Jerking around...A slow Friday night with the Jerks

Wow...I said in my previous posts that I will be trying to keep this blog as up to date as I can with new content but try as I might, other things seem to keep me and my thoughts preoccupied. Not that it takes that much to keep me distracted but as the bespectacled one said, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

Anyway, for this post, I would like to focus on a band who's been making the rounds of the local scene since 1979 at hanggang ngayon ay anjan pa din. Ika nga ng t-shirt nila, "Walang Pahingang Rock N Roll"

It's "Rakenrol"!

I managed to coax my wife into watching some live music with me and what better way to spend the night with her than witnessing in action one of the true gems that the local music scene has to offer.

Fronted by the enigmatic Chikoy Pura, the Jerks has been making raucous, fist-raising anthems before any of us could even say "rock n roll". Pero nakakapagpabagabag na in terms of output ( albums ), there is a noticeable lack sa recorded material nila. I remember being introduced to the band circa '94-'95 when I managed to get a hold of their live tape which to me, perfectly captures the energy and power of the band. Of course, they were doing all of this even before that time period, back when punk exploded here. I guess not a lot of people know that they were part of that original BIG BANG, so to speak, with their original songs, Romantic Kill and Big Deal. 

The other album that I know of coming from the group was the major backed, self-titled outing which had the classic "Rage". I don't know about you but the rerecording of the other songs ( Reklamo ng Reklamo, Sayaw sa Bubog, Tambol ) felt like they fell short of the majestic live renditions of the said songs. Some would say na watered-down pa nga ung iba, an example is changing the lyrics with "Hacienda Luisita" to "Sa iba't ibang hacienda" on one song. Oh well, alam naman natin ung original lyrics nya e. For those who don't, well now you know. It was also quite refreshing to hear several slow songs from the band on this album, na me pagka kundiman ( one song is titled Kung 'di Man ) which was a nice balance to the "rage".

Anyway, on this particular night, my wife and I managed to find ourselves going to 70's Bistro to catch the Jerks performing. One of her concerns was, "Di ba magulo dun?" And I answered,"Hindi naman," thinking that it would just be a steady night for the Jerks and for the venue.

And indeed, it proved to be business as usual for the group. All in all, 6 na ang members ng band that night ( not sure if that was a permanent line-up ), with 2 more guitarists excluding Mr. Pura himself. The first half of the set had blues and R&B renditions which were played excellently but I can't help to think na mas maganda pa yung mga original numbers ng banda rather than these covers. Dun din sa first set tinugtog ung kambal na reggae flavored songs Reklamo ng Reklamo and Sayaw sa Bubog.

The second set was more of the same but instead of blues covers they ventured into some Beatles. Mukhang Mad Mathematical World land ata original na tinugtog nila during that 2nd part. As a whole and as far as I can remember, mabibilang lang sa isang kamay ung tunogtug nila na orginals, kung hindi ako nagkakamali.

Now don't get me wrong. We were witnessing a performance by one of the greatest bands that the Philippines has to offer. Pero what I had seen that night left me wanting for more. Again, the Jerks original songs to me are infinitely better than the covers that they did that night. Sure, they were played well but I guess I was just looking for that extra grrrr, that energy so well-captured on their live tape.

In my ill-informed and probably misplaced opinion, the Jerks were more powerful when they were a three-piece. Again, di ko alam kung permenent ang line-up nila pero as I've said in my previous posts, iba talaga pag 3-piece ung kumakana nung mga songs e. Oh well, I did enjoy seeing my wife grooving to them tunes. If you are so inclined, do try to support the Jerks. Those t-shirts are damn good looking. And of course, the music is still there, still raging, still rakenrol!

Check 'em out at their FB page where you can order music, t-shirts as well as some tea :)

Where Did it Come From? - Plastic Surgery Disasters

Whew! I can't believe that it has been four months already since I last updated this site. Time does fly fast when you're not looking. Anyway, enough of that, time for more interesting stuff to ponder on. Here's a new thing that I thought I'd do in order to keep me updating my site. As most of you know, there's a lot of stuff in punk that most people aren't aware of and that includes album covers, specifically the stories behind these album covers that have now become classic images. These series of posts take a look at these images. Hopefully, it will open up a lot of folks' minds and will make them understand some of the meaning behind the madness. First up is a look at a classic DK image. 

