October 14, 2009
Photo courtesy of Ser Dino Ignacio
by Nickee V. de Leon
AJPress
In an alternate universe, there exists an adroit creature called Dino Ignacio. Here, beings that we’ve known and loved had alter egos-Bert is evil, droids did not have artificial intelligence and the Superfriends are not super friendly.
This seemingly dark microcosm is all in Dino’s head. I have been meaning to write an article about ‘Ser Dino’ (a name that I’ve coined, perhaps both out of respect and endearment) for the longest time, but circumstances have prevented me from doing so. I finally had a chance to do some catching up with him over the phone a few days ago. Dino finally cleared the cobweb of hearsay and revealed truths about himself that have eluded me all these years.
Dino and I met during our college years in UP. We were both students in the College of Fine Arts and both ran for office in the student council. He was (for a lack of a better word) an enigma -a phantom who sporadically appeared and vanished from view.
Almost ten years after he left the Philippines, we got reacquainted in San Francisco. At that time, he was finishing a course in Computer Arts at the famous Academy of Art. It seemed that the Dino that I saw was different from the Dino that I first knew. Something about him seemed less elusive and more grounded this time around.
The last time I saw ‘ Ser Dino’ was during the Myx launch party at the Henry Ford Theater in Hollywood in 2006. Back then, he was still working in ABS-CBN as creative director for Myx. He has since moved to Electronic Arts, a leading independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. Dino works as a user interface designer. He is currently working on a game called Dead Space, due for an October release.
The Tower of Misunderstanding
Our conversation eventually veered towards reminiscent thoughts. Dino almost became an elusive entity after he dropped out of his Fine Arts course in UP in 1996 (a decision he made for very valid reasons). He remained a prominent figure in the art scene and made appearances here and there, especially since he got published for a children’s book called The Tower of Misunderstanding in 1997.
Dino spoke about the source of his muse for writing the book. He was coming to terms with his cousin’s death at that time. “It was a time for me to let go of understanding and accept things,” Dino recounted. A former girlfriend’s little sister would always ask him to tell her a story before going to bed. Usually he had one or two prepared, but that particular night he had none. He decided to weave one as they went along and realized that in doing so, he felt a sense of comfort and healing.
A new frontier
The Internet was still in its infancy during the late 90s, but Dino was quick to claim new territory. Fascinated by kilobytes and html’s, he formed a tri-media design studio called Binary Soup with a few friends. “It was a lucrative time to break in the industry,” he said. The business was actually groundbreaking at that time. They were able to market their services to clients over a few drinks and a lot of chika.
Bert is Evil
This newfound media became Dino’s new canvass for his wild ideas. The controversial Bert is Evil was born in 1998. Armed with a crazy concept and some Photoshop skills, Dino juxtaposed visuals of Bert (from Sesame Street) with infamous personalities as Adolf Hitler and Jerry Springer and tragic events in history as the JFK assassination.
Bertisevil.tv states, “We have reason to believe that Bert of Sesame Street is evil and you should keep your children away from him.” Here in these pages are collected incriminating images and documents that prove that Bert is not the lovable harmless geek he so successfully makes us think he is.”
Bert is Evil became a phenomenon among humorists and earned Dino, along with Wout J Reinders and Jasper Hulshoff Pol, a Webby Award and the People’s Voice Award for Best Weird website at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco that same year.
However, Bert is Evil was treading on dangerous ground. Because of its raging popularity, maintaining the Bert is Evil site became too costly for Dino. Instead of shutting the website, Dino allowed it to be mirrored. It gave other humorists a chance to create their own images, linking Bert to “current and historical atrocities.”
After 9/11, while in his junior year at the Academy of Art, Dino got a phone call from Reuters and various news agencies. Reuters called to verify the authenticity of an undoctored photograph that they published. The photo showed a rally of Bin Laden supporters in Bangladesh with a banner of Bin Laden showing a small image of Bert over his shoulder in the background. The Bert-Bin Laden image was posted in a Bert is Evil mirror site in 1998 and was not of Dino’s doing.
Dino got a kind letter from the Children’s Television Workshop, creator of Sesame Street, requesting that he take down the Bert is Evil site. With a statement saying that “I am doing this because I feel this has gotten too close to reality and I choose to be responsible enough to stop it right here,” Dino permanently removed the site from his server.
However, Dino was powerless over mirror sites.
Apparently, a mirror site maintained by Dennis Pozniak was the cause of the ruckus. He continued where Dino left off, creating new “evidence of Bert’s evilness.” Pozniak posted an image of Bert with Bin Laden that was made by a contributor only known as J-roen in 1998. After the controversial photograph was released, Pozniak was pummeled with questions by the media which led him to eventually shut down his mirror site as well.
