Archive for category Davao
Golden Noises

Eric Calilan on his mobile electronic sound factory. Photo by Andi Baldonado.
All of music comes from sound. Music has no place without it.
Chi’s brainchild is a stark illumination of noise and sound. With the exhibition of “Golden Noises” last Saturday, sound was marvelously deconstructed by several electronic gadgets and makeshift instruments.
Eric Calilan fuses electronic vibrations and crude midi to give his sound set some serious teeth. He severs conventional music bars and devices new time signatures. It’s remarkable what a few twists and buttons can create and express. His renderings are neither crude nor delicate. It is purely alien.
The set was followed by Chuck Fournier’s more melodious but playful sonic renderings. It is truly a sound trip that blows the mind when one follows its unpredictable current and abrupt punctuations. The beat he utilizes toward the end was misleading. There is no rhythm but your heartbeat. Sound has no rhythmic base only fluidity.
Lastly, Toshiyuki Seido has a very direct message. His is an upfront barbaric display. He strikes me as a very sadistic artist, forcing his audiences to painful noise. The volume explodes and reverberates beyond one’s noise threshold. It escalates the body to a shock so great it is only escapable with silence. My interpretation is that he uses his instrument as a torture device, piercing you in strategic points while you are threatened with the knowledge that you can no longer escape. If you stayed and listened, you are secretly a masochist. To some, masochism is a legitimate form of pleasure. And that is probably why I walked out.
Truly, every bit of sound is striking and exhilarating. The concert was both an artistic and emotional exploration.
Happy Birthday! Oh and some Mindanao Music Awards update
Yep, if you’ve been around this block long enough you know that Southisms.com was born on a July.
And so was I.
You can’t blame me for loving the month of July. This month has been packed with so many things I hardly have time to go online and type one of ‘em posts for the birthday of this brainchild. Anyway, brief history: Southisms used to be and was supposed to be (exclusively) a music blog. The rise of the niche blogging hype had called this space for that purpose initially. However, the writer has transformed over time from the booze-guzzling musicionado to the tube-whirring, film-powered “student” of life, the universe and everything. So now this must be a blog about the universe and everything, as far as my media brain cell is concerned. But can’t help drifting back to music-related events since it’s still pretty much part of my nature.
Say for instance, I’ve been hearing a lot of buzz about the upcoming Muzika del Sur Music Awards 2008 for August. Unfortunately I had an ear infection so I wasn’t able to cover their preliminary events.
I’ve heard the nominations have closed and that’s where the fun usually starts.
Music Gigs for March 2008
Hey just want to make a quick update in case any of you are interested. The independent gig schedules are as follows: Read the rest of this entry »
Going back to Rock music
I’m currently under Rock Rehab – kind of my made up term for this period of time I’ve decided to lock myself away from all other types of music except of course, Rock. This involves hours worth of listening to Rock-only playlists with artists like Radiohead, The New Pornographers, The Decemberists, Wolfmother, Deftones, The Metric, Frank Zappa and the inescapable 70’s jangle rock of Steely Dan (mind you, this is just to name a few). I’ve come up with a pretty eclectic array of artist to be listened to probably up until the end of this month.
I guess at this point, you might be asking why?
My Davao cuisine photo contest entry no. 1
Posted by Kim in Adventures, Dailies, Davao, Events, Food, The "South" on May 25th, 2007
This is my 1st entry for the Davao cuisine.
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Davao Independent Muzik Fest 2006
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Success.
And we’ll have another an encore this Friday at Paseo de Roxas. On Saturday, it’ll be at Fountain place, Agdao. You can’t miss the part 2. See y’all!
The Taboan Irony
Posted by Kim in Dailies, Davao, The "South" on October 9th, 2006
Do you ever notice that sign above the Taboan stage? I think it goes, Support Artistic Freedom…
Which is kind of ironic really. Consider that they have to audition bands before they get to play in Taboan. Consider that they mesh out the bands that are NOT “patok sa masa” or whose music is too un-mainstream for normal people to appreciate. Consider that a lot of bands in Davao are really not up for un-mainstreaming themselves. There isn’t that much freedom there after all.
The underground
Posted by Kim in Adventures, Davao, Local, Music on October 3rd, 2006
Over the week I’ve sat in conversations with my bandmates on stuff like how the Davao underground music scene is doing. Sad to say, the shape sounds pretty bad. It isn’t like last summer, when there were prime spots as to where underground bands could play, i.e. the now d’funked G Rock bar and Mastul. Seeing as both establishments closed down already, with Moonstomp as the only place condusive to the kind of music indie bands play (consider how the place can’t sufficiently accomodate the whole lot of a local indie crowd – which is pretty immense, mind you), then problems still pose itself for bands who want to come up with a successful gig. And by successful, the pre-requisites are pretty simple: We invest time and money over band practices just to get exposure and if possible enough money to buy booze to last the rest of the night.
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.
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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.
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More announcements! I have gig with my band Tramonto at Myx-a-tune (Juan Luna St.) 7-ish up this October 14. Please support!
Extra-planetary life action
Posted by Kim in Adventures, Dailies, Davao, Indie, Local, Music, The "South" on September 10th, 2006
I almost forgot to mention about this new bar that opened up at McArthur Highway (right next to the old Petron gas station and in front of Ateneo high). It’s called Moonstomp and the place is very Mayrics-ish. I swear, I have found my Ibiza! It’s owned by one of the coolest people you notice around Davao city, if you get out enough.
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.


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