Funny how we remember bygone years whenever Grey clouds hover above our heads.
It was half past six in the morning. The sun had barely took a peek behind the same heaving clouds, when I found myself seated inside a Cubao-bound jeepney going to school. The passenger who sat next to me might have been rudely awakened too that morning. His eyes were still drooping when he boarded the jeep somewhere in Welcome Rotonda. Other passengers took advantage of the long breezy travel to take a nap by leaning their heads on their arms as it dangles, hand tight, on the stainless estribo hanging overhead.
In those days, Love Radio and Yes FM weren't on air yet. In its place were FM stations that played songs from Pinoy Rock bands who probably had recently signed up with recording studios that raked millions from selling cassette tapes alone. Mp3s were not yet invented and so were compact disks. Music piracy wasn't yet a serious problem and MTV was still considered a staple for rich people who owned satellite dishes in their stately homes. Internet hasn't arrived yet in the country and computers were more of a fancy rather than a practical tool for everyone.
The year was 1994 and I was in Grade Six.
I could not remember the other songs played on the radio that cloudy morning. There was a desperation in me to catch some sleep like what the other passengers did beside me. The maid, who was my daily companion going to school was busy looking at the pedestrians outside. She claims to enjoy people watching and it was the sole reason why she was chosen to accompany me everyday. Meanwhile, just when I was about to close my eyes, a strangely appealing new song was played on the radio.
"Gagawin ko ang lahat pati ang thesis mo
‘Wag mo lang ipagkait ang hinahanap ko"
The tune was smooth and flowing. It was not like the rap and monotonously instructive "Mga Kababayan Ko" of Francis Magalona, which was the anthem of the day. It wasn't a ballad like what Neocolors and Introvoys were singing in those days. The tune I have just heard was totally refreshing, it's almost like a reinvention. The lyrics projected an image of a laidback student trying to win a girl's heart by doing her little favors. The vocalist had a spunky and youthful appeal that would become his trademark for years to come. The song was so catchy that I instantly fell in love with the band. I even told my yaya after the song was played that it will become popular in the months to come.
I was right. Not only did the song become a hit. The band who sang it rose up to become an icon representing an entire generation.
---
And so Eraserheads became popular. They set the standards in music for other bands to follow. I won't tell much about them for others have already written countless stories and praises about the band. All I know is that if someone ask me what was the first cassette tape that I bought, my answer will be Circus.
They had their ups and downs. I remember how the song "Alapaap" became a controversy after its "subliminal" message caught the attention of then Senator Tito Sotto who put the issue on spotlight to gain media mileage for his upcoming reelections. The controversy died a natural death but it catapulted the band to dizzying heights. By the time they released their third album Cutterpillow, Eraserheads had already reached the zenith of their music career.
Like most people I know, I stopped buying their albums after Sticker Happy. Their music had evolved too fast that their fans, including me, simply lost touch of their songs. I felt their swift dive towards obscurity when Aloha Milkyway was released. Unfortunately, they had become too commercialized that their soulful appeal had faded. It was only recently, after Dodong's influence that I finally appreciated their music's maturity in the album Natin99.
I admit that it would still take some time before my ears could finally adjust to the songs in Carbon StereOxide. At this point in the band's career, they simply had grown too different from the Eraserheads I heard inside the jeep going to school. As fate would dictate, the band split up a few months after their last album was released. Ely Buendia formed a short-lived band called Mongols. In his place in the Eraserheads was a disappointing replacement by the name of Kris Dancel.
---
Much as it was painful to let an icon go, Eraserheads had to fade away or it would suffer an end not worthy of its beginning. It would be like Rivermaya, in its final days when it was being sidestepped by newer bands like Bamboo, Spongecola, Cueshe and even Hale. The signs of Ehead's passing were already showing during CarbonStereOxide's time and I guess, the band owes it to Ely Buendia's initiative to leave the group that gave them the legacy it can still boast today.
However, when news about a reunion concert circulates in the internet, one can't help but get excited at the prospects of seeing the people who shaped one's music taste appear on stage after a turbulent break-up.
It's like having one's life being played back all over again.
And speaking of beginnings, I remember attending my first-ever concert together with my mother at Amoranto Stadium one cloudless night of 1993. The bands that played in that concert were Joey Ayala, Freddie Aguilar, Grace Nono, Color it Red, The Jerks, Gary Granada and The Youth. One band that performed that night, which I unfortunately never saw because I was sleeping was the Eraserheads. It was one of their first gig long before "Pare Ko" placed them on the spotlight.
If and ever I would get to attend the reunion concert this August. I would be given a once in a lifetime opportunity to witness the birth and final death of a star. Once the availability of the tickets are announced, I will make sure to get the second stub.
For the Eraserheads concert will not open a new beginning. It is a one-night performance that will officially close an age.
http://jakeyrastorza.multiply.com/journal/item/3
http://www.peyups.com/posts.khtml?mode=viewtopic&topic=35855&forum=19
http://ycam.livejournal.com/62525.html
http://sirnicolay.multiply.com/journal/item/58/Reunion_Concert
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?t=352967
No comments:
Post a Comment