Pulse.ph : MUSIC + CULTURE
October 31st, 2006
October 27th, 2006
Your first impression upon meeting bossa nova singer Sitti is that she may be too nice for this business. While Sitti is undeniably smart and by no means clueless or naïve, she seems almost too open and trusting to survive the unforgiving music biz: you will wear your Thesaurus out looking for synonyms for “sweet” and “genuine” and “sincere” in order to describe her. Still, one has to remind oneself that Sitti has been paying her dues since she was out of high school — singing in bars and hotels to pay for her college tuition — so she’s familiar with the pitfalls, she’s slogged through the sleepless nights, she’s fended off the DOMs, she knows the score. That she has managed to remain a sincerely sunny person after all that is a minor miracle. (Appropriately enough, she never misses an opportunity to attribute any good fortune she has to God.) And it is that very quality of openness and sincerity, no doubt, that has helped endear her to a legion of fans of all ages who are proud to call themselves “Sittizens.” Who could have predicted that Sitti would revive local interest in the bossa nova genre? Her debut album, Café Bossa, has been topping the charts all year, and it gets played everywhere from car stereos to mall PA systems to restaurants to actual cafés; its platinum status has helped spawn a number of bossa nova bandwagon jumpers. Recently, starting with a concert at the Music Museum, she’s been playing larger venues, with great success. She also has a TV co-hosting gig, on Pinoy Dream Academy. And she just launched a follow-up to Café Bossa — a live album — a little over a month ago. Barely in her twenties, Sitti can truly be said to be sitting pretty. We managed to catch up with the lovely young Sitti and ask her about her new album, her year so far, and what’s in store for the future. Tell us about your new release, Sitti Live! When and why was it decided to release a live album? How was the song selection process done? Sitti Live! was recorded from a performance at the Ortigas Park last May 19… I don’t exactly know why Warner Music decided to record it, but I guess they really wanted to capture the essence of our live performances. Ibang-iba kasi kami pag live, grabe energy, haha! The Portuguese numbers that are new in the live album come from our existing repertoire — we have been doing those songs for months already. I’m really really happy with this release — it showcased musicality more, everything was spontaneous, I was able to play with some of the songs especially “Mas Que Nada,” “Fever,” and “Agua de Beber,” there were band solos — ang saya! But the best part about this album were the memories that came with it — I had such a lot of fun during that gig! You did your first major concert at the Music Museum a couple of months ago. Tell us about the experience… Was it strange to play to a bigger audience after honing your singing style playing small bars and intimate venues? It was amazing! The first was nerve-wracking, as in! It wasn’t that strange performing at the Music Museum, I guess it was the idea of it being my first major concert that struck me scared, haha. Plus we had wonderful guests that made the concert such a success! Arthur Manuntag with his classy voice, Eileen Sison with her samba-crazy dancing, plus her samba dancers, plus of course, jamming with Brigada was a lot of fun. Jon Santos was hilarious! He had the crowd roaring continually for about twenty minutes. Wow! Any significant frustrations/ lessons/ joys that you got from the experience? There were a lot! I was so nervous, I’m not really sure at what point I was able to relax and just have fun, haha. Let’s start with the joys. It was an amazing experience really… to get up there on that stage, and just have fun, and talk with the audience, and just really share the love and music… It honestly felt out-of-this-world for me. I felt unmasked on that stage, with all my emotions flowing out and people seeing me… haha, drama ba? But really, that was how I felt. I wasn’t only singing or sharing the music, I was sharing myself, my soul. It was also a great learning experience for me, in that I realized I expect too much of myself, and no matter how many times people tell me that I did a good job, I would feel small and hollow because I was silently chastising myself for what I felt was a lousy performance, haha! What about the next studio album? How is the work on that going? Work on the next studio album hasn’t started yet, but Warner says it’ll be slated for release early next year. It will contain more Filipino numbers, definitely, just not sure yet if it’ll still contain some covers. Could you tell us more about the songs that you and the band are writing? I really liked the song you unveiled at the first Music Museum concert (“Ironically, it’s not a bossa nova song,” I remember you saying). I’m so glad you liked the song I wrote. As I related then, I initially thought that to be able to write songs, one has to know how to play the guitar or the piano, but boy was I wrong! I was surprised I got to write