Music: Photo series: Autotelic: Papunta Pabalik

When Autotelic's "Papunta Pabalik" was launched last week, there was reliable information going around cyberspace that copies will be available at Astroplus stores on September 30, a day before the actual launch on October 1. 

So Paul and I headed to the nearest Astroplus only to be told by staff that it the album will only be available after the official launch on Saturday. 

With heavy hearts We went home but all was not lost as we could still enjoy the album on Spotify :) 

The team (naks-just Paul and I actually) was scheduled to cover another music event on Saturday October 1, although we could have gone to the album launch after, I was actually "afraid", yes we were "afraid" of the crowd, which was surely going to be HUGE, like overwhelmingly HUGE and well, Paul and I aren't as young as we were and I also came from work so we weren't really a 100% and the thought of fighting for breathing space had our 30 year old (30+ for Paul hahaha) knees shaking. 

A week later. 

We were at SM Megamall to pick up a gift for my godaughter and we swung by the Astroplus branch to (finally) get a copy of "Papunta, Pabalik" and this is what happened. 

Me: (To the Sales Lady) Ate - meron po ba kayong Autotelic? 

Sales Lady: (Enthusiastically) Ay mam meron po! Marami! 

Goes to the display where there are 3 copies visible. 

Sales Lady: Malakas po sila mam, dapat hangang dito ang display, indicates a spot which was now occupied by another album instead of Autotelic's. 

Me: Oo nga po, nag kaka ubusan nga po sa ibang mga Astroplus stores. 

Sales Lady: Ano po bang tunog nila mam? 

Me: Hmm..parang electro-pop po. 
(Phew, I don't have my music reviewer hat on). 

Sales Lady: Para ba sila ung isa pang indie na banda na sumikat? Ano nga un? Ah! Up Dharma Down! Parang ganun ba? 

Paul: Ay ndi po. Ibang iba po. 

Me: Mas up-beat po ung tunog nila (Autotelic). 

Sales Lady: Ndi po kc namin pweding buksan ung CD, she was obviously curious. 

Me: Ay nasa Spotify po sila, pasok nga po ung mga kanta nila sa mga Top lists sa Spotify.

While this was going on, Paul and I were trying to take a photo of the CD. 

Sales Lady: Suddenly has a stern face. Mam, taga MCA po ba kayo? 

Me: Ay, ndi po. 

Sales Lady: Kasi po bawal picturan ung CD. 

Paul: Ay - bayaran mo na yan dali! (Jokingly). Para pwedi na picturan.

So we went to the counter to pay for the CD. Good thing the Sales lady didn't ask me to erase the photo. :P 

Ate Sales Lady asked the girl at the counter, "Ilan pa ung Autotelic?" After punching something in the computer she responds "Seven." (So much for "maraming copies") but then as a fan, I'm happy that the album sales are doing so well. 

I wasn't originally planning on doing a post for this but we had such an interesting encounter at the record store, we decided to do a photo series of sorts. It's funny that, that one photo had so much going on in the background. 

And then there were two. 

We have been following Autotelic for some time now, just as they were about to break though the mainstream scene and I'm really glad that we have a copy of their first LP. (Review here.) It would probably be hard to get a copy of the first LP, I don't know if the band has any plans on reproducing copies, given their success and huge following. (Hello Telic friends!) I'm just glad that we have ours. I remember Josh still had long hair when we got this copy in 2014. Signatures for the two CDs are not yet complete - I still have to work on that.  

#CDsNotDead


-is something that I've been trying to promote and try to post whenever I can. I don't know, maybe it's got something to do with being born in the 80's and being a kid in the 90's. Paul and I really still do prefer physical copies of the music that we listen to. I have a humble collection of vinyl and CD at home, when we get to fix it up I can probably start taking photos, doing features and what not. 

I do have a Spotify account and listen to songs there as well but you know, you can have the best of both worlds. Easily access songs on Spotify and still have that tangible CD in your hands. Just pop it in the player, whether in the car or at home to just let it play. Without you having to think about what song should be next on a playlist. 

