Contemporary Philippine Music (Updated)

CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE MUSIC: A CREATIVE PROJECT ON A NEW MOVEMENT OF MUSIC IN THE PHILIPPINES

A Senior Seminar Paper Presented to The Interdisciplinary Studies Department Ateneo de Manila University

In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements of the Course IS 152

By Marvin Joseph D. Sayson 2009

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study In the past four decades, the mainstream of Philippine music was driven by the collective force of Original Philippine Music. This kind of music, as it started in the 1970s with the likes of Freddie Aguilar and Juan De La Cruz Band, was characterized by standard, easy-listening chord progressions and nationalistic lyrics. This showed how the beginnings of OPM (Original Philippine Music) were influential for a nation under Martial Law rule, struggling with an identity crisis. OPM, as it was known in the ‘70s and 80’s, provided the Filipinos with togetherness through its values and ideas as heard in lyrics. After the Martial Law, OPM blossomed with creative freedom with the likes of Apo Hiking Society as its proprietors. After a decade of political unrest, OPM continued to flourish in the ‘70s. It provided more avenues for self-expression and innovation for music technicality with the help of Western music influence. The Grunge movement was happening in Seattle U.S.A., while the Philippines adapted to these trends and made such music their own by using Filipino lyrics. Bands such as Teeth and Twisted Halo used Grunge rock’s fuzzy guitar sounds and gritty vocalizations while maintaining OPM’s traditions – the most obvious of all was the use of Filipino language. The birth of ‘90s Alternative music was also marked by bands such as Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar. All of these bands were popular in their time because of a crucial factor – their music identified with the masses.

Looking at the present-day situation of OPM, there have been evident changes. The 21st century has paved way for technological advancements and globalization. This has also affected Philippine music. Faspitch, Typecast, and Urbandub – three bands under the Sonic Boom Production group, have propelled a new movement in Philippine music. This movement, Contemporary Philippine Music, was characterized by major tweaks in music technicality. Contemporary Philippine Music’s use of musical pyrotechnics, complex chord structures and sound effects-based ambience was noticeably different from OPM. The discriminate use of English as its primary language also helped in gaining international recognition. Bands such as Drip and Urbandub have been invited to perform in France and Singapore respectively. In light of this brief history of Philippine music, there are also benefits and problems. Benefits of Philippine music Philippine music has nurtured in a nation trying to build its identity. In its own way, the Original Philippine Music movement helped answer some questions for that matter. Songs such as Bamboo’s Noypi (Hoy/ Pinoy ako/ Buo’ng aking loob, may agmiat ang dugo ko) have allowed nationalism to take its place in popular culture. On the other hand, bands such as Radioactive Sago Project have promoted political awareness through their music. The band’s sophomore album’s title in itself, Tanginamo Andaming Nagugutom Sa Mundo Fashionista Ka Pa Rin (sic), was a social commentary on widespread elitism in the Philippines. Over time, Original Philippine Music has garnered enough recognition for the Philippine masses to identify itself with the music and lyrics, so much so that majority of record bars in Metro Manila have a separate rack for Original Philippine Music – a statement that the nation has indeed accepted the genre’s distinctiveness as a part of Philippine identity.

Somehow, this nationalism has carried over from the previous era of Filipino music. Before OPM, various kinds of music heard from Filipinos were rebellious cries from colonization. This gave birth to a national identity; separating itself from the former foreign hegemonies that ruled over the Philippines through centuries.1 Musicians such as Joey Pepe Smith, Freddie Aguilar, and New Society wrote proudly about nationalism. The anthem hit from Juan de la Cruz band, Ang Himig Natin, was the apex of a shared nationalism in Filipino music. Shortly thereafter, OPM was on the rise. Problems of Original Philippine Music Despite this monumental success, OPM (Original Philippine Music) has also been crippled by unavoidable problems. The extensive use of colloquial language makes OPM esoteric and undecipherable to the Philippine elite. An example of this would be Kamikazee’s song entitled Petix – a slang term for relaxing and unwinding. Also, OPM has been greatly influenced by colonial mentality over the years. Cueshe, a mainstream alternative band, was accused of plagiarism with their song Stay, allegedly being a recreation of the Australian band Silverchair’s Greatest View. A pioneer band of OPM, Eraserheads, suffered the same accusations of The Beatles’ Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds because of their song Alapaap, which was dubbed by critics as a song about drugs2 (“Masdan mo’ng aking mata/ ‘Di mo ba nakikita/ Ako ngayo’y lumilipad at nasa langit na”).

These situations have made OPM

problematic, if not controversial.

                                                                                                                1

E. San Juan, Jr., Writing and National Liberation (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Diliman Press, 1991), 113. 2 Erwin Oliva, “E(lectronic)Heads: An Online Adventure” in Tikman Ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads, ed. Melvin Calimag and Jing Garcia (Pasay City: Visual Print Enterprises, 2006), 72.

Philippine music’s identity crisis Notwithstanding such notoriety, Philippine music was still a strong, unstoppable force. These problems did not cripple the movement enough to make Filipino music wither through time. But, as the times have changed, the problems of Philippine music have changed as well. A notable characteristic of Philippine music was its ability to respond to the new trends and technological improvements. Such innovations came with a price to pay. In the eve of the twenty-first century, bands from Manila to Cebu have taken advantage of the technological advancements to enhance their music. The Baroque features of music resurfaced in the form of pyrotechnics and experimental qualities in Filipino music. Bands such as Urban Dub, Faspitch, and Up Dharma Down created music beyond the standard four-chord progressions of OPM, allowing a new wave of style to emerge in the Filipino music industry. This discrepancy equated to an identity crisis for the Filipino music industry, thus giving birth to a new branch of Philippine music: Contemporary Philippine Music. Focus of the Project This project, therefore, focuses on defining Contemporary Philippine Music. This study explains its movement though the lenses of cultural studies. It also pinned down the common characteristics among bands and music made in the Contemporary Philippine Music era. Finally, this project’s creative output is a five-song album of the band Don’t Forget, Clementine, as an example of Contemporary Philippine Music. This will help contribute in defining Contemporary Philippine Music.

Objectives of the Project As mentioned earlier, Contemporary Philippine Music has been creating new opportunities for Filipino musicians, but its definition is still quite vague. The main focus of this project is to identify the main cornerstones of Contemporary Philippine Music by pinning down its origins, explaining the movement’s rise through sociological and literary theories, and providing an overview of its musical aspects. Moreover, this project’s creative output, album by Don’t Forget, Clementine, makes out an example of the many contributions to Contemporary Philippine Music. In light of the above, this project aimed to: 1. Define thoroughly what Contemporary Philippine Music is, in the context of Philippine music history and music theory. 2. Create a brief timeline of the history of Philippine music in order to separate the eras of OPM and Contemporary Philippine Music. 3. Explain the movement of Contemporary Philippine Music through theories of hegemony (Raymond Williams) and Orientalism (Edward Said). 4. Produce a five-song album with the band Don’t Forget, Clementine (post-rock) as an example of Contemporary Philippine Music. 5. Promote the awareness of Filipino talent and the importance of music in the academe.

Significance of the Project First and foremost, this project is mainly a contribution to on-going studies of Philippine music. The topic of Philippine music in the 1970s-1990s is seldom discussed in the academe, as seen in the bibliography of this project. All the more, Contemporary Philippine Music is a new

idea. This project aims to contribute new information about Contemporary Philippine Music in the fields of Philippine music studies. The popular culture of a country determines so much of its identity,3 and this project is made significant by the influence of music on the Filipino culture. Many researchers who want to learn about Philippine music will benefit in this project. The use of Orientalism and theories on hegemony also provides new perspectives on Philippine music’s growing history. The benefactors of this project include not only aficionados of Philippine music, but members of sociological circles as well. Filipino musicians may also benefit from this study. This project may be considered as a guiding light for musicians who want to start their own bands and contribute to Contemporary Philippine Music. This project aims to shed light not only on music technicalities, but also an understanding of how Contemporary Philippine Music came about. This way, it helps musicians realize Contemporary Philippine Music in an academic context. Moreover, the significance of this project expands since the Contemporary Philippine Music industry is indulging itself into the international world of music. This project is an addition to the history of music around the world, especially in the height of the innovations ushering in the collaboration of music and technology. Lastly, as an active contributor to the movement of Contemporary Philippine Music, I am privileged to write about the movement. It is both an advantage and a gift to me to be able to write about Contemporary Philippine Music from the perspective of a musician. This way, I hope that readers learn about Contemporary Philippine Music from the experience of a musician. The progressing force has been a fruitful cause, and I believe that more attention must be paid to Philippine music.                                                                                                                 3

Deanna Campbell Robinson, Elizabeth B. Buck, and Marlene Cutberth, Music at the Margins. (California: Sage Publications, Inc.), 3.

Scope and Limitations of the Project The main scope of this project is Philippine music history from 1970s-2009. In order to create a clearer focus into Philippine music, this project aims to study popular bands and songs from eras of Philippine music. This includes the following musicians from 1970s: Freddie Aguilar, Juan de la Cruz Band, and Joey Pepe Smith; 1980s: Apo Hiking Society, the early stages of Eraserheads, and Alamid; 1990s: Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar. For Contemporary Philippine Music, the focus will be on Urbandub, Typecast, and Tonight We Sleep. In order to capture the characteristics of these different eras, these bands will be approached by the respective music theories they employed. Also, interpretations of lyrics as social artifacts are crucial to studying the said music. Furthermore, the analyses of music will be contextualized in Orientalism and theories on hegemony. But, there is a limitation to studying popular music alone. Most, if not all of the collective history of Filipino music noted in this project will be included by virtue of its significance in the Philippine culture. Underground movements in Filipino music will be tackled the least due to its limited research materials. This project will subscribe to the definition of popular music from the book Music at the Margins: commercially successful music with respect to other industries (television, film, radio, and publishing).4 Also, this project will employ mainly sociological theories, meaning other possible explanations from different disciplines will not be used. The sociological perspective was chosen

                                                                                                                4

Deanna Campbell Robinson, Elizabeth B. Buck, and Marlene Cutberth, Music at the Margins. (California: Sage Publications, Inc.), 10.

due to its relevance to the history of Filipino music being a byproduct of hegemony.5 Sociology also provides useful insights with regard to the Philippines as a colonized nation, and how it responds to Western trends in popular culture. On the other hand, Orientalism, a cultural theory, was also watchfully picked because it works hand-in-hand with the sociological aspects of the Philippines being an oriental nation. Furthermore, to explain how songs, as popular recordings, are pieces of oral history, the sociological explanation has an advantage because of its treatment of social artifacts. Just like an archeologist reconstructing cultures through gathering data from fossils, poetry, and icons, the contemporary researcher may see through songs as chests of data that identify with social realities of their time.6 This project also acknowledges the fact that there are only a handful of research materials that venture into analyzing Filipino music. That being said, the sources of this project will be limited by its small amount. Therefore, this project requires mostly new information, all with respect to the researcher’s data gathering methods. Such approaches in response to this feasibility problem will include interviews, participating and observing in music events, searching through archives of radio station charts, and popular culture articles that provide insight about Filipino music. Lastly, in line with the objectives of the project, Don’t Forget, Clementine is limited to its genre, Post-rock. That being said, the five-song EP will not be an all-encompassing example for

                                                                                                                5

Ricardo Abad, “Sociological Perspectives in the Study of Philippine Popular Culture in Reading Popular Culture,” ed. Soledad S. Reyes (Quezon City: Office of Research and Publications Ateneo de Manila University, 2002), 17. 6 B. Lee Cooper, Popular Music Perspectives: Ideas, Themes, and Patterns in Contemporary Lyrics (Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. 1991), 4.

Contemporary Philippine Music, but rather a contribution to the movement. The genre demonstrated in the creative output of this project will be focused on post-rock.

Review of Related Literature The literature used in this project were divided in two categories: articles and books about Philippine music history, and cultural theories. Philippine music history is composed of books by Philippine authors that have contributed to the very few sources on Philippine music and its young history. Cultural theories, on the other hand, mostly came from Literary Criticism lectures. These studies have been established enough to be well-known in the academe, if not canonical in their own disciplines. Philippine Music History By default, it is hard to find texts and archives about Philippine music in the 20th-21st century. The academe pays little attention to the subject, thus only a handful of information regarding Philippine music after the country’s colonization is available. Also, it is hard to find research material about Philippine music because it is a fresh phenomenon. Nonetheless, this project makes use of three important books to grasp the history of Philippine music in three decades. Writing and National Liberation by E. San Juan is a book that provides insights on the beginnings of Philippine rock music. The book claims that Philippine rock music was on the rise in the seventies as a form of opposition against the Martial Law government.7 Moreover, it also higlights the importance of music in a hegemony, and its ability to bring people together to go against a ruling class. It mentions Freddie Aguilar, New Society, and Coritha as the catalysts of                                                                                                                 7

E. San Juan, Jr., Writing and National Liberation (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Diliman Press, 1991), 112.

the nationalistic music movement in the seventies.8 It provides a sociological context to Philippine music as a form of resistance to political powers,9 and a brief overview of Philippine music in the seventies. This book will be used in the project as a guide to how Philippine music operated in the seventies. Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll, written by Eric Caruncho, is a compendium of memoirs and opinions regarding Philippine rock music. It covers the decades of eighties to nineties. The book provides microscopic views of Philippine music, meaning various artists and trends were specifically written about in great detail. Such topics included the relationship of the rise of Satanic cults and hardcore music in 1987,10 the Eraserheads’ impact on Filipino music,11 and even subjective definitions of Alternative Filipino music dating back from the nineties.12 Despite being a painstakingly detailed compilation of Filipino rock’s history from the said decades, this book is limited by its chosen genre. Filipino hip-hop and pop music were not discussed. Nonetheless, Punks, Poets, Poseurs provides the study with magnified accounts about Philippine music in the eighties to the nineties, which made it easier to pinpoint timeframes and trends of the said decades. Tikman ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads, compiled by Melvin Calimag and Jing Garcia, is a collection of essays about a highly influential band in the nineties, and a pioneer of Original Philippine Music, Eraserheads. This book highlights the importance of the Eraserheads in the history of Philippine music by gathering articles about their impact on the Philippines in the nineties. This includes personal reflections of the Eraserheads’ impact on                                                                                                                 8

Ibid., 113. Ibid., 114. 10 Eric Caruncho, Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc.), 27. 11 Ibid., 103. 12 Ibid., 77. 9

individuals – writers, journalists, and music aficionados. The book also contextualized the Eraserheads in line with nineties music phenomena such as the Grunge Rock movement in Seattle. Such contextualization allowed the reader to understand the status quo of the nineties, and where the Eraserheads belonged in that context. It also contains narrative essays and opinion columns about the Eraserheads from their birth (1989) to their eventual disbanding (2002).13 All in all, these three books keep track of Philippine music history from different times and perspectives. Although only a small portion of Writing and National Liberation was dedicated to Philippine music, it still provided this study with a perspective that included the concept of hegemony in the picture. On the other hand, Punks, Poets, Poseurs also had its own views on Philippine music from the perspective of a rock journalist, Eric Caruncho. This book mostly covered its crucial time of growth, which happened in the 1980s-1990s. It was a good segue to Tikman ang Langit, which talked about the Eraserheads being a paramount contributor of OPM in the 1990s, from an assortment of journalists’ different perspectives. Sources on Cultural Studies Readings on Popular Culture, edited by Soledad Reyes, is an anthology of essays about popular culture in the Philippine context. It uses different perspectives and disciplines such as sociology and literature, and applies them to popular culture icons and phenomena in the Philippines such as Filipino drama, folk literature, television shows, myths, etc. The essays in this book are theoretically sound, but not all of them are useful to the project because of their chosen media (drama, literature, myths, etc.) for examination. Therefore, the sociological approach to popular culture, which is found in the Introduction and Ricardo Abad’s Sociological Perspectives in the Study of Philippine Popular Culture will be utilized mostly in this study.                                                                                                                 13

Joey Alarilla, “The Long Goodbye,” in Tikman Ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads, ed. Melvin Calimag and Jing Garcia (Pasay City: Visual Print Enterprises), 43.

