It’s odd that none of the other Lilystars kids are going to this gig. Oh, well. I’m sure I’ll run into plenty of other people I know. Where there is a Tahiti 80 gig, there will certainly be many very familiar faces.

This Little Pig Went Oui, Oui, Oui: the springy little piggy that held on to my Tahiti 80 ticket right where I could always see it.

TGIF!

October 21, Friday, 9:30 am: “I think I got food poisoning…?”, “I’m hosting a dinner in… Antipolo?”, “I’m picking up my brother who’s arriving from Tahiti…?”, “The dog ate my presentation…?”, “The zombies ate my brains…?” Lame excuse #78 & counting. It’s Friday & I’ll be lucky to get out of here early (read: 7:00 pm). Apparently, my brain has gone off to the Alphaland Tents way ahead of me & I’m left in the office, a semi-dysfunctional android. IDEA! Let’s see how many different Tahiti 80 videos I can watch on You Tube in between work e-mails! That should keep me looking busy until I can actually leave for the gig (yes—I’m doing my Tahiti 80 homework a little too late, but they didn’t say I’m a crammer for nothing).

5:30 pm: Daphne texted—she’s going tonight too! Her friend has an extra ticket! I’m not even at the gig yet & already, there’s Very Familiar Face #1!

8:30 pm: A walkathon to the parking lot at this time is NOT good. Crap! It’s Friday night…! The traffic will be the worst & I’m off southbound…! What if I can’t find parking at Alphaland…?! What if I miss Up Dharma Down open the show…?! Dinner…? What dinner?!

9:00 pm: Well, hello there, Little Miss Worrywart—did you really never think that getting to the Alphaland rooftop from Makati Avenue in 30 minutes IS possible on a Friday night? Doors open at 9:30 so there’s a lot of time to kill. And what about the elevator doors opening at the exact time that Mederic & Pedro (Tahiti 80 members) were walking by? I was going to have a fangirl moment when that guy (or so I thought) whom I was standing next to inside the elevator started OMG-ing & brisk walking in pursuit of the band. Fanboy=1, Fangirl=0. I was dying to laugh!

9:06 pm: The elevator comic relief pacified my unnecessary nerves. This rooftop is perfect…! For throwing oneself off to land (maybe half-alive) down to where vehicles along Edsa speed northbound, that is. Okay—I kid. But seriously, this place is pretty high for just 6 floors up. At a rooftop & with this view [of Edsa & Pasong Tamo], wind this chilly & the purplemaroon sky flashing lightning & signaling rain, all that’s missing is some emo’d-out kid whose been counting down to self-destruction. I think I’ll wait until after Tahiti 80 plays tonight.

Again, I kid.

9:20 pm: Daphne is very lost. She said she’s back in Makati to start over with getting here. Hey, there’s Lourd de Veyra of Radioactive Sago Project checking sound with their sax guy. They’re so loud I can stay out here & still I won’t miss them once they’re playing inside. And then there’s Gang Badoy of RockEd, Niki Flojo of RJ UR 105.9, Cris Ramos of Revolver, Francis Reyes & Niña Rosario, The Itchyworms, models, celebrities, DJs, other musicians, of course, Terno Recordings boss, Toti Dalmacion, who owns this party… & is that Boom Jose & Jasmin Joseph by the drinks stand?!

10:00 pm: I don’t even remember when I last saw those two—who’d have thought that we’d see each other again… & here, of all places? It’s cheese, but really, just how great is it that music literally connects/re-connects people? *hearts* Radioactive Sago’s onstage now & Daphne is still lost.

10:35 pm: Daphne or no Daphne, it’s time to go inside. I’ve already missed out on 2 Up Dharma Down songs & I can hear Armi Millare starting on their third! Coming from the main entrance, the main stage for Tahiti 80 is set at the left, followed by a smaller stage at the other end of the hall for Radioactive Sago Project & Up Dharma Down. There are a lot of people in here… lots of kids, lots of yuppies, lots of everybody. Congratulations on your 10th birthday, Terno! And Daphne’s here, finally! Yeeey!

11:15 pm: So we weren’t very smart & didn’t stand right by the main stage when we had the chance while Dharma was still on at the wing. The moment Tahiti 80’s sound guy got onto the main stage, the entire crowd turned & just like that, there we were behind all the tall people. Crap. Here comes Tahiti 80! Uh-oh. They’re throwing t-shirts to the crowd! Or are those towels? Hahaha!

Xavier (pronounced ‘SAHV-YEY’) Boyer, the curly, willowy vocalist, is very charming (as most vocalists of like bands are)—he’s soft-spoken & speaks to the crowd in that character voice of his, like he’s having a one-on-one conversation. Perhaps it’s the sound system, but I can hardly make out what he’s saying. Could it be that he’s addressing us in his native tongue? Oh, & he multi-tasks—from guitar to mic to keyboard & everything else in between! The French ARE sexy!

An even grainier Pedro Resende. This is why I'm not a photographer.

Mederic, their guitarist, reminds me of Erlend Oye of Kings of Convenience & Hellogoodbye’s Joseph Marro, physically combined. Hmm. That doesn’t come off very good, does it? Anyway, of the 5 guys onstage, he seems to be the quietest one. Yes, he sings, but other than that, he’s just busy with his guitar. He waved!

Then there are the “twins” as I would like to call them—both curly-haired &… wait a minute—they’re all curly-haired! Is that prerequisite to being in this band or any band for that matter? These “twins”, Sylvain & Julien (at least I think that’s what I heard Xavier introduce them as), switch spots & instruments every couple of songs, it’s amazing… both do percussions, drums & keyboards simultaneously, & if you’re just listening & not looking, you can’t tell the difference!

