PAM PASTOR is a huge fan of American singer-songwriter Rachael Yamagata, though Pam claims she’s not a serial fan, heh.

So imagine how she felt when she got to interview Rachael and watch her concert in Singapore. Here’s an excerpt from the Philippine Daily Inquirer story that’s online in INQUIRER.net Showbiz & Style:

The next day, I found myself sitting in Esplanade’s concert hall. Rachael and her band soon walked onstage and the show started. I had goosebumps the entire time.

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YOU have P1,000 to spare, and you’re in a record store. What would you do?

I went straight to the Original Pilipino Music section and searched for any CD featuring any new local indie band. I texted my Soundtrip-mate Lawrence Casiraya. He gave me at least two names. But then I didn’t find them.

So I scanned through the selections on the rack and found this: Blueskrieg: Original Pilipino Blues Music. I didn’t hesitate. I grabbed and bought it immediately.

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I WAS “lost” last weekend in the piles of books in a local bookstore. I was hunting for a book that was recommended to me earlier by a literary friend. But fate brought me to the “entertainment section” of this bookstore. There I found two remaining copies of “Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll” by Eric Caruncho.

I checked the price. It said, “50 pesos.” Are you kidding, I told myself. This book is a steal! So I grabbed one copy (now I’m thinking I should have also grabbed the last copy, heh), and went straight to the cashier.

This is an “old” book which I read back in 1996 when it was launched. I must admit I had little knowledge of the Pinoy rock scene in the 1970s leading to the late 1980s, which was about the same time when Baguio’s The Blank became the hottest rock band in the country.

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FUN describes Wake Up Your Seatmate’s music.

A quick look at the song titles will give you clues: “Hanging Out With You,” “Charm Me,” “Hide and Seek” and “The Kawawa Song.”

Their debut album, which bears the same name as the band, however, offers more than just pa-cute music.

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I JUST came from a screening of the documentary “God Bless Bloc Party,” thanks to Universal Records. While the documentary was meant to drum up some hype for the band’s latest album “A Weekend in the City,” watching it made me realize how amazing “Silent Alarm” — their previous breakthrough hit — really is.

Filmed two years ago at the height of “Silent Alarm’s” popularity, the documentary was a behind-the-scenes look at Bloc Party’s shows in Los Angeles, including their nonchalant attitude towards Hollywood-type interviews. A trivial, yet to me a defining moment, is captured in a scene wherein two black guys, in a flashy car blasting hip-hop music, sided up with them in a stoplight; one of them pulling out and started counting hundred dollar bills.

The new album is out in stores already. I’m still getting used to it; my favorite track so far is “Waiting for the 7:18,” surprisingly not among the singles officially released so far out of the new album. Maybe because it’s seen as a reference to singer Kele Okereke’s sexual ambiguity.

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