Horsing around
went out by my lonesome last friday night, as i had a job to do. My destination that night was a bit too extreme for nel who promptly requested to stay home, and my best friend backed out earlier. so i was left to observe the Red Horse Muziklaban elims at Mayric's. Last time i went to Mayric's the band was advent call and the beer was around 15 pesos a bottle. and those were the bad times.
I arrived a bit before nine, and the place was already filled. it doesn't take much to book the entire bar, as it was one of the smallest functioning bars in Manila, but i think they did manage to pack in more people that night. My ID worked wonders as i managed to part the crowd and seat myself near the judges' table. Turned out that one of the judges was a good friend of mine from the production days. Finagled a couple of glasses of red horse (courtesy of the company of course) and proceeded to watch the show in relative peace. I didn't want to disturb the judges so much but i couldn't help making comments when they do say something.
Each band was supposed to sing 2 original songs and one cover, so imagine my delight when one of the bands ended their gig with a stunningly accurate rendition of "highway star." i hoped this was a sign of things to come. well, some bands came in with their best impressions of system of a down and korn, but i guess it would've been better if them simply came as themselves. the pro-feu crowd was in a bit of a pop-rock mood anyhow.
it would've been lovely if i took decent pictures but motorola phones are notoriously grainy so despite a built-in camera light, i ended up with a bunch of crap photos, even if the bouncers were helping me get the best possible view.
the last band, Crossed Fingers, was the only one who featured a female vocalist, and this one was a bit cute on the small side. her vocal range and the band's lyrics were pre-cut to pop standards so i take in they have a good chance of getting in.
Five glasses and 10 bands later, Crossed fingers did manage to rake in top prize and thump the rest of their long-haired contemporaries. They managed to offend the least in terms of pop sensibilities and they were great in egging the crowd, so technically they deserved the win. Dylan the host managed to finish her spiel despite being pretty sloshed up so all that's left was for the guest band to come on stage.
And they did. Kamikazee turned the whole place upside down with their powerful songs and wonderful stage presence. Jay the lead hammed it up all the way to the end and made believers out of everybody, including the ultra-cynical yours truly. Horseplay ensued and we all left a bit sweatier than usual from slamming.
Pinoybands truly rock, and i'll definitely be there on the next Manila leg, unless i get fortunate enough to accompany the rest of the Muziklaban group to an out-of-town gig.
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postscript: i just realized that the motorola camera worked fine, but i inadvertently left the settings at portrait view, hence the crappy long shots. i should really learn to read the manual...
I arrived a bit before nine, and the place was already filled. it doesn't take much to book the entire bar, as it was one of the smallest functioning bars in Manila, but i think they did manage to pack in more people that night. My ID worked wonders as i managed to part the crowd and seat myself near the judges' table. Turned out that one of the judges was a good friend of mine from the production days. Finagled a couple of glasses of red horse (courtesy of the company of course) and proceeded to watch the show in relative peace. I didn't want to disturb the judges so much but i couldn't help making comments when they do say something.
Each band was supposed to sing 2 original songs and one cover, so imagine my delight when one of the bands ended their gig with a stunningly accurate rendition of "highway star." i hoped this was a sign of things to come. well, some bands came in with their best impressions of system of a down and korn, but i guess it would've been better if them simply came as themselves. the pro-feu crowd was in a bit of a pop-rock mood anyhow.
it would've been lovely if i took decent pictures but motorola phones are notoriously grainy so despite a built-in camera light, i ended up with a bunch of crap photos, even if the bouncers were helping me get the best possible view.
the last band, Crossed Fingers, was the only one who featured a female vocalist, and this one was a bit cute on the small side. her vocal range and the band's lyrics were pre-cut to pop standards so i take in they have a good chance of getting in. Five glasses and 10 bands later, Crossed fingers did manage to rake in top prize and thump the rest of their long-haired contemporaries. They managed to offend the least in terms of pop sensibilities and they were great in egging the crowd, so technically they deserved the win. Dylan the host managed to finish her spiel despite being pretty sloshed up so all that's left was for the guest band to come on stage.
And they did. Kamikazee turned the whole place upside down with their powerful songs and wonderful stage presence. Jay the lead hammed it up all the way to the end and made believers out of everybody, including the ultra-cynical yours truly. Horseplay ensued and we all left a bit sweatier than usual from slamming.
Pinoybands truly rock, and i'll definitely be there on the next Manila leg, unless i get fortunate enough to accompany the rest of the Muziklaban group to an out-of-town gig.
---
postscript: i just realized that the motorola camera worked fine, but i inadvertently left the settings at portrait view, hence the crappy long shots. i should really learn to read the manual...
Comments
Jay is HILARIOUS! I love their music videos, Martyr Nyebera.
Bow.
good luck and tell if you're going, i'll see you there.