L-R: Mederic, the Twins book-ending the Tahiti 80 sign, Xavier in the middle & Pedro. Merci beaucoup!

The Aftermath

October 22, 12:15 am: I think one million things happened while Tahiti 80 was onstage. Since Daphne, her friend JR [who gave her the ticket] & I stood at the back the entire time, we had to suffer the rowdy ones in silence (I say this with love—I know they were just having a good time). They screamed for “Lizstomania” (a song by Phoenix, another brilliant French band), served a lot of side comments & poked fun at the Frenchmen by pre-empting that they were going to say standard foreigner-in-the-Philippines stuff like “Mabuhey! Last night I tried balut! Mahal kow keyow!”—which Xavier did. Hahaaaaaaa! As the gig wore on, more people loosened up & the kids behind us danced, sang & ruined the proof.

The Proof

You are not going to see that night’s set list. I didn’t take down notes. Not even mental ones. Neither are there great photos from that night as you have seen earlier (Daphne the photographer was without her camera at an event for the first time!). Further to your dismay & to my horror (but not to my surprise), of course I bungled up the audio of a couple of the videos that I managed to take. My valid excuse for this is that I was still ‘road-testing’ my gadget. I thought I was doing okay taking videos only to find out later that most times, I had been blocking the mic, keeping most of the sound out. Those songs are not posted here to save you the trouble of trying to figure out what they are.

Although I understand the value of immortalizing a rare night such as when something like Tahiti 80 is in town, I wouldn’t have taken to that gadget had I not been requested to document this experience. I would have just left that night to be a fun memory until Alzheimer’s or something similar takes me. Unfortunately, I find no pleasure in holding a camera still when I would rather be singing & dancing & jumping up & down. Plus, having to hold your arms still in mid-air for 2 minutes minimum to capture a decent video, in my opinion, is an unnecessary pain to inflict on oneself.

Lesson learned: when off to a Tahiti 80-like gig, always have someone in tow who’s twins with their camera & who has a penchant for documenting things.

And now, may I present proof—the one & only video which I have successfully uploaded to You Tube–& which you will see, is the only video in my account. Apparently, I’m a jinx at things like this. I tried uploading two other videos (“Yellow Butterfly” & “Heartbeat”) & in the process, crashed two desktop computers. Hey–I tried.

Here’s “Made First (Never Forget)” from the album Puzzle, Tahiti 80’s first full-length release (listen for the guy who asked for “Lizstomania” at the end of this video):

Score! They have this in grey too! Want one? E-mail ternorecordings2@gmail.com to inquire if they still have stock available.

Here’s Where the Story Ends

Despite my aching arms after the gig, I was pretty happy. Needless to say, of course I was also left wanting more as many others were that night. In their official website, http://www.tahiti80.com/, Tahiti 80 posted that they’ll be back in Asia soon. A friend mentioned that these boys frequent Thailand, & now that they have met their following in Manila, I’m sure we’re now very much in their radar too! A return is not far from possible. When that happens, I’ll be sure to catch them again.

Follow Tahiti 80 on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/tahiti-80/47875501614

Most modern calendars mark the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event. – Oscar Wilde

That was not the case for our three-year anniversary party held during the 2nd of April in an intimate celebration at Route 196. It was during this month Lilystars Records was brilliantly conceived in preparation for The Camerawalls debut album. And who would have thought that after three years it will expand to be a proper independent record label in Manila releasing two full length CD Albums, three CD EPs, two CD Singles (with Remixes) and one Digital Single. A total of forty-two tracks of wonderful recordings from six indie artists.

Almost a hundred homemade mouth-watering chocolate cupcakes with colored meringue frosting, baked by Antonette herself, were given away during the night.

It wouldn’t have been possible without the help and support of my dear pioneering partners Antonette Maniquis and Denise Atas as well as Valerie Venturina, who joined in the team a year ago. And just recently another good friend teamed with me in what will become the 8th release (second full length album) of Lilystars.

From L-R: Antonette, Valerie & Denise

Ian Zafra, a musician, music publisher and entrepreneur from Cebu, co-produced the Philippine edition of  ”Would It Kill You?” — Hellogoodbye’s excellent sophomore album and launched his new music bundling site called CARTONATA to support the free download of the bonus track “Not Ever Coming Home” previously released as a B-Side to the 7″ single “When We First Met“. The release of Hellogoodbye serves as one of the highlights of our anniversary party with a number of acts performing and covering tracks from the album.

To make up for the California based quartet’s absence, they provided us with an exclusive acoustic video performance of “Getting Old“, “When We First Met“, and “Would It Kill You?“, shown during the latter part of the evening. It’s already posted HERE.

My correspondence with Joseph Marro (Hellogoodbye’s keyboardist) began even before they visited the Philippines for an Ayala Mall tour September of last year. A mutual discovery ignited by a common interest in the music of Belle & Sebastian on twitter in spite of the fact that  his band is relatively famous worldwide, while my band/label commands a very tiny share of the Philippine market. At that time we were coming fresh from a B&S tribute gig and Joe inquired if there’ll be another one when they finally visit Manila and expressed his interest to watch and participate.

Although a follow up B&S cover gig did not materialize, Hellogoodbye became our guests during Your Imaginary Friends EP launch held at Ayala Museum, which incidentally coincides with their show at Greenbelt Park. A short walk to the museum. We invited them to hang out the day before they flew back to US and explored the possibility of Lilystars releasing their new album. And the rest is history.

