TRASH RADIO MANILA: Tether

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Once Again, Grrrl!!!!!

Finally finished Part 2 of the Grrrl playlist. Had fun putting the songs together. As I was doing so, I came across this announcement over at MySpace.

Clitfest Los Angeles is "...a 3 day national event dedicated to Womyn (born and self identified, queer, gender nonconforming, trans, people/youth of color) [emphasis mine]". This is a three-day affair filled with workshops, discussions, and relentless music from all-female and female-fronted bands. Now one of the bands included in the list is Naked Aggression.

Naked Aggression are veterans. The band was formed in 1990 and were actively touring until disaster struck them in 1998: one of the founding members, Phil Suchomel, died. The year 2003 saw the return of Naked Aggression, which continues to churn out one highly charged political song after another to this day. The song "Smash The State" kicks off our playlist.

The next band, The Scuds, are from Singapore. Got hold of this band's songs just recently as a recommendation by a good friend. Punk with garage undertones, very raw but not at all amateurish. Check them out here. The title of the song? "Fuck You!"

Out of Bonn, Germany come The Gee Strings, fronted by the ferocious Ingi Pop. The song "Snuff Fiction" appears both in their album Arrest Me and in the Radio Disaster Volume V compilation released by Basement Records. Do listen to more Gee Strings on their MySpace site.

I admit to procrastinating more often than I should. Cebu City's Tiger Pussy should have long appeared in Trash Radio Manila's playlist, but somehow I was not getting the proper timing. Jan's voice is simply what the band's byword is: rawr! I was told that the guys are coming back to Manila this October. (Yep, they were here last April....) No reason not to see them this time. Their song is called "High Class Curriculum", and the band's photo, which I got from their site, is taken by Keith Dador.

Also in the list is The Devotchkas, who eventually came to be 99's, before reverting to their old name before the band finally split up. The song "Wicked Heart" comes from the album Live Fast Die Young.

Lastly, we have Tether, one of the bands that played in the Louie Louie gig held last January. Tarhata has a voice that is compelling, and she is amply supported by her bandmates. I strongly suggest that you pick up a copy of their album Tell Me Stories. Find out where they are gigging next on this site. Their song "Html" caps off this playlist.

The list:

1. NAKED AGGRESSION - "Smash The State"
2. THE SCUDS - "Fuck You!"
3. THE GEE STRINGS - "Snuff Fiction"
4. TIGER PUSSY - "High Class Curriculum"
5. THE DEVOTCHKAS - "Wicked Heart"
6. TETHER - "Html"

It's been good. Harrowing maybe, but good. Hope you enjoy this playlist, as much as you enjoyed the first Grrrl!!!!! installment. For the next playlist...let's see. More local bands! New materials! Ugh. Backlog now really catching up with me. Just, stay tuned.

Photos from the artists' sites. Tiger Pussy's photo in the site done by Keith Dador.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Eto Naaaa! Louie Louie Photos Up

So what if it took me some time to put up the pics? Haha! There are more than 35 photographs showing how fun it has been during the Louie Louie gig over at Mogwai at Cubao X last January 17, 2009. If you weren't present, pity, but this collection of images is probably the closest thing to being there.

Again, again, our profound gratitude to everyone who lent a hand or two (or three or four more) in making this event a success: bands, supporters, venue, equipment, promo. All the bands, t.R.A., Tether, Steady Movin' Beat, Throw, Against man, End Of Sanity, Juan Isip, Nu Militants, Beatdown Boombox, The GoSignals, Wayfarers, Shuffle Union, and Coffee Break Island (who gave impromptu performance a whole new meaning), were fantastic. Twice The Panic and Soundblasters played some great music in the middle of the gig.

For me, the most scintillating performance of the night happens to be that of Juan Isip (aka Bobby Balingit of The WUDS). His music, transcending borders, never fails to entrance me, and it left the same effect on the audience, who stood and listened the whole time. No flash, no show-off profanities, and definitely no rock star posturing. Bobby's music has withstood the test of time, evolving into a beautiful artform that escapes further description. Amazing.

I also thought that Tether gave a superb performance, and End of Sanity was likewise good. Just hope the latter will eventually write original songs because the boys seem to be promising. Shuffle Union claim to having done their acoustic set for the first time, but they did sound sparklingly fresh. Of course, we got electric sets from the reliables like Throw and Pink Cow. Bunek (of Nekbu) sang with the rest of The GoSignals a song which is Weslu's, and probably everyone's, favorite love ditty: Madness' It Must Be Love. Sweet.

Music front's Arnold Morales sang a couple of songs with the Nu Militants.

The smashing sound system was courtesy of Romel and the boys of PMX. Sa uulitin po.

Lastly, two thumbs up for Mogwai's Squash soup (nyum!), Lyle Sacris, and the friendly staff. Thanks too for the cool heads in the audience, who kept signs of unruliness under considerable control. Mabuhay kayo.

So there. It has been a great send-off for our friend Louie. Til the next gig folks.