one! Sobrang nakakahiya to share that song with strangers, haha! Wala lang, I really felt queasy about it, kasi once again I was sharing myself, my emotions, haha! I was able to write two more pero hindi pa tapos. Steven [Mora, her drummer] has written one song, it’s a very nice one, and Erskine [Basilio, one of her guitarists] has a lot of instrumental compositions that hopefully we get to put lyrics into. Writing songs is such an experience! You have to finish the composition as soon as you think of the melody ‘coz it’s so hard to leave it hanging — ang hirap balikan nung nararamdaman mo at that time. Tell us about Pinoy Dream Academy. Why a TV hosting stint? How has it been so far? Any particularly good/ not-so-good experiences? Hosting was an opportunity that just happened, alam mo ‘yun, I didn’t ask for it — it was given to me. I’ve always been a firm believer of reasons or purposes behind everything that happens in life, and so I gladly accepted it. It has been quite an experience so far — everyone on the set has been so good and nice and welcoming, such that I am very comfortable with them. Not-so-good experiences? A lot, haha! there are times I stutter and don’t feel like myself, too quiet; I forget my lines… But it’s all part of the experience and I believe that everyone went through those episodes too. How do you feel about the Pinoy music scene now? The music scene is much more colorful now, lots of bands and groups coming out with a nontraditional kind of music. People are more experimental now, they explore and expand. Creativity abounds. Artistry and musicianship proliferates. Masaya kasi we’re not bound to traditional pop and R&B anymore — more choices for the listening public. What do you think of the other artists who offer material beyond the usual rock and pop music — artists who are sometimes even on the same gig lineup as you, like Julianne, Nyko Maca, Brigada, the Brass Munkeys, the Chillitees? I love the artists you’ve mentioned! Julianne with her neo-soul, Nyko Maca with her electrosamba, Brigada and Brass Munkeys — I’ve jammed with them and they are awesome. Chillitees – whoa! The variety! And the passion! It’s amazing, really! How do you feel about other local bossa nova performers cropping up in the wake of your success? I honestly am happy with other artists doing bossa nova, especially the higher profiled ones. Cafe Bossa’s aim, at least for me, was to introduce bossa nova to the Filipino listener, encourage them to listen to it, to search for it in the internet and get to know Astrud and Antonio… and hopefully this interest would transcend to standards and jazz, since hindi naman sila magkakalayo di ba? In fact they call bossa nova Brazilian jazz. [smiles] So with other artists doing bossa nova, it just increases the genre’s popularity and there’s nothing else to feel but happiness and gratitude that it is the case. I hope you don’t mind me asking, but regarding your family and your old friends — how are they dealing with your newfound fame? I have less time for myself and for my family now… have been unbelievably busy. Can’t even check my email on a regular basis. Haven’t checked my Friendster in months! It’s just really funny how fast things happened… All I can do now is follow my schedule and make the most out of any free time I have. I’ve also learned how to be more appreciative of my family and friends. They are handling it fine, they haven’t changed at all, they’re actually worried I will, haha! Worried that I might change with this level of popularity I’m experiencing. I am grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way, but the things I am most thankful for are the people who come and watch our gigs, and I hope and pray that they’d really enjoy themselves and leave happier. What was it like being interviewed by Sharon Cuneta? Oh my, that Sharon guesting — that was something! Imagine being interviewed by the Megastar and getting to sing with her pa! Wow talaga! If you were to imagine that someone made a movie based on your life so far, what scenes do you think should be in the trailer? Haha, nice question! Let’s see… hmm… I guess my first major concert should be there, as well as my first public singing engagement, when I was in pre-school singing “One Moment in Time”! [laughs] Working my way through college and all the cramming I did, haha. And oh, my proudest moment — when I was able to graduate on time and was awarded the Dean’s Medal. [beams] 2006 has been a very eventful year for you, to say the least. Looking back, what are the most amazing things about the past few months? Launching the album at the Podium, and being incredulous because there were actually people lining up for my signature and wanting to have their photo taken with me, haha… The gigs themselves, where I had so much fun. Watching the album Cafe Bossa climb up the chart — I actually remember being so thankful when it was Top 17 at Tower Records — February ‘ata ‘yun — not knowing that things would actually be better! The nerve-wracking TV appearances. And what is in store for 2007? What’s in store? More music. More love. More passion.