With Forrest Kline, Travis Head, Joseph Marro and Andy Richards of Hellogoodbye taken September 2010 at Members Only in during an off-gig drinking spree.

We had a long and great evening with a lot of bands giving ace performances of their originals. They were also very kind enough to participate in our request to cover a Hellogoodbye song of their choice from the album “Would It Kill You?” even on short notice. Watch their versions below:

Getting Old – Radiomanila

When We First Met – Dirty Hate

Betrayed By Bones – Your Imaginary Friends

Finding Something To Do – The Bernadettes

Coppertone – The Gentle Isolation

When We First Kissed – The Camerawalls

Would It Kill You? by Hellogoodbye, along with other Lilystars releases, is now available at Powerbooks stores (Trinoma, Megamall, Shangri-la, Greenbelt, Glorietta, Mall of Asia) and A Different Bookstore (Serendra). Look for them at the counter display. 

One of the four lucky raffle winners of "Would It Kill You?"

Radiomanila opening the night and also covering tunes from Trash Can Sinatras.

Dirty Hate

Ahmad Tanji of Your Imaginary Friends

Poch Angeles of The Bernadettes with guest drummer Pat Sarabia.

In the crowd.

Camyl Besinga of Techy Romantics

Ness of The Gentle Isolation during their set.

Trying to be Moz and Marr and covering "Heaven Knows Im Miserable Now"

The other highlight of the event was the preview of two promotional indie music videos of The Camerawalls for the songs “A Gentle Persuasion” and “Bread and Circuses“. The latter a bonus minimalistic video shot at the same day. It was lovingly produced and directed by our friend from AdPhoto named G-nie Arambulo. Check them out HERE.

Some of our new friends from Vespa Club of the Philippines dropped by and wowed us with their fab scoots! Had a little chat with Uriel Protomartir, telling me more about his collection and why I should invest in one. I really hope to get my hands on one, but for now, a Vespa has a special place inside my head’s dream board.

A beautiful Lambretta.

We are grateful to all who supported the event (friends, bands, followers, sponsors) most especially to those who bought the records, since our existence is entirely dependent on supporters who will truly patronize the recordings we put out. That being said, rest assured that we will continue to provide you with quality POP releases in the days and years to come. Cheers!

*Photo Credits: Jeff Saw, Michael Anthony and Antonette Maniquis. The rest of the photos will be posted soon at http://www.facebook.com/lilystars

Incidentally, Travis is celebrating his birthday today so do include your greetings in your comments or drop a line at Hellogoodbye’s facebook PAGE.

Would It Kill You? (Philippine Edition + bonus track) is now available at our SHOP section and select Powerbooks and A Different Bookstore in Manila.

Burt F. Bacharach (born May 12, 1928) is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick. Following on with the initial success of this collaboration, Bacharach went on to produce hits with Dusty Springfield, Bobbie Gentry and others. As of 2006, Bacharach had written 70 Top 40 hits in the US, and 52 Top 40 hits in the UK. Source: Wikipedia

The videos below are pretty much the result of our attempt to do something different. Watch our bands and guest artists perform their choice of Burt Bacharach covers. Pardon the dimness and quality of the recording. Enjoy!

Close To You – Kate Torralba

Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You – The Gentle Isolation

I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – Your Imaginary Friends

Baby It’s You – Dirty Hate

This Guy’s In Love With You / Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head / Walk On By – The Camerawalls

Songs covered in the video (in sequence):

Last Christmas – Your Imaginary Friends
Winter Wonderland – The Gentle Isolation
Kiss You In The Snow – Carnival Park
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – The Camerawalls
A Hard Days Night – The Edralins (wasn’t able to capture the Christmas song but they surely rocked the night with classic Beatles covers)
12 Days Of Christmas – The Camerawalls

The night was electric and the crowd ecstatic probably with the onset of the holiday season. We partied till 3am in the morning even celebrating in advance the birthday of Your Imaginary Friends’ guitarist – Khalid Tanji.

It was a pleasant surprise to witness for the first time the set of Carnival Park. I particularly like the new song they’re giving away for free online entitled “I Know The Steps To This Dance“. Their live set is a totally different experience. For POP fans out there, they’re a band worth watching out for. Feel free to download and share the links embedded from their Bandcamp account.

The Edralins on the other hand was the perfect closing act dishing out Beatles covers including 80s pop tunes, whipping the crowd in a state of frenzy. Happy heads and happy feet. I think they played for more than an hour appealing to listener’s insatiable appetite.

Next on The POP Shoppe! is a year ender party at Route 196 on December 30 together with Lilystars acts and guests bands Dirty Hate and Tey’s Revenge. See facebook event page HERE for more details. Happy Holidays!

What do you get when you combine music and arts and an important musical icon all in one event? A considerable effort to come together and keep the spirit alive of one of the greatest songwriter/musician of all time — John Lennon. In a birthday tribute that featured both a number of indie bands performing Lennon songs and visual artists  displaying works of art to simply acknowledge his relevance, talent and ideals that inspired millions. This took place at the ground floor lobby of Ayala Museum – Lilystars resident event partner for The POP shoppe! – last October 9 with a show entitled “Watching The Wheels”.

The Lennon Remastered Albums

As a 70th birthday retrospective, a huge release of remastered Lennon catalogue was made available in the market. It includes the following:

Power To The People: The Hits (CD/DVD) –  15 essential hits digitally remastered from John Lennon’s original mixes which you can pair with a DVD of corresponding music videos featuring digitally remastered audio.

