sandripples//

my bloomfields boy

i happened to catch the bloomfields at eastwood last wednesday. a friend invited me to the electrostatic sound conference 2 at club dredd that night, and another friend told me the bloomfields will also be in eastwood for the wednesday habit. so i decided to go there alone, i was thinking, i might as well meet lakan, my friend who i missed for almost 7 years. it was a long time ago since we last talked and ate lunch together. i thought this start of the year would just be a great time to come and see him with the bloomfields. hmmm the last gig i’ve seen him played, was when he was still with weedisneys.

i approached jj during their break, asked him to sign my bloomfields cd, and if he can tell lakan that i’m looking for him backstage. jj might not really remember me, we used to chat 10 years ago or so at #indiecafe and #indiepop irc channels. he was really a kid then, telling stories about his drumming and his baon — na sandwich which his mom prepared for him, their vacation in bora and some kids stuff.

amongst lakan’s friends, mia has always been the closest to me. he introduced me to her, since she was his college crush . our friendships did not remain only in the chatrooms, we go out for lunch and little talks, exchange greeting cards and gifts, talk over telephone conferences, share music, meet in the gigs, etc.

they were the ones who made me love the 80’s, the indie pop, beach boys, club8, belle and sebastian, lotus eaters and kakoi of mr. crayon . they were just kids then, but their music was so mature. music has always been their passion. jj and lakan are geniuses. they can play any instrument, any tune and perform in professional level .

who would believe that they have fans from age 5 to 75. from baby brothers to kolehiyalas, from moms to dads. a colleague of mine mentioned once, that there’s this band of kids (the bloomfields) her parents really love to watch, that they have to have their family dinner in one of the band’s gigs. another officemate had to wait on long queues, just to have her poster autographed hehehe.

despite the crowding fans, i was able to greet (with a kiss ) lakan , had may bloomfields shirt and cd autographed. unfortunately, we were not really able to talk longer since lots of fans wanted to take pictures with him. so i bid goodbye and find myself a place up in club dredd. from the rooftop, i can still see them play, while getting high on some stuff hahaha .

it was a very happy night. i used to call him my punk boy. we used to share the love for Ash. now, he’s my bloomfields boy.

“Alala mo nung tayo ay walang magawa
Nandon ako, nandon ka, at wala ng iba” — The Bloomfields

“I have watched you on the shore
Standing by the ocean’s roar
Do you love me, do you, surfer girl
Surfer girl, surfer girl” — The Bloomfields

NOFX in Manila!

last april 18 i got punk and went to NOFX’s concert brought by sonic boom philippines. in the line up were also urbandub, faspitch, the ambassadors and hongkong’s king lychee.

when we got to the venue (amoranto theater) no bands were up yet. people were just lining up for the free red horse beers. too bad we were not entitled for the freebies because our tickets were complimentary. normz and i got vip passes courtesy of pats. my prize for winning as the fastest player in pulse’s nofx memory game.

i brought with me my camera and luckily eric and richard of wolfpac had extra crew passes so they gave it to me so i could shoot from the sides of the stage. there qwew lots of photographers on the stage already so i wasn’t really able to shoot comfortably but it was great standing just beside the performers. i even got one of eric melvin’s pick!

for my nofx photos -> NOFX Photos

snakecharmer @70’s bistro

last night snakecharmer played at the 70s bistro. zann pacificador (the guitarist) is my online buddy and i’ve always wanted to watch them play. and i also wanted to take some pictures of them. and to get a copy of their cd too.

it was a great night. o well, every night with beer and great music is a great night for me. and great musicians like kakoi, tom colvin, joric, mai, david and bitoy jammed with them. i’m used to, y’know, production-type gigs, with several bands of different musical genre playing in one night. and i just realized how cozy it was to just listen to bluesy music all night.

snakecharmer really can charm one’s spirits with their music.

Photo album is available here.

saguijo cafe+bar

if you’re looking for a place that provides good music, artistic ambiance and a friendly community, cafe saguijo is just the right place. checkout their website www.saguijo.com.

bands usually start performing at 10pm. but you can go there early so you can choose your spot. at 10pm people are starting to fill up the place. i usually sit on the floor when enjoying the band, i can’t stay on a table since i prefer roaming around the place. the smoking area is outside the bar, so lots of people actually hang outside, plus, there are balot and squid balls vendors just across the street.

the bar’s food is great, i love their gambas! the chicharon bulaklak and the cheese sticks are also our favorites. i’m a pulutan person so i actually haven’t tried their pastas, sandwiches, etc. the entrace fee usually ranges from 100-150, which includes 1 free drink (beer/bottled water). beer costs 50 pesos. from 6pm-9am they have a buy-one-take-one promo for selected beers.

the place is the coolest i’ve seen so far. it’s actually an old house turned into a cafe + bar. the furniture are crafty, the whole place has a very creative and homey ambiance, and it’s clean and cool. i love the tile designs on the walls, the kurt cobain and bob marley posters, the baul treasure shop and the art gallery upstairs.

saguijo is beyond the music and the artworks it houses. it is beyond the good food and the nice people. it is always about artistic freedom.

so come and enjoy saguijo.