wow... 8 years! To think 8 years ago, i didn't even know what progressive rock was. Well i loved classical music and i thought about fusing some of its elements with rock... but i didn't know that some bands actually already did that.

I found out about progressive music through a college friend. JP was a huge prog rock fan... he introduced me to Dream Theater, Rush, DMB etc... after my enlightenment, i never looked back.

So anywho... then a blockmate introduced me to Pepe... she told me her cousin was looking for a bassist and that she told him about me. So we met, and stuff... and then pepe gave me a study tape... he told me to listen to it and try to make my own bass line for the piece...

i got home, and immediately listened to the study tape... shit pickle... i fuckin' had a hard time making a decent bass line. the time signature was a bitch. wahahahaha. i almost lost hope... i thought... man, if prog rock is gonna be this tough, i don't think i can hack it. anyway, after spending the whole night... til the wee hours of the morning... trying to make a decent line... i finally finished the piece... so i told pepe that i finished the piece... pepe being the critic that he was told me that we should jam so he can hear the line... so i agreed

we then jammed at Transound... a music studio just a few blocks from DLSU. the rest was history as they say... we then met up with Chad and Loubert...

Eternal Now was born.


...wow ang papayat namin! wahahahaha... look at those baggy shirts... woohooo!



and now 8 years after... the original line-up is back together:

Pepe Manikan on keys and synth
Chad Robles on Guitars
Loubert Vidal on Drums
Mister Nobody (Roger Alcantara) on bass
and the new voice of EN Ian Gomez

who would've thought we'd last that long? i was away for sometime because of some conflicts with my sched... had to stop playing because i had to work. for a while i juggled work and my playing with the band... but photojournalism is a huge responsibility. and i had to make a choice back then. i don't regret that choice though... that time away made me mature, personally and musically. and now that i'm back i'm more confident about my playing and i feel i can contribute more to the new sound of Eternal Now. I still have a lot to learn of course... but learning is always fun, especially with these guys. you see, we're not just bandmates... we are brothers.


Eternal Now with friends at 6 Underground...



8 years! and what better way to celebrate 8 years... but to go back to where it all started...

Eternal Now jams at Transound:














we do hope you can join us as we celebrate 8 years of awesome music... do drop by our gigs:

April 26 - Al's Bar, BF homes parañaque with WPG, DC Aftershock, Sultans of Snap, etc...

April 28 - Vega J Bar, Malate (in front of P.W.U. Taft)

May 5 - Streakers bar, Las Piñas, (near Fernandos, McDonalds, Golf Driving Range)

May 19 - Mall of Asia with The Kagaws, Fuseboxx, Lucille, Squeezers, and Kala

May 26 - Ayuyang Bar, Baguio City

I'm often asked who my influences are... and i usually can't give a straight answer... and that's because i have lots. I've listened to a lot, and i mean a loooot of bands from different genres... and they have all influenced my playing in one way or another... so when someone asks me who my bass hero is... i can't pick just one.

another reason why i have a hard time trying to figure out who my bass god is... is because, when i listen to a band, or music in general... i listen to it as a whole... i don't isolate individual players and obsess about their playing. di ko talaga naging habit yung, bibili ako ng album just because i heard that the bassist was super. gusto ko yung trip ko yung mga songs nila. if it moves my soul, i'm an instant fan. but there are instances that i buy an album because of the bassist. but this is rare... and most of the time, tried and tested ko na talaga na magaling gumawa ng mga songs ang bassist na to... kung baga eh, tiwala na ako sa kanya...

so anyway... here is an attempt to list down my bass heroes... i have lots... as in... pero heto talaga yung mga nagkaroon ng malaking impact sa buhay ko...

Louis Ochoa

Mismo talaga si Choe! Siya nagturo sa akin ng mga basics sa bass. i still remember going to his house, one afternoon... tapos tinuro niya sakin yung mga notes sa neck. that was my first step into the world of bass. I also remember being so inspired by this guy. Man, back in highschool he was the baddest bassist around. Heck, some of the shit he did back then, i can't even do now. ehehehe. thanks man... you'll forever be at the top of my bass heroes list!

