Tonight, Like It Is Starting To Become A Habit

The gig in honor of drummer extraordinaire Luis "Weslu" Guiang's third death anniversary will be tonight, 8pm at Sazi's Restobar (formerly Mayric's).

The line-up is formidable, as it includes the bands for which Weslu has pounded the skins (G.I. and the Idiots, and for a short time, The GoSignals) as well as friends like Throw, Nekbu, and Against Man.

This seems to me more like a celebration of life and times of (rather than a tribute for) the man who will always be remembered for his amazing sense of humor, his mania behind the drumkit (Skanking while hitting the skins? Almost unbelievable!), and his enduring courage, especially manifested during his last hours. As such, I am not too hesitant to promote the gig.

It would be banal of me to say that I miss Louie, but it is the plain truth. Everybody misses Weslu. Everybody will miss him. I will not be amazed if Weslu's death anniversary will be celebrated in the (many many) years to come.

Maximum Louie Louie! Sa Sabado Na!

On the occasion of Luis Guiang's second death anniversary, Trash Radio Manila and Bisikleta Productions present the tribute gig "Louie Louie" on January 17, Saturday, at Mogwai, Cubao X, Quezon City.

Luis, or Louie, is none other than Weslu, whose humour, talent, and good nature have touched the lives of many. That he is no longer with us physically is still a fact that takes some getting used to. Last year, a gig entitled Your Humble Musical Servant was held at the now defunct Purple Haze: bands and fans all paid tribute to the man who is considered by many in the scene as one of the best drummers of his generation. To say that the gig was a blast is an understatement.

This time, we have joined forces with Bisikleta Productions to give you "Louie Louie", and many old and new bands are coming in to play this Saturday. The line-up is formidable: Juan Isip (a.k.a. Bobby Balingit of The WUDS), Throw, The GoSignals, The Mighty Contras, Shuffle Union, The Andy Warhol (the new band put up by Urban Bandits and Music Front vocalist Arnold Morales), Beatdown Boombox, The Wayfarers, Pink Cow, Radioactive Sago Project, Steady Movin' Beat, The Nu Militants, t.R.A, Against Man, The Tolonguez Death Squad, Rocket Punch, Tether, End Of Sanity. Plus, there will be DJ spots for Twice The Panic, Soundblasters, and Minister Zero. The poster listing the bands should be out soon.

There will be no entrance fees. Semi-matinee performances (6 to 9 pm) will be participated in by the younger set; after which, the more senior bands will be treating us to acoustic or toned down performances, which is something to watch out for. So you may ask, how does a hardcore band deliver an acoustic set, anyway? Perplexed? Find out for yourself. Do come over this Saturday and party with us for Louie Louie, the way our very own Louie wants it to be.

Pic from Weslu's MySpace tribute site.

A Reunion Of Old-School Punks at Weslu's Tribute Gig

Time and again I would aver that, even though I enjoy listening to ska and watching ska gigs, I am not by all means a rudie. For most of my formative years as far as music appreciation is concerned were spent listening to punk songs and attaching a fork or a stiff alambre to the radio antenna just to get a decent reception of "Capital Radio" off XB 102. (Then again, that does not make me a punk, either.) I could not get myself to see the lovely concerts over at places like Rock-ola and Katrina's (I had only seen a handful then) for I used to live really far and my mother was extremely strict. So I sought consolation by playing music really loud in the house till my mom actually learned to appreciate the noise that her deprived young child was drawn to. See, (bless her soul) she was a very cool woman after all.

Anyway, the line-up of the bands that played in Weslu's Tribute Gig at the Purple Haze Bar last January 18, 2008 is an aggregate of the old and the new school, of punks and rudies and the younger set, of punk and ska music. It is a great combination. The late Luis Guiang, after all, has left an indelible imprint in both the punk and ska scene. This time, however, I lost some sense of objectivity and suddenly hungered for the old hats. In fact, it seemed that a lot of people missed the so-called old guys.

