Music: A great night for OPM: Jack Daniel's Future Legends Indie Fest

Jensen and The Flips 

"Hindi natin keilangan ng foreign band para mapuno ang Circuit Makati!" 

("We don't need a foreign act to fill Circuit Makati!" Jensen Gomez of Jensen and the Flips told the crowd of about 5,000 in attendance as he and his crew, dressed in their signature neckties and white polo got the crowd singing and dancing to their signature sexy songs. This was at approximately 9:00 PM in the evening. By this time, already half of the more than thirty bands scheduled to perform on 3 different stages were already done with their sets and yet the night was still young and there was still more awesome music ahead.

About five hours earlier we left the house hoping to catch B.P. Valenzuela's set, unfortunately we didn't count on the Saturday traffic plus getting caught in the route of a Santa Cruzan when we were already in Makati. By the time we were already pulling up in the parking lot at Circuit Makati Tom's Story was already playing, Paul let out a pretty dramatic "dammit" -you see he loves the band with a passion, but what are you going to do right?

By the time we already claimed our passes, Mad Hatter Day was already playing, we  were held up in line because they wouldn't let my 19 year old brother in. His School ID did not have a birth date and the people on the gate wouldn't believe that he was already 19. Would you believe that I'm already turning 30 in June? I know, I can still pass for a 15 year old :P (so you see, it runs in our family) I understand that the staff was taking extra precautions at the event, at the wake of the Closeup Forever Summer incident guests were asked to sign waivers upon entering, bags were thoroughly searched and bringing in of food and beverage was strictly prohibited.

The Crowd Dancing to Tandems '91

It was a good thing that the supervisor was super chill and even if I was already getting impatient, we were already missing out on Mad Hatter Day's much awaited comeback, we were able to resolve the issue (they let my brother go through) without me blowing my top. Take note, next time bring a birth certificate or take a photo of it or get a government ID.

With that incident over and done with, we made our way around the huge concert grounds, thank God it did not rain! There were three stages set up with a number of different bands and artists from different genres were set to perform. So we were literally running from one stage to another to catch our favorite acts perform. Paul was on photographer mode and sniping away while I had my siblings and our cousin in tow.

I loved Reese Lansangan's remix for her song "Bleed" which she talks about in our short interview with her here. My brother was gushing behind me - "they play her songs on etc!" he told me. He had a fanboy moment when I introduced him to Reese when we ran into her that night.

Actually, I have a draft for that already but I haven't gotten to writing it yet. (etc features local artists for summer campaign) I hope I get to finish that write up soon!

We've been loving Oh, Flamingo! for sometime now and I'm really happy we were able to see them perform live (after a long time!) the young musicians have a casual unpretentious charm which translates to their music. The crowd was singing and dancing as well. Looking forward to more songs from them. We'd definitely get our hands on an album. :)

Farewell, Fair Weather 

Tandems '91, who we last saw in last year's Vinly Day ingeniously included some iconic Filipino songs in their set such as Hagibis' "Katwan" in their set, that was a nice nod to OPM!

Paul was more than happy to capture Tonight We Sleep whom he has been a big fan of for a long time. He was like a boy on Christmas morning, taking photos of the band as he sang their songs.

I would have to say that Farewell Fair Weather is my new favorite Indie band and I'm looking forward to hearing more of their music and seeing them perform live again. :)

When Autotelic took the stage - Wow! The crowd just got up and was dancing to their songs, my sister told me "They're all singing! (the crowd)" which is really overwhelming considering you would only see that kind of reaction from foreign acts but now even an Indie band can draw that from the crowd.

The crowd goes wild for Autotelic 

Here's a thought. Up Dharma Down 's "Oo" came out TWELVE years ago!

A funny memory about the song is that I actually caught my baby sister crushing on her friend when I noticed she was singing the song, a little too emotionally. It's something that we tease her about to this day when it comes up. So imagine the fun my brother and I had, ganging up on her when the song was performed live.

During their set at Jack Daniel's Future Legends INDIEFEST the band remembered their early years when "only five people would watch them in Saguijo" and now they fill events with crowds eager to hear their music.

Continue supporting local talent, you never know when your new favorite Indie band will be able to fill up concert venues on their own. Indeed, it is a good time for OPM when, bar gigs are frequently happening, EP/Album and MV launches are a common event. Sometimes gigs and shows happen at the same time, only a Kagebunshin technique would get us to all the events.

As a music enthusiast, I appreciate and am happy for brands like Jack Daniel's who believe in supporting homegrown local talent. Kudos to you! Cheers! (Slugs down a shot of Jack Daniel's) :P

Armi Millare of Up Dharma Down 

Aside from the awesome bands performing there was also so much to see and do at the event, there was an an awesome display of Harley Davidson motorcycles as well as their proud riders.

