i don't know about you guys... but i think this is the most effective ad campaign ever made... kids all over the country all want their gulay because of this...

...who would've thought gulay could be this happy and colorful?

...how i wish we had ads like this during our time ...so my folks didn't have to force kalabasa or petchay down my throat.

makulay.... ang buhay....

all we had back then was knorr seasoning... so i guess our jingle would be...

makulay.... ang kanin...

unfair :(

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!

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.

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:

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?