October 27th, 2006
KEEPING IT DURRTY WITH THE MILAGROS DANCEHALL COLLECTIVE
You don’t have to know what dancehall is to party to the sound of Milagros Dancehall Collective. Suffice it to say that this group of local reggae scene regulars is capable of creating a groove so infectious that you won’t even care if they never play a single Bob Marley favorite — or, for that matter, any of the pop hits that have come to pass for reggae in the minds of the general public — during an entire set. While they’re perfectly capable of jaw-dropping covers, the real highlights of their sets are the originals. The members of the Collective currently in the performing lineup are: Caio Cadiz (Caioman) on keyboards and backup vocals; Macky Macaventa (Burnie Mac) on bass; Rob Martinez (Robbie Ranks) on vocals; Sappy Saplala (General Sappy) on lead guitar and backup vocals; Al Sese (Emperor Alphonse) on the drum kit; and Carlos Tirona (Caloy) on rhythm guitar. (Members on performing hiatus are: Mike Cruz, who did keyboards and musical direction and is currently based in Auckland, New Zealand, and Vince Chacon, currently a grade school teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia, who did percussions.) Though MDC boasts a lineup of experienced musicians, the group also manages to sound totally fresh. We talked to lead vocalist Robbie Ranks about MDC: where they came from, where they’re at, and where they’re headed. Why were you guys drawn to reggae, and, specifically, to dancehall reggae? Vince, Mike, Sappy, Caloy and I were all part of the original Brownman Revival lineup. Al and Caio were formerly of Hemp Republic. So that explains the affinity for anything reggae. Close friend Macky was with The Jett Pangan Group and 7 Foot Jr. after that, but was always a reliable stand-in bassist for Brownman Revival back in the day. Hence, he caught on to the reggae vibe pretty easily upon recruitment into the MDC fold. Dancehall reggae was simply the catalyst that brought the guys together as a band. Al, Sappy, Mike and I were living together in an apartment on Milagros Street, Makati back in 2003, but they were all still playing with their former bands. The reason for the common residence was that all four were Makati corporate slicks by day, and the college dorm set-up helped ensure that the boys got to work the next day after a long night of gigs. Dancehall was the music that reigned on their PC at home, and artists like Yellowman, Lt. Stitchie, Mad Cobra, Bounty Killer, Beenieman, Elephant Man, Sean Paul, Lady Saw, Red Rat and Damien Marley constantly reverberated throughout the whole apartment building. As such, dancehall figured prominently when the idea of coming together and forming a band came up. When and how did MDC first come together? First performance of the band was last Oct. 31, 2003 for Xaymaca’s Halloween Party. As I mentioned, the band started back in 2003 at the boys’ first Makati residence on Milagros Street. Original line-up included Al, Sappy, Caloy, Macky, and me, plus Mike and Vince. Caio joined the following year to take over Mike’s keyboard duties. Could you discuss briefly the association/ split with Brownman Revival? Vince [percussion], Caloy [trumpet], Sappy [guitars] and I [bass] all played for BMR from 1995 to 2002. Mike joined later when he met Sappy at work back in 2000. It was Vince who first left the group back in 2002, when the load of BMR gigs became too heavy to balance out with his duties as an English teacher at the Ateneo grade school. Caloy and I, on the other hand, were simultaneously relieved of our roles in the band March of 2003, with our sobriety during gigs as the reason cited for the ouster. Unfortunately, neither of us were consulted, asked for our opinions, or warned before the decision was handed down by Dennis Concepcion [BMR drummer]. And apparently, the rest of the band also did not get a say in the matter, with only Dennis, his brother Dino [BMR vocalist] and Brownmanager Jojo “Jotay†Taylo making the call. None of them were even informed that Caloy and I were getting axed. This obviously did not sit well with the other members, and as a result, Mike and Sappy quit the band shortly after. Since MDC started up, what particularly good and bad experiences have you had as a band? MDC is all about hanging out together at the apartment and just enjoying ourselves. That’s why it’s a “collective†as opposed to a “bandâ€. We were formed while living together in Makati and we still have a home base there. And with regard to good and bad experiences, we can say that we’ve all seen a healthy mix of both from our times at Milagros, to Enriquez, and now in Guadalupe. We’ve had house break-ins, car side mirror thefts, late night run-ins with the law, shouting matches with security personnel, bad episodes with girlfriends, bad episodes with non-girlfriends — he he — great jamming sessions, lots of drunken, stoned nights, moments of brilliant inspiration, and just good old camaraderie all around. What does MDC offer that other acts on the scene, whether or not reggae-oriented, don’t? What makes MDC unique? First off, it has to be made clear that we are not a dancehall band in the sense that we play strictly dancehall. The name Milagros Dancehall Collective represents: 1) where we’re from 2) the music we were all into when we decided to play together 3) how we see our merry troop — a loose collection of friends who just happen to kick ass onstage, he he. Jamaican dancehall artists don’t even use live musicians on their CDs. If we were hard pressed to give a category to our music, it would still fall under reggae. It’s still very much rooted in the Jamaican sound, but what makes it different is probably our whole mindset when it comes to being a band and making music. We have a very strong “original-material-takes-precedence†work ethic. In fact, we have never actually rehearsed a Bob Marley piece as cover song material. We want to be known for our original stuff as opposed to being “that band which does a mean version of Santeria by Sublime.†Know what I mean? When it comes to our sound, we incorporate a lot more hip-hop and guitar-driven rock into our live sets than most reggae groups do. We also don’t use a horn section simply because we’re not going for the festive, island mood. We’ve also started using music samples to bulk up the sound. We’re just continually experimenting, searching for ways to push the envelope and sail farther away from everybody else out there. What do you guys want to accomplish — in the long term and the short term — with MDC? Short term is to release our 11 song album ASAP. We’ve just finished mastering the tracks at Tower of Doom Studios and are now in the process of looking for a label to sign or distribute us. On the other hand, we may also opt to do an indie release depending on the time frames involved with the labels. All tracks are in English and you can hear full-length sound samples of two songs (“Sunscreen†and “Milagros Danceâ€) on our blogsite. Long term goal is to bring the message of Makati Ghetto Stylee to all parts of the metropolis, and eventually, throughout the Philippines. This music is inspired by the places we move around in, by the lives we lead. We liken ourselves to the MMDA by calling ourselves the Metro Manila Dancehall Authority because, like those men and women in blue, we are very much part of the everyday urban landscape that forms what we all know as city life. To let other people get a glimpse of that through our music would be kick ass… How has the writing/recording process been? All lyrics were written by myself except one track by Al Sese, and all music is by MDC. Recording started with drums at Tower of Doom, moved to the apartment for the other instruments, then went back to ToD for the vocals. Tell us more about some of the original songs slated for the album. “Watch Me Now†was the first MDC song. “Baby Gal†was inspired by Yellowman. “Rasta Love†has lyrics by Al Sese, “Me Name Is†tells the story of MDC, and “Tolus†is the only legitimate love song in the album — spell the title backwards. “What You Want†is a homage to Chaka Demus and Pliers. What is the ideal audience for MDC? Ideal audience is anyone who doesn’t think all local reggae should sound like “Kapayapaan†or “Maling Akala†to qualify as reggae. Anyone who has an open mind about any kind of music and appreciates new sounds. Anyone who just wants to have a good time. Photos by Arvin Viola and Jed Escueta. Check out the MDC blog. Be their Friendster. Sign up for their mailing list.
