May 2008 Archives

By Izah Morales INQUIRER.net SURREAL yet real. The misty atmosphere in the auditorium welcomed the audience to a seeming dreamland of entertainment. But when the strings, drums, keyboard, and voices began to mingle, it woke the audience to the reality of Pinoy music at its best. Sugarfree and Up Dharma Down rocked the house as lights danced with the music. Here's Sugarfree singing "Hari ng Sablay." And here's Up Dharma Down. It wasn't only rock music which made the audience sing and groove, but also the melodious music and symphony from the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra with international violinist Lucia Micarelli. Here's Micarelli with the MPO. And here's an interview I conducted with Micarelli. It was also amazing to hear the orchestra play rock music like "Alleluia," which was sung by Bamboo. When the legendary members of the Juan dela Cruz band -- Joey "Pepe" Smith, Mike Hanopol and Wally Gonzalez -- walked on stage, time seemed to warp back to the 70s. The audience was thrilled as strings were strummed and the microphones were held. But just as the time machine was about to bring back the rock revolution, technical problems cut the excitement for awhile. Nonetheless, the show went on as Joey "Pepe" Smith became an impromptu stand-up comedian. After a few minutes, the show went on as Juan dela Cruz played their legendary songs, some of which have been revived by today’s generation of musicians. The show ended with a spectacular finale as Juan dela Cruz band performed "Ang Himig Natin," with the MPO, Sugarfree’s vocalist Ebe Dancel, Up Dharma Down’s vocalist Armi Millare, and violinist Micarelli on stage. Here's a video of Millare talking about how it felt to perform with the Pinoy rock icons. And here's Joey "Pepe" Smith sharing how it felt to perform with today's generation of Pinoy bands. Indeed, Fiesta ng Musikang Filipino was a feast for the eyes and ears. Editor's note: Interviews conducted by INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Izah Morales. Video of interviews taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia. Photos and video of Joey "Pepe" Smith impromptu stand-up comedy act taken by Morales.

By Candice Montenegro, Contributor INQUIRER.net THE OTHER day, I had a really bad Last Song Syndrome (LSS) moment. I was just getting out of the car when I heard the ad for this year's radio ad awards (the chipmunk song about mixed nuts), and I was singing it the entire day. Usually, the cure for LSS is to listen to the song in full, but I never heard the ad again so I went to bed with the awful song still playing in my mind. LSS, if you still haven't figured out, is when you hear a song and it gets stuck in your head, usually without you meaning (or wanting) to. I think LSS is every advertisement jingle's mission; that way they can make you subconsciously want their product or something. Singers and songwriters probably think the same thing. If a song is LSS-worthy, then it's more likely that the person will enjoy the song and buy the album. So I guess a song's LSS-worthiness equates to its success somehow. There are songs that are just catchier than the others, and these songs are usually the ones that make it to the top of the charts. So what makes a song LSS-worthy? Songs with lyrics that are easy to memorize are usually easier to get LSS-ed to. It's easier to repeat the same chorus again and again than to rap three different stanzas in your head (unless you're into straight up gangsta rap, which is a different story altogether). It also helps if the last words of the lines have ridiculously rhyming words. At least you'd have a bit of help remembering the next word to "and it’s only for…" if you know that the last line is, "and my love is true." It"s easy to get LSS-ed to songs that repeat certain words, phrases or syllables. When you sing "Ella ella eh eh eh," the constant repetition kind of gets you hooked. The downside to these kinds of songs, however, is you forget the rest of the song and you"re stuck with just "to the left, to the left" (with matching hand gestures) until you completely annoy the person you're with. Dance songs are usually easy to get LSS-ed to, probably because of the bouncy, happy beat. One song that has great LSS potential is "Low" by Flo Rida. I can't say how many times I've walked in a crowded place and I"ve heard random, people singing, "boots with the fur, fur…" Maybe it also has something to do with the danceability of the song, which makes it easier to remember. The "Papaya" song only has "tus" and "dus" in it, but it gets stuck in your head faster than you can say Edu Manzano. Really good songs are usually easy to get LSS-ed to. I get LSS-ed easily to songs by John Mayer, Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo. Then again, the criteria of a "good song" would vary from person to person, and that's just my personal taste. At the far end of the spectrum, really crappy songs are also very easy to get LSS-ed to. Anything that asks me to "yugyog" or "giling" not only gets on my nerves but also gets into my very easily LSS-ed mind. Again, this is all a matter of taste, and some people might actually enjoy singing these songs over and over. A song's LSS potential all boils down to the right lyrics, the right groove, and the right time. I personally like it when I get LSS-ed before I meet up with friends and I pass on my LSS to them. The worst time I had LSS was right before a crucial oral exam and a really bad OPM song was on continuous loop in my head. Sometimes, an LSS can even be a conversation starter, when you're sitting beside a cute guy on the MRT and you unconsciously sing the song out loud. Just better hope you're not singing chipmunk-style about some brand of mixed nuts.

By Izah Morales INQUIRER.net YOU satisfy your mouth with food. You satisfy your eyes with beauty. You satisfy your nose with fragrance. You satisfy your ears with music. But before music can be produced, it originates from individual sounds. Have you considered sound as ear candy? New Media Arts Manila (NMAM) gave people at the Mogwai Film Club a different experience with sound with Minus Ten Decibels. With the dimly-lit atmosphere and fluffy pillows, people sat comfortably as their ears were rocked by the quasi-surround quadrophonic sound system and their eyes blinked at fast-paced abstract visuals. They called it post-music but its roots can be traced to sound art. Postmodern (or post-post-postmodern, as NMAM's Blums Borres quipped) and unconventional, sound art is not only hearing but seeing. It is creating sound without instruments. Technology does the magic. As they explain in this video interview, sound artists Blums Borres (left) and Jing Garcia of NMAM get their inspiration from the environment, wherever they may be. The ordinary becomes extraordinary with technology. It may be noise to others but it is ear candy to those who consider it as art. Editor's note: Video contains clips of Jing Garcia's performance. Interview conducted by INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Izah Morales. Video taken by INQUIRER.net online videographer Janie Christine Octia and INQUIRER.net community evangelist Alex Villafania.