A stash of NU107

Goodbye.

(More.)

I wanna be your sushi ba!

I caught Shonen Knife's one-night-only show last Saturday at the Mall of Asia grounds as part of the Japan Foundation's Nihonggo Week. For those of you who are not familiar with the band, or who thought their debut was that Powerpuff Girls song, Shonen Knife of Osaka, Japan have been around since 1982 (you HAVE to listen to their lo-fi debut Minna Tanoshiku. It's a classic!). They are considered icons of indie rock, and have made instant fans out of bands like Sonic Youth and Nirvana in the late '80s. What I love about Shonen Knife is, like the Ramones, they never changed their sound: this burst of punk, pop, grunge, ska -- and since they're Japanese -- an almost dangerous level of unbridled joy and cuteness. Only lead singer/guitarist Naoko Yamano remains of the original lineup (she of that chirpy voice shouting "Sushi ba!" and "toppof the worl" and "banana cheeps!" in some of their legendary singles). It's been almost 30 years since 1982, and like the Rolling Stones before them, I'm pretty sure they'll have generations shouting back "Konnichiwa" at them for as long as they live.

See photos from the concert HERE.

Videos I took:

Berlin Wall 20

Why I'll never forget Michael Jackson

The Jackson 5's hits




The Jackson 5 Christmas Album




Got To Be There



The Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye





The Wiz - Ease On Down The Road




Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough





Rock With You





Michael does the Moonwalk at Motown 25






Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'




Billie Jean





Thriller





P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)




Human Nature




Smooth Criminal





Man In The Mirror





Black or White




In The Closet

Fête de la Musique Manila 2009

I still feel a bit exhausted after attending the Fête de la Musique in Metrowalk last Saturday, from mid-afternoon till midnight. It's my fault actually, since I decided to not stay put in one place and tried to go to all the designated venues within Metrowalk. The huge rock stage was in the oh-so-far-away parking lot, where thousands of "panks" converged as if the god of "pank" called for a convention. The other big stage was in the center of Metrowalk where pop/alternative bands played.

The jazz, blues, electronica/goth/new wave, reggae/ska, hip-hop/R 'n B, and world music bands played in clubs and bars within Metrowalk.

Best of these venues: the Elbow Room, which had the blues bands. I swear I could have stayed here all night, with their cozy and squeaky clean interiors, the crowd, and the aircon that actually seemed to work that night. A glass of red wine here though cost me almost the price of the bottle at the supermarket, but frankly I didn't mind. It's just too bad I missed The Bembol Rockers since I was doing the rounds of bars and schedules were not followed.

The absolute worst of the venues: hands down Love to Laugh (is it a comedy club?) which hosted the reggae/ska bands. The place defines the word "tiny" as it was so small and so narrow that I thought it was no wider than the corridor outside. What's worse, they even asked for a cover charge from those who wished to enter. I pitied the reggae nuts and skinheads outside (who outnumbered the guys able to get in) who had to content themselves looking through the glass walls of the club, and it may be spring in Paris but it's still summer in Manila so it was scorching even at night. I mean, c'mon, you cannot hold a reggae/ska gig in a place like that. Where should the rude bwayz and girls pogo and skank?

Aruba hosted the jazz acts. Very strict dress code here and they really refused to let people in when the place was already getting uncomfortably full. When a bunch of people got out, finally they let me in. But of course those people would go out; SinoSikat had just finished their lone set and I was greeted by an empty stage. I also managed to squeeze into Metro Phi which hosted the new wave/goth/electronica acts. The place was alarmingly packed, but the music was hot!

I initially planned to just stay at the world music stage. Not so much of a stage, more like a veranda. I don't understand why among all the venues, Yoohoo (or Pulp magazine) did not provide any special lighting for this gig. The bands played in the dark! With acts like Kadangyan and Brigada, the place was truly bound to get crowded so when I decided to go out for a while and decided to go back, the gates were already closed because the place was already full.

Memo to Pulp: should you decide to sponsor this thing again next year (and maybe you should because it was a huge success what with the huge turnout), please PLEASE have another big stage to showcase the reggae/ska and world music bands. I'm sure their loyal followers wouldn't mind mixing it up with one another, and you have done it before. And isn't Fête de la Musique supposedly a showcase for bands like them?

(Click on any image to see more photos.)

On CNN iReport:



http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-277663



A short clip of Unitiima's performance:



A short clip of Kadangyan's performance:

Aliwan paradise

Here are some snaps from "Aliwan Fiesta 2009" held at the vicinity of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) last Saturday, April 25. Aliwan Fiesta is an annual, one-stop showcase of the different street dancing festivals held throughout the archipelago. Click on any image to see more photos.






(Click on any image to see more photos.)

08 : Circus

My favorites for 2008.

D-D-DON'T STOP THE BEAT

The ladies ruled my music player.