I saw how the crowd started slamming during G.I. and the Idiots' performance, and how a mad flurry of slamming bodies formed at an alarming rate during Music Front's set. When it was Al Dimalanta and Throw's turn on stage, people were simply slamming silly, especially during the part when Al was singing his anthemic songs "New Life" (a punk song that figured prominently in my young life) and "Don't Drop Your Guns/Noise Barrage."

One of the night's highlights was the appearance of Mr. Tommy Tanchangco, guitarist for Chaos and more popularly known as the man behind the Twisted Red Cross label. He seemed just as amazed at how people have continued to live the punk lifestyle after all these years.

That night saw a impromptu gathering of most of the members of the Class of '84. It was a joyous sight.

I hope my friends in the ska scene will forgive me for gushing no end, but I got to say this. At some point in one's life one has to go back to where he started. Such is the circle of life. For many, it was a night of various homecomings, with the biggest homecoming alumnus being Luis Guiang. And the night, no doubt, belongs to the old-timers.

Captured by Canon: The Mandalondon Crew; Hilboy Raymundo of Bisikleta Productions; Erwin Romulo; Mae Ilagan of Shuffle Union shaking her booty; the audience; Tommy Tanchangco with Arnold Morales, later with some alumni of the Class of '84.

G.I. and the Idiots


Music Front

Throw


A sort of homecoming: Japo, Arnold, Al, Rogel, Je, Aji, Bobby, Russell, Homer, Rodil, Albert

Tonight Is Weslu's 1st Death Anniversary Tribute Gig! (Plus A Peek Into Last Night's MAIM Event)

Are you ready for tonight's event?

(In photo: Kids kind of refusing to pose for a snapshot. Taken beside Maru Bar, Jupiter St., Makati.)

Bisikleta Productions' first main event of 2008 is its tribute gig in celebration of Luis "Weslu" Guiang's 1st death anniversary. Titled "Your Humble Musical Servant," the gig features heavyweight bands such as G.I. and The Idiots, Throw, The GoSignals, The Nu Militants, Juan Pablo Dream, Bembol Rockers, Neighbors, Coffee Break Island, Shuffle Union, Earthlings, Against Man, and the reformed Music Front fronted by no less than Arnold Morales. Do show yourself up at 8pm at Purple Haze Bar located in Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

Which brings me to where I was last night...

Some of the bands above did play last night at the MAIM Collective's gig held at Maru Bar in Jupiter St., Makati City, like The GoSignals, Throw, G.I. and The Idiots, Music Front, and The Nu Militants. It's been a while since I've last been to a MAIM gig, which is almost saying that I haven't seen Tame The Tikbalang play in years.

(In photo: Russell Eustaquio of Tame The Tikbalang in one of his Rollinesque moments.)

Tame The Tikbalang NEVER disappoints. And John Carpio remains as savage behind the drums as ever.

More on last night's MAIM Collective gig at Maru Bar (as well as tonight's event) in the succeeding posts.

Trash Radio Manila PREMIERE EPISODE Part 1: Weslu's Faves

And so it was that this radio show almost never came to be. Some corporate stiffs approached us some moons ago asking if we can come up with a "punk" (whatever that meant) show.

After several meetings, we had already come up with a shortlist of two possible names for the two-hour show the stiffs wanted bad. It was either SCREW RADIO or TRASH RADIO or bust. (both doublespeak as we were trying to say that nothing was really worthwhile on Philippine mainstream radio, and that underground radio was simply non-existent nor feasible)...

And so it was that it was a bust. Either SCREW or TRASH was "too punk" for their radio sensibilities or the demo was too HARDKWORR for them.

And so we are here. On the Web. And we will try our best to upload a weekly show (in three parts) on a regular basis, or as much as our regular jobs would allow it.

For our premiere broadcast, we pay tribute to the best drummer of the 1980s, Luis "WESLU" Guiang, whose First Death Anniversary we commemorate on January 18, 2008. Part One of our initial upload presents songs readily identifiable with him as these are his perennial favorites, with the final track of the segment especially memorable to his CARRY-OKIE colleagues.

Cheers to you Luis!

And keep visiting for the next two parts of this week's (January 11-18, 2008) upload...

