Planet Markus » Music

Urbandub – First Decade | Online Concert Review

Mark Rosario — Tue, 18 May 2010 06:54:23 +0000

This week, I finally got to watch the Urbandub online concert – the first of its kind here in the Philippines. Aptly titled First Decade, this is indeed a celebration for the band’s 10th year anniversary.

Anyway, here’s what I think about the gig – and some screen shots too:

Quite appropriately, their first song was taken from their debut album. After not hearing it for some time, “Come” sounded fresh to my ears again – perhaps most especially because of the synth noises provided by IQ of Switch (which was awesome). As usual, the band is in top performance but I kinda sensed there’s something wrong with vocalist/guitarist Gabby Alipe’s voice. He just couldn’t do the chorus’ falsetto parts (the troubles of steady-gigging, no?). To his credit though, he gives it his all and does his best with what he has. Fortunately, bassist Lalay Lim’s “La-la-la-la-la” backing vocals for “Gravity” saves the day, melts my soul and sends me to outer space. Hahahah! I just love her voice.

“Guillotine” was also awesome. I really like how the band grooves and dances with their instruments (with the exception for drummer Janjan Mendoza, of course) when playing this song. Its always fun to watch. They’ve really come up with a unique sound for this song and its obvious they enjoy playing it live.

“A New Tattoo” was quite a surprise as Gabby loses the guitar (plus the band) and he’s just left on the stage with a microphone and the Manila String Machine backing him up. Its a cool rendition of the song. I’m hoping they’d release a recorded version for this one. And hey, Gabs! Do something about that posture and lose that beer belly hahaha! Kidding, of course.

“First of Summer” remains to be the crowd favorite. After all, this is the song that put the band on the map, so to speak. Guitarist John Dinopol always flies as high as he can each time they play this song and you can count on him to do that again.

Now I always find “Evidence” to be mesmerizing. It surely amazes me how this band can rock it out real hard one minute and then easily slide into a more relaxing number such as this one.

The show then ends with “Stars and The Sun.” I’m guessing this will be their next single.

All in all, Urbandub First Decade was a fine viewing experience for me. They’re really a great live act, technical and performance wise, and its a treat that the sound system is really awesome. You can clearly hear every instrument.

Urbandub First Decade offers you three options when viewing this online gig, by the way. There’s the Standard, the HD and the MultiCam (where you get to choose from four different camera angles). Problem is my slow PC wasn’t cooperating quite well with the MultiCam feature so I settled for the other versions instead. Its still worth it, mind you.

Go to Pelicola.tv for more details about how you can also watch the gig. And yeah! Thanks to Rockerfem.com for my free Concert Passkey

Urbandub Plays Bangus Festival 2010

Mark Rosario — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 13:04:13 +0000

Nice! One of my favorite Pinoy rock bands are coming over here at Dagupan City for this year’s Bangus Festival street party.

I’ve been an Urbandub fan for sometime but this is just the first time I’ll get to watch them perform. Needless to say, I’m really super excited! They’ve got a reputation for being an intense live act and their gigs are always the best – check out some clips at YouTube just in case you doubt that.

Anyway, I’m hoping to get my Apparition CD signed by the band. Wish me luck, guys!

Francis Magalona Tribute

Mark Rosario — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:25:25 +0000

I got surprised when I started hearing about an Eat Bulaga TV ad for an upcoming Francis Magalona tribute episode the past week. Time flies too fast and I didn’t notice its already been one whole year ago when the Master Rapper returned to his Master.

Countless Pinoy artists have been paying tribute to this great man since then and I am just awed with what they come up. Here are some of the most unique and most amazing Francis Magalona tribute pieces I’ve seen online these past 12 months.

This is FrancisM Tribute by Dexter of DeviantArt. I instantly feel in love with the piece. It became my desktop wallpaper not just for days and weeks but for several months.

When I wanted to write an entry about Kiko’s passing, this was the tribute image I decided to use. I liked it so much and thankfully, artist Jannus Llaneta was cool about it and gave consent. This remains as one of my top favorites. For me, this captures not only his love for the country but also his courage in facing the Big C.

Featuring the infamous Three Stars and a Sun logo plus Kiko’s Happy Battle era image, I’m guessing your reaction as you saw this was the same as mine – “Wow, that’s cool! I want one!” Ayin Gurling customized this using fabric paint and permanent markers… Really awesome!