Sir Paul McCartney


I love sir Paul. I've always loved his simple driving bass lines. He was the first bassist who made me fall in love with the bass. Up to now i still sit down and jam along with my Beatles albums. And when i'm feeling glum, i just pop in my wings cd and play Silly Love Songs or Band On The Run. His work with the Beatles and Wings are awesome. And he makes the most memorable bass lines. The man is a genius.



Les Claypool


I love this bastard. I remember listening to my first Primus album (Tales from the Punchbowl) and being blown away. Well first there's Les' bass work... he's one weird but awesome bassist. He comes up with the weirdest lines but somehow, it just works. Then there's Ler Lalonde's guitar explorations... most of my guitarist friends hate ler because they say he plays really weird... BUT THAT'S THE POINT! if Pat Martino was Primus' guitarist, that wont be Primus anymore. Lastly, there's Herb Alexander... one kick-ass drummer! But what made me fall in love with Les Claypool was not his bass wizardry... it was his "I don't give a monkey fuck's ass what you think... im gonna do what i want to do" attitude. He is my favorite BASTARD of all time!


Jaco Pastorius


Medyo late ko na nakilala si Jaco. I was in college na when i started collecting Jaco and Weather Report cds. una kong nakita si Jaco sa isang vid. It was his solo spot sa Shadows and Light na concert ni Joni Mitchell... he was playing slang. i remember the sound of his beat up jazz as he stepped on the overdrive... how it screamed and wailed... i instantly fell in love. Then i researched about his life and that made me appreciate Jaco more. He truly opened doors for all of us bassists. for that we are very thankful.


Rommel dela Cruz


He is my favorite pinoy bassist. He comes up with the sweetest bass lines... and the most mind blowing fills and licks. He is what i call a perfect bassist. I admit i stole a lot of licks from this guy... hehehe May time pa nga na puro Barbie's Cradle lang talaga pinapakinggan ko. I jammed along to those cds almost everyday... and everytime, palagi ako napapangiti. Sobrang ganda talaga ng mga bass parts. And rommel is such a nice guy too. Sobrang laking honor nung nag-bass clinic kaming dalawa. It was really cool playing with my hero. Di ko makakalimutan yun at i-kkwento ko sa mga apo ko yun!


Tony Levin


His chapman stick work with King Crimson and later on with Liquid Tension Experiment really influenced me a lot. most of the tapping stuff i do on bass... that's just me trying to be like Tony. What's really awesome though is that i remember listening to my dad's John Lennon: Double Fantasy album... i totally loved the bass line on the song Woman... and this was what... around 6th grade or something... only recently did i find out that the guy playing that sweet bass line is no other than Mr. Tony Levin. How cool is that?



Michael Manring


Another genius! Michael Manring has made fretless bass playing an art. His pieces are so beautiful... and fuckin' hard to pull off... ehehehehe... just watch the video... who else would think of playing multiple basses simultaneously... and friggin' come up with such a beautiful piece such as that? It's almost insane.


John Myung


Ok so people think that since i play in a progressive metal band that i automatically have John Myung as one of my bass influences... well to tell you the truth... I only began to really appreciate John Myung's playing recently. You see... i love Dream Theater as a whole! i think they make awesome songs... not just technical exercises... they actually make songs that you can hum... they make good music. So whenever i listen to Dream Theater, i listen to the songs... not what each individual musician is doing... then it hit me. John Myung is that good! heck, he is such a tight bass player... He's bass playing makes the song work... he always comes up with bass lines that work well with the drum parts. He is so good, he makes Mike Portnoy's drumkit talk.



...there!

ilan lang sila sa mga naging malaking influence sa akin bilang isang bassist at isang musikero. Sometimes i play a lick or two during gigs to pay homage to my heroes.... people think i'm trying to be some kind of wise ass for doing it... but really, it's a nod to these awesome bassists who've inspired me.

if i could only thank them all personally... I would!

