Easter Sunday: A Year After Passage To Eternal Life, Among Other Things

Maligayang Linggo ng Pagkabuhay sa inyong lahat!

Today marks the end of the Lenten season in the Christian world. It has been said that Christmas Day should be celebrated on Easter Sunday. I would rather involve myself in related discussions in another venue. :)

Instead, I want to point out some things relevant to this blog.

Today, Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, marks the First Death Anniversary of Trash Radio's co-founder, Je Bautista. When I first realized this months ago, I thought, what beautiful serendipity: even in another dimension, Je has always kept his twisted sense of humour. He was, is, and will always be creative, and nothing will ever change that fact. For this reason, I have a song playing right now, a personal favorite of his, to remember him by. Need I say what it is?

A few months ago, some arrangements were being made with friends of Trash Radio Manila. The result, ultimately, is Music Speaks. Music Speaks is the production arm of Trash Radio Manila, so named after Je's multiply blog (which also happens to be the prototype blog of Trash Radio Manila). Funny that our good friend Hilboy wrote about Music Speaks days before I did, haha. Thanks man, as always. Read about Hil's write-up HERE.

The first event of Music Speaks will be held on April 6, 2010, Tuesday, at Route 196 along Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City. The gig will feature full-length sets by Throw, Caliph8, and Radioactive Sago Project. That the choice of artists is somewhat of a musical motley was deliberate and something that I have always wanted to see on a regular basis.

Check out the poster for details. While I do not dare say that this is a tribute gig to Je (again, coincidental!), starting anew is almost the most natural thing to do after Easter Sunday.

Something like ... spring cleaning, too. ;)

See you guys on Tuesday.

(Photo of The Resurrection from this site.)

On Unfinished Businesses, The Resurrection, and Serendipity: At Long Last, A Playlist!

It is but serendipitous that the ninth day of novena for the late Je Bautista fell on an Easter Sunday. Personally, this is a very comforting sign, in more ways than one, and those who have been around and have cared for Je may probably look at this coincidence the same way, regardless of religious belief.

When Je was in the ICU, he was very restless. He was raring to get out and be transferred to a regular room where there is cable TV so that he can watch Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Food. He missed going online terribly: his laptop was on his bed but he could not catch a signal inside his cubicle. (His unspoken motto: No internet, no life.) So Je was stuck with Buy and Sell, bland hospital food (he was on a low-fat, low-salt diet), and a signal-less computer. His boredom was a bit alleviated when I brought him, upon his request, Pat Gilbert's book on The Clash, Passion Is A Fashion.

One of the fruits of Je's boredom is this rather "unfinished" playlist. (Beethoven would be probably squirming in his grave in reaction to this horrid pun.) Unfinished, because Je was not done with the mixing when he suddenly dropped on that fateful day (while still in the ICU) and passed away. Je was assuring me a couple of times that he was doing a playlist for me, which speaks tomes about his own kind of passion.

A few days after Je's interment, I found this list, which I completed mixing (yes, I do have many tricks up my sleeve too), and am now sharing with you. Oh, there are a few more of those "unfinished" playlists coming up soon.

This playlist is kind of long, but I opted not to trim down nor exclude any song. As you may have probably noticed, Flogging Molly and The King Blues are some of our favorites, but Je recently stumbled upon this artist named Adrianne, a lady who can play compelling acoustic-based songs. A must-check, if I may say so. Do take a look at the titles.

1. FLOGGING MOLLY - Requiem For A Dying Song
2. FLOGGING MOLLY - Wrong Company
3. FLOGGING MOLLY - Don't Let Me Die Still Wondering
4. THE KING BLUES - Hold On (Acoustic)
5. BILLIE HOLIDAY - Me, Myself, And I
6. ADRIANNE - New Kind Of Cool
7. BUNNY WAILER - Get Up Stand Up

I hope you enjoy this playlist. After all, it was Je who handpicked the songs. For me, Je had one of the most sophisticated pair of ears in the business. As such, his death is not just a personal loss, but a loss of the local music scene as well.

And for this reason, among countless others, Je Bautista is and will be truly, sorely missed.

(Frozen moment: Photo of Adrianne from her website. Photo of Je taken during the first matinee gig by A Happy Face Productions at Ten02 last March 1.)

Hey You Guys!

Does anybody remember The Electric Company?

(Yes yes, I am giving away my age there.)

The Electric Company is a syndicated children's television program produced by the same folks that gave us Sesame Street. Thought of as a show catering to more mature kids (ergo, kids with minds more sophisticated and, well, with greater tendency towards perversion), The Electric Company is best known for its screechy catch-phrase popularised by the diminutive Rita Moreno: HEY, YOU GUYS!