Such articles will be used to provide proper context to large-scale theories. It is important to note that these theories, again, are sociological, and applied to the Philippine context, thus its importance in this study. Popular culture, after all, includes popular music.14 David Richter’s compilation of literary theories, The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends is rich in cultural studies. It provides insights not only on how theories are applied in the literary world, but also their cultural importance and social significance. Two theories, namely Marxism and Literature and Orientalism, were used in this project. Marxism and Literature by Raymond Williams provides a more cultural perspective on Marxism. It makes use of Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony in order to determine the role of culture in society. In line with this, he notes that components of culture, although oppressed by hegemonic limits, are significant breaks from the status quo.15 Music, as a part of Philippine culture, has played an important role in the history of the Filipino. The identity of the Filipino has been refined by the music of its corresponding time. This will be explained further in the Theoretical Framework as the micro study of Filipino music. Orientalism by Edward Said is a postcolonial theory that studies the relationship between the East and West. It says that the Occident is the colonizer, while the Orient is the colonized. This does not only entail subordination in political powers – it also includes cultures and ideologies being highly influenced by the West.16 Philippine music has also been manifestations of following the West’s lead. But as time has passed, Contemporary Philippine Music has                                                                                                                 14

Deanna Campbell Robinson, Elizabeth B. Buck, and Marlene Cutberth, Music at the Margins. (California: Sage Publications, Inc.), 13. 15 Raymond Williams, “From Marxism and Literature,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1161. 16 Edward Said, “From the Introduction to Orientalism,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1284.

allowed Filipino musicians to rise from such phenomenon and gain recognition internationally. This theory will be discussed further in the next section. Raymond Williams’ hegemony and Edward Said’s Orientalism both have a common factor – making use of hegemony as a pillar for discussion. Orientalism talks about hegemony in the context of felt subordination and domination, while Raymond Williams explains the dynamics of these relationships further. On the other hand, Readings on Popular Culture will help this study contextualize cultural studies and frame them in the Philippine setting. It puts to operation various theories on cultural studies, thus providing this study examples on how to apply its chosen theories to Philippine music.

Theoretical Framework The theories used for this study were chosen from sociological and literary concepts. A crossbreed of both disciplines used in this study provided a cultural outlook on Contemporary Philippine Music. Music, in a sense, is a kind of oral history.17 Therefore, music is considered to be a component of Philippine culture. In order to grasp this concept more clearly, theories of hegemony and Orientalism were used in this project to work with each other. This way, Contemporary Philippine Music’s situation and context is properly framed. In studying Contemporary Philippine Music, two approaches, micro and macro, were utilized. First, in examining the micro qualities of Contemporary Philippine Music, the concept of hegemony as originally proposed by Gramsci, and refined by Williams. Then, for the macro study, Edward Said’s theories on Orientalism helped situate and contextualize Philippine music                                                                                                                 17

B. Lee Cooper, Popular Music Perspectives: Ideas, Themes, and Patterns in Contemporary Lyrics (Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. 1991), 4.

in the international level. Both micro and macro frameworks will be discussed in the next sections. Hegemony Although the traditional concept of hegemony was elaborated by Antonio Gramsci, Raymond Williams extended this definition further to support his theories. Not only does he say that culture belongs to hegemony, Williams also expands this idea, claiming that hegemony goes beyond culture.18 Hegemony, he says, is “a realized complex of experiences, relationships, and activities, with specific changing pressures and limits. In practice, hegemony… can never be singular.”19 In turn, music belongs to hegemony, but its role and place in society is not exclusively deemed as a vault of oral history. For example, Philippine music in the seventies and eighties were propelled by a hunger to challenge the Marcos dictatorship20. On the other hand, nineties music in the Philippines seemed to be a response to democracy and freedom of speech, especially when various subcultures like hardcore music’s Satanist cults rose in the late eighties and early nineties.21 This period was the transition between dictatorship and democracy. The reason why the concept of hegemony was used in this study was because it contained music itself, and the factor that determined music – Williams’ understanding of a superstructure in the context of hegemony. Superstructure, according to Williams, is the society’s way of seeing

                                                                                                                18

Raymond Williams, “From Marxism and Literature,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1158. 19 Ibid., 1160. 20 E. San Juan, Jr., Writing and National Liberation (Quezon City: University of the Philippines Diliman Press, 1991), 112. 21 Eric Caruncho, Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc.), 27.

itself in the world, including its ideologies.22 More importantly, this is highly affected by the political and economic stature of society. This conjecture will be discussed in detail in Chapter II. Philippine music, in a sense, has been unconsciously operating this way. Seventies to eighties music from Juan de la Cruz band, Freddie Aguilar, and New Society opposed ideas of a suffocating political structure. ’90s music focused on liberation and taking Philippine music to greater heights. Contemporary Philippine Music, which started in the first decade of the twentyfirst century, was a response to globalization and the Internet age. To explain the global perspective further, this study used globalization and Edward Said’s essays on Orientalism as its framework. Globalization The phenomenon of globalization describes the openness of one nation to another, due to economic needs. On one hand, it helps a nation’s economy grow by opening its doors to foreign investors. Globalization paves the way for the creation of one big global community that is composed of nations collaborating with one another. It cannot be helped, though, that cultures also cross with one another, and some cultures are more influential than others. An example of this domination is illustrated by John Storey in his book Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture, saying: “Globalization is the successful global imposition of American culture, in which the economic success of US

                                                                                                                22

Raymond Williams, “From Marxism and Literature,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1155.

capitalism is underpinned by the cultural work that its commodities supposedly do in effectively destroying indigenous cultures and imposing an American way of life on ‘local’ populations.”23 This domination of the American culture is attributed to their successful capitalization of many other nations, particularly the Philippines. The Philippine culture’s affinity to Western ideas and thoughts is an opportunity for the American economy and culture. It is an opening for the Americans to gain access to the local economy and culture, thus colonize it with their own. In order to expound, this study used Orientalism as a lens for more particular insights regarding cultural domination and subordination. It pinpoints the influence of West over the East, not only in terms of economy, but in terms of culture. Orientalism Orientalism is a cultural study that magnifies the relationship between East and West and how the West has shaped the East’s culture in history. Orientalism provides this project with explanations on how Philippine music was maneuvered mostly by colonizers in its earlier days. It should be noted, though, that Orientalism only serves as a framework in this project, and later, Contemporary Philippine Music’s response to such phenomenon will be discussed. First of all, it is important to acknowledge Edward Said’s comment that the Orient and Occident are not just merely there. They somehow co-exist with each other, and that is the basis of his studies.24 This relationship between Occident and Orient has always been the dominator and the dominated. But, this subordination is not only exclusive to the political arena. It includes the West’s authority on Eastern ideologies, cultures, institutions, and the many dimensions of

                                                                                                                23

John Storey, Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture. (Georgia: The University of Georgia Press), 153-154. 24 Edward Said, “From the Introduction to Orientalism,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1279.

society.25 This, as Said says, is a relationship of a different degree of complex hegemony26 because it involves a colonizer and a colonized. In order to completely understand the theory of Orientalism, it is important to know why the Occident is attracted to the Orient. The West is fascinated with the East because it sees the Orient as a romantic, all-consuming passion; being enthralled by the unknown. In the history of Philippine music, this trend is also applicable. Philippine music in the nineties was greatly influenced by American music movements such as Grunge Rock and Alternative Rock.27 The concept of forming garage bands in the Philippines also reached its height in the ‘90s – a borrowed idea from the West.28 What separated ‘90s Philippine music from Western music was the use of the Filipino language, which supported its search for the Filipino identity, coming from an intoxicating Marcos era. On the other hand, Contemporary Philippine Music discriminately used the English language. This linguistic shift may have foregone what Philippine nineties music has established – a music that brings the masses together, making the Filipino community more united. But, Contemporary Philippine Music’s use of the English language has enabled it to reach international audiences and be heard in other countries. This is how Contemporary Philippine Music responds to Said’s theory on Orientalism. Somehow, Filipino musicians have found a way to submerge into the technicalities and adept skills of Western music in order to gain recognition internationally. Therefore, one goes back to why the Occident is attracted to the Orient in the first place. Today, Contemporary Philippine                                                                                                                 25

Ibid., 1283-1284. Ibid., 1279. 27 Eric Caruncho, Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc.), 218. 28 Ibid., 207. 26

Music is being eyed by the West for its undeniable talent. For example, Typecast, a Lagunabased band that plays Emotional-Rock music, has been invited to New Jersey for a U.S.A. tour after upcoming third album. Drip, a Trip-Hop three-piece band from Manila, has also been invited to France last year to perform in a festival. These are a few examples of how the Occident is attracted to the Orient. Although it has been said by Said that the West is attracted to the East because of its exoticism, it must be understood that this trait is not a characteristic of Contemporary Philippine Music. Moreover, it is not the sole reason why the West began to acknowledge music coming from the Philippines and other Asian countries. It must be noted that this facet of Orientalism does not follow for Contemporary Philippine Music. Also, this attraction does not entirely mean that Western music wants to take over Contemporary Philippine Music. It must be understood that the subtle subordination Contemporary Philippine Music happens in the technical aspect. Contemporary Philippine Music is also noted for its extravagant use of sound effects and pyrotechnics. Such response to the technological advancements of music was pioneered by the West, and followed by the Philippines, which created a standard for Contemporary Philippine Music. A more extensive explanation of how Contemporary Philippine Music operates under the framework of Orientalism will be discussed in Chapter III, along with examples and characteristics of Contemporary Philippine Music. The theories of Raymond Williams and Edward Said work hand-in-hand with each other – the earlier providing grounds on where music is situated in a society on a national level, and the latter giving an international, macro view of cultural relationships between East and West. This project will utilize such theories on culture and society in order to provide a context for the

history of Philippine music, and how it has reached Contemporary Philippine Music’s current status.

Definition of Terms The following terms are crucial to this study: 1. Philippine Music – a general term for music in the Philippines, it does not necessarily entail a certain time or era. This keyword contributes to the project as an easier way to encapsulate the totality of music in the Philippines. 2. Original Philippine Music – a general term that covers Philippine music in the 1970s1990s, OPM is best-known for its three characteristics. First, it heavily relies on the Filipino language. Second, lyrical themes in OPM are very emphatic and relevant to the masses. Third, OPM was considered as popular music of its day. The discrepancy between popular music and independent music will be tackled in Chapter II of this project. Examples of OPM are bands such as Eraserheads, Rivermaya (Bamboo Manalac era), Teeth, and the like. Although Filipino Hip-hop artists such as Francis M. and Andrew E. are part of this movement, this study will only cover the Rock and Alternative portion of OPM. 3. Contemporary Philippine Music – a general term that covers Philippine music in the 2000s decade, and defining Contemporary Philippine Music is the core of this study. In a nutshell, Contemporary Philippine Music is defined by its use of new genres. This project will cover three of those genres, including Emo, Post-hardcore, and Post-rock. Contemporary Philippine Music is also known for its discriminate use of the English language. Thus, Contemporary Philippine Music has made its way to international

audiences. Contemporary Philippine Music will be examined further in Chapter II, along with its mentioned genres. 4. Genre – style of music according to sound and music theory. In this project, the following genres will be discussed: a. Punk – music that is characterized by its use of simple power-chords, deviant lyrics, and explicitly written against political powers. b. Grunge rock – born in Seattle, Grunge rock is music composed of subliminal lyrics containing depressive themes. It is best known for the use of fuzz, guitar distortion, and simple but heavy power-chords. c. Alternative Rock – an offspring of Grunge rock, Alternative rock is mainly music that is less heavy compared to Grunge, and has a wider range of themes such as romance and coming of age. d. Post-hardcore – a relatively new genre, Post-hardcore is characterized by its heavy guitar riffs, use of ambient sound effects, and growling vocals. e. Post-rock – is ambient music that makes use of synthesizers, guitar effects, and simple note and chord progressions. An important aspect of Post-rock is its focus on music rather than lyrics; more often than not, Post-rock music has no lyrics at all. 5. Popular Music – is a keyword that is defined by the book Music at the Margins as music with “a specific social quality… defined by the relationships in which the music works, gets and realizes its meanings and functions, and has effects.”29 It is music that is made

                                                                                                                29

Deanna Campbell Robinson, Elizabeth B. Buck, and Marlene Cutberth, Music at the Margins. (California: Sage Publications, Inc.), 12.

popular by its relevance to its corresponding era. Music is also considered popular due to its record sales and commercial success.30 6. Independent Music – is music that is produced in spite of the absence of a supporting major record label. Independent music, dubbed as “indie” in the vernacular, is music that does not necessarily conform to the mainstream audience’s expectations. Therefore, there is an outstanding notion that independent music is entitled to a wider range of creative freedom.31 Independent music and its relationship with the rise of Contemporary Philippine music will be further explained in Chapter III. 7. Orientalism – is a socio-literary theory by Edward Said that focuses on the configurations of power between East and West, or Orient and Occident. It states that “The relationship between Occident and Orient is a relationship of power,” and “of domination.”

32

Moreover, it highlights Western influence on Eastern ideologies.33 This concept is the guiding framework for explaining Contemporary Philippine Music’s coming about. 8. Globalization – is the thinning of national borders due to the growth of taransnational corporations.34 National and international economy are not the only faculties affected by globalization. Cultures also mesh with each other, with one culture influencing the other. 9. Hegemony – as defined by Raymond Williams is “a concept which at once includes and goes beyond two powerful… concepts: that of ‘culture’ as a ‘whole social process,’ in                                                                                                                 30

Ibid., 10. Christine Andrews, “If it’s cool, creative and different, it’s indie,” CNN.com, 13 October 2006 [news on-line]; available from http://edition.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/ Music/09/19/indie.overview/; Internet; accessed 1 August 2009. 32 Edward Said, “From the Introduction to Orientalism,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1279. 33 Ibid., 1284. 34 John Storey, Cultural Studies and the Study of Popular Culture. (Georgia: The University of Georgia Press), 152. 31

which men define and shape their whole lives; and that of ‘ideology…’ in which a system of meanings and values is the expression or projection of a particular class interest.”

35

Hegemony is the overall concept of a society, which includes the dominations and subordinations within.36 This umbrella concept will be used to explain the role of music in the different eras of Philippine music.

Methodology Data-gathering methods The secondary sources used in this project were obtained from of Rizal Library’s collection of books, articles from publications, and Internet sources. Also, readings from Literary Criticism class from the English Department were used as main sources of Hegemony and Orientalism theories from the book The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. The researcher’s personal collection of Philippine rock music commentaries and insights from columnists and Filipino journalists were also used. This includes Punks, Poets Poseurs, and Tikman Ang Langit. Internet sources that took on fresh concepts such the genres of Contemporary Philippine Music and Independent Music were utilized. Rubrics for studying music This study uses a focused set of rubrics in observing the chosen music for corresponding decades. These rubrics are composed of: music genre, technical style, lyrical content, and social context. Music genres will be discussed in relation to their respective time frames. Technical style will be analyzed through the lens of music theory and my personal knowledge. Lyrical                                                                                                                 35

Raymond Williams, “From Marxism and Literature,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1158. 36 Ibid., 1159.

content and social context go hand in hand as the latter is shown to influence the earlier, especially in the ‘70s-‘80s decade. Also, lyrical content will be discussed as a mirror of society’s trends. All these four rubrics will be used in analyzing music for Chapters II and III. Primary data were obtained through personal observations, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Participant observation was conducted by the researcher. This included going to events that featured Contemporary Philippine Music bands, listening to Contemporary Philippine Music, dissecting Philippine music according to music theory, and differentiating Contemporary Philippine Music from other kinds of Philippine music. The focus of these observations, in line with Contemporary Philippine Music, were three bands – Urbandub, Typecast, and Tonight We Sleep. The third genre, Post-rock, was the focus of the creative output of this project, which included an brief history of the genre and the performing band’s (Don’t Forget, Clementine) contribution to the movement (see Appendix A for the observation guide). Also, an in-depth analysis of the whole album conducted by me, as a co-producer, was used to describe the whole album proper. This helped describe the project on paper, according to the observation methods I have laid out (see Appendix B for observation guide). An evaluation of Don’t Forget, Clementine’s album launch was also carried out via an interview guide, which took place from January 7 to 10 (see Appendix E for the interview guide). Timetable for creative output As mentioned earlier, a full-length five-song EP of the band Don’t Forget, Clementine was produced as the creative output of this project. The album’s pre-production took place in the Owyong Residence the weekend of August 29, 2009. Pre-prouduction covered songwriting and fixing arrangements per song. After pre-production, the drum tracks were recorded in Blueberri

Jam Studios. Analog recording equipment will be used for these tracks. Drum track recording was held on October 19. This included the digital mixing and mastering of the said tracks in GarageBand, an Apple Incorporated audio editing software. After which, all instruments – three six-string guitars, one bass guitar, two synthesizers and beat samples were recorded in the producer’s house using a Line6 UX1 Audio Interface, and GarageBand once again. The recording of these instruments is happened from October 29 to November 17. The postproduction, which included mixing and mastering of all the tracks, sampling audio to ensure gapless playback, and planning of the album’s marketing and distribution occurred while recording. An evaluation of the creative output was held along with the launch of the album in 6Underground, Ortigas on December 12, 2009. Other bands that have contributed to the Contemporary Philippine Music movement such as Wagyu, Twin Lobster, City Light Soundtrack, and Encounters With A Yeti were invited to open for our band. Plan for Data Analysis The data gathered from observations supplemented this project with insights and opinions to support the inferences of theories and concepts according to chapter. Chapter II made use mainly of book sources and articles. Chapters III to V, on the other hand, relied on Internet sources in order to define more clearly Contemporary Philippine Music. This included participant observations in Philippine music events, and the evaluation of this project’s creative output. Together, these data-gathering methods supported the study with different angles about how Contemporary Philippine Music operates.