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Plastic Surgery Disasters - Dead Kennedys

This was taken from the photo, "Hands" by photographer Mike Wells. It's a shot intended to highlight the contrast between a starving boy and a missionary during the 1980 famine in the Karamajoa district, Uganda, where almost a quarter of the population died. Ako, nung una ko tong nakita, I thought it was like a "close encounters of the third kind" type, a nod to sci-fi to match the spy/sci-fi sounding guitar of East Bay Ray. How could I think otherwise? The copy that I had of this had photocopied covers which really didn't give justice to the subject of the photo. When I learned what the photo was really about, andun na ung shock value na most likely, what Jello and the crew were shooting for. And what's more is that up until 2003, there is apparently still famine in that part of the world which is the scariest part. 

No, that is definitely not ET! Taken here

Okay, that's it for now. These posts won't be the long-winded pseudo-articles(!) that I have been making mostly. As I said, these posts should keep me updating this site regularly since they won't be taking too much of my time. 'Til then, adios amigos!

Read on:
https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/tag/famine/

Watch:
Jello on Vinyl collection ( where he mentions Plastic Surgery Disasters and the Robbie the Werewolf ??)

"1..2...3....4...."

Godfathers....Image from
http://www.theworldsbestever.com/2014/07/12/
ramones-dead-long-live-ramones/

RIP Tommy Ramone and the Ramones

On July 11, 2014, the last last surviving member of the Ramones, Tommy Ramone passed away leaving the world a much darker place than it was. Much more than their music, the legacy of the Ramones remains and that is their whole-hearted embrace of the ethos of DIY, the idea to make something out of nothing and to pursue it as relentlessly and as passionately as you can, no matter how stupid or useless it may seem to others. Yan ung attitude na palaging sinasabi ng karamihan pero a few really do live up to.   

I remember cutting my teeth on guitars to most of their tunes, as probably most of you who've ever handled a guitar, because number 1, the songs are really easy to figure out and number 2, they don't get you all confused that you eventually quit playing. Pero, the ironic thing is, it's really hard ( in a physical sense ) to play Ramones guitar, if you're not used to it. Just try playing along to one of their albums straight up without stopping and you'll see what I mean. 

And I would have to presume na ganun din for people learning the drums. Or the bass. Or just people who like the idea of having a band of their own and making something out of it. You don't have to be a Hendrix clone, a Page acolyte, a  Bonham enthusiast, or whoever genius instrumentalist or vocalist. Hey, if these guys can do it....

The beauty is in the simplicity. It's not in the mind-boggling guitar virtuosity, it's not in the jaw-dropping, 20 minute, drum solos. It's not in the mesmerizing bass lines, it's not in the awe-inspiring vocal acrobatics and dynamics. It's not in the neatness of your clothes, it's not in the appeal of your looks. HEY HO! It's not even in the deepness of the lyrics. It's in the heart and soul where rock 'n roll truly lives, where we find the meaning of it all. And that's where it should count. All you just really need is the guts to count to four... LET'S GO!!!!

Ramones no more...from http://riseabovetheanchor.com/tommy-ramone-dead/

"It wasn't just music in The Ramones: it was an idea. 

It was bringing back a whole feel that was missing in rock music – 

it was a whole push outwards to say something new and different. 

Originally it was just an artistic type of thing; 

finally I felt it was something that was good enough for everybody." - 

Tommy Ramone, 1978 

Karamihan ng Tao ay Pu!

Reviews - Biofeedback 7"
Mutilated Noise

Now this has been a long time coming. I got these a couple of months ago but this is the first time that I'm actually sitting down and putting one for a spin. This is Biofeedback's 7" from Mutilated Noise titled "Karamihan ng Tao ay Pu". It features 4 songs of blistering hardcore from Laguna's finest. For anyone who's not familiar with the band, this is a good introduction to the once and mighty BFK. 

Manila Klasiko - Labor Day gig

Manila Klasiko

Black King's Bar - West Avenue

May 1, 2014

Let me just say, to start off, I had high hopes for this gig considering that it was held on Labor's Day and just by looking at the line-up, classic na classic. Pero what turned out to be a promising night turned into a slight disappointment for me. Maybe I just missed out on the other bands that night, oh well. And pardon if I missed out on the songs, my memory's not to be trusted. Note to self, next time, bring a notebook dumdum. On to the night.