Ha! Now here's something you don't get to see everyday:

I was driving back home from Mandaluyong City, and seeing that the SLEX was experiencing heavy traffic, I decided to do the BF Shortcut. After an agonizing 10 minutes trying to follow Paranaque's 2nd District Congressional Candidate Atty. Romy Roxas' motorcade (you will lose, bastard!), I was finally at the Aguirre Avenue entrance. No problems here, as the guard was busy exchanging saliva, I mean words, with his friend "Scooter Boy", and I thought I was already scot-free.

Wrong! There was heavy traffic at the Toyota entrance of BF, and I thought how it can be this heavy when it's only 9 am on a Saturday. The thought quickly subsided when I found out that the guards were actually busy pulling down the bars, and they actually pulled them when I tried to pass, sending me to a complete stop.

Here's the transcript of our conversation:

Guard: Homeowner po ba kayo?
Me: Hindi.
Guard: Kasi kelangan nyo kasi ng sticker dito eh. (points to front window where the sticker should be placed)
Me: Para saan, eh pinapasok nga ako.
Guard: Saang gate kayo pumasok?
Me: Sa Aguirre gate.
Guard: Kasi nga kelangan nyo kasi ng sticker sa BF.
Me: Bakit? Hindi na naman kelangan ng sticker dito ah, kaya nga ako nakapasok eh, kaya nga lalabas na ako eh.
Guard: Kasi para sa Paranaque yun, eto naman para sa Las Pinas.

And here is where my mind goes, "WTF????? This was all the heavy traffic was about?"

Me: Ano po bang sticker ng Las Pinas ang kelangan ko?
Guard: (doesn't answer my question) Sa susunod nalang kumuha kayo ng sticker para di na kayo maharangan.

I just stopped and agreed, because I really don't want the other 50 cars behind me to wait for another 10 minutes for my tirade. Read that folks, 50 cars! These guards were not even thinking about the commotion they're doing. And it's on a fricking Saturday morning!!

Shit-pickle!

Good day to you JustStuffRedux readers!

First, introductions are needed. You shall call me Vice, nothing more, nothing less. Don't try messing up my name, or you'll feel the wrath of my finishing move, the ViceLikeGrip (VLG).

I have been friends with the bosses here, and they have been kind enough to let me write on this blog. I've been a fan of professional wrestling for 20 years, so I know most of the moves - of course that doesn't mean I can perform them. Currently, I've been playing the internet game RAN Online, which I've been religiously playing for 5 to 10 hours a day. Ahh, the wonders of not having to work!

Anyway, that's enough for me right now. Just remember you'll have to get used to me being here, and hopefully you'll like our collaboration.

Who?

Pat Torpey, the former drummer of Mr. Big, stopped by the Philippines to give a drum clinic yesterday at the Hard Rock Cafe in Makati. The event was sponsored by Audiophile and TAMA drums, and attracted a significant amount of people to the venue.

Our tickets state that the clinic starts at 4pm, so we tried to be there at around 3pm. When we got to the Hard Rock Cafe, we could already hear the drum's sound being checked, and so being the jerkoffs that we are, we immediately assumed that some drum tech is trying to show off. Well that drum tech turned out to be Pat Torpey himself. Oops.

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Well, 4pm rolled around and the event started on time. Pat took the stage and chunked out a drum solo that lasted for around 7-10 minutes. After he finished his introductory solo, people went nuts. Pat then said, "It's great to be in a place where you don't need an interpreter!" The crowd applauds. Haha, take that, non-english speaking countries!

Before the lessons began, Pat reminded the crowd that any question would almost certainly be entertained. Whether it's about drumming in general, Mr. Big or whatnot. So the whole clinic was made up of an exchange between him giving lessons and the crowd asking questions.

The majority of the lessons he taught were really entertaining and informative, even to those who don't play the drums. Basically, he demonstrated how to improvise and make the most out of every limb you've got, and to not be stuck in the common set-up of the right hand being stuck in the hi-hat cymbal and the left hand stuck to the snare drum.

He demonstrated how he gets that fast bass drum action, how he alternates his left foot between the hi-hat and the cowbell, how to alternate jobs between his left and right hands, and how simple improvisations to basic beats can spice up the drum track. While his demos were very elaborate, you could see very well how he practices what he preaches.