1. Estelle feat. Kanye West - American Boy



2. Rihanna - Don't Stop The Music



3. N.E.R.D. feat. Julian Casablancas and Santogold - My Drive Thru



4. Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game




5. Amy Winehouse - Tears Dry On Their Own




6. Madonna feat. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland - 4 Minutes



7. Kylie Minogue - Wow



8. N.E.R.D. - Everybody Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom)




9. Keane - Spiralling




10. Shelby Lynne - Anyone Who Had A Heart

11. Coldplay - Viva La Vida



12. The Pussycat Dolls - When I Grow Up



13. Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma



14. Rihanna - Disturbia




15. Madonna feat. Pharell Williams - Give It 2 Me



16. M.I.A. - Boyz



17. Duffy - Mercy



18. M.I.A. - Bird Flu

19. I'm From Barcelona - We're From Barcelona



20. Carrie Underwood - All-American Girl

21. Dengue Fever - Tiger Phone Card



22. Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You




23. Ne-Yo - Closer




24. MGMT - Time To Pretend




25. Om Shanti Om soundtrack - Deewangi Deewangi

INNERVISION

It's still too early to know what really were the best films of the year. Here are some that are supposedly excellent and that I'm really looking forward to watching (of course, we'll hopefully get to see them after weeks of being subjected to bad Indiana Jones rip-offs and unnecessary horror sequels this holiday season).

Ponyo On The Cliff By The Sea (Hayao Miyazaki)



Milk (Gus Van Sant)



Slumdog Millionaire (Danny Boyle)



Che (Steven Soderbergh)



The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky)



Man On Wire (James Marsh)



Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman)



Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh)



The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher)



Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard)



Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen)



Doubt(John Patrick Shanley)



Waltz With Bashir (Ari Folman)





My favorites among the non-2008 movies I saw this year:

1. Phantom India (Louis Malle) - This landmark, but little known, 1969 7-hour opus by Louis Malle (Elevator To The Gallows, Les Amants), resurrected on DVD by Criterion Collection, is perhaps the greatest documentary on India ever filmed. This is not your typical BBC or Discovery Channel routine job. It is a highly personal account of the filmmaker's journey across India, with a narration by Malle himself. While watching it, I felt there was something oddly familiar about it. Then it hit me: oh my god, it sounds like a blog, perhaps the best travel blog you'll ever come across. The film reveals as much of India as the filmmaker's soul, with a camera that sees everything, and a narration that is reflective, inquisitive, judgmental at times, funny, and ultimately, beautiful. (Phantom India's companion documentary, the of-the-moment "Calcutta," is more typical of a western documentary on Asian poverty, and doesn't benefit from the filmmaker's insightful narration, therefore a less enduring work). Like its subject, Phantom India is timeless, massive, intimate, surprising, challenging, quirky, and utterly, achingly beautiful. Required viewing for everybody interested in India, if not for the entire human race.

2. Syndromes And A Century (Apichatpong Weerasethakul) - I don't know what it means (yet), but like Wong Kar-Wai's In The Mood For Love, I'll probably watch it again and again to find out. Intriguing, intoxicating.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg) - Of course I've seen it before, but not on DVD. It has lost none of the excitement and fun.

4. Days of Being Wild (Wong Kar-Wai) - One of those movies that took me forever to see. Wong Kar-Wai's star-studded 1990 film, a sort-of-prequel to In The Mood For Love, reveals that the director's hopeles romantic stylings have been there all along. Immerse yourself in Christopher Doyle's cinematography, Xavier Cugat's "Perfidia," and the charisma of the young cast, but the romance and yearning are all Wong Kar-Wai's. The movie was partly shot in the Philippines, and I've never seen Manila so lovingly shot in a movie as in this one (perhaps the only other time I've seen Manila photographed in such a manner was in Jim Libiran's "Tribu," but that was set in the slums). Tita Muñoz makes a cameo as Leslie Cheung's Filipino mother. Go see it.

5. Network (Sidney Lumet) - "I am mad as hell, and I am not gonna take this anymore!" Also, still the most acidic fuck-you to corporate media in the history of corporate media and fuck-yous.

6. 3 Days To Forever (Riri Riza) - The main characters spend the movie driving from Jakarta to Jogjakarta, passing through Puncak Jaya, Bandung, and other Indonesian towns, stopping to party, smoke stuff, get laid, enjoy the views. It's the fantasy road trip I haven't taken! Yet!





ENTERTAINMENT!

AMORICA








ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?

The hits:

1. The whole Nepal experience (finally coming to this blog very soon, I think!) - to top it all off, I was able to visit/see the country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all 10 of them!

2. Finally stepping on Indian soil - a dream come true

3. My brother's wedding

4. The Eraserheads reunion concert

5. Nearly passing out becaue of the heat, hunger, and exhaustion in Ayutthaya, Thailand - I'd prefer to pass out because of travel anytime, than because of, well, anything else!


The pits:

1. People moving on - sad, but inevitable

2. The doctor's diagnosis that reminded me that I'd been living a very sweet life indeed

3. When the most stupid and rude mechanic was sent to fix my computer and wiped out almost all my travel photos - like your whole family dying on you, at least for three days (silver lining: there were backups, but not for everything!)

