Archive for category Indie
Changes / Indiewho?
My Brightest Diamond
Okay, what just happened there in 2009? It went by like a blur. All snide comments aside about my utter lack of indie juice for that year, I could say that my personal evolution has tremendously affected the course of this website’s content. As I review all my entries it’s been so issue-oriented and later on, I tried to experiment on describing sensations evoked by music and vice-versa. The latter is a somewhat out-of-body experience, if you will, which might require a slight intoxication on my part (again, real or imagined).
But enough of my self-indulgent musings. This year, I wish to introduce a new dimension to this blog which is to feature guest writers. That’s right. Other voices writing on this blog aside from moi. I’m sure by now you’re tired of this highly cynical and weird eccentric behind the keyboard. Fine. We’ll drag in another highly cynical and weird eccentric behind the keyboard! Hah.
So yes, expect some guy named Francis to pop into this scene once in a while. By the way, Francis is a guy I can easily monitor. By that, I don’t mean in the Foucauldian sense of the word nor at a predatory sense whereby I am the stalker and he is the stalkee. No. It is like the kind of monitor where I can see him sitting in front of class and slap his back startling enough that will remind him to write some more. Take not that Francis is in no way being remunerated for his efforts yet (at least as far as cash is concerned because I will probably be subject to some ‘homework collaboration’ in the future should he ask for assistance in the event that I will be guilt-tripped to oblige). But you know! You get the point. He is also a ‘prolific’ indie artist. By that I mean he has his own myspace! (Okay, up to you if you get my sick and twisted humor). Kidding. Again, let’s get that out of the way and just anticipate his words because you can probably pick up a thing or two from this extremely tenacious music geek.
I am also dragging some of my other friends into this salad of music geekery. When they are no longer pretending to be busy – like I used to do. Of course, in case they are telling me matter-of-factly that they have work this blah blah blah, I’m sure I’ll find a way to squeeze out a little piece of their wonderful minds once I’ve found their bargain weakness. So there. That’s what you’ll be expecting this 2010 in Southisms. Shove Kim to the sides with her boring commentaries at late and in with the new fabulous music critics who’ve got some fresh insights in to the musical esse.
Now, time for a playlist. Maestro! Music!
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My Brightest Diamond - Something of an end [Download]
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Moby - Shot in the back of the head [Download]
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The Books and Jose Gonzales - Cello Song [Download]
Imagining music in 1969
1969
1969 was such a great year for music regardless of the historic Woodstock which took place at the outskirts of New York state. 1969’s music glory owes itself to the culture surrounding it at that time. The restlessness of Vietnam protests. The counter-culture youth in face with the highly conservative and blindly patriotic generation that had lived through the traumatic World War II. 1969 was the height of hallucinogenic substances which inspired new ways of recognizing the world. It was also a time of repression and therefore resistance.
1969 also inspired indie. That music celebrates loving the street musician or playing the record on mono. Indie was also about Bob Dylan rejecting to play at Woodstock. Indie was making music for the sake of music. Or music to save lives. And that there was something hateful about record companies, especially after what they have done to The Beatles. And speaking of The Beatles, 1969 was the last time The Beatles were seen in live performance at the rooftop of Apple Records. It was also the year when John Lennon performs as a solo artist and cries, “Give Peace a Chance”. There was something so distinctly resounding about those words at that time, which now is just a song that we happen to know and have heard on the radio before.
1969 was when Bob Marley and the Wailers emerged from obscurity and began to popularize Reggae. It was also Elvis Presley’s most monumental and critically-acclaimed comeback. Simon and Garfunkel and Jackson 5 debuts – a mark of the beginning of another era in music which is the 70’s folk or pop ballad.
When I close my eyes and think about the alternative lifestyles and the music and the pleasures so prolific in 1969, I kind of wish I lived at least a day in that year and just have a look-see of what was going on. Just as though the Times they are a ‘changin. Just to feel that sense of wonder as one watches the first man land on the moon.
Indie music culture in Davao
Posted by Kim in Davao, Indie, Local, Mainstream, Music, The "South" on December 1st, 2009
Gig logos courtesy of tunogtimog.tk
At late, I’ve been sort of a drifter in the so-called local music “scene”, partly because having to go to all the gigs and listening to the same people and the same songs over and over can eventually grow tiring, (not to mention being coaxed in to yet another drinking session, which I have already outgrown) even though it’s totally hip to support the local music scene. A part of me still thinks that showing up to these things is helpful in mobilizing gigs, and as a result you’ve got a healthy music sub/culture. (Note: In fact, this was exactly what Paolo Castillo and the early Kaibans have envisioned. Making music gigs a habit in order for musicians to habitually create and play music.)
