Eraserheads Update - Maraming Nangyari na Hindi Ko Agad Nasabi sa 2012

So FAR...

...andaming nangyari ngayong 2012 especially sa fab four ng Pinas - Ang Eraserheads. Pero dahil sa tinamad akong mag-blog this year, walang na-post na kung anuman na kwento dito. Pero oks lang yan. Kung Eheads fan ka na nagbabasa ngayon neto, malamang--at ipupusta ko pa yung bahay at lupa ng kapitbahay namin-- na alam mo na yung nangyaring Eraserheads North American Reunion Tour 2012 noong October lamang ng taong kasalukuyan.

Eto ang listahan ng kumpletong Tour Isked ng Eraserheads sa US of A :

October 12, Friday at the Regency Room in San Francisco, California 

October 13, Saturday at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California 

October 19, Friday at Kool Haus in Toronto, Ontario Canada

October 20, Saturday at 123 Main St. in New York, New York

Shempre alam mo rin na huling nag-gig ang higanteng bandang eto noong "The Final Set" pa, noong March 7 , 2009. Yun ay part 2 lamang ng Reunion Concert nila noong 2008 which prematurely stopped when Ely Buendia was rushed to the hospital because of heart ailment.

Maraming natuwa (opkors) sa US Concert coz ibig sabihin lang nyan na all is well with the Heads at Tuloy ang Ligaya........ Eto ung mga nasagap kong piktyurs ng nasabing US Concert (roll vtr...este roll your mouse roller or scroll down to view pix below pala...)

pix source: ms day cabuhat | myx ph

Ely Buendia at [V] LIFE

Let's face fact, Ely Buendia is indeed an icon of Pinoy Rock. Like the many geniuses of our time: Rico Blanco, Francism, Raimund Marasigan, and Pepe Smith, Ely is as one of the pillars of rock that this country is lucky to have. Indeed like what was said in one of his song, Ely has crawled the minds of the masses and lovers of rock/pop music. In this video Ely again, opens up his many facets, and once again, tell it like it is-- witty yet honest and more importantly, no BS.


[V] Life - Ely Buendia from Maui Mauricio on Vimeo.

Eraserheads Ely Buendia, Music Ambassador

Here is Eraserheads/Pupil frontman Ely Buendia as Fullybooked's Music Ambassador.

ROBIN RIVERA: The Eraserheads Album Producer Reveals the Secrets of the Classic Albums

ROBIN RIVERA: The Eraserheads Album Producer Reveals the Secrets of the Classic Albums
Categories: Features
Posted on February 23, 2009

From the electronic pages of our content partner Pulse.PH comes part two of writer Aldus Santos’ profile on Robin Rivera, the professor-turned-record producer who worked on all the Eraserheads albums. In this installment, Robin peels back the layers to reveal the recording techniques behind the classic albums. Robin Rivera also produced this band’s album.




Equal parts studio artist and logistician, Rivera always put emphasis on order and a rigorous program. He would invariably go, “Okay, Marcus, you have to work on this,” or “Ely, we’re gonna do this, so I want you to fix it already by the time you get to the studio.” Luckily, the producer shared, “When they get there, they already had an idea what they were gonna do. It was just a question of, ‘How fast can they execute their ideas?’”

The Eraserheads, needless to say, had very distinct personalities and conducted themselves very differently in the studio. “Ely would always come, and whatever he wanted to do, he had already broken it down to very, very small things. So, he would work on them one after another, these very, very little things. ‘O, what’s next?’ ‘I’m gonna do this guitar overdub.’ ‘Where in the arrangement are you going to do this?’ ‘Sir, it’s here, here, here, and here,’” he said of his singer and mainman, gesturing with his fingers like an agog child in a candy store.

On his drummer, he offered, “Raymund, because he plays drums—it was very hard to punch in drums—most of his performances were from beginning to end. They have to be practically in real time. Raymund, again, he does his homework, he knows exactly what he’s going to do—it’s just a matter of, ‘Can he pull it off?’ [For] each drum part, we’ll do about three, four, five takes. Usually, by the fifth take, he’s happy with it. I just wait ’til he says, ‘Sir, that’s the one!’”



His bassist, because of his proficiency, perhaps necessitated the least amount of looking-after, and he shared, “Buddy, every time he does a repeat, there’s very little variation.” On his beachnik guitar player, meanwhile, “Marcus naman is the opposite of Ely. Marcus doesn’t break things down to small, neat pieces; usually, it’s one big thing. I remember when we did ‘Maskara’ from Carbon Stereoxide. He showed up with this really big idea: ‘Sir, I’m going to play the entire rhythm guitar part backwards. I really practiced hard for it.’ ‘Bahala ka.’” The low-profile frontman of Markus Highway was, in his heyday, utterly unpredictable, to say the very, very least. “’Pag ganyan, you flip the tape over, and what you hear from all the previous tracks is backwards. So, you have to hear it several times before you know what you’re hearing corresponds to which section—just to know where you are! The time indicator was also baliktad, so we were computing,” the producer further elaborated on Makoy’s magic moment, emphasizing, “In Marcus’s case, it’s usually a very, very, very big idea, which, many times, makes it more difficult to pull off than what Ely does—pero, ‘pag nagawa naman, ‘Wow!’ It’s worth the trouble.”

As the boys grew in popularity, so did their creative restlessness. No longer were they simple Fender Stratocaster-loving college kids. They became, with the aid of Robin Rivera, one of the most envied studio bands in the land. From the naked, arguably lackluster aural quality of some of their earlier material—perhaps “Pare Ko,” most certainly “Tindahan ni Aling Nena,” in my opinion—they became the band to beat in studio wizardry.

“There’s one point, I remember—especially towards Natin 99—where, in addition to tape, we all had virtual tracks. They went to Japan, and they all had MDs, or mini-dics. So, they’d record at home, and we’d reload those into the studio systems. ‘Pag nand’yan na, ‘tsaka na lang mag-o-overdub si Ely ng mga stuff that was better done in the studio than at home—acoustic guitars, drums, stuff like that,” Rivera shared, exclaiming, “Anak ng tokwa, we were using twenty-four tracks on tape, and we were laying back at least twelve more into the computer, so we were running anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight tracks per song! It was really quite amazing. ‘Ang daming gamit, o!’ And this was before PCs, ha. I can’t walk on the floor anymore because there was so much stuff.”

