Friday Gear Day
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| Quennie (in black) with her PAMGS Girls at the reception booth. She and Turi were the ones who put their backs into making this year's PAMGS Tour a reality. |
I had the opportunity to head out the Philippine Annual Music Gear Show at the Amoranto Stadium with good friends: bandmate and tone guru, Ian Braza and mixing legend, Jim Sarthou. We left Makati City around two in the afternoon and slugged through the heat and traffic of Quezon City with anticipation of what products will be showcased. We parked at the venue at around three thirty in the afternoon. Not much people were there. But then again, it was a Friday afternoon. People were expected to arrive en masse at 6pm onwards. By the time Ian, Jim and I left for our respective appointments (I had a rehearsal to attend back in Alabang, and Ian needed to study 20 plus songs for a gig the following day) the place has started to fill up.
I don't know exactly how many people arrived over the course of the two days, but I do know there were some items that caught my interest while I was there.
Designer Leather Straps
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| Kevin and his boutique leather straps |
I have never really liked leather straps. I prefer the "precise" adjustability of canvass straps, though they look very very plain. But hey, I am a guy, and I prefer the plain black or brown color to complement my bass or guitar. But I chanced upon the stall of Kevin Saquilayan of Ruru Straps, who was sharing a stall with Fonzy Oplas of Pedalgrill. Tasteful patterns and beautiful color schemes caught my eye. According to Kevin, Ruru Straps are designed to either stand out or accent your axe. Either way, I found them well made, and had a 4in bass strap done for me. Which reminds me that I need to get in touch with Kevin for the details of that piece of artwork.
If you are interested, you can contact Ruru Straps here.
Boutique Tube Amps
Another highlight of the event (at least for me) was the booth of Siochi Amps. Handmade custom tube amps that sound as pretty as the look. Okay okay, Im no guitar tone god, but I really do find it encouraging to see that there is already a local boutique amp maker. Ian had a really long and good assessment of the Siochi Amps on display so he would be the better person to ask regarding the technicalities and tonality of the amp (he tested it thoroughly and is an EcE practitioner as well). But compared to the typical amps you can get in the stores, the Siochi Amps seem to offer more than what the mass produced solid state amps churn out.
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| Tao Aves captivated the audience with her beautifully haunting voice. |
I think that the Gear Show Tour kick off was able to showcase the best of what our local music stores, small distributors and local custom makers have. I have to hand it to Turi for conceptualizing and mounting this event. Many sleepless nights for him, but the contribution to giving a leg up to the local music businesses is very much appreciated and acknowledged. It may not be a NAMM-like show YET. But watch out because next year's PAMGS might just prove to be it.
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Y.F.P. Rocks the W.T.C. at the UP AME Monogatori!
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| The Dragonball Z Family |
Saturday found me at the University of the Philippines' AME Monogatari event at the Philippine World Trade Center. It was my first time to actually attend an Anime/Manga Convention. There were lots of interesting booths selling interesting trinkets; mostly key chains, those cat or rabbit ear-ed headbands and even wigs! My brother did his best to educate me while we were waiting for their turn to play. His band, named Yui For President (Y.F.P.), is a J-Pop/J-Rock cover band. They were formed only in October of this year and only played at the UP AME Gaiden event last month. So far, they seem to have gained a following among the Otaku-cultured and J-Music enthusiasts.
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| Aldwin and Jaimee of Geisha's Blade |
I enjoyed watching the people who really came in costume. Some came in groups and even did little choreographed fights on stage. Others came with their parents in tow. Other groups were composed of children AND their parents. It was an interesting sight to behold.
My favorite booth would be that of Geisha's Blade. Aldwin (the proprietor) was very accommodating. He explained the ranking system used for the different grades of the blades and also differentiated the different styles or stances generally used by those who wield the katana. He was also very kind to reserve the two swords I had my eye on prior to the UP AME event. Two beautiful and well crafted swords.
I am (hopefully) planning to save up to get their Zatoichi model next year, and two years after that, hopefully I'd have enough money for either the Sakabatou (reversed edged sword), the Masamune replica or the double kodachi. One thing is for sure: no more sword purchases for now!
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| Jinouga set with matching dual blades from Monster Hunter 3 |
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| Kahl (of Y.F.P.) & Anna with their Chikara Hats! |
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| Migs, with his anti-hero: Kidpool |
If you would like to watch or listen to Yui For President play on YouTube, click here.
If you would like to invite them to play at your party, event or whatnot, email them here.
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Gold Strike Force, Assemble!
It's been quite sometime since the vocal team of Building Bridges led worship complete. Macky Santiago has been very busy with work, and Hannah Zuniga has been occupied for the last 3 months with her PSID Exhibit. Last Sunday proved to be a wonderful treat with almost the entire vocal team complete. Micah, Hannah, Mai and Macky (Jeff called in sick) sang together again after quite sometime and it was just wonderful listening to them lead worship through singing! The vocal team (lovingly dubbed the Gold Strike Force by Macky) did a very beautiful rendition of Lakewood's version of Still Standing and supported each other throughout the rest of the worship set.
I am very excited for the coming Sundays, when the entire team will be complete and in full-force! But beyond the music, I love worshipping with these guys (and gals!) because of their humility, dedication and passion when it comes to worshipping the Lord. Not only through music, but with their lives!
I am very honored to have the privilege to lead worship with you guys every Sunday!