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As for the questions, the most entertaining ones we could remember were the following:

Can you play 'Take Cover?': We were all surprised by how simple the drum beat as well as the drum break of this song was played. He played it out in slow-mo too, so that everybody could catch up. While we're sure that a lot of practice would be needed to master the song, it was pretty amazing to see how simple it was for him to play it.

Were you sad when Paul Gilbert left?: Awww. He said he was, and that before he actually left the band, he had written him a letter expressing how he thought he should stick it out with the band. He even suggested that maybe all Mr. Gilbert needed was to take a break. On a lighter note, that question was a little too "The Buzz" and showbiz, that's why it's entertaining :)

Can I 'arbor' your sticks?: We swear that's true. This guy actually used the word 'arbor.' We don't really remember how Pat replied, because we were too busy chuckling like little kids. When it wasn't a chuckle really, it was laughter. And I mean the whole place was laughing.

It should be interesting to note that before anyone could even ask, he already addressed that he would want a Mr. Big reunion, but that it wasn't up to him. We're guessing he wanted to get that out of the way since that's probably a topic he gets faced with questions from most of the time. It was at this point when we stopped raising our hands. Kidding.

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After the question and answer portion, Pat played one last drum solo. A very, very long drum solo that the crowd absolutely ate up. We then proceeded to the autograph line where we had stuff like CD covers, tickets and flyers signed, as well as pictures taken with the man. The event wasn't bad at all. People learned stuff about drumming, we got to hear stories about the origins of some songs, and everybody had an awesome time. It was great just… to… be… with… him!

Get it?

(Drum roll!)

Ayos,

-MP

I love Mr. Big... and Pat Torpey is certainly in my list of favorite drummers... his steady groove... his tasteful fills... his consistent time... man, the guy is totally awesome... every bassists dream come true!

So when i found out that he was going to be in town for a drum clinic... i knew i had to be there. so i called up a friend and asked him to reserve my tickets... plus 3 actually since i'm bringing friends along... 'stuffers' mark & vice and jp. At last... Pat Torpey in the flesh! woohooo!!!!

When Mr. Big went here, i had no idea that the band was composed of superhuman musicians... all i heard on the radio was 'To Be With You'... and for a guy like myself who was into Anthrax, Testament, Megadeth, etc... i really wasn't interested that much... imagine how i felt when i started researching Mr. Big's discography... geez... what a sorry loser i was for blowing the chance to see such an awesome band.

I may not be able to see Mr. Big live anytime soon, since the band has broken up... (i do hope they get back together)... but at least i saw Billy Sheehan in the flesh during his bass clinic a few years ago... and now... Pat Torpey. it's the closest i can get to seeing Mr. Big, so i'm not letting this one slip this time.

Yay! What's better than Unicorns and a mountain of Candy? This Vid!

Weeee! Me likey! And I hope you guys enjoy it too! ^_^





May it cheer anybody there that needs some cheering up... well up! ^_^

bassists... woot!

anyways... last friday (friday the 13th) i attended a get together of bassists in quezon city... it was held at a friend's house... our HQ... ehehehehe... we do this like every other month or so to help strengthen the bond between members of a bass community here... nothing grand... just a simple gathering of lovers of the low end... we bring some of our gear, jam (yes, bassists jam too... and you'd be surprised how many awesome bassists we have here in manila...), and drink a lot of booze... well i do anyway.... wehehehehe...

some of you might be thinking... "the bass? isn't that a guitar with just four strings? what's so special about that? anyone can play the bass right?"

how wrong you are...

in fact... the bass is not just a musical instrument... it's a way of life...
to be a good bassist you need these things:

maturity

self discipline

a good sense of time

and most importantly you must have a firm grasp on groove... you must make people dance... that's a requirement... no matter what type of music you play... you must make their feet tap, their heads bop, and their butts shake


ok, so maybe some of you are thinking... "but i can't even hear the bass... why should i bother?"

this is actually true for some people... i have friends who have a hard time figuring out where the bass is in a song... but believe me, if a bassist makes a mistake in the middle of a song... or if he plays out of tune... etc... you may not hear it... but you will feel it. such is the power of the bass... that's why bassists have the biggest responsibility in the band... he is the foundation... he makes the song happen.

