IN a heartfelt letter to fans posted on the Subsandwich mailing list, Raimund Marasigan assured fans that Ely Buendia was okay and thanked the fans for their concern.

He also hinted that he was ready to do another Eraserheads show.

Before anything. I just spoke to Day Cabuhat and she informed me that Ely’s condition is now stable and they’re very thankful for all your concern.

Thank you very much for coming t the show. We really felt the cheering and the singing and the love you all gave.

Thank you for understanding that the show had to be cut short.

Ely was in no condition (emotionally, physically) to play but he did. And he gave it his all which is more than we could ask from him. Given the circumstances he was in.

We all wish him well. We are all confident that he will recover soon.

I promise to give you another Eraserheads show as soon as possible.

Again thank you very much

Rayms

For those who missed the show, here are three of the songs they’ve played.

Eraserheads perform ‘Ligaya’

Eraserheads perform ‘Alapaap’

Eraserheads perform ‘Sembreak’

More words from Raimund and his new motto, which he posted on Subsandwich list:

After the first set i was so hyped. i went looking for buddy to check up on him cos his bass effects was malfunctioning.

I found him coming out of Ely’s tent and said Ely was rushed to the hospital.We were all stunned and after a quick production meeting and meeting with his family we had to announce that the concert had to be cut short.

We prepared 3 sets. The first was just a warm up. The remaining two was going to be the fun part.

There were more videos and light shows and pyro in store for everyone.

After getting fans family and friends safely out of the venue maps I headed over to Saguijo bar to meet Sandwich, Pedicab, Cmbio and some friends to hang.

After a few beers Buddy arrives so we decided to play the second set on borrowed equipment. Thanx to Mark Maya for the stix. We had a little help from ebe, kris, vin, aia and tani. by the time we were playing el bimbo Marcus shows up so he got to play also.

I guess we just did not want to go home to our posh hotel rooms all down and defeated. I’m thankful we have great friends to support us, cheer us up when we’re sad, pick us up when we’re down.

here’s my new motto: drum now ask questions later.

By Erika Tapalla
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — The Eraserheads Reunion Concert was cut short Saturday night when lead singer Ely Buendia was rushed to the Makati Medical Center after collapsing backstage during a 20-minute intermission of the planned 30-song concert.

The concert’s sudden end was announced by Buendia’s sister Lally who went onstage with Ely’s band mates Raimund Marasigan, Buddy Zabala, Marcus Adoro and concert organizers stating that the band’s lead vocalist and songwriter was in poor health. The band members apologized to the audience for cutting short their performance.

MTV Philippines President Francis Lumen asked the crowd for a minute of silence to pray for Buendia’s health.

“He had a slight attack because of stress due to the recent passing of his mother (Lisette Buendia), and their sound check which lasted till 3 a.m. today (Saturday),” said MTV Philippines and Radiohead director for marketing Ronald Esguerra in an interview with INQUIRER.net. “But we have received word that Ely is now in stable condition.”

Organizers also belied erroneous reports that Buendia is undergoing triple bypass surgery, adding that the Eraserheads frontman actually wants to check out of the Makati Medical Center and go instead to his personal doctor.

Esguerra confirmed reports that Buendia was transferred to the Philippine Heart Center last night after he requested to see his doctor. “But he is okay and in stable condition,” Esguerra told INQUIRER.net in a telephone interview.

According to Jing Garcia, former music journalist and currently technology editor at Manila Times and a friend of the Eraserheads members, Buendia collapsed backstage after the last song before the intermission, which was “Lightyears.” The band had already played 15 songs by then.

Buendia suffered a heart attack on January 7, 2007 and had already undergone surgery.

The concert, which was staged at the Fort Bonifacio Global City open field in Taguig, started at around 8:15 p.m. and paused for a break at around 9:30 p.m.

The Eraserheads opened their much-awaited reunion concert with “Alapaap” and “Ligaya,” complete with fireworks display.

After waiting at the open field for an hour since the intermission hoping for further developments, loyal fans of the band calmly left the concert area after being treated to a thrilling first set.

MTV Philippines’ Esguerra said that while he is hoping for a second Eraserheads reunion concert, there is still no word on whether another one would be staged.

“We have received no word of a Part Two but we also hope there will be one,” he said.

With a report from Pocholo Concepcion, Philippine Daily Inquirer

JUST like the fans, former Eraserheads drummer Raimund Marasigan is excited. In a message posted on the Subsandwich mailing list, he narrates in very short sentences the days leading to the one-night reunion concert that would finally bring together his former bandmates in what would probably be the biggest gig in Filipino rock and roll. The former members of the band are set to play August 30 at the Fort Boni open field in Global City in Taguig.

