Ely Buendia on Flying Solo

I’m not going to play it cool, I’m a big fan of Ely Buendia. So when I bumped into him in (would you believe it) Legazpi City, Albay, all hell broke loose in my head (well, not really “all”), and a 5-minute, no, 10-minute chit-chat had to happen. We talked mostly about working on his album In Love And War, and here’s how the interview went:

How’s working as a solo artist?
I’ve never tried it before so it’s something new. When you’ve been in the business as long as I have, medyo you want to try out different stuff. See, I wasn’t supposed to be doing this alone, as you well know. I was planning this with Francis (Magalona). We were supposed to tour the country after the release of the album. So this is my way of honoring that.

Do you control everything?
Yes, I have to! Well, just this once, it’s also liberating to be this—tell the band to play this and they will play it.

How about the touring aspect?
We have a couple of shows lined up na for the provinces. Right now, I’m concentrating on the provinces, while my other band Pupil, parang teritoryo kasi ng Pupil ‘yung Manila. I didn’t want to get people mixed up.

Kasi ngayon pa nga lang, people are asking, “Solo na ba talaga si Ely? Wala na ba talagang Pupil?”

So, this is more like a side project for you?
Not in the sense na I don’t take it seriously. I mean, this could be my main project, at least now, while the third Pupil album is still being mixed. So I’m pouring all my energy on this one.

You were supposed to work with Francis on this; was there any song that you guys did together and were supposed to do that you put in the album anyway?
Nakagawa kami ng tatlong songs lang, actually. The first one is “Higante,” na we wrote together, that’s really a 50/50 effort. And si Francis, he came up with this idea of doing a remake, yung “Bus Stop”—it’s a ‘60s pop song. Tapos, we did another one, but this one he wrote by himself, the song’s called “Bleeder.” Ang tumugtog naman dun, ‘yung banda ko, Pupil, which just goes to show you how flexible everything was. Kung sino yung we felt could do justice to the song or make an interesting arrangement, ‘yun ‘yung ginagamit namin na band. As a matter of fact there’s like five or six different bands playing on In Love And War. So it’s in the spirit of collaboration.

Other than Pupil, who were the other artists that contributed in this project?
Andun ‘yung Hilera, which is one of my favorite young bands today. Also Turbo Goth, tapos andun din yung, I don’t know if you know them, medyo underground sila—The Purplechickens.

Having done this album, is there a different sense of personal achievement on your part? Is this your way of getting to do the things that you weren’t able to do with your former bands or with your current band?
Surprisingly, I still have a lot of stuff that I want to do. I have played with three bands na, actually, (before) I released a solo album. When we started doing In Love And War, it just felt so natural and fresh para sa aming dalawa ni Francis to be doing an album. And nobody’s really done it before. Kaya, I’m still pretty excited about the album. It’s one of the best albums that came out this year. And I love playing the songs live. I have the band with me, which includes members of The Hardware Syndrome, Francis’ old band and nag-click naman ‘yung tugtugan.

Skinny Dipping: Turbo Goth’s Morning Swim Video Launch

Turbo Goth “MORNING SWIM” Music Video Launch! Tonight!

May 6, 2010
Saguijo Cafe 9PM
with performances by…..
THE BERNADETTES
MR. BONES & THE BONEYARD CIRCUS
CHILLITEES
PEDICAB
REKLAMO
and of course,
TURBO GOTH!

Behind the Scenes: Going Back to the 70s with Kamikazee!

A behind the scenes look of the video shoot of Kamikazee’s latest single, ‘Hanggang Tingin’.

Words and photos by Denise J. Mallabo

When I arrived in a studio somewhere in Cubao around 11am, the video shoot for Kamikazee’s latest single ‘Hanggang Tingin’ was already in full swing. As far as experience goes, this was an early call time for musicians since gigs would always finish in the wee hours of the morning. Never the less the production and the band wasted no time. Production designers Wiji Lacsamana and Hannah Liongoren did an awesome job turning maybe two pieces of plywood into a whole house! Complete with Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix posters and other nostalgic fixtures. The music video’s director Denise Castillo said it was based on the hit sitcom That 70’s Show, which made Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace popular. “Kumuha kami ng scenes from the show na favorite nung boys tapos gumawa kami ng sarili naming version,” said Denise. (In fact the production team behind the shoot had to borrow a red Mustang instead a Vista Cruiser which was not available.) “May parts din na may disco scene. For the performance mala KISS naman yung dating pero medyo uuhhmmm jologs ha ha!”

Every Kamikazee video that’s been released, there’s always something peculiar to look forward to—be it the boisterous dance sequences or the unexpected drama but personally. Personally, I’d go for the cameos. In the past, they’ve had stars like Rica Peralejo, Kaye Abad, Ping Medina and band friends like Parokya ni Edgar and Concrete Sam. This time they went all out. For this one, there’s comedian Nova Villa doing a pseudo make-out scene with drummer and UNO illustrator Allan Burdeos. Folk singer Freddie Aguilar took time off to do a quick scene with the boys who were star struck upon seeing him enter the room. UNO girl and Turbo Goth front woman Sarah Gaugler appeared as the “Jackie” from That 70s Show. There are still more familiar faces but I’ll let you find the rest (Clue: there’s a contributing photographer and a Managing Editor of a certain magazine who dressed in authentic jeproks outfits, dancing there…somewhere) .

The song ‘Hanggang Tingin’ can be found in Kamikazee’s latest album Long Time Noisy under Universal Records. It’s out now in your favorite record bars; do grab a copy of the original album, the entire packaging is definitely worth it.