Skaramouche Sweating It Out, Soaking It Up In Manila

The press kit says that the Swiss ska band Skaramouche dreams of touring the world. I, too, wanted to see how a Swiss ska band fares live on stage. Which I did, eventually. And it was, to say to the least, a one of a kind experience.

Delphine of Skaramouche: Manila Girl!

I initially listened to their CD, No Exit, and decided to watch the band over at Chakik's last June 6. Skaramouche is fantastic live; honestly, their recording did little justice to their tightness and energy. Delphine is an adorable frontwoman. Dominic, the young keyboardist who impressed the audience with his skills charmed nearly every single lady present that night. Everyone in the band was skilled and spirited. The highlight of the set, no doubt, was Skaramouche's cover of Manila Girl, ably supported by Coffee Break Island.



It was a blast, and I am quite sure it has likewise been an experience to the band who were sweating profusely all throughout that hot night. Gunther and Allan had got to be two of the persons I will remember most that night. (For the practice of the Hippocratic Oath knows no time and place, no, not even the bar.)

I did not get to see their farewell gig at Handle Bar last June 21 (blame it on Frank), though I heard that the band played like they did at Chakik's: tight and energetic. It must be a wonder to these guys how the weather here can change from hot and humid to wet and humid in a span of two weeks ... but eff it. Weather hot or wet, we'd love to have Skaramouche back, soon.

More, More Updates

Take note of these changes.

I received notice some days ago on our MySpace account regarding the change of venue for Sideline's One Voice Asia Unite Tour.

Note that it is going to be at CLUB NUVO (formerly Kasadja beside Sunflower City, Salinas Drive, Lahug, Cebu City, Pilipinas). Same date, June 21, 2008. Show starts at 4pm. All you need is php35 to get in, plus a little more extra to buy some merch like T-shirts and CDs. Promises to be one noisy night. :D

Also, for those of you living in Metro Manila and the nearby areas, you can still catch the Swiss Ska delights Skaramouche as they return from their rounds in Gingoog, Cagayan De Oro, and Cebu. Skaramouche will be playing at the Fete de la Musique at SM Mall Of Asia on June 21, Saturday, at 7pm (NOT 8pm), after which, they will be heading towards Handle Bar in Makati for their farewell set. This band is awesome live, so don't miss this opportunity to see them.

Will be posting more about Skaramouche. Very soon, my friends.

Trash Radio Manila Episode 16 Part 2: There's No Bamboo Here, 'No?

Disappointed? What Bamboo are you looking for, anyway?!
Maybe you'd like to check the playlist to find out the sort of bamboo that we have here.

1. VICE SQUAD - "Killer Queen"
2. DEADLINE - "We're Taking Over"
3. THE IMPALERS - "Pocket Money"
4. BAMBOO - "Revolución"
5. TIM ARMSTRONG with THE AGGROLITES - "Translator"
6. THE ORDINARY BOYS featuring SUGGS - "My Girl"

Download dandier version of playlist here.

The first two tracks belong to the bands of two of the most attractive-looking frontwomen in punk today. Beki Bondage of Vice Squad (her raspy voice kind of reminds me of ... Nekbu! Or the other way around. ;)) is a veteran, having been around since the first incarnation of Vice Squad in 1978. On the other hand, Liz Rose fronts Deadline, a band that has been very active in the London Punk scene since 2001. Both women look absolutely foxy, have powerful voices, and are both sporting tatts. Coolness in the flesh.

Next come The Impalers, whose heavyweight line-up includes former members of bands such as Skankin' Pickle, The Rudiments, and The Inciters. Their latest full-length album, Blood, Rum & Reggae, is released under Axe Records, and one of the acts that The Impalers call their labelmates is no less than The Aggrolites.

