02.11.2009
PEACE-ING IT ALL TOGETHER (PART 2)
TWO MUSICIANS RECOUNT THEIR RESPECTIVE CLOSE ENCOUNTERS DURING LAST YEAR'S ERASERHEADS REUNION SHOW
[Part 2 of 2 parts]
Marco Harder: “The Other Real Makoy”
Aldus Santos: So, how did your tech-ing gig for Marcus Adoro eventually happen?
Marco Harder: Nagbigay kasi siya ng open invite [in his website] if you wanted to be in the concert, and I sent an e-mail to the address given there. Sabi ko, “If you don't have a tech, I'll take on the job—for the sheer love of it, and for free passes to the gig.” And then I got an e-mail from Mica [Solmoro] saying they'll get me for the job.
A.S.: Tell us about the first rehearsal.
M.H.: Sa first rehearsal, du'n 'yung una kong trabaho with all of Marcus's gear and all. Akala namin maaga kami dumating; 'yun pala naunahan na kami ni Raimund. Ayos na 'yung gamit niya. Nu'ng pumunta kami du'n, 'di pa ayos 'yung presets ni Marcus, eh. He was using stock presets; he was fiddling around.
A.S.: What state were the Eraserheads in as a band?
M.H.: Alam mong alam nila 'yung mga kanta—ewan ko, siguro dahil first time ko silang makita in years uli—it was, really, like a lot of people have said, a group of musicians playing together, more than a band that has rehearsed to execute the songs a certain way. From a technical standpoint, the setups have become more complex than the last time I saw them. 'Yun 'yung lasting memory du'n, kasi parang, lahat sila, kumplikado na 'yung pedalboard as opposed to before. 'Di ko naman sila dating nakikita nang ganu'n. Pinaka-kumplikado ko nang nakita was a single Zoom pedal back in 1999.
A.S.: Were there glitches during that first rehearsal?
M.H.: May slight glitches din, kasi 'yung amp ni Marcus nu'n, may ugong, so pinalitan ng same model din. Another thing was, binili niya 'yung [multi-effects] pedal siguro two days before the rehearsal, so we never had a chance to tweak it. Nag-work naman. Another problem was the wireless element of it—all of them had wirelesses. And, being a new “professional” tech, that was the first time I'd be working with a wireless. And I've never really trusted wireless systems—dahil nga, you know, [baka mangyari 'yung nangyari sa] Spinal Tap, ta's hindi maganda 'yung frequency regulations natin. 'Yun lang ang iniisip ko buong time na nagre-rehearse sila: “How do I hook it up to the wireless? How do I make sure that it's noise-free?”
A.S.: Take us to show night.
M.H.: It was very windy that night, and naka-open-air 'yung mga gitara, so I had to retune every time it was returned. The major thing that gave me nightmares—for weeks on end after the gig—was the power supply sa baba ng stage. Bumigay siya, so it wasn't giving out “clean” power, and digital devices want “clean” power. So, what happened was, the thing was rebooting all over. I think narinig niyo 'yun sa “Huwag Mo Nang Itanong,” 'yung nag-twe-twelve-string siya? Nagpu-putol-putol, 'yun ang biggest problem namin. Ang sabi din naman ni Marcus, pati daw si Buddy, pumitik 'yung digital elements niya. That was the biggest problem that I wasn't able to anticipate. I was very apologetic to Marcus about it, but sabi niya, “Hindi, hindi mo problema; kasi kuryente ['yan], hindi natin kargo.” Dapat na-foresee ko 'yun, kasi, especially during soundcheck the previous night, meron namang problemang lumitaw sa amp naman ni Ely. They got a 70s Silver Face Fender Twin Reverb, and within thirty minutes of playing, it went up in smoke. I think, from a technical standpoint, it revealed several things: one, don't underestimate “dirty” [or unregulated] power here in the Philippines; two, if the power is “dirty,” there's also the risk of electrocution. Naisip ko lang 'yun nu'ng after the gig na, eh. There could have been a risk that Ely or Marcus could have been electrocuted, because they were using tube amplifiers.
A.S.: In all of this, how much of you was a fan, and how much of you was a working technician?
