"I didn't like the name but it doesn't matter. They played great band music." - Nina Araknida Sunstar, Flip / September 15, 2002
"Few rock bands in town could stand at the crossroads of a dynamic and evolving music scene and knock down the high walls that divide music genres and audiences with as much success as Sheila and the Insects. " - Ronald P. Villavelez Yup!, Issue 1.03 / November 2001
"Sheila & The Insects’ music is new wave-influenced post-punk rock music that is considerably heavy yet still melodic " - Cris O. Ramos Jr. The Manila Times / May 31, 2003
"What does an indie band do with the oft-maligned mix of rock and new wave? In the case of Cebu-based Sheila and the Insects, plenty." - Ganns Deen PULP , PulpReviews / Issue 13, March 2001
I lose scraps of paper that I write notes on. Writing on a table napkin while having lunch doesn't work for me either. It's highly likely I'll forget about it and it ends up forgotten in the laundry bin inside my jeans pocket. To eventually end up as a wad of pulp.
Better to record works in progress in the cloud that is the internet. You can't lose it once it's posted. Unless you intentionally delete it. That or a terrorist nuclear attack annihilates the city block and the data center where this site is hosted.
Laundry detergent is a very real creative inhibitor, believe me. More real than a rogue can of plutonium inside a tourist's backpack. Sorry Jack Bauer.
So here it is, posted as a blog entry -- tentative lyrics I've been working on in my head. Yes, in my head. I rarely write lyrics with a guitar. I don't know why. It seems to work better for me.
The Alarm
(working title)
STANZA
If you wanna tell me lies all night
Alarm bells ringing, oh no, oh no
You wanna be my girl, tonight
Alarm bells ringing, oh no, oh no
REFRAIN
This is what my mother warned me of when I was growing up
This is what my mother warned me of
I know, I know, I know, I kno-ow-ow
CHORUS
Don't be alarmed, girl
I know what I'm doing
Don't hesitate, girl
I know what I'm doing
Eyes on you
I got my eyes on you
I can’t get rid of the Curtains and Trims jingle from head. It’s been playing on loop mode. If you’re from Cebu, you know this jingle and you understand how annoying it gets. They should use it in Guantanamo Bay since waterboarding is no longer an option for them there. Not as violent but just as effective. Prisoners will tell all or beg to be killed and be spared from such a torturous never ending audio loop. Or they might suffer permanent brain damage, whichever comes first.
We didn’t stop to rest after Sonic Boom because we had to drive straight to the airport for our return flight to Cebu. The exhaustion finally caught up with us after the check-in ritual. After finishing a styrofoam bowl of the most expensive Lucky Me instant noodles at P89, all three of us ambled towards the lounge area near our gate, laid down and promptly slept. Or at least tried to.
The booze and the rush of the performance blurred my memory of the gig. I remembered the set though -- Lemerson, Maude, Everyday Drive, then we closed with Quick to Panic. Someone held up a sign asking us to play Happenstance. We didn’t practice that one though so we couldn’t oblige. And we had a four-song cap.
We’ve been away for so long that I had forgotten how it felt to be up there on the stage. The lights burn you to melting point. I would close my eyes, not to feel the rush of the moment but to fight the sting from my sweat. If it didn’t make me look stupid, I’d wear a sweatband around my head during gigs, like when I play basketball.
But other than weak monitors and strong lights, I couldn’t complain. The gig was well worth the quick trip. (I counted us staying only 15 hours total in Manila – not even a full day) I think the crowd enjoyed our set. I know I did up there. Our biggest thanks to Alex Lim’s production for inviting us and putting up one rocking show. Special thanks to Gino also for driving us around town and for the Count to Ten sampler. Thanks also to Louie for inviting us to Darkus Nights. Turbo Goth blew me away. Too bad we couldn’t stay to watch the rest of the bands.
Hopefully before the year ends, plans push through that SATI gets to do a few smaller gigs over a weekend. The intimacy is different for bar gigs, not better, just unique. A big plus -- the lights won’t be as harsh.
Looking back and with some amusement, I realized that every next album took us one year longer to release! If we follow the logic then, we'd have to release an album this year, dang!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Midweek Sessions PLAYBACK!
9pm at The Outpost, Lahug, Cebu City
Featuring: Sheila and the Insects, Happy Days, Hastang,
Missing Filemon and Julia's Mint Performance.
Admission is free.
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Friday, August 7, 2009
UP Cookout
UP Cebu campus grounds, Lahug, Cebu City, 9pm
Alex Lim called me up and invited SATI to play at the 3rd Sonic Boom. We had just gotten back together again and he had heard that we had been slowly doing the rounds here in Cebu. Sonic Boom has gotten bigger every year and would be hard to pass up. We almost did.