October 25th, 2006
TOP 10 GUILTY MUSICAL PLEASURES
Given the multitude of musical genres that currently exist, I find it a bit disturbing that pop songs these days fall under only two general categories: cool and uncool. While taste is purely subjective, and what’s cool to someone may be uncool to someone else, why must listening to “uncool” music inspire a certain amount of guilt on the listener’s part? Why can’t some people admit they (still) like Hanson? I guess as it becomes clear what kind of musical taste you have, it becomes harder and harder to step out of that musical comfort zone. I discovered that most of the music I liked when I was younger, I still like now, even those that I may have renounced at some point. (Except for Yanni and Kenny G — that’s just taking it too far.) Perhaps it’s the nostalgia I’ve attached to the music that makes me miss Menudo every now and then; it becomes less about the actual music than about the memories it brings up when I do hear “Like a Cannonball” on FM radio (not often enough, in my opinion). It’s a struggle – while I try to own up to some of the “uncool” music I like, (i.e. really liking the music as opposed to liking it in an “ironic” and post-modern way), sometimes I do feel kind of cheesy liking something so uncool. 10. Alanis Morisette’s Jagged Little Pill – I think I must have played this album constantly during high school. I couldn’t believe “angry girl” music was being treated like such a new thing. I bought into the whole Alanis persona – leather pants and hair flying in the wind. That is, until someone pointed out that there was nothing ironic in the lyrics of “Ironic.” Now, wasn’tthat ironic? 9. Oasis’s What’s the Story, Morning Glory? – First I hated them for that whole Blur rivalry press release, and then I couldn’t get enough of their single, “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” I bought every Rolling Stone and Spin magazine with Liam Gallagher’s monobrow on the cover. Surprisingly, I still have a plethora of Oasis trivia stuck in my head that I have no use for. (For example, did you know that Noel suffers from dyslexia and finds reading fiction extremely boring? Or that the first thing he bought with his royalty cheque was a Rolls Royce?) I loved Oasis so much I even bought an Oasis T-shirt in SM. 8. Reality/Singing Contests – I love American Idol and the just recently concluded Rockstar Supernova. When I really get into a contestant, I download their performances onto my iPod! I make posts about episodes on my blog! When Taylor Hicks won on season 5 of American Idol, I wrote about it in my paper journal! While it isn’t likely that I’ll end up buying the winner’s album after the contest is through, I’m in thrall for that one disposable season. 7. St. Elmo’s Fire original soundtrack – Nobody really cared about the soundtrack, but then again, did anyone really care about the movie? The theme song, “For Just a Moment,” became the theme of a local soap in the 80’s entitled “Mirasol del Cielo,” but other than that, I don’t think anybody really remembers it. What a shame – it’s really quite lovely. I think some people know John Parr’s “Man in Motion” at least, but the rest of the artists in this synthesizer and power chord-fest remain virtually unknown (Vikki Moss? Fee Waybill?). 6. Debbie Gibson’s Electric Youth – One of my biggest musical regrets is that I don’t own this album on CD. However, I still have my cassette tape copy, which I bought in 1989 for forty-five pesos. I remember desperately wanting to join the Electric Youth dance contest onLunch Date, and doing the steps in front of the TV. The truth is, I never did stop loving this album. 5. Hanson – A late-bloomer when it comes to the boys from Tulsa, Oklahoma, I missed the whole Hanson hysteria back in 1997. Yes, at first I too thought that Taylor Hanson was a girl. Embarrassing as it is to admit this, what actually made me take them seriously as an actual band is first seeing Zac Hanson all grown up. Not that the sight of him post-growth spurt in the “Penny and Me” video provoked a musical epiphany or anything, but I liked the song, and wanted to hear more. One of the things I look forward to when listening to music is being proven wrong about what I had been too quick to dismiss in the past. 4. Hair Bands – When it came down to Bon Jovi or Guns n’ Roses, I picked Bon Jovi. That said, the only Bon Jovi album I ever had was the soundtrack to Young Guns 2 (which, for sure, would be on my top ten guilty movie pleasures). However, the soundtrack wasn’t strictly a Bon Jovi album, it was a Jon Bon Jovi album, so it barely counts. My favorite hair band is Aerosmith, but apart from them, I find myself liking individual songs by hair bands, as opposed to whole albums. For example, I really love “Talk Dirty to Me” by Poison and “Surrender” (those harmonies!) by Cheap Trick. They’re just so… melodic. 