M.H.: Hati 'yung pagiging fan ko 'tsaka pagiging tech. One point of view was, “'Ayan na, tuloy na!” Pangalawa, “Sana walang problema; sana walang sumabit na kable; sana 'wag maubusan ng baterya 'yung wireless!” Nu'ng countdown na 'yun, the feeling was incomparable. This is going to sound egotistical, but, you kind of feel like you made it happen, in a way? There's a part of me that thinks that this is something I helped make happen—something that's going to be very important to a lot of people, years on—even from a very small technical detail. And it's on record! Those tones are history now.
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A.S.: Speaking of guitar tones, was Marcus bent on sounding the way he sounded on their records? He sounds very differently now in Markus Highway.
M.H.: Ang mindset ni Marcus nu'n was really to get the tones that they had on the records. He was telling me, “You have to listen to the songs talaga,” and talagang gusto niya habulin 'yung mga tones na nasa record, in such a way na magwo-work pa rin sa live. Being the tech, I just asked him to “Play the song; let's tweak as you play; tell me what you want. I don't want you to think about the tones; I want you to think of your performance.” Para 'di siya ma-istorbo. Sobrang stressful sa kanya nu'ng event, eh. Binigay niya lang sa akin 'yung manual [nu'ng multi-effects pedal], tapos aralin ko daw. Pero kabisado ni Makoy 'yung Digitech, eh; he's been using it ever since daw—'93, '94?—the earlier models, like RP-1.
A.S.: How did you communicate onstage on show night? I mean, it was a huge stage; did you have hand signals?
M.H.: Simple lang: whenever he wanted me onstage, he would look at his lower right—I was at the corner, within sight parati. Basta tumingin siya, akyat ako du'n; takbo ako du'n. Minsan, napapansin ko na naiistorbo siya ng kable niya, kasi ang haba ng kableng kinuha namin.
A.S.: Any amusing pre-show anecdotes? Makoy, it seems, is perennially unperturbed.
M.H.: Sabi niya, “Magkita tayo sa Cubao.” May kukunin daw siyang gitara. Eh, 9:30 na nu'n, pasara na ['yung shop], so sabi ko [sa text], “O, 'eto, pasara na; ano'ng gagawin natin?” “Sabihin mo, dadating ako; may pina-reserve akong acoustic.” Bumili siya on a whim, sort of. Dumating siya after fifteen minutes. Tapos, 'di sila nagkaintindihan sa discount [nu'ng isang guy], tapos 'etong Makoy, nag-flare-up, “Ano, pare? Akala ko ba twenty-five percent 'to? 'Wag mo kong ginaganyan—alam ko 'yang math, okay?” [laughs] 'Yung mga guys, understanding naman.
A.S.: You're both guitar players and you respect each other's work, but how are you different, you think? I mean, this is sort of important since you're tech-ing for him.
M.H.: He's not really finicky, but he knows what he wants. 'Yun siguro ang pagkakaiba namin.
A.S.: Great, great. Okay, I know I already asked this in a way, but how do you assess the band's present form? I mean, they belong to a host of different bands now.
M.H.: Okay naman sila as a unit, eh. I would say the rumors of animosity are not true at all. Parang wala naman, eh. Mas na-appreciate ko 'yung proseso nila. Alam mong pinag-isipan talaga. I think they used the technical upgrade to represent the character of the songs at those times. I would like to contest the opinion, during the reunion, that they were a so-so live group. Hindi rin, eh. Hindi mo matatawaran 'yung rhythm section; hindi mo matatawaran 'yung confidence and competence ni Ely doing those duties; 'tsaka 'yung mindset ni Makoy na alam niya kung kailan siya kailangan at kailan siya kailangang lumikod. Alam nila 'yung roles nila. Mas magaling na sila lahat—by lightyears.
[Read first part here.]
*Photo by Jonas de la Cruz
Aldus Santos's second book, Repeat While Fading: Pinoy Rock Biographs, is out now. Updates here.
TAGS: Eraserheads Ely Buendia Raimund Marasigan Marcus Adoro Buddy Zabala Markus Highway Pupil The
