And The Spanish Word For Trash Is ...

Basura!!! (Watch this cute Sesame Street clip.)



I have not done a playlist for quite some time. This time I thought I'd do a Spanish episode. More than a year ago I met someone from South America online. He told me that he plays drums for a band which I will not mention outright. (Clue: A song from this band appears in the playlist.) He may be saying the truth, or may be pulling my leg (hopefully not!), but I have to say that I was a little stumped when he asked me what Spanish-speaking punk/ska/reggae/hardcore acts I am familiar with.

As if we do not know this for a fact (simply start here, yes, in the Philippines: you just have to look around to see Throw, Tame The Tikbalang, and a whole lot more local bands to name a few), there are so many non-English-speaking bands (technically defined as those that do not count English as their native tongue) around that sound just as great. Thus I came up with this playlist.

1. ALIKA Y SU NUEVA ALIANZA - "Paciencia"

Uruguay-born Alika is now based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She founded one of the first rap acts in Argentina, Actitud Maria Marta, which she eventually left in 1999 in what seems to be a shift more towards Rastafarian culture. "Paciencia" comes from the album Sin Intermediarios, and you can find out more about Alika on her MySpace site, though I have to warn you that knowledge of Spanish is an extreme advantage.

2. INTOCABLES - "Necesito Ska"

Another act from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Intocables play rousing ska. These guy have been around since the early 90s, as far as I understand. Still going strong with two of its original members staying put. On the playlist is "Necesito Ska".

3. LA FURIA - "Aburrido en los USA"

I read that The Clash all-cover album of this band from Barcelona, Spain is a cassette-only release, accounting for less than sterling audio quality. It's a pity really because some tracks from the Por Algo Mas Que Por Gusto are pretty good. I think "Aburrido en los USA" is one of the album's best tracks.

4. VOODOO GLOW SKULLS - "El Coo Cooi"

Wow, who doesn't know Voodoo Glow Skulls? These guys from California have been around dishing out their furious brand of ska-core since the late 80s. The Casillas brothers together with the rest of their crew continue to tour heavily, apparently not showing any signs of slowing down. Check out their MySpace site here.

5. PATRULLERO MANCUSO - "El Peine De La Tortuga"

Patrullero Mancuso are from Madrid, Spain and they play quirky, thoughtful pop music. "El Peine De La Tortuga" comes from the band's third album under Elefant, titled Tortilla Estatal. Find out more about them here.

6. RAMONEX - "Judy Es Una Punk"

Ok, another cover song, so sue me. Ramonex did The Ramones (obviously), even did a similar pose on the album cover. The full tracklist to Tribute Ao Ramones can be found on this link.

7. MOJIGANGA - "Sin Razon No Hay Vida"

From Medellin, Colombia comes Mojiganga, a band that has been playing together since 1995. With six albums under their belt, Mojiganga continues to tour and record apparently with a goal to infuse their Colombian roots in the so-called international underground movement. Maybe you guys will get the picture by dropping by their MySpace site here.

Ok, I finally got this done. Who knows what playlist I may be coming up in the days to come? French? Norse? Slav? Japanese? Possibilities are endless, and should be very very interesting to do. Have a great weekend people, or whatever remains of it.

The Weekends That Were

Waaaaaaah!

The wailers: Dennis Maniego, Albert Ascona, Jun Quiane, and frenzied pair during T.S.A.'s gig over at the Leprechaun Bar, September 18, 2009

I sure missed a lot these past weekends. Though I was lucky enough to catch the fantastic T.S.A. during the September 18 gig at the Leprechaun Bar sponsored by Filter Zine (Huwaaaaaaat? Antagal na pala? Shame shame. :( ), I missed the Bisikleta-sponsored T.S.A. sortee at Ten02 bar. Yes I also missed the Tarlac gig last October 10 (featuring Throw, Tame The Tikbalang, Bad Omen, and a whole lot more, my apologies for not having posted the poster, very very sorry), and I friggin' missed The Bing Austria Show the day after and the "Picking Up The Pieces" fund raising gig last October 12. Please don't ask me what has happened to me these past few weeks, it is something very very horrendous and not worth sharing here. (Sob sob sob, I sure hope to get over this year in one piece, I seriously do!). Suffice to say though that while things were battering me up to pieces (grrrr...), all seems to be alive and thriving this side of the music scene.

Will be posting my backlogs real soon. Below are some photos taken from T.S.A.'s Leprechaun gig and the October 10 Tarlac gig. (Thank you so much to Mina for the incredible photos of the Tarlac gig. Are you the female Andy Rosen? :))) )

T.S.A., Leprechaun Bar, September 18, 2009

Ojie of T.S.A.

Pedrobandido, T.S.A.

T.S.A. with Arnold Morales doing "Blood In Every Heart"

Throw with Ojie of T.S.A.

Tarlac, October 10, 2009

Russell Eustaquio of Tame The Tikbalang

Jun Idiot

Jun, Boyet, Al, Russ, Albert

Tarlac Kids

Picking Up The Pieces Updates

UPDATED POST!

Here's the *updated* updated poster of the upcoming event on Sunday, October 11, 3pm at Ten02 Bar. (Heheh, that's redundancy for you.)

Updates to the line-up are the addition of The Jerks! In lieu of Coffee Break Island, we'll be seeing CBI's Paul Puti-an live.

And of course, topbilling the show too are Throw, The GoSignals, and Tsunami Tsunami. Soundblasters will provide the sounds in between sets. Do note that other donations in kind (blankets, mosquito nets, medicine, water etc) aside from easy open canned goods will be accepted at the gate. Proceeds will go to the Bayan Muna Relief Mission.


See you all on Sunday.

[A donation box will be set up on this date and during The Bing Austria Show at Sazi's Restobar on Saturday - the day before the fund-raising gig. Check out the posters on the side rail. ]

More Public Service: Picking Up The Pieces

[Details to follow, including the list of bands, beneficiary, and possible addition of accepted donation.]