MAIM Collective gig at Maru Bar: Galloping With The Untamed Tikbalang

MAIM Collective was formed in 2003, if I remember right. It used to host its gigs at Killah John which is actually the penthouse of John Carpio's house in Marikina. MAIM is nearly synonymous to another reverred name in Pinoy punk who acts as its virtual godfather of sorts. The man is Boyet Miguel, guitarist for Betrayed and Tame The Tikbalang.

I actually lost track of MAIM's activities in the years that followed. So when I heard that there will be a MAIM event at Maru Bar along Jupiter St. (conveniently located near my house), I took time to check it out.

Apparently this gig turned out to be a preview of things to come, since most of the bands that played at Maru were also part of the line-up of Weslu's tribute gig at Purple Haze Bar the following night.

Among those who played were The GoSignals, G.I. and the Idiots, The Nu Militants, and Throw. The revived Music Front made a surprise visit and did 5 songs (Arnold Morales lost his voice in the middle of the set and was relieved on the spot by an animated Jun Idiot.) And then there was Tame The Tikbalang.

In the 90s, two of Tame The Tikbalang's songs have been included in the AlphaNumeric Sampler album produced by the Racket Music Group and released under Alpha Records. The more popular of the two is "Angst" (otherwise fondly referred to as "Alexander"), a song that captured the mainstream audience's fancy with the chant "I can't stand it! I can't stand it!" The song and the band's name undeniably had uncanny recall, so much so that long after Tame The Tikbalang no longer made itself visible to the mainstream, a good number of people still wonder whether the band does gigs or if it still exists at all.

But for those who knew better, there is one likely place where they can find the one and only Tikbalang. Here's looking forward to more Tikbalang sightings at the MAIM gigs.

(In photos: Utter Dismay, Music Front with Arnold Morales, Music Front with Jun Idiot, The Nu Militants, John Carpio of Tame The Tikbalang)

And now for the roll call.Front row: Mel Maniego (Private Stock, The GoSignals), George Imbecile (G.I. and The Idiots), Benjie Sengson (G.I. and The Idiots, Gut Reaction), Nella of the Mandalondon crew

Second row: Al Dimalanta (Dead Ends, Throw), Aji Adriano (The WUDS), Jun Quiane (Deceased, Music Front), Je Bautista (Absolute Zero, Betrayed, Music Front), Boyet Miguel (Ocean Zoo, Ethnic Faces, Betrayed, Tame The Tikbalang), Arnold Morales (College, Urban Bandits, Music Front, Put3Ska), Chiloy (Public Scandal, The Nu Militants), Jun Idiot (G.I. and The Idiots, Hard K), Homer (The Sex Militants)

Back row: Russell Eustaquio (Inquisition, Tame The Tikbalang)