With the technology, of course, came the subtle decline in human interaction, prompted in part by geography. “At that point, they weren’t living together anymore. Dati kasi, they all live within four to five blocks of each other at U.P. Village. But, siyempre, at one point, Raymund moved over to Marikina—he was renting a house with his brothers; Buddy was in another house in U.P. Village; Ely was in Teachers Village naman, because he had moved out of the apartment with Marcus. They weren’t living that closely to each other anymore,” the teacher recounted, emphasizing the great leap in his boys’ circumstances, whereas, “Dati nga, eh—I remember we used to record Mondays and Thursdays yata—Ely and Marcus had the same coding day, Wednesday. I’d pick up Ely first, then Marcus. Dadaanan ko sila, tapos gigisingin ko na sila.”

Indeed, the narratives gave way to free association, and the organic gave way to the constructed. By the sunrise of Sticker Happy, the garage charm of the ‘Heads will be replaced with a much disembodied, almost alien-like sensibility. By Natin 99, that quality would reach even greater heights. However, the ‘Heads weren’t noise artists, nor were they peddlers of dissonance, and their penchant for memorable melodies and turns-of-phrase remained intact.

“People knew that they were already living apart from each other, and maybe you might get that impression, listening to the records,” Rivera guessed. “However, if you listen to the recordings alone, the objective was always to make it seem like everything was originating from one place. That was always my target. Eventually, they were able to set up their little studios at home, and that took over.” As Carbon Stereoxide swung by, it was getting clearer that, not only have the Diliman lads grown in songcraft, they have also developed as studio artists.

However, their celebrated producer shared, “To me, [my role] has stayed pretty much the same. The thing with the Eraserheads was that we recorded so many albums together that, by the latter albums, I didn’t have to tell them anymore what to do. They sort of knew already, eh.” The good professor, who around this time had just started work on his doctorate degree, would have two to three voluminous , er, volumes in the studio. As he flipped through the pages, he would be swathed in the ‘Heads’ technical banter, and he was like a confident parent letting his children loose without any fear of broken limbs or broken china, so to speak.

Needless to say, Robin Rivera had enough academic detachment to appreciate how his most popular clients became not only a phenomenon, but a standing metaphor for a well-lived life as well. “Each album has some connection to what they were going through. Ultra, Circus, and Cutterpillow were the adolescent albums. These were the albums in which you see, most of the themes are all those which happen to people who were experiencing adolescence,” he opined on the ‘Heads’ first triad of releases, continuing, “Pagdating ng Fruitcake, that was another part of their lives: they weren’t kids anymore. They wanted to do something a little more ambitious—something that still had something whimsical, but still had something different.”

“Pagdating ng Sticker Happy,” he offered of their genre-bending release, “they began traveling. They were beginning to see the world; they were getting older. Those songs had something to do with discovering new territories.” He offered the same dissection of Natin 99, saying, “They were experiencing new places, new technology—new this, new that. It’s something that only a twentysomething would write. Unfortunately, the people who started out with them—who were now actually twentysomethings—were more interested in clinging to their adolescence, because that was the part of their lives that was fun. Because, now, they’re working—and work is drudgery.”

“Mas lalo ang Carbon,” he stressed, “eh, nu’ng Carbon, parents na sila, eh! They were starting families. May burdens na, eh.”

As for the group’s dissolution? Well, all good things come to an end. “People started having their own lives. The fans had their lives to live also, so they stopped their dependence on the ‘Heads.” On a more positive note, he added, his brows meeting midway in the depth of his forehead, the memories battling for room in the producer’s restless mind, “Music was never a burden to them.”

source: www.eheadscountdown.com

Please Transpose: Kris Dancel and the Eraserheads

A good read about the Eraserheads AFTER Ely Buendia.

Please Transpose: Kris Dancel and the Eraserheads
by Aldus Santos

IF YOU GET THAT CALL ASKING YOU TO JOIN THE BIGGEST BAND IN THE LAND, WOULD YOU HAVE SAID NO? KRIS DANCEL RECALLS.



I am at my favorite Filipiniana-themed restaurant along Kalayaan Avenue, yet, somehow, it feels like the train at a dead hour, and I keep straining for the security guard's whistled warning; after all, it appears like I have accidentally stepped into the ladies' portion of the train. My peripherals tell me that's Earnest Zabala at the head of the long table that's otherwise empty, save for her and a friend. In a matter of a few minutes, artist Cynthia Bauzon-Arre will arrive, husband Arnold Arre in tow. In a matter of a dog's tail-wag, decorated bass player Myrene Academia will also step in, all smiles. And, as if on cue, the woman I am meeting: Kris Dancel, singer-guitarist for Cambio, Duster, and, most notably, Fatal Posporos. Old wood and yellowing portraits abound at the resto, and, because of the vaguely antiquarian interiors, teleportation (or, to some degree—though imagined—time travel) is on my mind: tonight's dramatis personae feels like a modern recasting of Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits with its strong women—Nívea, Blanca, Alba, Clara—and it is making me feel small. The song in my mind right now, for obvious reasons, is that one by Space, the one that goes “The female of the species is more deadlier [sic] than the male.” Lest I reference to oblivion, it needs to be said: these great, strong women have one thing in common—they were, in one way or another, connected with the Eraserheads. Kris Dancel, as a matter of fact, was one.



The Eraserheads were, as usual, touring their then-current record, 2001’s Carbon Stereoxide—which, by all accounts, was nothing like the sunny Eraserheads of yore. On the creative front, the band was as restless as ever, but, on the personnel front, things have been going a little haywire. And then, that fateful day came, and, when it did, Kris Dancel was being a wife and a mother. “Nakikipaglaro ako sa baby ko, and then, nag-ring 'yung phone, and Vin answered it; it was for him, the call. It was Raymund, or Buddy, or maybe both of them—I don't remember—but, anyway, they were asking for advice [on] what to do, kasi umalis na daw si Ely sa grupo,” she recounts from seven years back with visible effort, continuing, “And, of course, Vin, hearing the news, he didn't take it silently: 'Ha? Umalis si Ely sa 'Heads?!' Siyempre, medyo violent 'yung reaction niya, 'di ba? Which is, narinig ko. So, sabi ko, 'Okay, sige, ako na lang 'yung papalit.' Siyempre, I was kidding; I wasn't serious.” There was panic at the Dancel household. These are their friends, and their mega-selling band was practically on life-support. The man of the house, at a loss for words, relayed his wife’s quip to Marasigan and Zabala, “Ha-ha, sabi ni Kris, siya na lang daw 'yung papalit.” A bit of dead air, and then, “Siguro, less than an hour later, tumawag uli sila, sabi, 'Sige, Vin, punta na kayo dito.' Kukunin na nga daw nila ako!” you can still hear Kris shriek, adding, “and, as a fan, kahit sinuman 'yun, kung i-o-offer ka na maging part of that band, hindi ka naman hihindi, eh, 'di ba?” She challenges, “If you receive that call, would you have refused? Hindi, eh! So, 'yun, I accepted the job. In a way, para akong napasubo, pero, in a way, okay din, Masaya; sobrang saya.”

