There was little question about postponing Chilitees‘ October 2 relaunch of their album, Extra Rice, since Milenyo had already left the country, and hey, electricity was back on in Eastwood, Libis. What we didn’t expect was another thunderstorm so soon, and, oh no, wasn’t the Chilitees relaunch an outdoor event?

Gamely, the R&B outfit and their nine guest bands found refuge in Gweilo’s, whose second floor was fortunately free. Yes, nine guest bands: Helen, Pedicab, Bagetsafonik, Sandwich, Imago, Sound, SVC, Itchyworms and supposedly Sugar Free, who were slated to play first but were unable to when the event was delayed. Moving an entire event meant for an outdoor space to the second floor of a bar isn’t easy, after all. Despite all this, everyone was in high spirits, from the bands to the EMI execs (who came in full force), to the launch hosts (Rock Ed), to the Chilitees fans. “Parang weekend,” someone commented of the festive post-rain ambience as the event went on full swing.

“Nagulat nga kami, kasi punong-puno,” vocalist Uela Basco enthuses. She attributes the attendance to the multitude of bands scheduled to play, though bassist Jon Jose adds that it must also be because Gweilo’s had brought everyone together. “Kung natuloy yun sa labas, watak watak ang tao,” he opines. “Buti na lang umulan.“

The relaunch doubled as one of Rock Ed’s many for-charity gigs — specifically, it was tied in to their food drive (appropriately enough, for an album called Extra Rice). A lot of the games and giveaways had food-related themes. Rock Ed usually books several bands to do three songs each; Chillitees kept this tradition but opted to choose which bands will perform, inviting their members’ other bands — Sound, SVC and Helen — and those of their close friends. Chillitees performed two sets, one in the middle of the event and another at the end, with Jazz Nicolas of The Itchyworms jamming on the keys in the second set.

“Didn’t the band already launch their album?” someone else commented during the night. Yes, they did. Originally launched last February 24 at Saguijo Cafe, the gig coincided with a declaration of a State of Emergency by the government, yet fans and friends still came over to help celebrate. Quite a similar situation with this relaunch, ain’t it? (Only four bands guested that first launch: Bitter Pill, Pedicab, Up Dharma Down and the Itchyworms.)

This time around, Extra Rice was relaunched to celebrate the new distribution deal between Chillitees and EMI, which means the album can now be found at your nearest record store. The original indie release had four remixes of “Sama Na” in the album — which, as some of you may remember, resulted from a pre-launch contest at the end of 2005. The new re-issue of Extra Rice has only two remixes keft over from the original four, but includes a new song, “Uhaw,” which was originally intended for a future album. Both issues of the album instantly become special editions, not just your standard repackaging. Chillitees are “semi-signed” with EMI: basically they have a distribution deal, with the label helping out with additional marketing and publicity, including pushing the songs to different radio and TV stations.

There are currently two videos of the single, “Sama Na,” being played simultaneously — the original version on MTV and a new animated version on MYX. When asked if they’ve already chosen a next single, Basco says, “We don’t feel that ‘Sama Na’ has been maximized yet. Parang, pwede pa siya iparinig sa mas maraming tao.”

For Chillitees gigs, check out their website.