5 posts tagged “music”

I became my young rocker moshpit-hurling self again last March 7^th and 8^th when I watched the annual Dubai Desert Rock Festival 2008. This year’s Festival was held in the Dubai Festival City grounds.

I came with Jay-Ar/ Cobra on both days; a childhood friend of mine. We planned to go since way back; and he was delighted that I was so OC about getting the tickets early. Because we bought early online, we were deemed Disciples and had a separate entrance when the gates opened. Naks. It pays to be naning.

I watched the following bands perform ; starting from 2pm up to 12 midnight. (10 hours of rock, beybe!)

Day 1 (in order of appearance) : Ghaleb Gurus (Shamal Battle of the Bands 2008 winner), Slapshock (yes, they were there), As I Lay Dying, Nervecell, KillSwitch Engage, Machinehead, KORN!

Day 2 (in order of appearance): Ghaleb Gurus, Spoonfeedas, Juliana Down, Marky Ramone, Velvet Revolver, MUSE!

DAY 1 (death metal, headache-inducing, maingay/ saba gig)

I felt old this day because I couldn’t quite get the performances. Too noisy for me, I guess.  Anyway, I still enjoyed myself because Korn sang a few old songs.

Ghaleb Gurus was okay; they had catchy songs that by the 2^nd day when they performed the SAME set, I was singing along already. Slapshock was surprisingly great. Judging by the applause and the traffic in their merchandise tent after their set, I can say they made quite an impression.  And yes, jologs talaga ako because I had my DDRF shirt signed and had pictures taken with Jamir and Lee (I can hear a collective eewww from my friends).  Sorry ha? I miss home e. I chatted with Lee; who offered to get me beer. Yey!

The rest of the night was a blur (Corona, Foster’s to blame?); or maybe because I didn’t care much. Nervecell is a local death metal band, As I Lay Dying is yet another death metal band. KillSwitch Engage however started the party mood for me. They had an amazing set! They set the mood for Machinehead who only has this to say: “You fuckers are so quiet!” Ahahahaha…

And of course, Korn was the main act that night. Jonathan Davis wore a black leather kilt, Munky looked like Johnny Depp from the Pirates franchise and the new drummer (from SlipKnot) was amazing.  They played “Blind” first, and of course I went crazy. They played a few more old songs; “Freak on a Leash”, “Falling Away from Me” and the inappropriate “A.D.I.D.A.S.” in a country that’s so sexually repressed.

DAY 2 (that’s more like it!)

 

I loved this day. I caught myself getting goose bumps because of the lineup and the performances.  This time, we took our sweet time in going to the venue. We were so tired from last night that we opted to be a bit late.

Spoonfeedas was a South African band; and Cobra turned to me and said; “Christian band?” which was another way of saying they were too mainstream and mellow. Hehehehe…

Juliana Down was a local darling (kinda like Urbandub in Cebu), and were actually good. I just hated the fact that they murdered “Wonderwall”; when they performed a rendition.

And then… my night; no my week was made when Marky Ramone and some younger guys came on stage. Yes, as in from the old punk band The Ramones! I was shrieking and moving along all of 15-20 songs and became completely delirious with giddiness! The Joey clone wore a tight black leather jacket, a red tee, dark denim pants which I loved, and shades. They must have played like a “A Best Of” album because I knew all the songs!

Ta, these are just some of the songs I remember they played:

• Judy is a Punk
• I Wanna be Sedated
• The KKK Took My Baby Away
• Lobotomy
• Wonderful World (As in Louis Armstrong song)
• Rockaway Beach
• Rock and Roll High School
• Blitzkrieg Bop

Okay, you can now say “I hate yeow!”

At one point, some roadie got on stage and handed the Joey clone a picket sign of GABBA GABBA HEY! so the audience can sing along. Of course, they finished the set with “Blitzkrieg Bop” which had the famous Ramones line, “Hey Ho, Let’s Go!”. We shouted for an encore, and the band gladly obliged. After their performance, I was sweating like a pig and smiling from ear to ear.

Velvet Revolver took forever to come onstage. Scott Weiland wore a carnation pink cardigan, a white tee and a black and white scarf. So fashionite. Slash was errr, still Slash. Still wearing black and the trademark black tophat. They performed 2 Stone Temple Pilots songs; “Vasoline” and “Wicked Garden”. After those, I extricated myself from the moshpit and watched them from afar. They were too glam rock for me. But man, that Scott is a pretty boy. *swoon.

When Muse came onstage; I didn’t realize their performance could be so powerful. I literally had goose bumps the entire hour.  Matthew Bellamy was amazing. His Buckley-inspired falsetto stirred the crowd and he had a pretty, customized guitar that was either red or black (couldn’t tell; it kept changing color) with sparkles and a small LCD display on it that gave off mini-light shows. Kinda like a Windows Media Player Visualisation theme. Gitara la’y ako!

Special shout-outs to newfound friends: Kahlil de Pio (“Pious Good Friend”); Ericson (Sony!), Ameer and the gf, and Jennifer, the American journalist. Thanks for the good times!

And to ZIZOU, the cute baby boy I met who gave me butterfly kisses, I’m so glad I met you! (It was fate! A 2 year old baby boy with my fave football player’s name!)