...so anyway, where was i? oh yeah, the get together. anywho... a lot of our friends couldn't make it due to conflicts in their scheds... talk about bad luck on friday the 13th... ehehehehe... but it's ok. it was an awesome night... the gears were great... beer... beer... beeeeer... and the people we're awesome as always. i had a blast...

met new people there... tried out some gear... played a little (wasn't able to jam much coz i was the official photographer and video guy for that night... ehehehehe)... basically had a great time being with people who love the bass too... and you know how it is being with people with same interests... you just feel like you belong... and that is such a cool feeling.

...hmmmm i think it would be better to tell the story through photos and some vid clips:

So this morning while I was killing time by being sick, and surfing the web, I stumbled upon a little amusing video blog/online comedy thingee called Bikini News. It was kinda fun so I thought I'd share it with you peeps! It certainly helped get my sickass self out of bed to go to work today.... I actually wanted to stay in bed longer... but for a whole other reason... urm... I mean.... Hey watch one of thier vids right here!

Waaa this just in! I saw a freaking vid and just have to add it! WTF is wrong with this Dad?! Is he trying to raise the next Shotgun weilding mass serial killer?!
That is just f'd up maaan! Watch, listen and guess who's behind the camera too!!!! I feel like I want to kidnap that kid! Sighhhh... but let's not dwell on that....

Let's end on a good note by seeing Jen Jackson and Mary Clark Dance! Wuahahah!

I love watching movie trailers. It's an artform in itself. Imagine having to give out a preview of a movie, cut it in a way that's not boring, and put in music in just the right places. That's a real challenge. Especially when you consider the fact that the editors can't really go overboard with what they show, since that would pretty much eliminate any need to actually watch the film.

So every so often I visit the Quicktime Trailers page over at Apple.com, and it gives me at least a good preview of movies I'd like to see within the year, as well as movies I'll pass on. It's the cinematic equivalent of juding a book by its cover.

Why not? After the so-so Ocean's 12, watching this trailer makes me think think that this franchise may end on a high note. They're back in Vegas, and they really want you to know Al Pacino is in the movie. Great editing, cool music and the usual cool red/black/white color scheme for the motion graphics.



John Cusack's character adopts a kid after his fiancee passes away. But the child thinks he's from Mars ('Cause since Men are from Mars, Boys must be from the same place, right?), so he walks around inside a box, afraid of the outside world that's filled with earthlings. So basically, it seems that it's up to Mr. Cusack to get this kid out of his shell. And I'm sure he'll learn some stuff about life as well. Aww. When this movie is out, you can bet that a lot, a LOT of people will equate the child's box with how people hide their true selves from society. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, that being said this movie looks quite interesting and (surprise!) Joan Cusack is in it too. This is most certainly a John Cusack movie. Oh wait, where's Jeremy Piven?



A comedy about a cop from London who is so good at his job that he's reassigned to a small town. Why? Because he made everyone else look bad. That's how it's described! Hmmm, interesting...

I would have wanted to post more, but the connection I'm using right now is having a hard time, so I'll just update this post as I see more interesting movie trailers.

Ayos,
MP

Hmmm, what can I say.... YAY! Juststuff has risen from it's ashes to bring some fire into the universe.... or well just to kill some f'n time for us folks who bother to read this blog :P.