3. ‘N Sync’sNo Strings Attached – Witness the power of Justin Timberlake’s curls! I didn’t want to pay full price for an original pressing, so I went out and got a pirated version: “No String Attach.” I really didn’t care much for the album except for the opening track “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me.” (And track 7, “No Strings Attached.” Oh! And track 3, “Space Cowboy,” for the chorus.) 2. Billy Joel – It’s probably acceptable to like the classics like “The Longest Time,” “My Life,” or even “Uptown Girl,” but I remember really liking “I Go To Extremes.” In fact, I think I like “I Go to Extremes” far better than “Uptown Girl”. 1. Videoke – Where else can you reveal the guiltiest of guilty music pleasures and not have anyone take it against you? One of the joys of videoke is discovering that you knew all along the words to every Avril Lavigne, M2M, Britney Spears, or Michael Learns to Rock song ever released. In videoke, the cheesier the song, the bigger the audience reaction. Bonus points if you do Spandau Ballet’s “Gold” with the dance steps! Best of all, it makes liking the uncool fun. Danisha Sison is a freelance producer whose music collection contains even more embarrassing artists than those cited in the above article. Read more about her guilty pleasures (musical or otherwise) here!
October 25th, 2006
JOHN MAYER IS A FILIPINO First time I ever heard a John Mayer song, John Mayer wasn’t singing it. This was maybe five or six years ago, in a small artsy bar in Manila that boasted a glow-in-the-dark couch, Mark Strand books on its shelves, and the occasional drunkenly passed-out lesbian on the floor. It was the kind of place where someone might spontaneously recite confessional poetry without the immediate danger of everyone else beating him up. It was in this bar where I first heard “No Such Thing,” covered by a female-fronted acoustic trio. Half of the trio’s set was made up of John Mayer songs — this may not sound very surprising, but keep in mind that this was well before Mayer was a household name, well before local radio picked up “No Such Thing” and the giddy-sappy “Your Body is a Wonderland.” “John Mayer is a Filipino,” the trio’s lead singer asserted, and it was obvious she didn’t mean it literally — though, as I type this, I’m imagining someone pulling Mayer’s face off as if he were a villain in an old-school Scooby Doo cartoon, revealing the brown brother beneath. What she meant, I believe, was that like many a Pinoy, John Mayer was into accessible, addictive melodies and emotionally open lyrics. More than that: there was a quality that linked his music to something deep in our collective heart — a certain sentimentality, for lack of a less loaded word; a certain earnestness. After all, how many people come up with a line like “Your body is a wonderland”? Or “Our love was comfortable and so broken in”? He’s still doing it, still serving up sentiments that other artists might deem uncool or embarrassing, as evidenced on the new single, “Waiting on the World to Change”: “One day our generation/ Is going to rule the population,” he sings. It’s a soulful, ultimately hopeful piece, which just happens to share some of the spirit of, say, After Image’s “Next in Line”. JOHN MAYER HAS BEEN KEEPING BUSY Which is not to say that this is the same John Mayer that we all discovered back in 2001. To be honest, a lot of people got sick of that John Mayer: from being this cool singer-songwriter that only a few people knew about, he became beloved of fans of easy-listening acoustic fare and the butt of many so-called “real” music fans’ derision. Even his appearance worked against him, in a way, as if a good-looking guy couldn’t be a real artist. As if the fact that he sported flowing, curly locks of hair and possessed permanently-pouty lips and deep dark eyes was somehow… somehow… I’m sorry, where was I? Oh yeah, credibility. Seriously, those of you who may have written him off after Room for Squares may be interested to know a few things: for example, in the past few years, in addition to writing, recording, and touring, he has collaborated with icons and contemporaries like Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Herbie Hancock, as well as Kanye West, the Dixie Chicks, and Alicia Keys, expanding his perspectives and broadening his interests. Teaming up with Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino to form the John Mayer Trio, a blues and rock outfit, he recalibrated his musical priorities. “As a songwriter, the Trio helped me focus on being more raw,” he says. “As a guitar player, it helped me get a lot out of my system.” Last year, he won the Grammy for Song of the Year, for “Daughters” (off his second album, Heavier Things). “The night I was recognized for “Daughters” at the Grammys was the night this record started,” he says, referring to his third and current