Maritess vs The Superfriends
“I’m just cooking fish! I’m so sorry Aquaman!’” is perhaps the most popular line from Maritess vs The Superfriends. It’s funny, ironic and self-deprecating all at the same time.
The 2002 debut of this Rex Navarrete-Dino Ignacio collaboration brought as much hype as Bert is Evil – with more positive and enduring results. Maritess vs The Superfriends is not only laugh-out loud funny, it also brought socio-economic issues and issues on equality and gender into the forefront for Filipinos all over the world to digest.
Maritess vs The Superfriends is about the confessions of Maritess, a Filipina housekeeper who works for the Superfriends in the Hall of Justice. Because of extreme poverty, Maritess was drawn to a job ad in the paper. Whisked by Wonderwoman in her invisible jet, Maritess flew from her native Zamboanga to the United States to work for the Superfriends where her (mis)adventures unfolded.
Dino met Rex Navarette, the man (yes, that’s his voice) behind Maritess, in 1999 at a film screening in San Francisco. For six months, Dino and Rex worked together closely on the project.
Among Dino’s other well-received projects were Mongodroids and the Weng Weng sticker campaign. Dino is a well of whacky ideas that will never run dry. His legacy of wild, irreverent concepts continue to fascinate millions.
He is now happily married to to Nina de Torres Ignacio and lives in San Jose in northern California.
October 14, 2009
West Indian Girl Meets FilAm diva
By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
The LA Times describes their music as “artfully-layered dream pop.”
Los Angeles-based West Indian Girl is a sextet musical collective that began as a one-time studio duo. The group is composed of six exemplary artists which include Robert James (vocals and guitar), Francis Ten (bass), Mariqueen Maandig (vocals and percussion), Mark Lewis (drums and backing vocals), Nathan Van Hala (keyboards) and Amy White (keyboards and backing vocals).
Combining guitar riffs with synthesized and exotic tunes, WIG’s music is rhythmical and harmonious. WIG released their sophomore disc, 4th and Wall in late 2007. The album is their much-anticipated first release for Milan (Emilie Simon, Lisa Gerard).
To Die in LA is perhaps the most catchy track of the album, but one remains undecided as a flurry of other equally dreamy, melodic tunes allure your eardrums.
Robert James describes 4th and Wall as “their hidden sanctuary. It’s an old warehouse surrounded by a humble community of homeless people living in cardboard boxes and tents. They’re our captive audience, listening to us every night in the rain, cold and sweltering heat. We play for them as much as we play for ourselves. It’s the place where we conjure up spirits and manifest visions — visions of a better place.”
The West Indian Queen
“Bolstered by the gorgeous presence and phenomenal range of Mariqueen, West Indian Girl takes its spirited live show to a level few acts can rival,” states West Indian Girl’s official website about the vivacious Filipina.
Mariqueen Maandig did not disclose her age during the interview with the Asian Journal (AJ), but from the perky sound of her voice, one can already tell that she is brimming with youthful enthusiasm. In fact, her passion for singing and the drive to hone her craft was what pretty much got her foot on West Indian Girl’s door.
“I was living in Orange County and I was working in a really, really uninspiring computer job,” she lamented.
“A good friend of mine was asking me, I was just going through a rough patch in my life and you can tell that I’m unhappy. She asked me what I did and I told her that I sang and that I went to fashion school. She attempted to get me a job in a recording company and she was good friends with Francis, and she introduced me to Francis. I met him at a bar in Hollywood.”
Mariqueen remained in contact with Francis and went to West Indian Girl’s first show in Orange County. “After I saw that first show, Francis came up to me and I told him that they needed me. There was no way that that band could move forward without me in it,” she asserted. “I went to their studio a couple days later and played for them and that was it,” she further narrated.
Being a part of WIG felt natural for the perky Mariqueen. “ It’s a huge part of my life. I don’t even know how to feel about it, because I can’t really imagine my life without it. It’s like a vital organ,” she said with much thought.
Dreamy and psychedelic
When asked how she would classify WIG’s music, Mariqueen said that she did not want to pigeonhole their music and felt that it’s pretty universal. “It crosses over so many different genres, we are fortunate enough to play with [a diverse group of bands like] My Morning Jacket or Jason Mraz. We sound very dreamy and light and it’s very psychedelic,” she stated.