Cobra, next year ulit. You sponsor Nikki on a visit visa; I’ll sponsor Tata.

And now for the pictures aka proof I was there:

 

 

Me with the DDRF mascot. Any guess why its a camel?

 

Me and my MUSE shirt. It pays to be early. This shirt was selling like hotcakes.

 

Me with Cobra. Antok pa. Hehehe...

 

MARKY RAMONE! Hey ho, let's go!

 

Scott Weiland and Slash of Velvet Revolver

 

Shiny sweaty happy people. Me, Kahlil and Cobra.

 

Got the life. Beer, rock and good times.  

 

 

“Under Southern Lights” is Urbandub’s fourth attempt to greatness. And like all the 3 albums that preceded it; it did not fail to impress.

 

It’s raunchier, more painfully honest, introspective and all-around addictive. Like the past 3 albums, “Southern Lights” goes under your skin within the first 2 times of listening to it.  Hands down, this is my second favorite Udub album after “Influence”.

 

If “Birth” was a promise of a newborn unique sound; and “Influence” changed the standards of what OPM should sound like; and “Embrace” refined Udub’s impeccable reputation; “Southern Lights” is a glimpse of how much further this band will go in the local music scene. This album’s sound is quite different from the past 3 albums; reminding one of Muse and Team Sleep influences. Riffs and drumbeats are heavier and well thought of. Lyrics are introspective, angry and thought-provoking. Obvious standouts are “Cebuana”, “A Method to Chaos” and “Inside The Mind of A Killer” (wherein Kat Aggarado shines). It is apparent that this album is a mature tribute to love and the inevitable pain and jealousy that usually follows.

 

Being mainly Manila-based since “Influence” made it big; “Southern Lights” shows us of the band’s homesickness for Cebu; evident in the album’s name and layout. We see amazing murky-toned pictures of Cebu streets (thanks to Changkol); and of course, a tribute to a certain “Cebuana” in Track 5.

 

Being a rabid Udub fan since they were a local favorite in Cebu in 2001, I have followed each and every album with a fan’s anticipation and a music critic’s discerning ear. I have watched this band make do with run-of-the-mill sound systems in different venues in Cebu; from small bars, huge stages and even schools; but they always sound good; better even than some bigger names in the Cebu music scene.

 

Now that I’m based in the UAE, I can only imagine how amazing their gigs would be to promote “Southern Lights”; I can imagine impassioned fans singing along and cramming bars; and the only thing I can do is wish that I was there.

 

 

 

 

 

What's your musical horoscope?  (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.) 

1. Phoenix-You Cant Blame it on Anybody
2. Showoff- Falling Star
3. Smashing Pumpkins- Stand Inside your Love
4. Bloc Party-Banquet (Phones Disco Edit)
5. Radiohead- My Iron Lung
6. Death Cab for Cutie- Passenger Seat
7. Fisher-Breakable
8. 311- Creatures
9. Dambuilders-  Driveby Kiss
10. Sarah Mclachlan- Push

Hmmm... What do these mean?

Audio: Show us your favorite movie soundtrack. 
Submitted by miyagawa. 

I have a LOT of favorite movie soundtracks. Here's my top 5 list.  

 

 

 

 

Feel-good reggae and ska tunes. With matching 80's songs renditions.

Nice soundtrack for summer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I watched this movie 7 times on theatre. And countless times on DVD.

I love Leo DiCaprio (in this movie lang); and the soundtrack is killer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I lOOOooOOve this soundtrack!

Nothing beats Elliott Smith, Nico and Velvet Underground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dont tell me you havent seen this movie?

 

Angelina Jolie with short hair. Great music. Gets your pulse racing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best soundtrack for rock tunes!

Which band or artist which is no longer performing or alive would you have loved to have seen?
Submitted by Rev Stan.

Oh man... This QOTD is SO me! So, I will answer this without further adieu like an eager-beaver geek in a classroom waving her hand violently.. "Me, me, me!" (think Hermione Granger in all those HP classroom scenes).

 

Jeff Buckley.

I discovered him too late. I started listening to him a good year after he died.

I love this guy to bits; I have his one and only album that he did while he was alive; (the rest of his albums were released posthumously by his Mom). And... I also have a copy of the only legit biography done about him. And I plan to buy more merchandise. (Geek!)

People say that his shows in Sin-e in NY before were phenomenal. I would've loved to see that...

 

 

 

Tim Buckley. Jeff's dad. The bad-boy troubadour.

 

He was a druggie, a raging alcoholic, and he left Jeff's mom while still pregnant. All his bad boy ways made him an insightful songwriter; and one of the few folk singers in his time to be considered avant-garde.

He had a 5-octave vocal range; (which Jeff inherited) and loved to do different styles per album. Each album was different from the previous one.

 

Would've loved to see him perform; not only coz he's Jeff's father but mainly because I am greatly intrigued.

 

 

Elliott Smith. Another dead guy. I dont understand really why I love the music of dead guys.

 

Smith had a soulful, soothing voice and can play a mean guitar. His songs were the total opposite of what he really was; an alcoholic who took his own life.

 

 

I would've said I'd want to see the Beatles or something; but I'm only handpicking these 3 because they are the most intriguing ones for me. 'Sides, a lot of bands nowadays perform Beatles songs right? Where's the fun in that?