album, Continuum. “I knew I had bought the time to learn everything I needed before I started this one. Continuum is not a shot in the dark, it’s not a guesstimation. This is the first endeavor in my entire life, music or otherwise, that I did not cop out for a second on.” JOHN MAYER IS ALL GROWN UP “With any trilogy,” John Mayer said, “the third in the series blows it open.” Leaving aside for a moment the question of how this theory applies to such travesties as The Matrix: Revolutions, it does seem as if Continuum is the fulfillment of a notion, of a promise, of a musical journey, so to speak. Mayer describes where he’s at now as “a point somewhere between the Trio record and Room for Squares, and that’s a really good place to be.” Continuum is said to be “his most soulful, cohesive collection yet,” the album where “all of his efforts, his potential, and his disparate influences fully come together.” It may very well be the record that makes long-term Mayer fans, Mayer newbies, and perhaps even Mayer detractors happy. With a richer, deeper, more satisfying sound, and a willingness to tackle Big Themes such as the state of the world and our generation’s responsibility towards it, Continuum could be said to represent maturity — â€both musically and thematically†— for John Mayer. “A lot of these songs are about coming to terms with getting older,” he says. “For a long time, I was really upset about getting older, worried that things were just going to level out,” he admits. “But then I realized that everyone around me was all getting older at the same time. We’re all fighting it together, and we’re always going to be those kids, the first really emotionally aware generation. When I realized that, I could relax about it a little bit. And I thought that maybe I can be the guy to sing about it.”
October 25th, 2006
I must admit to not being acquainted with Narda before this, their second album, which most Narda enthusiasts would say is quite a shame. The Narda fans I know add that it’s practically a whole new band that I’ve stumbled upon—of the original line-up, only the vocalist and drummer/main songwriter remain, and the sound between albums is vastly different. I agree that it is definitely different from their earlier material genre-wise: the four EPs and the succeeding first album (which did not contain any of the songs from the previous EPs, how cool is that?), are dreamier than Discotillion, which in contrast is straight up dance punk. Still, I don’t find it all that different at the core. Sure it’s a different sound, but there are similar elements that may be called signature Narda — the delightful melodies that clash and mesh, the driving rhythms, Katwo Librando. She’s a lot edgier on this new one, but it’s still her pulling out all these sounds and styles from a seemingly endless bag of tricks. Flooded with elements of dance punk, Narda’s Discotillion has, at its core, the rock sensibilities of Blondie and The Doors—sexy, energetic, sinister. Katwo’s voice is in turns aggressive and wistful, furious and soulful. Two layers of her voice sing together in the verses of the first track, “Molotov”: a full-bodied and energetic vocal in the foreground backed by a would-be louder one filtered through a megaphone. You feel her frustration in “Ang Mitsa,” and it’s not because she’s practically screaming. She sounds very sexy in “Gasolina,” like a woman who has definitely come into her own, and almost threatening in “Kay Lab,” a 70s disco track where she’s asking a guy to dance with her, and probably so much else, but he’s so torpe. We relate, of course. Ryan Villena seems to have dropped Narda’s former poignant aura in favor of a more in-your-face, angrier one. Like leaving a sundress-clad flower child girlfriend for a no-commitment chick in leather, lace and platform heels. Then again, this could be the same girlfriend, growing up, so to speak. We could already see traces of the transformation in previous songs like “Glum” and “Detox.” The new crop of songs still have the creamy dreamy melodies that marked the band’s earlier sound, this time powered by more intensity. “Molotov” and “Batang Munti” are quite infectious and most of the songs make you wanna get up and dance, angry lyrics or no. When the vibe slows down, this intensity doesn’t diminish, as you can hear on “Golden Boy,” “Alta Presyon” and “100 Taon.” The band’s line-up change is most obvious on “Alta Presyon,” which has lots of electronic ambient sounds weaving through the song. “100 Taon” is a heavy, almost cumbersome song, with the compelling melodic line that will definitely give you LSS. The album ends with “Kamikazee,” a cheeky retort to the band with the recent hit song entitled “Narda.” Hopefully, now that I’ve heard all five discs and have become a fan of both Nardas, when I do finally go and see them live, they’ll both be there. And maybe I’ll get to meet Narda # 3.
