our set's from 9-10pm. See you there;)
It'll be the year ender gig of SYALAM and MAKILING ENSEMBLE.
Better not miss this!
See you and all there!
*The New Album of SYALAM and MAKILING will be available at the gig
http://undergroundradio1059.multiply.com/journal/item/47/UR_PINOY_ROCK_COUNTDOWN_112108
Your TOP 5 at the UR PINOY ROCK COUNTDOWN (Nov. 17 - Nov. 21):
5. Up Dharma Down - Taya
4. Wolfgang - John Of The Cross
3. Eula Valdes - Blue
2. Razorback - Daan Daang Dahilan
1. Syalam - Bangungot
_ _ _
Billy B Banter:
I'm telling you, there are certain times when you think you have the whole underground music scene figured out. Having handled the UR Pinoy Rock countdown for a little over 4 months now (that's over 16 top 5's in case you want to be all anal about it), I had an inkling that the trends in people's voting preferences could be marginally predicted.
Obviously I was wrong, given that the four-week reign of Miss EULA VALDEZ has officially ended with SYALAM's BANGUNGOT reaching the top spot.
True, Miss Eula's BLUE still fell to #3, but given how strongly the EULADDICTS came out to support their idol these past few weeks, this unseating can still be considered an upset.
As surprised and all I am about that, in my opinion, there isn't much in upsets with having UP DHARMA DOWN'S TAYA, WOLFGANG'S JOHN OF THE CROSS (A UR105.9 exclusive, by the way), and RAZORBACK's DAAN DAANG DAHILAN at number #5, #4 and #2 respectively.
I mean, these guys have proved their prior prowess in popping up in the charts, anyway.
In any case, I'm personally glad that there is a pretty healthy spread of music reaching the charts. Save for brother bands Razorback and Wolfgang, the only real connection you can draw up between Eula Valdes, Syalam and UP Dharma Down is their facility for songs. As it is, they sound nothing alike.
In the end, all this banter only points to how diversity should be cultivated, and how its immediate product, unpredictability, should be expected.
So go ahead and make things unpredictable, people! Support the songs you love and let's see how it will all play out in the end.
TEXT MSG (SPACE) RJUR (SPACE) SONG CODE to 2959*
or log on to www.odysseylive.net.
*for a complete list of song codes, check out the blog entry UR Pinoy Rock Countdown TEXT CODES! VOTE! SUPPORT! (updated November 14, 2008)
PLEASE READ THE INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE
ASKING WHERE THIS EVENT IS TAKING PLACE.
This happens in your home or your
workplace at 8pm (your local time) on
March 29th WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD
by simply turning off your lights, your
TV, your dishwasher, your heating or
a/c. You don't have to be in Toronto
(they won't let me not put something in
that spot) or a major city to participate.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On March 29th, 2008 at 8pm local time
Earth Hour will commence ALL AROUND THE
WORLD.
Cities such as Chicago, Copenhagen,
Manila, Melbourne, Sydney, Tel Aviv and
Toronto have already signed up.
Created to take a stand against the
greatest threat our planet has ever
faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action
of turning off the lights for one hour
to deliver a powerful message about the
need for action on global warming.
Be part of making Earth Hour 2008 a
huge, global success by telling your
friends and family. Remember, every
single light makes a statement and makes
a difference.
Last year, on 31 March 2007, 2.2 million
people and 2100 Sydney (Australia)
businesses turned off their lights for
one hour – Earth Hour. This massive
collective effort reduced Sydney’s
energy consumption by 10.2% for one
hour, which is the equivalent effect of
taking 48,000 cars off the road for one
hour.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
IN SHORT:
WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD at 8pm,
March 29th, 2008, turn off your lights
at home or at work for only just ONE
hour to reduce energy consumption and
raise awareness.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://www.earthhour.org/
here's a write-up that our good friend, Senyor Diwa, posted on Makiling's site:
From the Backstage: One Entity. Republika ng Musika Year Ender Gig for 2007
Posted by Master Diwa on Dec 18, 2007
No cellphone and no internet (for 3 days already). It was quite a challenge living off on analog communication but I had no choice. So I did something unusual and went to Mag:net Bar as early as 8:30 PM. It was the last gig event of Republika ng Musika for 2007.
I didn’t want to cause any hassle to my bandmates by coming in late and having no means of mobile communication. As I arrived, I spotted members of Lakbay Lahi and Kadangyan already there waiting for the gig to start. I was the only member of Makiling so far but guests and bandmembers alike were all starting to arrive in tiers. Eventually Wed came, followed by David and Evan. Members of Syalam and Talahib were also already at the bar.
I was very excited to play already. Everyone knows that this will be a very special night. I can all see it in their eyes, which is why I was a bit saddened when I learned Kadangyan won’t be playing tonight because their bassist left town for a medical emergency. I wanted Republika to be in complete full form as we greet the New Year. But the rest of Kadangyan still came to show support.
