A good friend of ours asked us last week what Tommy Tanchangco had to say during the Luis Guiang tribute gig last January 18 at Purple Haze. This is an excerpt of his short, well, speech. Again, credits go to our main video contributor of the moment January Bautista of Shuffle Union and Clubska Manila.
Still got the hangover from last Friday's mayhem at Purple Haze Bar? We have uploaded a video clip of Music Front's cover of Urban Bandits' "No Future Sa Pader." Credits go to January Bautista of Shuffle Union and Clubska Manila. And yes, we now have a (refurbished) YouTube account!
We'll be uploading said video to the sidebar, as soon as I am able to figure out how....
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 plac
es lik
e 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 Lu
is 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, es
pecially 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 ho
mecoming 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
A sort of homecoming: Japo, Arnold, Al, Rogel, Je, Aji, Bobby, Russell, Homer, Rodil, Albert
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.