Kris was no stranger to the scene, being the frontwoman of then-burgeoning band Fatal Posporos. However, her good fortune also translated to a delicate situation. It was, after all, Ely Buendia who left. She had no time to seriously sink her teeth into this scenario, however, because, “When I stepped in, trabaho agad siya, kasi may commitments at gigs na agad, eh. Siguro, I had about two weeks to study, like, thirty songs. Nakalinya na 'yung mga gigs, and, in fact, they wanted me to play a gig three days after the call. Gusto nila akong isabak na agad! It was a busy environment. Okay naman sila, very helpful, et cetera, et cetera. Pero, kumbaga, I started working agad.” When this new Eraserheads lineup debuted at the Hard Rock Café, the band was shaken but very, very excited. Kris shares, “Si Raims—may video nu'ng first gig, eh. Kita 'yung reactions nila. Si Marcus, 'yung reaksyon niya, 'Ang haba naman ng slit nito.' [laughs] Mahaba raw 'yung slit ko! Hindi raw siya sanay na ganu'n 'yung kasama niya onstage. Tapos, naaalala ko, nabuhos ni Raims 'yung beer sa drums niya, tapos sabi ko, 'Kaya pala malagkit 'yung tugtugan!' 'Yun 'yung mga natatandaan ko.” “Hindi siya, kumbaga, shinowbiz—I don't remember it being like that,” the singer-guitarist adds.



“'Yung songs naman—since binubugbog na rin naman namin sa practice—ayos din naman. Singing and playing guitar—hindi naman siya alien to me at that time, kasi I also do that for Fatal Posporos. And, the Eraserheads songs, hindi rin naman sila alien,” the lone female Eraserhead in Pinoy rock history recalls. However, her femininity—which of course brings along physiological, and, consequently, musical issues—brought on some minor changes in the band’s dynamic. “Pr-in-actice namin sila [the old songs] in my key. Same progressions naman, transposed lang—pero hindi pa rin siya super-natural,” Dancel shares with no hint of apprehension. Transposition, in music, merely involves a horizontal shift in the key a performer would play a piece in. If, say, “Magasin” was sung by Buendia in the key of C (C, E-seventh, A-minor, F), Kris, I’ll venture a guess, probably sang it a whole step higher, in the key of D (D, F-sharp-seventh, B-minor, G). In more general terms, however, to “transpose” would equate to putting something in “a different order,” as with rearranging words within a sentence. A new set of songs was, therefore, in order.

Kris remembers, “Ginawa namin 'yung Please Transpose as a songwriting exercise for the band, to see how we would work together. EP lang muna siya, kasi wala pa kaming label at the time. And then, hindi namin r-in-elease 'yung EP na 'to officially. What we did was, du'n sa rehearsal studio namin sa Thirdline, we invited friends, family, at saka 'yung mga record labels—to see the band perform, and, also, to give away that EP, para makita namin kung ano 'yung reaction nila. It was good.” Said EP even produced a modestly well-received single called “You Make Me,” as well as a supporting music video. Meanwhile, her life as a musician was drastically changing as well. While the Fatal Posporos existed in a low-key manner, the ‘Heads, naturally, couldn’t escape its superstardom, and they were always wanted in different parts of the country. Dancel was, naturally, nervous about the undertaking, because, mainly, “First time kong sumali sa banda na super-duper legend—Eraserheads 'yun, eh. Kasi, iba 'yung audience ng Eraserheads, eh. Para kang batang itinapon sa dagat na maraming pating—'O, sige, matuto kang lumangoy!' Ganu'ng klaseng kaba: na, any moment, p'wede kang kainin ng pating.”

With beauty comes terror—I forgot who said this—and the whirlwind excitement was coupled with a polarizing backlash on the fan front. However, Dancel was unperturbed, saying, “Ang hirap isipin pa 'yung mga externals na ganu'n. I wanted to focus on the music, 'di ba? Nakakahiya naman sa mga tanong nakikinig, at nakakahiya rin sa bandmates ko! [laughs] Siyempre, mas concerned ako sa iniisip ng bandmates ko, kaysa sa kung ano'ng iniisip ng audience. Kasi, 'yung nga may ayaw naman sa band, 'di na rin naman sila nanonood masyado. Pero, du'n naman sa mga nanonood, na-notice ko rin naman na, you only had to sing one line, tapos kakantahin na nila 'yung the rest. So, it's really the songs din; may power 'yung songs ng Eraserheads—sobrang catchy nila, sobrang nakadikit na sila sa ulo ng mga tao.” As for occasionally bumping into the man he replaced, “Even before he left, hindi kami masyadong nag-uusap [ni Ely]. Natatakot ako, eh, parang may fandom [pa rin] ako, eh. Hindi ko alam kung ano'ng sasabihin sa kanya, even before. After, ganu'n din. Nahihiya rin ako sa kanya, na-sha-shy ako sa kanya, kasi fan din ako, eh! It's slightly awkward, parang, 'Uy, ano ba'ng chords ng...?' [laughs] Hindi, eh, it's not right, eh! Hindi tama, eh! To make small talk naman, parang, 'Is there an elephant? Is there an elephant here?'”