Mariqueen described 4th and Wall as simple, with no frills nor drama. “It’s where we rehearse and record and we’ve been working on our record for two and a half years and I feel that all the time we spent there affected the sound of the whole album.” She said that each member made a list of potential names for the album and that 4th and Wall did not come up on anyone’s list.
“I was just looking outside of the window at our rehearsal space and I said let’s just name it 4th and Wall,” Mariqueen recounted. “4th and Wall is very theatrical and we thought it was really fitting,” she further added.
AJ asked Mariqueen which track in 4th and Wall was her personal favorite. “You know what, it changes every week,” she laughed.
Pure and unadulterated
Asked about WIG’s foremost influences in creating their music, Mariqueen said that she believes that the members of WIG influence each other.
“When we create music, we don’t come in with a sound. It’s just someone starts playing something, and we just start jamming on a song and we create the barebones of a song and then we [start] tracking it or recording it. That’s when we put the final touches. Honestly, I can’t say that any real outside source influences our music. It’s just us as a collective.”
Mariqueen cited Nine Inch Nails and Portishead as some of her personal favorite bands.
WIG for KCRW
AJ asked Mariqueen how she felt after WIG got airplay in KCRW. Their album was subsequently named CD of the month.
“It’s such an honor. KCRW is such a tastemaker establishment and everything that they put out gets so much respect. It just really feels so good for them to embrace the album… It’s one of the coolest experiences that I’ve had so far,” she replied.
Being Pinay
Mariqueen was born in Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines but moved to the US when she was four years old.
Her parents speak Tagalog, Visayan, Spanish and English but thought against teaching Mariqueen any other language besides English so that she would not acquire the accent that comes with learning Visayan or Tagalog.
“I feel kinda sad about the fact that I can’t speak [those languages]. But if anybody were to say anything in front of me in either Tagalog or Visayan, I can understand everything that they say, I just can’t speak it,” she confessed.
Mariqueen described her upbringing as very family-oriented. Her mother has a big family, with seven siblings who all had more than one child. Her father also belonged to a family with seven kids. Even if she was an only child, Mariqueen grew up with a lot of cousins, aunts and uncles.
“You know how Filipinos are. You don’t even have to be blood-related and you would consider someone your aunt, your tita, your tito,” she quipped.
“I come from a very musical and loving environment. I grew up with the same Filipino values like always be respectful. [ I also grew up] very strict Catholic, I went to Catholic school all my life. But I’m still an American woman. I think I got a good balance of Filipino and American culture and I’m very lucky,” she added.
Mariqueen admitted that she’s not very fond of Filipino food. However, Magnolia mango ice cream is her all-time favorite with banana turon as a close second. She said that she even eats turon and ripe mangoes with rice.
Mariqueen advises aspiring young FilAm musicians to keep believing in themselves and to do what they hold dear and not to conform to anything. “Be true to yourself and really believe in what you do. Always practice your craft and just keep trying.”
October 14, 2009
“Who Put the M in Manchester?” is Morrissey’s ultimate comeback
By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
Picture this. A legendary performer devises a live show in his hometown on his 45th birthday, armed with a killer setlist of his most popular songs. What can be more compelling than that?
Originally released in 2004 in the UK and 2005 in the US, “Who Put The M in Manchester?” is a befitting companion to Morrissey’s “Live from Earl’s Court” DVD and “You are the Quarry album.” Both were released in 2004.
An Impressionable Youth
Stephen Patrick Morrissey (a.k.a. Morrissey) was born on May 22, 1959 to Irish Catholic parents in Davyhulme, England but was raised in Manchester. His childhood was spent developing a number of interests. His role models include the likes of 60’s girl groups and female singers as Marianne Faithfull, Sandie Shaw and Timi Yuro. He also fancied kitchen sink dramas of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He cites William Butler Yeats and Oscar Wilde as his literary heroes.
The Moors Murders of the early 1960s had a large impact on the crooner during his formative years. Included in the Smiths’ eponymous debut album released in 1984 was a track entitled “Suffer Little Children.” Morrissey wrote the song to pay tribute to the child victims of the hideous crimes.
Considered as one of the most prominent alternative pop icons in the history of Britain’s music industry, The English singer-songwriter began what would turn out to be an illustrious career in the 1980’s as the lyricist and vocalist of The Smiths. After the group disbanded in 1987, Morrissey ventured on a solo career and immediately soared to stardom, with ten Top 10 singles in the UK charts.