"It's just like 'Sons of Anarchy'!" my sister excitedly told me.

There was a photobooth where we had some pictures taken. There was also a number of various booths were you can check out band merchandise and even free stickers from The Yellow Room booth! (Hola!).

Winners of awesome prizes (mountain bikes, Gibson Les Paul guitars and a freaking Harley Davidson motorcycle) were given away that night. Congratulations to the winners! Those guitars tho! T_T

The  event culminated with Brain Salad which is made up of members of Wolfgang and Razorback and was conceived 15 years ago in what is described to be as "usapang lasing". 

Basti Artadi of Brain Salad. 

The legendary group is composed of Basti Artardi, David Aguirre, Louie Talan and Brian Velasco. 

It was indeed a great night for OPM, as a crowd of over 5,000 people gathered to hear up and coming acts and established artists. There was a lot of singing, dancing and good clean fun. The event's hashtag #WeAreIndiesTogether was creatively crafted as it calls to everyone to come together to celebrate and enjoy music. Our very own music, something we can truly call our own.

Click HERE for MORE PHOTOS! 

     

CIRCA: Skylight EP Review

Phew! I have so much pending album/EP Reviews! Movies have pretty much kept me busy for 2015 so now will try my best to get right back on it. Let's start with CIRCA's Skylight EP.

To me, CIRCA will always be one of those underrated bands who deserve more air plays and should get to play more shows. They are one of the few 'good old' pop-rock bands still belting out well written, electric guitar based songs. None of the 'sync and tech' depended songs that seem to be popular these days.

We have been following the band for some time now and are always pleased when they are in a line up in a gig we're watching.

Their EP Skylight which was released mid-2015 (yes, unfortunately, this EP review is very late) is a gem, with its 5 tracks of both English and Tagalog songs. As I've mentioned before, I always admire bands and/or acts that can write songs in both languages and Circa is one of those bands, and can do it well, might I add.

CIRCA during their Habang Buhay Music Video Launch. 

Although, most of their songs are in Tagalog and are about love and relationships, its not how most people would associate Tagalog love songs to be. Their songs have a pop-rock edge and sound which makes them a crowd favorite. 

Hoping that the band will come out with new material soon as they seem to be 'quiet' right now. 

For those of you who are curious, you can actually stream the EP on Spotify but if you want to support the band (more), you can check out their management The Yellow Room Music Philippines on how to get physical copies of the EP. :) 

You can also check out some of their music videos online: 

Huling Pag-ibig 

Habang Buhay 

Tonight 

*Habang Buhay is a definite favorite and I recommend it! All songs are in the EP :)   

A Night of Comebacks: Paramore Night 16

It was nice to come back to where it all began, 2 years ago on Paramore Night 3 was actually our first time to cover a local gig. Needless to say I'm a big Paramore fan and through the magic that was Social Media I got invited to the event. We came to enjoy a night of Paramore songs but came out falling in love with OPM. Two years and countless of local gigs later we went back to cover Paramore Night 16, I say come back because we've been absent for the last few Paramore Nights due to work schedules and what not so it was like a homecoming of sorts really. It was nice to see old faces and say hi to old friends. 

It wasn't just Team PCheng who had a comeback on Paramore Night 16, local band favorites Mad Hatter Day and Circa both just came back from hiatus and performed to happy fans, who were glad that they were back. 

On Sunday the next day, Mad Hatter Day teased fans with photos and posts on social media of the band going in the studio (The Yellow Room Recording Studio - in Ortigas) to record music. It's good knowing that this talented group is back to doing what they do best which is to kill at live shows and create awesome music - can't wait to see and hear what they have in store! 

Paramore Night 16 was also special since Circa released their EP Skylights I got a copy and I loved it! Will he posting an EP review soon. You can also listen and get a copy of their EP on Spotofy, iTunes and Deezer. 

When we go out on gigs, we love discovering new bands and for this particularl gig we were really impressed by Inday Bote. Their vocalist had an impressive voice and their songs were well written. Will definitely look out for this band. 

Mayonnaise performed last and the crowd loved them, I think that they have a new secret weapon and no, it's not front man Monty Macalino's wit and charm since that has long been in the band's arsenal. Their secret weapon? Guitarist and Vocalist Maan Furio who sang the Paramore covers for the band. She's so cute with her glasses and shy demeanor you can just put her in your bag and judging by the way fans lined up for a photo op with her after their set I can see that they loved her too. 

The highlight of the evening was when The Used In Manila tickets were raffled off. I almost won though since our number was just one less than the lucky number that was drawn :( So yeah cue in the tears. 

Although we didn't score the tickets it was still an awesome night of music and seeing friends. It was a homecoming for many and I hope that we wouldn't have to wait too long for the next one. 

Click here for more photos.