Organization of the Study This study is composed of five chapters. Chapter I serves as an introduction that gave a background to Contemporary Philippine Music. It also states the objectives of this project, which includes the creative output - an album of Don’t Forget, Clementine, which answered some questions about Contemporary Philippine Music. Chapter I, then, defines the scope and limitations of the project, and framed the theoretical framework and methodological procedures of the project. Chapter I also includes a brief introduction to the two bands to be investigated upon by the project as examples of Contemporary Philippine Music artists – Typecast, and Urbandub. A timetable for the creative output was also included in Chapter I. Chapter II will focuses on a brief account of Philippine music history and how it led to Contemporary Philippine Music. While discussing the eras in Philippine music starting from the late 1970s, its lyrics and themes are analyzed through the concept of hegemony. This chapter explains the relationship of music to the Philippines’ hegemony in certain eras of Philippine music. This chapter also covers Philippine music in the ’90s era, as it reached new commercial success because of its youthful themes. It then segues to Contemporary Philippine Music’s birth, beginning in the 2000s. Chapter III focuses on Contemporary Philippine Music. This chapter covers two main forces of change in the 2000s decade: prosumerism and the rise of the Internet. Along with these two concepts, the operation of Orientalism in the 2000s music industry is also discussed. Also, in order to dissect the concept, I decided to focus on two genres conceived in the movement. Emo and post-rock were defined through analyzing their respective flagship bands. An in-depth analysis of the creative output of this study is the gist of Chapter IV. It focuses mainly on Don’t Forget, Clementine’s music – how it is considered Contemporary

Philippine Music, the production process of its first album, and how its EP has contributed to Contemporary Philippine Music. An evaluation of the album and its launching event is written in the end of this chapter. Chapter V summarizes the main study of this project by bridging together the points made in Chapters II-IV. It concludes the project by restating its objectives and enumerating the ways they were achieved. Recommendations for further studies about Philippine music are noted to end the project.

CHAPTER II A BRIEF HISTORY OF PHILIPPINE MUSIC

Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the history of Philippine music from the 1970s to the late 1990s. After discussing each decade’s music characteristics (which includes technical aspects, lyrical themes, genre, and overall feel), theories of cultural studies were used to explain the music phenomena of each era, respectively. The project studies Philippine music history according to this methodology in order to pave way to the next chapter, which is a study of Contemporary Philippine Music.

The Birth of OPM: 1970s-1980s Martial Law hegemony A number of articles on Philippine history literature were devoted to describe the suffocating domination of the ruling class over the subordinate class in the Martial Law era. Conrado de Quiros, in his book Dead Aim, laments tragic stories of how Ferdinand Marcos “ambushed” Philippine democracy. More than discussing how Marcos’ dictatorship produced clamor and rage over the Filipino people, it gave insight to the former president’s genius.37 Nonetheless, his ways of keeping power to himself was the downfall of Philippine politics, and created a revolting atmosphere.38

                                                                                                                37

Conrado de Quiros, Dead Aim: How Marcos Ambushed Philippine Democracy (Makati City: DWWP. 1997), 436. 38 Ibid., 432.

Much can be said about Marcos and his hunger for power, but in order to understand the ideology he imposed, this study turned to a book he himself published: An Ideology for Filipinos. This book, dated 1983, Marcos states that ideology is necessary in order for a government to be successful.39 His program, New Society, subscribed to seven main principles: nationalism and identity, unity, social justice, barangay or participative democracy, self-reliance through rational planned change, freedom of belief, and internationalism or adherence to the ideals of United Nations.40 Marcos, then, ended his dissertation by saying that Martial Law was meant to be “a unique force for realizing the revolutionary aspirations of the Filipinos.”41 But, all of these intentions were overshadowed by the harshness of Martial Law. Several events occurred which fueled the fire of the Philippine nation’s revolt against the Marcos regime. Such events included the temporary suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, arrest of opposition figures, imposing of curfew, excessive government corruption, military abuse, media censorship, and the crucial assassination of Benigno Aquino.42 The ideologies and principles that Marcos sought for in the implementation of his New Society were absent in the midst of these events, as carried out Martial Law. Soon, the Filipino people will respond with revolution, and music would play a role in this class struggle. The media sector of society was influential in the Martial Law era. Opinion leaders, composed of journalists and student activists, were adamant in criticizing the Marcos government. In turn, Rosalinda Galang of Manila Times, Manuel Almario of the Philippine News Service, and Ernesto Granada of the Manila Chronicle were abducted and held captive in the                                                                                                                 39

Ferdinand Marcos, An Ideology For Filipinos (Manila: Marcos Foundation Inc. 1983), 1. Ibid., 97-98. 41 Ibid., 101. 42 Paul Rodell, Culture and Customs of the Philippines (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002), 21-22. 40

Camp Crame Detention Center, to name a few.43 The Marcos regime reacted violently to journalism and media. All of this led to a felt subordination in the Filipino people’s struggle. This felt subordination is a crucial component to Williams’ hegemony. The next section discusses more aptly the role of this felt subordination in the making of Philippine music in the 1970s-1980s era. 1970s-1980s: music as a response to the Martial Law Music in the 1970s and 1980s was defined mostly by its proprietors. Artists such as Coritha, New Society, Heber Bartolome, and APO Hiking Society were the major constituents of this era’s music. The latter composed “Hindi Ka Nag-iisa,” a song they wrote in reaction to the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983.44 Filipino folk was also popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s. This genre was led by the likes of Joey Ayala (originally a Davaoeno who fled to the city), Florante de Leon, and Bagong Lumad. Philippine folk music was nationalistic in nature, with songs entitled “Tayo’y Mga Pinoy,” and “Nena,” a Filipino name for women. The song, written by Heber Bartolome and performed by his band Banyuihay, was about women being driven to prostitution by poverty.45 Two important artists reached their heyday in this era, as they revolutionized the Philippine music industry by writing their respective masterpieces. Joey “Pepe” Smith, the king of Philippine rock & roll, wrote “Ang Himig Natin.” His counterpart, Freddie Aguilar, wrote “Bayan Ko,” which invaded the airwaves in the time of People Power. These two artists will be the main points of discussion for this section, keeping in mind their large contribution to

                                                                                                                43

Luis V. Teodoro, “Forgetting, Or Not Knowing: Media and Martial Law,” 232. Paul Rodell, Culture and Customs of the Philippines (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002), 185. 45 Ibid., 186. 44

Philippine music history, and how they have influenced a vast number of Philippine musicians after their time. In order to contextualize the political and emotional unrest of musicians in the Martial Law era, it is important to identify the culture and ideology of the said time. Both of which make up the hegemony – a concept which at once includes and goes beyond two powerful earlier concepts: that of ‘culture’ as a ‘whole social process,’ in which men define and shape their whole lives; and that of ‘ideology,’ in any of its Marxist senses, in which a system of meanings and values is the expression or projection of a particular class interest.46 According to this definition by Raymond Williams, culture and ideology are both crucial in identifying the hegemony of one society. Music, regarded as pieces of oral history,47 is a part of culture. More than the lifestyle side of culture, it is also the “necessary recognition of dominance and subordination.”48 Thus, the realized oppression of Filipino people in the Martial Law era was somehow etched in their culture. How this relationship of dominator and subordinated works is highly a demonstration of ideology. Ideology, according to Williams, is “a relatively formal and articulated system of meanings, values, and beliefs.” These ideologies, as said by Louis Althusser,49 are manifested directly from the governing political power to the people of a society by Repressive State Apparatus. The operation of Martial Law itself, which included imposed curfews and media censorship, all under government control, was an example of Repressive                                                                                                                 46

Raymond Williams, “From Marxism and Literature,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1158. 47 B. Lee Cooper, Popular Music Perspectives: Ideas, Themes, and Patterns in Contemporary Lyrics (Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. 1991), 4. 48 Raymond Williams, “From Marxism and Literature,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1158. 49 Louis Althusser, “From Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses: notes towards an Investigation,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1490.

State Apparatus in the 1970s Philippines. In knowing these two aspects of society, this study now aims to answer the question: How did music challenge Martial Law hegemony? The correlation between music and culture proves to us how a nation’s identity can possibly be influenced by music. This kind of influence that oral traditions have on national identity may be dated back to the epics and hymns of Filipino literature history. Reynaldo Ileto’s book, Pasyon and Revolution, explores the relationship between the Pasyon; a mode of Catholic prayer and song, and how it was greatly influenced by the context of repressed Filipinos under Spanish rule – all geared towards the Philippine Revolution. However, music in the Martial Law creates a new dimension for this relationship. The medium has changed – music at that time was highly secular and was not disguised under the cloak of religion, unlike the mentioned epics. Instead, it was a more direct and nationalistic approach to the emotions and created camaraderie among masses. In order to explain this thought fully, this study examined two songs written and popularized in the Martial Law Era: Joey Pepe Smith’s “Ang Himig Natin,” and Freddie Aguilar’s “Bayan Ko.” Joey “Pepe” Smith Joseph Willaim Feliciano “Pepe” Smith was the heart and soul of Juan de la Cruz band. Many people of his time believed that he was Philippine rock personified.50 He was born in 1947 of an American father and a Filipina mother. As a child, he always listened to US Armed Forces radio – mostly dominated by American musicians. Then, he went to Manila to study after his parents separated. In Manila, he learned about rock & roll and broke into the scene by making his way, starting from the bottom51.                                                                                                                 50

Eric Caruncho, Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc.), 116. 51 Ibid., 120.

His “Ang Himig Natin” was more of a simple, rock & roll, popular song – it was an anthem of its time. It was released in 1973, which was a turbulent time for Philippine politics. This was the same year when the 1973 Constitution was passed, which cloaked Marcos’ dictatorship under the guise of legality.52 Ruling elitism was at its height, as the masses continued to endure subordination. The music did not stop playing, though – 1973 was a hallmark for Filipino Rock & Roll classics as Joey Pepe Smith, along with his flagship Juan de la Cruz Band, released “Ang Himig Natin” – a defining moment for Philippine music. “Ang Himig Natin” was a call for Filipinos to come together (“Ang himig natin/ Ay inyong awitin/ Upang tayo’y magsama-sama/ Sa langit na puno ng pag-asa”). Its slow-paced half-time backbeat manifested a certain anguished atmosphere of losing hope. Its words and harmony, simple yet powerful, made it an easy song to sing. Easy-listening songs like this allow the audience to participate more in terms of turning the song into an anthem. Chord structures were not complex; in short, this song was simple yet powerful. Both the technical and lyrical aspects of the song collaborate in order to drive the song to popularity and a shared sentiment for majority of the Filipinos under Martial Law. The song “Ang Himig Natin” unifies the Filipino masses in an indirect approach to political turmoil. It does not explicitly scream anger towards the Philippine government; rather it is simply an attempt to bring the masses together in hoping for better days. In return, Joey Pepe Smith responds to the call of unity with his song “Ang Himig Natin.” Freddie Aguilar

                                                                                                                52

Rigoberto D. Tiglao, “The Consolidation of the Dictatorship,” in Dictatorship and Revolution: Roots of People’s Power, ed. Aurpra Javate De-Dios, Petronilo Bn. Daroy, and Lorna Kalaw-Tirol (Metro Manila: Conspectus Foundation Incorporated, 1988), 29.

On the other hand, Freddie Aguilar took on a more power-ballad approach to his music. The father of Generation X musician Megan Aguilar, writing music was not even a political exercise for him – he started with the song “Anak,” which gained nationwide recognition for its lyrical prowess and catchy music. “Anak” is a song about his experience of having a child in the Philippines. Felipe de Leon Jr., a Filipino music aficionado, even notes how Anak had similar qualities to the pasyon, which made it so easy for the masses to identify with.53 Freddie Aguilar’s musical journey went on to 1986, as he released “Bayan Ko” – a straightforward call to oust the Marcos regime.54 1986 was defined by the Filipinos’ accumulated anger from the past years of dictatorship. It was a time of revolution, especially after the death of Ninoy Aquino, who fought for the opposition until 1983. The hegemony was a prevailing sense of subordination by the government and at the same time a call for revolutionary response and change. In this sense, music had answered the call through the power of protest. “Bayan Ko” was everyman’s hymn against the Marcos regime. Its catchphrase, “Ibon mang may layang lumipad/ Kulungin mo at umiiyak” is until present-day, known for the many references it has acquired. Almost every footage of the People Power uses it; pertaining to its powerful message and influence in the Filipino people. More importantly, the masses identified with the meanings of the song, and somehow its collective power had brought people together in chanting its chorus in the People Power Revolution. Reflecting the clutches of Martial Law era’s hegemony, “Bayan Ko’s” lyrics are filled with imagery that change from an ideal state to one that is in peril; from “Lupain ng ginto’t                                                                                                                 53

Paul Rodell, Culture and Customs of the Philippines (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002), 186. 54 Ibid., 187.

bulaklak/ Pag-ibig nasa kanyang palad/ Nag-alay ng ganda’t dilag,” to “Bayan ko, binihag ka/ Nasadlak sa dusa.” The shift from images from beauty to hostility paints a picture of how Martial Law has affected Philippine society. The song, then, goes into resolution as the chorus ends with “Aking adhika/ Makita ka’ng sakdal laya,” suggesting change for the good of the country. Western influence The music of Juan de la Cruz band and most of their fellow artists was influenced by a movement in Western music called punk. Punk, more often than not, was the way musicians expressed their distaste for government. Themes such as anarchy, radical change, and skepticism are observed as the usual concepts of punk music and lyrics.55 Their music, made usually out of three or four power-chords (an easier way to play major/minor chords) per song, is a statement in itself – that punk music does not rely heavily on articulation, but on loud delivery. Likewise, Pepe Smith and other proprietors of ‘70s and 80’s Philippine music adopted this approach to the convergence of music and politics. Ironically, though, Pepe Smith’s punk influences are least evident in “Ang Himig Natin.” The song is mellow, as compared to most of his other songs which are strictly punk, such as “Titser’s Enemy No. 1,” “Laki Sa Layaw,” and “Kahit Anong Mangyari.” Other music from folk and power ballad genres were also initiated by Western solo artists ranging from Bob Dylan to Jon Bon Jovi. Their lyric-driven style of songwriting appealed to the emotional side of music. This allowed them to write more personal but nonetheless politicallygrounded lyrics. The combination of both results to the music of Freddie Agular, and the crooners of his time such as Heber Bartolome.                                                                                                                 55

Ryan Cooper, “Political Punk Bands,” About.com: Punk Music, [news on-line]; available from http://punkmusic.about.com/od/punk101/tp/politipunklist.htm; Internet; accessed 23 September 2009.