Ah, yes. Quite the sentiment of our music programmer here, hehehe. And see, I can take a hint (/me getting up from bed and typing this post).

OK. Playlist now.

1. This Rainy Decade - CLEANERS FROM VENUS

This comes straight out of the catalogue of L'Agence Des Refusés, reportedly a 1980s cassette only Belgian label which is attracting some kind of interest within the snooty "hard-to-find titles" clique. Perhaps our European radar (who also happens to be Belgian) can shed more light on this.

2. I've Got a Crush on You - LUSCIOUS JACKSON

From the compilation "Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove" comes this quirky, delightful cover.

3. Modern Girl - CAMERA OBSCURA

Camera Obscura, the band from Glasgow, Scotland, has been around since 1996. The song "Modern Girl" comes from arguably their most popular work to date, Let's get Out of This Country, released some ten years later. A new album, My Maudlin Career, is due for release on April 2009.

4. Only Happy When It Rains - RICHARD CHEESE and LOUNGE AGAINST THE MACHINE

I like Shirley Manson a lot and this is one of my favorite songs by Garbage. This track in the playlist is a wicked remake by the irreverent Richard Cheese.

5. Straight to Hell - LILY ALLEN (from the War Child Heroes Compilation)

Lily Allen does this cover with no less than The Clash's Mick Jones. Read about the War Child heroes Compilation here.

6. Army of Me - BJORK

And oh, who does not know Bjork?

So there. Capping off this post is this clip from what was once a part of my perverted childhood. Enjoy folks.

Joe Strummer: 1952-2002

John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002)

Angels

BOOMBOXES and DICTIONARIES
(The Gaslight Anthem)

I took a drive today, and thought about you.
I thought about a friend who passed, and how much we just went through.
I saw the sun shine off the hood of a Cadillac,
I thought about some things I'd say, and some I would take back.
I thought about how fortunate I feel to be alive.

And if you're scared of the future tonight,
we'll just take it each hour one at a time.
It's a pretty good night for a drive,
so dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes.
Because the radio will still play loud,
songs that we heard as our guards came down.
Like in the summertime when we first met,
I'll never forget, don't you forget,
these nights are still ours.

I still love the way you smile.
I still love the ocean.
We should remember to slow down more often, and maybe we will.
Now there's a lotta good things coming our way right now.
A lot of bad had passed but we survived the breakdowns.
All is forgiven, water under bridges now.

And if you're scared of the future tonight,
we'll just take it each hour one at a time.
It's a pretty good night for a drive,
so dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes.
Because the radio will still play loud,
songs that we heard as our guards came down.
Like in the summertime when we first met,
I'll never forget, and don't you forget,
these nights are still ours.

And if you're scared of the future tonight,
we'll just take it each hour one at a time.
It's a pretty good night for a drive,
so dry up those eyes, dry up those eyes.
Because the radio will still play loud,
songs that we heard as our guards came down.
Like in the summertime when we first met,
I'll never forget, don't you forget,
these nights are still ours...

*****

DUVALL - "Angels We Have Heard on High"
JOHN WATTS - "Real Life is Good Enough"
THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM - "Boomboxes and Dictionaries"
THE CLASH - "Stay Free"
THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES - "Kinder Words"
MONSTER - "Cool Your Jets"

Photos: Early Put3ska, and weeping angel courtesy of a friend who sent a jpeg. No site was given to me, unfortunately. :(

Listen Up: This Is Disco Clash!

Let me tell you something about The Clash. Joe Strummer in particular. No, I won't tell you anything that you already know.

The Clash means a lot to me: I can probably associate a Clash song or two to a particular situation in my life with relative ease. I loved it the first time I heard Joe Strummer holler: London's Burning!!! I sure loved the way Paul Simonon slung his bass guitar; he is to me the coolest man to have ever worn a bass guitar. I have great respect for Mick Jones' pop sensibilities. And Topper Headon's style was both understated and appropriate. It goes without saying, The Clash matters a lot to me.

So much so, that I have yet to fully get over the fact that Joe Strummer has been dead for more than five years. What the hey. He and The Clash were an ever-evolving act, breaking down the barriers (along with their peers) that would have otherwise encased the sound of punk into a boring monotony. The Clash did songs that no longer sounded punk as we knew it, treading precarious waters in the process - and eventually sealing their immortality in the musical realm.

Let me tell you this, friend. We cannot go back to what we used to. Everything in this world must evolve. (Do you hear me, monsignor?)

Ah, yes. You knew that, too. :D So, join me then, as we sing and dance along what we may have to call Disco Clash! These are quirky remixes from our friends at the Long Island Dub Recording Studio. The playlist? Come on, figuring out the songs should be as easy as chicken pie.