This one’s inspired by one of my favorite songs from Francis – Cold Summer Nights, just in case you missed it. Its a cool wall vinyl created by another DeviantArt user who calls himself Supermanisback.

As the image indicates, this one’s by Edgar Tadeo and was done way back 2005. For those wondering, Francis once had an album called The Oddventures of Mr. Cool. On top of that, Kiko is also a huge comics fan himself so an Iceman caricature is simply appropriate.

Speaking of comics, here’s a panel from the pages of X-Men Legacy #266, also inked by Edgar Tadeo.Of course, this isn’t the first time the FMCC logo appeared on a Marvel title. Super star artist Leinil Yu also managed to insert it at other books such as Ultimate Wolverine Vs. Hulk plus the best selling Secret Invasion. Any DC sightings I might’ve missed, guys? Post it on the comment section below, just in case. I’m really not aware if there’s one.

Now to cap it off, here’s a heart-warming video from Perf De Castro, a friend and frequent collaborator of Francis M himself which he recorded just a few hours after hearing about Francis’ passing. This almost drove me to tears. The emotion’s there as he plays the entire song. After watching this, I think I now know better what it means when they say “play it with feelings”.. Thanks for sharing this powerful piece with us, Perf.

Supermanisback – Cold Summer Nights (wall vinyl)

http://supermanisback.deviantart.com/art/Cold-Summer-Nights-Wall-Vinyl-117838932

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

Mark Rosario — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:50:48 +0000

After 5 years of waiting, Gorillaz finally announces a new album. Plastic Beach, their third studio effort, is set to hit the market by 09 March 2010.

Cant wait for it?.. That’s not a problem at all. Head over to NPR.org now and listen to the whole album for free.

Yep, you read that right, the whole album! Not just a few tracks or a few-second snippets but all the 16 tracks of Plastic Beach. Go click the link now. The album’s available there for just a week so don’t delay, my friend. Just don’t forget to come back here and tell me your thoughts about it, ‘kay?… Okay.

As for me, I noticed Gorillaz relied more on their hiphop and electronic influences than their alternative roots for this album. So more synthesizers and rhymes than guitars for the band this time around. Expect to hear tons of guest artists throughout Plastic Beach too (Snoop Dogg and the likes).

This is a cool Gorillaz album and could provide some good background music for me as I do my work. I’d have to admit that “On Melancholy Hill” stands out pretty well among the other tracks though. But don’t let the sad title deceive you. This one’s a really bouncy song. It takes me back to the 80’s for some reason. Haha!

And before I forget, carrier single “Stylo” features Bruce Willis on the video, yes. So go ahead and check out Plastic Beach now. You know you want to. Who doesn’t love the Gorillaz anyway?

Viva La Revolucion

Mark Rosario — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:07:12 +0000

If you love watching indie bands and you happen to be here at Pangasinan, you might want to drop by at Urdaneta City this coming Saturday for the Viva La Revolucion concert.

The poster here has the details about where and when will this happen (plus the name of the participating bands) so if you have the time – and some fifty bucks on your pocket- you might want to check this out.

Actually, this is a shameless plug since our new band, Fireside, has been invited to play as well. Yep, we’re pretty excited to rock it out.

Maybe I’ll show you some pics and/or videos of the gig just in case we get to bring a camera along.

So hope to see you there, guys… Raise your fist and support the scene!

Soundgarden Announces 2010 Reunion

Mark Rosario — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:21:35 +0000

I was 15 when I discovered Soundgarden. I’d say I instantly fell in love with the band and immediately wanted to hear their songs over and over. I have clear memories of walking into a record bar to buy Superunknown (where I previously saw it) and the saleslady told me they’ve ran out of copies already. I insisted I saw the album there just days before and asked her to look for it in their stocks perhaps. So the girl disappeared for a few minutes and, to my delight, came back with a cassette tape in hand – yep, this was long before the days of CDs and MP3s, haha!. The tape’s case had a prominent crack in front and they were hesitant to sell it to me – but heck, I didn’t mind! For me, my mission was accomplished and I happily went home.

Imagine my horror when a few months shortly after that, my bestfriend showed me a magazine announcing Soundgarden has just disbanded. It was really a sad day for me to know that they won’t be making music together as a band.

