Drip, Live

Drip on YouTube. Oh, yes. This is a live performance of "Swanker," filmed, apparently, during one of the SweetSpot production nights. Watch gorgeous, dangerous vocalist Beng Calma do her thing! Watch brothers-in-electronica Ian and Malek execute a synchronized dance routine complete with handclaps and high fives! (Kidding.) Just watch.

Exhibit Opens

Yes -- "Strange Maps" is now open! Lala spent two days setting up, aided by myself, her hubby-to-be Karlo, and, briefly, Kuya Che and my sis-in-law Sarah, and especially boy scout JB Cada, without whom I don't know how we could have completed the setup in time. Take a bow, Jabes.



Truckloads of thanks to everyone who went to the opening last Tuesday night, including Yvette my love, our very first guest; my Mom and my sister Marien; all the Gallardos and their friends; Fran, Terry (and Terry's Mom), Therese; Jovan, Conch, Pats and Bliss; JB, Steph, Anton, Dex, Jep, Miko; Erwin, Ramon, Neva, Cris; Joelle and Mikah, Jewel and Jon, Bernie and Marcus; and everyone else!



The show got lots of great feedback from everyone. Bernie said some very nice things about it to me when we were standing outside SaGuijo; I hope it's not just because she was tipsy. ;) Nico of 27+20 liked it a lot too. To those of you who haven't seen the show yet, please drop by. It'll be on display in SaGuijo til March 17. :)

Photos from Lala's LJ -- I would link to the entry, but it's locked.

Strange Maps: an exhibit by Lala Gallardo and Luis Katigbak

It all started when I attended the Graphika Manila conference last December with my friend, visual artist Lala Gallardo. (Lala's an immensely talented young artist who's had a bunch of solo and group exhibits, at places like the CCP, Big Sky Mind, Store for All Seasons, and Chunky Far Flung Gallery in Cubao.) When we were taking a short break from the lectures, she suggested that we work on an exhibit that would combine her images with my words.

I ended up writing ten very short pieces of prose, which Lala is incorporating into ten works of mixed-media art. Some themes emerged in the process: distances and how we deal with them, the relationships between people and places, the faint yet constant yearning for elsewhere. “Strange Maps” seemed an appropriate title.


Photo by Joelle Jacinto. Thanks Joelle!

We'd like to invite you all to the opening at the second floor gallery of SaGuijo next Tuesday, February 27, 7 PM! By a wonderful coincidence, a Play4Serve production is scheduled for that same night, and the lineup is killer: Sandwich, Imago, Daydream Cycle, Teeth, Pedicab, Vin Dancel's new band Peryodiko, and this new all-girl supergroup called Duster which I'm very excited about, which counts among its members Katwo of Narda, Kris of Cambio, and Myrene of Sandwich/Imago! Hoo boy. Also, according to Cris Ramos, The Bitter Pill will be playing too, for the first time in far too long a time.

So, go to the exhibit opening at 7 PM, then head on down for the gig afterwards. :) Sounds like a great night out to me. Hope to see you there!

The Sad Story of Thurber the Hamster

"So after wanting a hamster for months and buying books on hamster care and lurking on hamster owner online communities and message boards and occasionally dressing up like a hamster and roaming the streets of Makati while making loud squeaking sounds (okay, that last bit may be untrue) -- I finally did it. I got a hamster." (Read the rest here.)

The hamster in the picture isn't Thurber, by the way, though it does look a lot like him -- I just found the image on flickr. Can't post any pix or videos of Thurber yet, as my main camera these days is my cellphone, and Nokia, in its infinite wisdom, has chosen NOT to include a USB cord or any sort of way for me to connect it to my PC with its packaging. It has to be bought separately. And it's not cheap. Bastards.

"I started musing philosophically about how much there was to learn from Billy's simple life. All he did was eat, sleep, run in his wheel, and amass a pile of worthless seeds. Yet that was all it took to make him happy. If only my own life could be like that, I said to myself. Then I realized... hey, my own life IS like that. It doesn't do to think deep thoughts about hamsters." ~ from the excellent Hamster Tales

What to Do with $16,999.95

The Levitating Hover Scooter. I want one.