Conclusion Truly, music has provided the People Power not necessarily with catalysts of revolution and change, but pegs and benchmarks for cooperation and identity. Music, as a response to the overwhelming hegemony of the Martial Law era, had become a vehicle for upheavals against a long-term struggle. It is important to note that the contributions of music from this era are regarded as the classics of Original Philippine Music, creating a foundation for Philippine music’s identity. As soon as Marcos’ dictatorship ended, so did the spirit of ‘70s-‘80s music, giving way to a new breed of younger artists in the 1990s.

Original Philippine Music in the 1990s This section focuses on Philippine music in the 1990s. It will evaluate Original Philippine music’s coming to terms with the end of Martial Law, the rise of music commercialism, and Western influence. It is noticeable that more factors played roles in the formation of 1990s Philippine music. In order to understand 1990s OPM, this study will focus on three defining bands: Eraserheads for their youth-centric themes, Rivermaya for their romantic ballads, and Parokya ni Edgar for their affinity to Philippine culture, and contextualize their music in the study of 1990s OPM. Political climate in the 1990s It is important to note that the end of masses’ subordination ushered in an enormous freedom to the Filipino people. Cory Aquino became president right after the Marcos regime ended; thus a new set of ideologies, were about to face the Filipino people. The hegemony was remodeled – the government gave more to the people, and in turn, the masses were less agitated.

Aquino’s term was defined as transitional, from dictatorship back to democracy.56 Accounts about Cory Aquino’s administration point out that she was one of the very few incorruptible leaders of the Philippines.57 Fidel V. Ramos, before his presidency, was known for his diligence and fidelity.58 In spite of this, he ran an office defined by three events, all of them crises. First was his attempt to amend the 1987 Constitution with its political and economic provisions. Second was a financial crisis caused by the implosion of Thai Baht. The third and final event was the 1998 presidential elections, wherein Joseph Estrada was deemed his successor.59 A crucial event in the history of Philippine politics happened in the ‘90s – the ousting of president Joseph Estrada. The demise of his administration was attributed mostly to graft and corruption, with accusations sprouting from physical evidence regarding his ill-gotten wealth. Armando Doronilla, a collection of essays entitled Between Fires, offers fifteen different outlooks on how to analyze the events that led to the fall of the Estrada administration. It describes Estrada’s regime as a reign of a misleading personality. All of this added to the Philippines’ widespread poverty and corruption – altogether leading to People Power 2 and his impeachment.60

                                                                                                                56

Corazon Aquino, The Aquino Administration: Record and Legacy (1986-1992) (Diliman, Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 1992), 347. 57 John Greenwald, Jay Branegan, and Nelly Sindayen, “The Philippines Cory, Coups, and Corruption,” TIME.Com, 15 January 1990 [news on-line]; available from http://www.time .com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,969186,00.html; Internet; accessed 17 September 2009. 58 W Scott Thompson, Frederico M. Macaranas, Democracy and Discipline: Fidel V. Ramos and His Philippine Presidency (Espana, Manila: University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, 2006), 225. 59 Ibid., 199. 60 Armando Doronilla, “Introduction: The Specter of the Politics of Mass Mobilization,” in Between Fires: Fifteen Perspectives on the Estrada Crisis (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc., 2001).

1990s music: defining Philippine culture If in the 1970s-1980s, Filipinos reached common ground on what to fight for, 1990s ushered in self-exploration. An identity crisis was starting to form in the midst of the Philippine nation. Juan de la Cruz and Freddie Aguilar set the tone of nationalism in the 1970s-1980s. It was in doubt whether the continuity of these sentiments would last, due to the rise of music commercialism. What was underground and independent then, started to blip under the radar of major record labels. The end of the Marcos regime brought back the Philippines’ reputation of having the freest sectors of mass media in Asia.61 Not only was this true for newspapers and the print industry – it also allowed the music industry to cultivate. This freedom gave way for Philippine musicians to explore the identity of Philippine music. As the same batch of musicians from the ‘80s (including APO Hiking Society, Joey Ayala, etc.) still continued their careers in the ‘90s, the music industry was slowly being dominated by younger people. The youth was crucial to the success of ‘90s music – not only because they were consumers of the music industry, but also because they themselves set the standards for music. The 1990s music scene gave birth to a new genre – Philippine hip-hop. Francis Magalona, Philippine hip-hop legend, set the tone for his genre with songs such as “Mga Kababayan Ko.” Along his career, he discovered Andrew E., another Philippine hip-hop pioneer known for his sense of humor. It became known in the ‘90s that hip-hop was also available in Philippine music. In Philippine rock, bands such as Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar reached their heyday. The ‘90s also gave birth to other sub-genres of rock, which will be discussed later.                                                                                                                 61

Paul Rodell, Culture and Customs of the Philippines (Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2002), 164.

The 1980s paved the way for 1990s in various ways. At the dawn of the 1980s was commercial success. Major record labels reformed the Philippine music industry by acknowledging that there was talent in the underground scene, aside from the typical crooners (with the likes of Ariel Rivera) that they have signed. The Philippine entertainment industry realized that there was an audience not only for Philippine music, but for Philippine alternative music in particular. In order to explain the industry’s change of target, this project goes into Philippine music’s transition from 1980s-1990s. The Philippine music industry did not see potential in the underground scene, until it occurred to them that the USA started to acknowledge the growing audiences of underground movements in their music industry. The Grunge movement in the USA, from its humble garageband beginnings, invaded major record labels in the ‘90s. With this happening, it meant that the mainstream audience began to be more accepting of underground acts. The Philippines also went through the same phenomenon, scouting for talents in the underground from bars such as Club Dredd, Red Rocks, and Mayrics. These bars were homes to eventual rising stars such as the Eraserheads. Much can be said about the rapid growth of Philippine music from the ‘70s to the ‘90s, but a striking observation is the change in themes. From being nationalistic, the lyrics of OPM transitioned from patriotic ideals to self-serving ideals and experiences. This approach to rock music, according to Lawrence Gossberg, allows the musician to possess a style, and maintain her/his own identity through music – especially for the youth.62 True enough, majority of uprising Philippine musicians in the 1990s belonged to a young age group of 20’s-30’s, as

                                                                                                                62

Lawrence Gossenberg, Dancing In Spite of Myself: Essays on Popular Culture (Durham & London: Duke University Press, 1997), 86.

compared to the 1970s and 1980s, which was largely made of musicians aged 30’s-40’s. In turn, this affinity to the youth created a marketing phenomenon in the 1990s. Nonetheless, the commercial success of Philippine music allowed OPM to emerge in Philippine popular culture. This will be discussed further in the study of three defining bands of the 1990s – Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar. The Eraserheads In 1989, Ely Buendia, Raimund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, and Buddy Zabala – four teenagers who were dorm mates from UP Diliman, decided to form a band. Buendia named it after the David Lynch cult movie – the Eraserheads.63 They landed average gigs once in a while, until they were acknowledged as regulars in Club Dredd. Their first recording was in 1993, for ultraelectromagneticpop!64 The release of said album was a commercial success, skyrocketing the Eraserheads’ career.65 The Eraserheads were well known for their relevant songs in the 90s. Their music is reminiscent of the lifestyle of Philippine youth in the 90s. For example, their song “Julie Tearjerky” made a reference to a popular culture trend, video gaming. The lyrics of the song specifically mentioned video game elements, such as “Super strategy guide,” a text which leads a gamer to waypoints and strategies on how to finish a game, and “It’s a Final Fantasy,” a game franchise from SquareSoft which reached its heyday in the 90s with their seventh installment. The lyrics to this song were not video game-centric – it juxtaposes video games with a girl named “Julie Tearjerky,” who seemed as a character distanced from the persona’s realm, as the persona claims in the first line that she is “On the phone.”                                                                                                                 63

Eric Caruncho, Punks, Poets, Poseurs: Reportage on Pinoy Rock & Roll (Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc.), 104. 64 Ibid., 105. 65 Ibid., 106.

The ingenious mixture of alternative rock from Western influences and Filipino youth culture allowed the Eraserheads to somehow create their own sound. This distinct characteristic carried on in their later works, such as “Maskara,” and “Superproxy.” “Maskara,” a fast-paced rock song known for its simple yet effective chord progressions, was a song about hiding one’s identity in the face of problems: “Kung may problema ka/ Magsuot ng maskara/ Takpan mo ang iyong mata/ Buong mundo’y mag-iiba.” “Superproxy,” on the other hand, was ahead of its time. It was one of the first few alternative songs with the rhyme and meter of a hip-hop song, but with the vocal melodies of a pop song. “Superproxy” was a song of escapism; replacing one’s self with a “Superproxy,” when tired with her/his problems (“Sawa ka na ba/ Sa mga hassle sa buhay mo/ Tamad ka na ba’ng mag-isip para sa sarili?... ‘Wag na’ng mag-atubili/ Gumamit na ng Superproxy”). These two songs from the Eraserheads were somehow tied to the growing identity crisis of Filipino youth. The Eraserheads, as it seemed, were suggesting escapism as a solution to the problem. “Overdrive,” from their album “Cutterpillow,” was a song of redundant lyrics, showing immature repetitiveness. It goes, “Magda-drive ako hanggang Baguio/ Magda-drive ako hanggang Batangas/ Tapos magsi-swimming do’n sa beach.” The persona in the lyrics maintained enthusiasm, wanting to learn how to drive so s/he can get away from the everyday. The chorus, “Gusto ko matuto mag-drive,” is hopeful, but futile as the persona claims: “Kahit na wala akong kotse/ Kahit na walang lisensya.” This song captures the youth’s adamant desires to escape responsibility, but unable to do so because of legal and financial constrains. The Eraserheads ended their career in 2001 due to personal conflicts among themselves. In spite of this, their legendary music lives on. Music critics still consider the Eraserheads as one of the most influential bands in Philippine music history.

Rivermaya Rivermaya, on the other hand, was the more romantic counterpart of Eraserheads. It was in 1994 when senior members Bamboo Manalac, Nathan Azarcon, Rico Blanco, Perfecto De Castro, and Mark Escueta gathered together to form Rivermaya.66 By this time, the underground scene was gaining recognition. Rivermaya’s music was centered on themes of romance and love. Romanticism was evident in ’90s music as bands such as Rivermaya released songs about romantic endeavors. Regardless of whether these aspirations were hopeless or successful, Rivermaya’s songs defined their generation’s emotional side, empowering Philippine youth through turning romanticism from a personal idea to a cultural one by making the appreciation of their music a shared experience. This was done through the mass consumption of their music. Rivermaya captured the heart of Philippine youth in the ‘90s and wrote it in song. Having this in mind, Rivermaya pioneered melodic rock in Philippine music. This was seen in one of their first singles, “Adik Sa’yo,” comparing the persona’s obsession with her/his pursuit to an addiction. The lyrics were: “Sa umaga’t sa gabi sa/ Bawa’t minutong lumilipas/ Hinahanap-hanap kita.” What was alarming about this song was its bridge, which was a statement delivered in spoken-word, seemingly taking on a stalker’s voice. Lines such as “Sa school, sa flag ceremony/ Hanggang uwian araw-araw,” made this song relevant to a huge number of listeners in their audience, which is composed of students. Also, Rivermaya was relevant to the Philippine culture. Their song “Himala” captured the Filipino people’s affinity with religion. The lyrics, “Himala/ Kasalanan ba’ng/ Humingi ako sa langit ng/ Isang himala,” added a religious dimension to their music. “Himala” was a

                                                                                                                66

“History & Milestones,” Rivermaya.net, [news on-line]; available from http://www.rivermaya.net; Internet; accessed 23 September 2009.

certified hit, combining religion with romance. These two characteristics were both facets of Philippine culture, made relevant by Rivermaya. “214,” a ballad written in the persona of a lover, was a popular song that exaggeratedly described love (“Everything won’t last/ I’ll be by your side”). It starts with a hook played in the classical piano. The notes from this hook are superb, due to its flawless progression. The first line of the song, “Am I real,” was characteristic of the persona’s experience as something surreal. More importantly, the song “241” was acknowledged for its melodies, reminiscent of ballads from the 80s and early 90s. “Kisapmata,” one of Rivermaya’s melodic pop songs, was about the fickle, everchanging aspect of a relationship. It compares a lover’s fast-paced turn of events to the blink of an eye, singing: “O kay bilis naman maglaho ng pag-ibig mo sinta/ Daig mo pa’ng isang kisapmata.” This song relies on its standard, common time backbeat and ordinary dynamics, while the vocals are melody-driven. Dumbfounded, the persona tries to comprehend the “game” of love in song through its metaphors. Finally, Rivermaya also had one anthem song in the 1990s – “Panahon Na Naman.” It was about a season of love being a felt experience not just to a couple exclusively, but to a whole culture. “Masdang maigi ang mga mata ng mga tao/ Nakasilip ang isang bagong saya,” captures the image of a love-filled season. Moreover, Rivermaya challenges its listeners by saying “Gumising ka/ Tara na,” bringing people together to an experience of love and romance.

Parokya ni Edgar Unlike the former bands mentioned, Parokya ni Edgar was highly influenced by recent Philippine music. Formed in Ateneo de Manila High School circa 1993,67 Parokya ni Edgar had one characteristic in common with an old Philippine music group, APO Hiking Society – humor. Later in their career, they would re-make APO Hiking Society’s classic, “Pumapatak Na Naman Ang Ulan.” Comedy was the specialty of Parokya ni Edgar, along with many references to Philippine culture. They are referred to today as “Ang Banda Ng Bayan,” translated as “Band of the Country,” because of the strong theme of Philippine culture in their music. The music of Parokya ni Edgar was oftentimes comic, but still deeply-rooted in the Philippine context and culture. One of their 1999 releases, “Picha Pie,” was a mock re-make of the popular 90s karaoke song “I Will Survive.” A notable characteristic of this song, aside from its witty re-writing of the music on electric guitars, was the language used. It was a mockery of the Philippine masses’ limited capabilities with the English language. The lyrics went: “As first I was afraid/ To eat a picha pie/ Kept thinking this is not a good/ This is a picha pie…” (sic). Another famous parody of Parokya ni Edgar was “Trip.” It was loosely based on the Radiohead hit “Creep,” a ‘90s anthem from the West about being weird, different, and outcast. Instead, Parokya ni Edgar’s song “Trip” was about a certain “Shaolin House” and siopao, a Filipino favorite from Chinese cuisine. Being deeply-rooted in the Philippine culture, the band Parokya ni Edgar had its way of citing certain Philippine traditions and contextualizing them into the 90s, thus making them relevant. Two examples of such would be their songs “Harana” and “Simbang Gabi.”                                                                                                                 67

“Parokya ni Edgar Biography,” Parokyaniedgar.net, [news on-line]; available from http://parokyaniedgar.net; Internet; accessed 23 September 2009.

“Harana,” an acoustic song that plays on a minimal number of chords, revives the old Philippine tradition of serenading. The lyrics, “Uso pa ba ang harana?/… Sino ba ‘tong/ Mukhang gagong/ Nagkandarapa sa pagkanta…/ Meron pa’ng dalang/ mga rosas/ suot nama’y/ maong na kupas,” highlighted the tradition of serenading as an irrelevant activity, but sweet nonetheless. Despite the negative connotations of binge drinking, “Inuman Na” was one of Parokya ni Edgar’s best songs in the ‘90s.“Inuman Na” was about coming together and forgetting about worries in the spirit of drinking: “Tama na ‘yan, inuman na/ Hoy pare ko, tumagay ka/ Nananabik na lalamunan/ Naghihintay nag-aabang.” The music video of this song was, indeed, a coming together – it featured famous popular culture icons in the Philippines such as the character Yosi Balasi (an anti-smoking campaign) and German Moreno (more popularly known as Kuya Germs of DATS Entertainment). The song ends in a chant, “La-la-la-la-la-la-lasing,” as a chorus of seemingly drunk people sing along. Western influence Much of the Western influence in the Eraserheads’ music can be heard in in their album “Cutterpillow.” The LP, composed of 17 cuts, exhibits the characteristics of the Eraserheads’ music subtly shaped by Western trends. Songs such as “Poorman’s Grave” and “Cutterpillow” were reminiscent of Western blues from the ‘60s to the ‘80s, with the likes of Bob Dylan. “Poorman’s Grave,” a song that paints the portrait of a struggling middle-class man, operated on the pentatonic blues scale – the standard music scale for blues music, which originated in the West. “Cutterpillow’s” use of a harmonica as the lead instrument sounded similar to Bob Dylan’s music. Blues, after all, is considered as one of the forefathers of rock & roll.68                                                                                                                 68

David McCarthy, The Golden Age of Rock (London: The Apple Press, 1990), 8.