Years later I realized that in Davao, the music culture has met some difficulty in departing from the “gig” machinery. On one hand, you have got to admire how the locals have finally warmed up to the idea of recording their original music, also home recording at that. However, recording became an alibi to go out and support yet another gig. I know I’ll divide the discussion on this but I daresay that music distribution hasn’t outgrown selling CDs to friends (even giving them away for free – as alternative interpretations of “indie” permit). And so it comes as no surprise that you have a handful of very talented musicians and even music producers that have a day job. Unless you’re the likes of Noel Cabangon, Gauss Obenza, Bayang Barrios, Popong Landero…you know…the MTS people.
In a “scene” where music is appreciated but not necessarily “sold” (not to be confused with “sold out” as that requires a more complex qualification), being a musician is just not a career option around these parts. And so Davao has made it possible to have a music scene without a music industry. Because the latter for me is manifested by the proliferation of artists who have records people go out of their way to buy in order to listen to. When artists have a listener-ship with demand high enough to “inspire” more music, then tautologically, you’ve got yourself a market. But unlike this ideal scenario you notice that in Mindanao, the artist is lax on the business side of music. Which is fine but it’s symptomatic of obscurantism and a low appreciation of independent music. Independent music is a musical process or genre that is, more often than not, commercially relaxed or devoid of formulaic musicality that the only way to give it artistic justice is for it to be appreciated by as wide an audience as possible.
The Reminder
Feist Live
I don’t like to admit that I like The Carpenters, because in my mind I wouldn’t count them as a personal favorite but as it turns out I do like how their songs sound like without necessarily subscribing to The Carpenters shrine ring. I sometimes find myself bopping my head to the kind of song that reminds me how The Carpenters write their songs. I’m not saying that, the song that I hear which then remind of another, lacks originality. My guess is that people who write these somewhat parallel songs simply share outbursts of sensation, whether melancholy or joy, and share sensibilities that cut across age gaps.
I also say music is always inspired by another music or the sounds of nature, which sounds just the same for everyone if they just listen carefully.
For that matter, I truly admire Feist’s latest ruminations. Her album The Reminder interestingly evokes that kind of musical fervor in me. Her song reverberates in the room in your brain where they keep memories and nostalgia, real or imagined. And washes you with body tingles with each deep instrumental vibration.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I’m writing to you now as I listen through this beautiful album…
A cold heart will burst / if mistrusted first
A calm heart will break / when given a shake
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.
Animal Collective – Bluish
Posted by Kim in Foreign, Indie, Music, Music Videos on July 29th, 2009
Hey, listen to this. My current sound trip.
Li Eid il Feter Al Mubarrak: End of Ramadan
I know this is a couple of days late, but I believe I have never mentioned to anyone on this blog that I’d love to go to Istanbul someday. My curiosity was piqued when Kaye gave me a promotional music CD for a hotel in Istanbul. It’s a full album featuring different Turkish artists, and although still bordering on the electronica, it wasn’t the Trance Eurasia music I had expected were proponents of their country’s scene. The Music was more diverse than I expected. The Point Hotel’s album collection is aptly titled, “Sweet Dreams”, like you could dream about a very culturally sacrosanct Byzantine Turkey while you’re in Modern Istanbul (formerly Constantinople). I am very in love with the track entitled, “Pink Wings”, which sports undertones of the Islamic beat combined with ethereal vocals.
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Point Hotel – Pink Wings [Download]
Again, Eid’l Fet’r.
Rainy days and Mondays
The Carpenters is by far the most articulate pop band of their time when it comes to love melancholy. People who grow up to their songs will not wonder why the story of these two siblings is as tragic as, say, their song Aurora.
Yesterday, I felt rain on my head. Walking through a crowded place, everyone is bustling, running for cover, scrounging for a ride home.
Yet I moved through the noisy crowd like the film and music was slow and sad. Like Karen Carpenter cooed at my ear with her cold voice. I have always wondered why the rain was such a sad occasion on most literary references.