It's "a miniature flying saucer with handlebars." The hover scooter "provides an unprecedented experience in personal transportation, levitating inches above the ground and speeding a single rider across level land on a cushion of air... Learning to ride the scooter takes less than five minutes, and no previous skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, or other experience is required... The hovering scooter deftly glides over level, solid ground such as concrete, asphalt, or well-groomed grass, free of debris, sand, stones, and other obstacles. It can even travel up minor inclines."

I want everyone in my barkada to get one too. Then we'll find a wide open space and play Hover Scooter Ultimate Frisbee.

Mekanda Robo: TRY ATTACK!!

I love giant robot cartoon opening themes. And even though I used to hate giant robot cartoon closing themes as a kid, I grew to love them too. That is pretty much the extent of my maturation process. Anyway, I was running searches on all those giant robots of my youth ("Giant Robots of My Youth" -- what a great title for something. I call dibs), and I found this, which I wish to share with you. It is a thing of beauty. It is the Mekanda Robo opening sequence.

Mekanda Robo was one of those B-list robots that never achieved the popularity here that, say, Voltes V or Mazinger Z or even Daimos did. But man, check out that opener. First of all, the song is insanely catchy, and gloriously silly: "Mekanda Mekanda Mekanda Robo! TRY ATTACK!!" It gets even better during the volt-in sequence: "Mekanda ONE! Mekanda TWO! Mekanda THREEE!!" Thrilling!

And DUDE. The ASS-KICKING. Mekanda Robo will FUCK YOUR SHIT UP. Did you see what he did to that first monster? First he tears out its guts using his spiked shields, and then he slams the shield-spikes together on the monster's head and then he tears him in half with the blade-edges of his twin shields. Fuuuuuccckk.

The second opponent -- some stupid-looking piece of crap with antlers -- gets it worse, if that's even possible. First it gets the back of its head torn open by a kick -- a kick so lightly tossed off that it oozes contempt -- and then, when it tries to fight back using its ultimate technique (spinning like a saw blade), Mekanda just flash-fries it in mid-air with his chest flame throwers. Chest. Flame. Throwers. And then finishes it off by doing a cute little flip and launching a missile from his foot. A missile shaped like a shark. Holy crap. And then KABOOOM, that's all she wrote.

Mekanda Robo. Just one of the many reasons why I'm so well-adjusted today.

New BURN

Wahoo! The new issue of BURN is out! It's got features on AMPON, John Mayer, Jeepney Joyride, D'Sound, Callalily, Sponge Cola, and (best of all, he he) Drip, among many others. There's a fashion feature starring five kick-ass bassists: Lalay Lim, Myrene Academia, Kelvin Yu, Allen Umali and 'Nin-Yo!' Avenido. Since it's a Jan-Feb ish, there's also a Valentine section of sorts called "Babysitting the Brokenhearted" (check out my Breakup Mix). There's three excellent columns: Lourd de Veyra on the state of Pinoy rock, Quark Henares on his Top 10 Albums of the Year, and Sarah Meier on hip-hop wannabes.

Also, capoeira lessons from Myko Maca, drum lessons from Vic Mercado, a slew of reviews from my mad-skilled Review Crew (Aldus Santos, Cris Ramos Jr, Karlo Samson, JP Ong, Dodo Dayao, Lester Hallig, etc., and new reviewer Nick Azarcon)... holy crap, there's lots of stuff. And of course, as always, a FREE CD hosted by Zach Lucero with songs from Drip, Wake Up Your Seatmate, AMPON, Jeepney Joyride, and more! It's friggin' worth a measly 120 pesos. :)

Help Wanted @ PULSE.PH

Are you looking for fun? Freedom? Plenty of free time? And TRUCKLOADS OF MONEY? Yeah, me too. In the meantime, you can try working at a real job, you slacker. Pulse.ph is on the lookout for an editorial assistant. If you love music, are organized, and don't mind working with the mildly deranged, well then... good for you!

WANTED: EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

//QUALIFICATIONS

The ideal candidate for the Editorial Assistant position should be deeply interested and knowledgeable when it comes to music and other aspects of pop culture. The job requires an organized individual with excellent computer and Internet skills, as well as good interpersonal skills.

