WHEN BARDS BAND TOGETHER, WHAT SONGS DO THEY SING?


   When bards of old --- wandering musicians and poets --- were wont to gather, what tales did they weave? What stories would they share about their travels? In this same vein, Powerhouse Entertainment and BisayaOnline.net are bringing some of local music’s wandering bards to tell their music tales and misadventures.



   According to IndieCultureOnline, co-presentor of, "Banded," this unique Lola Basyang-esque event happening at the Handuraw Events Café, this Saturday, March 31, 2007, some of the bands taking turn at telling their tales are Silhouette, Cold Transfer, Indephums, UNO, One Man Down, Ruined, Glass of Dirt, Missing Filemon, Balde Ni Allan, Aggressive Audio, Xephra Project, and Zarah Smith Band.


   Also taking their turn at the helm are members of the seminal RockEd Philippines volunteer group.


   Read up on the full ICO story now.





Penumbra:
      Many thanks to Ian Z. of ICO, for the info!

Bringing the “Island Riddim” to the Island-Cosmopolitan

March ushers in proms, grad balls, final exams, and the onset of summer, to this small island-cosmopolitan of Cebu. To urban Cebuanos who have done their academic dues, March is more notable for being the unofficial month of reggae. It is the month when pocket concerts are held in honor of that rastafarian prophet and reggae statesman, Robert Nesta Marley.

This year, a tribute in his honor will be bringing the “island riddim” to the island-cosmopolitan dubbed, “High Noon on the road to Mout Zion.” This event will begin at high noon, no less, and will open with a reggae bazaar, with an assortment of activities and booths toting reggae-themed items and accessories.

This year’s tribute event will feature many of Cebu's foremost reggae bands, like, Junior Kilat, Urbal, Skunky Muggles, Island Joe, Coolie Dread and the Microphone Commanders, Crown Royale, Bambu Spliff, Skankin' Brew, Potent Bush, Domestic Grass, Powerspoonz, Paskanin, Big Marvin and D'Wigiws, Toy Souljahs, No Parking Anytime, and Santing Scalawags, and more!

To add spice to the reggae brew three non-Cebu based three reggae bands have been invited, namely, Reggae Mistress, Milagros Dancehall Collective and the much-loved Enchi.

Check out the event details below and I’ll see you at the festival!

"HIGH NOON ON THE ROAD TO ZION"
The 12th Tribute to BOB MARLEY
12Noon, March 24, 2007
At the Paseo Mall, Panagdait,
Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines.




Penumbra:
Thank you to Wikipedia for the photos used in this entry
(despite the lack of permission, thank you kaayo)

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October to February: There and back again.

Feel-good February

For a month steeped in romance and commercial pandering to the heartstrings of every person deeply in love, I was more caught with preparing for PODD Corp’s 2nd anniversary, more than anything.

The PODD @ 2 anniversary party was it for me, as February was concerned. It was a great party and the PODD Digital Art Contest was the best way to say, “Happy Birthday!” The venue was great, the spread was delectable and the finalists outdid themselves with their entries. (Mitch Tedor and Ian Zafra’s exclusive on winner, Luke Tornilla, in an earlier entry). And although, we weren’t able to finish out the production as much as we hoped and expected it to turn out, but shit does happen even to good guys --- damn that Murphy’s Law!

But I wasn’t completely out of it, celebrating Valentine’s and all. At the start of the day, Joyce and I had a romantic brunch, and I bought her chocolates and books on --- what else? Historical romance.


Here ends this five-month sojourn. More stories to come about Cebu and the beat of this island-cosmopolitan's thriving cityscape.

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October to February: There and back again.

January: Sinulog, Fiery Pigs, Pinnipig, Midweek Session and Perfect on Paper.

January heralded the year of the Fiery Pig. PODD Corp marked its second year, with a digital art contest open to college students. Luke Tornilla, of UP Cebu, won the first prize of this inaugural digital art contest.

January was also auspicious for three things: The Sinulog Video-Docu Contest, Pinnipig and the Midweek sessions. Clee Villasor, my erstwhile cohort at itzamatch.com, contacted me to do consulting work on his script. The piece came in 8th place (I think). Not bad, for a first-time director and screenwriter. Kudos, Clee!

Niel Quisaba and Ian Zafra, are probably two of most artistic and hardworking people I know, and the idea of them joining forces to form an online store just blew me away. In fact, I think it blew the two of them away, too. Pinnipig.com, their joint online effort into promoting Niel’s artwork, became so popular that, within a month of its birth, the site crashed because its bandwidth limit was exceeded. Peejay, another friend on mine, told me that bandwidths are only exceeded if your site has had too many users clicking and trying to access your site, or if you’ve exceeded your weight index two times over. Which is quite an achievement for a young online store like pinnipig.com. Kudos, Niel and Ian, to your success!

Another digital delight was last January 17’s Perfect on Paper, skippered by Niel Q., this group exhibit featured the digital artwork of Cebuano graphic artists such as Rocky Barria, Palot Umali, and Leo Guevara, among others. Watch out for these individuals because they’re more than just perfect on paper.

Segue to music and then some... In the early 2000s, a small, albeit inocuous band-space, called Midweek Sessions was created at the now-dead-and-revered Artist Dais music bar. It was a weekly gig that featured local artists who wrote and sang their own material. Many local music aficionados and fence-sitters tried to dissuade the trio of Eimer Tabasa, Fern Villaflor, and Ian Zafra that gathering a horde of mostly young bands together to play their original material may look great on paper, it may just be a pretext to a very flat note. Unfazed, the trio approached Edwin Asis of Artist Dais. The rest, as they are fond of quoting, is history.

Midweek Sessions made its comeback last Feb 28, Wednesday, at the Outpost, in Nivel Hills, Lahug, Cebu city. Indie freshmen, The Line Divides, and local pop-chartbusters, Missing Filemon opened the relaunch.









Penumbra: Next “Feel-good February”

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October to February: There and back again.

Samal Christmas holiday and Poker de Pamilya

I spent my holidays with the in-laws in Davao. Three whole days of sun, sun and more sun. We started with a boat ride to Cagayan de Oro, followed by a grueling 6-hour road trip to Davao, where temperatures raced from noontime-hot, to midnight-deathly cold. I wouldn’t want to be stranded in Buda, at 3AM in the morning, that’s for sure.



Davao, is by far, the biggest city I’ve been to. From my cousin-in-law’s place, to the commercial district was something like 45 minutes to an hour, in early morning traffic, which is a bit longer than I’d expect, coming from an island-city that Davao city’s port could probably swallow up, and still have enough space to include Barangay Punta Prinsesa. I wouldn’t want to be caught in mid-hour jams there, that’s for sure!


But I enjoyed Davao. Very likey! And Samal Island was great! For want of a better comparison, it was like Malapascua. Same travel bumps going there, but very, very, very much like Malapascua. (I want to go back there!)


Christmas was also a time for me to strengthen family ties, renew bonds of friendship, cuddly with my wifey, Joyce, and play home poker games --- what else?



It was fun at first, then, the kids got better and better. Negreanu, Lederer, Hansen and Esfandiari, you better hold on to your winnings because when these Tan kids come of age, they’ll be sweeping the tables clean!



Penumbra: Next “January: Sinulog, Fiery Pigs, Pinnipig, Midweek Session and Perfect on Paper.”

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