Harmonica Man

Photo taken at Charlottesville, VA

Harmonica Man

172/365

Day 8 -- Glorious Comeback

It's both happy and sad to admit that my musical playlist preference is 20 years old. Yes, I dig 90's music. No, I don't dig 90's music, I adore 90's music. From danish pop, to hip-hop, to alternative, to Zack de la Rocha's rap metal.

On the Pinoy Pop/Rock side, I will go the distance with whoever challenges me to a debate on which decade is the more glorious for Pinoy Rock. The 90s, I believe provided the best songs, the brightest talents and the greatest opportunities for Pinoy bands.

The 90s has created and endured many talents in and out. The biggest perhaps is this State U bred foursome formerly (and will always be) known as the Eraserheads (Tech support help: what is a shortcut to invert the letter E?). Just how big is this band? With no statistical support, I am proud to say that no Filipino, and I say this with full conviction, not a single Filipino has not appreciated nor known a single song from this 90's phenomenal Fab Four . The Eheads (short name) became one of the most famous Pinoy bands in the history of Pinoy Rock, and their peak was right smack in the middle of the 1990s. Unfortunately they decided to cut ties and stop recording in early 2000s. My childhood was shattered. Yes I was exaggerating on this aspect.

Just recently (around 5 years ago), they decided to see each other again not to rebuild, but to reminisce the good old times via a Reunion Concert. The first try was cut short due to the lead singer, Ely Buendia's medical issues. When Ely recovered, they did the act again and finished what they started from a couple (maybe more) months back and called it their "Final Set." I was lucky to have witnessed that helluva show in 2008. I thought that, indeed, that will be their last performance together. They officially "finished" it by burning their symbolic piano (the one they used in the album Sticker Happy) during the final set. 

But lo and behold! The "Final Set"wasn't that final after all. They decided to do a "Final" world tour, bringing the fab four to places with high Filipino following like Dubai, the UK and the United States! And I thought maybe, yes. That was the last world tour. 

But lo and behold (again -- I just love using that catchphrase)! Last week, Esquire Philippines released the "Eraserheads" issue that has a CD that contains two recently-composed songs! Fans were so excited, they instantly emptied the newstands and I see my friends struggling to find copies despite a relatively higher than usual price for the magazine. Filipinos really know where to put money to where it's worth. :) This is a certified collector's issue! 

As for me, despite being thousands of miles away from home, I was lucky to be able to "smuggle" a copy from a magazine insider. ;) So happy to have received it today, I decided to make this my Photo of the Day for my 365-day challenge. :)

Mabuhay, Eraserheads! Salamat sa dalawang bagong kanta! 

Thanks for the early Christmas gift, Nangni! 

Glorious Comeback

©JReyes

14 September 2014

I am also attaching the music video to one of their 2 new tracks: Sabado. I so can relate to this song, both in its nostalgic melody as well as its profoundly simple message. :) Enjoy! 

Moshpitting and Crowd surfing with the Nostalgic Weezer!!! - 21 May 2010

What better way to jumpstart the summer heat than to enjoy artful nostalgia with the 90's rock band Weezer?! DC was fortunate to witness Weezer play their greatest hits in this year's DC Chili Cookoff sponsored by radio station DC101. The Chili Cookoff was held at the parking grounds of the RFK Stadium, the home of the Major League Soccer team DC United. Panic! at the Disco, Neon Trees, Papa Roach, Seether, Middle Class Rut, and Paper Tongues played alongside the 90s hitmakers. Of course, all the bands did not disappoint as they all played famous hits like Panic!'s "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," Neon Trees' addicting tune "Animal," and Papa Roach's "Last Resort."

The repertoire was perfect! Weezer played famous hits like "Hashpipe, Island in the Sun, Say it Ain't So, Sweater Song, Surf Wax America," and their recent hit "Beverly Hills." To cap the electric evening, they played one of their most famous hits, "Buddy Holly," and the crowd went crazy, as boys and girls ride the crowd surf, others sing along, while the rowdier ones creat mosh pits. Truly and exhilarating experience! 