4. Prices just keep going up, up, up...while the salaries stay the same.

5. Cory Aquino apologized to Joseph Estrada for EDSA II?? I'm sorry, but was she out of her mind? She should then apologize to all of us who went to EDSA for four straight days to hopefully drive away the drunken, womanizing, stealing, good-for-nothing bastard out of office. Early this month, I attended a screening of the Mike de Leon (et al) Ninoy-era documentary "Signos," and after the screening, a middle-aged former street activist stood up and voiced out his disenchantment and dismay over those people whom they counted on during the Marcos era, who had/have not really done anything --and in fact, they themselves--did/have done harm to the Filipino people. Well, I'm 32, and I feel the same way now. God bless this country.

Give kung give

This year, let us not forget the reason for the season: commercialism! If you don't feel any remorse or guilt whatsoever to spend a lot this Christmas for gifts, here are some suggestions. (Note: these are stuff I actually want to buy, or have already).


1. Those plastic thingies called CDs

Ang Bandang Shirley - Theme Songs

Where: http://angbandangshirley.multiply.com/

Eraserheads - 08.30.08

Where: your favorite record store

Kalayo (formerly Pinikpikan) - Sumigla, Sumaya (CD single)
Where: http://kalayoworldmusic.multiply.com/

Lakbay Lahi - Biyaheng Organik

(also available for digital download)
Where: http://lakbaylahi.multiply.com/

Makiling - Malakas at Maganda

(also available as a set with the two previous Makiling Ensemble CDs)
Where: http://themakiling.multiply.com/

Patatag - Nagbabagang Lupa / Batang Clark / Masdan, O Yahweh (box set)
Where: http://patatag.multiply.com/

Pinikpikan - Rhythm Soup For The Tribal Soul (collection)
Where: http://kalayoworldmusic.multiply.com/


The Bembol Rockers - The Fabulous Bembol Rockers

Where: http://bembolrockers.multiply.com/

The Dorques - The Dorques

Where: http://thedorques.multiply.com/

2. Dibidi
Now that you have extra cash (I assume), why don't you, for once, not go to Quiapo to buy stuff from Manong dibidi and instead buy Filipino classic films on DVD, now out (and frankly, you should buy them now or wait another two decades for these babies to be in print).

Where: Powerbooks / Astrovision
For Filipinos overseas, try http://www.regalfilms.com/ and http://www.kabayancentral.com/

John en Marsha

The Philippines' favorite sitcom is now on multiple DVDs! All together now: "Kaya ikaw John, magsumikap ka!"



3. Books (sosyal, you read?)

Where: your favorite bookstore, or at http://www.anvilpublishing.com/

Ricky Lee - Para Kay B (O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-Ibig

ang 4 Out of 5 Sa Atin)
The first novel from the hands that wrote or co-wrote Himala, Moral, Jaguar, Salome, Brutal, Karnal, Cain at Abel, and Relasyon, people!

Jessica Zafra - Twisted 8

The Flip Reader

Selected articles from the short-lived magazine edited by Jessica Zafra, that ran for 8 issues earlier this decade. Fun, fun, fun. (Trust me, I have all issues).


The Many Ways of Being Muslim
The first ever anthology of short stories from Filipino Muslim writers, spanning seven decades.


Bram Stoker's Dracula, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Complete Illustrated Works of Edgar Allan Poe
Instead of buying all those teenage vampire novels which you have been saving your money for, why not go straight to these originals, at a fraction of the price! (But if what you're after is the love angle, well, um, just take a bite out of a chocolate bar every other chapter!)

4. Sari-sari

Night out with your friends wherever Kalayo (formerly Pinikpikan) is playing. The country's best live act. 'Nuff said!
Info: http://kalayoworldmusic.multiply.com/


Night out with your friends, family, or date wherever Olivia is singing. The country's freshest and best jazz vocalist. 'Nuff said!
Info: http://ultimateolivia.multiply.com/


Tired of the usual kakanin during Christmastime? Then let me tell you that Indian desserts are TO DIE FOR! My favorite is the truly sinful gulab jamun (above), which you can even eat with ice cream if you're a big fan of gluttony. You can buy Indian sweets per piece or
in a box by the kilo.
Where: the Indian grocery stores along UN Avenue, Manila,
across Pope Pius XII Catholic Center


Vinyl records are the past and the future. Buy them used in eBay Philippines, or in Tiendesitas. If you want new, head to Fully Booked in Serendra, where they have a limited stock of jazz and rock classics (a bit pricey though).

You need a device to play those vinyl records in (no Junior, they won't play in your dusty Discman). If money is not a problem, get the TEAC GF-350 turntable, which has a bulit in CD writer for easy ripping of grandpa's Mantovani LPs.
Where: audio stores in Shangri-la Plaza Mall and Park Square Makati, or at Amazon.com.



If you are one of those killjoys who actually know what Christmas is all about and the type who gives those envelopes with messages that says I have donated so and so amount on your behalf to so and so charity, then here are some organizations that could use some of that cash:

UNICEF Philippines
Greenpeace Southeast Asia
Wold Wildlife Fund (WWF) Philippines
Philippine Breast Cancer Network
Philippine Diabetes Association
Tahanang Walang Hagdanan
Golden Acres / Home For The Aged