July 21. Huhuhu…)

Three Things I Think You Should Listen To

1. Me
2. The Knife
3. Your stomach

Three Things You Should Never Listen To

1. Me, ranting
2. Bad music
3. George Bush

Three Things I Would Like To Learn

1. Speak several European languages (aside from English)
2. Cook without burning half the kitchen
3. Sleep early.

Three Favorite Foods

1. Anything with mushrooms
2. CHEESE
3. Fudgy, chocolatey stuff

Three Shows I Watched As A Kid

1. Hiraya Manawari
2. Wheel of Fortune
3. Power Rangers (Damn.)

OKAY. That’s it. I’m going to sleep now. Good night!

[photopress:DinerBlues.jpg,full,centered]

Davao Cuisine is an ambiguous idea. But when I began to listen to myself (and my gut), the first place I could think of was the eatery nearest to the hearts of a Davaoenyo’s POCKET. There’s a quaint little eatery somewhere between corner Anda (Now, F. Inigo) and Bonifacio Street, where I have my “starving artist” lunch times. Starving artists have starving pockets too! And there’s no place like “Faye’s eatery” to turn my world around to the happier side. Here’s my friend Chico who understands as well as I do what the feeling is like.

Here are my other entries for the Davao Cuisine photo contest:

Entry 2 – http://sickled-compass.livejournal.com
Entry 3 – http://coffeegurl.multiply.com
Entry 4 – http://blog.myspace.com/kofigurl

Happy eating!

Going along the vision to come up with a successful gig in spite of scarce incentives as well as problems on actually finding a venue, Davao indie productions Don’t Record Records and Red hat are teaming up for an Octoberfest gig. I say kudos to that, realizing how it’s hard enough to keep indie bands from staying together because of the lack of avenues and more so, making sure that the integrity of the kind of music they play do not sway to the masses or for venues that require underground bands to turn a leaf for the showbandish just so they can get a gig (i.e. Taboan or even San Miguel).

Reality tells us that Davao may have all the musical talent it requires to warm up a mature music scene, but there isn’t enough production force to keep the scene intact.

***

Listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley lately. Personally, my take on Jamie Cullum‘s jazz cover of Buckley’s Lover, you should have come over is more on the no no. Nothing can beat Buckley when he makes the most heartbreaking ballads I’ve ever heard. If you can call it a ballad.

Narda‘s out in Davao by the way. CDs are available in the nearest Oddysey record stores near you.

***

More announcements! I have gig with my band Tramonto at Myx-a-tune (Juan Luna St.) 7-ish up this October 14. Please support!

Last night, they had party punk acts and some electronica. The only band whose name I caught was the one my friend Pink was with, Gravity 404. Loved their set (or at least half of it, because that was all I caught up with). In any case, it’s actually peculiar that I suddenly had the urge to text Jaenor (this guy who has been asking me to session for their band, who I’ve never met in my life) to ask if the offer was still up. And the next day he replied and told me that it was still open. The weirder part is, he was actually in Moonstomp the night I was there and he was with the band I just mentioned. Whoohoo. So at least I know I’m with the right people. (Smiles.) Can’t wait for Wednesday’s jam session.

I really want to start a shoegazer band, but I don’t think anyone’s in to that here. Which reminds me, I miss my bandmates! One’s in Cebu, another’s in US, and then another’s in Manila. Come on, give me a break kids. Davao’s the place to be at this point. We ought to warm up on the scene here.

I mean, how did that go? If my audition meant anything, it certainly would not be nerve-racking. It’s strange enough that it was all too natural to me. Talking. Talking. Talking. And music seemed like a surplus of thought rather than a forefront, because it’s like my second nature already. I was already thinking about how immensely exciting it would be to get to host rock shows if ever I get in. I mean, beat free tickets, y’all! More bands to review for this website!

Okay, okay, maybe I’m getting too excited and I might get my own medicine by not making it eventually. I’m supposed to hear about the results later, but something tells me that if they don’t find anyone promising from the DJ hunt they’ll be holding in other schools – well, well, well.

I’m doing my math already.