Now imagine my delight when rumors about an upcoming Soundgarden reunion has recently been announced and confirmed – by no less than Chris Cornell himself! Cornell’s latest Twitter post plainly stated “The 12 year break is over & school is back in session. Sign up now. Knights of the Soundtable ride again!” and then left a link that lead to SoundGardenWorld.com.

WOW! Finally! What a way to start the year! I am getting too excited for this. Of course, being from a far country, I may not be able to catch them on tour once they go for it. But still, I am anxiously anticipating to hear some new music from the guys. I really wouldn’t mind walking at a record store once more to buy a new Soundgarden album.

“Feel the rhythm with your hands, steal the rhythm while you can”
- Spoonman (Superunknown, March 1994)

The Dangerous Pedicab Band Toy Launch

Mark Rosario — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:00:11 +0000

The poster pretty much says it all.

So if you love Pedicab or you love toys – or better yet, you love both Pedicab and toys – then it’s the perfect time to drop by at Sputnik this coming December 16.

Hhmm.. It’s really starting to look like Sputnik has the coolest events lately. So be there, kids.

Darn, I wish I could go but that’s impossible.

Gorillaz Meets Alan Moore

Mark Rosario — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 03:15:58 +0000

It was Gorillaz day yesterday – well, at least for me, that is. I suddenly missed the band and so I listened to Demon Days the entire day, changed my desktop wallpaper and then watched several live performances and interviews via YouTube. Lastly, yep you guessed it right – I made some random search on the web as well.

And hey, guess what I found? It looks like fans of the virtual band should brace themselves as Gorillaz founders Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett recently announced that they’d be having an upcoming project with comics legend Alan Moore.

Moore confirmed through AllVoices.com that he will be writing the lyrics for the band’s “next opera.”

At the same time, the Gorillaz will be participating for Moore’s current project, Dodgem Logic. The renowned writer said “[For the third issue] we’ve hopefully got Gorillaz onboard… Being an opportunist, I asked them… to contribute some pages to Dodgem Logic.”

What more can I say but “wow”?

So wow.

It’s always cool when music and comics collide.

Now I can’t help but keep my eyes peeled for this.

Higante Music Video | Francis Magalona and Ely Buendia

Mark Rosario — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:50:07 +0000

Have you heard Francis Magalona and Ely Buendia’s new song? I do hope you have. Two weeks ago I’ve posted about the premiere of “Higante” and now it looks like the two Pinoy music icons are back for more – they’ve just released a new music video together!

I saw it last night on YouTube and, being a fan of the two, its really a joy seeing them both again. The song’s got a positive message and I really love it.

What’s next after this?.. Well, Ely announces on Twitter that their Sickos Project album (entitled “In Love And War”) will be released on October 4 – Francis M’s birthday. That’s fun! Gotta grab that one.

For now, here goes a few screen shots from the music video. Enjoy!

Higante | New Song by Francis Magalona and Ely Buendia

Mark Rosario — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:12:00 +0000

These are days I am just thankful there’s Twitter! Last night, Ely Buendia just announced through his account that a new song entitled “Higante” by The Sickos Project will be aired at radio stations later at 7pm.

What’s The Sickos Project you ask? That’s the name of Buendia’s side-project, collaboration with longtime-friend Francis Magalona. They’ve started recording some new songs together months before Francis M passed away. After that, Ely carried on and worked on the rest of the songs along with other collaborators. Now the first single will be officially released! I’m excited, of course.

Anyway, Ely Buendia’s exact tweet goes like -this:

“Tune in to your favorite radio station tomorrow at 7pm for the premiere of HIGANTE by Francism and Ely Buendia”

He also added:

“A safe bet would be the rock stations.”

This isn’t the first time, by the way, that these two respected artists collaborated. I think the first one was 13 years ago with the punk-alternative track “Unstrung Heroes” from Francis M’s Happy Battle album.

I’m really, really looking forward to hearing the song. I’m gonna tune in tonight at NU107 through ERadioPortal.com so I could hear it.

* Photo grabbed from francismagalona.multiply.com. It was their historic last public performance together at Eat Bulaga.

UPDATE (Sep 22, 2009): They’ve finally released a new music video for the single. Here goes a few screen shots of that vid.