Nonetheless, “Cutterpillow” was dubbed by critics as one of Philippine music’s finest records, containing the Eraserheads’ hit singles “Overdrive,” “Superproxy,” “Huwag Mo Nang Itanong,” “Fine Time,” and the famous “Ang Huling El Bimbo.” Western influence in Rivermaya’s music is mostly brought about by the technicalities in their music. With their guitars tuned to standard E, songs are easily catchy and vocally doable. This made their music click. Also, their reliance on half-time and down-tempo beats instead of double-time up-tempo beats offered a relaxed, melody-centric kind of music. Queen, a ‘70s band from London, wrote ballads such as “Love of My Life” and “Is This The World We Created?” which are examples of such songs. Rivermaya also wrote some of their songs in English. The band’s UK influences were carried out all the more in the departure of Bamboo Manalac, as Rico Blanco took the leadership duties and was heavily influenced by Coldplay and U2. Parokya ni Edgar’s lyrics were Filipino in nature, but their music was also influenced by Western music’s technical aspects. Their chord progressions and structures were loosely based on American songwriting. The tuning of their guitar to standard E made their songs heavily rely on standard, major chord progressions – a trend of Western pop music influence. Also, the songwriting structures that Parokya ni Edgar undertook (especially in their earlier years) followed Western standards. An example of which is their very first song “Buloy.” It captures the story of a man named Buloy in a linear motion; following the standard way of storytelling in the structure of the song’s lyrics, but still subscribed to the standard verse-chorus-verse structure. Other movements in ‘90s OPM Developments in ‘90s OPM were not only obvious in the careers of the Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar. A music sub-culture known as metal also grew in the 90s. Wolfgang, more commonly known as a cono-rock band, was highly likened to the Western metal

band Metallica. Basti Artadi, Wolfgang’s vocalist, was usually compared to Kirk Hammet of Metallica because of their similar voices. Wolfgang had in them a Western feel, with their chord progressions and scales loosely based on Western metal bands. A growing sub-genre of metal was also considered to begin in the 90s. In the Philippines, nu-metal was considered a growing force. This movement started with the birth of bands such as Greyhoundz, Slapshock, and ChicoScience (now known as Chicosci). These bands were acknowledged for mixing metal music and rap vocal styles. This style was known to begin in the U.S. with bands such as Limp Bizkit, Korn, and later on, KidRock. Despite their success in breaking new music grounds, Greyhoundz, Slasphock, and ChicoScience had less commercial success as compared to the Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar due to their strong lyrics, indiscriminate use of vulgar language, and their hardcore culture. As it was mentioned earlier, the rise of Philippine hip-hop also occurred in the 1990s. Acts such as Francis Magalona, Andrew E., Death Threat, and Blackdyak created a culture of hip-hop in Philippine music. Although their rhymes, meters, and styles were highly influenced by Western artists, their music was still Filipino due to their language and themes.

Continuities and Discontinuities The transition between the ‘80s to the ‘90s was characterized by its continuing focus on Philippine culture. Despite the growing trends of commercialism in the ‘90s, the bands discussed earlier still had an affinity for Philippine culture. On the other hand, nationalism was seldom the theme of ‘90s music. Instead, Philippine identity was manifested through their youthful culture and adoption of old traditions, turning them into more relative subjects (case in point: Parokya ni Edgar’s similarities with APO Hiking Society).

The musical styles and genres also continued throughout these decades. It was out of this continuity that OPM was born into Philippine culture. These decades have set the standards for OPM, and these said standards still apply to OPM today. On the other hand, it cannot be helped that foreign genres and styles have influenced Philippine musicians. These said genres and styles will be the focus of Contemporary Philippine Music, as discussed in Chapter III.

Recapitulation Philippine music in the 1970s and 1980s somehow laid the groundwork for the new batch of musicians of the 1990s. Despite their relative lack of freedom, ‘70s and ‘80s musicians found their way around the felt subordination due to the Martial Law era. This gave birth to the identity of Philippine music as nationalistic and driving force for change, taking punk music’s attitude from the West and making it their own by singing about political turmoil and change. As the next decade was ushering in, commercialism in music reached its height. Major record labels signed bands from the independent music scene, allowing them to garner more exposure. The Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar were three pillars of 90s music, each of them important to their own respect. The Eraserheads was the voice of the Philippine youth of the 90s, Rivermaya was known for their talent in romantic ballads, and Parokya ni Edgar made humorous music mashed with elements of Philippine culture. To conclude, 1990s OPM was characterized mainly by three aspects: simple, Westerninfluenced music, references to Philippine culture, and lyrics that identify with the Philippine masses. The musical development of ‘90s musicians was shaped by the Western grunge trend of using simple chord progressions and melodic vocals. The lyrics of 90s OPM were grounded on Philippine culture, as seen in their constant references to traditions and activities from the

everyday Filipino lifestyles. Lastly, this combination allowed 90s Philippine music to garner commercial success due to how the masses were able to relate to it.

CHAPTER III CONTEMPORARY PHILIPPINE MUSIC

Introduction First, it is important to note that the term Contemporary Philippine Music was arbitrarily chosen by me. I chose the word contemporary with the help of Ms. Guevara, because of its implications of the present-time. By Contemporary Philippine Music, I mean Philippine music made in the 2000s decade that are heavily inclined to foreign ideas through their discriminate use of the English language, musical techniques that prescribe to modern Western influences, and recognized by foreign audiences through contemporary means of communication. The reason why I separated Contemporary Philippine Music from Original Philippine music was because there were certain distinct characteristics that both categories of Philippine music did not share. This chapter aims to discuss Contemporary Philippine Music in light of Philippine music’s growth in the 2000s decade. Moreover, the difference does not only lie in the music’s technical characteristics whatsoever – it is also in the growth of the target audience, the industry, and how Philippine music plays its role in the theory of hegemony. If my discussion of OPM relied heavily on Raymond Williams’ views of hegemony, this chapter anchors its theories on Edward Said’s Orientalism. This chapter aims to discuss Contemporary Philippine Music in this order: first, by describing the political context of the 2000s decade. This entails an examination of the prosumerism trend in the 2000s and how it affected the music industry. Then, this chapter will discuss how the Internet, when turned into a commodity in the 2000s, also affected the music

scene. After discussing factors that changed the music industry, this chapter will cite bands that have contributed to the Contemporary Philippine Music scene.

Context of Contemporary Philippine Music Political climate In 2001, another People Power Revolution was held in the EDSA Shrine. Thousands of people gathered to fight for justice as President Joseph Estrada was accused of graft and corruption. As his impeachment trials were held, the opposition found the hearings unfair and started the revolution. Estrada was ousted in January 2001, and was succeeded by his Vice President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Despite high hopes for the new administration, GMA’s office was also clouded by scandals – the most famous one being the “Hello Garci” scandal, which revealed to the public that the 2004 elections which put GMA back to presidency, was rigged. Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidential career is coming to an end in the 2010 elections. In the 2000s decade, some musicians have gone back to the ways of ‘80s Philippine music by making their art once again socially active. For example, RockEd Philippines, a nongovernment organization launched in 2005, created a roster of musicians and artists to raise social awareness in their respective fields. Their roster includes a good number of well-known bands such as the members of Terno Recordings (Radioactive Sago Project, Up Dharma Down, etc). Their biggest annual event, Rock The Riles, is a seven-venue concert simultaneously happening in different Metro Rail Transit stations across Metro Manila. Rock The Riles happens every first Sunday of December to commemorate Human Rights Day. Its main goal is to raise awareness of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations.

Also, warnings of climate change clouded the Philippines in the 2000s decade. Reports from NASA69 have cited that the Philippines is one of the countries that would be most affected by climate change. Despite these warnings, the government has failed to take precautionary measures, as seen in the amount of damage the country suffered in 2009. In October 2009, Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) hit Northern Luzon and alarmed majority of the Filipinos in NCR. Due to government’s lack of reliability, the private sector provided relief goods for the victims and used the Internet to disseminate news and information. Radio stations opened their lines for SOS messages and relief operation updates. Jam 88.3’s RockEd Radio host Gang Badoy relayed information on air for almost 24 hours for seven days. Also, Jam 88.3 came up with Project Ondoy, which opened their radio station to all musicians who desired to play on air in order to raise awareness from their respective areas. My band, Don’t Forget, Clementine, was a part of this project. The political climate of the 2000s did not affect music as much as it did in the past decades. Rather, changes in the global market and the rise of the Internet were the two factors that altered the course of Philippine music. Prosumerism in the 2000s In the 2000s, professional devices were also easily made available to the masses. A branch of consumerism, dubbed prosumerism by experts, conjoins the concept of the person as a consumer and a producer or professional at the same time.70 Michael Quinion of World Wide Words defines prosumerism as a term that                                                                                                                 69

"AFP: Climate change could devastate Philippines: NASA scientists," AFP.COM, [news online]; available from http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5i22WUnqj4fH0nhefrF GUVC45kbSQ; Internet; accessed 25 November 2009. 70 Stephanie Syjuco, “PROSUMERISM: social networking = free labor?,” anti-factory, [news online]; available from http://www.stephaniesyjuco.com/antifactory/blog/2007/04/

…describes a purchaser of technical equipment who wants to obtain goods of a better quality than consumer items, but can’t afford professional items (older terms for goods of this intermediate quality are semi-professional and industrial quality). Here, the word is a blend of professional and consumer. Prosumers of this sort are famed for their enthusiasm for new products and their tolerance of flaws and, from the marketing point of view, have much in common with early adopters. This usage is common among those selling video equipment, digital cameras, and similar goods (and the examples below illustrate this sense). Some manufacturers treat the SOHO (Small Office, Home Office) market as being much the same thing.71 This movement has allowed for Do-It-Yourself activities to gain popularity in the 2000s. For example, YouTube videos are dominated by homemade videos from everyday consumers. This project focuses on how prosumerism has affected music-making in the 2000s. For example, music recording devices such as the Line 6 UX1 are readily available in major music stores such as Guitar Center and Sam Ash Music in the United States. These stores have corresponding websites where any user can order these devices and have them shipped to their houses. In the Philippines, PhilMusic.Com, a message board open to all Internet users is a market where users can buy, sell, and trade their equipment. Home recordings for music have been on the rise in the 2000s decade. Typecast, a band from Laguna City, started out with one home-recorded album (Last Time, also independently released) and gained fame as their music was recognized in Manila. As soon as prosumerism made home recording available to the masses, a new sub-culture called “indie” (short for independent) has grown. Members of this sub-culture are film, music, art, and culture enthusiasts who appreciate works, or are the artists themselves, free from major record labels and corporations.

                                                                                                                prosumerism-social-networking-free.html; Internet; accessed 02 November 2009. 71

Michael Quinion, "World Wide Words: Prosumer," World Wide Words, [news on-line]; available from http://www.worldwidewords.org/turnsofphrase/tp-pro4.htm; Internet; accessed 25 November 2009.

Since then, indie bands and musicians have proven that they do not need help from multinational corporations and major record labels to make their music. Even internationallyrenowned bands severed their ties with major record labels due to suffocating deals and business matters getting out of hand. An example of which was the Smashing Pumpkins, which released their sixth studio album Machina II: The Friends and Enemies of Modern Music for free, as a statement against their former record label. The album was self-produced and recorded by Billy Corgan, the band’s frontman. Another example was Trent Reznor, the founder of Nine Inch Nails, who also quit his major record label deal because of business matters. Reznor pioneered Internet-releasing albums for free when he released Ghosts I-IV in 2008. The same year, Radiohead followed with In Rainbows, also available for free downloading in their website. These contemporary marketing models were followed by many of their listeners and musicians alike. Since recording devices, music instruments, and production tools were affordable and available to the everyday consumer, the indie scene peaked in the 2000s. But this happened also because the Internet also offered musicians and listeners free reign over social networking. The rise of the Internet According to experts, the conception of the Internet dates back to 1957, when the USA established the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA).72 The establishment focused on networking in its earliest days, trying to figure out how to connect nodes cross-country. By 1992, the Internet was made public.73 Since then, the many developments in the Internet, including styles of programming, social networking, and advertisement have proven technological                                                                                                                 72

Dave Kristula, "The History of the Internet," [news on-line]; available from http://davesite.com/webstation/net-history4.shtml; Internet; accessed 02 November 2009. 73 Ibid.

advancement to be a commodity, paving way to the information age. Information dissemination was a staple characteristic of the Internet, making knowledge spread like wildfire in a small amount of time. Wikipedia.org, for example, is an open-source encyclopedia website where users can freely add or subtract any information they want about any article. Moreover, the Internet vastly improved in the social networking department over the past decade. Websites such as Friendster, Hipster, Facebook, and YouTube have allowed Internet users to connect with ease, making it possible for information to spread in great speed. In the music scene, MySpace.com helped independent artists by allowing them to spread their works worldwide for free. The band Typecast, for example, is best known for their MySpace.com popularity. Through uploading songs in MySpace.com, musicians are able to share their music for free, thus gaining more exposure. MysSpace.com, also a social networking site, allows its musicians to interact with fans through private messaging and posting comments on

their

pages.

Other

similar

music-oriented

sites

are

PureVolume.com,

and

Amp.ChannelV.com, which is especially made for Asian artists. OdysseyLive.net, a Philippinesbased music networking site, was recently launched in the late 2000s to cater to Philippine artists. Despite its advantages, the Internet has also created problems for musicians. In the year 2000, Metallica, an American rock band, sued Napster – a software that allowed Internet users to share music for free, authored by students.74 Metallica strongly believed that they were being exploited because their music could be accessed by Internet users without having to pay for their albums. They sued Napster over two violations, namely: copyright infringement, and unlawful

                                                                                                                74

Christopher Jones, "Metallica Rips Napster," WIRED.com, [news on-line]; available from http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2000/04/35670; Internet; accessed 03 November 2009.

use of digital audio interface devices.75 Since then, the Recording Industry Association of America has been strict with Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing software and programs that operate on the same level. Recently, the development of Torrent technology has raised piracy awareness among many major record labels and legal firms. Torrents, like P2P software, distribute free media. Unlike P2P software, though, torrents have better quality control through filtering dummy files and faster download speeds.76 A torrent website, ThePirateBay.org, recently lost against RIAA in a court case over copyright infringement.

Globalization and Orientalism First of all, it is important to note that Orientalism is a theory that studies the relations between two geographical entities: the East and West.77 In a nutshell, Edward Said argues that the Orient is acting according to the Occident, which dictates as the ruling hegemony.78 Despite critics saying that Orientalism is Euro-centric and cannot be applied to all cases in point, it is still a cultural theory that is relevant to contemporary issues, including the changes in the history of Philippine music. It is evident that majority of Philippine music is influenced by Western ideas. For example, according to my timeline, Original Philippine Music started in the ’70s and ’80s. The music that came from this decade was dominated by punk rock acts such as Joey Pepe Smith. Punk rock, in itself, is a Western subculture that focuses on nonconformity and going against the                                                                                                                 75

Ibid. Paul Gil, "Torrents 101: The Basics of How Bittorrents Work," About.com: Internet For Beginners, [news on-line]; available from http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/peersharing/a/ torrenthandbook.htm; Internet; accessed 03 November 2009. 77 Edward Said, “From the Introduction to Orientalism,” in The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends, ed. David Richter (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1998), 1279. 78 Ibid., 1280 76

flow. This relationship between Eastern and Western music – one being dominated by the other, has continued to present day. As a matter of fact, Said’s claim that there is “very little resistance on the Orient’s part”79 is still proven to be true, as seen in the scheme of music internationally. If Original Philippine Music in the ’90s was slightly influenced by the West, Contemporary Philippine Music is largely dominated by Western ideas of music. For example, the new subgenres and trends in Western music such as the indie scene, emotional, and experimental music are easily adopted by Philippine musicians. Taking a closer look into Contemporary Philippine Music, its choice of discriminately using the English language in itself is a strong manifestation of the domination of Western ideas. In the context of this project, the influence that Western ideas has over the Orient is not limited to music. It carries over to the process of making music – such as ideas and themes and lyric writing, and the process of recording music. This influence also manifests itself through the effects of prosumerism and the Internet. As musicians, we believe that by default, music and recording equipment from the West are better than any of what we have in Asia. Social networking and music sharing websites that are based in America are also favored over our very own, such as Odysseylive.net. The downside of this relationship is that it takes colonialism to a more subtle, contemporary level. It strengthens the West’s domination over the East through conformity and to some extent, flattery. Also, it shows dependence of musical thought on Western ideas, thus a deeper, intellectual sense of colonialism. Moreover, it disregards Philippine music’s long-before identity stemming from its ethnic roots as a valid source of inspirations for Contemporary

                                                                                                                79

Ibid., 1281

Philippine Music. Therefore, it appears as if all of Contemporary Philippine Music’s ideas, themes, and creative outputs are borrowed from the West. On the upside, the Philippine music culture has been following the footsteps of its Western counterparts – so much so that it is a possible reason why Contemporary Philippine Music is recognized by Western audiences more easily today than in the past decades. The relationship of domination and subordination between West and East was used to Philippine music’s advantage, making Contemporary Philippine Music raise its standards accordingly. Thus, music from the Philippines was easily acceptable to a more international crowd. Examples of this phenomenon will be discussed in the following section. In effect, globalization, prosumerism, and the rise of the Internet have shaped the course of Philippine music as advantages for local musicians.