Remastered Studio Albums - Original studio albums digitally remastered from John Lennon’s original mixes: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Imagine, Sometime In New York City, Mind Games, Walls & Bridges, Rock n’ Roll, Milk & Honey

Double Fantasy Stripped Down (2 CD) – The original Grammy Award™ winning album digitally remastered from John Lennon’s original mixes. Paired with a brand new “Stripped Down” version overseen by Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas, Lennon’s original co-producers for the album. Features “(Just Like) Starting Over”, “Woman”, “Watching The Wheels”, “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” with original drawings by Sean Lennon.

Gimme Some Truth - 72 tracks in a special 4CD themed collection with photos, drawings, handwritten lyrics and more.

John Lennon Signature Box Set - Deluxe 11 CD John Lennon Signature Box which includes: The digitally remastered studio albums plus 2CD bonus set featuring 13 previously unreleased home recordings and more; personal essays from Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon, and Julian Lennon; a 60 page hardbound book with rare photographs, drawings, never before seen collages, & handwritten lyrics; plus a 70th birthday Lennon art print.

“In this very special year, which would have seen my husband and life partner John reach the age of 70, I hope that this remastering / reissue programme will help bring his incredible music to a whole new audience. By remastering 121 tracks spanning his solo career, I hope also that those who are already familiar with John’s work will find renewed inspiration from his incredible gifts as a songwriter, musician and vocalist and from his power as a commentator on the human condition. His lyrics are as relevant today as they were when they were first written and I can think of no more apposite title for this campaign than those simple yet direct words ‘Gimme Some Truth’.” — Yoko Ono  (source: johnlennon.com)

Some of these releases were made available during the event courtesy of PolyEast Records.

Young Contemporary Artists

We had the pleasure of tying-up with 13 young artists to contribute their own visual interpretation of  the song “Watching The Wheels”. Early birds in Ayala Museum who availed of the free museum tour that comes with their  tickets would have likely caught a glimpse of the artists setting up canvases on easels at a section perpendicular to the 3 feet high stage system positioned against the glass wall of the venue.

	Artist: Sigwada Knicolai Title: I’m Just Sitting Here Doing Time Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP15,000
	Artist: Margo Rae Medina-Alesna Title: Hearin’ From The Soul Within Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP8,000
	Artist: Lj Ablola Title:Yesterday Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP10,000
	Artist: Dionysus Gonzales Title:Yesterday Medium: Acrylic on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP10,000
	Artist: Eduardangelo Title:Changing Wheels Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP15,000
	Artist: Lhean Villanueva Title:Simple, Peaceful Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP16,000
	Artist: Jehan Manansala Title:Last Word Medium: Oil on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP15,000
	Artist: Yvette Co Title:Picked For A New Purpose Medium: Mixed Media on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP35,000
	Artist: Dexter Sy Title:I Am Become Death Medium: Ink on Canvas Size: 24in x 24in Price: PHP16,000

Artist: Jigger Cruz and Celene Grace Niguidula
Title: Just Had To Let It Go
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 24in x 24in
Price: PHP20,000

Not shown in the table above are works by Napoleon Guerrero and Carlos Ongchangco. Will update the section once photos becomes available. If interested in any of the paintings you can send your inquiries to antonette@lilystars-records.com

All photos in this blog entry taken by Nina Sandejas.

To be continued… The Bands plus more photos and videos.

Last month at the Ayala Museum, Your Imaginary Friends (YIF) kicked-off The Gentle Isolation’s EP launch by being the first act to perform in the first event for The POP Shoppe! Music Series: A Call To Mind. This month, it was Your Imaginary Friends’ time to shine as tables turned and The Gentle Isolation returned the favor. On September 17, 2010, Your Imaginary Friends went public with their first official record entitled “One Dreamy Indeterminate Hum”. The launch of the CD EP containing five, all-original tracks by Your Imaginary Friends was the highlight of the second Lilystars event.

Your Imaginary Friends in the zone. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

On the afternoon before the launch, Your Imaginary Friends dropped by the NU107 studios for a little chat with DJ Pontri before heading off to the Ayala Museum for a mini-press conference. In between playing songs from “One Dreamy Indeterminate Hum” and the mandatory band bio, the lively discussion that ensued on air had Ahmad Tanji (YIF’s front man) telling the stories behind their songs and how the record came together with a theme regarding “coming of age”. The band went on to relay how by melding two great eras in music—the 80s and the 90s–they were able to find their sound. A fun and entertaining discussion continued during the mini press conference with the band expressing their genuine excitement about the whole event.

That evening at the Museum, the minutes just seemed to wear on forever until at last it was time to begin the show. Shortly past 9:00 pm, fabulous event host, Hilary Isaac excitedly welcomed the gathering crowd. After doing a run-down of what attendees can expect that night, event opener, The Gentle Isolation, soon came on and played songs from their recently launched EP (“It Started With An April Shower”), getting the audience into their pop mood.

As an aside: just as The Gentle Isolation was finishing off their set, special event guests, California-based band, Hello, Goodbye, walked-in, fresh from their own gig just a stone’s throw away from the Ayala Museum. Before introducing the night’s second performer and to everyone’s amusement, host, Hilary didn’t try to contain her excitement as she called attention to the foreign guests who almost successfully, discreetly walked in, had it not been for her announcement (Hello, Goodbye was meant to be a surprise for Your Imaginary Friends as they are great fans of the band).

Ahmad Tanji (Your Imaginary Friends) and Lilystars' head honcho Clementine with Forrest Kline and Joseph Marro of Hello, Goodbye.