He writes:

It’s been unbelievably crazy these past few days. I taped a few tugtugan episodes with Pedicab and Rivermaya, taped a Pedicab myx live episode, played a Cambio gig in route 196 , paid our respects to tita Lizette, played a Sandwich gig in up Manila, finished mixing the duster album and take care of last minute production details.

Marilou and R.A. treated me to something green and hairy. Maps played imago and duster gigs. Tarikim skipped school. I gave tix to the teachers haha.

I love my job. I thank God for this opportunity and blessing.

Filipino director Quark Henares has also posted a brief video on YouTube of the Eraserheads Reunion concert soundcheck. The video shows now Pupil frontman Ely Buendia singing “Sembrek” and Buddy Zabala backing him up on bass guitar. INQUIRER.net has confirmed with Henares that the video clip indeed came from him.

“After doing Ziggy Stardust, some adjustments are made and Ely starts doing the opening rifts of one of my favorite Eheads songs. You can actually hear me proclaiming ‘wow’ when it begins,” writes Henares in the description of the video he posted on YouTube.

Here are the rest of Marasigan’s message to fans on Subsandwich mailing list:

We had soundcheck midnight last night. My drum kit was tuned and inspected by Cholo of Ernville and Mike d. Thanx for the cymbals cholo.

I got Jamie and the Sherps Mickey, Tel and Jerry as my crew.

Brand new dad Darwin was there. Soupstar’s got a new baby in the family.

A few friends dropped by. the Itchyworms, Pupil, Mark Maya and AIA, Sinosikat, Direk Quark, Erwin Romulo, Direk Marie, and then some.

I’m a bit embarrassed were getting super rockstar treatment. We’re checked in a five star hotel, assigned a chauffeured van each, personal bodyguards (which i refused until later tonight) and we can actually raid the mini bar haha(after 20 years in rock n roll).

I didn’t get enough sleep. for the first time I’m actually excited about the concert. Went to the gym to sweat out last night’s beer. I’m having bacon eggs and fruits in the room as i’m typing this.

Earnest just dropped veda off. the kids are trashing the room. I’ll get a massage when they go swimming.

I can’t wait to play. I’ll see you all tonight.

Be safe.

By Erika Tapalla
INQUIRER.net

QUEZON CITY, Philippines — In a world where the concept of community has transcended barrios and has grown to include social networks, viral campaigns have worked to extend its reach by using the Internet.

KL Sol Cruz organized Project Savannah, a viral fund raising campaign aimed to raise some money to save “Savannah,” an unborn child who has been diagnosed with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. This is a condition in which the baby’s diaphragm, the organ that separates the chest cavity (containing the heart and lungs) from the abdominal cavity (containing the stomach, liver and intestines), fails to develop completely. It also involves an underdeveloped diaphragm that leaves a hole where the intestines and the stomach can enter the chest cavity, thereby affecting the development of the lungs. After birth, the lungs may collapse and the child may not be able to breathe.

Savannah must undergo a $100,000 operation, called intrauterine fetal surgery, which can only be performed in the United States.

Parents Vida and Brian Samson have approached several foundations to shoulder the cost of the procedure and are awaiting a positive response. The Philippine Airlines has already given the couple roundtrip tickets to San Francisco.

Meanwhile, Sol Cruz and a team of 13 other people have resorted to more creative ways to reach people. Through social networks Multiply and Facebook, they are gathering participants to attend “Rock the Cradle” and “Ultrasound,” to raise more funds to help cover for travel, tax and other expenses of the couple.

The advantages of Internet fund raising are many. It is quick, cheap and unobtrusive — but will it be enough to save Savannah?

By Clarence Yu
Contributor

THE scene is all too familiar for me: take any known club in the mainstream nowadays that features a show band. The band is composed of veterans who don’t look overly familiar, yet they play a blitzing repertoire of 70s, 80s and 90s pop standards, get a rousing ovation for the night, and disappear.

If the club owners happen to like them because they bring in the customers, I’ll likely be able to catch them again next week. If not, and I happen to like them, you’ll have to search high and low for their next gig, and at the next club.

Such is the plight of session musicians — virtually virtuosos (pardon the pun) at their instruments, oftentimes with years of experience under their belts, yet unable to find a steady gig, a record deal, a good name for themselves or a steady flow of income from playing their instruments.

I would think that with the years of experience that they have, most of these session musicians will have some sort of livelihood going for them now. Having known many session musicians myself, and for a time, playing the part of a wanna-be session musician, the surprising thing for me always or whenever I get to meet up with some of them I can call my friends is most of them still play to eat and live. This is both admirable and pitiful at the same time.
[Read the rest of this entry »]