Kris Dancel would be in the Eraserheads for almost two years, and the band would gradually morph into what is now known as Cambio. Sugarfree’s Ebe Dancel, her brother-in-law, will join them, as well as Monsterbot’s Diego Mapa. The name-change, however, was prompted by Marcus Adoro’s decision to finally leave the band. “By the time na officially umalis na si Marcus, we understood, kasi, at the time, surfing mode siya, eh. Ang saya nu'n, eh—kung kami lang, marunong!” she shares, opining, “Nu'ng umalis si Marcus, medyo ridiculous nang gawin pa siyang 'E-heads,' kasi dalawa na 'yung wala.” Some people may have scowled at the thought of an Eraserheads being fronted by another person other than Buendia, but Dancel rose above it all, and, when it ended, she was able to take good things with her. “They're brilliant people, and they inspired people to be more creative. They inspire creativity; hindi sila selfish, never sila nagpaka-rockstar sa amin. Sobra nilang open and collaborative. Alam mo talaga na love nila 'yung craft, and they really have talent,” Dancel speaks of her colleagues with the glinting eye of a rabid fan. The ‘Heads were a band, after all, who, after over a decade of reigning the scene, seemingly had to start again. If the seven-song EP Please Transpose was to be any indication of their individual skills, however, it would be safe to say that they still ruled; they still sounded like a band that played, toured, and wrote nonstop. “You Make Me,” “Everything,” “I-centric,” “Lahat,” “It’s Not You, It’s Me”—as well as two transposed and rethought-of versions of “Paru-Parong Ningning” and “Dahan-Dahan”—these songs (most penned by Marasigan, some co-written with the rest), would have signaled a new era for the ‘Heads, in spite of the not-so-minor changes that the band went through.

“Dynamic sila; they're never stagnant. Sa sarili mo, you should always raise the bar—ganu'n 'yung attitude [na tinuro ng Eraserheads]. Wala 'yan sa number of albums sold. They're very human, very sincere. I feel that our circle of friends, sobrang dynamic. Lahat tayo, gumaling, eh! 'Yung Eraserheads 'yung nag-set nu'n, eh.”

source: http://www.pulse.ph/

Eraserheads - Classic Pix

The Eraserheads during their hey day.....APRUB!



Okey ba?

Artworkx : With The Eheads

I snatched this nice art work via Facebook which is a spoof of a cover of The Beatle's With the Beatles album. I just edited the text. Art by Gilbert Labo.



What say you Eheads fanmates?

Eraserheads - Toyang (LIVE Final Set Concert)

Eraserheads singing Toyang live. Too bad Tim Yap forgot the lyrics when Ely asked him to sing along.

Eraserheads Experience Spotlight on Marcus Adoro

Eraserheads Experience proudly presents: Marcus Adoro. It is debatable wether Marcus Adoro is really apt to be tagged in the Eraserheads as "the quiete one" (similar to George Harrison of the Beatles) but we seriously doubt it. Marcus has his own mind. He is able to speak with class if he really wants to.

The thing is, he knows that with the Eraserheads, Ely Buendia is the frontman. That is why he knows that Ely is the one who does the blabbing most of the time for the Eheads, when they were still active as a band. Now when it is time for his band Markus Highway, then he knows that that is the time when he can be in the front and center. And from past interviews for Markus Highway, we can see that Marcus can blab a lot. He is cool. He loves wordplay. He can be outspoken and truthful. He can bite the ass out of you!

Read more about Marcus Adoro :MAKOY!

Eraserheads "Alapaap" - Saan Hango Ang Pamagat?

The Eraserheads hit "Alapaap" written by Ely Buendia, the title being an allusion to Tata Esteban's feature film debut titled "ALAPAAP" that was an entry to the 1984 Metro Manila Film Festival.It stars Tanya Gomez, William Martinez and Mark Gil.

Alapaap was released as a cheap X-rated film in a sleazy theatre in Singapore, despite it is a production made in 1985.

It is a mixture of horror and sex, with poorly done technical effects (well, we can't expect the technical effects to be greatly done, as this is make 21 years ago.)which makes the movie laughable.

The story revolves Jake, a young movie maker who was hospitalized for drug overdose. He recovers and together with his good friend Dave and Donald (two brothers), who are also movie makers, they make their way to a hilly tribe to make a short film. Accompanied with them includes Dave and Donald's girlfriend.

They rented a house and the landlord told them not to enter his deceased daughter, Byens, bedroom. The night the lived in, they could sense something unusual is going on in the house. To be exact, it was Byen's spirit that came to them, where she was raped and murdered by 3 thugs 2 months ago.

Byen returned as human being and seduced Jake in the waterfall. Dave and Donald caught them and tape the process down. However, when they see the clip, they found out that Byen is not in the clip they taped it down. Never did they realized that Byen is seeking vengeance on them.

The plot is simple, just like the usual Asian horror film where a group of people meet a female ghost in rural areas. However, Alapaap delivers us with more than just the usual horror. Endless sex scenes make the whole movie look ridiculous, where it does not seems to go along with the flow of the film. Sex is the weapon used for vengeance, which makes the movie look like cheap X-rated film than a horror.

Eraserheads Experience - Remembering the Highlights of The Eheads Final Set

The Eraserheads really made a big impact in the Pinoy Music Scene and it is hard to ignore the fact that WE missed them a lot after they disbanded years ago.That is echoed during the Final Set Concert. Fans really went wild over the band and up to now a lot of us still goes giddy remembering THE event. I read this article a year ago from Inquirer and saved it on my notepad. I know a lot of you have read this one, this goes out for the younger generation of Eraserheads fans out there to read and enjoy, somehow relive the Eraserheads experience all over again!

10 Greatest Moments of Eraserheads’ Final Set

By Pam Pastor
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:49:00 03/14/2009

Filed Under: Music, Entertainment (general)



IT WASN’T a group hug but it was pretty damn close.

10. After failed attempts by the audience to cajole the members of Eraserheads into doing an embrace (Ely Buendia told the crowd, “Kayo muna!”), Ely, Raymund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro and Buddy Zabala (and the Itchyworms’ Jazz Nicolas) walked to the front of the stage, put their arms around one another, and took a bow.

9. Souvenirs for the crowd. Many fans went home with souvenirs. The boys threw all sorts of stuff at their captive audience—water bottles, picks, drumsticks, even Ely’s shoes. (He was poised to throw his socks, which made everyone laugh. He didn’t.) Ely also gave away his jacket which, to the horror of countless fans online, was eventually cut up by the six people who caught it, so each of them could take home a piece. One crew member joined the fun—after the concert, he hurled at the crowd the container of lighter fluid Ely used when he lit up the piano. And people actually caught it.