October 23rd, 2006
There has been sniggering at the title of Janet Jackson’s latest album, 20 Y.O. “Surely, she doesn’t believe we think she’s only just turned 20,” one review opined, though Janet’s actually said on Oprah that she should be having kids soon, as she’s already forty. And, surely, Ms. Jackson knows her listeners can count. Actually, 20 Y.O. is an anniversary album, celebrating the release of Control, the album which shot Baby Girl Jackson to superstardom. “I didn’t want to let that moment pass by without celebrating,” Janet Jackson shares. “Not just musically did it mean a great deal to me but what it stood for and where I was in my life and as a young adult and what I was going through; it meant a great deal to me.” Control was indeed a turning point in her career. After her first two albums were received by an unimpressed public, Control came along and did more than turn their heads. With the hits, “Nasty,” “When I Think Of You,” “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” and “Pleasure Principle,” the album went straight to number one in 1986 and established Janet as one of the biggest female pop artists of the 80s and 90s. Control was also the album where Jackson started working with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis — her secret weapon production team, who have co-produced all her albums since then, including 20 Y.0. It was a turning point for her personally, as well. “I was young, I was 19 when I made the album, 20 during the middle of the release, and I was very shy, very sheltered,” she relates. “I made a lot of changes in my life — I had been married and the marriage was annulled a little after a year of being together. I’d experienced things that at least I felt a lot of young adults my age hadn’t and I wanted to share those experiences with the world. And there were many times that I felt very alone and I just wanted other kids to know they’re not alone and it is okay to feel these feelings.” She was also stepping out of the intimidating shadow of her family, in more ways than one. “I was moving out and being on my own and that was frightening. Especially being the baby of the family… A really big thing for me was firing my father who had been manager up until then and that was really tough for me to do.” She claimed that their relationship actually improved after the incident, and she had really come into her own. 20 Y.O. isn’t exactly a summation of the last twenty years, though there are songs that recall certain periods in Janet Jackson’s career. It’s also the least emotionally/ politically/ sexually fraught album she’s ever made. “Where I am now in my life, I always write about life experiences, and it’s not a socially conscious album,” Jackson points out. “Some people thought that maybe I should tap upon a few issues — I didn’t want to do that. I know I want a little bit of escapism with what’s going on in the world today, and I think there are others that feel as I do, so I just have to follow my heart and go with what my gut tells me to do.” One of those gut decisions was inviting her boyfriend, Jermaine Dupri, as the fourth co-producer of 20 Y.O. “It was great for him because he always talked about how Jimmy and Terry have inspired him as a writer and as a producer and he just charmed right in,” she beams with pride. It could have been chaotic having four different points of view working on the album, despite the fact that three of them have been working together the last twenty years and the fourth was elemental in the success of Mariah Carey’s comeback album, Charm Bracelet, but on the contrary, it turned out to be quite easy. “It was truly a collaborative effort. He would come into the studio and he would say ‘you know I had this idea,’ he said ‘you remember the song you guys did in such and such year, with such and such, and you used such and such sounds,’ he goes ‘we should do something like that’.” She continues, “Creatively speaking, the four of us, Jermaine, myself, Jimmy, and Terry, it was great working in the studio. I mean nothing’s changed, we hadn’t skipped a beat — always worked the same way we always do. And Jermaine being the new kid on the block, it was great, because, for one, I am very impatient and he is very fast in the studio, so it was perfect for me. And I’d never seen him create before, so I saw him create for the first time working on this project. And it was very easy, very smooth.” Jermaine Dupri got Nelly on board for the first single, “Call On Me.” “Jermaine asked me, who did I want on this album and the first person I told him was Nelly,” Jackson relates. “Jermaine and Nelly are best friends, but before Jermaine and I got together, I had the pleasure of spending time with Nelly. You know you meet different people at different functions and he was always such a nice guy and you know fun to hang around.” Working with him was really good for the album too, as she continues, “He has a great energy, I’m very big on people’s energy and surrounding yourself with positive energy and he has a wonderful spirit about him and I always thought he was very talented, so he was the first person that I spoke of.” Of course, Nelly also makes an appearance in the video for “Call On Me,” an epic production requiring huge sets, colorful and outrageous costumes and more complicated CGI, directed by Hype Williams, whom Janet calls a “mad man.” For the video, Janet Jackson wanted to do something different from what she sees on TV these days, but was once quite familiar with: in her words, “a little bigger video. You don’t see that that much anymore, and I miss that.” She believes that Williams was the best person to work on this video, “because he’s got a crazy imagination and I think we accomplished it.” 20 Y.O. has been called a feel-good album, which is what Jackson had planned for this little anniversary celebration. “This album is light and I wanted it to be that,” she beams. “I wanted to bring smiles to people’s faces.” Any issues brought up were small concerns, as if Janet was giving advice to the next generation. But, in general, the album aims to inspire, affirm and have a good time, reflective of where she is in life right now. “I’m in a happy space. It’s up, its fun, its light.”