As Promised

We're bringing you Part 2 of LONDON CALLING: A TRIBUTE TO JOE STRUMMER, a special documentary from BBC Radio2 which was aired around March 2003 and was available for download for about a week. We've already aired Part 1 a week ago on the occasion of our 100th post. Enjoy, people.

(Again, if you're the BBC, or if you have proprietary rights to this broadcast, and take offense at our tribute, please email us at trashradiomanila[at]gmail[dot]com.)

Is Your Favorite Punk Band In The Top 100 List? TRASH RADIO MANILA'S 100TH POST!!!

THIS IS TRASH RADIO MANILA'S 100TH POST!!!

Here at Trash Radio Manila, not only do we know good music, we also know good food!

First off, our heartfelt thank-you's to all of you who has passed by, perused, and left imprints on this site in one way or the other. Our utmost gratitude likewise goes out to the bands, the contributors, our subjects, and essentially everyone and everything that keep the scene going.

On this occasion, I am writing down the bands that made it to the Top 100 Punk Bands as voted by MusicianForums.com PunkForum users. You can read about the whole article here; if you want to see the forum itself, tick here.

Most of the bands that I like are in the list, but I would rearrange it if I have it my way. And wait, where are The Descendents, MDC, and Angelic Upstarts? At any rate, here is the list:

1. Dead Kennedys
2. The Clash
3. Bad Religion
4. The Ramones
5. Operation Ivy
6. Black Flag
7. Minor Threat
8. Streetlight Manifesto
9. Propagandhi
10. Bad Brains

11. Against Me!
12. Sex Pistols
13. Leftover Crack
14. Rancid
15. Choking Victim
16. Dropkick Murphys
17. NOFX
18. Gorilla Biscuits
19. The Misfits
20. Stiff Little Fingers

21. Fugazi
22. Refused
23. Minutemen
24. Subhumans
25. Circle Jerks
26. Iggy & the Stooges
27. The Adicts (photo from their MySpace site)
28. Cock Sparrer
29. The Suicide Machines
30. 7 Seconds

31. Social Distortion
32. The Dead Milkmen
33. Rise Against
34. Strike Anywhere
35. Flogging Molly
36. Catch 22
37. AFI
38. Sonic Youth
39. G.B.H.
40. Husker Du

41. Suicidal Tendencies (photo from this site)
42. Sham 69
43. Crass
44. The Velvet Underground
45. Television
46. The Damned
47. Conflict
48. The Filaments
49. Lower Class Brats
50. Kid Dynamite

51. X (photo from the band's site)
52. Against All Authority
53. Anti-Flag
54. A Wilhelm Scream
55. UK Subs
56. Link 80
57. New York Dolls
58. Discharge
59. Tiger Army
60. Richard Hell & the Voidoids

61. TSOL
62. The Adolescents
63. Patti Smith
64. Reagan Youth
65. MC5 (photo from this site)
66. Citizen Fish
67. Mission of Burma
68. Dag Nasty
69. Buzzcocks
70. World/Inferno Friendship Society

71. Fear
72. The Unseen
73. Less Than Jake
74. Aus-Rotten
75. Pennywise
76. A Global Threat
77. Flux of Pink Indians (photo from their MySpace site)
78. The Exploited
79. The Germs
80. The Casualties

81. Wire
82. Agnostic Front (photo from their MySpace site)
83. Good Clean Fun
84. Gang of Four
85. D.O.A.
86. Cockney Rejects
87. Toy Dolls
88. Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards
89. The Real McKenzies
90. Rudiments

91. The Adverts (photo from this site)
92. Bigwig
93. Good Riddance
94. Mojo Nixon
95. Forgotten Rebels
96. Mad Sin
97. I Farm
98. Defiance, Ohio
99. Ghost Mice
100. Atom and His Package


While we do love the Dead Kennedys, The Clash takes the top spot in our own list. You may be asking, how come we never feature our number one band in any of our previous playlists? Well, this time, on our 100th post, we are honoured to have in our playlist a special documentary from BBC Radio2. It was aired around March 2003 and was actually available for download but just for a week. I guess it might be difficult to come across these days. The title: LONDON CALLING - A TRIBUTE TO JOE STRUMMER. This is Part I; we are uploading Part II next time.

And if you're the BBC, or if you have proprietary rights to this broadcast, and take offense at our tribute, please email us at trashradiomanila[at]gmail[dot]com.

Enjoy, friends, and here's to more posts, more music, and more of the good stuff.

Pic creds: Photo of The Clash above is by Caroline Coon at theclashonline website. To your right: We have #41/5000 of the limited edition picture disc featuring Joe Strummer's cover of Redemption Song! This was released after his death by Hellcat Records.