8. Marcus singing a reggae version of “Huwag Mo Nang Itanong,” to the delight of the crowd. Raymund letting Jazz take over the drums so he could sing “Slo Mo,” “Alkohol” and “Insomnya.” It was funny to watch the crowd react every time Raymund teasingly approached Ely (of course, the whole world knows why). Buddy finally giving in to the crowd’s requests to take over the mic too, by singing two lines from “Fine Time”— “I don’t care if we sleep all day/Basta kayakap ka ay okay.” The ’Heads were more playful this time—it became clear they were more relaxed in this concert than in the previous reunion. They were actually having fun.
It’s always been said that the Eraserheads aren’t big on connecting with the audience and talking to the crowd, but not this time.

7. The sala set. After the first break, the boys emerged onstage in a more intimate setup, with Ely sitting on a couch and the others wielding acoustic instruments. That part of the concert felt so intimate—strange, given the crowd that numbered a hundred thousand. That brief moment, it didn’t feel like we were in a huge concert venue; it felt like we were in a small bar watching our favorite band. Ely deadpanned, “If you have any requests, pakibigay sa waiter.”

6. Ely singing the word “t---ina” when they played Pare Ko. I don’t think a cuss word has received that much applause, ever. When a guy shouted, “I love you, Ely!” Ely replied, “I love you too, pare,” without missing a beat.

5. The insane fireworks of “Overdrive.” They came as such a surprise that some people in front actually ducked.

4. The crowd singing “Ang Huling El Bimbo” while waiting for the Eraserheads to go onstage again. That was a goosebump-moment.

3. The tribute to Francis M. On the day of the concert, people were still trying to come to grips with the news of Francis Magalona’s death. He had been due to perform in the concert. The Eraserheads prepared a tribute instead— “Sumigaw tayo para kay Francis!” Ely said. The crowd broke into a deafening chant, “Francis! Francis!”

Raymund held up a sign that read, “Rock Ed Salutes The Man From Manila.” The band played “Superproxy” and “Kaleidoscope World,” with Ely rapping, instead of Francis. Many people online have written that the teleprompter set up in front of the stage must have been a big help when Ely had to rap “Superproxy.” Truth is, the lyrics of the rap were not on the teleprompter. Yes, Ely knows them by heart.

2. The burning of the piano. There was a confetti storm when the Eraserheads finally played “Ang Huling El Bimbo” but there was a bigger thing happening onstage. Before a shocked audience, Ely set the “Sticker Happy”piano on fire. It was Ely’s old piano which had been at ’70s Bistro for a long time, the piano featured on the “Sticker Happy” album cover. “We actually wanted to use the piano pero sira na ’yun. I don’t know if it was too expensive to repair or we just didn’t have enough time,” Raymund said. Did he know Ely would burn it? “He kinda mentioned it as a joke. He really wanted the piano onstage. But I guess he knew he’d do it; he had lighter fluid.”

1. Three for the road. The Eraserheads had done an encore, the show was over, or so everyone thought. People started to spill out of the concert grounds, the crew took over the stage and started packing up.

But then, Raymund returned and said, “Gusto ninyo pa ba?”

The crowd went wild. “Tawagin niyo si Ely!” “Tawagin ninyo si Marcus!”

Soon, the four were back onstage, standing in a circle. Ely asked the crowd, “Kaya ninyo pa ba?” Everyone was still going wild. “Okay. Three for the road,” he said. They played “Ligaya,” “Sembreak” and “Toyang.”

Ely finally left his comfort zone behind the mic stand and actually went down to the crowd, making people sing parts of Toyang. Asked later why they decided to play more songs, Raymund said, “Sobrang bitin pa kami ni Buddy! Gusto ko pa nga ng sampu eh!”

The extra songs may have been unplanned (and unrehearsed) but they did not come as a surprise.
Apparently, in the last rehearsals, Ely said, “’Pag hindi tayo tinigilan, dire-diretso lang tayo.”

This part of the show resonated so much with the crowd not just because they played three well-loved songs, but also because it gave fans hope that maybe, just maybe, like the fans, the Eraserheads didn’t want the night to end.

source: Inquirer.net

Ely Buendia - Sometimes, the title is all it takes [Cursor]

Did you know that Eraserheads ex-frontman Ely Buendia used to have a column for the Manila Bulletin? Yes! Ely Buendia had a broadsheet column, called "CURSOR," published every Saturdays in the Entertainment section of the Manila Bulletin. Some entries are “Cloning Music,” “Crude Little Robots,” “Biocast Entry No. 13,” “A Dystopian Holiday,” “Mental Floss,” and “A Cause for Elevation” which was his final article. Now because of Ely's busy musical career, CURSOR had ended and was last published during the first Saturday of September 2006.

Here is the debut entry that Ely Buendia wrote for Cursor.

Sometimes, the title is all it takes...
by ely buendia


Bsst! Over here! Yeah, you, holding the newspaper. Come and have a look at this.

It’s my new column in the entertainment section of this esteemed broadsheet. I’m Ely by the way. You don’t need to introduce yourself; I won’t be able to hear you.

See, I’ve got a bit of a problem. Well, two problems actually. One is, this being the debut and all; I don’t really know exactly what to write about. What’s that? Entertainment? What an awesome idea! It’s not only right for this section, writing about entertainment is also downright, well, entertaining!

It’ll be a cinch filling up this space. Wait, now you’ve got me thinking, entertainment? It’s such a broad term, it’ll take years, maybe even decades to discuss it. We don’t have that much time. If my calculations are correct, you’re going to shift your attention to other, more entertaining articles (or God forbid, the front page!) in a couple of minutes. We don’t want that.

And what passes for entertainment nowadays, anyway? Hell, some people find root canals entertaining. Not me. No, I wanna write about something worthwhile, not just some crap to fill up this space and meet deadlines. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from essay writing in high school, it’s never take your reader (or grade for that matter) for granted. Never, ever, under any circumstance, no matter how desperate or bereft of ideas you are, try to beat around the bush or use senseless arguments as padding for your work. People notice these things.