Jerros, who’s in law school, said he couldn’t do the scheduled August 22 weekend, that being the scheduled midterms. The rest of us though would be available. Jai suggested that we consider getting a session drummer just for that gig. I wasn’t too keen on the idea but I left it to the group to decide. Everybody calls the shots in this group. Not exactly a democracy though. More like equally strong-willed tyrants running countries sharing borders. Imagine the cold war were the nuclear deterrent kept the fragile peace. Okay, I exaggerate. But, like I said before, this is a band of band leaders. (Drama queens)
Sometimes I wonder if that’s a good thing.
We decided to get Edrik of The Line Divides and jammed last week. I will say one thing; he’s one really talented drummer. We started the session with Quick to Panic and finished the song feeling like we’d been playing it for years. That’s how good he is. Which, in a nutshell, is reflective of the level of talent of the new bands here in Cebu. The Line Divides in particular.
They play music at a level that most other bands would take several years to get to, ours included. When I was their age, I couldn’t even play the guitars.
They’ll be playing in Manila on the same weekend SATI will be in town, the Sonic Boom gig too. Watch them and buy their debut album which I’m sure they’ll be selling at the venue. Catch them if you want to get a glimpse of the future.
For those who've been asking, yes SATI is officially back together. Haven't had a chance to update this blog in ages but will try to going forward, now that we're probably gaining some real traction.
Such as, we might be doing a gig in Manila pretty soon. And maybe an appearance in Ian's Midweek Sessions.
The band that I had been jamming with while SATI was in hiatus which we tentatively called "Easyboy" just couldn't take off. Musically, I thought we had something there in that we managed to clobber together an interesting sound. Sadly, in between the busy schedules of the members, jamming sessions were few and far in between so we just couldn't keep a momentum going long enough for us to take off.
But SATI's back. Me, Ian, Jerros, and Wesley Chiongbian, replacing Boobop on bass who currently is busy with Power Spoons.
In the works are a few new songs but we're just not quite ready to play them yet. Will post more updates as they come. Hopefully, I'll find myself posting here more often. It's been too long. I almost forgot my account password!
I've never seen a Sheila and the Insects gig before
I have never seen a Sheila and the Insects gig before. Because I've always stood behind the mic. But I have always wanted to, for the longest time. Not to be the front man, but to be in the audience. I remember before, I'd keep telling Ian I wish there was some freaky way I could dissociate myself from, well myself while I watched a SATI gig from the floor – live and loud.
Watching a video is never loud enough and never real enough. It's totally different when you're right there front and center and enjoying the raw performance. The dusky grit of an unpolished gig, the visual flicker, the annoying smell of sweat mixed with spilt beer and cheap cigarettes. The buzz, the crush, the noise.
Maybe soon, I’ll get my chance with what Ian told me just recently. Well, it won’t exactly be a real SATI gig, but it will be close enough. Probably the closest I’ll ever get to one – a SATI tribute gig.
Verbatim: ian_zafra00: bai orven enoveso: bai ian_zafra00: bai ian_zafra00: na-kontak nimo si dwight or si louell? ian_zafra00: sa love satellites na ug sa spirals ian_zafra00: they're trying to put a SATI tribute gig daw ian_zafra00: local bands motukar ug SATI songs... in case u dont know ian_zafra00: i mean ni-kontak na ba nimo sila orven enoveso: wala, orven enoveso: bitaw? orven enoveso: when's the gig? ian_zafra00: some time august or september ian_zafra00: small gig lang daw orven enoveso: flattering really, personally, It would be great to hear our songs played by other bands! ian_zafra00: yep\ ian_zafra00: i-invite daw ta nila ian_zafra00: as an audience orven enoveso: even if they don't invite me, i'll gladly pay for a ticket!! orven enoveso: hahaha ian_zafra00: hehehe ian_zafra00: im sponsoring for 2 video cams ian_zafra00: orven enoveso: nindut na da, ian_zafra00: asked tonet if she can do post production kay naa man siya's video production outfit orven enoveso: can our new band play as a guest? ian_zafra00: ask dwight ian_zafra00: il ask dwight orven enoveso: sige, but i don't know him that well... ian_zafra00: maybe il re-introduce u na lang orven enoveso: tonet? from manila? ian_zafra00: then ikaw ask niya ian_zafra00: i hope to not get too invovled in this except the video kay sayang di ma-document ian_zafra00: yes from manila orven enoveso: yes, DOCUMENTATION orven enoveso: hope the thing really does push through. ian_zafra00: kita lang unya ta ani nga gig bai ian_zafra00: yes i hops so to ian_zafra00: too* ian_zafra00: anyhow just thought id tell u this promising news ian_zafra00: back to work orven enoveso: same here... buzz me for updates bai. I'm always on everyday, office hours. ian_zafra00: sure
Bisoy is a jerk and is apologizing for his lapse in good judgment. Sorry J, sorry C for what I wrote and for the damage and hurt that I've caused. Please accept my sincere apology.