Contemporary Philippine Music The 2000s music scene Although the 2000s scene is best known for propagating change in Philippine music’s image, OPM was still known to be a strong force. Bands such as Itchyworms and Sugarfree were still hailed as chart-toppers, making Contemporary Philippine Music an alternative genre (but important nonetheless). Sugarfree was reminiscent of the Eraserheads largely due to Ebe Dancel’s vocal style, always likened to Ely Buendia’s. The measures of Sugarfree’s talent did not end in their recordings, it was their live performances that set them apart. Based on my own experience of watching them live, there was never a time when Ebe Dancel followed his lyrics and vocal melodies on record whenever he would play live. He would play around with what has been cast

in stone, in turn making their live shows a more exciting experience. Sugarfree’s lyrics are effective because of their use of the Filipino language and their affinity to contemporary Philippine culture. An example of this kind of work of theirs would be their song “Dear Kuya,” about the persona whose brother left the country to earn a living. It is a musical commentary on the rising number of overseas workers, saying “Kuya, ‘pag may kumausap sa’yo, galingan mo mag-ingles/ Galingan mo, kuya.” The song also shows the ever-welcoming Filipino family, always there for each other: “Nasa’n ka man ngayon/ Ano ma’ng oras may kailangan/ Tawag ka lang sa amin/ At parang nandito ka na rin, kuya.” Itchyworms, on the other hand, was one of the very first bands in the Ateneo Musicans’ Pool roster. They started as independent artists, making their way to the music industry. What made the Itchyworms special was their affinity to the Filipino youth. Their songs such as “Beer” (“Ano ba talaga’ng mas gusto ko/ Ang beer na ‘to o ang pag-ibig mo?”) and “Akin Ka Na Lang” (“Akin ka na lang/ Iingatan ko ang puso mo/ At wala na’ng hihigit pa sa’yo… ‘Di naman sa sinisiraan ko ang pangit na ‘yan”) are commentaries of youthful, almost juvenile themes that garnered much appreciation from the Philippine audience. Amidst all of this, the Itchyworms showed their socially-relevant side in their album Noontime Show. The compilation’s last cut, “Production Number,” was a 12-minute long opus with lyrics being a satirical commentary of the Philippine masses’ addiction to the media and television: “Mag-production number tayo kahit hindi bagay/ Pagsamahin ang mga baguhan ‘dun sa mga sanay/ Magkunwari tayo na walang sumasablay/ Dahil lahat tayo’y kumakantang sabay-sabay.” Music Manila-centric no more In the prior decades, popular Philippine music was largely located in Manila’s urban sectors. But as Internet connections were made available to the majority of private sectors – not

only in Luzon but also in Mindanao, music from southern regions of the country found their way to penetrate the Philippines’ capital city. Hailing from Cebu City was Urbandub, and from Laguna was Typecast. It is evident that both of these bands were inclined to using the English language, and their styles of music are different from OPM’s. That being said, they are the proprietors of Contemporary Philippine Music, and paved way to many other bands from all parts of the country to rise, such as Faspitch (Cebu), Imbue No Kudos (Olongapo), Rugis (Lucena), and many more. Urbandub Urbandub started as a reggae band in the early 2000s as a reggae, beach music-based band. In their second album Influence, the song “Sailing” proved this to be true – about the many activities one can do in the beach (“Motion in the ocean/ Let’s go all the way.”) A follow-up to this beach song was their track “Life Is Easy” from their latest album Under Southern Lights. It was, once again, about the steady, relaxed life in the beach (“Feel the water go through my empty hands/ ‘Cuz the day is fine/ No troubles in my mind…”). As their career progressed, Urbandub seemed to find their comfort zones in the emo genre, lyrically driven and with music (guitar work and beats alike) influenced by trending American emo bands such as Thursday. In their third album Embrace, tracks such as “Frailty” and “First of Summer” were known for their emotional lyrics such as “This bottle is bringing me down/ No comfort for me in this town,” and “We’re giving it up/ And just a little more/ This heartfelt leap, I surrender/ Arms raised tonight,” respectively. As they continued to spread their music online and live with the help of Sonic Boom Productions, they were discovered and appreciated by many listeners in the United States and around Asia. In November 2009, they were invited to play in Singapore, with Angulo (Manila)

as their opening act. Urbandub also had the privilege to play in Baybeats, a music festival in Singapore, in 2007. Some time in 2009, they are also slated to tour the United States along with Typecast. Typecast Typecast is an emo band from Laguna City. They made their Manila debut in 2006, releasing a music video for their song “Another Minute Until Ten” that aimed to raise awareness regarding teenage suicides. Once they found air time in Manila-based radio stations, they also started to upload their music on the Internet, and were shortly discovered by Sonic Boom Productions. They are popularly known in the Internet as the pioneers of Myspace.com and Purevolume.com’s usage in the Philippines – both music networking sites that allow worldwide access to a user’s music recordings. Like Urbandub, Typecast’s music is also lyrically-driven through its choice of dark, emotional words, and use of the English language and Western themes. Their song, “The Boston Drama,” off their third studio album Every Moss and Cobweb, is a good example of these characteristics. The chorus, “Would you come back in a heartbeat?/ Don’t be confused of what a great thing we can be/ Take a walk at the same street/ And can you tell me what Boston is like/ Without me?” But, Typecast’s music is more emotional than Urbandub, due to Steve Badiola’s heavy usage of falsetto vocal melodies, and the guitar work’s less-intricate riffs, giving a more dimmed and cold feeling to the music. Typecast’s music is highly influenced by American emo bands such as Dashboard Confessional and Copeland. Currently, Typecast is recording their fourth album – far away from their emo sound, they have focused on the post-hardcore subgenre, heavily influenced by Underoath, As I Lay

Dying, Glassjaw, among others from the United States. They are booked to perform in Hong Kong on the 28th of November, and to accompany Urbandub in the USA tour. In other parts of Asia, such trends are also helping expose talented bands. Over the semestral break, I had the opportunity to meet A Vacant Affair, a post-hardcore band from Singapore, who visited Manila under the care of Sonic Boom Productions. Tonight We Sleep Tonight We Sleep is a Manila-based band. Three of its members are currently in college: Paolo Owyong (drums) and Ton Vegel de Dios (guitars) are both from Ateneo de Manila University, while Rex Ferriols (bass) is from University of the Philippines. Their eldest member, Argee Guerrero (vocals), graduated De La Salle University in 2007. Tonight We Sleep was formed when all of its members were studying in Ateneo de Manila High School. They were linked from their former bands, BIT and Hansom, both regulars in variety shows and small-time high school gigs. Sharing the same interests, they decided to form Tonight We Sleep in December 2007. Their major influences are New Found Glory and Fight Star, both emo-punk bands from America. In July 2008, they were named as the second band in the Mary Moon Productions roster, the first being Kuwago. Mary Moon Productions is an independent group of events organizers catering to the music, theater, and film enthusiasts in the student-level target market. A few months after their addition to the roster, Tonight We Sleep started to record an album. Their compositions, written in chronological order of which was completed first, are: “Tonight We Sleep,” “Gabrielle,” “Angels Leave in November,” “Superman (The Side You Never See),” “Everything On Hold, He, The Anchor,” “Enough,” and “Pulling You Down.” Most of these songs were written by Paolo Owyong and Argee Guerrero.

Tonight We Sleep’s music is a range of emotional music, due to their lyrics, and alternative punk. Riff-driven songs such as “Gabrielle” and “Angels Leave in November” are reminiscent of New Found Glory and Fight Star’s head-banging, half-time instrumentals that evoke emotion. Also, Guerrero and Vergel de Dios’ use of octaves in their chord progressions (such as in “He, The Anchor”) provide the feeling of melancholy. Their frequent use of the 3/3 waltz time signature make their compositions sound depressed but energetic nonetheless. Most of their songs, especially “Gabrielle” and “Angels Leave In November,” were written about their friends, according to Owyong. “Gabrielle,” lamenting about a tragic relationship (“I said I want to forget you/ Some wounds just never heal/ With a thorn for every heart/ You punctured mine to seal the deal”) is known to be one of their oldest songs, thus becoming an anthem for their fans. “Angels Leave In November,” on the other hand, is a song about the persona loving someone from afar: “Don’t say that it’s done… Over the years I stood up for you/ More than you’ll ever know/ But still, you let me go.” “Superman (The Side You Never See)” is remarkably distinct from these songs, because it is a commentary about the life of Clark Kent, the superhero, as seen in the TV series Smallville. It says, “How long will you stand there waiting… When everyone needs me more than you/ How do I let go?” Owyong’s songwriting is sometimes reliant in imagery, as seen in their song “He, The Anchor,” which goes: “I can see your hands reaching through the waters/ I can’t stand watching you drown/ But I can’t pull you out if you’re weighing yourself down/ Just let me breathe life into your tired lungs/ I can think of a million ways/ To teach you how to swim/ So let go of him.” According to Owyong, their album’s recording process has been a fruitful one. Half of their drum tracks were recorded in Love One Another Studios, and the rest were recorded in the Garcia residence, including guitar tracks and vocals. Their producers, Yael Yuzon (Sponge

Cola), Armo Armovit (formerly Rampqueen and Sponge Cola), and Yosef Garcia (formerly Rampqueen), have said it themselves: “You only record a first album once, so we really want you to acquire the sound you want.” Despite the album being recorded in Yosef Garcia’s household, Owyong believes that it is not a home recording, due to Garcia’s equipment and ability to maximize quality through his knowledge in the field. The three producers, Yuzon, Garcia, and Armovit, have had experience in dealing with major record labels in recordings. Their application of this knowledge has allowed Tonight We Sleep to get a pristine sound.

Continuities and Discontinuities Despite the fact that OPM is a continuing force in this decade, this study maintains that Contemporary Philippine Music has taken over popular music. The linguistics of musicians has transitioned from local to international as they chose to write songs with the English language. Also, the theme of Philippine culture is hardly seen in any of the bands mentioned in this chapter. Moreover, as these bands begin to create their own niche of contemporary artists, Philippine identity is lost in their works. On the other hand, the influence of Western music styles and genres continues. From the ‘70s until the present day, it is still evident that Philippine music is influenced by Western ideas.

Recapitulation Contemporary Philippine Music is music from the 2000s decade that discriminately uses the English language, with musical styles influenced by subgenres developed post-‘90s in the West, and has taken advantage of prosumerism and the rise of the Internet through using the said

concepts as tools for music exposure. Prosumerism made recording tools and music instruments available to the masses, thus creating more opportunities for musicians. The Internet, on the other hand, provided a new, wider audience for musicians. Although the political climate did not affect Philippine music in the 2000s, global issues such as Millennium Development Goals offered avenues for musicians to be socially active. Thus, Contemporary Philippine Music did not operate on the domination and subordination inside the country. Orientalism, a larger scale of hegemony, affected the growth of Philippine music through raising its standards. In the 2000s, bands such as Urbandub and Typecast were chosen to tour the United States due to their Internet popularity in the Western audience. These bands were both proprietors of emotional, alternative music in the Philippines, and were models of Contemporary Philippine Music to a wide number of amateur bands. A band inspired by these said musicians was Tonight We Sleep – independently raised, and currently working on their debut album. In the next chapter, the process of recording Grace, And Dragging Her Wings by Don’t Forget, Clementine, an independent album, will be discussed in order to demonstrate the schemes of Contemporary Philippine Music.

CHAPTER IV DON’T FORGET, CLEMENTINE

Introduction Don’t Forget, Clementine is a post-rock band that was formed in March, 2008. It is composed of seven members in their early twenties, namely Paolo Owyong, Enzo Cabayan, Argee Guerrero, Mike Oreta, Miguel de Quiros, Mark Alcantara, and I (See Figure 4.1). Owyong and I decided to make form the band before summer 2008, as we shared the same enthusiasm for instrumental, ambient music. We carefully drafted the rest of the members after writing two songs (“Meet Me In Montauk” and “…And He Left With Everything He Came For”), realizing that performing in a live setting was dull, considering that there were only two of us. Gaining the affirmation of the rest of our band mates, we went on to writing three more songs, to be included in our debut album, Grace, and Dragging Her Wings. FIGURE 4.1 DON’T FORGET, CLEMENTINE

Photo credits: Nikki Isaac

The band Don’t Forget, Clementine plays post-rock music, meaning instrumental music that focuses on ambience and does not rely heavily on words and lyrics. The term “rock” is still

included in the genre’s name because of post-rock’s usage of guitar effects and synthesizers which were first found in rock, namely fuzz distortions, delays (both analog and digital), whammies, and other pyrotechnics. What makes post-rock different is its form – instead of going through the process of writing songs with lyrics, post-rock offers a brand of instrumental music with the qualities of ambient rock but without depending on lyrics.80 As a whole, Don’t Forget, Clementine’s music influences are bands such as Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, Mogwai, Mono, 65DaysofStatic, Hundred Year Storm, Toe, and From Monument To Masses. As individuals, we listen to a wide range of music. Owyong, Cabayan, and Guerrero share the same enthusiasm for hardcore and metal music. De Quiros is influenced by piano rock bands such as Something Corporate, while Oreta listens mostly to electronic music from The Postal Service, Owl City, and similar acts. I, on the other hand, am greatly influenced by ‘90s alternative bands and guitarists such as Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead and Tom Morello from Rage Against The Machine. I consider the post-rock movement in Manila a part of Contemporary Philippine Music because of its recent activity. Currently, there are only two post-rock bands in Manila – Encounters With A Yeti and Don’t Forget, Clementine. Both were founded recently and are currently contributing to the Philippines’ independent music scene. As a Contemporary Philippine Music movement, I decided to dedicate my project’s creative output to studying the process of making an independent album. That said, this chapter aims to first briefly discuss the history of post-rock from its Western roots up to the formation of its Asian counterparts. Then, it will describe the post-rock                                                                                                                 Simon Reynolds, untitled, TheWire.co.uk, [news on-line]; available from http://web.archive.org/web/20011202075606/http://www.thewire.co.uk/out/1297_4.htm; Internet; accesse 23 November 2009. 80

scene today, both international and local. The rest of the chapter is dedicated to the production process of Don’t Forget, Clementine’s album, Grace, And Dragging Her Wings, including the plans for an album launch on December 12, 200.