But on to more pressing matters. The other problem I told you about? I need a title for this column. What’s so hard about picking a title, you say? Well, you see, I have this theory that sometimes, the title is all it takes for something to sell. Case in point: I recently read that Hollywood still can’t reconcile the fact that last year’s critically acclaimed "Cinderella Man" flopped while the universally panned "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" opened at number one.

If you had absolutely no idea what these movies were about, which one would you watch? In reality, there are so many good movies that suffered greatly because of this. "Mystery Men" should have been a hit were it not for its vague title.

The Coen Brothers seem to have the record for sabotaging their great movies by giving them bad titles: "The Big Lebowski," "O, Brother Where Art Thou," "Fargo," and who can forget the it-looks-like-a-typo classic, "Blood Simple." Think about it, would the Mona Lisa be as famous if Da Vinci called it "Chubby Lady With Long Hair Smiling"?

Or imagine how much better an album Limp Bizkit’s "Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water" would be if they named it "Auburn Seaweed Marinated in Virgin Coconut Oil" instead. Okay, not really, but you get the picture.

As theories go, mine remains unproven, but I make it a law anyway. Sometimes it takes a lot longer to name a song than write one. I double- check everything. Is it definitive? Is it giving too much away? Is it not giving anything at all? Is it John Wayne classic? Has it been used already? Is it the truth? Is it fair to those involved? The creative mind swirls with endless considerations. Ah, but such is the cost of perfection. And we must practice what we preach, don’t we? Which is why I’m naming my column Polyglutamate Rigmarole Tomato. A bit unusual, perhaps, but…what? You don’t like it? Yeah, well some help you are. All this time you haven’t said anything and all of a sudden you’re a title expert. And look, while I’ve been trying to share my opinions I’ve run out of space. Perfect. Just perfect. Okay, what if it’s just P.R.T.? It’s short, sounds like L.R.T. and…what? You still don’t like it? Okay, that’s it.

This monologue is over.

Eraserheads - 1997 MTV Asia Viewer's Choice Award

This happened SEPT.13, 1997 Radio City Music Hall, New York City, USA.
The Eraserheads was awarded the coveted "Moon Man" trophy for having won the 1997 MTV Asia Viewer's Choice Award. This made them the FIRST EVER Filipino artists to win such award.

Eraserheads - "The Inside Story" w/ Loren Legarda

Me and my brother were always on the look out for Eraserheads interviews both on radio and tv. And especially on tv! we are both fans and so watching the band being interviewed was such a thrill!

After recently winning then, the Asian Viewer's Choice Award, the Eraserheads were interviewed in "The Inside Story" hosted by Loren Legarda.She asked how did the Eraserheads started, how did they compose their Eraserheads chords and lyrics and how those songs are open to interpretations. She also asked the band, their personal favorite eheads songs. Interesting watch kahit na luma na....

A special acoustic rendition of "Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka" with Ms.Legarda jamming with the Eraserheads is found at the end.Huwag palalampasin! hehe



About the Eheads being a fad, the Eraserheads quipped, "We've been around for 6 years so it's too long to be a fad..." Tamaaaa! :)


Astigity!

Eraserheads Was Formed In Kalayaan!

The Eraserheads are so successful today but really, they were just scruffy college students who had big dreams, and who started out in a small way beggining here, in UP Diliman, Quezon City.The year was 1987.


They were just scruffy kids with a penchant for all genre of music . 1987 was the year when Ely Buendia first formed his college band, Bluidie Tryste, from the freshmen's dorm, Kalayaan Residence Hall at UP Diliman. Band members then were Raymund Dela Pena (aka "Luci") - vocals, guitars / Ely Buendia - bass / Earl Pangilinan - keyboards / Drexis Tabiligan -drums. Their first gig was in a "protest concert" in the AS building lobby.

The Eraserheads came about because they wanted "FREEDOM", it was fitting that the band was formed, of all places, in Kalayaan Residence Hall, UP Diliman.

According to an article in the now infamous Pillbox Magazine written by their friend and then-classmate Redel Ramos, Ely Buendia and Raymund "Luci" Dela Pena wanted to form a new band so they posted audition ads at Kalayaan dorm. Raymund (Marasigan) was the first to respond. His piece was The Cure's "Hot Hot Hot". He later invited Marcus and Buddy. They jammed at Alberto's rehearsal studio behind the Nepa Q-Mart in Cubao, Q.C. Nothing happened with that audition/jam.

Raymund Marasigan,Buddy Zabala and Marcus Adoro formed their own band called, The Curfew. They had a lady vocalist named Candy Pelayo covering bands such like The Primitives, The Housemartins, The Bolshoi, Gene Loves Jezebel, and The Soup Dragons.

Ely and Raymund "Luci" formed a new band called, Sunday School. They only had session drummers and Raymund Marasigan would sometimes session for them. Wanting to focus on jazz, instead of "new wave", "Luci" eventually left Sunday School. Raymund brought in Marcus and Buddy from Curfew and joined Ely; hence the merge gave birth to a new band called, Eraserheads.


" Minsan sa may kalayaan tayo'y nagkatagpuan/may mga sariling gimik at kaya-kanyang hangad sa buhay/sa ilalim ng iisang bubong mga sekretong ibinubulong/ kahit na anong mangyari kahit na saan ka man patungo... "






And that was the beggining of something wonderful.....really.

Eraserheads - Maselang Bahaghari ( Live and Acoustic/Audio)

This is a Beatlesque flavor of Eraserheads' Maselang Bahaghari. Live and Acoustic! Amen!!!

Eraserheads - Banda ng Masa ( iWitness Documentary Part Two)

Eraserheads, Banda ng Masa. This part 2 of the iWitness Documentary about the Eraserheads' beginnings, to their legendary rose to fame, their sudden break up, and then came their Reunion Concert, up'til the Final Set Concert.

Eraserheads - Banda ng Masa ( iWitness Documentary Part 1)

Eraserheads, Banda ng Masa. This is a great video that is circulating in Quiapo as an insert or bonus video from a bootleg or pirated release of the Eraserheads Final Set DVD. This is an Eheads documentary from GMA's i-Witness Episode conducted by Jay Taruc.

Why Did The Eraserheads Broke Up?

This is a great Ely Buendia interview I read conducted by Mr. Bong Godinez of PEP during The Eraserheads' Aloha Milky Way period.The interview conducted includes some bits on WHY THE ERASERHEADS REALLY BROKE UP (before, hehe).