* Should be a college graduate, preferably with a degree from a Communications, Journalism or English course
* Comfortable with computers, and proficient in the use of Word, major internet browsers, media player software, and ideally Photoshop as well
* Experience in writing/editing for publications a plus
* Experience in Web production, at an Internet-related company, or an ad/PR agency a plus
* Excellent writing and editing skills, with the ability to adjust style for specific audience and situation
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work individually on a project or in a team environment

//DUTIES

The Editorial Assistant will, among other things:

* Research, develop, and write content for website/s
* Upload/ encode/ update sections for website/s
* Assist during events/shoots
* Transcribe interviews and other recorded materials accurately and swiftly
* Communicate with clients, artists, venue owners and other people on a regular basis to obtain information and materials (promotional photographs, schedules, etc.)
* Take notes during meetings and keep staff updated on deadlines and changes
* Occasionally attend and write coverage of events/concerts

Send yer resume + writing samples (if any) to luiskatigbak [at] pulse.ph

Fuck Unisilver

WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK IS UP WITH THESE UNISILVER TIME + SAM MILBY ADS?! Has anyone else experienced this? You click on a link, and instead of going to the page you expected, you get a FUCKING SAM MILBY WATCH ADVERTISEMENT. And NO, you are not whisked off to your intended destination afterwards. You have to hit the 'back' arrow -- assuming you didn't open a new tab -- and click AGAIN. FUCKERS.

I don't even own a watch and have no intention of buying one in the near future, so I'm far from the ideal target for this stupid ad. But even if I had a million bajillion pesos and was burning with an almost-sexual need to buy a watch, this ad makes me want to spend all that money on killer adamantium robots instead, who will home in on whoever thought up this campaign and torture them mercilessly for years. Money well spent if you ask me.

UPDATE: Added the graphic above, which is what the ad looks like, plus some comments by me.

Turns out I'm not alone in my annoyance. Niña commented "I know! I saw that too! It was so annoying! I thought LJ (I was replying to a comment when that happened) might have struck a deal with Sam milby, sheesh." D.B. asked "In what sites do these ads usually sprout up?"

Doesn't seem as if Unisilver has worked out a deal with any specific site; this stupid ad has attacked me while I was browsing through LiveJournal, a comics news site, a blog about the "Honey and Clover" anime series, and worst of all, my barkada's online logbook, which only members can read and post on.

Unisilver must have installed something on my PC which redirects the browser every so often to their fucking ad regardless of what you're browsing on the 'Net, and, as I mentioned before, THEY DON'T RETURN YOU TO YOUR INTENDED DESTINATION. I'm used to having to plow through ads to get to content -- hey, I read Salon -- but this is something else entirely. BASICALLY, IT'S A VIRUS.

Do any of my lawyer or techie friends have thoughts on the legal/technical iffiness of this crap?

Report on the 2006 NU107 Rock Awards

For a complete account of the 2006 NU107 Rock Awards -- winners, commentary and all -- go here! (Just scroll down.)

Work for Pulse.ph

We're looking for a MULTIMEDIA ARTIST to join our footloose and fancy free Pulse.ph crew. He/she will be:

Responsible for all the video editing requirements; responsible for all 3G videos, streaming, downloading and all other related matters; responsible for all flash animation, production & action scripting; answers to all animation/video/multimedia needs of Pulse.ph and other Web and Mobile Projects.

Graduate of Mass Communications, Graphics/Digital Design or any similar course; 3-4years work experience in multi-media authoring, well-adept in the use of the World Wide Web; Knowledgeable in current music trends & technologies; Computer literate and knowledgeable in Flash 8, Flash MX, Activscripting, XML backend integration, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere, After FX, Final Cut Pro

Don't delay! Join today! :D Email me at luiskatigbak at pulse.ph

BURN Pix at Pulse.ph

Lotsa pix (230+, with more on the way) of the big BURN concert, BURN BABY BURN, here! You shoulda been there. :)

Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

Wikipedia Brown and the Case of the Captured Koala. Hilarious stuff! But only if you grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown.

"Bugs hated being outsmarted by Wikipedia all the time. He longed to take a picture of himself with Wikipedia's hooded, naked, battered body, giving the camera a thumbs-up, like he had seen some soldiers do on the news."