There is a lot of work that goes on behind an album, it's not just the music but the packaging and the album art as well and Paul and I like looking into that and appreciating what goes into it. 

+Plus you can have it signed by your favorite artists after a show! 

As I said earlier, this was an accidental post but then when "inspiration strikes" right? I will definitely be doing an album review for "Papunta Pabalik" soon but for now it's currently playing in our CD player at home and in the car for when we go out for the weekend.

Take A Bow: Built By Sonic

I've been working in Eastwood for a good 5 or so years and the Built By Sonic store has literally been a couple of meters from where I work, but because I work the night shift when I pass by the small shop with a big sound, it's already closed. I've bought a couple of CDs from them over the years, I didn't really look through the band shirts, thinking that they were always out of my budget.

I always told myself one of these days I would be dropping by the shop, I've been eyeing the 'Happiness Is' Taking Back Sunday album that I would spot through the door whenever I would pass by the store at 9:00 in the morning, on my way home-of course the store is still closed. I could see a couple of vinyl, might check those out too.

Then, just this week Built By Sonic released a farewell video, thanking fans and supporters for a wonderful five years. What?! I was really surprised and I could feel the sadness slowly creep in. Can you imagine all of my regret? I should have visited sooner, or more often. I thought. Then I also realized that I never got to go to any of the concerts that the store arranged. They also had a couple of music festivals (Sonic Boom) but for whatever reason, I was busy or couldn't make it. I always thought I'd be there for the next one.

It may sound cheesy but in the end you can only have regrets. I think that the store closing also comes just in time to fuel my campaign to keep physical CDs in record stores (or stores in general). I was actually planning to talk about my #CDsNotDead campaign in a separate post but I think I'll start talking about it here.

With the store's closing came the announcement of a week long sale. Yesterday's sale was a Buy One Take One offer on shirts, CDs and vinyl. I had to make it to the shop before it closed at 11:00 PM, my shift was still at 12:00 AM. Arriving at Eastwood a little before the shop closed, I was running as fast as my short legs could carry me. Thankfully I made it, catching a couple of people who worked at Accenture grab a couple of band shirts.

If you have been following my posts on the blog and my social media accounts, you may have noticed that I still buy CDs (yes, Spotify may have it's advantages but I still prefer a physical CD) and my humble collection has been growing steadily. So it was a no brainier to grab as many CDs as I can right? In the words of the kuya watching over the store: "Kayo lang namakyaw ng CDs" 

So here is my Farewell Built By Sonic Haul (Remember its Buy One Take One)

Foreign CDs at P495.00

Taking Back Sunday - Happiness Is
New Found Glory - Resurrection
The Used - Imaginary Enemy
The Used - Vulnerable (II) (2 CDs)

Local CDs at P195.00

Urbandub - The Apparition
<S>andwich - Five On The Floor
<S>andwich - Fat, Salt and Flame
Clara Benin - Human Eyes

I think I just added another pile to my CD collection. :)

"Kuya, anong mangyayari sa Sunday?" I asked, referring to the last day that the store would be open. "Mag-iiyakan siguro" the young kid watching over the store said, he was probably still in College. He then proceeded to tell me that the different Street Teams would probably be swinging by. Whatever they were going to have in store, I'm sure it's going to be a heart-wrenching Sunday, we have a Baptism and Birthday coverage on that day, so I'm not sure if we can drop by.

I suddenly remembered that there was also a 3 Stars and a Sun store, just right in front of the Built By Sonic shop, they sold vinly records there but sadly, by the time I got my Motorino the store was already closed. :(

I grew up having little to no extra money to buy the things that I wanted. It was only after a few years working and making my own money that I got to indulge in my hobbies (music, movies, books). There are a great number of people (the majority perhaps) who would want to save a few bucks and would rather download songs through the Internet or now, just stream through Spotify, but there are still a few people like me, who want to give back to the artist and to give them their due. Shops like Built By Sonic helped make that possible, by patronizing original band merchandise.

Hey! I pay for my Spotify premium! 