The Gig
Syalam
First onstage was Syalam. They did their usual songs that fit within the semi-reggae/acid-rock sound. The great thing I love about playing with Republika gigs is that eventually all the band’s songs have become so familiar with me that my head even bops to every break in their songs. My favorite Syalam song is “Bangungot” which they played to end their set.
Makiling
We were on next. Still four of us as Otto is still stranded in
We started our set with a very ethnic piece followed by a really, really INSANE rendition of “Hegablues”, a blues rock song with the hegalong doing the lead. Evan said onstage “Mukhang nakarami ng tagay ‘tong si Diwa ngayon ah.” and we laughed. We did a couple more songs before playing our last one which was a surprise. A rendition of “Indian Ragas” with an excerpt of “Little Drumer Boy” sandwiched in between. The audience was quite shocked when we did that haha!
Lakbay Lahi
Next to perform was Lakbay Lahi. Despite the absence of their bassist, they were still able to pull off a good show with the Dok’s hegalong being supported by a multitude of percussion instruments and with dancer Althea wowing the audience with her moves.
During this time, I went outside the venue and hung out with other band’s members. Jamir of Syalam took out red wine from the car and graciously passed plastic cups to every band member there. We toasted for Republika ng Musika, for more gigs to come on 2008! It was really an exhilirating moment, but that wouldn’t be the last for the night…
We went back inside to continue watching Lakbay Lahi. As of that moment, we were already high on excitement (and alcohol!) that even I felt like dancing to the band’s music. So there we were, waving our hands in the air, ethnic style and screaming like wild animals.
Talahib
Last but not the least to perform was Talahib with their own brand of folk-reggae music. Before they started though, kuya Noel, one of the band’s singers, entertained us with a joke:
“Nung isang araw kausap ko anak ko, kinakamusta ko yung exam niya. Sabi niya, ‘Chicken lang ‘tay!’. Sabi ko naman ‘Talaga? Ano ba nakuha mong score?’, ‘Itlog!’.”
Right… This would later spark a “joke time” trend of the night, but more on that later. Talahib played mostly their original songs and my favorite cover of their’s, “Kasaysayan” by Buklod. As they ended a song after another, the audience (myself included) demanded more jokes from kuya Noel! Haha!
Also during Talahib’s set, Wed and Jamir gathered money donations to buy every Republikan at least a beer each. As they ended their set, everyone was invited to a toast, honoring the new friendship that was forged by Republika ng Musika.
The Joketime
As of this moment, it was already open mic time. This was never done before in any Republika gig that I attended. We would usually end the night after the first band has performed. But there was something special in the air that night that nobody wanted to leave yet!
Now every band was being called out. Each band was now “required” to tell a joke onstage! And nobody was exempted, even the usually silent Dok of Lakbay Lahi shared his own jokes. I even helped myself to the mic at every chance I had.
Republika ng Diwa
In Makiling, we had a private joke in which I was the topic. David or Otto would just say the name “Diwa” and they would all laugh as if it was the funniest punchline in the world. But tonight, they made the joke public, David told that “joke” to everyone in Mag:net. I never thought they’d laugh but they did! Sikat ako hahaha! Evan then went onstage and told me that I was too drunk and too noisy already, he joked that I was now “fired” from the band.
I grabbed the mic and reacted, “Sige, ok lang kung fired ako. Magtatayo ako ng sarili kong, Republika. Republika ng Diwa!” and everyone laughed. Band members suddenly became stand up comedians on the spot. It was really a great feeling, all Republika bands were just there in the venue sharing and enjoying the night as one whole entity.
Looking Forward to 2008
This is really a very memorable night, up until this writing, everything is still fresh in my mind. I wish more gigs for Republika ng Musika in 2008. And hopefully bigger projects as well. Salamat Republika ng Musika, you’re the best! Mabuhay!
It all started when the first three bands of Rn'M (syalaM, Talahib and Kadangyan) sat down and talked about promoting their type of music to a much wider and yet very pop oriented type of audience, within the country. What seemed to be a very exclusive type of music that can only be heard and appreciated by the tourists, elite, artists, and in various cultural events, is now ready to be a big part of an industry that never failed to promote and only support pop artists and musicians. We believe that our music belongs to the people and that this community will help us promote, share and preserve the pride that we Filipinos should have towards our diverse cultural heritage.
The very first REPUBLIKA NG MUSIKA event took place at Conspiracy (11th of September, 2006, at a bar located along Visayas Ave., Quezon City) through the efforts of Kadangyan, Talahib and syalaM, which lead to a series of Rn'M shows in various bars around Metro Manila. Along the way, Rn'M came across other remarkable bands and musicians that are willing to help and work for the same goal. The following bands are actively involved:
KADANGYAN - http://www.kadangyan.com
LAKBAY LAHI - http://www.lakbaylahi.multiply.com
MAKILING - http://www.makiling.ph
TALAHIB - http://www.redtalahib.multiply.com
Dec 17 - MAG:NET, Katipunan, 10pm