Fresh BURN

Hey! The new issue of BURN magazine is available at bookstores and magazine stands now, so get yourselves a copy! As usual, we have two covers: this time, it's Bamboo and Nelly Furtado. Lots and lots of features -- Sugarfree, Hale, Imago, Narda, Julianne, Nimbus9, and others, plus reviews, columns by Lourd, Quark, and Sarah Meier, etcetera etcetera...

PLUS: a free CD as always, hosted by Zach Lucero, which this time around has tracks by Queso, Sound, Narda, Nimbus9, and even Christmas songs by Imago and Cambio! BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Like a Best of 2006 section, which covers the trends and tendencies and of course music of the past year. I am especially proud of our Top Ten Albums of 2006, which was put together by Conch, Denise, myself and our freelance reviewers. All in all, it's a ridiculously fantastic issue, and you would do well to purchase multiple copies for posterity.

And of course, I'll see you all at the big BURN concert at the SM Mall of Asia later! :D It'll start at 5PM, and roar on til midnight! Lineup below. Yay!

Radioactive Sago Project
Sitti
Orange and Lemons
Johnny Alegre
Moonstar88
Hemp Republic
Sugarfree
Callalily
Drip
Chillitees
Itchyworms
Up dharma Down
Hale
Sino Sikat?
Pupil
Imago
6cyclemind
Spy
Bamboo
Jeepney Joyride
Nyko Maca
Dice & K9 / Mobbstarr

Hello Readers

To everyone who checks out this blog (thank you thank you), please drop by the blog section at Pulse.ph too -- I've been posting there about stuff like gigs, earthquakes, presscons, music videos, etc. Eventually, we want to get the whole Pulse.ph staff (and freelancers, yay) blogging there too: Joelle Jacinto posted something about "We Are the World," Pinoy Rock style, today. :)

And please comment, if you're so inclined! Because right now, I'm not totally sure if we've configured it correctly, so that non-staffers can comment easily. It would be nice to know. :D

80s Girls

The Seven Best 80s Movie Girlfriends. Oh, Elisabeth Shue a.k.a. First Karate Kid girlfriend! And oh, Mia Sara a.k.a. Sloane Peterson from Ferris Bueller's Day Off! And speaking of Ferris Bueller's Day Off: it's one of the few movies that I would -- and did -- actually cough up money for, to get on original DVD. Result? The disc won't play on my DVD player ("No Disc," it says). Is there a lesson to be learned here? Probably not.

More 80s funniness from Cracked.com: Eight Important Lessons Learned From 80s Cartoons and The 80s Movie Montage hall of Fame.

BURN BABY BURN!

I just want to remind everyone about BURN BABY BURN: the massive concert put together by BURN magazine. It's happening this Thursday, November 23, at the Music Hall in SM Mall of Asia, and it starts at 5 PM. (Originally slated for last September 28, it was postponed when mega-typhoon Milenyo hit.)

The lineup, if I may say so, is excellent: them big rock bands like Bamboo, Itchyworms, Sugarfree, Orange and Lemons, Hale, and Imago; the sweet bossa nova of Sitti; the virtuosic (if there's such a word) musical pranksters known as the Radioactive Sago Project; reggae act Hemp Republic; jazzhound Johnny Alegre; pinoy R&B paragons Chillitees; sexycool electronica artists Drip; rock n' soul band Sino Sikat? (I hate that question mark); the electro-latin-hiphop of Nyko Maca, and lots more -- 22 artists in all. Flash a copy of BURN issue 3 (Gary V or the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the cover) or 4 (Bamboo or Nelly Furtado on the cover, out this week) to get in. See you there!

A Tune for Broken Hearts

I love XTC. They may, in fact, be my favorite band of all time. Here is an excellent feature on PopMatters, about XTC, Andy Partridge and the Fuzzy Warbles collection.

I Am a Russian Hamster

I like the bit about music especially.

What Breed of Hamster Are You?

U2 and You

Clicky clicky on the piccy piccy. :)

Also new on PULSE.PH: Kristine Lim's Top 10 Sad Bastards Who Make Sad Bastard Music. Hee hee.