The Eraserheads are in good terms already I know, but as a fan who wants to know every eheads bits of history so to speak, this detailed information is like the Holy Grail.

It's easy to find some similarities if you compare the Heads with The Beatles really.
Both have great musicians. Genius musicians if I may say so. Anyways, enough of the introduction folks, and read on....

PEP's Eraserheads Saga: The Making and Unmaking of a Rock n’ Roll dream

Marooned comfortably on a couch inside a science lab turned dressing room, Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia downplayed the news that the band's current single "Julie Tear Jerky," lifted from the band's Asian album Aloha Milky Way had gone number 1 in Indonesia.

Prior to the news, it was reported that the initial pressing of the album in Singapore, 400 copies to be exact, sold out at the day of the launching and has stayed on the Singapore charts for several weeks.

"Ayaw kong kontrahin, e," Ely told reporter Rod Yabis after a St. Scholastica's College gig back in 1998. "Ayaw kong pag-isipan. Masyado pang ano, kumbaga, naaalala ko nang lumabas ‘yung Ultra," he reminisced, pertaining to the band's 1993 groundbreaking album Ultraelectromagneticpop under BMG Pilipinas.

"A few months after, kinakabahan pa rin ako. Ayaw ko ring mag-isip nang time na ‘yun. Talaganag bahala na. Ganun pa rin ang attitude ko," continued Ely in typical deadpan delivery.

ROCK N' ROLL DEGREE. Ely's unassuming attitude, as displayed in the interview, aptly sums up the story and eventual success of the Eraserheads, particularly at the beginning.

It was in 1989 when four college students from the University of the Philippines decided to merge and form a new group. Bassist Buddy Zabala and guitarist Marcus Adoro of the band Curfew hooked up with guitarist Ely Buendia and drummer Raimund Marasigan of Sunday School with the intention of playing music inside the campus during programs and events.

But while undeniably being ardent music fans, the quartet's desire to form a band also stemmed from shared adolescent yearnings; something that had to do with their perceived shortcomings.

"We form a band so we could attract girls sa campus," all four took turns in saying years later, "hindi kasi kami marunong mag-basketball kaya banda na lang."

Legend says that the scruffy quartet arrived at the name Eraserheads during a hastily arranged campus gig. Groping for a name to put on paper, they leafed through a well-thumbed magazine carried by Ely, who is a film major student, and stumbled upon the movie title Eraserhead by surrealist director David Lynch.

It wasn't the best name, they would later say, "but somehow it stuck," said Raimund in an early interview.

Finally with a stable lineup and a definite band name, the boys then confronted a daunting problem: they realized that they're not competent when it comes to playing covers.

Undeterred, they decided to write original songs instead to make up for the liability. "After all, if we committed a mistake, no one would recognize it since they don't know the song," rationalized Ely, who embraced the songwriting responsibility more seriously during the period.

The logic was perfect. Armed with original songs, the Eraserheads soon earned a cult following inside the campus. One particular song that stood out among the earliest materials was the song titled "Pare Ko"—a straightforward ditty about spurned love, laced with obscenities and street-smart lyrics.

UNDERGROUND SENSATION. For some time, the band was thinking of cutting a demo to document the original materials they fastidiously wrote and rehearsed.

Fortunately, a UP professor named Robin Rivera was generous enough to lend a helping hand. Robin, who studied music recording at Berklee College of Music, convened the quartet and gave them their first taste of actual recording albeit primitive conditions. The band used the demo to shop for a record deal but was consistently turned down. Label reps said the record was not pop enough and unsuited for the airwaves. Upset but still upbeat, the band sarcastically named their demo record Pop-U! as mock response to the "not-pop-enough" comments.

Robin's intention was noble. "One of the main reasons I decided to help the band record the now legendary Pop-U! was that in the event that they never got a recording contract, I wanted it to serve as permanent proof of the creativity of their youth," he wrote years later.

The band produced only 20 copies of Pop U! which they proudly distributed to close friends. However, the numbers grew exponentially inside the campus as other students began dubbing copies for themselves.

Setting their sights outside UP, the Eraserheads in 1990 managed to land a regular gig at Club Dredd in Quezon City. It was the perfect venue for a fledgling band to hone their chops while at the same time partake in the steadily growing underground-alternative community and rub elbows with the old timers like The Jerks and Betrayed among others.

Ely, Buddy, Marcus and Raimund were not the best musicians around as perhaps compared to most of their contemporaries during their startup years. But what they lacked in virtuosity, they more than made up for with catchy hook-filled tunes—a critical element that would serve the band greatly as they inched their way slowly to the mainstream.

The Eraserheads gained admission in Club Dredd mainly on the strength of Pop U! Insider Jing Garcia, in an essay he wrote for Tikman Ang Langit recalled the prophetic words uttered by local rock scene impresario Wilfredo "Dodong" Viray to friend Robbie Sunico upon hearing the crudely recorded Eraserheads demo.

"Look after them, man," Dodong nudged Robbie while listening to the demo, "they're going to be big."

TAKING OFF. Robbie did take Dondong's suggestion to heart and went on to assume responsibility for the boys. Relying on their instincts that something big is brewing for the Eraserheads, the two conspirators set out to provide the band an adequate number of gigs to maximize their potential as well as to expose them to a wider audience.

Robbie and Dodong did manage to land an out-of-town gig for the band. Heading south, the boys served as front act to the then popular Introvoys in a battle of the bands show. The Eraserheads would eventually immortalized the experience in the song "Combo on the Run" in which they sang: We took a trip by boat / into the promise land / to sing a different note / man, I don't understand...

Upon their return to Manila, Dodong and Robbie felt that it was finally time for the Eraserheads to record a proper full-length album. During the time, Ely was already employed as a copywriter at BMG Pilipinas. Having full access, Ely practically submitted the record to his bosses who immediately saw the group's potential. They had one pressing concern though: BMG's Vic Valenciano wanted the entire album re-recorded to make it sound more professional and fit for radio.

Racing with time, the quartet scampered to remix the entire record. As a coup de grace, the band decided, at the last minute, to add "Combo on the Run" in the final product. 1993 witnessed the release of the Eraserheads debut album dubbed as ultraelectromagneticpop!

Ely, Buddy, Marcus and Raimund finally arrived.