After Hello, Goodbye’s unintentional discovery, Hilary carried on to introduce the second performer, Lilystars’ banner artist, The Camerawalls. Clementine, bassist Law Santiago and session musician on drums, Bachie Rudica, treated the audience to a preview of their release (still in the works) by playing a new song called “Bread and Circuses,” which ended in sound applause. The Camerawalls ended their set with their intense, epic original, “The Emperor, The Concubine and The Commoner”.

Those who came looking for a grand time but didn’t expect to find it that night ended up in the right place as third performer, Techy Romantics, altered the beat and gave the crowd a party. Having been tried and tested, no gig with the Techy Romantics in it has ever failed. Doing songs from their current album, “Touch,” their act took the event to the next level of high.

And since what was heated up must be cooled down, the set by up and coming indie darlings, Arigato, Hato! fronted by Cat Cortes was a welcome treat. Playing their “all-heart, lyrical, pop-hop” as the band describes their music on their Facebook page, the 5-piece was the perfect segue to the night’s main act.

The Gentle Isolation opening the evening event.

The Camerawalls

Camyl Besinga of electro-pop trio - Techy Romantics

Arigato, Hato!

It was almost midnight when strong winds and rain forced those milling outside of the Ayala Museum Ground Floor Lobby into the venue, where on stage, Your Imaginary Friends themselves began causing a stir, rendering their audience oblivious to the suddenly nasty weather and the other goings-on outside. From their first song, a toothpaste commercial-worthy original called “By Beautiful Intentions,” down to their last song, “Nikita” (another original about missing a childhood friend), pride and confidence emanated from the band, proving that their presence in the music scene is no longer just a figment of the imagination. The diversity in the audience became evident as cheers of approval were heard from isolated areas in the venue upon the band’s rendition of “Histrionics” by Swedish band, Popsicle and “Where Is My Mind” by The Pixies. All songs from “One Dreamy Indeterminate Hum” were played to a very receptive and appreciative audience. Another highlight during the band’s set was when usually reserved bassist Em Aquino was thrust into the spotlight to sing The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” which had the audience cheering, jumping and dancing the entire three or so minutes that they played it.

Ahmad Tanji (Your Imaginary Friends)

Em Aquino (Your Imaginary Friends)

Khalid Tanji (Your Imaginary Friends)

Eric Po of Your Imaginary Friends

On the sidelines.

As with all things, the night had to come to an end, and end well it did as warm congratulations from Your Imaginary Friends’ family and audience greeted them downstage after their performance. Plentiful too were the requests for autographs on their CDs and photos with the band. The night couldn’t end without the obligatory Lilystars “class picture,” where artists who performed, the Liystars team, the audience and basically anyone and everyone who wanted to be in the photo were invited on stage to pose in front of the cameras. Outside, the weather had abated, allowing everyone who attended the event to safely head for home.

Before we call it a day.

*****

One Dreamy Indeterminate Hum is available for purchase in the following stores: A Different Bookstore (Serendra), Powerbooks (Trinoma, SM Megamall, Shangri-la Mall, Glorietta, Greenbelt and SM Mall of Asia). Digital stores iTunes, Amazon, Emusic, Rhapsody and Napster also distribute Lilystars music.

COMING SOON from Lilystars Records: The POP Shoppe! Music Series: A Call To Mind—the third installment: a 70th birthday tribute to Mr. John Lennon! Saturday, October 09, 2010 at the Ground Floor Lobby of the Ayala Museum, featuring 8 indie acts doing Lennon covers PLUS 13 young contemporary visual artists displaying works on canvas.

The POP Shoppe! Music Series: A Call To Mind is made possible by NU107, the Ayala Museum, the Manila Bulletin, Powerbooks, BusinessWorld, HerWord.com, A Different Bookstore, Jorge’s Portrait Studio and Sony Philippines.

Thanks to Nina Sandejas for the photos. To see more photos from this event, visit our Gallery.

The Gentle Isolation during their EP launch at the Ayala Museum. From left to right: Monch Cristobal (bass), Ness Urian (acoustic), Bachie Rudica (drums) and Joseph Rovero (guitars). Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Just three months after successfully staging their first large-scale music production in May 2010 (Club 8 Live in Manila!), Lilystars Records is back in the scene, having staged another event last August 18, 2010 at the Ayala Museum in Makati City. Dubbed The POP Shoppe! Music Series: A Call To Mind, the series was kicked off by the EP launch of The Gentle Isolation, one of the three artists in the label’s roster.

Entitled “It Started With An April Shower,” this CD EP by The Gentle Isolation is the Meycauayan, Bulacan-based quartet’s first attempt and effort at immortalizing their original material. The five-song EP features their first single, “Let’s Go Slow,” which is currently enjoying airplay on FM radio station NU 107, the event’s official radio partner (listen to the whole EP Here).

Early in the afternoon of August 18, The Gentle Isolation dropped by NU 107 to promote that evening’s show at the Ayala Museum while the station’s Chief Announcer and coincidentally,  evening event’s host,  DJ Francis “Brew” Reyes, was on board. The band gamely fielded questions by Francis regarding the band’s beginnings and their music.

During the press conference. Photo by Jeff Saw.

Immediately after the radio guesting, the band proceeded to the Ayala Museum for an intimate press conference, attended by representatives from Business World, Manila Bulletin, People Asia and the Manila Times among others. As the evening wore on, the Ground Floor Lobby of the Museum came to life. Little by little, indie pop music enthusiasts and friends and supporters of The Gentle Isolation gathered at the venue, milling around, being treated to a preview of what the night promised as supporting acts for the night performed their routine sound check.