Manchester – May 22, 2004
The DVD opens with an electrifying feeling of anticipation. A die-hard Morrissey fan who flew all the way from San Diego, California just to watch the Manchester show is interviewed:
“He’s meant so much to me ever since I heard him in ‘88,” quips the (nameless) giddy, Morrissey-tattoed fan. “I’ve just grown so much from the Smiths and grown into his own solo work, and never stopped ever since, never gave up…He’s always meant the world to me. His lyrics are just beyond anyone else’s and he’s just so personal. He’s not just saying things just to say it… I followed him, I love him…we’re just so happy to be here. We know that we just couldn’t miss this day,” he further adds.
The show kicks off with Morrissey crooning an improvised a cappella of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” a spectacle of lights spelling his name in the background. He then quickly shifts to an upbeat performance of “First of the Gang to Die,” his first official song for the evening.
Sans his rock star demeanor, Morrissey was prim and proper in a smashing suit. Fans threw themselves at him, delirious with love and worship for their Brit pop demi-god. Despite his sweat-drenched shirt ( a glaring reminder that Morrissey is still human, after all), Morrissey is in good spirits and even throws in a humorous line on turning 29. “Where did the years go? Why did the years go?,” he exclaims good-naturedly.
Even in his mid-40’s, Morrissey’s vocals is still unmistakably evocative, mellifluous and resonant.
After severing ties with EMI, his previous record label for eight years, the crooner spent seven years in dormancy before he was able to release “You are the Quarry.”
Yet despite his long absence from the music scene, Morrissey redeems himself by staging a timely comeback that coincides with his 45th birthday. His fans are finally pacified, seeing their idol back onstage. Indeed, timeliness is next to godliness.
Morrissey has already earned his rightful place as an 80s icon, comparable to the likes of his American predecessors, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
Songs of note in the setlist of “Who Put the M in Manchester” include old-time favorites as “Hairdresser on Fire,” “Everyday is Like Sunday,” “Shoplifters of the World Unite” with “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” as the fitting finale.
The DVD also includes special features which include five live performances from the 2004 Move Festival in Manchester – “Irish Blood, English Heart”, “Everyday is Like Sunday”, “First of the Gang to Die”, “I Have Forgiven Jesus” and “There is A Light That Never Goes Out.”
Produced by Attack Films and Sanctuary Records, the DVD was released by Evolution Ltd. in the Philippines on July 20, 2007.
October 14, 2009
Tori Amos’ Summer of Sin Tour
LOS ANGELES -It was a repertoire that Mozart or Beethoven would’ve wept for.
But alas, we are but ordinary folk expecting nothing more than an intimate night of moving, passionate music from one of the most prolific musical sages of our time.
I’ve always been fascinated by the melancholic and often disturbing quality of Tori’s music.
From her early musings in Little Earthquakes, to the irreverence of Under the Pink, to the lamentations of To Venus and Back, the effect of her music, to me, is beyond content and form. Listening to her is a religious experience in itself and I have admired her incessantly for being such a rare and eccentric genius.
Being a Toriphile for more than a decade caught me totally unprepared for a soporific evening. After missing her previous performance in UCLA last April, my expectations were exceedingly high, and moreso, especially since her gig in L.A. at the Greek Theatre was the last of her tour. I was thoroughly confident that Tori would be generous to perform some of our favorites, or that her repertoire would at least include the likes of Sleeps with Butterflies and The Power of Orange Knickers from her most recent album, The Beekeeper. Apparently, I was mistaken.
The evening began with a light-hearted and harmonious performance by the Dittybops, a youngish female duo from Los Angeles, with Abby DeWald on vocals, and acoustic guitar and Amanda Barrett on vocals, mandolin and dulcimer. The show was quite entertaining, even if I only got to see it from the videowall at the concessionares’ area. I was in line like everyone else, waiting to get my hands on one of the overpriced shirts on sale.
After almost an hour’s wait, Tori finally appeared onstage. She began her performance with the song Original Sinsuality from The Beekeeper album. Our eagerness dissipated as her setlist for the night unfolded, with only three songs to feel good about. A Sorta Fairytale from Scarlet’s Walk, Winter from Little Earthquakes and God, from Under the Pink were almost indiscernible, played with such a lulling placidity, that sans the lyrics, can easily be mistaken for any other song.
Not to disrespect Tori’s mastery over her four instruments: A Bösendorfer piano, a rhodes electric piano and two hammond organs. She still played like the devil, and it’s probably that preternatural passion that consumed her, enough to alienate herself from the audience.