October 23rd, 2006
I’m a girl, so I get it. I’m probably too old for the usual demographic of Callalily fans but I was once thirteen and swooning over a rock band’s love song once upon a time. In my day, I remember being giddy over Skid Row’s “I Remember You,” though I was older than thirteen then, as can be seen by my more mature crush on multi-pierced bassist Rachel Bolan than the pretty Sebastian Bach. Comparatively, it’s easy to see why Callalily is as big as they are so early in their career, punctuated by shrill screams of “Kean!” during a live set. Callalily vocalist, Kean Cipriano, is good looking, yes, and the rest of the band is fresh-faced as well, all being between 17 – 18 years old. While it would be easy to dismiss them as mere pretty boys, I have to say that their album, Destination XYZ, isn’t too shabby. Obviously spawn of Hoobastank and My Chemical Romance, Cipriano sings his heart out as expressive as any emo frontman, while his band members seriously rock out behind him. This is actually what sets them apart from other similar bands making guest appearances on noontime shows, their bottom end is heavier, particularly on “Pasan,†“Muli,†“Kung Kaya Ko Lang,†and the surprisingly epic, “Insane†and “The Final Song.†Then again, we don’t notice this right away because of the heart wrenching vocals and charming guitar melodies in the foreground. When Cipriano promises, “Take my hand, we’ll fly to the sky…” you actually reach out. Well, most girls do. I don’t know if they notice the clever drum patterns in that song, as well. The album actually sounds very well put-together (written, mixed and mastered), especially when you remember that they’ve each only just recently entered college. It usually takes bands years of honing their technical chops before they come up with a well-written album with a clean sound. However, after the apparent singles, the rest of the album starts to sound like variations on “Take My Hand” or “Stars.” Sure, “Yakap†and a few other songs have catchy intro riffs and choruses, but they all seem to follow the same formula, more discernible after a while of listening. If you’re a boy, you’ll appreciate the musicianship of the band and hope that your debut album would be so well written and produced, too. If you’re a girl, you’ll absolutely love this album. Then, in ten years, you’ll hear “…the stars in the sky will never be the same…†and smile about your memories of discovering your first rock band and how you were such a girl back then.
October 23rd, 2006
People keep quoting the tag on Orson’s website, saying their music is the link between the Rolling Stones and Scissor Sisters. The reason why people like to repeat that in their commentary on the band is because it’s so spot on — there’s that exemplary blend of raunchy rock and soulful flamboyance that Orson wears with nonchalance. If Orson is any gauge, melodic is back, in a heavy way. The two guitars are doing two completely different yet complimentary melodies at once in most of the songs, making for both the heaviness and melodic-ness of the Orson sound. Often, one is a consistent main riff, with the other guitar sound-tripping in between, over and around the notes. With the bottom end and the vocals added, there is definitely a lot of sound going on, yet you don’t feel as if there’s too much. This would be because while the music is heavy, the vibe is light and trippy, sometimes even bordering on glam. They call themselves a “positive five-piece rock band,” and positive is, again, a pretty apt description. No, they’re not happy sunshiney fools that make you cringe, but with song titles like “Bright Idea,” “Happiness” and “Save The World,” well, you get the idea. When songwriter and vocalist, Jason Pebworth, mouths off his verses, you think, hey, you’re such a manly man, aren’tcha? Then, he actually sings and his voice is soaring and you find yourself singing along, so catchy and contagious is he. “Look Around” feels to me like Juan De La Cruz Band’s “Ang Himig Natin” – a super ballad that will make you reach for the lighter in your pocket and wave it around. There’s still a bit of snark, but the message is “Hey, dude, chill.” Or hey, girl, since most of the songs speak to a girl, mostly brimming with love. Well, mostly. For example, on “Already Over,” Pebworth waxes poetic over a break-up and you just have to break into a grin at the bridge, which he sings a cappella, and goes: So go ahead and hate me now For breaking up on the phone But I know that I’d crack if I saw your face I deserve to be alone And I hate that I still love you, girl And I only wish you well But I’ll never be man enough for you You’re a psycho bitch from hell He’s more romantic on songs like the first single “No Tomorrow,” “Happiness,” and “Save The World,” about being a superhero’s boyfriend and has a Beach Boys feel to it. There are darker songs, of course, but barely. “So Ahead of Me” is probably the darkest song on the album, but it has an upbeat riff. “Downtown” starts off steady and serious, then gets dancey as it progresses, and ends trippy and fun. “Last Night” has a layer of sexy guitar plucking under the main, almost repetitive, riff. It’s quite sad, compared to the other songs, as most songs about one-night stands would be sad. Then again, the chorus has a disco groove and how can you be sad at the disco? The band claims that they’re better live than in the studio. While waiting for them to back that up in this country, we’ll just break out the CD. And dance.
October 23rd, 2006
Janet Jackson’s 20 Y.O. starts off with her omnipresent spoken vignettes, wherein she relates, “I’ve talked about a lot of things, what do I talk about this time?” She’s referring to the last twenty years, since she released Control in 1996, a defining moment in her life and career. She’s tackled all sorts of issues, from independent thinking and female empowerment to sexual liberation, peaking with Damita Jo, almost ruining her career following last year’s Super bowl half-time fiasco. This new album celebrates those 20 years of her definitive and controversial career and is less provocative than Damita Jo, but doesn’t depart too far from it either, quite unapologetically too. “I wanna keep it light, I don’t want to be serious. I want to have fun,” she continues in her opening track. Then she proceeds to do exactly that. Read more…
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