I was the first to arrive at the Ayala Entertainment Center. It was 9pm. I was with Yani and we were waiting for the others to show up. The band before us was already playing. Their setlist was mostly cheesy covers that made me lose my appetite. This band had one serious identity problem. I'm guessing they couldn't decide among themselves which music genre they should adopt, so as a compromise, they just decided to play them all. You try to please everyone and you end up pleasing no one. Its a common story. I'd have lambasted more this pseudo-show band and all the others like them if not for the fact that we almost fell into the same trap before. Part of our ugly past.

So anyway, the irony of it all was that the show was titled "Local, Vocal, and Proud" which should have made it a showcase of local original music. But going through the band lineup, it was obvious, most we're showbands and bands trying to pass themselves off as alternative bands playing alternative covers which still makes them a showband, only of a different type. There were of course, notable exceptions; Cattski did an all-original set, and of course us. We were playing originals mostly with just a single cover tossed in for kicks. Something that would have been unthinkable half a year ago with the old SATI lineup. So there, new and improved.

One by one the guys show up and shortly, we we're up. I wasn't too excited about the gig itself coz it wasn't a paying crowd so I hardly expected the audience had come there to watch us play. More like might-as-well-stay-coz-I-got-nothin-better-to-do type of crowd. Worse, the venue was notorious for its horrible acoustics. If the architect designed the place to capture the ambience of echoes in a cave, then he's a genius, no doubt. As it is, we had to make do with what was there. It's pointless worrying about something that can't be helped.

And we played.

I had fun up there. We played as a much tighter-sounding band, no bias. No wild cheering after every song, but the applause was deliberate. Not token. So there, an accomplishment of sorts.

When we climbed down the stage after our set, people lined up on the side, all greeted us and said it was a great show. I guess I had underestimated our impact. I was pulled to one side by a familiar face and asked if I could be interviewed for TV. I said "sure".

I was shown an idiot board with the questions the VJ was gonna ask...standard stuff. No problem. Why is it that they always pull you out for interviews right after you do a set when you're still sweating like a sprinter.

So anyway, the prepped questions we're sensible and I was already forming my answers mentally when for a first question, this VJ decides to do an improv and had to ask the one question every band including ours absolutely detests! "Why your name?"

How the hell do you explain away a name as absurd as Sheila and the Insects. I couldn't so I dilly-dallied and skirted the query as best as I could. Whew. All VJ's should take a mandatory course on what not to ask rock bands. Phaleeez!

A frustrating ending to what would have otherwise been a satisfying show. At least the post-gig beer was cold.