Lo and behold.... for the first time ever..... i'm actually gonna blog.... hahahah.... I hate you guys... first friendster? Now this?! This is not cool... :P I refuse to join the blog bandwagon! (says the idiot who is writing this right now --- aw you guys know I wuuuv ya --- Why else would I be f'n blogging? Coz I get to blog with the great Misteeeeeeerrrrrrrr Nobody..... *wait for it... wait for it* Nooobodaaaaayyy.... and of course the Godfather himself who contributed his sperm to give birth to Juststuffredux: Juststuffredux... hmmm... that didn't come out quite as good as I imagined... erm... sorry Mpac :P )

Anyways, here i go, I will actually blog... Here is how I can describe the few weeks (with regards to getting work and starting out in my new job) or how i'd like to describe it metaphorically:

"Hi there, my name is Dog! I've spent the last few years playing basketball in my backyard... and in my friend's house... and sometimes at school with my classmates....." said the curly haired dude who has a slight fever and a runny nose as of this moment, "Then one day I tried out for this unknown team that seemed like some village league or so.... just coz hey, I'm playing! Why not play in some team? Maybe that would be cool!" He added.

And so the coaches checked him out; He was actually really lame and not sure why the coach even bothered to take him in anyways and give him a shot... despite the horrible performance. Apparently he thought he was pretty good, but actually he wasn't really that good at basketball, but it seems he's being given a chance because it has something to do with the school he went to... which apparently he had in common with the coach).

"Hmmm, maybe I should just call it quits and go apply at a call center (okay so i couldn't think of a good allusion that people would understand... sue me!)" said Dog, "I mean it's kinda pathetic the only reason they are taking me is coz we went to the same school... pffft.... when I seriously could've been tryout for the position of waterboy with the kind of game I played?!"

So he contemplated on whether to actually show up or just maybe just ditch that and start taking chess more seriously since he's apparently competent at it and chess people keep inviting him to play chess (OKokok... that's my call center symoblism! Yay!) even if he really doesn't care for it much....

Soooo anyways... long story short......... Dog decides to go back and see how the basketball practice was going, and maybe at the very least he could watch others play and learn some new skillz. The coach didn't exactly tell him he was a member you see.... the coach just said he should drop by and see the practice and maybe he gets to play and be tested again.... just for the benefit of the doubt....

"Oh well, I may suck... but they are giving me a chance to do something I like to do... so let's see how this goes" he mumbled.

So dog went to the practices and workouts and slowlyrealized something: it was becoming apparent that this team was not going to compete in any village league. In fact, this team was not even going to compete in just a college varsity tournament....

It was a Pro league, The NBA!

So imagine his surprise when after that, he was handed a contract! He was rather conflicted about it (and actually hasn't signed the contract lol) but he sure is gonna at least play in the NBA till they realize he shouldn't be playing there! hahahah!

"So yeah, I'm gonna be pretending I can actually guard Lebron James or Kobe Bryant" thought Dog, "And try to score points with the help of my team mates... who will hopefully be nice to me and give me a chance, till they realize i shouldn't be there.... It's a short term contract afterall.... so I'm just gonna run with it."

He still wonders though why the hell the coach bothered to throw him a bone..... He was suppose to be in the reserved list at best... but he is actually in the line up.... weird....

"One thing is for sure..... i'm gonna get my ass beat and my body turned to a puddle of gunk.... this ain't gonna be easy.... far from it..... let's hope I live long enough to even finish my contract term lol"

Sad? Happy?

More like Confused.... Conflicted

Grateful... yes....
Wary too...

Hahhaahha!

Okay so welcome to my brain.... I hope you can find your way out.... Coz i'm just as lost as you are.... urm.... who has my map? Anyone here have a map to the exit? Hello? Sigh... crap.....

it has been a looong time indeed.... it's good to be back...

went to the light expo yesterday... what can i say... well it's lights... for cryin' out loud... last time i checked, it's a necessity... not entertainment... how may times can you actually say... "hey mom let's go check out some lights... i heard they're pretty cool...." hmmmmm... the only reason to celebrate anything connected with lights is right after a looooong blackout...

neighbors: putang ina may ilaw na!!!!! yahooo! *jubilation*
me: *shrug*

...you don't even need to check if the power is back... just wait for the screams and cheers of your kapitbahay... it's as if they all won the friggin' lottery....



...will post pictures when i get home


...juststuff is back... how cool is that?

We've decided to resurrect JustStuff, now known as JustStuff Redux. We hope people like the blog and we hope that this version chunks out better stuff than the last.