Despite the boring food (I don't really get why they call it a chili cookoff without the chili...) the event was fun and exciting. People, despite having been drunk in the middle of the blazing sun, enjoyed the music and magic of the whole afternoon. I even saw parent expose their children (as young as 12) to American pop culture. And that day, it felt like we were in the middle of Miami beach as we were surrounded by bikini-clad ladies!

I hope to see more bands play here. Too bad the U2 concert is in Baltimore and it happens on a weekday. I hope they play in Verizon or the RFK Stadium. 

Go Weezer! Yahoo! 

Here's an excerpt of Buddy Holly with the crowd surfers:

Some photos:

Neon Trees

Panic! At the Disco

Papa Roach

Awaiting the Arrival of the big W

"Say It Ain't So"

Rivers Cuomo

Taking their Bows

Couple with friend (candid)

One heck of a good time!

"And it makes me feel so fine I can't control my brain..." --Island in the Sun

Eraserheads: The Final Set

Good thing there is a second installment to this unforgettable music event! I missed the first "final set" for reasons I could no longer remember. This time, I made sure I get a ticket! It's not that near though, I just got a silver ticket so I expect to see the ant-sized Ely Buendia donning his aviator shades and strumming his guitar, while avoiding all those scalps in front of me.

Rock on!


Eraserheads: The Final Set
SM Mall of Asia Grounds
March 7, 2009, 8:00 pm
Gates open at 3pm

What do you think is the best Eraserheads album ever?
a. Pop U!
b. Ultraelectromagnetic Pop
c. Circus
d. Cutterpillow
e. Fruitcake
f. Bananatype EP
g. Sticker Happy
h. Natin 99
i. Aloha Milkyway
j. Carbon Stereoxide

For me, it's a tie between Ultraelectro Magnetic Pop and Cutterpillow. :)

Cheers!

Top Ten 90's Dance Hits

Thanks to Ichi’s task for me to make a 90’s dance hits playlist, I got to reminisce a few dance steps and lines from choruses. Having experienced my teenage years in this decade, I have my personal list of 90’s dance favorites. Let me do a Mike Kasem and give you a rundown of my top ten 90’s dance hits (In no particular order):

1. Backstreet Boys - Quit Playing Games. We all know that the Backstreet Boys spurred an era of boybands, causing an influx of male groups that followed their league in the 90’s: Boyzone, Code Red, 911, 98 Degrees, ‘N Sync, just to name a few. I agree that groups like Color Me Badd and New kids on the Block started the pop boyband era, but the BSB made the deeper dent. If you’re a teen in the 90’s and you haven’t ever imitated the dance steps of this boyband, then you’ve missed a lot in your childhood!

2. Jon Secada – Just Another Day. I remember playing his cassette tape and suddenly my mother entered my room and asked why I was listening to music I don’t even understand! At that time the Spanish version of this song was playing. Jon Secada was another hitmaker of the 90’s! Even before Ricky Martin decided to go livin’ la vida loca, Jon Secada is already a mainstream Pop icon, famous for this song. Recently, I watched him sing the Mexican national anthem during the Pacquiao – Barrera rematch and saw in his physique how times have definitely changed!

3. Erasure – Always. This song made the Universal Motion Dancers the hottest dance group in the Philippines in the 90’s. Who would forget the butterfly dance step?!

4. Chimo Bayo – Extasi, Extano. Another UMD dance hit. You wouldn’t understand the lyrics but it would definitely make you sway your arms up, sway it down, say it side to side, etc. Okay, repeat until chorus ends…

5. Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby. The 90’s era made famous a number of rap artists. Even before Eminem hanged out with Dr. Dre, there was this white rapper with his famous flat top hair. Who could forget the Running Man?! All right stop, collaborate and listen!!!

6. Michael Jackson – Black or White. I’m not sure if this song was dedicated to his evolution from black to white, but the song made a big mark in the 90’s dance arena. And who would forget Macaulay Culkin’s cameo in its music video?