Post-rock Music Brief history of post-rock music In the late ‘80s, the shoegaze movement started in the UK with The Jesus & Mary Chain. This subgenre was known for their excessive use of the fuzz guitar effect, making loud noises.81 The term “shoegaze” was used to describe guitarists in shoegaze bands, because of their need to always look at their shoes, in order to stomp from one effect pedal to another frequently.82 Basically, shoegaze music was governed by a tasteful kind of noise, mostly a mix of fuzz or distortion and modulations.83 This brand of music was not driven by lyrics, it was driven by noise. After The Jesus & Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine received good recognition as they released their album Loveless. The record is considered as one of the greatest shoegaze albums ever written, as popular musicians nowadays such as Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins refer to the album as a major influence.84 The Jesus & Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, along with shoegaze bands from the western hemisphere fronted the lines of shoegazing, as a new brand of music came about.                                                                                                                 Olga Sladeckova, "Jesus and Mary Chain: Interview with Jim Reid Part 1," indiemusic.co.uk, [news on-line]; available from http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSite Pages/Article.aspx?id=2919; Internet; accessed 23 November 2009. 82 "Shoegaze Genre," allmusic.com, [news on-line]; available from http://www.allmusic. com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=77:2680; Internet; accessed 23 November 2009. 83 Ibid. 84 Joe McGlinchey, "My Bloody Valentine," Furious.com, [news on-line]; available from http://www.furious.com/perfect/mbv.html; Internet; accessed 23 November 2009. 81

Shoegaze transitioned to post-rock, as post-rock maintained the noise-driven quality of shoegazing, only this time, it was accompanied by ambience, bigger walls of sound, and overly minimal lyrics, if none at all.85 The difference between post-rock and shoegaze was post-rock’s melodies and rhythms – post-rock music had more articulate note progressions, as opposed to shoegaze’s minimalistic approach to chord progressions, making more room for noise.86 Post-rock gained wide recognition in the ‘90s as bands such as Talk Talk and Godspeed You! Black Emperor introduced their music to the industry. In Glasgow, one of the most influential post-rock bands formed in the ‘90s: Mogwai. Mogwai used their shoegaze roots as a springboard to post-rock, even crafting their very own Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Fuzz/Distortion effect pedal.87 The said pedal is popular in the shoegaze and post-rock scene for its inevitable, high-gain noises. By the similarities in the music of Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Talk Talk, and more recent post-rock bands such as Explosions in the Sky and This Will Destroy You, postrock is defined as music that is driven by ambience through the use of a wide range of effects, a larger sound stage determined by the number of instrumentalists (depending on the needs of a band), a play on dynamics sometimes through synthesized textures or minimal guitar riffs, unorthodox songwriting or composition through minimal or no use of lyrics at all, and experimentalism through song structures, chord progressions, and time signatures.

                                                                                                                Ibid.   Nitsuh Abebeh, "The Lost Generation," Pitchfork Media, [news on-line]; available from http://samizdat.cc/shelf/documents/2005/07.11-lostGeneration/lostGeneration.pdf; Internet; accessed 23 November 2009. 87 Mr. Chaz, "BIG MUFF: History of the EHX Big Muff," Gear-vault.com, [news on-line]; available from http://www.gear-vault.com/big-muff-history-of-the-ehx-big-muff/; Internet; accessed 23 November 2009.   85 86

Post-rock Today International bands In the 2000 decade, the Western post-rock scene was largely dominated by bands such as Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, (both from Texas) and From Monument To Masses (San Francisco). Explosions in the Sky specializes in ambience through their ability to create minimal yet emotive guitar riffs accompanied by a drummer with a superb sense of dynamics. They also displayed their genius in songwriting and composition upon releasing their EP entitled The Rescue, a continuous album made of eight tracks entitled “Day One” to “Day Eight” respectively. They wrote the album while stranded on tour, capturing the eight days of their struggle. On the other hand, This Will Destroy You is a post-rock band that capitalizes on their use of guitar effects and beat samples. An example of their unique characteristic is the song “The World Is Our _____,” which is a demonstration of their ability to swing from ambient, delay-driven mellow guitar riffs to fuzzy head-banging chord progressions and beat programming. From Monument To Masses brings a different kind of post-rock to the scene as the band focuses on mathematical guitar riffs, with progressive drum beats and politicallythemed vocal samples. An example of which would be their song “From the Mountains to the Prairies,” exhibiting these three characteristics. In Japan, two important post-rock bands also formed in the 2000 decade. Toe is a postrock band that made a name for themselves through playing fluid, jazzy post-rock. Mono, on the other hand, is a Japanese post-rock band that plays post-rock with a tinge of classical music. Remarkable feats from these two bands are Toe’s release of their live DVD entitled “RGB,” featuring their live performances from different venues with intimate audiences, and Mono’s

latest album, Hymn To The Immortal Wind, which captures their classical post-rock sound through an enormous string section. As post-rock gained its ground in the 2000s decade, the shoegaze scene was also alive in the underground. Bands such as Silversun Pickups, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Ringo Deathstarr continued to produce shoegaze music. Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins also declared that his new upcoming album, entitled Kaleidoscope by Teargarden was going to be psychedelic,88 which is also a characteristic of some early shoegaze bands. Local bands Unlike in the international scene, Manila’s post-rock and shoegaze scene started relatively late. In the 2000s, Sleepwalk Circus and Encounters With A Yeti, both from Terno Recordings, were formed. Sleepwalk Circus focuses their music on shoegaze, influenced by Smashing Pumpkins. From Mobile Productions based in Parañaque, Wagyu is also a shoegaze band but is anchored on blues and alternative music. Twin Lobster is borderline post-rock and shoegaze, with their long instrumentals reminiscent of Toe’s music and use of vocals. Encounters With A Yeti, on the other hand, is the counterpart of Explosions in the Sky in Manila, due to their ambient music and excellent use of dynamics. Aside from Encounters With A Yeti, my band, Don’t Forget, Clementine, is the only other post-rock band I know that currently exists in Manila.

                                                                                                                88

Billy Corgan, "New Smashing Pumpkins album," LiveJournal.com: Billy Corgan, [news online]; available from http://billycorgan.livejournal.com/39767.html; Internet; accessed 23 November 2009.

The Production of Grace, and Dragging Her Wings Pre-production In order to obtain premium results in composition, we decided to hold a pre-production session for all four songs in the album, except for the studio song “A Lullaby: From Opinion To Faith.” The studio song will be explained later on. The pre-production stage of making the album helped us finalize guitar, bass, synth, and drum riffs altogether by recording all songs – not necessarily in optimized mix and master quality. This process allowed us, especially the producers, to get a better feel of the songs on record. Nonetheless, we made sure that the quality of the songs was not compromised, and open for scrutiny and inspection of minute details. The pre-production started August 24, 2009. On that day, drum tracks were recorded at Blueberri Jam Studios in Balara, Quezon City under the studio’s engineer, Duane Fernandez. Our drummer, Mark Alcantara, recorded three songs (“Meet Me In Montauk,” “…And He Left With Everything He Came For,” and “Waiting For Rain” in the span of two hours under the supervision of my co-producer and the band’s guitarist, Paolo Owyong. After which, an overnight session of recording all guitar, bass, and synth tracks for the three songs was held on August 30, 2009 in the Owyong residence (See Figure 4.2). FIGURE 4.2 DON’T FORGET, CLEMENTINE – PRE-PRODUCTION

Photo credits: Marvin Sayson

In recording the pre-production tracks, we hooked our guitars and synthesizers to a Korg Zero8 Mixer, on to a Line 6 UX1 guitar interface. This equipment allowed our instruments’ signal to enter a Macbook clearly and with minimal deficiency. The pre-production recording session ended at August 31, 2009. What gave us problems in the pre-production phase was the mixing and mastering. Little did we know that the Korg Zero8 Mixer added a hiss effect to all of our tracks, making it hard for Owyong to mix and master the tracks altogether. Equalizer settings were shifted from one variation to another, but the clarity we were looking for was hard to accomplish. A rule of thumb in recording, whether at home or in the studio, is garbage in garbage out – meaning if one tracks a noisy signal, no amount of tweaking and twitching of settings and effects is enough to morph the signal into a clear one. This was a major compromise in our pre-production. With this in mind, Owyong came out with his final mixes of two pre-production tracks: “Meet Me In Montauk,” and “Waiting For Rain.” The third song, “…And He Left With Everything He Came For,” was found to be too problematic because of its cluttering wide range of dynamics. It is hard to deal with such problem in a small sound stage, especially a home recording. Our guitar riffs seemed to be clashing with one another, and the sound stage was too tight to make a riff audible enough to become a main attraction. As we came out with these two tracks, we posted two 30-second teasers on our MySpace and Facebook pages to attract supporters. The fourth pre-production session was held on the 23rd of October. In this pre-production session, only the drum tracks of our fourth song, “Airports,” was recorded. In the spirit of cutting costs, we decided to track the drums in my house through a Behringer C-3 Condenser Microphone, powered by a Behringer MIC100 Tube Ultragain (for 48 volts phantom power),

direct to the Line 6 UX1 Interface. Guitar, bass, and synthesizer tracks were not recorded for this pre-production session because the composition of the said tracks was scheduled for the album proper itself. That way, we were able to spend more time with the drum tracks of “Airports” because it was a beat-driven song to begin with. With four songs in the pre-production phase, Owyong and I decided that the fifth song, “A Lullaby: From Opinion To Faith,” be a studio song. A song in an album that takes on a different treatment in terms of playing and experimenting is regarded as a studio song. It is a song that maximizes the free reign of recording that is not captured by playing live, like for example, ambient sampling and more intricate usage of effect pedals and riffing. The total cost of our pre-production was PhP800, which was for the drum tracks alone, considering that we recorded everything else in the Owyong and Sayson residences. Album proper The album proper’s recording started October 19, 2009. Once again, we recorded drum tracks in Blueberri Jam Studios. Mark Alcantara, the drummer, recorded his beats for four songs: “Meet Me In Montauk,” “Airports,” “Waiting For Rain,” and “…And He Left With Everything He Came For,” in the span of three hours. After which, we cleaned up the drum tracks in my studio The House of M (See Figures 4.3 and 4.4). We used the 14-day trial of a Virtual Studio Technology (VST) Plug-In Drumagoog, for drum triggers. Drum triggers are software plug-ins that capture the frequencies of snare drums, rack toms, floor toms, and bass drums and replace them with more articulate frequencies. In the span of five hours, at around 8:00pm, we finished cleaning the drum tracks and started working on guitar tracks for Owyong and I. At around 3:00am of October 20, we decided to call it a day, finishing 30 percent of our guitar tracks for the album.

FIGURE 4.3 THE HOUSE OF M

Photo credits: Marvin Sayson

FIGURE 4.4 THE HOUSE OF M – CONTROL PANEL

Photo credits: Marvin Sayson

Before tracking our other band members, Owyong and I, as co-producers, decided that we must first lay all of our tracks. In doing so, we were able to set a vision of what we wanted through our tracks, and the rest added their pieces to the puzzle accordingly. Next in line was Argee Guerrero, who finished about 20 percent of his bass tracks on the night of October 22. Then, it was Mike Oreta and Miguel de Quiros’ turn, who both recorded keyboards, synthesizer pads, and piano software sounds. We decided that Oreta and de Quiros should record together for a tighter synthesizer section on the record. On the weekend of October 24, I recorded live samples of sounds, including the midnight rush in the Ortigas stretch outside my window, and scratching vinyl. After which, Enzo Cabayan, our third guitarist, recorded 40 percent of his tracks on October 27. The rest of everyone’s tracks were accomplished from the night of October 28 to the morning of October 29. With everything tracked (except for vocal samples), we decided to give the album a rest before mixing and mastering. The vocal samples eventually came along in the mixing and mastering phase. The pre-production phase was of great help, making the album recording proper a smoother process. It seemed as though we encountered all of the technical difficulties in the preproduction. We knew what we wanted to do, and we had a better grasp of how to record an album from my home studio by spending time with it in the pre-production phase. Equipment For the guitars, Owyong, Cabayan, and I used a Squier Telecaster, Gretsch Les Paul, and Fender Standard Telecaster respectively. The dynamics of the three guitars was fitting for our sound, considering the Telecaster’s natural thin twang complemented by the Les Paul’s smooth low-end sounding big body. Guerrero, on the other hand, used a Fender Jazz Special. For the synthesizers, Miguel de Quiros and Mike Oreta used an M-Audio Keyrig 25 MIDI Controller,

OKore Audio Interface, Korg MicroKontrol MIDI Controller, and a Korg Electribe EMX-1. MIDI Controllers are physical instruments connected to computers that transmit MIDI commands to software such as Ableton Live and Propellerhead Reason in order to synthesize sounds. The software we used for recording, mixing, and mastering was Apple GarageBand. The software we used to program synthesizer sounds were Ableton Live 7, and Propellerhead Reason. The equipment we used to record the instruments was a Line 6 UX1, an instrument interface connected via USB to the Macbook. For the vocal and ambient samples, we used a Behringer C-3 Condenser Microphone, powered by a Behringer MIC100 Tube Ultragain, which was also connected to the UX1. Considering that all of this equipment was available in my home studio, this was what allowed us to minimize costs. The speakers used to evaluate the recordings were a Samson StudioDock USB Monitors. These are 30-watt (15 on the left, 15 on the right) active-powered monitors that cover enough frequencies for sound clarity, mixing. and mastering. The following guitar effect pedals were used: Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, ElectroHarmonix Small Clone Chorus, MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay, Danelectro Cool Cat Transparent Overdrive, Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Fuzz/Distortion, Electro-Harmonix Little Big Muff Fuzz/Distortion, Digitech Whammy IV, T.C. Electronics Nova Delay, Line 6 Verbzilla Reverb, Boss DS-1 Distortion, MarkV Shredhead Distortion (boutique), Ibanez Bass Overdrive, and SansAmp Bass Pre-amp (See Figure 4.5).

FIGURE 4.5 DON’T FORGET, CLEMENTINE EQUIPMENT

Photo credits: Marvin Sayson

Album title and wrap-up The album title, Grace, And Dragging Her Wings, was originally a title I gave to one of Owyong’s songs. Realizing that he did not want to continue writing the song anymore, I reckoned that the title fit the album because of its psychological states. Originally, we wanted to name the album Bipolar, but since it was first used by the local band UpDharmaDown for their second album, we did not mind scrapping the idea. Grace, And Dragging Her Wings was our best option, because of its two-part wording (See Appendix C for CD).

The album recording was finished by November 11, 2009. The mixing and mastering process, done by Owyong, was continuous – starting from our first recording session in October 29, until November 17. The final date also included the finalized album art by Carina Santos and Paulina Ortega . The album art, composed of Santos’ photography and Ortega’s use of vectored images was produced under the supervision of Owyong and I. The treatment was minimal but emotionally provoking, with only titles of our songs in the booklet (See Appendix D for album inlay). Album and song concepts The album begins with a sound byte of a highway. As the synthesizers fade in, “Meet Me In Montauk’s” first hook is Owyong’s guitar riff. Inspired by “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” our first song’s guitar riffs, drowned in delay to create an emotional ambience, are repetitive and reminiscent of the said movie’s scenery and color. The digital beats in 1:14 were programmed by Owyong. The third movement of the song, considered a “verse,” features Juliann Savard reciting a stanza of Alexander Pope’s poem that goes: “How happy is the blameless vestal’s lot/ The world forgetting by the world forgot/ Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind/ Each prayer accepted, each wish resigned.” As drum beat breaks down, soft guitar plucking ensues and brings the song to a climax. The song reaches its peak as an odd-timed riff is repeated, and on the latter end of the riff, I used the Digitech Whammy IV to make a screaming sound from my guitar. The song goes back to its mild roots as Owyong enters once again with a mellow riff, and later on accompanied by Mike Oreta on synths and my guitar’s second-voicing. Feedback goes on, and “Airports” follows. “Airpots” is a song that I wrote about the feeling of being in an airport. My familiarity with the subject paid off, considering that I am in an airport every year, not knowing if I should

be happy that I am seeing my family once again because they live America, or sad because I am leaving my friends behind. The song starts a melancholy guitar plucking riff. The drums enter, as the song takes a good, flying mood. At 2:09, Owyong’s guitar enters with a riff on overdrive, then the song goes back to its flying mood. This flying mood is mostly carried by the phasing sound of the Line 6 DL4. Then, the third movement of the song is a droning repetition of the first movement, but this time, with the whole band involved. Cabayan’s palm-muted chugging riff, reminiscent of his hardcore influences such as Deftones and Norma Jean, bridges this movement to the next: a standard 3-4 beat, operating on a melancholy chord progression. When the song hits 4:42, the effect of the song changes as Oreta’s synthesizers create an alienating feeling, and my guitar riff pans from left to right ear. The next movement is governed by Alcantara’s odd time signature, shifting from a 6-count riff to a 5-count riff. The song ends with another standard 3-4 time signature, then a bittersweet resolve care of Owyong’s lead guitar riff. “Waiting For Rain” enters as Oreta’s lullaby-esque synthesizers introduces the song. Owyong starts with his first riff on a 110 beats per minute tempo, then everyone enters as the song dives into 135 beats per minute. “Waiting For Rain,” unlike any of our other songs, has only one chord progression throughout the whole song. Nonetheless, Owyong adds octaves of F#, making the song sound more textured and less boring. The beat breaks halfway through the first movement for a four-count breather, and continues with its four-chord barrage until the bridge. The bridge is led by Cabayan’s repetitive riff, then Oreta’s synthesizer oscillates, bringing the song back to its climactic nature. In the last movement, our hardcore and alternative influences are present through the Cabayan and Owyong’s delivery, and a big wall of sound – an ensemble of the same chords by Guerrero, Oreta, de Quiros, and I. The song ends with feedback and weird noises as it transitions to the next song.