1. ROY and the INVADERS - "Fat Dog" (Long Island Dub Studio One Hot Dog Mix)
2. DOLPHY and PANCHITO - "Kawawa"
3. FISHBONE - "Ma and Pa"
4. TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA - "Lupin the Third '78"
5. BLONDIE - "Hanging on the Telephone" (Live 1980)
6. ROD STEWART - "Do 'Ya Think I'm Sexy"

The Story Behind Weslu's Pensive Photo

At Luis Guiang's wake at Floresco Funeral Homes in Gen. Luna St., Malabon almost a year ago, people were treated to different forms of surprises every night.

On the first night of his wake, people were trooping non-stop to Floresco, all anticipating that his body would be ready at around midnight or so. In typical Weslu fashion, the white coffin rolled in 4 hours late...

...and the wheels rolling on the floor was the only sound that was heard at that particular moment.

Everyone didn't seem to mind that Luis was (again) late. As the reality that it was in fact the body of Luis that was in the coffin set in most people's minds, sobs started to ensue. Tears flowed from the eyes of even the nastiest looking guys present at that time. It was a chilling, nearly surreal sight.

In another night, bands gathered to pay their homage in the form of acoustic sets. I was not personally there, but I was told that it was a night full of music and moving tributes.

And there was a night where pictures of Luis were shown to the public in a slideshow. Towards the end of the slideshow, a photo was flashed as a taped interview of Weslu played in the background: WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM, A BIG HOTDOG? (laughter) WITH KETCHUP? (more laughter)
The photo was that of Luis playing with an acoustic guitar, looking pensive. For those who have been with Weslu enough to know that he is a perpetually happy man, this is a rather unusual photo, for it seems to reveal his pensive side.

The same photo is presently being used in his Friendster account, Photoshopped to accommodate the image of Jesus Christ holding Luis' shoulder. It was moving enough that it nearby made me cry when I first saw it.

*****

The photo was taken last May 15. 2005. It was Sunday afternoon. Karen (AKA Dylan of NU107) was hosting her Pinoy Rock show Tapsirock and was set to interview JR of Shuffle Union and Jon, formerly of Neighbors at the NU107 booth. Luis joined in later in the interview to be a kibitzer. During a lull, he sat, and upon seeing an acoustic guitar lying nearby, picked it up and started strumming and singing softly to himself...

...and you know what people say about photographers? That instinct drives them to capture the perfect moment, at the perfect time?

No, I am not a photographer in the real sense, but I am proud to say that I was able to capture that (almost) perfect moment....

*****

It's great to see the same photo represent Luis in other print forms, websites, and the like, and for me it should not be a problem. It's all about seeing Luis in a different light, showing people that there is a thoughtful, pensive side to him, and that it's been a great honor for me to be able to even approximate that mood through a digital picture.

A Celebration Of Life And Times: Luis A. Guiang (1968-2007)

Luis A. Guiang. Also known as Weslu. Known to the pinoy underground music world as (probably) the greatest drummer of his generation. He has kept the beat for Private Stock and G.I. and the Idiots, seminal bands coming off the legendary Brave New World Era of the 80s. He was one of the pioneers of the one and only Put3Ska. In his spare time, which he was never selfish of, he pounded the skins for bands like Juan Pablo Dream, Throw, The Brownbeat Allstars, and Shuffle Union.

But more than just being a drummer and everyone's favorite "happy man," Luis was a friend to everyone, including those who have taken advantage of him. And that's how he was, and that's how I will always remember him by. And every person whose life has been touched by this wonderful man has his own special Weslu recollections all tucked up safe in his fondest memories.

Luis passed away at about 11am of Thursday, January 18, 2007, due to pulmonary complications of an open fracture of his tibia (shinbone). The first death anniversary is just days away, and what better way to celebrate the life and times of Weslu than to be in Purple Haze Bar at Tomas Morato, Quezon City on Friday, 8pm, January 18, 2008.

This event is named "Your Humble Musical Servant," and is courtesy of Bisikleta Productions, Weslu's legacy to the music scene. The band line-up is, how shall I call it? AWESOME!!! All these bands represent various generations of Luis' involvement in the scene, and this event is probably the best way to pay homage to a drummer, a friend, a spiritual brother. Be there when it happens.