Shortly after 8:00 p.m., quirky event host, Francis Reyes, officially welcomed the crowd to the event and introduced the opening noise-pop act, Your Imaginary Friends doing an edgy rendition of The Smiths’ “Shoplifters Of The World Unite” in between their original songs. Your Imaginary Friends was followed by the lovely and talented Ms. Kate Torralba, dressed in one of her own creations dishing out songs from her upcoming album. Following Kate was Lilystars’ banner artist, The Camerawalls, with none other than Clementine and Law Santiago, and featuring session musicians Ian Zafra of Sheila & the Insects fame on second guitars and Bachie Rudica of the evening’s toast, The Gentle Isolation, on drums filling up more spaces inside the museum lobby. Another guest performer, the brilliant brother-sister duo of Mike and Micaela Bendicto, better known as Outerhope, came after The Camerawalls.

Your Imaginary Friends' siblings Ahmad and Khalid Tanji. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Kate Torralba on her keyboards, serenading the crowd. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

The Camerawalls' Clementine and Law Santiago with session players Ian Zafra (SATI) and Bachie Rudica (The Gentle Isolation). Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Mike and Micaela Benedicto of Outerhope. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Finally, the act the crowd came for that night took their place onstage to set up for their performance while a slightly wine-buzzed Francis Reyes warmed up to the crowd, asking random questions to sustain the crowd’s positive mood. After the host’s much-awaited introduction of the main act, coy front of the band, Ness, spoke just a few words before segueing to “Let’s Go Slow”. Each song, like gunfire, came quickly, one after the other, the band saying almost nothing in between–a sign that they felt quite nervous. “Having launched in a luxe venue such as the Ayala Museum was really a grand experience for us. We could not believe ourselves that we were the luminaries of that night. Not to mention the heaping support by a great lineup of guest indie artists,” answered Ness during an interview.

After playing a few, choice originals, The Gentle Isolation began dishing out cover songs to the crowd’s delight. Their rendition of anti-pop idol, Morrissey’s Everyday’s Like Sunday got a few guests, most especially the foreigners, dancing to the music. They ended their set and the event with a memorable cover, originally by the fab four—The Beatles—Here Comes The Sun.

Bachie Rudica wears his sunglasses at night. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Vocalist Ness Urian sporting a half smile. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Joseph Rovero of The Gentle Isolation. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

Melody maker and bassist Monch Cristobal on the foreground. Photo by Nina Sandejas.

“It Started With An April Shower” is the first in a series of five music events by Lilystars Records and event partners, the Ayala Museum, NU 107 FM, BusinessWorld and the Manila Bulletin (official media partners). Watch for the EP launch of Your Imaginary Friends this September, as well as the rest of the monthly music events in The POP Shoppe! Music Series, until December 2010. This event was also made possible by Powerbooks and A Different Bookstore (exclusive distributor of Lilystars’ recordings), HerWord.com, Sony Philippines and Jorge’s Portrait Studio

“The POP Shoppe! Music Series: A Call To Mind” is an effort to introduce to a wider public an alternative to what is commonly heard in the local pop music industry. Not just to showcase artists from the Lilystars roster but to promote those we believe are worthy of attention, this event aims to foster local integrity in creating music that will contribute to the elevation of Filipino pop music that is at par with foreign counterparts.

Thanks to Nina Sandejas and Jeff Saw for the photos. To see more photos from this event, visit our Gallery and check out published articles about the event at our Press section.

]]> http://lilystars-records.com/2010/08/30/the-gentle-isolations-it-started-with-an-april-shower-opens-the-pop-shoppe-music-series-a-call-to-mind/feed/ 0 Denise Atas thegentles-eplaunch presscontgi yif-tgeplaunch kt-tgieplaunch thecamerawalls-tgieplaunch outerhope-tgieplaunch bachie-tgieplaunch ness-tgieplaunch joseph-tgieplaunch monch-tgieplaunch http://lilystars-records.com/2010/06/10/loud-concert-quiet-anniversary/ http://lilystars-records.com/2010/06/10/loud-concert-quiet-anniversary/#comments Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:52:51 +0000 Clementine http://lilystars-records.com/?p=1274 ]]> I’m still hungover over Club 8′s visit to the Philippines even after weeks since the conclusion of the shows we co-produced plus the fact that Lilystars has already turned two years old last May.

I cannot recall including concert production on a large scale as part of our plan of activities. Lilystars as I heard a friend say (after I told him how we got the Club 8 gig) is a “happenstance producer.” Managing bands, producing and selling records and small event productions are already very challenging tasks sometimes fulfilling and sometimes disappointing especially for a start-up non-commercial indie label with very limited time and resources and still in the process of learning and growing.

What my team and I have are big dreams and good intentions and the means to afford “creative freedom.” Creative freedom means a lot and it means different things to different people. But above all, it gives me and the other artists we bring on board, the freedom to explore new worlds in their music, take chances, and boldly try out to new blends, instruments and musical themes. I believe this is where genuine artistic growth happens and we are ready to stick our necks out with any artist we support and believes in us. We enjoy the thrill, the excitement and the danger of being on the cutting edge of what is new and progressive and we embrace the risks and the losses in terms of time and money simply because we love good music, we love what we do and the fact that building a musical career does not take overnight.