Even the much-acclaimed Tori’s Piano Bar, a segment in her Summer of Sin Tour where Tori gets to play covers of songs requested by fans online, could not redeem the already ill-fated evening. Her selection of Black by Pearl Jam and Nights in White Satin by Moody Blues just didn’t mesh well with our expectations. There were far better choices made in the earlier part of her tour: The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice (Chicago), Love Song by The Cure (New Jersey) and Superstar by the Carpenters (Maryland) to name a few.
Our only consolation was that Tori’s infectious sense of humor and witty improvisations on the lyrics here and there somehow made up for the show’s lack of musical vibrance.
However,baffling as the lackluster performance may be, it has not diminished my admiration for Tori’s artistry. Even the gravest of sins are forgivable after all. This transgression is just too venial to uproot a deep-seated appreciation of someone as brilliant as Tori Amos.
October 14, 2009
Echo and the Bunnymen at the Music Box
By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
HENRY FONDA THEATER, HOLLYWOOD – After missing Echo and the Bunnymen’s tour in 2005, I finally got to see them perform last Monday, June 12, in Music Box at the Fonda. Echo and the Bunnymen is currently on the first leg their U.S. tour with a new single album,”Scissors in the Sand.”
For 80’s music junkies, Echo and the Bunnymen is one of the well-respected bands of the post-punk era, comparable to legendary groups as The Cure and New Order. With phenomenal hits as “The Killing Moon,” “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” (which was used by John Hughes in his quintessential 80’s film “Pretty in Pink”),” and covers like “People Are Strange,” by the Doors and “Paint It Black,” by the Rolling Stones, Echo and the Bunnymen’s music was as ubiquitous as the dos that they donned at that time.
From Liverpool, UK, Echo & the Bunnymen is Ian McCulloch on vocals, Will Sergeant on guitars and Les Pattinson on bass,with percussions originally supplemented by a drum machine (which they referred to as “Echo”). The British threesome formed in 1978, after McCulloch left his band, The Crucial Three. The group debuted in 1979 with the single “The Pictures On My Wall”, under Zoo as their record label. Pete de Freitas soon became the band’s drummer in 1980, when they released their debut album “Crocodiles.” The critically-acclaimed “Heaven Up Here,” made it to the Top Ten in 1981, as well as “Porcupine”(1983) and “Ocean Rain” (1984). The group then took a brief hiatus in the latter part of the decade. Their 1987 self-titled LP only made it to a small American audience.
In 1988, McCulloch quit the band. A year after, de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident. Sergeant and Pattinson took Noel Burke to replace McCulloch in Reverberation (1990), but did not incite as much enthusiasm among their fans and critics. The three eventually split after that but reformed in 1997 to release Evergreen. Pattinson had to quit in 1999 to attend to his mother’s health. In 2001, the remaining band members released “Flowers” and “Siberia” in 2005. The band’s old following caught the drift and supported the return to their original sound. The band also gained some following from a younger crowd.
Currently, Echo and the Bunnymen is McCulloch and Sergeant playing with young and talented musicians during their tour.
So what is Echo and the Bunnymen about? From their profile in www.myspace.com,the band members described their music as “an evocative, atmospheric sound combining solid pop sensibilities and intriguing progressive instincts.”
Young as I was back then, Echo and the Bunnymen’s music resounded in my impressionable mind. It was a most memorable resonance that I’ve come to associate with my childhood and that era.
The gig kicked off with front act band the Billy Nayer Show, mixing idyllic country vocals with the twangs and bangs of what my newfound friend described as “industrial music.” It was a fresh approach, mixing two entirely opposing genres, but the bold instrumentation did not quite mesh well with the bucolic quality of Cory McAbee’s melodic vocals.
After a full set of BNS’s songs and another half hour’s wait, Echo and the Bunnymen finally emerged onstage. McCulloch is still as handsome and sprightly as he was twenty-something years ago, with his signature tousled hair, raspy-sounding voice and constant cloud of smoke. The ambience of the theatre quickly changed from wholesome hillbilly to Donnie Darko gloom.
The crowd became agitated as McCulloch, Sergeant and the rest of the band unfolded their setlist for the evening. I was lucky enough to be stationed at the foremost front of the stage, with that list only less than a meter away from my probing eye. I mastered the art of inverted reading in a matter of minutes.
My first song of frenzy for the evening was “Seven Seas,” off their first album “Songs to Learn and Sing”(1985). This was immediately followed by the more popular “Bring on the Dancing Horses,” “Disease,” “Scissors,” and a couple of other songs before finally hitting “The Killing Moon.”