Yes - you may be paying for your Spotify premium but how much of that goes back to the artist? After all the deductions with the big corporations, record labels, etc. whatever goes back to the artist is practically barya (change). So yes, I'd still rather purchase a physical CD - thank you!

Rumors are going around that Built By Sonic may become an online store, this of course is still unconfirmed news. You might have been able to tell that I'm a bit old school, so yes, it's still a different feeling going through a store's doors and making your purchase over the counter, rather than doing it after a series of clicks and waiting for your item to be shipped to your doorstep. 

I can't speak for the community which the store has been able to build over the five years that they have been operating, I think that would be reserved for their regular customers and to those part of the Street Teams of the bands that the stop has been able to organize shows and concerts for. I'm merely speaking from an outsider's perspective. A music lover who regrets not being in the store, as often as I would have wanted.

Yes- there are regrets but I refuse for that to be the last feeling that I have toward the store, I would rather it be admiration and I would rather think of the store as a brother-in-arms in this fight to give music the love and respect it deserves. After all, we have a lot of things in common, we're both small but terrible, a small shop with a big sound.

I won't say good bye, but merely, take your well deserved bow, in front of cheers and flowers from your fans and admirers. We may see you again, as a different incarnation of your former self, perhaps an online store but whatever form you may take in the future, I will always see that small corner by the parking lot as the small shop with a big sound. God knows- I'll still be passing through that route for another 5 or so years.

*There are still CDs and of course band merch left in the store, I'd pass by this week if I were you. It would be hard to have just regrets in the end.*

Satchmi: Vinyl Cafe

I guess I unconsciously started collecting CDs last year- when we began to cover album launches for Odyssey. Some of my favorite foreign artists released new albums last year so buying them at the album launches seemed like the most natural thing to do. I also started getting getting copies of albums and DVDs of my favorite Japanese artists. :) Of course since we also cover and feature local artists on the blog, I started getting CDs - albums and EPs of local artists and doing reviews on the blog, and before I knew it my collection started to grow. Before I used to just sync the songs from the CDs to my iTunes but now I have started to rediscover the joy and pleasure of placing a CD in the CD player and just enjoying the quality of the sound that comes out- of course the songs and the music too! I guess I'm slowly starting to evolve into an audiophile and I'm starting to be more conscious about the quality of sound and music.

I have now recognized that I am collecting CDs and that I have become more conscious of the quality of the music that I listen to (no tunog lata speakers for me) and I guess in this quest and in my growing collection I have come to realize that a music collection will only be complete with the accumulation of a record player and vinyls!

Which has led me to the Vinyl Cafe - Satchmi! They're not really a Vinyl Cafe per say, they don't even call themselves that- it's just me since they also serve coffee ^_^

 I've actually been seeing a lot of posts about Satchmi, unfortunately I missed a show that was held there, Reese and Vica (who I have featured on the blog) performed. Located at SM Megamall's Fashion Hall, it's really the ideal place for music lovers to hang out. Aside from the vinyl, there are a lot of different things to check out - most importantly I think, there is even a listening room where you can listen to vinyls!


It is in Satchmi that I have discovered The Motorino.

As seen on their website The Motorino is an affordable turn table that was specifically designed for the amateur music enthusiast. It is the perfect introduction to the world of music. 

The Motorino II - Ivory

FEATURES:
Louder and Better Speakers
Easily Portable
USB Connectivity
Moving Magnet
Vinyl to MP3 Converter
RCA Output
Longer battery life

This is definitely something for the music collector in me :) I might not be able to buy it right away, what with car payments, insurance and daily bills to pay but who knows maybe, I might be able to save up for it and get one soon! I can't wait to start expanding my collection.

In the mean time, hanging out at Satchmi will definitely be an inspiration and will help me with my love of music ^_^ and my slow yet sure conversion into an audiophile. It will also definitely inspire me to work hard and save more for my own Motorino and finally start collecting records :) 

I can't wait to have my own Motorino and start collecting vinyls - maybe it could be a new addition to the blog eh? 

Click HERE for MORE PHOTOS!