A week ago Ian Zafra (Sheila & The Insects) shared a blog entry from Seth Godin entitled 16 Questions For Free Agents and the first two questions I think is the most important:

1. Who are you trying to please?
2. Are you trying to make a living, make a difference, or leave a legacy?

We perfectly know the answer to these. And till now, after two years, the answers are still the same. We quietly celebrated our anniversary on a hot Monday afternoon over pizza delivered from Shakey’s looking back at the year that has passed and assessing short and long term goals. That same afternoon Turbo Goth and The Bernadettes expressed their desire to continue their careers on their own prompting us to recalibrate our plans.

To summarize the year that has passed, we were able to accomplish the following:

1. Released a repackaged version of The Camerawalls’ debut album “Pocket Guide To The Otherworld.”
2. Released CD Singles of Turbo Goth and The Bernadettes. It comes with excellent remixes by Jonathan Ong of Sonicstate Audio both recognized for Best Remix category in the recently concluded AVIMA music awards. “Morning Swim” entered the charts of JAM 88.3 as well.
3. Co-Produced Scottish musician Ally Kerr’s mini shows in Manila backed up by The Camerawalls.
4. Project Ondoy: participated and produced shows as part of relief drive for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy.
5. Produced and released “The Sight Of Love” by The Camerawalls – a digital single originally released for free download. It became number #1 for several weeks on Jam 88.3 weekly charts. Produced and released a music video as well directed by Wincy Ong.
6. Co-Produced Swedish band Club 8′s first Philippine visit and major concert in SMX Convention Center in Manila and in Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City.
7. Produced more than a dozen shows for The POP Shoppe! in Manila and paid tribute to the following artists Paul Weller, The Beatles, Morrissey, Blur, and Club 8.
8. Produced The POP Shoppe! events in Baguio and Cebu.

On the other hand, these are what we failed to complete within the year:

1. Release The POP Shoppe! Vol. 1 – a compilation album featuring two new songs each from The Camerawalls, The Bernadettes, Turbo Goth, Patience Dear Juggernaut, Your Imaginary Friends and The Gentle Isolation. 80% done recording the project which began September of 2009 (before Ondoy hit the country). The release was postponed to June 2010 to accomodate the Club 8 concert but eventually pulled the plug on the project.
2. Release the full length albums of The Bernadettes and Turbo Goth.

As with any goal there is always a risk of a plan not coming together, dynamic decision making and adjustments to changing times and even calamities not to mention adhering to the indie label’s shortcomings and most specially a change of heart.

But in general there is nothing like being in the presence of like-minded people. When you are with your band you expect they all have the same values, the same approach to music and career. But it is more than that. You expect they understand the musical vision and speak the same language. Lilystars takes that sense of shared community and makes it into a business that can promote those shared goals and protect the community we share. A kind of teamwork more times than not makes a plan come together.

That being said, we welcome a new year with open arms and an open mind to face new  challenges with the same passion and integrity. To my colleagues in Lilystars, Antonette and Denise, I take this opportunity to thank both of you for your unconditional love and support and for standing by me all this years. To newcomer Valerie, we are grateful for the contribution you have given in a short amount of time. We  welcome you in the team with open arms.

To our current roster —The Camerawalls, The Gentle Isolation and Your Imaginary Friends—we are excited for your upcoming releases and hope you develop the courage to lose sight of the shore but remember the path and treasure the journey. To our former artists, we wish you all the best in your musical careers and thank you all for being once part of our label.

To everyone who supported Lilystars, our artists, our projects in ways big or small; to everyone who believed in our cause and in the music we champion; our hearts are full and we will give you back the love by continuing what we have started and offer more significant projects and releases in the future.

Happy Anniversary to Lilystars!

When Clementine broke the news that he & Perz Baltazar of Cebu-based Modern Rock Bureau were liaising with Johan Angergård to discuss the possibility of Club 8 doing a couple of shows in the Philippines, I was just floored. I didn’t think it possible, but the moment I got dibs on their exchanges over e-mail (proof!), I had to ask someone to stop me from pinching myself silly.

If by some chance you had read my last entry about the Kings of Convenience gig here in Manila held at the NBC Tent last March 31, then you might remember that I mentioned Club 8 there too. What did I tell you about the water they’ve been drinking in Europe…? That the excellent duo that is the subject of this piece hails from that fair part of the world called Sweden, is again, no great surprise anymore. Club 8, who are Karolina Komstedt and Johan Angergård, began their career in 1995 and have not stopped making their signature brilliant music since. Each of the seven albums they have released is testimony to Karolina and Johan’s mastery of their talent, the band’s evolution and the refinement of their sound. They make for an interesting study in the life of the pop sensation that they have become.

Club 8: Karolina Komstedt + Johan Angergård

Most people will agree with me that Club 8’s music is very ear-friendly. If you are inclined to music that’s passed off as ‘easy listening,’ I guarantee that you can take almost any Club 8 song, fit it into this category, and exert no effort in liking it for certain. But if there is anything that I find striking about their music, I’d say it would have to be [for lack of another term] their “diplomacy” in songwriting. Take the song “Those Charming Men,” from their debut album, Nouvelle (1996), for instance:

If you’re like me who’s not very keen on lyrics the first time around, would you have guessed that this song is about feeling naïve and longing or waiting in vain even after some thinking… (because that’s what “Those Charming Men” is about)? I was humming to this song with my invented lyrics for too long already before I thought of looking up its real lyrics on a random day, only to discover that the song wasn’t at all as happy as its melody had suggested:

Those Charming Men

Club 8

Stupid girl
Those charming men won’t look at me
I’m not blond enough and I still believe in love

How could I be so wrong it wasn’t my turn
To be fooled by him
Loved and left alone

I was the one who always
Waited for something
And just some loving in the morning
Wouldn’t help
To make my world seem alright

Here I am
And I don’t think you were right the time
You were my friend and you told me to
Wrap my arms around him

I’ve thought of this song differently ever since I learned the correct lyrics to it, but even with knowing, its melody still makes waiting in vain sound like it’s the best feeling in the world. Now if THAT isn’t diplomacy, then I wouldn’t know what is.