Surprise, surprise, they had strings in the house but it was subjected to the discriminating ear of McCulloch. The temperamental frontman had to stop in mid-song after his dismay over the “instrumental imperfections” of his protégés, only to deal later with a major boo-boo himself. McCulloch stumbled on the lyrics at the second try and had to apologize to the unaffected audience.
Other songs that drew cheers from the crowd were “Never Stop,” “Villier’s Terrace, “All My Colours,”(Zimbo), “Rescue,” and “The Cutter.”
Of course, I might have spoiled the fun by knowing that there was going to be an encore performance, and the line-up that they already had prepared for it. So when McCulloch and his party re-emerged onstage, I knew what to expect. “Lips like Sugar” was in the bag, even for those who didn’t know the setlist. And so it was the final song after “Nothing Lasts Forever.”
I have always preferred the quaintness and intimacy of a small venue over the highly-commercialized coliseum. That and the privilege to get as close as possible to one of the bands that I thoroughly respect were enough to make the memory of this gig reverberate in my head for years.
October 14, 2009
U2 Soars in 2005 Tour at the HP Pavilion
By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
Talk about the ultimate tour de force. Tickets to this gig got sold faster than you can say U2. I had to endure a 14-hour road trip from L.A. and back plus a hundred-dollar-a-night’s stay at one of the lousiest motels in San Jose (A major rip off! Remember that greater consideration was given to proximity rather than function), just to witness what is considered as the “most celebrated event of 2005” in America.
Two decades of pure talent and sheer activism have made U2 one of the most transcendant and formidable Irish rock bands of its time. It all started in the autumn of 1976, when drummer Larry Mullen left a note on the bulletin board at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in his attempt to form a band. Four friends signed up: Paul Hewson (aka Bono Vox), Dave Evans (aka The Edge) , Dik Evans and Adam Clayton. Dik moved on to join another band called the Virgin Prunes while the other four stuck together to form “Feedback” which then evolved to “The Hype” and finally to U2. The release of their first LP ‘Boy’ in October of 1980 received widespread acclaim. U2’s intense popularity emerged with the release of “War’ in March 1983. ‘New Year’s Day’,hit the UK charts at Number One and catapulted U2 to mainstream fame. (www.threechordsandthetruth.net/u2bios)
Throngs of fans and supporters packed the gargantuan venue which is the HP Pavilion. It was a pleasantly cool Sunday night to witness an adrenalin-pumping performance and state-of-the art lighting concepts and stage design which is yet another trademark of U2’s gigs. The show kicked off with a front act performance by the Kings of Leon, a Nashville-based band of brothers with Caleb (vocals and rhythm guitar), Matthew (lead guitar), Jared (bass) and Nathan Followill (drums) enticing the crowd with their raucous vocals, powerful guitars and a Southern rock and rollish drumbeat. The Kings’ music pacified the already rowdy crowd.
Despite that stellar performance by KOL, U2 won’t be U2 sans the dramatic entrance. Clad in black, the foursome entered the circular stage, carrying powerful maglights. ‘Love and Peace’ from ‘How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb’ was the first song of the evening, followed bya more energetic ‘Vertigo’ that sent the crowd on a wild frenzy, singing along with Bono. The stage was explosive with its astounding display of red and orange lights and circular-moving red neon lights surrounded the stage reminiscent of the music video. ‘Elevation’ was third on the list followed by ‘Cry/ Electric Co.’, ‘An Cat Dubh/Into the Heart’ with a guitar solo performance by Edge, ‘City of Blinding Lights,’ where Bono fished a lipstick off his pocket, put some on and said “We are in the Bay Area…” The crowd grew wild and ecstatic at the remark.
‘Beautiful Day’ was followed by a moving introduction by Bono about his encounter with the Pope before the pontiff’s recent demise. He then brought out the rosary given to him by the pontiff, put it around his neck and sang ‘Miracle Drug,’ his tribute song to the Holy Father. The crowd grew reverently silent as Bono crooned on.
‘Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own’ was next in line,and yet another exciting song that brought cheers from the crowd. ‘New Year’s Day’ was met with the same thunderous applause as it did twenty years ago.’Sunday, Bloody Sunday’ was dramatic with Bono wearing a cloth around his head with writings that suggested unity between Jews and Christians. ‘Bullet the Blue Sky’got Bono walking blindfolded onstage. ‘Running to Standstill/The Hands That Built America/When Johnny Comes Marching Home,’ a combo of song snippets, was a tribute to all the brave men and women of the United States. Articles of Human Rights scrolled onscreen and drew cheers from the audience. ‘Pride’(In the Name of Love), ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’ showcasing a montage of different flags as the backdrop and ‘One’ was the climactic succession of songs for the evening. ‘One’ is the carrier single of Bono’s ONE campaign aiming “to rally Americans ‘ONE by ONE’ to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty”. Here, Bono promoted the cause with a photomosaic backdrop of people from around the world, and a number flashing onscreen “To join, text UNITE (86423)”. A display of of the texters’ names also grazed the screen immediately after. The ONE Campaign was met with much enthusiasm and support and was the moving force that got me wearing the ONE wristband after the show. (For more information regarding the campaign,visit www.theonecampaign.org).