ERASERHEADSMANIA. As it turned out, the success met by the band's debut record was just the tip of the iceberg. Gradually, the album, fuelled by the songs, caught the attention of the listening public. Months after the album was released, the Eraserheads became a sensation.

Critics and observers pointed out that the Eraserheads arrival was the perfect example of the saying: being at the right place at the right time. By the early ‘90s, there was this new generation of young listeners who were looking for role models to call their own. The ‘90s was the antithesis of the ‘80s; glam and anything flamboyant was out and the kids were craving for something more real and honest.

And that's what the Eraserheads came to offer. Aside from the straightforward lyrics and catchy tunes, the image of Ely, Buddy, Marcus and Raimund wearing t-shirts, jeans and sneakers held the young listeners captive. With the band's ruggedness and irreverent attitude, the Eraserheads was a breath of fresh air in the midst of well-groomed balladeers and suave crooners.

The Eraserheads tackled the usual adolescent concerns in their music—campus life, unreciprocated love, friendships, vices and other mundane subjects—with tongue-in-cheek lyrics. As they went along, the band's music matured and drew on complex life problems.

It is perhaps a tribute to Ely Buendia's songwriting genius that the band managed to churn out consistent radio hits without sounding baduy or corny. "Ligaya," "Maling Akala," "Alapaap," "Magasin," "With A Smile," "Ang Huling El Bimbo," "Torpedo," "Kaliwete," "Balikbayan Box," "Spoliarium," "Para Sa Masa," "Harana," "Huwag Kang Matakot," "Pop Machine," "Maskara," and "Palamig," were just a few of the many good songs the Eraserheads dished out during their reign.

All in all, the band (with Ely on board) came out with 10 commercial albums: Ultraelectromagneticpop! [1993], Circus [1994], Cutterpillow [1995], Fruitcake EP [1996], Fruitcake [1996], Bananatype EP [1997], Sticker Happy [1997], Aloha Milkyway [1998], Natin 99 [1999] and Carbon Stereoxide [2001].

The band's popularity even extended overseas, particularly in the Asian region, where they developed a cult following.

THE END. On March 2002, music fans were caught off-guard with the news that frontman Ely Buendia had split from the band. Buendia's decision, as revealed later, was relayed to his bandmates through a text message citing the words "it's graduation time."

For the longest time and despite the nagging questions raised not just by the press but also by fans, all four members refused to delve into the details of the murky breakup.

In a Pulp magazine interview however, Diane Ventura, Ely's longtime partner spoke in behalf of the fallen Eraserheads frontman. During the interview, she recounted the details that prompted Buendia to finally call it quits.

According to Diane, she and Ely arrived late during a mall show, triggering the band's roadie to call Buendia "unprofessional." Diane argued that she and Ely were not aware of the schedule. When Ely brought the incident to manager Butch Dans, the latter allegedly opted to believe the roadie's account instead of conducting an investigation first. As for Buddy, Marcus and Raimund, Diane said that the three sided with the roadie's side of the story. Ely, apparently, had enough and immediately pulled the plug.

LONG TIME COMING. But insiders believe that the "roadie incident" was just the last straw in the band's already rocky relationship. After the falling out, Buddy said in an interview that relationship between the four members, for the longest time, were already teetering on the edge. He mentioned that disbanding was an option that frequently popped out but they just chose to carry on, perhaps for the sake of the music and their hard-earned legacy.

Jing Garcia wrote that personality clashes among the members intensified as the band became more successful. Ely, as Jing said, was the one calling the shots right from the start. But as they matured in the scene, Raimund Marasigan grew confident with his own abilities as a musician. It was therefore inevitable that ego clashes between Ely and Raimund would become commonplace. Management issues also consistently hampered the band throughout their career.

But indeed the strain was already evident as the ‘90s drew to a close. "Believe me, the feeling is not good when pressure becomes too much a thing to handle,' said Ely to entertainment columnist Ricky Gallardo back in 1999.

It was a revealing interview, given Ely's evasive personality, but he did open up to Gallardo on the trappings of fame and the pressure of being a pop icon expected to write hit songs one after the other.

"I have a lot of negative feelings about myself," confessed Buendia, "and a lot of times when I feel so defenseless. And the more we get famous as a group and the more our songs sell and make it big, the faster these insecurities double up,' he courageously admits. 'You see, I felt I was giving more than I should, plus the fact that I was seen and perceived as the moving spirit behind the group and the unofficial 'leader' of sorts, which was all unplanned if I may say, made things a lot more difficult for me."

Ely, momentarily shedding his celebrity skin, added: "And things were suddenly getting out of proportion, you know, the more you work, the more you don't stop. I've even reached conclusion that to stop has become a luxury. Parang sige na lang nang sige, tuloy na lang ng tuloy. Especially with regards to touring. Pauwi ka pa lang, sinasabi na sa iyo ang itinerary sa susunod na destination. It comes to a point na nakakapagod din and you start asking, what's all these for? Where am I getting at?"

Three years after the interview, the pressure that had built up around the most influential band in the history of OPM finally took its toll.

Incidentally, "Para Sa Masa," a song included in the Eraserheads 1997 album Sticker Happy carries the line, "mapapatawad mo ba ako / kung hindi ko sinunod ang gusto mo..." In the light of all the clamor for a reunion, Eraserheads tributes and Ely's stiff refusal to yield, that line resonates more than ever.

For more eraserheads interviews check out other posts here somewhere. Dig this page. This is for us Eraserheads fans! Enjoy!

Article courtesy from gmanews .

Eraserheads Chords and Lyrics You Won't Find Anywhere Else!

The title is one of the Eheads ditties during their Pillbox Magazine creating era.You know that they've written two funtabulous magazines during their heyday right? Those two magazines are real collector's item now and are really super hard to find. Those are GEMS especially for an Eraserheads stalker.

Guys if you notice, there are new pages on the sidebar (right panel)of this little humble website of ours [hint]------> wink, wink. There is Ely Buendia's The Pillar which is a short story written by Ely that appeared on Rogue magazine (Rogue, March 2009).

Check out our
Eraserheads Chords and Lyrics page too! This is GREAT and DECENT page of a lot of Eraserheads fave songs complete with chords that you can jam whenever you feel like being Ely Buendia, Markus Adoro, Buddy Zabala or Raimund Marasigan.