“…And He Left With Everything He Came For” was composed by Owyong. The title explains the song – it is about leaving with a sense of satisfaction. It starts with Owyong’s guitar riff, sweet and heavy on the delay. I accompany him later on in this first movement, making our guitars sound like a man and woman conversing sweetly through our carefully-picked notes. The rest of the band enters as the song establishes its warmth through Guerrero’s melodic bass lines, especially at 1:57. The song drops its tempo down to 110 beats per minute as de Quiros enters with a piano solo, then Oreta provides a synthesized organ pad to accompany my two-chord guitar plucking. Owyong and the rest of the band enters once again as Alcantara’s marching snare-inspired drum riff leaves the listener with a feeling of satisfaction. The song goes back to its normal 130 beats per minute tempo. Here is where another climax ensues; Owyong plays his lead riff as Cabayan and I provide heavy rhythm parts. My fuzzy, distorted guitar riff was mostly inspired by the works of Billy Corgan in Smashing Pumpkins. The song once again breaks down, but this time, clean parts are interspersed with heavy riffing. At last, the song ends with another climactic movement with me on the lead, and Cabayan’s punk riffs. The ending is a three-note repetition, signifying a perfect way to end something with a good feeling. The song fades out, and the last track of “Grace, and Dragging Her Wings” enters with the sample of a backwardsspinning vinyl record. “A Lullaby: From Opinion to Faith” is our only studio song. It is the longest cut in the record, clocking in a little over 9 minutes. Inspired by Gabriel Marcel’s essay “From Opinion to Faith,” Owyong and I composed this song with the ending of our album in mind. It starts with a minimal beat which I programmed, governed by a delay effect. Owyong volume-swells his way into the song, creating a dreamy, ethereal mood. This is followed through by me and Guerrero. At 2:11, Oreta speaks as the persona, saying: “In this dream, I was crossing a river.” After which,

de Quiros enters into a piano solo, inspired by Smashing Pumpkins’ record, “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” De Quiros’ riffs are melancholic, but the next movement, care of Oreta’s beat samples, breathes life back into the song. Cabayan accompanies Oreta’s beat samples with his bittersweet guitar riff and Guerrero’s melodic bass lines. The song goes back to its dream state as Owyong plays his main riff with my varying beat samples and Guerrero’s rhythmic bass line. A lull follows this movement, with my minimal note progression influenced by the band Explosions in the Sky. As Owyong enters once again, Oreta’s voiceover, as the persona, speaks: “Feeling the crevices, taking my time/ Realizing that counting on you is like counting stars/ As the gravitational pull grabs me by the hand/ Grace met me at the shore/ Going home, you see the world backwards/ Every sound is a story/ Every hymn is a state/ This one is like drowning, from opinion to faith.” The song climaxes with a sad wake-up call, with an alarm clock sound in the end. A woman (voiceover by Juliann Savard), in the end, says: “Open your eyes.” The whole of Grace, and Dragging Her Wings clocks in a total of 35 minutes, with a total of five songs. Normally, five songs on a record constitute an EP (Extended Play), but based on the run time, album quality, and production value of this record, we decided to release it as a full-length album instead. Total cost of an independent production Our total expenditure for recording the album was a measly PhP1,200. This sum was only used to record the drum tracks. The rest of the other tracks were recorded in my studio, The House of M. The rest of the allocated budget, PhP22,000, went to the album’s re-production of 250 copies. The total cost of this whole process was PhP24,000, (including pre-production) which is relatively cheap, yet the quality we acquired through tedious mixing and mastering and the use professional-grade equipment was ace. Considering that we are selling the albums at

PhP250 per copy, if sold out, our total profit is PhP38,500. The number of copies needed to be sold in order to break even is 96. Album release The album will be released on December 12, 2009. With the help of Mary Moon Productions, we have confirmed the availability of 6Underground Bar, located in Ortigas Center Pasig City. We tried our best to get a venue in between the northern and southern parts of Metro Manila due to the wide geographical range of our listeners. Shoegaze bands Wagyu and Twin Lobster will be playing, along with the post-rock band Encounters With A Yeti, who will open for our set. Entrance costs PhP350 with a copy of the album, while PhP150 gets an audience member in without the album. (See Figure 4.6)

FIGURE 4.6 DEPARTURES – POSTER

Photo credits: Carina Santos

The Album in Light of Contemporary Philippine Music

Grace, And Dragging Her Wings is proven to be a Contemporary Philippine Music record, keeping in mind that we have used prosumerism and the Internet to our advantage. Through prosumerism, we have acquired professional-level equipment to record in the comforts of my home studio, and through the Internet, we have learned tips and tricks on how to mix and master via free tutorials and lessons. Globalization has also worked to our advantage through the West’s major influence in our music. Our use of prosumerism has helped us cut costs through making available professionalgrade equipment. Through the use of the Line 6 UX1 and guitar effect pedals that are affordable to the consumer, we have utilized many avenues to save money. These products, although mostly available in the USA, can also be purchased through buy-and-sell in the Philippines. Nonetheless, prosumerism has revealed to us new ways of cost-cutting and making independent records through its affordability. The Internet has taught us many lessons through free tutorials and skill-honing websites. Not only this, it has also allowed us to promote our music freely across the world. This facet of the Internet has helped us make our music known, thus opening more avenues for profit in the album release. This recognition has also heightened our spirits, knowing that people from around the world appreciate our music. The Internet’s effect on today’s music is truly remarkable, as seen in my band’s experience. Globalization has also worked to our advantage. If it were not for us knowing about postrock from UK and USA, it is highly probable that we would not know where and how to start a post-rock band. Our influences, mostly Western, have guided us along the way through inspiration. My only worry is that this process affirms Western domination over Asia and the Philippines, but such insecurity is cured through a greater sense of identity, as a band. We are

proud to say that we are the second post-rock band in Manila, and we would want to world to know that we can also do what our Western counterparts have been doing for the past years.

CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings This section will wrap up the entire project through providing a recapitulation of objectives and accomplishments. After which, a section will be dedicated to conclude the project, and cite recommendations for stakeholders and further study. Overview of the project The main objective of this project was to define Contemporary Philippine Music through the example of my band, Don’t Forget, Clementine. In order to do so, a brief timeline of Philippine music history was first attained through gathering research data from various books and online sources. Not only did this project cite a blow-by-blow account of bands and artists from their respective eras, it also included an analysis of music from different decades, namely the ’70s-’80s era and the ’90s Philippine music scenes respectively. After which, the production process of my band’s album was discussed, including an in-depth analysis of the songs, a summary of our expenditures, and details of the album’s launch. Summary of findings and accomplishments For the ’70s-’80s era, Original Philippine Music was a reaction to the restraining hegemony of its time. The Marcos regime provided a suffocating environment not only for artists but also for the common Filipino at that time, thus allowing musicians to express their concerns and issues through their art. The theory used to explain this was Raymond Williams’ views on hegemony.

Moving on to the ’90s, Original Philippine Music reached new heights of its commercial success through themes such as youth empowerment, the Filipino culture, and romance. The flagship bands of this time were Eraserheads, Rivermaya, and Parokya ni Edgar; all three of them contributing to the history of Philippine music in their own different ways, as mentioned. As important as these characteristics of Original Philippine Music in the ’90s, it was also stated in this project that Philippine music was highly influenced by Western ideas in music and lyricwriting. This observation segues to the project’s discussion of Contemporary Philippine Music. In the 2000s decade, a new breed of Philippine musicians formed. These musicians, such as Urbandub and Typecast, have certain characteristics in common: their discriminate use of the English language, technically-adept musicality influenced by Western music of their time, and broader target audience that reached international shores. This kind of music, as I call it Contemporary Philippine Music, was brought about through the rise of prosumerism and the internet. With these two forces of change, Philippine music has reached out to a wider audience, and has gained recognition in other parts of the world, more importantly, USA. Edward Said’s Orientalism was used to explain this phenomenon, stating that such relationship of domination and subordination between the Eastern and Western hemispheres of music has been put to good use by these Philippine musicians. After an analytical discussion of Contemporary Philippine Music, this project went deeper into explaining how this new movement worked through the production of my band’s album, Don’t Forget, Clementine. First, what contended Don’t Forget, Clementine as a Contemporary Philippine Music band was its genre, post-rock. Post-rock is a movement that started in the West. It has not been able to penetrate the Philippines, considering that there are only two post-rock bands in the

country, namely Encounters With A Yeti, and my band. It is a fresh genre from the roots of shoegaze music. Post-rock music does not necessarily include vocals and lyrics on their songs, but Encounters With A Yeti and my band both use the English language in titling our compositions. The album, entitled Grace, And Dragging Her Wings, was a self-produced release, independent from any major record label tie-in. Prosumerism enabled our band to record highquality music through making available professional recording tools such as the Line 6 UX1 guitar interface. The internet, on the other hand, helped us promote our endeavor through social networking sites. The cost for the whole recording was a measly PhP1,200. That being said, the project was a success in explaining what Contemporary Philippine music is. Moreover, it was able to explain how the movements of Philippine music, from the ’70s to the ‘00s, have led to the rise of Contemporary Philippine music.

Conclusions Concluding the theoretical framework First, my use of theories from sociology (hegemony) and cultural studies (Orientalism) has allowed for this project to explain the growth of Philippine music in an outward motion. From the theory of hegemony operating in our country in the time of Martial Law, domination and subordination grew to an international scale in the context of Orientalism. What is striking, actually, is not the motion of this theory – it is the way it has affected Philippine music. Orientalism, on paper, seems to be a theory that works to the advantage of the Occident. But, this project has proven that the theory of Orientalism may also be used for the good of Asian countries, let alone the Philippines. Our music culture has benefited from the West’s

influence by utilizing their techniques in making our own music. Not only this - the availability of their products has been fruitfully used by musicians in the Philippines, especially my band, Don’t Forget, Clementine. Reflections and significance of the project In creating the project’s output, it dawned upon me how easy a musician’s life is today, as compared to before. The availability of professional tools and tutorials over the internet has truly helped our band produce our first album. Also, working with non-lyrical music creates more avenues for a band to truly express technical details and create their own ambience. This new branch of music, post-rock, truly offers a new brand of listening to music. Also, realizing that I belong to the breed of Contemporary Philippine musicians, I am honored to be able to write and create an output about this era in Philippine music history. Hopefully, in light of the movements of Philippine music history, I have made a mark by offering a significant project to the lack of material written about Philippine music. As a musician myself, I hope I was able to inspire students to work on academic projects and studies of the same type, that encourage both formal writing and creative outputs for Philippine music’s growing history.

Recommendations for Musicians in the Contemporary Philippine Music Era The independent record industry is flourishing, all thanks to the growth of Philippine music. With our music culture’s background, I have high hopes that independent music in the Philippines will continue to spread, as this project has aimed to encourage the said movement. The costs of independent recording are relatively low, but with the right kind of gear and

production experience, one can make a high-quality sound recording in the comforts of her/his home. All of this being said, nowadays, it is not necessary for a band to strike a deal with a major record label in order for their music to be heard. Popular belief would tell any musician that signing a deal with a major record label concretizes a band’s name by making recording and managerial processes much easier, but there are downsides to this path. I myself have discovered that major record labels only share a small percentage of album sales to the recording artist themselves. I encourage musicians from this decade on to utilize their independence. With the rise of prosumerism and the internet, there are various ways for creativity not to be stifled, and for an artist to be pure – without the pressures of major record deals. I wish for this project's methodology to serve as a manual for aspiring producers and home recording enthusiasts alike.

Recommendations for Further Study For future reference, it must be noted that anyone who wants to research about Philippine music must exert extra effort in finding sources, because of the lack of literature written about the matter. Despite its interesting stories and history, Philippine music does not have a canon of literature. Eric Caruncho’s articles are most helpful. In writing a paper about Philippine music, I also recommend that the researcher garner as many connections in the industry as possible. Also, I recommend participant observation activities, such as going to concerts, etc. This helps the researcher experience her study. More importantly, it is highly recommended because these events are opportunities to meet Philippine musicians themselves.

I would like to recommend the Philippine independent music industry as a topic for further studies. A great deal of musicians in the Philippine music industry today are independently raised, but there are also downsides to this. An example would be the cluttering of our music industry; with too many bands on the rise, there is only a few space left for commercial success. A study about the independent music industry in the Philippines should be able to complement this project as a more in-depth analysis of the industry’s current situation. The effect of contemporary lyric-writing also captured my attention while working on this project. I noticed how the writing styles from different eras were different, possibly according to context. How does this affect the listener? Does it instill an emotion of fear? Anger? Happiness? I would like to recommend the topic of the causes of Contemporary Music’s lyrics on its audience. It is possible that these effects also stem from the music’s treatment – heavy distortions, flangers, and digital delays. This has been a topic of some films. For example, in High Fidelity, John Cusack’s character (an owner of a vinyl store) expresses his sentiments about the issue through the question: Am I listening to pop music because I am miserable? Or am I miserable because I am listening to pop music?” In light of the rise of many bands and subgenres in the Contemporary Philippine Music scene, I recommend the study of today’s Baroque Pop. In Canada, Broken Social Scene started a Baroque Pop trend. Currently, in the Philippines, we only have two bands which employ a Baroque Pop sound, namely Arigato! Hato, and Ang Bandang Shirley. A research that focuses on answering what Baroque Pop is, and how it has been incorporated to our culture should be helpful in understanding the whole of Contemporary Philippine Music. Lastly, I would like to encourage anyone who wants to research on Philippine music to focus on its current trends, especially the mass crowd of concerts today. The masses in

Philippine music today are composed of teenagers and adolescents who have one thing in common – they always wear black. Some of these teenagers bring placards with the word “ANARCHY” to free concerts. This phenomenon, among others, is a disturbing effect. A study regarding the origins of this effect would be highly appreciated, in order for musicians to understand the implications of their music to the youth today.

APPENDIX A MUSIC OBSERVATION GUIDE

Cases to be studied 1. 1970s Philippine Music – Freddie Aguilar, Juan de la Cruz Band, Joey Pepe Smith 2. Original Philippine Music (1990s) – Eraserheads, Rivermaya, Parokya ni Edgar 3. Contemporary Philippine Music (2000s) – Typecast, Urbandub, and Don’t Forget, Clementine

Aspects of music to be analyzed 1. Chord progressions 2. Guitar tuning 3. Language of lyrics 4. Themes of lyrics 5. Genre

APPENDIX B MUSIC OBSERVATION GUIDE FOR CREATIVE OUTPUT

Cases to be studied 1. Meet Me In Montauk 2. Airports 3. Waiting For Rain 4. …And He Left With Everything He Came For 5. A Lullaby: From Opinion To Faith

Aspects of music to be analyzed 1. Parts of the song per movement 2. Guitar tuning 3. Treatment – guitar effects, synthesizer effects, drum beat time signatures 4. Themes of title 5. How the song belongs to the album

APPENDIX C GRACE, AND DRAGGING HER WINGS CD

APPENDIX D GRACE, AND DRAGGING HER WINGS ALBUM ART

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