‘Zoo Station’ the next song came with a solo piano introduction by Edge. ‘The Fly’ followed suit with a flashing montage of words as death, color, etc. Yet another climactic moment in the line up soon ensued when Bono picked a girl from the crowd, a girl named Iris who started gyrating to ‘Mysterious Ways,’much to the amusement of the crowd. The songs that followed were Original of the Species, All Because of You and Yahweh. U2’s trademark finalé ‘40’ was the final song, where Bono took the rosary off his neck to punctuate his cause for the evening. The audience made another wild,enthusiastic and extended applause for an encore performance.
Overall, the gig was highly-energetic, fast-paced, visually spectacular, and movingly political and spiritual. It was a night that was not merely meant for a fanatic’s musicfest or a spectator’s eyecandy. It was a night of U2’s regal performance to instill a worthwhile cause to its audience and sent goosebumps into our souls. Drunk and lightheaded with ‘Vertigo’ we galloped four blocks back to our cheap beds, the best sleep we’ll ever have in years.
October 13, 2009
Coldplay Shines in Twisted Logic Tour
By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
IRVINE – The long wait was finally over.Two grueling months after X&Y’s launch, we finally got to see the awesome foursome in action. Humble seats at the Terrace level and a less-than-satisfactory performance by front act band Black Mountain did not daunt our spirits.Coldplay is undoubtedly one of the most prodigious must-see bands of this era.
Coldplay is Guy Berryman on bass guitar, Jonny Buckland on lead guitar, Will Champion on drums and Chris Martinon guitars, piano and vocals.
Coldplay has been in the rock scene since 1999, scoring their first top 40 single “Shiver” in March 2000 and affording the band their first MTV airplay. June 2000 became a pivotal moment for Coldplay when they embarked on their first headlining tour, with the notable release of the single “Yellow.” The track landed fourth on the UK Singles chart and formally introduced Coldplay to mainstream fame. (www.wikipedia.org)
Two albums and almost two years of hiatus later, Coldplay is back with a vengeance with the release of X & Y in June pre-empted by the debut of its lead single “Speed of Sound” in April.
Originally set for release in 2004, X&Y was subjected to more rethinking and regrouping before it finally launched in 2005.
Chris Martin on X&Y: “In mathematics, X&Y were always the answers, but in life no one knows. To me the album is about those unanswerable questions, and what you should do about the fact that you can’t explain all the unknown variables.” (www.coldplay.com)
X&Y is a distinctive combination of Coldplay’s trademark flanger, Chris Martin’s evocative vocals and a sound inspired by the likes of Kraftwerk. Comparedto Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y hasdefinitely veered away from the dreamy quality of Coldplay’s first two albums.
The gig had a well-rounded selection from Coldplay’s three albums, kicking off with “Square One” from X&Y, followed by “Politik” from A Rush of Blood and “Yellow” from Parachutes. “Yellow” was touching with its display of yellow balloons and confetti. The sophisticated technology used for lighting and effects coupled with Chris Martin’s humorous wisecracks definitely made it for the amused fans.
With a setlist boasting of phenomenal hits as “The Scientist, Clocks and Ring of Fire”, a tribute song for Johnny Cash, the venue was bursting with ecstatic cheer.
On the more serious side, there was a short & sweet video presentation on Coldplay’s support for Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair Advocacy Campaign, imploring the audience to support the cause by texting 87233.
The encore performance was stellar, justified by the much sought rendition of “What If” from X&Y, “In My Place” from A Rush of Blood and “Fix You” also from X&Y respectively.
Overall the show was an astounding cocktail of high-energy crescendos and low-key acoustic performances with the occasional witty lyric adlibbing by frontman Chris Martin and a spectacle of eyecandy effects and lighting.
It was just one helluva show and I’m so looking forward to the next album, which Chris Martin promises to delve on the darker side. Only this time, I’m hoping that its release would be faster than the speed of sound.