Bamboo, the one we have in the playlist, that is, comes not from Manila, but from Mexico (not Mexico, Pampanga!) Bamboo, according to their MySpace write-up, "...es una banda que fusiona los diferentes generos del reggae como son el roots, dancehall, raggamuffin y rubadub para lograr un estilo de reggae único y con un toque mexicano trasmitiendo siempre un mensaje de amor, paz, y poniendo a la gente a bailar en armonia y unidad en sus presentaciones." Entiendes? Si!

Tim Armstrong of Rancid actually collaborated with The Aggrolites, creating A Poet's Life, one of the best albums we've heard from 2007. From that album comes "Translator", currently in our list. A Poet's Life showcases Armstrong's talent: deceptively simple lyrics, pop sensibilities ... it is actually hard to describe the music as belonging to any single genre. Just do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the album.

Finally, the Madness original "My Girl" is performed by The Ordinary Boys, featuring Suggs himself. That song perfectly wraps up Part 2 of Episode 16. Will see you guys in a few days with updates on &^%@% and !*+&# ... so stay tuned.

Photo of Beki and Liz from Liz's MySpace, Beki's from the Vice Squad MySpace and Liz's from her own. Bamboo's and Suggs' from their sites.

More announcements:

Throw's much anticipated album launching on July 12, called Keeping The Faith, also features the seemingly tireless Choke Cocoi, adding relatively young blood to the predominantly veteran line-up. Now this is one event you should not miss. Check out the poster on the side rail. Also check out the One Voice Asia poster featuring Sideline's gig in Cebu on June 21, and The Skaramouche poster (the Swiss band should be enjoying the beach down south as of this writing) as well.

The Skaramouche Philippine Tour (plus CBI, Spaceflower Show, and Neighbors)

As I have stated in my previous post, we will be featuring Skaramouche, a Swiss Ska band set to do a series of gigs here in the Philippines on June. Formed in 2002, Skaramouche is a 9-piece band fronted by Delphine Lyner, and so far they have released two albums, the latest of which is called No Exit. Skaramouche have also been actively touring their region in 2007, promoting the said album.

The first of Skaramouche's gigs will be held at Chakiks in Ortigas Center, Pasig City, on June 6. They will be playing at the Mandarin Hotel in Makati City on June 7, after which they will be going to Gingoog City for an open-air gig on June 13. Next stop will be at Cagayan De Oro City for another night of their brand of ska on June 14. Cebu is also included in the itinerary: Skaramouche will be skanking at The Outpost in Lahug, Cebu City on June 20. The band will be back in Manila on June 21 and will be performing at the Fete de la Musique at SM Mall Of Asia at 8pm, and at Handle Bar at Polaris St., Makati City at 10pm.

Front acts for the Chakiks and Handle Bar gigs will be The Spaceflower Show and Coffee Break Island. Check out Skaramouche's official site here or take a look at their Myspace site for more details about the band.

We have prepared a cool playlist consisting of songs from The Spaceflower Show, Coffee Break Island, and Skaramouche. We reserved the last track in the playlist for a song from the Angono ska pioneers, Neighbors. The lads, it seems, called it quits last April, putting an end to nearly 13 years of skanking Neighbors style - you would know what I mean when you've seen them live, at least once. I know not of any details (this is not a chismis blog anyway, so don't go asking me why :D); you can check out their site though. Click here for more Neighbors-related stuff.

We wish Neighbors the best in their future endeavours; this playlist also serves as a send-off of sorts to the boys.

Now for the playlist:

1. COFFEE BREAK ISLAND - "Ranking Full Stop"
2. SKARAMOUCHE - "Offbeat"
3. SPACEFLOWER SHOW - "Acrobatic Love"
4. COFFEE BREAK ISLAND - "Let YOu Go" (demo)
5. SKARAMOUCHE - "Too Much Hamlet"
6. SPACEFLOWER SHOW - "SKangarude"
7. NEIGHBORS - "Angono Ska"

For high-res playlist, tick here.

Photos of Skaramouche and Neighbors come from the band and their respective sites.

Have a great weekend, people. Be sober, be good.