7. MC Hammer – U Can’t Touch This. Despite having ripped its tune from a famous 70’s dance song, MC Hammer made big bucks from selling albums containing this track. He also made a fashion evolution from tight straight cut jeans to baggy pencil cut pants. Not to mention, purple! Too bad this guy lost majority of his earnings due to various financial problems.

8. Ghost Town DJs – My Boo. If you’re attending the ’95 and ’96 prom and dance party, you will NEVER ever miss hearing this song. Kids and teens, this is the MY BOO we twenty-somethings grew up with, and not that Alicia Keys – Usher collaboration!

9. INOJ – Love You Down. Same with My Boo, you will never miss dancing to this INOJ song when you are already allowed by your parents to a dance party in’95 or ’96. This song even dragged on and remained in people’s dance playlist until the latter years of the decade! Just by listening to the uptempo drumbeat will make you want to hit the dancefloor!

10. Eric Gadd – Do You Believe in Me? This one is my personal 90’s favorite. Taken from the album with a heretic title, “Do you believe in Gadd,” the song almost made you believe that Eric Gadd will not be a one-hit wonder and will produce more singles! Unfortunately, he never came out with another single, or at least none that I can recall.

That completes my top ten 90’s dance hits. Comments are welcome! Make your own list here!

Finally, a decent Car stereo!!!

After months of listening to the "almost-static" sound of my busted car stereo, thank God for the far much cheaper remedy of having it repaired to our nearest audio repair shop. The shop's located near Frisco. Whew!

My journey to a decent car sound system was never an easy task. For the longest time, we thought the problem of my car's radio is the speaker system. Being the original speaker since we bought the car in 1991, my stereo's 25-watt stock car speakers are very much overdue for retirement. My dad and I finally decided to replace the speakers one Sunday morning. We initially traversed the suburbs of Banawe just to find a decent-priced speaker system. We were not contented with the price and the quality of the cheap speakers we found so we decided to look for it in the sounds capital of the Philippines, Raon. :)

We finally found a decent and cheap speaker system. We found a Konzert 150-watt speaker system for P550! Our elation was suddenly halted upon turning on the radio after we put the speakers ourselves. We heard the same quality of sound as if we were using the old speakers. So it turned out that the problem was not just the busted speakers, but also the stereo. Dismayed and tired, we headed back home that day...

The following week, a Saturday, we decided to have the radio fixed. So my Dad and I decided to drive around to look for a decent repair shop to get the stereo fixed. We saw a repair shop near Muñoz and stopped by to ask for a quotation. They said that it will cost around P600 to repair the radio. However, they will not guarantee that the problem will be fixed. For the utter lack of trust to the repairman, whose eyes were so yellow you'd think he's using mustard as eye drops, we looked for another repair shop. I was about to lose my patience and was beginning to think of buying a new car stereo. Until suddenly, my dad remember a shop near Frisco. We decided to take the stereo there to have it checked. And finally, that was our final pit stop. The owner quoted P550 as the price for labor and spare parts to be replaced. So we decided to take the risk.

Voilah! After 3 days of wait, we got the radio. We tested it and then... The same problem exists!!! We left it there again and again waited for another 3 days to get it fixed. My Father then retrieved the radio and found that it was already working properly. Half of it, that is! After several tests, he found out that the radio's right speaker was not working properly! Damn, another problem! We were thinking it was the wiring to the speakers this time...

He decided to take the radio to Banawe (right where we started) to have the wirings checked. The repairmen found out that it was still the radio's problem. It had a balance problem. So my dad brought the radio back to the repair shop in Frisco...

After a few more days, we got a call from the repair shop, telling us that the radio was already working properly. Dad texted me the good news, so I hurriedly retrieve the radio, straight from work.

Hallelujah! The angels must have possessed the radio!!! It was working perfectly! Whew! After all the hard work, my driving life is back to normal. Now I can once again listen to "Tambalang Balasubas at Balahura" to rev up my early morning driving! NOT!

Then I decided to purchase the MP3 FM modulator I was longing for in CD-R King. After that, driving in the metro has never been this beautiful. Thank God for my newly-operated radio...

Whew... That was a long one...