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Scarlett Johansson – Falling Down [Download] [Lyrics]
Oh, and by the way Scarlett Johansson can sing.
Being reunited to my guitar has revived my love affair for Music
Andrew told me that I could write anything I want on this blog, ANYTHING I was passionate about to write. If you know me personally, it’s hard to tell what field I belong to. That is because I’ve been all over the place and am practically interested in EVERYTHING.
A few months ago, I took the bold step of turning this blog into everything I was interested in. And now it’s turn out to be an “anything goes” kind of blog. But I haven’t done it any justice by waiting for its 2D walls to grow cobwebs. WELL. That’s always been my bane. Being too busy living life to write about it. I even missed writing about the very eventful Kadayawan, but if I released anything at this point, I suppose it’s like stale cheese. Which is worse than the smell of freshly fermented cheese…you get my point.
So, it’s back to basics for me and that’s the fact that I love music.
Did I tell you that I love music?
The other day, I was just thinking about it when I finally reunited with my lovely guitar after TWO YEARS. That’s a fairly long time to be away from an object you held on to practically everyday. Imagine you lost your phone and found it two years later: that’s how I felt.
See, when I left Manila two summers ago, someone (who I had kindly sought favor to load my things at the back of the car while I prepared for my trip to the airport) forgot to load my guitar (among other valuable electronic gadgets, irritatingly so). So by the time I got to the airport, I was cities away from my lovely wooden thing.
A few days ago, I got in touch with my cousin who I haven’t seen for the same number of years and found out that she took the liberty of taking MY guitar with her to Davao. I just love her, she is definitely the best. That’s why I forgive her for the pink heart-shaped butingting that she pasted on my guitar’s pick guard, it’s alright by me. Even though I would never have approved of it to begin with. Never mind, we can easily arrange its…removal.
What got me thinking even more while I was finally strumming the thing was how hard it is for a musician to love music without an instrument. Or to REALLY love music without being able to play anything. I know you’re all sick of my metaphors, but here’s another one: It’s like, you can’t really appreciate sex until you’ve done it, in my humble opinion.
I finally get to play a song I’ve been dying to play myself which is Joy Division’s monumental single, “Love will tear us apart”. For this post, I won’t have you listen to how I played it. Instead, check out this superb cover from Jose Gonzales (who also made an equally superb rendition of Heartbeats by The Knife as well as Teardrop by Massive Attack). For me, it’s always a joy to listen to guitar players and hear them sing to the songs that they play.
What more if I was THAT guitar player.
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Jose Gonzales – Love will tear us apart (Joy Division cover) [Download] [Lyrics]
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Mindanao film makes it to Cinemalaya 2008
Posted by Kim in Dailies, Events, Indie, Mindanao, Movies, Social Comment on July 10th, 2008
Photo courtesy of http://morofilm.blogspot.com
My friend Jun Macarambon, who co-wrote “A step for my dream” had their film officially selected in this year’s Cinemalaya, inevitably the most prestigious film festival in the Philippines. I haven’t seen the film myself, but the fact that it made it to the festival should keep everyone’s heads up. It was directed by Monalayn Labado, also a Mindanawon. Hopefully, their producer Teng Mangansakan II, also a documentary filmmaker from Mindanao, would allow to screen the said film for this upcoming Mindanao Film Festival for everyone to see. Lately, the influx of critical Mindanao filmmakers shaking the national and international scene have grown since, perhaps, Lav Diaz. Other films to watchout for that are made by a Mindanao filmmaker include Sherad Anthony Sanchez’s film (director of Huling Balyan ng Buhi) “Imburnal”, which was recently shot in some parts of Bankerohan and Dumalag. It is an entry for this year’s Cinema One Originals. Also, an advocacy film was recently made entitled, “Hunghong sa yuta” which has already run on local cinemas. Noticeably, most of our fresh breed of filmmakers have done stories on Mindanao, treating these stories with a fair sense of what Mindanao truly feels like.
Read the rest of this entry »
Bankeron, Cinema One Originals, Cinemalaya, Eddie Romero, Huling Balyan ng Buhi, Hunghong sa yuta, Imburnal, Jun Macarambon, Lav Diaz, Mindanao Film Festival, Mindanawon, Monalyn Labado, Sherad Anthony Sanchez, Teng Mangansakan
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