October 13, 2009
Dramachine: The Quintessential Sugar Pill (2005)
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By Nickee V. de Leon
Asianjournal.com
It’s just charming how a succinct expression of a romantic thought can be so earnest and poignant. My first experience of Sugarfree (with their pilot album ‘Sa Wakas’) brought melancholic mornings listening to ‘Burnout’ and sleepless nights gabbing with my hunny over the musings behind ‘Telepono.’
Ebe Dancel, frontman and genius behind Sugarfree’s ’soothingly sappy songs’ is the incarnate of the romantic tragedy. He has a knack for concocting just the right amount of syrupy sweetness with tearjerking bitterness to evoke emotions and make you blurt ‘Pa’no n’ya naisip yun?’
Mighty thanks to my friend Jovan who got me into a ‘gig fetish’ back when I was still in Manila so I got to see these guys in action. I didn’t realize that a cult following was already brewing at that time that even my hunny (who’s from San Francisco) caught the drift and became just as hooked as I am with the saccharine trio.
Two years later, Sugarfree is still caramelizing with more ‘feel-good’ compositions. TFC was instrumental in introducing the band to the Fil-Am community here in California.
Sugarfree made the cut with the launch of ‘Hari ng Sablay,’ perhaps the most popular track off their current album ‘Dramachine,’ with an even more popular and endearing music video that has been the talk of Pinoytown for weeks. ‘Hari ng Sablay’ is chocfull with its amusing, self-deprecating and clumsy humor.
But what grabbed me about the album were the more seriously written tracks: ‘Kuwentuhan,’ which is about ungodly hours spent on engaging conversations about anything and everything; and ‘Tulog Na,’a soothing lullaby of carefree abandon.
What’s amazing about ‘Dramachine’ is not only its ability for palpable expression but its capability to ‘progress,’ as if the tracks are episodes of a long, convoluted love story. Yet each song affects the listener in a unique and different way, depending on how he relates to the ‘drama.’
Dramachine’s phenomenal appeal stems from the fact that it reaches out to the masses in a simplistic yet severe ‘kurot sa puso’ manner.
Undoubtedly, Sugarfree has found its niche in the rock scene, combining the richness and poignancy of the traditional ‘kundiman’ with the edginess of contemporary Pinoy rock. Dramachine is indeed, a satisfying treat for all closet hopeless romantics from Manila to California.
(Sugarfree is Ebe Dancel on Guitar and Vocals, Jal Taguibao on Bass and Mitch Singson on drums. ‘Dramachine’ is music from EMI Records.)
October 13, 2009
On Podcasting, Arctic Monkeys and The Magic Numbers (03-04-2006)
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Whoever came up with the concept of podcasting is pure genius.
Well, maybe second-rate brilliant compared to the guys behind satellite radio, but to iPod-toting suckers such as myself, podcasting is the persistent reminder that technology can finally afford people the capability to listen to anything and everything under the sun: from music, to politics, to cooking tips…the possibilities are ridiculously endless. Best of all, they can download and listen to podcasts at their own time and convenience…for FREE. Because of its capability to update the podcast that you subscribe to, you’ll never miss another KCRW “Morning Becomes Eclectic” episode ever again or a remote KEXP live performance coming all the way from Seattle. How’s that for sheer brilliance?
Podcasting was (literally) instrumental in exposing me to the likes of Arctic Monkeys and the Magic Numbers. It was here when I first heard the brit and brash monkeys and the west Londoner foursome, the monkeys from Nic Harcourt’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” radio show and the numbers from KEXP. An impressive live sampler thus motivated me to listen to these two bands more seriously. The monkeys’ ” Fake Tales of San Francisco” and “A Certain Romance” made it for me, while “Mornings Eleven” and “Love Me Like You” converted me to a true blue Magic Numbers fan.
Too bad the monkeys’ show in LA sold out before I could bat an eyelash, but the numbers are performing at this year’s Coachella gig so I just might see them in action. That’s another thing. Hopefully I could do a bit of catching up on this year’s lineup for the Coachella Festival thru podcasts. Big names like Massive Attack, Madonna(yes, Madonna in Coachella) and Bloc Party are awfully popular but half of the setlist for Sunday’s show are still unknown…well, maybe less than half now. I’ve been listening to the likes of Mogwai,Sleater-Kinney, Mylo, Seu Jorge at a crash course rate through other means (like this wonderful new website that I discovered called ampcamp.com)
Anyway, I’m really psyched about going to Coachella this year. Hopefully it’ll push through. Two days in the sweltering heat of the desert sun couldn’t possibly kill me. Well, actually it could, but who cares! I’m going to Coachella. Woohooo!