I am of the opinion that Club 8’s music is easy to embrace. The few and far in between write-ups and reviews I’ve read of the band and their music often have the writer characterizing their sound as warm and fuzzy or hazy and they always seem to be related to perfect summers (or something just as pleasant) for some reason. So here I go again, saying I don’t recall having ever come across a negative commentary about them. Either that or my bias is blocking any negativity that exists about them.

Last May 01, Lilystars gathered six fantastic bands to play at The POP Shoppe! in Club Dredd at Gweilos in Eastwood to pay tribute to Club 8 and their music.

* illustration by Sarah Gaugler; layout by Angelo Maniquis

I came in rather late, together with Tonet and our good friend, Val, but just in time to catch The Gentle Isolation who opened the gig, already mid-set. Apart from their own songs, we also caught their renditions of “Heaven” and “Everlasting Love” from Club 8’s album, The Friend I Once Had (1998).

The Gentle Isolation absolutely prepped the listening set for more Club 8 covers that were anticipated that night. The brother-sister act of Mike and Micaela Benedicto, known as Outerhope, came on next and suddenly, the room stood still—Micaela’s steady, soothing voice put everyone under a spell. Their Club 8 covers of “This Is The Morning” (from Strangely Beautiful (2003)) and “Before I Came,” left almost nothing to be desired. I personally would have asked them to do ten more songs, but then remembered that they were only the second of six artists playing that night.

Your Imaginary Friends, as with those who played before them, felt generous and also indulged the crowd with two covers: “I Guess I Was Wrong” and “Look Out!,” both from Nouvelle.

Turbo Goth gave the crowd “Missing You” (The Friend I Once Had (1998)), a cover especially requested by Clem for Turbo Goth to do that night, and which quite suited them. Sorry, we didn’t get to take videos of Turbo Goth’s [and The Camerawalls'] Club 8 covers because Clem’s Flip decided to… well… flip.

And just because we wanted to sustain the energy that Turbo Goth infused into the room, we lined up Us-2 Evil-0 immediately after them. Mich and Quark’s antics never fail to leave any crowd in stitches or maybe gasping for breath (they put Tigger to shame with all the bouncing around onstage). Their cover of “My Heart Won’t Break” was both fun and funny after Quark thwarted his own attempt at the keyboard accompaniment. Very Us-2 Evil-0

The Camerawalls closed the gig with everyone bopping their heads to the song from which the tribute night took its title, “Saturday Night Engine” (Strangely Beautiful).

Arigato, Hato! would have joined in the fun, unfortunately, they couldn’t make it at the last minute. Being one band short was probably a good thing since it was already well past 2 in the morning when the house lights went on and the good-sized crowd began filing out of the second floor. I think it safe to say that the tribute night did its job of whetting everyone’s appetites for the real big gig on May 14 and 15. I may be mistaken, but considering only me, I can hardly wait.

If I were put in charge of Club 8’s set list for the May 14 concert in Manila, what people would hear are these: “Spring Came, Rain Fell,” (from Spring Came, Rain Fell, (2002)), “You & Me,” “What Shall We Do Next” from 2003’s Strangely Beautiful, “The Friend I Once Had,” “Whatever You Want” from The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Dreaming released in 2007, and their entire self-titled album, released in 2001. Actually, if I really did have my way, I’d have them play all the music they’ve made spanning the entire 15 years they’ve been making it! But then even I think that that would just be too much.

I am not one for being so easily star-stricken, but the mere thought of seeing Club 8 in the flesh already has me dazed and somewhat tongue-tied. I’m afraid to imagine how I might act if I may be so lucky to experience the pleasure of shaking hands with either Karolina or Johan. My hands would be cold and clammy in the least for sure. In my wilder dreams, I’d probably have enough guts to ask to have a photo taken with them… and in my wildest dreams, I’d probably get a hug from them both * swoon * I love this band so much, I’d never live it down if anything embarrassing happened to me while they’re around… never mind that I’ve been drawing sticks on my whiteboard to count down the days until May 14 comes, that’s something they won’t see—pardon the girl who just couldn’t stop dreaming.

With the concert days just a few winks away, I foresee Lilystars Records and everyone concerned to be a giant bundle of nerves. We are very excited to welcome Club 8 to the Philippines for the first time. To be sure, this is one pop event that many of us will remember for years to come. And while we must continue to embrace homegrown music, it is also high time that we open our arms to music from foreign shores, and in this instance [and for those who are yet to], Club 8 is surely a good start.

Their latest release, The People’s Record, carrying the single “Western Hospitality” [now getting airtime on the radio], is out in stores now, courtesy of Universal Records. Grab a copy and see what all this fuss is about. 

See you on May 14 and 15!

TICKET INFORMATION:
http://lilystars-records.com/

MORE THOUGHTS ON CLUB 8:

Thanks to Denise Roco for this post!
http://www.ateneoalumniassociation.org/newsitem?nid=248

Dated interview by Indonesian music webzine, Deathrockstar:
http://deathrockstar.info/interview-with-karolina-komstedt-of-club-8/

OTHER LINKS:
http://www.club-8.org/
http://www.myspace.com/club8/